Chapter 117
After Xie Mi finished speaking, Xiao Jingxi’s face looked a little unpleasant.
But he quickly adjusted his mood, calmly and unhurriedly beginning to refute.
“Xie Mi, those are just your assumptions. KTV, playing ball, strolling after dinner—those aren’t things Teacher Liu would ever do.
I simply chose the attire that suits Teacher Liu best. She’s a lady from a prestigious family, so she ought to maintain elegance at all times.”
After saying this, he smiled and nodded at Liu Woxing, “Am I right, Teacher Liu?”
“Right, my ass.”
Before Liu Woxing could even speak, Xie Mi had already laughed and scolded, “Why the hell should she maintain elegance all the time? Since when are there so many ‘shoulds’ in this world?
What to wear on a first date, what to wear to a reunion—aren’t those all up to your own mood?”
After saying that, Xie Mi plopped herself onto a chair, crossed one leg over the other, and lounged back like some grandpa.
“Why care what others think? Just make yourself happy first.”
“Well said.”
And Shen Yuqing would always be the first to hype her up.
Leaning lazily against the wall, his voice was casual and offhand, “I didn’t follow any particular principle when picking this outfit for Teacher Xie. I only followed one idea—
—to make her happy.”
As if to prove his words, the moment his voice fell, Xie Mi sprang off the chair and did a full Thomas flair spin right there on the floor.
Her clothes were so comfortable that no matter how exaggerated her movements, nothing restricted her.
When she finished the spin, Xie Mi hopped up with ease, grinned, and raised her hand.
Shen Yuqing slowly raised his as well, lips curved faintly.
The two spoke almost in unison: “We forfeit.”
Both the judges and the PD were dumbfounded.
They had actually already been swayed by Xie Mi’s words, leaning toward giving them the win—
But out of nowhere, the pair suddenly declared they’d forfeit?
“Teacher Xie, Mr. Shen… you could wait for the judges’ scores. You might not lose…”
The PD tried to persuade them.
But Xie Mi had already waved her hand coolly, grabbed her bag, and started walking off.
“No need. We admit defeat this round.”
Sure, she was very competitive, and yes, she really wanted to win this game.
But when she saw Xiao Jingxi holding up one gown after another against Liu Woxing—while Liu stayed silent the entire time—suddenly the whole game just felt boring to her.
Meaningless, really.
“Come on, Old Shen, let’s leave before they realize I swiped this outfit of theirs.”
Xie Mi whispered as she tugged Shen Yuqing along. They were sneaking away when a clear female voice suddenly rang out behind them.
“No. We admit defeat.”
Xiao Jingxi’s face, which had just softened, instantly stiffened. He turned sharply toward Liu Woxing, his eyes full of confusion.
“Teacher Liu… what are you saying?”
“I said I admit defeat.”
Liu Woxing raised her head to meet Xiao Jingxi’s gaze, her eyes full of resolve.
She tightened the coat tied around her waist and calmly told the four judges, “I don’t like this outfit at all. It restricts me—I can’t even walk normally. If I were to attend a reunion like this…”
Here she paused.
Then, more forcefully, she said, “Maybe in the past I would have worn something like this. But from now on—I won’t.”
The four judges exchanged looks, unsure how to handle this situation.
Xiao Jingxi stared at Liu Woxing in disbelief, silently demanding an explanation with his eyes.
But Liu Woxing had already turned and walked into the dressing room without looking back.
Outside the store, fans who had been watching fell silent for a few seconds—then erupted in loud, piercing cheers.
“Sister Liu, if you don’t want to wear it, then don’t!”
“Come on, beauty looks good in anything—dresses, jeans, whatever. What matters is being happy!”
“Why must Sister Liu stay elegant all the time? Isn’t that just a stereotype?”
“Honestly, Sister Liu sometimes isn’t all that elegant on the show either—like when she got mushroom poisoning, or when she was riding a horse with a whip in that stage play. She showed a different side, but wasn’t that really cute too?”
“I actually think that Sister Liu feels much more alive!!”
Inside the fitting room, Liu Woxing froze while changing.
Suddenly, her vision blurred. A grievance suppressed for years welled up inside her.
No one had ever told her:
It’s okay not to be elegant.
It’s okay not to be dignified all the time.
That even losing composure once in a while could be adorable…
All her life, she had grown up in shackles.
Even joining this program had been her family’s idea.
They thought of her as the carefully raised daughter of the Liu family, a noble lady who could represent both the Liu family and Star Entertainment’s face. By coming on this show, she’d both promote the company and “prove” the excellence of the Liu family’s upbringing.
Even though, from the very start, she hadn’t wanted any of this.
Her eyes grew hotter. Realizing tears were welling, Liu Woxing quickly tilted her head back, trying to force them back so her makeup wouldn’t smudge and betray her loss of composure.
But outside, noise suddenly rose.
“Both sides forfeited? Then just call it a tie—simple as that. Xiao Jingxi, you seem a little upset. What, wanna fight about it?”
“Sure, maybe I can’t beat you, but my taste in cars is excellent.”
“Oooh, ooh, mad are we? Come on, crush me with those big pecs of yours—do it!”
That mocking tone belonged to no one but Xie Mi.
Liu Woxing couldn’t help but burst out laughing through her tears.
After changing, she stepped out of the fitting room—and was met with quite the scene.
Xiao Jingxi’s face was flushed bright red with anger. But as a movie king, he had a reputation to maintain. He couldn’t say anything that might tarnish his image, so he just fumed, almost gasping for breath.
The judges and PD hurried to calm him down, consoling him.
Meanwhile, Xie Mi had no intention of restraining herself.
She went right up to him and started tap dancing provocatively. After finishing, she and Shen Yuqing folded their arms, lifted their chins, and looked down at him.
“You. Weren’t invited.”
Xiao Jingxi nearly rolled his eyes back and fainted from rage, while the judges once again rushed to soothe him.
[Hahahaha this is American-style bullying]
[Xiao Jingxi: you weren’t invited]
[Sister Liu already said she didn’t like it, so what are you still not accepting? Quit it with your stereotypes. My Sister Liu is alive—she can be elegant, but she can also whip you!]
[No wonder Xiao Jingxi’s words gave me such a strong discomfort earlier—it’s because he was literally shackling Sister Liu with expectations.]
[You could’ve said the qipao was beautiful, or that Sister Liu’s temperament suited it. But you can’t say she’s a lady and therefore she must wear a qipao. Understand?]
[Now that I think about it, Old Shen is truly gentle. His first standard for picking clothes isn’t whether they look good—it’s whether Sister Xie likes them!]
[I swear, in this life, I must date someone like that]
[^ And don’t think trying that trick will get you eternal life]
