In the past, Janet had actually used Eastern embroidery in some of her designs—but only the very simplest kind. Her mother was from the East and had dabbled in embroidery herself. But since she wasn't a professional artisan, the impression she left on Janet was limited to things like handmade sachets or other small items with folk-style patterns.
But this time, the embroidery was something else entirely.
When she saw the gown, Janet used more than a dozen different exclamations just to express her admiration and love for it, leaving even Laila amazed at her vocabulary. And when she heard that the person who made the gown was still in Hollywood, she immediately requested to meet him.
Li Zhimou was unquestionably passionate about the cultural treasures of his homeland. Under his name, he didn't just own an embroidery workshop—he also had a kiln in Jingdezhen, as well as a gallery filled with traditional paintings and calligraphy. Many of his close friends worked in related fields. He could even name a few feng shui masters off the top of his head.
In short, if something had deep cultural roots, he was interested in it—and committed to reviving it through his own efforts.
His trip to Hollywood had originally been for fun. Especially with Laila assigning him Xiao Ye as a guide—who was known for knowing where to eat, where to play, and how to have a good time—he and the two bodyguards had been living it up and almost forgot about going home.
But what he didn't expect was that, during just these few days of play, the gown he brought with him had suddenly gone viral—so much so that he couldn't even wrap his head around it.
If he hadn't accidentally caught a glimpse of it on a TV program, he wouldn't have believed that a single piece of clothing could blow up so fast.
Only after Xiao Ye explained everything did he understand what had happened—and his admiration for Laila went from mere respect to fanboy devotion.
Did he want to make his embroidery workshop world-famous?
Of course he did! He dreamed of it!
But he couldn't advertise it like mass-produced goods, because embroidery—especially at this level—wasn't mass-producible.
So he could only position his embroidery house at the high end, hoping to gain influence among elite circles and tastemakers.
But deep down, like everyone, he had a dream of fame.
He dreamed of the day his embroidery workshop would stand beside the likes of world-famous luxury brands—so coveted that people had to wait years just to place an order, and could proudly show it off to their friends as a rare treasure.
The sad truth, however, was that the domestic environment limited what he could achieve, no matter how excellent the craftsmanship. This had a lot to do with the mentality of certain Chinese consumers—especially the nouveau riche—who placed blind faith in foreign luxury brands and didn't understand or appreciate the value of their own cultural heritage.
Could they even recognize what was good about foreign luxury products?
Not really. They only saw the price tags and the logos—symbols they could use to show off.
Li Zhimou understood clearly: if one day, Xuanji Embroidery House's name became internationally known, just like the top foreign brands, then those same people would go crazy chasing his embroidery, too.
Now, thanks to Laila's few photos, the status of that gown had instantly skyrocketed.
And the moment she revealed where the dress had been made, there was no doubt—the doors of Xuanji Embroidery House would be trampled down by customers eager to place an order.
If even a Hollywood director was willing to spend hundreds of thousands—or even millions—to commission a custom piece, it must be something truly extraordinary, right?
Not to mention that she wasn't just any director—she was the heiress of a billionaire family. If someone like her was willing to splurge, the product had to be worth it.
When Li Zhimou realized all this, he was so excited he ate two full bowls of rice at lunch.
Could this be the opportunity he'd been dreaming of—the chance to bring both Chinese embroidery and his brand to the global stage?
After listening to his ambitious ideas, Xiao Ye offered a suggestion:
"This kind of thing? Don't bother looking elsewhere. You've got to go directly to Laila."
"Go to her?" Li Zhimou was caught off guard. "You mean… ask her family's media company for help with promotion?"
"That's just one part of it."
Xiao Ye slung an arm around his shoulders and gave him a knowing grin.
"You're from the East, so it's not surprising you don't know. But our boss—what she's best at isn't just filmmaking. She's a genius strategist when it comes to branding and marketing.
You think her movies became box office hits by accident? A huge part of that success came from her own promotional planning."
As he spoke, Xiao Ye gave him a couple of suggestive elbow nudges and flashed a "you-know-what-I-mean" smile.
"You've heard of Victoria's Secret, right?"
Li Zhimou nodded.
"You know why it became the number one lingerie brand in the world?
Because our boss created the entire concept. Even if you don't care about women's lingerie, you've at least heard of the Victoria's Secret Angels, right?
Those fashion shows they do every year?
That was her idea!"
Li Zhimou was floored.
He obviously knew Victoria's Secret. As a businessman, he also immediately understood how vital the Angels were to the brand's global influence. Without them, there might not even be a "world's number one lingerie brand."
"You're right! Thanks, bro!"
He clapped Xiao Ye on the shoulder, his mind made up. He ditched his sightseeing plans and headed straight for Laila's company.
After hearing his proposal, Laila was clearly surprised but nodded thoughtfully.
"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to come to me about this," she said. "So… what exactly do you want me to do? Just tell everyone the gown was made by Xuanji Embroidery House?"
Li Zhimou sat across from her desk. The enthusiasm that had driven him here suddenly faltered under her calm and direct question.
If it were just about promoting the studio, then yes, all it would take was a single sentence from Laila. But was that really what he wanted? Or more accurately, was that all he wanted?
The truth was, Xuanji Embroidery House already had more business than it could handle.
In this era, skilled embroiderers were exceedingly rare. If someone's technique didn't meet his strict standards, no matter their connections or status, he wouldn't let them in the workshop.
That meant it was impossible to mass-produce their products.
Right now, they were already at full capacity, catering only to the top clients in the capital and their inner circle. Even those with slightly lower status had to book far in advance.
To rush Laila's dress, he'd already pushed back several projects.
So even if Laila helped him publicize the brand, they couldn't take on more orders with their current workload.
Without enough product to back up the hype, it would be almost impossible to turn Xuanji Embroidery House into a global luxury brand.
That was his real dream—not just fame, but legacy and impact.
And deep down, he knew it would take more than a few photos to get there.