Addicted to Love, Mr. Fu’s Newly Married Wife

Chapter 1721 Breaking the Cocoon

Xu Xiaoxiao pressed the pillow behind her down, adjusting herself to a slightly more comfortable position. She couldn't think of Xiaomei like that; Xiaomei wasn't that kind of person.

Even so, she still told Nan Weiwei about her concerns.

“I know Xiaomei well. She’s usually too shy to speak loudly, so how could she have the guts to do something like that?”

Nan Weiwei's voice was slightly weak, but her tone was firm.

Xu Xiaoxiao's hand, which was peeling an orange, froze in mid-air, and a piece of the orange peel broke off.

Nan Weiwei said, "Xiaoxiao, you're just worrying unnecessarily."

Nan Weiwei stuffed an orange segment into her mouth, her cheeks bulging, and mumbled indistinctly.

"Of course I hope I'm overthinking it, but in this industry, you can't be too naive. Don't be too honest, or you'll end up being sold out and still helping the seller count the money."

Nan Weiwei didn't reply, but simply shook her head gently.

Xu Xiaoxiao was just saying it casually. The person she was reminding Nan Weiwei to be wary of wasn't Xiao Mei. This time, her sister-in-law was participating in a national competition, and besides Nan Weiwei and Xiao Mei, there were several participants from Lufeng Company alone.

Xu Xiaoxiao was reminding her to be careful of others; in this world of fame and fortune, trust is indeed rarer than diamonds.

But she remembered how Xiaomei huddled in a corner, holding her lunchbox, too afraid to sit at the table when she first arrived.

If someone so cowardly truly harbors a rebellious streak, their acting skills are simply too good.

"Alright, let's not talk about her anymore."

Xu Xiaoxiao closed her eyelids wearily.

"She probably has something on her mind. She'll tell you when she's ready."

Seeing that she was protective of her own, Xu Xiaoxiao pouted and threw the remaining half of the orange back into the fruit plate.

"Fine, fine, you're the saint, and I'm the villainous supporting character, okay?"

"kindness,,,,"

As she spoke, she bent down and took something out of the canvas bag on the bedside table.

A thick sketchbook was slapped onto Xu Xiaoxiao's lap, which was covered by a blanket.

Xu Xiaoxiao's legs went numb from the shock, and she almost jumped off the bed.

"Murder?"

She pushed the sketchbook away impatiently.

"Is this how you treat patients? You come empty-handed, fine, but you even brought homework?"

Nan Wei chuckled and shamelessly pushed the sketchbook back, while casually pulling a sharpened 2B pencil from her bag and offering it to him with both hands.

"Who told you to be the great designer Xu? The capable should do more work."

She moved a chair, sat down backwards, rested her chin on the back of the chair, and looked at him with a fawning expression.

"This is my masterpiece, the first draft of which I've been working on for two sleepless nights. Could you take a look and see if it has a chance to win an award and make that guy jealous?"

Xu Xiaoxiao glanced at the cover.

That was the brand Nan Weiwei usually used; the paper was rough, but it absorbed a lot of lead.

"ungrateful."

Despite his verbal protest, his hand honestly accepted the pencil.

"I'm already lying here, and they still want to squeeze my remaining value out of me."

Nan Weiwei didn't refute, but just stared at her eagerly as she turned to the first page.

The sound of pages turning was particularly clear in the quiet hospital room.

The first image is a concept illustration.

The lines are somewhat messy, which shows that the artist's mind was very scattered at the time, and there were too many things to express, which made the drawing appear chaotic.

Xu Xiaoxiao's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Nan Weiwei immediately noticed this subtle change in expression.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"What? Is it that bad?"

Nan gripped the edge of the chair back tightly with a slight tension, her fingernails scratching shallow marks into the wood.

Xu Xiaoxiao didn't say anything.

The pencil twirled between my fingers, its tip hovering above the drawing paper, hesitant to fall.

Several seconds passed before she spoke.

"Good idea, the theme of 'breaking out of the cocoon'?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Nan nodded slightly, her excitement rising, as the chair legs scraped against the floor with a screeching sound.

"I wanted to express the feeling of breaking free from constraints and being reborn, so I used a lot of deconstructivist lines, as well as this torn skirt design..."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew."

Xu Xiaoxiao interrupted her rambling.

The pen tip suddenly fell, drawing a circle at the hem of the skirt.

"It's too fragmented here."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable professionalism.

"If you want to depict tearing, you don't necessarily have to cut the fabric into strips. This kind of design might have a visual impact on the runway, but when made into ready-to-wear clothing, it will only make people feel cheap, like beggar's clothes."

Nan Weiwei's excitement froze, replaced by a hint of embarrassment.

She leaned over and took a look.

indeed.

The densely packed lines are piled together, which looks lively at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they are completely disordered and completely obscure the drape of the fabric itself.

"Then...how should we change it?"

Nan Weiwei humbly sought guidance.

Xu Xiaoxiao didn't rush to start writing. Instead, she turned her head and looked at a corner of the curtain.

The afternoon sun streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright patch of light on the floor.

"Simplify."

She looked away and tightened her wrist.

A few swish sounds.

The pencil moved across the paper, making a rustling sound like silkworms eating leaves.

The originally intricate and delicate lines of the skirt were transformed into large, irregular cuts by her simple strokes.

The original tassels and holes were removed, replaced by a clean diagonal cut that went straight to the middle of the thigh.

"Add a metal buckle here."

Xu Xiaoxiao touched the tip of the pen at the top of the cut, applying slight pressure to leave a black dot.

"The clash between hard metal and soft silk creates a much stronger sense of conflict than simply cutting up clothes."

Nan Wei stared at the change, her breathing becoming slightly rapid.

The originally messy skirt hem instantly became sharp and angular after these few modifications.

That sense of struggle to "break free" is no longer just superficial tatteredness, but a tension that bursts forth from within.

If the previous design was just pointless complaining, then the current design is like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

"Absolutely amazing..."

Nan Weiwei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

She snatched the sketchbook, held it in her hands, and looked at it from left to right, liking it more and more with each look.

"Xiaoxiao, how is your brain structured? We're both human, how come there's such a big difference?"

She looked up, her face full of admiration, at the woman on the hospital bed.

Of course, she wasn't a patient; she was pregnant.

That kind of confidence and composure can't be faked, even though she... hasn't held a paintbrush for many years.

Xu Xiaoxiao threw the pencil back onto the blanket, leaned back, and let out a long sigh.

That moment of focus had taken a toll on her energy.

"It's not a problem with your brain, it's a problem with your perspective."

Her eyes were closed, and her voice was somewhat ethereal.

"You're too eager to prove yourself, so you're piling on elements as if you're afraid others won't understand your design concept. But true design is about restraint. Otherwise, you're not bad either; you've won awards before, haven't you?"

Nan Wei was slightly taken aback.

restraint.

These two words struck her heart like a heavy hammer.

She has always felt that design should be bold, individualistic, and unique.

But they forgot that too much of a good thing is bad.

"And the neckline."

Xu Xiaoxiao did not open her eyes, but drew a line in the air with her finger.

"That stand-up collar is too stiff. Change it to a flared collar to show off your collarbone. Since your lower body is already quite strong, your upper body needs to be a bit softer. It's about yin and yang in harmony, understand?"

Nan Weiwei suddenly realized.

She quickly picked up her pen, leaned over the small table beside the bed, and began to revise according to Xu Xiaoxiao's ideas.

The pencil moved swiftly across the paper.

The frustration from before vanished, replaced by an indescribable excitement.

It's like someone who has been walking in the fog for a long time suddenly seeing a guiding light.

Xu Xiaoxiao half-opened her eyes, looking at Nan Weiwei's profile as she buried herself in her work.

I haven't seen her for the past two days, and her dark circles are almost down to her chin, her eye bags are puffy, and her skin looks a bit dull.

Those are the marks left by staying up late and anxiety.

But those eyes...

It's frighteningly bright.

Two flames burn within, representing both the yearning for dreams and the dissatisfaction with the status quo.

"is acceptable."

After a while, Xu Xiaoxiao glanced at Nan Weiwei's altered neckline and gave her a rare positive comment.

"The lines are much smoother, and the overall proportions are more harmonious."

Upon hearing this praise, Nan Weiwei almost jumped up.

Receiving a "not bad" from Xu Xiaoxiao made me even happier than winning an award.

Back in school, Xu Xiaoxiao was a notorious "sharp-tongued queen," daring to criticize even the professors' designs to their faces. At that time, she was still a high school student.

"I knew it!"

Nan Weiwei hugged the sketchbook to her chest and kissed the cover hard.

"I knew coming to you was the right thing to do! Xiaoxiao, you're simply my muse!"

Xu Xiaoxiao shrank back in disgust.

"Don't give me that, and don't get your drool on my blanket."

She glanced at the dark circles under Nan Weiwei's eyes and softened her tone slightly.

"Don't push yourself too hard. Look at your face, you look like a ghost. You're not even famous yet, and you're already working yourself to death. It's not worth it."

Nan Wei waved her hand dismissively.

"I won't die. As long as I can make this series, I'm willing to give up ten years of my life."

As she spoke, she turned to the next page, preparing to strike while the iron was hot and roughly revise the remaining designs as well.

"You have no idea, that person..."

At this point, Nan Weiwei gritted her teeth, almost breaking the pencil in her hand. The person in the air was someone who had recently started working at Lufeng Company, and was very arrogant because he had been abroad for several years.

"What happened to that person again?"

Xu Xiaoxiao looked at her with amusement.

Every time "that person" is mentioned, Nan Weiwei feels like a cat whose tail has been stepped on.

“He said I had no talent, and that all I could ever do in my life was work as an assistant to him and be a draftsman.”

Nan lowered her head slightly, her voice muffled.

He also told me to find a good family to marry as soon as possible and not waste my time in the design industry.

Xu Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow.

Such words are indeed quite hurtful.

This was especially true for Nan Weiwei, who was proud and arrogant.

"So you're staying up all night trying to prove him wrong?"

"Correct!"

Nan Weiwei suddenly looked up, her eyes were a little red, but there were no tears in them, only stubbornness.

"I'm determined to make a name for myself and show him! I don't rely on my parents, nor on any man; I'll rely on my own two hands!"

She raised her hand, which was covered in lead dust, her fingers spread open, then clenched tightly.

"I want him to know that my design is ten thousand times better than all his money-grubbing stuff!"

The ward fell silent for a moment.

Looking at the spirited girl in front of her, Xu Xiaoxiao felt as if she were seeing herself a few years ago.

Back then, she was just as passionate, believing that as long as you had talent, you could conquer the world.

Although reality has dealt her many blows, her relentless drive to pursue her dreams is truly admirable.

"Row."

Xu Xiaoxiao sat up straighter and took the pencil from Nan Weiwei's hand.

"Since you have this ambition, I'll give you a hand."

She turned to the third page of her sketchbook and pointed to the coat design on it.

"Here, raise the shoulder line two centimeters to create a padded shoulder effect. If you want to project a powerful, confident image, you need to have a strong presence. These limp, sloping shoulders won't support your ambition."

Upon hearing this, Nan Weiwei immediately leaned closer, her eyes wide like copper bells, as if afraid of missing a single word.

For the next half hour, the only sounds in the ward were the scratching of pencils on paper, occasionally interspersed with a few brief conversations.

"Tighten the cuffs."

"Add a provincial highway here."

"This fabric won't work; switch to a wool blend."

Although Xu Xiaoxiao was physically weak, she exuded confidence and completely controlled the pace of the game in her professional field.

Nan Weiwei nodded repeatedly, took notes, and made revisions, just like a primary school student.

It wasn't until the nurse came in to change the dressing that the two realized how quickly time had passed.

"Oh dear, why are you still busy?"

The nurse looked at the bed covered in eraser shavings and shook her head helplessly.

“Ms. Xu, you need to rest. What if you fall ill if you keep overworking yourself like this? Mr. Fu will blame the entire department.”

Xu Xiaoxiao...

Nan Weiwei then realized what had happened, quickly closed her sketchbook, and hurriedly tidied up the mess on the bed.

"I'm not busy anymore, I'll put it away now."

She swept the eraser shavings into the trash can and looked at Xu Xiaoxiao apologetically.

"Well... let's stop here for today. I'll work overtime tonight to refine the details of the remaining more complex designs, and I'll bring them to you tomorrow."

Xu Xiaoxiao leaned back on the pillow, feeling a little tired, and let the nurse disinfect her hand and give her an injection.

The cold liquid flowed into the body through the blood vessels, bringing a chill.

"Well, let's go."

She watched as Nan Weiwei carefully placed the sketchbook into her bag, as if it were some rare treasure.

"Don't stay up too late."

"Okay, okay, you're just like my mom."

Nan Weiwei slung her bag over her shoulder and waved to her.

"I'm leaving now. I'll bring you something delicious tomorrow."

After saying that, she turned and walked out, her steps light and quick, with a resolute air of charging into battle.

As I reached the door, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.

Nan Weiwei took it out and glanced at it.

The words "Chen Kai" were flashing on the screen. Who is that guy?

The man who constantly mocked her for being "ambitious but unlucky."

The senior who advised her to "face reality and return to her family."

Nan Weiwei stood at the door of the ward and glanced at the thin figure lying on the hospital bed through the glass in the door.

The lines that Xu Xiaoxiao had just corrected for her were still crystal clear in her mind.

Clean, decisive, and full of power.

It's like trying to cut a hole in this dull life.

Nan Weiwei did not answer the phone.

With a light swipe of her finger, she pressed the hang-up button.

Then, I decisively put my phone on silent and threw it back into the bottom of my bag.

Screw your "realize reality" attitude.

My reality is that I will trample all of you who look down on me under my feet.

She pushed open the heavy wooden door to the ward, and the smell of disinfectant wafted out of the corridor.

But she felt that the air was fresher than ever before.