CHAPTER 1429: CHAPTER 1429: BORROWING YOUR CHILD FOR A BIT

As soon as Guan Yuqi entered the door, Father Guan came up to her. "So, how did it go? What did they say?"

Guan Yuqi smiled, her face full of cheer. "Sister Luo Qiao gave me her phone number. She said to call her as soon as we pick up the person, and she’ll go with us to handle the paperwork."

Father Guan clapped his hands in excitement. "I was just stressing over this! This is such good news."

Guan Yuqi teased, "Looks like my visit couldn’t have come at a better time—otherwise, who would’ve known that Zheng Lei’s sister is the very Director Luo you’ve been looking for."

******

After hanging up the phone, Luo Qiao called out to the kids to head out.

Lu Yichen accompanied them to the department store. Today, ’Si Jin’ was hosting an event with two fashion shows, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

By the time Luo Qiao arrived, the afternoon show was just about to start.

Luo Qiao and Lu Yichen stood with the kids, watching the staff prepare, when Lu Ningzhou came out from the backstage and spotted them.

Lu Ningzhou quickly hurried over. He greeted Luo Qiao with a quick hello, but his eyes were fixed on the kids, sparkling with excitement. "Haha! Heaven really does have a way out of every predicament."

Luo Qiao was just about to ask what was happening when she heard Lu Ningzhou say, "Luo Qiao, I need to borrow your kids."

Luo Qiao thought to herself that the show was about to begin—what on earth was he planning?

Just as she was about to ask, she saw Lu Ningzhou glance at his watch. "There’s no time to explain now; I’ll explain to you and your husband in a bit."

Then, in a whirlwind, he hurriedly pulled the kids backstage. Luo Qiao and Lu Yichen had no choice but to follow.

Backstage, Lu Ningzhou shouted to the staff, "Give them a quick makeup touch-up. In a moment, these five kids will model the new children’s clothing line."

Luo Qiao and her husband looked over at Lu Ningzhou, who was busy commanding the scene. When the staff led the kids off for makeup, he finally exhaled in relief.

Only then did he turn around to explain, "Originally, we had a group of kids lined up to model, but one of them fell this morning and can’t make it. Then the remaining parents started trying to take advantage by raising their prices. If that wasn’t bad enough, they kept throwing out additional demands—it was unbearable."

Luo Qiao glanced at the kids, now surrounded by staff for their makeup. "But my kids are so young, and they’ve never done a show before. Aren’t you afraid they’ll ruin it for you?"

Lu Ningzhou laughed, "With their looks, the impact will blow those hired kids out of the water."

The little ones truly proved to be sharp. After getting styled, the staff brought them to the stage for a quick walkthrough. They explained the sequence and walking positions, gave them some basic instructions, and after just two practice runs, they had it down.

At this point, the parents of the previous group of children came over to confront Lu Ningzhou. "What’s the meaning of this?"

Lu Ningzhou responded calmly, "Nothing much. It’s just that we truly can’t afford to meet your demands."

The parents who had instigated the trouble now deeply regretted their actions. If they had known it’d turn out like this, they wouldn’t have caused such a fuss. Now, not only would they miss out on the money they’d agreed upon, but they probably wouldn’t have future opportunities to collaborate either.

Soon, the fashion show officially began.

Luo Qiao and Lu Yichen were seated in the front row, watching the little ones take the stage one by one. None of them showed any signs of stage fright; they even walked with the poise and confidence of professionals.

Luo Qiao whispered to Lu Yichen, "I never imagined the kids had this side to them. It’s amazing—beyond anything I expected."

Lu Yichen, equally impressed, had a look of pride on his face. "I always thought Yanyan and Yueyue only had room in their hearts for music and instruments. Who knew a child’s potential could be so limitless."

The little ones’ performance brought wave after wave of applause and cheers—not just for their looks, but for their impressive presence, perfectly showcasing the new children’s clothing line.

By the time the show ended, the new children’s apparel had sold out in no time.

Not only did the kids’ clothing sell well, but adult clothing sales were also boosted. The show turned out to be a tremendous success.

Now, it seemed that Lu Ningzhou had set his sights on the kids for future shows. Luo Qiao neither agreed nor refused. "This isn’t my call. You’ll have to talk to the kids themselves. If they’re willing, I don’t have an issue."

Lu Ningzhou turned to Lu Yichen, who stood off to the side. Lu Yichen said, "In our family, Luo Qiao has the final say."

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Lu Ningzhou headed backstage to talk to the kids. Whatever they discussed, when he came out, his face was beaming with joy. It seemed the little ones had agreed.

Luo Qiao didn’t think much of it. After all, the company was partially owned by her anyway. If the kids enjoyed it, she wouldn’t object.

Once everything was wrapped up, Lu Ningzhou promised to deliver the new clothes to their home in three days. Luo Qiao had come today to pick out some styles for them, but she hadn’t expected things to turn out this spectacularly.

Afterward, they took the kids into the department store and bought each of them two pairs of shoes. They also selected a pair of winter shoes for each of the Luo’s Elderly Couple before finally driving back to the Luo Family home.

By the time they finished all of this and reached the Luo Family house, the sky had already darkened.