National Tide 1980.

After ending his call with Ning Weimin, Zou Guodong's last shred of hesitation vanished, leaving only the anger ignited by Ellen Ford's arrogant behavior and his anxiety about maintaining order at the venue.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger surging in his chest, and quickly returned to the command center backstage at the stadium.

At this moment, the order in the venue was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Because of the excessive delay, the information leaked from the judges' seats spread like wildfire through the audience.

The atmosphere in the venue, which was originally full of anticipation, had long been replaced by a strong sense of confusion and restlessness.

"Why can foreign judges just give a score of zero? Are these competition rules just for show?"

"Exactly! Are the other judges just for show? Does one foreigner's comment really matter as much as everyone else's?"

In the audience, many people were raising their voices indignantly.

These words were like sparks, and in response, a chorus of questions arose, surging towards the stage like a tidal wave.

"Exactly! Most of the contestants got zero points, that's outrageous! Does not meeting a foreign judge's aesthetic standards disqualify them from being models and from being champions?"

This time everyone could hear it clearly; it was a young woman shouting, and many audience members echoed her, making the noise at the scene grow louder and louder.

More rational viewers raised sharp questions: "Are you judges just sitting around doing nothing? Why are you letting a foreigner lead you by the nose? Isn't this a competition for the Chinese people? Why should a foreign judge have the final say?"

The doubts quickly escalated into more intense speculation, even targeting Pierre Carton and affecting Chen Juanhong, contestant number 9, who was strongly promoted by Ellen Ford.

"I think there's definitely something shady going on here! Is Pierce Carton biased towards foreigners just because it's a foreign company?"

"How come that number 9, who had been ranked low all along, suddenly received strong support from foreign judges? Was there some kind of deal behind the scenes?"

"Maybe they're trying to pre-select our champion spot for her! There's something fishy going on in this competition, we can't allow them to do that!"

Some emotionally charged audience members even started banging on their seats and shouting towards the stage.

"Give me my money back! What a lousy competition!"

"Judges, step forward! We demand the truthful scores be revealed!"

"That's unfair! We don't recognize number 9 as the champion!"

The jeers and shouts rose and fell, and the scene was in complete chaos.

The host of the competition stood on the stage, holding a microphone and repeatedly trying to reassure the audience, but was drowned out by the cacophony of voices.

All the contestants caught in this unexpected vortex were pale-faced and at a loss in the waiting area.

When Zou Guodong returned backstage and saw this scene, he was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged, and his hands clenched into fists until his knuckles turned white.

He now not only resents Ellen Ford for being the troublemaker who caused all this, but is also anxious that Pierre Carton is facing such a reputation crisis for the first time.

He became increasingly convinced that Ning Weimin was right; this matter could not be compromised or tolerated, and the situation had reached a point where there was no time to lose.

"Don't panic! Listen to my orders!"

Zou Guodong turned around and spoke in a deep voice to the core team members surrounding him. His voice carried an undeniable authority that instantly quelled the panic among those backstage.

"First, have all available hotel security personnel come and guard both sides of the stage and the aisles. Strictly prohibit audience members from rushing onto the stage; ensure the safety of the contestants and judges. Second, tell the host to stop with the empty reassurances and immediately explain to the audience that 'the judging panel is reviewing the scores and will strictly adhere to the competition rules to deliver the final results.' Third, immediately notify the head of the judging panel to invalidate all of Ellen Ford's scores, disregard any of her opinions, recalculate the rankings, and provide an accurate result within five minutes!"

A series of clear and unambiguous instructions followed. The team members, impressed by Zou Guodong's calmness and authority, snapped out of their daze and responded in unison, "Understood!"

They immediately turned around and went about their duties, and the previously chaotic backstage area instantly became orderly.

At this moment, Zou Guodong had his assistant invite French judge Céline Gaspar backstage.

As Ning Weimin requested, I explained the situation to her and asked her, on Ning Weimin's behalf, to help persuade Ellen Ford to stop the matter from getting out of control.

Shirin was already dissatisfied with Ellen Ford's extreme actions, and she also knew a little about Ning Weimin's abilities in the French fashion circle. Upon hearing this, she immediately nodded and said, "Mr. Zou, I understand your decision. It is the right choice to uphold the rules. I will help you and try my best to persuade her."

And so, a few minutes later, after the judges' scores were recalculated, the final result of the competition was finally determined.

As most viewers expected, Qu Ying won the championship with an absolute advantage.

Jiang Xue from Zhejiang won the runner-up title, Liu Li from Northeast China won the third place, and Chen Juanhong, whom Ellen Ford favored, returned to her original reserve ranking, ranking twelfth.

When the host announced the result in a calm voice to the live audience and the cameras that were now broadcasting live, thunderous applause and cheers erupted in the multi-functional hall.

The audience, who had been agitated upon learning of the foreign judges' interference in the results, have now calmed down.

Many people waved their hands excitedly and shouted Qu Ying's name.

Therefore, it can be seen that most viewers were happy with this result, and no one was surprised.

As a result, the tense atmosphere at the scene completely relaxed, and the harmonious and friendly atmosphere was restored.

However, things didn't turn out well for everyone.

In fact, the only flaw today is that Shireen failed to communicate with Ellen Ford.

Although Shireen had tried her best, she was unable to appease her opponent. Instead, after the match results were announced, she was violently shoved away by the furious Ellen Ford.

That wasn't all. Ellen Ford's face turned ashen as she stared intently at the Chinese models receiving awards on stage, her eyes filled with anger and disdain.

She suddenly stood up from the judges' panel, ripped off her judge badge, and threw it hard to the ground.

Then, ignoring the flashing lights of the surrounding media and the astonished gazes of the crowd, he walked straight off the field without saying a word, looking utterly disheveled.

That's not all; when she reached the entrance of the venue, she turned around.

Even in front of reporters, disregarding the live broadcast cameras, she didn't care and lost her composure, yelling at everyone present without any regard for dignity.

"Bullshit! Everything here is bullshit! Chinese models don't understand high fashion at all! They will never be accepted by the international market! This competition is completely unprofessional! You still want to go to America to participate in the competition? Dream on."

After saying that, he broke free from the reporter and left angrily.

It was at this moment that Ning Weimin arrived at the venue, which was quite a coincidence.

He stood at the entrance to the banquet hall, less than five meters away from Ellen Ford, and witnessed firsthand how the American model godmother roared angrily and then left alone.

Of course, given his foreign language skills, he heard her arrogant and rude remarks and understood her meaning perfectly.

At this point, he didn't even need to ask Xilin; he knew his attempt to appease her had failed. But it didn't matter. Although he hadn't managed to end things amicably, the overall situation was already decided.

Ning Weimin knew that the American old lady was just fuming and barking incoherently; she couldn't cause any more trouble.

In fact, at this point, no one in the stadium was paying attention to where the American old lady was. Most people didn't understand her anyway, and they didn't care. Everyone's attention was on the podium.

When Ning Weimin entered the banquet hall, the first thing he saw was Qu Ying receiving the championship trophy from Zou Guodong in full view of everyone, tears streaming down her face.

But these are not tears of sadness, but tears of joy and gratitude.

She bowed deeply to Zou Guodong, then turned and bowed deeply to the audience. At that moment, a bright smile bloomed on her tearful face.

Jiang Xue and Liu Li could not hide their excitement, and they hugged each other after receiving the trophy.

Amid applause, they embraced Qu Ying one by one, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

When the three of them took a group photo on stage, only Chen Juanhong, who was standing in the reserve team, was pale and clenched her fists so tightly that her fingertips almost dug into her flesh.

The gazes from the other contestants were filled with sympathy, regret, and a subtle sense of alienation, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Every second felt incredibly long, filled with loneliness and embarrassment.

Of course, this matter didn't end after the competition.

The repeated delays in the final scoring and the angry walkout of American judge Ellen Ford have sparked widespread discussion among the public.

As expected, rumors and gossip about "unfair judging" and "behind-the-scenes manipulation" emerged, with many busybodies adding fuel to the fire and distorting the facts.

In an effort to quell the controversy, Pierre Cardin China held an emergency press conference the following day, with Zou Guodong personally attending. He addressed over forty mainstream media outlets nationwide, clearly explaining the entire incident and providing an explanation to everyone who was concerned about the match.

“Pierre Cardin has always been eager to promote the standardization and internationalization of domestic model competitions and has been actively moving towards international standards. Therefore, this time we specially invited four internationally renowned foreign judges to participate in the competition, hoping to help the Splendid Oriental Model Competition raise its standards and standardize the competition process. However, during the final scoring process, American judge Ellen Ford overturned her own score and rejected all contestants except contestant number 9 with a score of zero. This extreme scoring method was unexpected by us and is the main reason for the scoring delay and the audience's confusion.”

At this point, Zou Guodong, following Ning Weimin's explanation, stated firmly, "Ms. Ellen Ford believes, based on her personal subjective opinion, that contestant number 9 possesses modeling talent unmatched by other contestants and is more in line with the requirements of international competitions. However, we believe that even in international modeling competitions, such behavior is rare. We believe it not only violates the competition rules but is also an irresponsible practice. Because there is no absolute, single standard of aesthetics, we cannot accept Ms. Ellen Ford using her singular Western standard to judge our Chinese models. We also cannot accept her completely negating the value of Eastern aesthetics and the opinions of other judges, as this itself does not conform to the trend of diversity and inclusiveness in the international fashion industry."

He further emphasized, "Here, we want to specifically point out that this seemingly sudden crisis is actually an inevitable cultural clash that our Chinese fashion industry will encounter as it goes international. Although our competition's rules and selection criteria may still have flaws and limitations, and there is still a considerable gap between them and international standards, our Chinese models possess a unique oriental charm. Their looks, physique, and the oriental rhythmic beauty they display on the catwalk are advantages that Western models cannot match. In the future, we will continue to learn from and align with international standards. To this end, the next 'Splendid Orient Model Competition' will refine the competition units, establishing an 'International Standard Unit' and an 'Oriental Charm Unit,' striving to both retain the advantages of local models and adapt to international requirements, so that contestants of different styles can find a stage to showcase themselves."

It must be said that the speech prepared by Ning Weimin and Zou Guodong was very well written.

Not only did they explain the whole story clearly, but they also let the audience know that Pierre Carton was on the side of the domestic audience.

They neither blindly follow Western standards, but have their own aesthetic standards, and are confident and determined to defend these standards.

Today, they chose to stand firm on their position to fight for the pride of the domestic fashion industry and to uphold the dignity of all Chinese people.

Therefore, once the content of the press conference was reported, it had a significant effect and immediately gained widespread support from domestic public opinion.

The public relations crisis was resolved quite promptly, and the previous rumors quickly disappeared, even enhancing Pierre Cardin China's reputation.

Even towards Chen Juanhong, who had become the focus of attention due to her involvement in the incident, they did not hold a grudge, nor did they condemn her outright.

On the contrary, they not only made a special clarification for Chen Juanhong at the press conference, believing that she was also a victim in the whole matter and that she was innocent, but also gave her an extra chance.

After the matter subsided, Ning Weimin had a special talk with Chen Juanhong, giving her an opportunity to go to France for a year of training and to walk the runway on the international stage. He also affirmed her professional potential and encouraged her to prove herself.

Only then could this matter truly be considered a happy ending for all, with all Chinese people satisfied and no one suffering unjustly because of it.

Unfortunately, the more swiftly and efficiently they resolved the issue without any lingering problems, the angrier the culprit they had forgotten became.

When Ellen Ford, who was at the hotel, learned of this, she was furious.

She not only made outrageous remarks to Chinese media, but also took the initiative to contact international media to express her "grievances" in a condescending manner.

"I was trying to help improve the professionalism of model competitions in China, but I was insulted and ostracized! The professionalism of China's fashion industry is too backward; they don't deserve to have international competitions at all!"

Xilin then made a special trip to the hotel to persuade her, explaining Ning Weimin's earlier warning that respecting the rules is a prerequisite for cooperation, and that hegemonic interference will only provoke resentment.

He even told Ellen Ford that Pierre Carton would be angry and asked her to stop causing trouble for her own sake.

Otherwise, someone might teach her a lesson.

Claire Ford wouldn't listen to a word; she took it as mere intimidation from the Chinese side after realizing they were in the wrong, and didn't take it seriously at all.

Enraged, she packed her bags and headed straight to the airport, already plotting to leverage her connections in the international fashion industry to sabotage Chinese models and prevent them from ever reaching the international stage again.

However, what goes around comes around. She had barely arrived at her office in the United States when her assistant rushed over in a panic and handed her an urgent fax.

When Ellen Ford opened it, she was instantly struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale.

Shirin's warning actually came true! It was even more serious than she warned!

The fax clearly stated that the three major French brands, LV, Pierre Cardin, and L'Oréal, had officially announced the termination of all cooperation with Ford Models and would no longer employ any of its models in the future.

Even the general manager of Saint Laurent, which has never cooperated with Ford, publicly stated in international fashion media that "the models under Ford's America agency lack professionalism and diverse aesthetic awareness, and are all monotonous, decadent and gloomy in style, lacking versatility and unusable."

It was only at this moment that Ellen Ford truly realized the enormity of her mistake.

Of course, given her arrogance as a white person, she didn't really believe that offending any Chinese person was the reason for her current predicament.

She simply believed that her previous arrogance and shouting were like hitting a dog without looking at its owner, which angered the European fashion giants, represented by Pierre Cardin, who then suppressed her.

Regret overwhelmed her instantly; she hadn't expected the European side to value the China branch so much.

She tried to call to win him back, only to find that her contact information had been blocked by major brands.

He wanted to ask Xilin to intercede on his behalf, but he couldn't even get through to her on the phone.

Looking at the fax in her hand, Ellen Ford's legs went weak and she almost collapsed to the ground.

Their previous arrogance vanished, leaving only a heart full of panic and helplessness.

This journey, originally intended to "guide" the Chinese fashion industry, ultimately ended in her complete failure and a humiliating exit. Moreover, this boomerang could very well lead to her bankruptcy.

At this moment, she leaned back in her seat, her mind blank, with no idea how to clean up this mess.

What will happen if her models are rejected by these brands in the future?

Not to mention the bank will cause her trouble, even these girls will terminate their contracts with her and might even demand compensation... (End of Chapter)