Although Li Weijie speculated whether "Sovereign" encountered any trouble, as a newcomer, he didn't feel it was appropriate to ask about the store's decision-making matters without Xu Rong bringing it up. Therefore, he abided by her arrangements.
He didn't bring up or think about the issue of becoming a formal employee now because based on the past month's situation, Xu Rong wouldn't mistreat him. The current treatment he was receiving already exceeded his expectations, and he had no complaints.
Xu Rong informed Sun Mo of this decision, and Sun Mo congratulated Li Weijie.
Other colleagues who knew about his situation also envied him. This meant that he was receiving special attention and training.
Shen Mengli was not only a beautiful woman but also the chief designer of "Sovereign".
This was something assistants like him eagerly anticipated.
Li Weijie didn't feel overly ecstatic; rather, he maintained a calm attitude. However, deep down, he still worried because Xu Rong had made it clear that he was meant to undergo more training.
Now it had to be expedited, indicating that there must have been some problems.
Choosing not to ask Xu Rong didn't mean he wasn't concerned about the issue. This was a promising salon, offering him a promising career. Moreover, Xu Rong was not only his mentor but also a good friend. Therefore, both professionally and personally, he cared about this matter.
In the evening, Sun Mo and a few other colleagues, who were closer to Li Weijie, went out to celebrate with him.
Li Weijie initially didn't want to celebrate and didn't want to appear too ostentatious. But his friends were happy for him, and it was hard to refuse their hospitality.
When he returned to his residence, it wasn't very late, but Xu Rong hadn't come back yet. She seemed to have completely recovered and had resumed her assertive manner today.
Though he didn't know the exact situation at the moment, Li Weijie secretly resolved that regardless, as long as he could contribute, he would help Xu Rong as a way of repaying her.
But... How could he help her?
After asking himself this question, Li Weijie realized that besides his deep knowledge of hairstyling, he was completely ignorant about everything else!
It didn't matter much when he ran a small shop before since it was just a hobby.
But now, it was a vast hair center with strong commercial vibes evident in "Sovereign's" human resources, decor, equipment, and marketing strategies.
At this level, it was not just about hairstyling techniques; operation and branding had become even more crucial!
Thinking about this, Li Weijie understood one thing: perhaps Xu Rong hadn't told him because he didn't understand and couldn't be of much help.
This made him feel a little ashamed. He hadn't realized that his self-perceived exceptional skills were insignificant in "Sovereign", and he was even more clueless about other aspects.
Now that Sister Rong needed help, as an industry insider, he couldn't even sense the slightest hint of what was needed. He felt truly embarrassed.
Shouldn't I also learn more about the industry information and relevant trends?
Without much consideration, Li Weijie gave himself a definite answer. Since he had already taken the first step of liberating his mindset, why not continue with the second step?
Previously, he believed that interests shouldn't be used for making money, but now he saw the logic behind it. Previously, he thought a designer should be individualistic and not influenced by trends, but at this moment, he also understood.
A designer must first have sufficient understanding and preparation for the market and trends to design top-notch hairstyles!
When Xu Rong returned, Li Weijie was eagerly reading various magazines about the industry, which surprised her a bit.
...
The next day, Li Weijie followed the arrangement and arrived at Shen Mengli's studio.
As usual, Shen Mengli and Liu Li, the top designers in the salon, did not slack off due to their prestigious positions.
Although they had the autonomy to decide their working hours, they still arrived on time every day, even when there were no scheduled appointments in the morning.
"Um... Sister Li, I'm here to report to you. Please guide me." Li Weijie felt a bit nervous since it was his first time entering the territory of the chief designer.
Normally, without an invitation, no one could simply enter the third-floor studio because there might be designers' inspirations everywhere, and it wouldn't be good for those ideas to be disturbed or copied.
"Alright, stop with the formalities. Just call me Ali." Shen Mengli smiled and said.
Li Weijie didn't waste any more words and went straight to the point, "Ali, Sister Rong asked me to come and learn from you."
"I know." Shen Mengli made him a cup of instant coffee and sat on the sofa next to him.
"Thank you." Li Weijie accepted the coffee and got to work without leaving, "What do I need to learn now?"
Shen Mengli smiled lightly, "Don't be so restrained and serious, okay? Hehe, it will make me feel restrained too."
Li Weijie nodded embarrassedly and drank the coffee with his head lowered. Xu Rong had mentioned that he needed to accelerate his learning because there must be something urgent.
Although he didn't know the specifics, he had a sense that he needed to improve his skills as soon as possible so he could help Xu Rong quickly.
"Your foundation is already good. Bringing you here as my assistant is mainly to understand things beyond hairstyling. For example, understanding the needs and mentality of high-spending customers, as well as what kind of satisfaction a hairstyle can bring them." Shen Mengli casually said while flipping her hair.
Li Weijie pondered over it.
Seeing his serious expression, Shen Mengli chuckled, "Some things can't be expressed directly, so there's no need to rush. You'll gradually understand."
Li Weijie considered it and found it reasonable.
What he needed to do was learn from her, and learning didn't necessarily involve direct instruction or hands-on teaching. It was about immersing oneself in the environment and slowly comprehending it.
Seeing him relax, Shen Mengli nodded and told him to read some materials, while she immersed herself in studying hairstyles.
For the entire day, Li Weijie was absorbed in studying and researching in front of the computer.
Whenever Shen Mengli had a client appointment, he assisted her on the side, while carefully observing any differences in her service.
Up until now, the observation results showed no apparent differences!
"Ajie, you've come to help me today. I'll treat you to dinner later."
Shen Mengli's friendly smile left Li Weijie wondering if she was joking or planning to "fleece" him. Nonetheless, he immediately responded, "Of course, I'll treat you. In the future, I still need Master Shen to guide me!"
The mention of "Master Shen" made Shen Mengli giggle, "Hey! Master Shen? That sounds like an address for an elderly worker in their seventies!"