The Sickly Girl Becomes a Scum Alpha - Chapter 32

All eyes gradually converged on Jian Sui. When Chu Ci also looked over in confusion, Jian Sui tried her best to act as if nothing were wrong to prevent things from developing into something even stranger. She walked toward Chu Ci.

Holding the black patent leather measuring tape with white markings, Jian Sui stood in front of Chu Ci, still feeling a bit unsure of where to start. She looked back at Zhao Rong, who had already begun organizing the clothes. “Regarding Chu Ci’s height and weight…”

“Over here.” Zhao Rong pointed to the scale in the corner.

Chu Ci walked over and stood on it for a moment.

Cao Xi immediately rushed over to check the numbers. “Height… 1.76 meters. Weight… Holy crap! Chu darling, how did you lose so much weight?”

Chu Ci looked down at the scale. It seemed fine to her; she had never been this heavy in her previous life. Perhaps because of the physical soul-merging, she wasn’t as skeletal as before, but since the original host was also the “normally thin” type, she hadn’t gained much weight. She would still be considered very thin.

Jian Sui also leaned in to look, frowning slightly. This weight was no longer healthy. But considering Chu Ci’s physical condition and her habit of eating only small amounts, it made sense. It seems I need to pay more attention to her diet.

Silently noting Chu Ci’s height and weight, Jian Sui handed the notebook to Cao Xi to help record the rest of the measurements.

Chu Ci stood before Jian Sui. They were roughly the same height, which made the process easier.

Naturally starting from the top, Jian Sui took the tape to measure Chu Ci’s neck circumference first; some designs required this for the collars.

The soft black tape encircled Chu Ci’s long, fair neck, creating a striking visual contrast of black and white. Jian Sui pulled the ends of the tape together at Chu Ci’s collarbone. Trying to keep her mind focused, she checked the value. “24.5.”

Beside them, Cao Xi couldn’t hold back a poorly timed snicker.

Chu Ci and Jian Sui looked over simultaneously. Chu Ci gave Cao Xi a suspicious look. “What are you laughing at?”

Cao Xi pointed at the tape in Jian Sui’s hand. “Next time, I’ll send you a collar like that.”

Jian Sui immediately realized what she meant, and her face turned bright red as she pulled the tape back.

Chu Ci was a beat slow but finally caught on. She gave Cao Xi a dangerous look. “Next time there’s a ‘decency sweep,’ you better be careful they don’t sweep your brain away!”

Cao Xi silently stopped laughing and made a zipping motion over her mouth: …I’m shutting up.

“Ahem! Turn around, lift your arms.”

Jian Sui was truly exasperated by Cao Xi’s filterless mouth. She coughed awkwardly and patted Chu Ci’s shoulder.

Obediently, Chu Ci turned and opened her arms, letting Jian Sui measure her arm length, wingspan, and shoulder width.

“70… 80… 41.”

After reporting the numbers, Jian Sui moved back to Chu Ci’s front. She hesitated but reached out, encircling Chu Ci in what was almost a face-to-face embrace as she wrapped the tape around Chu Ci’s back before quickly stepping back to check the reading.

Chu Ci felt Jian Sui’s breath brush past her ear for a fleeting second, the slight warmth seemingly lingering for a long time.

Moving on to the bust, waist, and hips, Jian Sui didn’t dare let go of the tape. Even so, when her hand touched Chu Ci’s body to ensure accuracy, she couldn’t help but tremble slightly from nervousness.

Finally, having finished the three most critical measurements, Jian Sui let go. Just as she was about to retract the tape, Cao Xi leaned in. “Jian Sui, your hands are shaking. Won’t that be inaccurate? How about measuring one more time?”

Even with a level of endurance like Jian Sui’s, she now just wanted Cao Xi to shut up immediately.

However, there was no need for Jian Sui to speak. Chu Ci put her hand on Cao Xi’s shoulder. “You’re a bit too idle, aren’t you?”

Cao Xi immediately changed the subject, looking at the form in her hand. “Uh, there’s still leg length, thigh circumference, arm circumference, wrist, ankle… let’s keep measuring.”

Removing her hand from Cao Xi’s shoulder, Chu Ci offered her wrist to Jian Sui. Noticing the heat still lingering on Jian Sui’s face, she shot a silent warning look at Cao Xi to mind her tongue. Cao Xi nodded with a reluctant expression.

Chu Ci’s wrist was very thin, fair, and delicate, with blue-green veins clearly visible. One hand could encircle it completely. Jian Sui subconsciously circled it with her own fingers—it was a perfect fit.

She quickly smoothed the tape to cover her action and continued the measurements.

The leg length was exactly as Jian Sui expected, perfectly meeting the golden ratio.

Chu Ci’s proportions were extremely standard. Coupled with her model-like height and weight and porcelain skin, one could say there wasn’t a single flaw to be found. She was like a piece of fine china crafted with painstaking effort—perfect in every way.

Finally, only the ankle remained.

Jian Sui knelt down. Chu Ci lifted her foot slightly, revealing her ankle. Holding it with one hand, Jian Sui wrapped the tape with the other and recorded the value.

When the recording was finally complete, Jian Sui breathed a silent sigh of relief. This was the first time she realized that measuring someone could be so difficult.

Cao Xi finished taking notes and looked at the data. “Wow, only a tiny bit behind me, I guess.”

As usual, everyone chose to ignore Cao Xi’s narcissism. Jian Sui took the data and went to discuss it with Zhao Rong.

While Jian Sui picked out several outfits in different styles for Chu Ci to try on, she looked at the data sheet, lost in thought.

Although she owned a clothing company and knew a fair amount by osmosis, Jian Sui had never tried to design an outfit herself. She believed in professional specialization and preferred to leave design to the experts.

But looking at Chu Ci now, Jian Sui suddenly felt a strong desire to personally design and craft a garment for her. A blueprint was already forming in her mind.

From the design to the pattern-making, and finally seeing the pieces of fabric become a fitted garment on Chu Ci’s body… just thinking about it made Jian Sui’s heart beat a little faster.

Jian Sui had always been a woman of action. She stood by Zhao Rong and shared her idea.

Zhao Rong took the pencil from behind her ear and nodded. “I’ve been encouraging you to try it for ages! You’ll never have to buy clothes again; you can just make whatever you want. How cool is that?”

“It’s not too late now,” Jian Sui replied, taking the pencil. She had already begun conceptualizing.

Listening in from the side, Cao Xi perked up her ears and leaned over. “Rongrong, how about you make one for me too?”

Zhao Rong glanced at her and agreed readily. “Sure. Our company’s fee for design is 8,888. Fabric, cutting, and sewing are extra. Does the great Miss Cao accept this price?”

Jian Sui looked at them suspiciously. When did Cao Xi offend Zhao Rong?

Cao Xi felt like the words “fat sheep ready for slaughter” were written on her face, but as long as Zhao Rong asked, she dared to agree. “Fine. Measure my data now?”

“Sure.”

Zhao Rong took the tape from Jian Sui and walked over. Cao Xi stood straight immediately. Before she could even lift her arms, she saw Zhao Rong snap the tape open, flicking it horizontally and vertically across her body a few times. Before she could react, Zhao Rong had already snapped the tape shut with a clap.

“Done.”

“That’s it?” Cao Xi asked in disbelief.

Zhao Rong grabbed a new form. Without needing to think, she filled in all the values and wrote a bill at the bottom, handing it to Cao Xi. “Remember to clear the payment. Then we’ll start the design. Looking forward to your next visit.”

Cao Xi: “…”

Looking at the form, Cao Xi wanted to find a mistake, but she realized Zhao Rong hadn’t gotten a single number wrong—some were even precise to 0.3…

Jian Sui was also amazed. This was the contrast between a professional and an amateur like herself; she had truly made a fool of herself earlier.

During the commotion, Chu Ci had finished changing.

Knowing Chu Ci’s skin was delicate, Jian Sui had selected designs using the finest fabrics and had them all dry-cleaned beforehand. They were clean and comfortable.

This outfit was a low-key, light green long dress paired with a soft long cardigan. It made her look much more gentle. It was pretty—Chu Ci looked good in anything—but the clothes themselves weren’t that spectacular.

Chu Ci looked at herself in the mirror, not quite satisfied.

Next outfit.

A black satin camisole with rose patterns, featuring premium fabric and an excellent cut, paired with a structured black blazer. It perfectly complemented Chu Ci’s pale skin, making her look cold, elegant, and unapproachable.

A bit more stunning. Still average.

Next outfit.

A loose, solid pink shirt and pink trousers. Usually the hardest color to pull off, it was no problem for Chu Ci. It made her skin look like glowing porcelain with a hint of rose. It added a touch of dashing, casual unruliness.

Unexpectedly stunning. Not bad.

Next outfit…

Chu Ci couldn’t take it anymore. She waved them off. “If I change again, I’ll die of exhaustion.” This was the first day she realized that changing clothes was actually a physical labor.

The others looked at the rows of clothes with regret. They were just getting started!

Clothes that looked ordinary or even strange hanging on the rack became breathtaking once Chu Ci wore them. It was exactly the joy of a “dress-up” game!

Cao Xi also shook her head with regret. “The ‘Shining Chu’ game has ended.”

Jian Sui could see Chu Ci was truly tired—she didn’t even have the energy to scold Cao Xi. Jian Sui stepped forward with a cup of water, letting her rest.

Chu Ci held the cup and looked at the clothes. “Are there any with more… character? These are pretty, but they’re pretty in a generic way. They lack a strong style.”

Zhao Rong and Jian Sui exchanged a look. Jian Sui nodded, and Zhao Rong went to fetch more clothes.

“In this industry, if you’re too idiosyncratic, you become niche. It’s hard to fit the mainstream aesthetic,” Jian Sui explained. Although their company hadn’t been around long, they had hit plenty of walls.

Cheng Feng happened to return from outside, carrying a stack of files. “That’s true for conventional development. But if you want to make a splash now, you have to be bold. I just dug these out of your company’s database—designs from three or four years ago. They caught my eye. Are these garments still around?”

“Let me see?” Jian Sui took a file. She realized these were from before the company even started. To prepare for the business, Zhao Rong had drawn these sketches with great expectation and passion. Some had finished garments; some hadn’t been made yet.

“I’m not sure if the garments still exist. Before this company, Zhao Rong and I tried starting a small firm around our sophomore year, but we were forced to close. These are left over from then. All the finished pieces were at Zhao Rong’s house; we’ll have to look for them.”

Speaking of this bitter history, Jian Sui was quite open about it. They hadn’t expected to be where they are today.

Chu Ci leaned in for a look. Every design featured a heavy integration of traditional elements. The collision of classical and modern styles was instantly stunning.

“These are beautiful,” Chu Ci said—a seal of approval from a “fashion black hole.”

Cheng Feng also nodded. “Find as many as you can. For the rest, start the patterns immediately. I remember Mr. Li Sinan is hosting a major fashion exhibition in half a month. Our opportunity has arrived.”

Chu Ci didn’t know their plan. Seeing that Cheng Feng and Jian Sui seemed to have a mutual understanding, she stood between them with a head full of question marks.

To be safe, Cheng Feng confirmed with Chu Ci. “Boss, you’re sure you and Old Man Li Sinan have made up, right?”

“I guess so,” Chu Ci nodded.

“Then could you trouble yourself to invite him to the court hearing on Thursday? Once we win, we ask him to help promote us. Then, at the press conference, have the old gentleman give Bamboo Dream an invitation to the fashion exhibition. How about that?”

Cheng Feng felt they should keep shearing the same sheep; Old Man Li Sinan was a perfect candidate.

“Do you think I have that much face?” Chu Ci didn’t think the old man would necessarily do her that favor; they had only just reconciled.

Cheng Feng nodded very honestly, then immediately pushed Jian Sui forward. “Boss, it’s a matter of life and death. This concerns Ms. Jian’s career.”

“…I’ll go visit him tomorrow and try.”

Mentioning Jian Sui, Chu Ci felt that being thick-skinned was worth it. It would also give her a chance to ask more about the will.