Chapter 2953: You Are My Fashion Darling 12

Next up was Min Heng.

When his work appeared on the big screen, on the judges' bench, aside from Qi Jing, the other judges' brows furrowed slightly in unison.

Min Heng chose that set of deep blue velvet formalwear, paired with a full set of ocean-themed jewelry.

He stood on the beach, the composition was standard, the lighting ample, his smile and posture flawless, striving to create a luxurious, elegant noble seafaring atmosphere.

At first glance, there seemed no major issue; one could even say it was quite standard and safe, but the problem lay here.

The judges knew this outfit was paying homage to a former exclusive top male model from Ao Pa Le Si, but the imitation failed to capture its essence and even added superfluous details.

"Min Heng, " Anna Kat spoke first, "do you know what's wrong with this set of photos?"

Min Heng shook his head, keeping the smile on his face steady, "Please, teacher, give me guidance."

"Is this outfit paying homage to Alan Morrison?"

"…Yes." Min Heng said, "I really like Teacher Alan's style, so I wanted to pay homage."

"Paying homage is fine." Ai Wa took over, "but those little tricks of yours ruined it all."

Min Heng froze, a bad premonition already beginning to stir in his heart.

Ai Wa: "The essence of Alan's outfit is restrained, understated luxury, restrained extravagance—but you?"

She looked at that photo, shook her head, "It has the air of a nouveau riche; if not for your basic modeling skills holding it up, this set of photos would be a disaster."

Wei Ke Duo also spoke: "Do you know? When I first saw this set of photos, I even thought it was a parody picture someone made."

A few low chuckles rose from the crowd.

Min Heng's face turned pale.

Qi Jing's complexion was especially unpleasant.

He had always appreciated Min Heng's spirit and innovation, but today's work made him feel a strong sense of incongruity and disappointment.

"Min Heng, I recall your previous works were full of ideas, always able to surprise people. Why this time… did you choose such a somewhat conservative and piled‑up combination? This isn't up to your standard."

Min Heng couldn't very well say it was because he hadn't received guidance from Jin Chen and thus lacked confidence.

He quickly adjusted his expression, showing guilt on his face, "Sorry, Teacher Qi Jing, teachers… lately I might be under too much pressure, my sleep has been poor, and my condition really… has declined a bit."

"This isn't an excuse; I know I performed poorly this time and disappointed everyone. I'm working to adjust, hoping to regain my form quickly, and next time I'll definitely present better work."

He spoke these words with sincere feeling, his eye sockets even turning slightly red.

Min Heng secretly hoped the judges would understand his difficulties, especially Qi Jing, who could think of the hardship of caring for his troublesome roommate Jin Chen, and thus be a little more lenient toward him.

Sure enough, as soon as Min Heng finished speaking, many contestants' gazes below the stage unintentionally drifted toward the corner where someone was……

Jin Chen eating strawberries.

Wait, how is he eating strawberries!

I don't know where Jin Chen got a small basket of fresh strawberries, which he's feeding himself one by one in a leisurely manner.

Qi Jing followed some contestants' gazes and also saw Jin Chen eating strawberries, the complex emotion in his eyes deepening.

You should know, the first place in this round is precisely the Jin Chen whom Min Heng hinted at, indirectly blaming for dragging him down; this made his explanation not elicit sympathy but instead arouse suspicion.

Chenshu's gaze also fell on Jin Chen in the corner, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

No wonder in the previous miniature world, Jin Chen was always enthusiastic about feeding him various novel foods; it turns out it really gives a sense of accomplishment.

Chenshu withdrew his gaze, turned back to the pale‑faced Min Heng on stage, and picked up the microphone in front of him.

"Adjusting one's condition is a required course for every professional model, and also your own proposition. The runway won't wait for you to adjust, nor will the brands. Pressure is the norm in this line of work."

"Your previous works and the level shown today indeed have a gap; if your next work still fails to reach the standard you previously displayed, or shows an even greater deviation, the production team and judges have reason to suspect whether the creativity and inspiration in your earlier works truly belong solely to you."

Min Heng's face turned deathly white in an instant, all color draining away.

He wanted to say something, but under Chenshu's gaze—those pale‑gold eyes that seemed to see through everything—his words lodged in his throat, not a single syllable could escape.

He could only stand there stiffly, enduring the various inscrutable gazes from below, cold sweat soaking his back.

Chenshu no longer looked at him, setting down the microphone.

After a long while.

Finally, it was Jin Chen's turn.

When his work appeared on the big screen, the entire lawn fell into a brief silence.

The first photo: he stood on a reef, leaning back, with surging waves behind him, looking as if he would leap forward the next second and lightly fall into the sea.

The third…… eighth photos.

Looking at them one by one, each is full of primal vitality and striking visual impact.

It's not that he's displaying jewelry; rather, the jewelry gains a soul because of him.

On the judges' bench, even the strictest Anna held her breath slightly.

Wei Ke Duo nodded excitedly again and again.

The rarely speaking judge Zhou Mu stroked his chin, a smile of interest appearing on his face.

The online voting channel opened simultaneously with the work display; Jin Chen's vote count surged at a visible speed, instantly rocketing to the top and leaving far behind the second place.

When the final scores were revealed, Jin Chen was undoubtedly the first place of this episode.

After Qi Jing wrote the scores on the scoreboard, he fell silent for a moment, then still picked up the microphone and looked toward Jin Chen, who had stepped to the front to receive critique.

"Jin Chen, your set of work is flawless in creativity, expressiveness, and relevance to the theme; earning this score is completely deserved."

He paused, then shifted his tone and asked the question on everyone's mind:

"But I want to ask, why was your performance in the first three episodes… mediocre, even perfunctory?"

This question was sharp, instantly pulling everyone's attention back and focusing it on Jin Chen.

Yeah, how could someone capable of producing work of this level be just coasting through the first few episodes?

Jin Chen seemed to think for a moment; his gaze unintentionally drifted toward the chief judge's direction, then he withdrew it, half‑closed his eyes, and echoed Min Heng's answer.

"Teacher, I've been in poor condition lately, very tired, unable to muster energy."

Qi Jing: "……"

The contestants offstage: "……" This answer sounds so familiar; now that's great, even if you got first place you'll still get scolded.

Chenshu picked up the microphone in front of them, "Then rest more, reduce the time spent playing games."

"The Program Team will come tonight to confiscate your game console."

Jin Chen: "……?"

He suddenly lifted his eyes to look at Chenshu; in his usual lazy peach-blossom eyes, an emotion called disbelief rarely appeared.

For some reason, Chenshu is clearly aloof as well, but in Jin Chen's eyes, their expression is mischievous like a cat that invites people.

Jin Chen stared at Chenshu for two seconds; he pursed his lips, slowly, extremely unwillingly, with an extremely small amplitude, nodded his head.

Chenshu barely curled the corner of their mouth, so fast that no one could see it.

The offstage crowd all had different feelings.

Finally, the Director announced this episode's elimination list.

Ten contestants who ranked last left the stage in dejection, leaving only twenty-five people on stage.

The competition became even more brutal.

When the event ended, Jin Chen walked to the dormitory with his hands in his pockets, lingeringly, still mourning the impending loss of his game console in his heart.

Chenshu left the judges' seat amid the crowd's escort; as they passed by Jin Chen, their steps paused slightly, their light gold eyes flickering over his expressionless side profile, then they continued forward as if nothing had happened.

Only Jin Chen himself knew that, at the moment they brushed past, he seemed to hear a breathy sound laced with laughter, very much like a provocation.

Jin Chen: "……"

Weirdo.

He confirmed it for the hundred and first time in his heart.

But it seems, it's not that hateful either.