Main auditorium, Jiangcheng University,International Women's Development Summit.
As one of the most influential forums for female empowerment in China, this year's summit brought together outstanding women from business, academia, design, and philanthropy.
And the final keynote speaker—was Xu Zhiyi.
As the founder of Zhixu, the first post-90s Chinese designer to grace the cover of VOGUE Asia, her presence commanded widespread attention.
When she walked onto the stage in a black-and-white tailored suit, thunderous applause erupted in the hall.
She stood calmly at the center of the podium, her gaze sweeping over the densely packed audience. Her expression was serene, and her eyes were clear.
Then she began.
Her voice wasn't loud,but every word rang crystal clear:
"I used to think… that losing one person meant losing the entire world."
"Back then, all my hope and self-worth were tied to a single man—his response, his attitude, one word from him could decide whether I could eat that day… or sleep through the night."
The hall grew quiet.
Xu Zhiyi continued:
"I thought that was love.But later, I realized—it was self-erasure."
"When you no longer trust yourself, value yourself, or even try to save yourself, then even if someone else loves you—they still can't pull you out."
"Especially when… there wasn't even love to begin with."
A faint, self-deprecating smile curled on her lips.
Someone in the audience quietly wiped away tears.More people nodded silently, feeling every word.
She looked down at the microphone in her hands, paused, then spoke again:
"From insomnia, miscarriage, breakdowns, to running away—I walked through all of it."
"There was a time I lost everything, including… myself."
"But if you ask me now, what I feel most grateful for today—"
She looked up.Her eyes were luminous with clarity.
"It's that I finally understood:The most worthy thing to hold gently in my hands—is not someone else's approval.It's me."
The audience erupted in applause, deafening and endless.
The big screen focused on her unwavering eyes.Below it, countless people were already in tears.
—
Meanwhile, on the other side of the livestream—
Lu Yancheng sat alone in a dark living room,staring at her on his phone screen.
The house was empty and silent.He didn't move—only his eyes locked onto her face.
When she said "Even if someone else loves you, they can't save you",he swallowed hard.His vision blurred with sudden heat.
He used to think she was just throwing a tantrum—that her leaving was only a temporary cold war.
But this… this was rebirth from despair.This was her final, irreversible goodbye.
No matter how much regret he carried,no matter how much guilt—he would never return to the night where she once waited quietly for him to come home.
—
The next day,the hashtag #FullTranscriptOfXuZhiyiSpeech shot to the top of trending charts.
[She said: "The most worthy thing to hold gently… is me."]
[She didn't need saving—she pulled herself out of the abyss.]
[Xu Zhiyi is the clearest, strongest voice for women in our generation.]
[Lu Yancheng never deserved her.]
—
That same day, Zhixu officially announced its annual supply deal with France's top luxury buyer consortium, and its upcoming entry into New York's SoHo flagship district—making it the first Chinese designer brand to do so.
Xu Zhiyi also appeared on the cover of Forbes Asia,hailed as "The New Face of Female Power in China."