Chapter 15: Maybe, We’ve Known Each Other for a Long Time in a Past Life

She was already comparable to a professional, and with Gu Qiangwei offering some suggestions, Su Qingshuang found them quite helpful. She even felt like she had truly found the right partner this time.

She had found such a capable person.

Su Qingshuang felt very lucky.

“Then I’ll go with you to take a look when the time comes. I’m really curious to see what kind of clothes the first batch will feature.”

Gu Qiangwei smiled faintly and picked up something from the room. “Let’s do everything we can ourselves first. That way, we can save a bit of money.”

The two of them chatted casually about their partnership.

Gu Qiangwei was in charge of managing the shop and handling miscellaneous affairs, while Su Qingshuang was in charge of design. They both invested the same amount of money up front—it was a joint investment. Later on, they would split the profits.

After discussing everything, both were very satisfied. Over the next two or three days, they spent nearly all their time in the store, working on small decorations and handling every detail of the shop.

Once the clothing racks and front counter were set up, they bought some artificial plants for decoration, and even added a few small ornaments according to Gu Qiangwei’s ideas.

Some of these little decorations weren’t available on the market. Gu Qiangwei bought materials to make them herself, and the results were lifelike.

“You’re really good at this—your handiwork is amazing!”

Gu Qiangwei had knitted various little plush toys and hanging ornaments with yarn, and they all looked especially cute.

In their previous life, the two of them had made similar handmade toys to give away to customers.

Though these things weren’t worth much money, customers would feel delighted to get a little extra surprise when making a purchase.

Especially since this was a women’s clothing store.

Some girls loved these kinds of thoughtful gifts—it fulfilled a girlish fantasy and gave them a sense of getting something for free.

They were committed to running this store wholeheartedly, and they were determined to make it better and better.

“I’ll teach you.”

As soon as Gu Qiangwei said this, Su Qingshuang eagerly started learning.

For a while, they were busy with all the preparatory work. Only after the entire shop renovation was complete—including finalizing the store’s name—did they head to the clothing factory.

Yueji Women’s Wear.

That was the name they chose. Su Qingshuang had come up with it after asking Gu Qiangwei for her thoughts.

In her past life, she had spent all her time putting others first, never taking care of herself, and missed out on so many things.

This life, she was determined not to let those chances slip away again.

And Gu Qiangwei believed that the most important thing was to please yourself.

Besides grooming and appearance, the rest came down to clothing.

As the saying goes, “Clothes make the man, saddle makes the horse.” That was the truth.

What suits you is what looks best.

When they arrived at the factory, Su Qingshuang immediately saw that the new styles had already been made. She pulled Gu Qiangwei’s hand and led her over.

“These are the clothes for our first launch. We’ve timed it just right to catch the end of summer—still enough time to sell summer wear. After that, we’ll start preparing for the fall collection!”

“Help me think about how to style some matching pieces,” Su Qingshuang said as she dragged Gu Qiangwei around. “These designs are based on my own ideas. Let me know if there’s anything that can be improved.”

Gu Qiangwei looked over the clothing. The styles were quite in line with the current era, but given how fast things were evolving, their designs were already slightly behind the curve.

In their past life, the business had started out just like this—sales were mediocre in the beginning. It wasn’t until they made some improvements that things began to pick up.

With that prior experience, there was no need to repeat the same mistakes.

Gu Qiangwei pointed at one of the dresses. “Qingshuang, I think the neckline on this one could be lowered just a bit—or maybe a small cut-out design right here.”

“I know modesty is still in style, but a hint of skin can add a touch of intrigue. I think a lot of girls would love that.”

“And this sleeve could be made a bit tighter, and the fit a little slimmer. Most people are thinner now and want to show off their figure.”

In fact, these were the exact improvements Su Qingshuang had made in their previous life after a period of poor sales.

Not wanting to fall into the same pit, Gu Qiangwei now brought them up directly.

“For this dress, we could even add a silk sash on the outside. That would brighten up the color palette and make it feel fresh and eye-catching.”

She walked around slowly, giving detailed feedback on almost every piece. Su Qingshuang listened attentively by her side.

Only after they’d reviewed the entire batch and Gu Qiangwei finished all her suggestions did they stop.

Seeing Su Qingshuang silent, Gu Qiangwei felt a little embarrassed. “Did I talk too much? Was I being too critical?”

Su Qingshuang shook her head. “Not at all. I think everything you said was great.”

“I actually felt like these designs weren’t quite perfect yet, which is why I didn’t have them mass-produced. I just had samples made—so today is the perfect time for you to take a look!”

“Let’s try it your way,” she said, grabbing that same dress and, following Gu Qiangwei’s suggestion, adding a cut-out detail on the shoulder and sewing on a few pearls around it.

The cut-out wasn’t very large, but the pearls added a refined touch. The dress instantly looked completely different.

The two of them stayed at the factory for a few more days and finally finalized the styles for their first clothing batch.

Once that was done, it wasn’t long before the store would open. To celebrate, Su Qingshuang invited Gu Qiangwei to the best restaurant for a meal.

“We met just because my things got stolen, but I really feel like we’ve known each other for so long—you’re like my soulmate!”

“Every idea you bring up hits the nail on the head. You’re amazing!”

“You’re incredible.”

While waiting for the food, Su Qingshuang excitedly held Gu Qiangwei’s hand. “With a friend and partner like you, I truly believe our business is going to succeed.”

“Maybe we really did know each other in a past life—maybe we were even very close friends!” Gu Qiangwei said, a hint of bitterness in her heart.

Su Qingshuang rubbed her chin in thought after hearing that. “You know, you might be right. Otherwise, how could we get along so well?”