At the beginning of his last semester in middle school, An Yinong had already taken the Chinese interview in March and achieved good results, but he still had various written tests and English interviews. His English was already pretty good, Xie Jiu communicated with him in English every day, but the written test was very troublesome.
Fortunately, An Yinong also had his own cheating method – let the system read the questions and turn the written test into a listening test, which would save a lot of time in reading the questions.
As they were about to graduate, the classmates started to take different life paths, some continued their studies, and some went out to work. Zhang Wei and Zhao Gang were going to work hard in society. They had already found jobs and would be able to work after graduation. They all felt sorry for An Yinong. It was so painful to study but he had to continue studying. Especially recently, he was really working hard. It was not easy to be a rich man. It was really pitiful.
An Yinong: …When he was helping them find a job, he was a young master, but now he was a poor little guy?
Yes, Zhang Wei and his partner An Yinong helped pull the strings. The driver, Uncle Cai, happened to say that a car repair and car wash shop with good pay was hiring, and he thought of Zhang Wei and Zhao Gang who wanted to learn car repair technology, so he introduced them both.
Both of them were diligent and smart, got along well with their colleagues, and worked carefully, so the master immediately took a liking to them. To express her gratitude, Zhang Wei’s mother sent him a box of traditional Shanghai dim sum, which was really sweet and delicious.
An Yinong was busy until graduation season.
“Tiantong did very well in the exam this time. I am not worried about your math and general education. Your Chinese answering speed is slow, and you need to improve your English written tests. Have you decided on the elective subjects?” After the last mock test, the teacher spoke to him.
Before graduation, the teacher would find each student to understand the situation.
“I have chosen. I want to do creative advertising design in the future,” said An Yinong.
The teacher nodded and said: “Work hard during this last period of time and practice your English expressions. Those will be a bonus during the interviews.”
“Okay, thank you, teacher.”
When An Yinong returned home, He Chengjue called again: “Ah Tong, your teacher said that with your current level, if you can perform steadily, it is not impossible for Hong Kong. But don’t push yourself too hard, it’s not like I cannot donate a building.”
“…” What kind of statement was this from a rich parent?
“I will definitely pass the exam based on my own abilities. Wouldn’t it be good to save some money for Dad to buy a cruise ship?”
He Chengjue’s relieved voice came from the other end of the phone: “I know you care about me, but I’m not interested in cruises. The most important thing is not to be nervous about the exam.”
“Ok, I know.”
“Yes, Atong, your birthday is next month on the third. It’s your 18th birthday, and you have to celebrate it. Make sure to invite many relatives and friends. I checked the time, and it’s right after the exams, so it won’t affect you at all.”
An Yinong had been so busy lately that he just remembered that his birthday was in a month, and it would be his eighteenth birthday.
The 18th birthday banquets of these noble children were usually a gathering for various forces to communicate and bond with each other. Many people would be invited, including friends and enemies. Even because of the influence of the He family, both the black and white worlds would show up.
It was troublesome. After the exam, he still had to deal with these people in the business world.
“What kind of banquet does Atong like? Western parties are popular now, where people dance and socialize at home. But Chinese banquets are lively, with people eating and drinking, and people like them too.” He Chengjue continued to ask.
“Let’s go with Chinese style. Dad decides what’s best.”
“Okay, I’ll let Julie (the all-purpose secretary) arrange it. Let me think about it. I need to order clothes and birthday cakes, find a hotel, a planner, a chef and a menu, send invitations to the guests… I also need to send invitations to my friends.”
“For my classmates plus the teacher… give me thirty-two invitations.”
After the invitations were delivered, An Yinong sent invitations to all the classmates and teachers in the class. Inside each invitation was a hundred-yuan bill, which clearly stated that it was for the cost of purchasing clothes and travel expenses. This kind of thoughtfulness touched the students whose families were not very wealthy.
People of their age had to have self-respect. If others were all dressed nicely and they didn’t have nice clothes, how could they have the nerve to come to the door? One hundred dollars could buy a very decent outfit. And they can wear it all the time.
An Yinong repeatedly requested: “Don’t prepare expensive gifts, homemade cookies are fine. Otherwise, bring flowers, I like flowers very much.”
The classmates all agreed with a laugh. They knew that this classmate was from a wealthy family, but they didn’t think much about it and thought he was just an ordinary rich second-generation. Finally, the last exam was over, and An Yinong felt like he had just finished a marathon. He didn’t want to do anything else but to have a good sleep for three days and three nights.
As a result, Xie Jiu dragged him out of bed the next day and told him that he had been admitted to the design major in Hong Kong.
“Tell me, you didn’t help me?” An Yinong suspected that he had used a backdoor.
“No, it’s just good performance.”
An Yinong reluctantly believed him: “Then how did Uncle Jiu know?”
“I am an outstanding alumni.” Xie Jiu explained, and then turned to himself, “Is Tiantong’s outfit ready? I will use it in the third year of junior high school, and it’s also a good time.”
“Suit?” An Yinong slapped his head, “I forgot, and my dad probably forgot too.”
“What are you doing?” Xie Jiu covered his forehead, “I’ll call my private tailor now. Is this the style Tiantong likes?”
An Yinong thought about the wide-shouldered western-style suits of this era. He still preferred the modern slim-fitting suits suitable for Asian men: “Can I design it?”
Light wrinkles appeared on Xie Jiu’s face. “Of course, can’t our cartoonists design nice outfits? I don’t know how many people praised the clothes of the superstars I drew.”
His expression made An Yinong stunned for a few seconds: “Uncle Jiu should smile more.” He was so handsome.
Xie Jiu touched his face and said, “Okay.”
He still had to tell He Chengjue about the custom-made suit. An Yinong called him and said that Uncle Jiu next door was ready to help him customize the suit.
“Next door?” He Chengjue’s voice suddenly rose. “When did it happen?”
“…He lived next door before I moved in. Now, as for the outfit, we are in such a tight time schedule that it will be hard to find a tailor in a short time, so I need to do this.”
Staring at the hung up phone, He Chengjue thought about it and felt something was wrong. He couldn’t help but call his ex-wife: “Our A-Tong doesn’t want Xie Jiu to be his father, does he?”
He was extremely worried, thinking that his son was going to be snatched away by the cunning Xie Jiu.
Li Yufeng was silent for a while: “That’s good, at least he won’t forget to make a suit for his son.” A critical hit.
“That Xie Jiu, isn’t it great that he is willing to take Atong with him? Atong saved his life in return for this. He will not treat our son badly. What is there to worry about?” Li Yufeng tried to analyze the pros and cons.
“People’s hearts are unpredictable. Besides, isn’t our son still doing well without him? Xie Jiu, used to compete with our family for a share of the publishing house, so we have to be on guard.”
It’s obviously a prejudice in his heart. Li Yufeng snorted: “Then be on guard, I have other things to do.”
“What’s going on? A date?”
“Yes, a date. Mr. He, do you have a date tonight? I won’t disturb you.” Li Yufeng hung up the phone while taking out the watch she made for her son.
Today was another sad night for He Chengjue, but not for others.
The employer offered double the salary, and Mr. Wu the tailor rushed to An Yinong’s home as quickly as possible, bringing an assistant with him.
The assistant was holding a thick stack of clips, which were filled with various fabric samples suitable for making men’s clothing. He was also holding a box, which was filled with buttons and other accessories, mostly made of precious metals and gems.
Tailor Wu opened the box he brought, which contained tools such as a tape measure and some design drawings. He looked at Xie Jiu with a groan: “What type of suit would Mr. Xie like?”
“He wants to make a formal suit for his coming-of-age ceremony.” Xie Jiu looked at An Yinong standing beside him, smiling, “Atong, this is Tailor Wu. He has been in this business for more than 20 years and has great skills.”
Tailor Wu was stunned; it was the first time he heard his employer mention another person in such a light and gentle tone.
But he immediately reacted and said to An Yinong: “So it’s the young master. I wonder what style the young master wants?”
“Can I see some previous designs?” An Yinong, who was sitting on the sofa, looked very well behaved, like the kind of child who would agree with whatever his elders said.
Tailor Wu was deceived and handed over his previous designs, waiting for the young master to choose a similar one to make.
An Yinong flipped open the casebook, skipping the double-breasted jackets and Mao suits and going straight to the suits page. He saw the suits on the first page, which were typical Western-style suits that did not emphasize slimming, and was ready to flip over.
“Young master, do you like suits? This one looks great. It was worn by the Governor.” The assistant holding the fabric sample couldn’t help but say.
“Ahem.” Tailor Wu’s face changed slightly, and he scolded his assistant before Xie Jiu could frown, “Is it for you? No, he’s new here and doesn’t know much.”
Some newly wealthy people liked to wear the same clothes as celebrities, but those with a solid foundation preferred unique clothes, and these people tended to emphasize comfort, low-key, restraint and not wearing the same clothes as others.
Xie Jiu raised his eyebrows, but saw that Tailor Wu had already spoken, so he said: “The child has just started working, don’t be strict.”
An Yinong realized it later. He shook his head and said, “Ah? It doesn’t matter. You should speak up if you have any questions.”
He went on to say: “The reason why I turned it over is that this single-breasted, two-button men’s suit that emphasizes shoulder width is more suitable for tall Westerners. Because of their race, they emphasize the head-to-shoulder ratio, but it will make Orientals look bloated and fat.”
“It only looks good on people with good body proportions, such as Uncle Jiu. Both Chinese and Western styles look good.”
An Yinong, who was giving an example, lowered his head and continued to read, not noticing that everyone in the room had strange expressions because of his words. Of course, Xie Jiu was still calm, but his expression had become visibly softer.
An Yinong quickly looked through all the suit designs. They were all single-breasted, with two or three buttons, notch lapels or peak lapels. They did not emphasize being slim-fitting, and the chest muscles were not developed enough and the shoulders were not broad enough to support them.
“Can you give me a pen and paper?” An Yinong put the case aside.
Tailor Wu was silent and thought, could this young master want to draw it himself? He often met such naive rich kids, who always thought they could draw amazing pictures with one stroke, and even asked the tailor to make the effect they wanted.
But when An Yinong actually put pen to paper, he was still shocked. It was not a common method used in fashion design, but the lines were smooth and each stroke landed exactly where it should be. Of course, what surprised him even more was the suit design.
Although it was still a suit, the collar drooped naturally, emphasizing the vertical lines instead of the shoulder lines, which could visually lengthen the body overall proportions.
In addition, judging from the seams at the waist of this suit, it used a bit of cutting method to reduce the waistline like in women’s clothing. This reduced the original bulkiness of Western-style suits and seemed to be more suitable for the slender Oriental people between teenagers and young adults.
“The back is not drawn here, but I hope there will be a slit in the back, a slightly slimmer fit, and the buttons should be round with the same color.” An Yinong told the tailor his ideas. He himself did not know how to tailor, he had only seen suits made in later generations, so the final result would still depend on the person who made it.
Tailor Wu nodded as he listened. The ideas and suggestions raised by the young master were all very reasonable. He was not the kind of layman who didn’t know how to give orders randomly.
“I wonder what the young master thinks about the material of the suit?” For a suit that emphasized slimness and comfort, the previous stiff suit fabric would not be suitable.
“Is there any fabric with a stronger drape?” An Yinong asked.
Tailor Wu thought for a moment, took the assistant’s clip, and found a page: “This is a new fabric, mixed with cashmere, with a good drape and gloss, a hazy luster.”
An Yinong took the piece of fabric and turned it towards the light. It had a halo like frosted glass. His fingertips slid across the fabric, which was delicate, smooth, soft and had an excellent touch.
“Hmm, no navy blue?” Navy blue was close to dark blue. If the color was a little darker, it would be dull, and if it was a little brighter, it would look eye-catching. Navy blue was very suitable.
It only took half an hour from the time the tailor came in to confirm the style and fabric, and then to measure the body size. An Yinong went upstairs contentedly to draw the draft, and left the rest to Xie Jiu.
Xie Jiu, who was sitting on the sofa, turned the ring on her finger: “This suit must be made well, there must be no quality problems.”
Tailor Wu said respectfully: “Yes.” As soon as the young master left, the temperature in the hall dropped significantly.
“What kind of cufflinks are suitable for the navy blue suit that Tiantong wants?” he asked again.
The tailor thought about it, then he took out the box containing the accessories, which were carefully placed in small compartments. These were all crafted from precious metals and gems.
He found a pair of star sapphire cufflinks. They were spherical, not too sparkling, and more restrained.
Xie Jiu looked at it carefully and shook his head: “The quality is not good enough. Forget it, I’ll pick a pair myself.”
After leaving An Yinong’s house, Tailor Wu breathed a sigh of relief. He glared at his assistant and said, “Luckily you met a kind person today, otherwise I would be in big trouble.”
“Hehe, Master, I won’t dare to do that next time. But what is the identity of that young master?”
“His identity is none of our business. Don’t pry into anything you shouldn’t.”
WhiteMoon x BlackSun 