Chapter 68 Hesitation
After a while, traffic finally started moving. When Jennifer arrived, they had only called contestant number 30, so she still had at least an hour to prepare. In the restroom, Sandra discreetly handed her the number tag—if drawing lots for someone else was discovered, it could get Jennifer in trouble. Jennifer said gratefully, "Thank you, Sandra. If you have time, I'd like to take you to dinner to thank you."
Sandra said casually, "Sure. But focus on the competition first. If you don't make it, I won't be in the mood to comfort you."
Jennifer smiled confidently, "Don't worry. Even though there are many excellent designers today, I'll definitely advance." She wasn't sure about the finals, but she absolutely believed in herself for the preliminaries and semi-finals. After chatting briefly with Sandra, she went to the lobby to wait. First, she checked the design drafts in her bag, then silently rehearsed her presentation in her mind, imagining the judges' questions and trying to formulate answers.
"Contestants 96 to 100, please get ready. You're up next."
Hearing this, Jennifer immediately sat up straight and took out a mirror to check her makeup. In the interview room, Jennifer was the second to present. There were three judges who would ask questions after the presentation and give scores. Out of five contestants each round, one or two would advance.
"Hello judges, I'm contestant 97, Jennifer. My piece is a pearl necklace inspired by the legend 'The Mermaid's Tears.' In folk tales, pearls are the tears shed by mermaids who fall in love with humans. This necklace uses pearls as the main element, designed in the shape of falling tears." Jennifer was well-prepared and told the story beautifully. The judges nodded as they looked at her design draft—the main design was clear, the shape simple and elegant with strong appeal. She answered the judges' questions perfectly and received the highest score of 9.2, advancing on the spot.
With her advancement card in hand, Jennifer bowed to the judges in thanks, then walked out with everyone else. She first shared the good news with Mia, who was shopping and traveling abroad. Mia called her right away after getting the message.
"Jennifer, congratulations! Let me tell you, the cosmetics here are really cheap and good. Do you want me to bring you some?" Mia talked without pausing.
Jennifer smiled and said, "No need, just enjoy yourself." They chatted about recent events for a bit, and Mia asked if she and Francis had made up. Jennifer hesitated before saying, "I guess we have. He was sick last night, but his tone when talking to me was much better."
Mia pressed, "He's sick, and you still went to compete? Is he seriously ill?"
Jennifer replied, "Not serious, he was much better this morning. I was able to make it to the competition because he lent me his car. He shouldn't mind, right?"
"You can't think like that. I think you should go home right away and take good care of him. If you're not there with him at a time like this, what if another woman shows up and steals him away?" Mia was really worried about Jennifer. She thought Francis was still a man worth holding onto—he was so good to Jennifer and never hesitated to spend money on her.
After hanging up, Jennifer started to wonder—should she rush home right away to take care of Francis? But she had already made plans with Sandra for dinner. She decided to call and check on Francis. The phone rang for a long time before he answered. Francis lowered his voice and said, "Jennifer, I'm in a meeting. What's up?"
Jennifer said, "Nothing, just worried about you being home alone and uncomfortable. Have you completely recovered? Why are you in a meeting again?" Her tone showed concern, making Francis smile. He said gently, "Much better, don't worry. I'll call you when I'm done."
"Okay." Jennifer didn't say more, not wanting to interfere with his work. She found Sandra and shared the good news about advancing. Sandra had brought two designers—one had already advanced, and the other had a later number and hadn't gone yet. Jennifer asked Sandra's opinion, booked a high-end restaurant, and then left first.
In the evening, they met at the restaurant. As dishes were served one by one, Sandra asked curiously, "Jennifer, I saw you driving a Bentley this morning. Did he give it to you?"
Jennifer shook her head slightly, "No, I was just going to be late, so he lent me the car."
Sandra was older and experienced. She advised, "Jennifer, don't think I'm being nosy—I'm doing this for your own good. Francis is so rich, and you're dating him, so you need to think more about yourself. Only what you actually get is real. Don't end up wasting your youth and getting hurt in the end."
Jennifer lowered her eyes, thinking about her differences with Francis. She understood Sandra's words made sense, but she had never thought about making money off Francis, and she wasn't as calculating as he was. In the end, she could only smile and say, "Let's not talk about him. Let's chat about today's competition. Did both designers you brought advance?"
Sandra sighed, her expression complicated. "The one with the later number, Allegra, was eliminated. But she seems to have some connection with my boss, and he insisted she's very talented and that today's elimination was just an accident. He wants to give her our company's direct advancement spot. I was saving that spot for Ursa. You know, besides you, Ursa has the best foundation among the young designers. If Allegra really takes that spot, I'm worried we won't even have one person make it to the finals. Then my boss will blame me for not teaching the newcomers well."
Allegra joined the company after Jennifer left and wasn't even from the right major. But the company's boss really liked her, often calling her to his office to talk, and specifically told Sandra to teach her more. Sandra had been working overtime with headaches lately, dealing with the problems Allegra caused. She really couldn't take it anymore, which is why she complained to Jennifer today.
Jennifer could only comfort her, "Sandra, you've worked so hard."
Sandra took a sip of white wine and sighed, "This wine is still the best—crisp with a hint of sweetness. Never mind about me, what are your plans? You're so focused on this competition, you must still want to work in design. When will you look for a job?"
Jennifer hesitated, but decided to be honest. "I won't be looking for a job right now. My dad will support me in opening an independent studio, but I don't understand a lot of the processes, so I plan to learn while I start preparing."
Sandra put down her wine glass. Her previously relaxed expression became serious as she looked into Jennifer's eyes and said, "Jennifer, what do you think of me as a person?"
"You're great. You're very dedicated to us newcomers, and you're experienced." Jennifer was halfway through the compliment when she suddenly guessed what Sandra meant and asked directly, "You mean?"
"Yes!" Sandra snapped her fingers. "How about we work together? I've been unhappy at work lately anyway, so I might as well quit and go solo with you. I've saved up some money over the years, so we can split things proportionally. With my extra dozen years of experience, I can handle operations, and you can focus on being a designer."