Chapter 11

After trying on the clothes, those models had come to him again, still full of worry, probing indirectly to ask whether the boss planned to ruin their reputations.

Zhou Jingcheng swiftly dodged Secretary Sun's man-made fountain and clicked his tongue in disgust. "Testing my water absorption first thing in the morning, are you?"

Secretary Sun twitched at the corner of his mouth. "No."

Seeing that his boss was still replying to messages, as if he had fallen in love with this pinnacle one-on-one business mutual-praise showdown, he decided to send Madam Zhou a message later and ask her to keep an eye on the president's mental health.

Whether someone was alive or not did not matter, but they absolutely could not become mentally deranged.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: President Zhou, Brother Zhou, big brother, do you remember that trending-topic thing you mentioned?]

[z: I remember. Don't worry, I've already made arrangements. Just don't forget the name you're supposed to showcase.]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Woohoo! I definitely won't forget!]

Just as Zhou Jingcheng put down his phone, his right eyelid twitched.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" He stroked his chin and began considering whether he should give himself the afternoon off.

What? Work?

A mature company could make money on its own.

-

Soon, it was time for the 6.18 fashion show to begin.

Shi Jihan was choosing his outfit for the evening in the walk-in closet while Zero-Zero-Zero hovered nearby and explained the plot to him.

[This fashion show is extremely important to Shen Qinghuai. Even after the original host sabotaged his partners and pushed him out of the center of power, he never gave up. It wasn't until the original host was exposed for plagiarism and content laundering, dragging him into severe fallout as well, that he completely broke down, resigned, and divorced Shi Bochuan.]

[In other words, we have to land a killing blow at this show!]

The more Zero-Zero-Zero spoke, the more it felt something was off. [Host, Shen Qinghuai hasn't been pushed out of the central position, and he even has upgraded partners now. Can the plot still end with him resigning and getting divorced?]

[Why not?] Shi Jihan straightened his crisp suit, never feeling guilty when faced with questions. [Tell me, haven't I completed the assigned tasks to a very high degree?]

Zero-Zero-Zero displayed a bright red debt figure of "-50.3" before him and looked at him resentfully.

Shi Jihan: "..."

He shoved aside the obstructive Lurdan. [Move. You're blocking my mirror.]

Today, he wore a white double-breasted suit with subtle embroidery that fell to his knees. Fine tassels draped from his shoulders, catching the light in scattered glimmers whenever he moved.

It looked very expensive.

It also suited Shi Jihan's face well, lending an extra touch of clean purity to his appearance.

Provided he did not open his mouth.

Shi Jihan glanced at the butler standing ramrod straight and tried to earn some extra cash. "I suggest everyone entering the venue pays a ten-yuan admission fee."

The butler asked, "Why, Third Young Master?"

Shi Jihan ran a hand through his hair, dripping with greasy charm, and activated his peerless bubblegum voice. "Because my handsomeness requires paid viewing."

[Ding, Malice Points +0.2]

[See? It's -50.1 now. Isn't that practically zero?]

Zero-Zero-Zero: [With that mindset, you could succeed even at hauling manure.]

The butler was struck by the syrupy greasy blast and swayed from side to side. He barely managed to steady himself, his voice trembling. "Third Young Master hasn't smiled this happily in a very long time."

Shi Jihan fell silent for a moment. "Butler, you're no slouch either."

He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, got into the car, and headed for the show venue.

By then, the venue had become a veritable marketplace of fame and fortune, fragrant with perfume and filled with glittering extravagance. Celebrities gathered everywhere.

As one of the organizers, Zhou Jingcheng took a glass of champagne from the champagne tower after finishing his media interview and sat down. From afar, his gaze met Shi Jihan's as he entered the venue. Their eyes touched and immediately parted, everything understood without words. Shi Jihan gave him an OK gesture.

For some reason, however, Zhou Jingcheng's right eyelid twitched even more violently.

Someone beside him said, "President Zhou, I heard Shi Corporation went all out for this show. Their main collection is even working with models from your company. With your taste, I'm sure this show will be an absolute visual feast."

Zhou Jingcheng watched Shi Jihan take a seat not far from him, took a sip of wine, and issued himself a disclaimer. "The aesthetic of this show absolutely does not represent me personally."

He was a man who enjoyed collecting red wine and possessed exceedingly refined taste.

He absolutely had to draw a line between himself and those three people from the Shi Family.

Zero-Zero-Zero peeked around. [What is 88 Carpool Bro talking about with the person next to him?]

[Call him that again and you can go be his Good Boy!] Shi Jihan's face reddened again in anger. [...He's probably talking about some of his creative ideas. After all, his work is about to be displayed, so it's only natural that he wants to share.]

Zero-Zero-Zero understood. [He's so impatient. Good thing we didn't let him down.]

[Tasks and design, both in hand. Both rock-solid.]

Of course.

Shi Jihan proudly lifted his chin.

Just wait. His Malice Points would definitely return to zero tonight!

Niu Hulu Jihan had endured humiliation and hardship, been reborn, and was about to enter full-on money-grinding mode.

Shi Bochuan took his seat and said to his secretary, "Get the livestream ready. It's about to start."

The moment the livestream began, millions of viewers flooded in, and the stream lagged for a moment.

Aside from people in the fashion industry and fans of the celebrities in attendance, most viewers had been drawn in by Shi Jihan's promotional video.

[I'm here, I'm here!]

[With a thunderous boom from the sky, your sis has made her grand entrance.]

[Well, if it isn't the public-use stand-in? (whistles) Sitting alone, huh? Come chat with your sis. (rose between teeth)]

[Shi Jihan, do you know how I've survived these past few days?! I'm like a ribbonfish that's been dead for three months. (flops violently)]

[Wow, what did I find? A frosty beauty!]

[If Shi Bochuan gave me his wife, I'd be willing to suffer the punishment of living in a giant mansion.]

The married couple faced the barrage comments head-on. Neither could sit still, both fidgeting constantly.

Shi Jihan glanced at them and softly asked with great concern, "What's wrong? Got thorns in your asses?"

Shen Qinghuai: "..."

A vein throbbed at Shi Bochuan's temple. "Be quiet."

The microphone picked it up for the livestream, earning countless "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" comments.

Fortunately, the dimming lights soon rescued the couple.

The lights in the show hall suddenly went dark. In the center of the circular venue, a vintage century clock began clicking and grinding as its gears turned. After twelve chimes, it collapsed with a thunderous crash. Mechanical gears and brass clock faces shattered into countless glowing particles that drifted down from the dome, slowly gathering into a line of flowing English script within the holographic projection where the clock had stood:

"PALIMPSEST"

Sitting in the front row, Shi Jihan enjoyed the unparalleled visual spectacle and commented, [They're really rich. They actually didn't use free FangZheng Song Simplified No. 2.]

Zero-Zero-Zero crunched cyber sunflower seeds in his mind and watched with great interest too. [It's fine. Sooner or later, it'll be ours.]

PALIMPSEST, a rewritten manuscript.

It was an overprint of retro and avant-garde fashion.

The models strolled out from backstage, every step beneath their feet landing on halos of light formed by the particles. Shen Qinghuai truly deserved to be the protagonist of a novel. His professional skill was among the industry's best. From the main collection's bold deconstruction of silhouettes, to the layered textures of the fabrics, to the fusion of draped, hand-stacked embroidery with liquid-metal fabric, every detail embodied the theme.

[The concept for this collection is so bold.]

[Did I wake up too hard? Is this really the brand I know for its classical elegance?]

[I love that liquid-metal dress! It sparkles like a galaxy under the lights. So beautiful.]

[Now that you mention it, this dress is kind of like a Valkyrie. It feels like she could head straight onto an interstellar battlefield with a lightsaber.]

Shen Qinghuai had thought he would be so nervous that his whole body would go weak, consumed by anxiety. Yet in reality, he suddenly began to feel grateful that the fashion show had gotten back on track.

At the very least, the barrage comments were normal now. They no longer gave him that despairing feeling of being harassed through the screen.

Shen Qinghuai rotated his stiff wrist and quietly said to Shi Jihan, "It'll be your turn soon. Don't be nervous."

Shi Jihan blinked, looking like an old man staring at a subway phone.

No, was this right?

A protagonist was comforting a vicious cannon fodder like him?

As one of the organizers, Zhou Jingcheng naturally knew the schedule as well. He sat upright with his legs crossed, his posture impeccable. One hand with distinct knuckles held the slender stem of a glass, resting loosely over his knee, while his other hand was... scrolling through his phone.

The screen was open to his chat with Secretary Sun. [Shi Jihan's collection is about to begin. Remember to record the whole thing.]

[Secretary Sun: Yes, boss. Are you planning to review the models' performances tonight? I'll send it to the relevant agents afterward.]

[z: No. Pure appreciation.]

There was no other reason. He simply wanted to watch the married couple who had made him eat ten plates of smashed cucumber lose their minds, then repeatedly drag the video bar back to publicly execute them.

The barrage comments raced by.

[Oh, oh! Little brother's collection is coming!]

[Wait, why is the sub-collection called Carbohydrate Rhapsody?]

[Holy shit, what the hell is that thing that's come to life?!!!]

The instant Zhou Jingcheng looked up, he saw a lump of instant noodles moving down the runway.

Chapter 11

The instant noodles confidently strutted down the runway, the noodles hanging from her pant legs swishing from side to side with every movement. One look told you they were perfectly chewy noodles.

She reached the front, posed with her hands on her hips, coolly swept back her hair, and turned around with an icy expression.

Her catwalk had flair, and her noodles had bite!

Everyone below the stage: ?

No, was this right?

What the hell was that thing?!!

But this was only the beginning.

Next came hamburger pajamas.

Under the spotlight, the golden bun gleamed with a wheat-scented sheen, while the lettuce-leaf pleated skirt rippled in waves.

The runway had flair, and the sauce had flavor!

Every fat marbling line on the Angus beef patty reflected the designer's painstaking craftsmanship.

The world-weary-faced model stood at the very front of the runway, spread her arms like a flapping moth to display her bun, then slowly folded shut like a clam shell, wrapping herself into a genuine hamburger.

With one click, it blocked out sound, light, and electricity, letting your nights be ruled by black-hole-level sleep from now on.

Shen Qinghuai watched the sesame seeds glitter beneath the lights and suddenly gripped Shi Bochuan's arm. His fingertips pressed so hard they turned white as his entire world collapsed and reassembled before his eyes.