Chapter 116: Goodnight, Sister

After dinner, Jiang Ciyou went with Yi Bai to the sky bar.

This was a vast open-air terrace within the hotel.

The terrace was uniquely arranged, planted with a variety of exotic flowers and plants, resembling a floating garden.

In the center of the garden stood a stage covered with climbing vines.

The entire terrace felt dreamlike, somewhat like Alice’s Wonderland.

At this moment, the terrace was already surrounded by a crowd.

After arriving, Yi Bai headed backstage.

Jiang Ciyou casually took a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray.

She leaned against the glass railing beside the stage.

The view here was magnificent; she could see the stage scene and, by turning her head, admire the nightscape of Paris.

Before long, Yi Bai stepped on stage carrying a guitar.

At first, no one paid much attention.

Some guests on the terrace enjoyed the view, some chatted and laughed, others clinked glasses in celebration.

But when the guitar strummed and Eboni’s voice pierced the night, the entire terrace fell into a brief hush.

His voice was incredibly beautiful—ethereal and melodious.

It sounded as if it came from a distant place.

Like a forest fawn, his voice seemed to instantly transport listeners into a fairy tale realm.

Yi Bai sang a French country folk song.

The melody was simple yet moving. Paired with his clear and ethereal voice, it was like the first ray of sunlight in the mountain fields.

Pure and warm.

Jiang Ciyou watched the young man on stage.

He was like a sunflower grown under the sun—radiant, cheerful, exuding the vigorous vitality of youth.

This made Jiang Ciyou think of Bo Jin Xiu.

He had this side too.

When she first met Bo Jin Xiu, he was like the scorching midday sun.

Every encounter with him felt like being melted by his heat.

But later, Jiang Ciyou realized that the fiery temperament Bo Jin Xiu displayed was just a facade.

A disguise for his “pretty boy” image.

His true self was cool and indifferent.

That intense heat was only a rare spark within him, ignited briefly behind closed doors.

But the man before her was different.

He was not a blazing sun, but a rising dawn.

That kind of pure warmth seemed innate, continuous, gentle, and enduringly radiating light and heat.

One was a fathomless pool of ice and fire; the other was the sunrise that breaks the dawn.

Jiang Ciyou shook her head.

She was indeed a little drunk.

Though they had broken up twenty days ago, she still couldn’t help but think of him.

Perhaps his recent appearance had unsettled her mind.

Eboni’s song ended.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

“Encore! Encore! Encore…”

The crowd was eager for more.

Eboni did not refuse; his fingers danced over the guitar strings, and he sang another song.

His gaze remained fixed on Jiang Ciyou.

She seemed distracted.

But when their eyes met, she smiled sweetly at him.

That smile seemed magical, filling him with strength.

However, Jiang Ciyou did not stay for the entire second song.

Halfway through, she left.

By the time he finished performing, she was nowhere to be seen.

Yi Bai felt a touch disappointed.

But when he picked up his phone, he found a message from her.

“Great performance. Sister’s going to get her beauty sleep first. Good night.”

The slight disappointment vanished instantly upon seeing the message.

He hurriedly drafted a reply.

But typed, deleted, and rewrote repeatedly for five minutes.

In the end, he sent just four words.

“Good night, sister.”

The next day.

Jiang Ciyou woke, quickly packed a small suitcase, and went to the Grand Palais.

Today marked the official start of the design competition.

After registration, the Paris Fashion Design Contest underwent strict screening by the organizing committee.

Ultimately, 100 fashion designers from various countries and regions were selected to compete.

The rules were simple.

The host would announce the theme on site.

Each contestant had 48 hours to design and create a finished piece based on the theme.

On the third day, the works would be publicly showcased and scored by 48 judges.

After comprehensive evaluation, ten outstanding works would be chosen.

The contest featured ten awards.

They included Best Design, Best Art, Best Fashion, Best Market, and others.

These were category awards, with no ranking among them, covering different facets.

All carried significant prestige.

Of course, the highest honor and most anticipated was the Golden Summit Award.

There was only one Golden Summit Award, which could be awarded alongside a category prize.

However, so far, the competition had never given both awards to the same person.

Jiang Ciyou had competed for seven years and won the Golden Summit Award once.

Her other accolades were category prizes.

Jiang Ciyou’s bet with Jiang Xiaoxiao was on trophies: whoever won any category award would be considered the victor.

If both won or both failed to win, it would be a draw.

In truth, even winning a category award was no small feat.

Not to mention the mere probability—only a one in ten chance.

Just considering the contestants—

Each was a dazzling genius in the design world.

Many were designers for global high-fashion brands.

The contest was also very fair.

The 48 judges were mostly design directors or executives from luxury brands, along with veteran designers who had once dominated the industry and pioneered various styles.

These artistic elites, viewing design as their life’s passion, were naturally impervious to monetary temptation.

The executives sought to discover designers who would lead future global trends and create new capital.

Additionally, the showcase would be broadcast live worldwide.

At nine o’clock, the 100 designers were invited into the venue.

Among the crowd, Jiang Ciyou spotted Jiang Xiaoxiao.

It was Jiang Xiaoxiao’s first time at such an event.

The upscale and unique environment felt like stepping into a futuristic world.

She knew the competition’s bar was high.

All participants were prodigies from luxury brands or studios.

She qualified only because of her brand, “Graceful Beauty.”

In reality, “Graceful Beauty” did not rank among the top luxury brands.

Upon entering, Jiang Xiaoxiao tried hard to network with the top talents in the field.

But her English was poor, barely enough for conversation.

She saw Jiang Ciyou standing among a group of designers, calm and composed, smiling and chatting as if among old friends.

Jiang Ciyou spoke fluent English, mingling with the designers effortlessly.

Jiang Xiaoxiao’s fingers clenched silently.

If fate had not switched them since childhood, it should have been her standing here, dignified, radiant, and dazzling.

Soon, the designers all took their seats.

The host appeared, procedures concluded, and the theme was announced.

“The theme of our design contest is ‘Time.’”