It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

He forced a smile and said, "Maybe your brother will come looking for you when we get to Paris."

"really?"

Louise opened her big, bright, watery eyes and looked at her father with anticipation.

"real."

Anderson put on a friendly smile, but inwardly he was sneering.

Heh heh heh, let's not even talk about how that brat has vanished into thin air; I haven't seen him for months. Even if he were still alive, I've already moved to Paris with Louise; how could he possibly come looking for me?

This time, the advantage is on my side!

Although Anderson's words sounded nice this time, Louise was a little distrustful of his drastic change in attitude: "But Louise remembers that Dad seemed to dislike my brother. Could he be stopping him from coming to see Louise?"

"It's more than just annoying, I'd break his legs if he dared to come to my door..." Anderson forced a smile and said, "How could that be? How could Dad do something that would hurt Louise?"

"really?"

Louise asked doubtfully, "Dad, can you promise that?"

That bastard actually made Louise doubt me too, what a jerk... But oh well, that kid's probably dead anyway, might as well make Louise happy and maybe even improve our father-daughter relationship...

Thinking of this, Anderson gritted his teeth and assured him, "Don't worry, if Li Cheng comes to see you after we get to Paris, Dad promises not to stop him and will even allow you to visit him."

"...Huh?!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Louise cheered and snuggled into Anderson's arms, rubbing her little head against his chest and saying, "Thank you, Daddy! Daddy's the best! Louise loves Daddy the most!"

"Louise, be good."

Anderson gently embraced Louise, a satisfied and happy smile spreading across his face, even causing wrinkles to appear prematurely from happiness.

Chapter 260 Outsourcing

Paris, Rue de la Vieux.

After successfully persuading the customer named Sophia to pay the deposit, Li Cheng spent several hours completing the design sketches for the dress. He included not only a picture of the dress from various angles, but also the customer's height, arm length, and other body parameters, along with detailed information on fabric selection.

After completing these preparations, Li Cheng packed a stack of design drawings and walked to Purple Rose Street.

Although he boasted that he had a professional tailoring team, he himself did not have the ability to sew a dress. Miller's help would probably take a few more days, so Li Cheng had no choice but to find a professional tailor shop, pay the processing fee, and entrust them to sew the dress.

In other words, it's what's called... outsourcing!

Outsourcing has many advantages, such as reduced operating costs, flexible project schedules, and reduced expenses... Well, to sum it up, it's convenient and saves money.

However, when it comes to outsourcing, Li Cheng recalled a news story he had heard before about Bob, an American programmer who earned $25 a year. He outsourced his work to a Chinese company for $5 a year, making a profit from the difference. He spent his days watching videos and slacking off at the company. He even took on programming work from other companies and outsourced it again.

Honestly, how could such a talented person be laid off? Shouldn't they quickly arrange for a management position?

.......

While his mind was wandering, Li Cheng unknowingly arrived at the tailor shop on Purple Rose Street and entered the relatively quiet shop.

The front row of shops was unremarkable, consisting of a long, black counter and shelves displaying mostly ready-made garments and fabrics.

Initially, tailors did not handle the fabrics at all; customers had to buy their own fabrics from fabric shops and then have them processed. However, as time went on, tailors gradually took over some of the fabric shops' business, allowing customers to bring their own or buy directly from the tailors.

"I need a dress exactly like the one in this picture, and I need five days."

Li Cheng handed several design drawings to the man who appeared to be the owner, sitting behind the counter: "How much does it cost?"

A middle-aged man who looked to be in his mid-thirties sat behind the counter. When he saw a customer come in, he didn't rush to serve him. Instead, he lazily looked up and said, "Okay, okay, just a moment."

The boss wasn't surprised by his commission, since many idle or fashion-conscious nobles liked to design their own clothes, the most famous of whom was the renowned Louis XIV.

But when the boss received the design drawings, he still exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

It's rare to find a customer like Li Cheng who provides such comprehensive data. The design drawings from different angles are not only clear and concise, but also clearly indicate arm length, height, and fabric color, eliminating the need to ask about various details.

"It's quite convenient."

The boss, finding it convenient, quoted a relatively low price: "A deposit of 5 Ericus, and it can be even cheaper if there's no time limit."

The dress design uses few expensive embellishments; the cost is entirely in the fabric and craftsmanship, so it doesn't really cost much money.

Li Cheng thought it was about right and, too lazy to haggle, nodded and said, "Okay, but the time is very tight. Please make sure it's completed within five days."

Orders are placed, deposits are paid, and personal information and contact details are provided.

The process was uneventful; the boss didn't show much interest in the design of the dress. Although he thought it was quite nice, that was about it.

Although Li Cheng's design draws on the delicate and refined Rococo style that was ahead of its time, it is enough to give people who are used to this era of luxury, grandeur, and high prices a refreshing experience.

However, in this era, the so-called fashion was largely driven by the high-ranking officials and nobles, and was imitated by them from top to bottom. Even if there were some novel and interesting designs among the people, they often failed to become a trend.

Moreover, fashion is not just about art and aesthetics; it is also inextricably linked to political climate and ideology. To give a politically incorrect example, the most fashionable attire in the 1960s and 70s was the green military uniform, but could that really be considered fashionable...?

In conclusion, only when a good design is worn by the right person and receives enough exposure can it become fashionable.

Just as Li Cheng, feeling somewhat relieved yet also a little regretful, was about to leave, his former boss, after carefully examining the design drawings several times, asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Aorunji, who is the author of these design drawings?"

"You do have some discerning eye..." Although he was already planning to refuse, Li Cheng couldn't help but smile slightly: "It's me, is there a problem?"

"It's you?"

The boss looked Li Cheng up and down with surprise, then said, "If you have the time, would you be willing to accept a long-term, stable employment contract and become our... printmaker?"

"Sorry, I've already... uh, wait, you mean a printmaker?"

Contrary to expectations, Li Cheng was a bit bewildered.

“That’s right. Your painting skills will surely enhance the reputation of my tailor shop. I’m willing to pay you a substantial reward.”

The shop owner said confidently, "Judging from the dress you designed, I guess you're a bit strapped for cash and can't afford to buy your beloved girl a fashionable outfit, so you planned to design an inexpensive but beautiful dress yourself—am I right?"

...what?

A poor painter struggling to make ends meet designs a dress for his beloved girl?

Please, I'm just looking for outsourced work from your tailor shop. Boss, can you please stop having such an incredible imagination?

After a two-second pause, Li Cheng replied with a strange expression, "I have a proper job."

"Are you really not going to reconsider?"

The shopkeeper continued enthusiastically, "You might not know this, but my tailor shop was featured in a whole article in the *Elegant Mercury Gazette*. You might gain attention for your printmaking work and receive more commissions in the future. You might even get lucky and catch the eye of a nobleman..."

Of course I know, because I learned about your tailor shop from the newspaper.

Li Cheng's lips twitched: "Thank you, but it's really not necessary. I don't really want to become famous because of printmaking..."

"is it?"

Seeing this, the owner looked regretful but didn't insist: "You can come find me anytime if you change your mind. I'm in the shop most of the time, and if I'm not, you can leave a message for someone else in the shop..."

To be fair, these days painters don't just paint and wait for rich people to buy them. They work on a piece-by-piece basis, getting paid first and then painting. Those who can be kept by nobles and receive a monthly allowance are all people who have made a name for themselves, and their bosses must have been quite well-off.

But the problem is... Li Cheng really doesn't need it; on the contrary, he finds it a bit numb.

I'm numb. The landlady is the same, the tailor shop is the same. They value drawing skills more than fashion design. At this rate, I guess I'll debut as an emerging painter before I become a fashion designer...

Chapter 261 A Friend's Worries

After paying the deposit to the designer named Banana, Sofia waited a full week with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

She looked forward to seeing herself in the new long dress, but was also nervous that the actual effect was a far cry from what she had been promised—it wasn't as perfect as she had imagined—the difference between the buyer's show and the seller's show.

So when the appointed day arrived, she couldn't wait to go to her friend's place, intending to ask her to go to Tulip Street together to pick up the goods.

So you mean...

After listening to Sophia's story, her friend's expression gradually became strange: "You found an unknown designer through a small ad in the corner of a magazine, who supposedly only accepts design work, and commissioned a dress that [maximally accentuates your beauty while still being eye-catching, is gorgeous yet has a touch of femininity, can attract the attention of everyone in the salon, including men and women, but is not too high-profile or abrupt, and the price has to be kept within one-twenty-fourth of the dress you're wearing]...?"

"Yes."

Sophia raised her chin with a smug look: "How about that? Aren't I capable?"

What a load of ruby! Why don't you just order a brightly colored black dress? No normal designer would agree to such an outrageous request! They'd be lucky if they didn't kick you out!

"If everything is true, then he is indeed very capable."

Feeling a bit suffocated, her friend took a deep breath and then said in as tactful a tone as possible, "But Sophia, let me give you a possibility, just one possibility—what if you actually encountered a con artist who's good at bluffing?"

"fraud?"

Sofia asked, puzzled, "What did he lie to me about?"

Hearing her question, her friend fell silent—yes, what did they scam? If it was money, that deposit probably wouldn't even cover the advertising costs, especially since they supposedly even painted a portrait of him. What kind of scammer loses money?

But if it's not a scam, it doesn't make any sense at all...

In short, filled with questions about the designer, the friend followed Sophia in a carriage to the residence of the designer named Orenki—14 Tulip Street.

The courtyard didn't change much in just one week. The biggest difference was a wooden sign erected at the entrance with two lines of bold French text.

[We only accept private clothing design work. We do not sew buttons, patch clothes, or sell secondhand clothes. For cheap tailoring jobs, please turn right and walk 500 meters to the Daffodil Street next door. For high-quality tailoring jobs, please turn left and walk 1000 meters to Purple Rose Street.]

An unsettling aura wafted over them, and their friend pointed subtly at the wooden sign: "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Um, I remember."

Sofia didn't know how to explain, so she went into the courtyard and started knocking on the door.

Knock knock knock—

The wooden door opened quickly, and Li Cheng, who had been quite busy lately after receiving several orders, leaned out and asked, "Who is it? What's up?"

“Excuse me, Mr. Orenki.”

While her friend was pondering how to get her deposit back if she wasn't satisfied, Sophia stepped forward, bowed politely, and said, "Do you remember me? I'm Sophia, who reserved a dress here last week."

“Miss Sophia...of course I remember, you scheduled to pick up your dress today.”

As Li Cheng gradually got used to being called Aorunji, he quickly recalled this difficult client—to be honest, he also found it hard to forget such a demanding client!

After confirming their identities, he led the two into the house and took out the light pink dress that had already been sewn by the outer packaging, spreading it out on the table for the two to inspect.

The light pink fabric feels smooth and cool to the touch. The numerous ribbons, laces, and pleats are exquisitely crafted and beautiful. Even the invisible stitches along the inner edge of the skirt are finely and tightly connected into a beautiful line.

As a tailor shop that was once recommended by the newspaper, Purple Rose Tailor Shop has really good craftsmanship. Whether it is the color, style or the materials, it perfectly reproduces Li Cheng's design.

Upon seeing the perfectly finished dress, her friend's doubts vanished. She stopped trying to get a refund of her deposit and was instead shocked—could someone really meet such demanding requirements?!

Sofia, who made the request, was also very satisfied. Since the finished garment she received was almost exactly as expected, she figured it wouldn't look too bad on her either.

"How is it? Is there anything you're not satisfied with?"