"Excuse me, could you tell me your name?"

Mu Yiran: "Huh?"

"Hello, Editor Xing. My name is Mu Yiran. It's a pleasure to meet you. You are even more handsome than you are in the magazine."

Mu Yiran even made a heart shape with her hands next to her face, cheering for Xing Jie's good looks.

Mu Yiran racked her brains but couldn't recall ever seeing Xing Jie before; it must have been in a magazine.

Hearing her insincere praise, Xing Jie laughed, "They really are exactly the same..."

Mu Yiran: "?"

Xing Jie chuckled to himself, pointed to the sofa, and said, "Sit." He then sat down directly next to Mu Yiran, instead of returning to his original seat.

Wen Qingyu's face froze, and she stared straight at the vice dean: "Weren't you here to see me?!"

The vice dean had no idea what Xing Jie was up to; he was clearly saying that the eldest daughter of the Wen family was right.

"It is an honor to be invited by your esteemed school to be a judge for this show."

Xing Jie didn't waste any words, "Lac and Dean Paul of Jolis have been working together. Whoever's work wins the gold medal this time will get the offer."

"Regarding plagiarism..." Xing Jie glanced indifferently at Wen Qingyu and the vice dean, "Unless evidence can be submitted, this is all false accusation. If Mu is acting with integrity, there's no need to worry about it."

Mu Yiran secretly gave him a thumbs up. He has good taste!

Xing Jie smiled again, his gaze lingering on Mu Yiran for a moment before he said nothing more, greeted the vice dean, and left.

"Mu Yiran, don't think you're safe just because you don't have evidence. It's not certain who will win the gold medal yet!"

Mu Yiran stretched. "What have you been barking about since the beginning? Since you feel so sorry for the whistleblower, why don't you find evidence of my plagiarism for him?"

Wen Qingyu: "You!"

"Face reality, Mu Yiran. I am now the eldest daughter of the Wen family. I have received so many benefits under the Wen family's title. You thought everyone would fawn over you this time? Just wait, this gold medal will definitely be mine."

Mu Yiran watched Wen Qingyu's departing figure, then, remembering something, chuckled.

If it weren't for the memories she shared with her mother and grandmother there, and if it weren't for the fact that her mother's surname was Wen.

The eldest daughter of the Wen family? Who cares?

Thinking of Wen Qingyu's earrings and necklace, Mu Yiran hesitated for a moment and immediately went home.

…

On Monday evening, the stage presentation of graduation project works officially began.

Besides undergraduate graduates, other well-known designers also participated, making it a disguised competition.

The presenter showcases a series of clothing or jewelry designed according to the requirements. For someone like Mu Yiran who practices dual cultivation, it is necessary to have both.

Mu Yiran finished tidying up the models' outfits in her designated area and arrived at the entrance to the catwalk. The judges below the stage were scoring the previous presenter, with Xing Jie in the center position.

"Next, please welcome the 13th student, Mu Yiran, to present her work—Saorsa, the priceless treasure series."

Tall, slender models walked the runway, performing specific poses and showcasing a series of dresses designed with island silk and organza, meticulously embroidered with intricate and beautiful patterns.

The model's long, slender neck was adorned with a shimmering necklace that swayed as she walked, along with bracelets and earrings; every piece of jewelry was perfectly showcased.

The flowing skirt complements the outfit perfectly.

Small cheers erupted from the audience every now and then.

The models leave the stage, and the judges score them.

Mu Yiran had already anticipated that she would want to see Wen Qingyu's work.

Wen Qingyu's theme is very direct—the arrogant female knight.

As soon as the model stepped onto the stage, there was a commotion in the audience. Apart from the theme name, Wen Qingyu's design this time was quite different from her previous style.

Whether it's the bold and dazzling jewelry pairings or the simple and flowing lines of clothing, there's a paradoxical yet harmonious blend.

If Mu Yiran's designs are mysterious, understated, and full of feminine romance, then Wen Qingyu's works are elegant yet bold and assertive.

"This...this was actually designed by Wen Qingyu?!"

The two girls who volunteered last week were visibly surprised and found it difficult to judge whether Mu Yiran or her work was better.

But people are always drawn to things that are more flamboyant.

Looking at the expressionless Mu Yiran, Wen Qingyu was already certain that she was the winner.

Nine out of ten referees below have already been contacted by Wen Zaosi, and the other one is Xing Jie.

It's obvious without even looking that the gold medal belongs to her.

I never expected her to be so lucky, finding that picture book in the Wen family's old house...

Wen Qingyu raised the corners of her mouth and gave Mu Yiran a smug look.

After the event, for some reason, a dispute arose among the referees in the audience.

The vice dean couldn't wait to get the list from one of them, his face beaming with excitement: "Everyone, thank you for waiting. Next, we will announce the final gold award winner. I believe you have already guessed it. This is absolutely well-deserved."

"She is Wen Qingyu, this year's outstanding graduate! Let's give her a round of applause!"

There was a moment of silence in the audience before applause broke out.

"Holy crap, it's not Senior Mu! Wen Qingyu is cheating this time!"

Mu Yiran did not applaud. She looked at Xing Jie sitting upright below the stage, and her expectations waned.

When she emailed Xing Jie yesterday, she wasn't sure he would help her, and sure enough...

Just then.

Several men in suits walked in from below the stage. Xing Jie seemed to have been waiting for this moment. He got up, walked over to the foreigner at the head of the group, exchanged a few words, and the foreign man walked onto the stage.

The vice president recognized the foreign man and said into the microphone, "This is Mr. Giorgio, the sponsor of this show's stage and the president of the Milan Design Week China Committee."

George interrupted his introduction, took the microphone and said, "I'm sorry I'm late, but I still made it just before the awards ceremony."

Vice Dean: "Do you want to present the award to Wen Qingyu in person? Qingyu, come here quickly!"

Wen Qing immediately walked over and stood next to George, ready to receive the trophy.

"Sorry, please let me finish speaking."

George said with a stern face, "It's like this, we received a report that Ms. Wen Qingyu's entry in this competition has been confirmed as plagiarism."

Wen Qingyu and the Vice Dean: "What?!"

"Are you mistaken? How could Wen possibly cheat!"

George produced a certificate and several photos. The certificate clearly stated:

Ms. Wen Qie won the Gold Award for Young Designer at Milan Fashion Week 2002.

Below is a picture of the artwork.

“We spent some time searching through the archives. These are some of the works that designer Wen Qie won an award for when he participated in an international competition in 2002.”

Everyone craned their necks to look, and the photographer, with his keen eye, followed the camera.

The moment the image was projected, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

They're not just unrelated, they're practically identical.

"This is called plagiarism. Isn't this just changing the name of someone else's work?"

"This is called renaming."

"Hilarious, she can't even copy properly. The earrings she wore that day were all copied."

Wen Qingyu was pale, surrounded by mocking and contemptuous gazes.

How could this be...?

She clearly checked and there was no record of it, so why is it still considered an entry?

"As Ms. Wen was close to giving birth at the time, in order to establish her own brand with this series of works as a gift for her child, Ms. Wen bought back the copyright from the manufacturer, so the relevant records were removed, but the archives are still there."

Xing Jie slowly walked onto the stage, speaking while glancing at Mu Yiran.

Mu Yiran listened to these words and looked at Xing Jie in surprise.

The farce ended, and Wen Qingyu, having stolen the limelight under everyone's gaze, had completely lost face. Her design career was over for the day.

She left the stage in tears and was taken away by the other two judges on the committee. They had invested money in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong University to host this show, not to produce a plagiarism gold medalist.

According to the contract she signed before the competition, she will face accountability and a host of compensation claims.

After the farce ended, Mu Yiran accepted the trophy George gave her and left the stage in a daze.

Xing Jie was already waiting in the backstage lounge.

Congratulations, you truly deserve it.

Mu Yiran thanked him, then asked hesitantly, "Do you...know my mother?"

Looking at the girl's face, Xing Jie recalled that flamboyant and radiant woman. "Yes, I know her more than just a acquaintance."

He pointed to the model still wearing the plagiarized work, "I'm the first person to wear your mother's dress."

"Tsk, the sapphire earrings that little girl is wearing were inspired by my mother."

Mu Yiran: "\(o□ol|l)\/"

#DeadPigSurprised#

#book_mystery#

She reacted quickly: "Oh, it's Aunt Xing! My apologies! I didn't recognize you."

Xing Jie laughed so hard he bent over, "Hahahaha, what nonsense are you thinking? I'm a man, a guy."

Xing Jie raised an eyebrow and touched his face. "I was quite pretty when I was young, and I had long hair. I was even prettier than your mother."

Mu Yiran's lips twitched, and she saluted: "...So Uncle Xing was my mother's muse."

Xing Jie's face showed a nostalgic expression, "Those sketches you sent yesterday were designed by the three of us back then. We originally planned to create a brand together, but unfortunately, another one of us got pregnant and went abroad to get married."

another?

Xing Jie stretched out his long legs. "Back then, I was one of the nationally renowned genius design goddesses. Hehe, how about it, I live up to my name, right?"

Mu Yiran's eyes widened: "Design...goddess? Doesn't that refer to just one person?"

"Yes, back then the three of us all had long hair and went to shows together every day. People thought we were a group, but that was just a general term."

Mu Yiran sensed something and her heart raced: "Three? Besides you and my mother, who's the third one?"

Xing Jie snapped out of his reverie about his stunningly beautiful face. "You didn't know? Well, that makes sense. She went abroad a long time ago and hasn't been out much since."

"Bai Shengsheng".

"Her name is Bai Shengsheng."