novelraw Chapter 96: Hate the Smell of Smoke, Not You
Chapter 96: Hate the Smell of Smoke, Not You
Because of a post she made, the topic of her graduation quietly climbed onto the trending list this afternoon.
And she was completely unaware.
As soon as the graduation ceremony ended, Su Lingzhi brought Fu Yinli to meet her mentor.
After meeting, Fu Yinli immediately excused himself, giving them space for a private conversation.
After kindly asking about her recent situation, the mentor got straight to the point, "The royal family has noticed your design talent and wants to hire you as an exclusive designer. They couldn’t reach you, so they contacted me to discuss the matter with you."
The title of exclusive designer, whether in terms of salary or honor, is extremely rare and valuable in the industry.
Su Lingzhi never expected that one day the royal family of Country Y would take notice of her, but...
She politely declined and explained her reason, "I’m sorry, but I still hope to develop in Beijing because that’s where my roots are."
Upon hearing this, the mentor felt very disappointed and regretted that she chose a brand with no reputation, trying to persuade her for nearly twenty minutes.
But ultimately, Su Lingzhi insisted on staying in Beijing. No matter how big the stage, she believes one day she will lead her work onto the world stage, receiving global recognition and love.
After the conversation ended, Su Lingzhi turned and looked at the person standing next to the trash can, walking towards him.
Upon seeing her approach, Fu Yinli immediately extinguished his cigarette, tossing the butt into the ashtray. He turned his face slowly exhaling smoke and asked her, "Finished talking?"
"Hmm."
Su Lingzhi took the bouquet from his hand, "The flowers are about to faint from your smoke."
"..."
Su Lingzhi looked at his slightly gloomy expression and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.
Fu Yinli’s voice was deep, "Weren’t you just complaining?"
"I hate the smell of smoke, not you."
Saying this, Su Lingzhi linked her arm with his, leading him towards her school while saying, "After I get my graduation certificate, we can leave."
Along the entire tree-lined path, all that could be seen were uniform graduation gowns, the scent of graduation filling this late summer.
Su Lingzhi inadvertently saw a campus couple taking graduation photos, and she also wanted to take one with him.
However, knowing his personality, he surely wouldn’t agree.
After some hesitation, Su Lingzhi finally gave up on the idea.
After returning the graduation gown and receiving her graduation certificate, she left contentedly.
By the end of the entire process, the sunset was tilted towards the horizon.
The orange clouds stained the entire sky, on a street in England, as the Rolls-Royce merged into the main road, five escort cars followed.
Sitting in the car, Su Lingzhi seriously looked at the graduation certificate in her hands, feeling a moment of relief.
Two years of study, almost always a straight path between the apartment and school, either competing in contests or completing assignments given by her mentor. Even approaching graduation, at the busiest time, she chose to intern at Lyrae.
Although these two years were tiring, watching her achievements grow bit by bit made every moment of hard work and effort worthwhile.
"By the way, I still don’t know which university you attended." Su Lingzhi asked the person in the driver’s seat.
"Next door to you."
Su Lingzhi looked at him in surprise, "The Polytechnic next door is your alma mater?"
"Yes."
She had been to the Polytechnic next door before.
Because her fashion design could be cross-disciplinary, often merging with fields like physics, chemistry, and biology, the school provided them an opportunity for academic exchange and cooperation with the neighboring university.
So, for one semester, she often went to the Polytechnic next door, and she was very familiar with the environment there. She hadn’t expected it to be his alma mater.
"What was your major?"
Fu Yinli answered, "Finance."
The Royal Music Hall is usually fully booked, generally reserved for just their two schools as graduation ceremony venues. Su Lingzhi sighed, "Looks like we were both attending graduation ceremonies at the same place; it’s kind of a coincidence."
Fu Yinli opened his mouth, "I didn’t attend the graduation ceremony back then."
"Why?"
"Family matters."
Su Lingzhi comforted him, "Now you’re accompanying me, your girlfriend, at a graduation ceremony, doesn’t that make it less regretful?"
In fact, he didn’t consider it a regret; he didn’t care about these rituals, having or not having them was indifferent to him.
However, perhaps everything would be different with her there.
At the red-light stop, Fu Yinli freed one hand and gently touched her head, "Are we going together tonight or back to the manor?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"There’s a banquet."
Su Lingzhi didn’t hesitate, "I’d better go home first. You’re discussing business, it’s not very suitable for me to go, and I don’t particularly enjoy those kinds of occasions."
"Rika will be there too."
Upon hearing this, Su Lingzhi fell into a moment of hesitation, then immediately changed her tune, "In that case, I’ll go with you."
Saying this, Su Lingzhi looked down at her outfit and asked him, "Take me to change into a gown first, wearing this isn’t very suitable."
"To Lyrae?"
Su Lingzhi nodded.
The car finally stopped at the entrance of Lyrae.
As soon as they walked in, the shop assistant hurriedly greeted them, coincidentally meeting Rika’s assistant there.
Su Lingzhi greeted her, and the assistant was shocked to see her. After a brief greeting, they got to the main topic.
"If you’re attending the banquet tonight, I think there’s a gown that would suit you well."
Speaking of this, the assistant found the gown and matched it with a pair of high heels. She explained, "This is the latest design by Madam, the finished product just came out today, and there’s only this one piece at Lyrae."
Su Lingzhi looked carefully at the gown in her hands, "These trimming elements are indeed Madam’s style."
Rika’s assistant teased, "How can you still call her Madam, did you forget she is your foster mother?"
"It’s a habit, haven’t changed it yet."
The assistant laughed and let her try on the gown, then brought a makeup artist to do her makeup.
Seeing her so enthusiastic, Su Lingzhi couldn’t resist and sat at the makeup table, letting them work on her after changing into the gown.
Throughout, Rika’s assistant stayed by her side.
Su Lingzhi couldn’t help but ask, "Are you not busy with work today?"
"Of course busy, but nothing is more important than you; after all, you’re our Lyrae’s little princess, can’t be neglected."
The change in status subtly affected her relationship with her colleagues, making her a bit uncomfortable, but she didn’t say much at the moment.
At this moment, Fu Yinli was sitting on the sofa with car keys, rubbing the enamel pendant with his fingertip, patiently waiting.
At some point, he took out his phone and sent a message to Housekeeper Zhao.
[Check if Zhizhi and Rika have a blood relationship.]