The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 40.3

[Probably because Jiang Zhi made her try on too many outfits. Who knew the award-winning actress was into playing real-life dress-up games, hahaha!]

Su Yun decided not to overthink it and simply accepted the domineering actress’s affection. “Should we go check out the place the shop owner mentioned next?”

Before leaving the store earlier, they had specifically asked the owner about any information regarding fashion designers.

The owner said she did recall meeting someone who fit the description, but she wasn’t sure if this person was the one they were looking for. The only thing she could confirm was that this individual had exceptional skills in both designing and appreciating clothing.

Hearing this, they immediately asked for directions, and Su Yun was now referring to that lead.

Jiang Zhi nodded. “Let’s go. If we see anything we like along the way, we can buy it too.”

Since the place the owner mentioned was diagonally across the mall from where they were now, there was no need to rush. They could take their time browsing, and they might even complete other tasks along the way.

Su Yun spotted a store with a style completely different from what they had seen earlier.

Large felt wool displays were set up outside, and the clothes inside were thick and heavy, embodying the rugged, prairie-inspired aesthetic Su Yun had once mentioned.

But compared to the typical prairie style, the clothes here were much more vibrant in color and varied in design.

Jiang Zhi didn’t even need to ask just seeing the curiosity in Su Yun’s eyes was enough. She followed her into the store.

“Feel free to look around. If you’d like to try anything on, you’re welcome to.”

Jinguang City’s summers were scorching, but in winter, the temperatures dropped drastically. These were the kinds of clothes locals wore for warmth.

Though they weren’t useful in the summer, many people still rented them for photoshoots or social media check-ins, so the store had a steady flow of customers.

Su Yun picked up one of the garments and asked Jiang Zhi, “Doesn’t this look like something a shepherd would wear?”

“Maybe?” Jiang Zhi eyed the thick wool coat with half an arm exposed, it had to be at least 1.2 to 1.3 meters long. “Isn’t this one too big?”

If Su Xue or Jing Zhaozhao wore it, it wouldn’t even function as a top, it would just drape over them like a full-length coat!

“That’s exactly the effect I’m going for,” Su Yun declared decisively, picking out two of them and proceeding to checkout. “Turn it into a coat, then we’ll pick out a pair of sleek black boots for them. How cool would that be? Guaranteed to score them high marks!”

Wearing the coat she had chosen, they’d look absolutely majestic.

Su Yun’s imagination was running wild. As she pictured the scene, she added, “We should get them a scepter too. Standing at the front like that, they’d look like the rulers of the entire flock!”

Jiang Zhi mentally translated Su Yun’s words it was all about mixing and matching, aiming to make Su Xue and Jing Zhaozhao the most eye-catching “spectacles” of the summer.

[The king who leads the flock?! I never imagined Su Yun was going for this kind of style, hahaha!]

[After Su Yun’s description, I can’t wait to see how they’ll look in these outfits, hahaha!]

[Blackmail screenshot +1. I really want Xuexue and Zhaozhao to know right now! But the outfits their team picked for Su Yun’s team are just as hilarious, this is mutual destruction at its finest!]

After effortlessly securing the wool coats, Su Yun grabbed the packaged outfits, planning for her and Jiang Zhi to each carry one.

But the moment she touched the bag and tried lifting it, she froze for a couple of seconds before bursting into laughter and looking at Jiang Zhi, who mirrored her reaction exactly.

It was too heavy! Lifting it was seriously exhausting!

The clothes were made of genuine materials, not to mention she had picked the XXXL version, this weight was no joke.

“Let’s ask the owner if we can leave the clothes here for now,” Jiang Zhi said, momentarily stunned by this unexpected turn of events before laughing it off.

If they really had to lug these two outfits around the mall, whether Su Xue and Jing Zhaozhao would end up with a failing grade was still up in the air, but one thing was certain she and Su Yun would collapse from exhaustion.

As the mastermind behind purchasing these outfits, Su Yun naturally nodded in agreement. “Sounds good!”

Luckily, the shop owner was kind enough to grant their request.

With the main pieces of the outfits secured, their next target became much clearer. Su Yun and Jiang Zhi headed straight for the shoe section.

However, when Jiang Zhi saw the boots Su Yun picked up, she couldn’t help but ask, “…Rain boots?”

By the time she voiced her doubt, Su Yun was already at the counter, swiping her card. “Yeah, rain boots! Look at the texture, that noble black doesn’t it pair perfectly with the clothes we just bought?”

Majestic and domineering, the god who leads the flock!

The shoe store owner chimed in, “Indeed, our rain boots have excellent texture.”

Jiang Zhi silently prayed for the other team. If the fashion designer they found had equally unique taste, they might still scrape by with a passing grade.

After her silent prayer, Jiang Zhi firmly stood by her teammate’s side. “It does match. They’ll probably look great in it.”

[Actress Jiang: Two against one, of course I’m siding with you!]

[I was just thinking, a pair of black, noble boots might salvage Su Xue’s team’s look a little, but now it seems there’s no hope left, hahaha!]

[They’re putting this together so fast, yet every piece is perfectly unexpected. Now I finally understand why Su Xue was so terrified earlier, hahaha!]

As they neared the opposite corner of the mall, Su Yun and Jiang Zhi found the final piece of their ensemble, a scepter. Of course, it was from the children’s toy section, a very straight “scepter.”

“This one seems pretty well-made. It’s not plastic,” Su Yun remarked, weighing it in her hand. It was even solid inside. “If we’d had this during our hike, it would’ve been much easier.”

“Then maybe we should gift it to the director,” Jiang Zhi teased, following her train of thought and successfully making Su Yun laugh.

She gave Jiang Zhi a thumbs-up: “You’re right! Should we buy one for the director too? After all, it’s the show’s money anyway.”

Jiang Zhi thought for a moment: “Better not. The director might not like it.”

She suspected that if they bought one for him, the director might disregard the rules and outright declare their team’s mission a failure.

She still had to save some face for the director.

“Alright then. If the director shows any interest later, let Xue Su give him one,” Su Yun said, a bit regretful. The scepter was probably the most practical item in the store.

When they reached the corner, Su Yun and Jiang Zhi looked around. The area was crowded with shoppers and people resting, and even though they had narrowed down the search to this floor, finding their target still seemed incredibly difficult.

Su Yun scanned the surroundings first: “Did the director even tell us what the fashion designer looks like? All we know is they’re on the fourth floor?”

“The shop owner said they’re wearing red today and are older,” Jiang Zhi said, matching these two clues against passersby.

She added her own thoughts: “A fashion designer would probably put more thought into their outfit. It should stand out from others.”

Su Yun agreed with the reasoning and searched accordingly.

Red clothing was easy to spot, so they split up to approach people while using the show’s code phrase.

If someone responded correctly, it would mean they had successfully found the fashion designer and exchanged the right signals.

But after questioning several people in red, neither Su Yun nor Jiang Zhi found anyone who could answer the code.

Su Yun wondered, “Could the person the shop owner mentioned not be the same one the show arranged?”

“Still, if the show arranged someone, they should be noticeable,” Jiang Zhi said, though she wasn’t entirely sure. “Let’s try asking everyone in red first.”

Su Yun looked around again. After a few seconds, she tapped Jiang Zhi and pointed in another direction: “What if we ask her?”

Jiang Zhi followed her gaze. Su Yun was pointing at an elderly woman wearing a red sleeveless undershirt, leisurely fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan as she rested on a chair. A few pieces of fabric were placed beside her.

She looked like she had just stopped for a break in the mall and might head to the market any second.

She fit the red clothing and older age criteria.

But as for the fashion designer part… Jiang Zhi really couldn’t tell.

[Is this grandma really the fashion designer? I feel like it’ll be the same result as before probably not, right?]

[Maybe she’s the person the shop owner mentioned who’s skilled in fashion design and appraisal, but not the one arranged by the show.]

[I actually think she might be the one they’re looking for! The show loves being unpredictable. Most people would think like Jiang Zhi prioritizing those with the most unique outfits. But this is Dear Them we’re talking about!]

[That analysis makes sense! If it really is this grandma, it’ll definitely shock the guests!]

Jiang Zhi noticed the fabric next to the woman and thought it was possible. “Let’s go ask her first.”

They didn’t have any more leads, so anyone matching the description was worth approaching.

They couldn’t proceed according to their own ideas, this was a lesson learned from past missions!

Su Yun also thought of this point. On the way to find the grandmother, she said to Jiang Zhi, “I have a feeling that this grandmother might really be the person we’re looking for.”

So they stood before the grandmother and recited the show’s first slogan: “Fall in love while traveling.”

[I laugh every time I hear the show’s slogan! How do the guests manage to keep a straight face?]

[If it weren’t for the fact that the guests keep repeating this to strangers during the game, plus the pre-show ads, I probably wouldn’t remember this slogan at all!]

[Hahahaha! The grandmother looks so confused. She seems to be rummaging through her clothes for something, did they actually get the wrong person?]

Holding onto hope, Su Yun finished reciting this “deceptive” slogan and waited two or three seconds with Jiang Zhi, but there was no response from the grandmother.

Su Yun and Jiang Zhi exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing: Maybe they’d gotten the wrong person…

Just as they were about to explain their mistake to the grandmother, who was still busy searching through her clothes, the grandmother finally pulled out a card the kind the show often used from her pocket.

Then the grandmother said, “Find happiness in love.”

Su Yun: “!!!”

They’d found her!

The grandmother then smiled and explained, “My memory isn’t what it used to be. I had the show’s slogan memorized, but when you two came over, I just couldn’t recall the next line. Luckily, I brought a backup card with the words written down.”

As per the show’s instructions, she couldn’t reveal her identity before confirming the code phrase with the guests, which was why she hadn’t spoken while searching for the card.

After hearing the grandmother’s explanation, Su Yun firmly expressed her criticism: “Grandma, this has nothing to do with your age or memory. It’s just that the show’s slogan is too hard to remember and too convoluted.”

Not only was it deceptive, but it was also hard to recall. And what did any of their tasks have to do with this slogan? Absolutely nothing!

The director watching their livestream: “…”

Having completed all their tasks, they escorted the grandmother to the show’s designated meeting spot. Along the way, Su Yun asked, “Grandma, is that fabric you’re holding embroidered by you?”

Jiang Zhi also looked over. She had noticed the fabric beside the grandmother the moment they met.

“Yes,” the grandmother replied, becoming much more talkative when the topic turned to fabric. “I embroidered this over the past few days, but my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be, so it’s slower now. Back in the day, I could finish this much in a single day.”

Jiang Zhi examined the patterns on the fabric, which were also stitched with silver thread. It reminded her of the clothes she had just bought the embroidery styles even shared similarities.

So she took the garment out of its packaging and asked, “Grandma, then you must be familiar with the embroidery on this piece too?”

“Though I didn’t embroider this one, it uses the same stitching technique as this fabric,” the grandmother said with a smile, nodding as she looked at the clothes. “This will look lovely on you, young lady.”

Hearing this, Su Yun nodded enthusiastically beside her!

When the topic turned to Brocade Light Embroidery, the grandmother began explaining it to them in detail: “Fewer people want to learn Brocade Light Embroidery these days, but as long as it’s genuinely hand-embroidered, I can usually tell at a glance, there’s no faking it.”

She had been embroidering for decades, from her youth until now, with no one to teach her relying entirely on her own slowly accumulated experience.

Su Yun now understood why, before the task began, the director had emphasized to them that “many of the clothes on this floor were made by the fashion designer we’re looking for.”

[Grandma’s embroidery is so beautiful! So the designs on the clothes they bought earlier were Jin Guang embroidery!]

[Last episode promoted He Rong County’s paper-cutting, and this one highlights Jin Guang embroidery. Even though the show treats the guests poorly, this deserves praise!]

[Wow! Learned about another traditional craft today. Grandma is truly a well-deserving fashion designer!]

Along the way, they passed many shops. Su Yun asked Grandma, “Grandma, if there’s anything you’d like to eat or drink, just let us know, don’t be shy!”

Hidden in the mall were four fashion designers, and each group of guests only needed to find one.

Their final score for the task would also be determined by the designer they found.

So, taking advantage of the walk, they naturally wanted to build rapport with Grandma as much as possible. That way, even if the outfits Su Xue’s group picked for them were bizarre, as long as they had Grandma on their side, they wouldn’t have to worry!

Before Grandma could even refuse, Su Yun and Jiang Zhi had already started looking around for things she might like.

“I think this folding fan is nice,” Su Yun said, her payment speed astonishingly fast.

Without needing an explanation, Jiang Zhi understood her intention. “Then let’s get this water bottle too.”

Within minutes, Grandma’s arms were filled with a pile of items, even topped with a fresh flower.

Su Yun: “Though this flower has no practical use, it represents our love for Grandma!”

They had thought of everything both practical and sentimental, covering all bases!

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