Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 191 - 188 Overthinking

"I’m pretty awesome, aren’t I?

Is this the first time in my life I’m hearing praise from you?

Hearing you say that, I almost don’t want to admit that I’m just winging it.

After I found out yesterday that you were going to intern in Ferragamo’s shoe-making department, I took a trip to their museum." Lei Pili felt an exceptionally bright mood due to Yan Yan’s sudden praise, as if the night had turned directly into day.

In the matter of translation, Lei Pili never fought unprepared battles, especially when he knew he was likely to translate for someone "particularly important."

"Praise? Which ear of yours heard me praising you?

You don’t think opera is a form of praise, do you?

For me, Italian and Italian opera share only one common point—I, don’t, understand." Complimenting others was just fluff; bringing someone down was where Yan Yan truly excelled.

"So that’s how it is, I guess I’m getting ahead of myself again." Lei Pili liked to see Yan Yan smile.

But the "mean" part was, Lei Pili liked it even more when Yan Yan shot him down.

From childhood to adulthood, there were very few people who could and did bring Lei Pili down.

Scarcity is the mother of value—it seemed to be a universally true principle.

"Really? Then you should change your name to Lei Duoduo." Yan Yan’s imagination was often beyond the norm.

"Why should I be called Duoduo?" Lei Pili was puzzled.

"From getting ahead of yourself, ’duo’ as in ’much’." Yan Yan clarified for Lei Pili.

After hearing this, Lei Pili froze a little. He didn’t know if Yan Yan’s "getting ahead of oneself" meant the same thing as what he had just said.

Lei Pili felt he had hidden his feelings well enough today in front of Yan Yan, and it probably wouldn’t make her think he wanted to confess his love.

If only love could be like translation, where you simply research and handle it with ease.

Lei Pili began to wonder how he should interact with Yanyan next.

"What are you zoning out for? The name Duoduo is quite good; we all could use it now and then.

For example, just this morning, didn’t I also get ahead of myself looking for a new reason to reject you?" Yan Yan didn’t like awkwardness.

If there was a possibility of embarrassment between them, Yan Yan always clarified things inadvertently.

Mistaking someone for wanting to confess is something that, if clarified too deliberately, might as well not be clarified at all.

If a joke could turn the page on such misunderstandings, then there was nothing better than that.

"How long are you planning to stay in Italy?" Lei Pili asked Yan Yan.

"I should stay until the local schools start their summer vacation, roughly four or five months." Yan Yan hadn’t decided exactly when her advanced studies would end.

Aside from studying, with the internship now added, it wasn’t like she could leave at will; after all, it depended on the director’s arrangements.

"You’re leaving in June?" Lei Pili was quite surprised.

"Yeah, roughly, anyway, it definitely won’t be past July." Yan Yan thought about it before answering.

"But you’ll definitely miss this month’s Milan Autumn/Winter Fashion Week, don’t you plan to wait until the Spring/Summer Fashion Week in September is over before leaving?" Lei Pili was puzzled.

Lei Pili hadn’t expected that Yan Yan would only plan to stay for a few months before leaving.

Moreover, even as an outsider, he knew that even at rocket speed,

it would be impossible to put up one’s own fashion show within a month’s time.

"Ha, are you talking about my own show?

You’re really giving me too much credit. How can I possibly put on my own show this season?

I’m just one person; I don’t have three heads and six arms, how could I manage a show?

An unknown designer like me, I wouldn’t even have enough time to design. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

I’m going to open a studio in New York in the latter half of the year.

However, tonight’s dinner really brought so many unexpected joys.

I got invitations to the Milan Fashion Week at the end of this month from Giorgio Armani, PRADA, GUCCI, VERSACE, and Dolce & Gabbana.

And to my super-duper unexpected surprise, I got an invite to VALENTINO’s show on the 6th of next month at Paris Fashion Week.

With so many invitations, I feel like I could make domestic female stars green with envy out of jealousy.

You know, even for A-list stars, getting one invitation is enough to come to Fashion Week with their heads held high.

Many people come just to soak in the buzz without having a single invitation.

Oh, right, I forgot one. This year’s Salvatore Ferragamo show in Milan will definitely not be missing me.

This year’s Autumn/Winter Fashion Week, I’ll just be the happiest spectator.

Can’t you see how my happiness is off the charts?

If I keep smiling like this, my face might hurt tomorrow." Yan Yan pointed to the muscles on her face with her finger.

Speaking of the array of invitations she got at tonight’s dinner, her smile grew even brighter.

"You’re opening a studio in New York? You’re not planning to show in Milan?" Lei Pili picked out "going to New York" as the main point in Yan Yan’s lengthy words.

"That doesn’t seem like something I can decide on my own.

Besides, where I open the studio and where I have my debut show don’t have a direct correlation.

Though, if I had a choice, I definitely wouldn’t do my first show in Milan.

Milan and London Fashion Weeks are known to be more conservative and traditional.

You see, the shows in Milan at the end of the month are predominantly Italian brands and designers. London Fashion Week is similar, they are quite exclusionary.

If an Asian designer wants to enter the world stage, they absolutely have to go to Paris Fashion Week.

The happiest thing for me today is definitely getting the invite to VALENTINO’s major show this season in Paris." Yan Yan shared some of her views on various fashion weeks.

"Milan Fashion Week is exclusionary? That shouldn’t be the case.

Just yesterday, I was looking at the materials related to today’s dinner event.

In 2006, our Ministry of Commerce held the ’China Brand Tour’ during Milan Fashion Week.

They also organized a joint brand launch event for Chinese designers." Lei Pili had made a special trip to the archives because he knew Yan Yan was coming and had spent the whole night researching.

"Ha, I’ve heard of that show; I was in high school at the time.

I remember, Zhuangji Suit from Wenzhou was one of the brands in the joint show.

But if I hadn’t seen Zhuangji’s own advertisements, I would never have known such a show existed.

It felt like it wasn’t really part of Milan Fashion Week, more like a self-indulgent fantasy.

Which domestic brand really went global because of that show?" Yan Yan challenged Lei Pili’s words with skepticism.