Chapter 220 From Hater to Fan
The online controversy continues.
Chen Runsen received a court summons that very evening.
The next day was the court hearing, and the matter was subsequently exposed by Shang Wu.
Fans are even more disgusted with Shang Wu and support Chen Runsen and his assistant to attend the court hearing to give this despicable woman a good slap in the face.
Encouraged by his fans, Chen Runsen could no longer ignore Shang Wu's requests for communication and had no choice but to agree to attend as a key witness.
Court hearing day.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was solemn and dignified.
Lu Rang is Shang Wu's lawyer.
He was dressed in a sharp black suit and looked at Chen Runsen as he entered with a cold expression.
Lu Rang presented Shang Wu with the original handwritten manuscript and design concept notes that he had carefully prepared for this interview.
The date was clearly marked on it, before the publication of Chen Runsen's interview.
"Your Honor, please look around,"
Lu Rang's voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the courtroom. "This is the core design concept that my client, Ms. Shang Wu, began to conceive several months ago. It originates from her personal emotional experiences and is closely related to the jewelry series she is about to launch."
All of this has a clear timeline and creative trajectory that can be traced.
Next, Lu played the audio he had recorded in the office building.
The female assistant's sharp and arrogant voice was played aloud.
"Those who are accused of plagiarism have only brought shame upon themselves... They're desperate for attention... Plagiarism is plagiarism..."
The female assistant sitting in the defendant's seat was deathly pale, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
Lu Rang's sharp gaze swept over the other person.
"The other party's assistant, without any evidence, publicly slandered and insulted my client in a public setting. The circumstances were egregious and seriously damaged my client's reputation and social standing. This is no longer a simple disagreement, but defamation."
Chen Runsen sat to the side, his face extremely grim.
His lawyer attempted to argue that it was merely an assistant's excessive remarks and had nothing to do with the designer himself.
But Lu Rang did not back down and pressed on: "The assistant's behavior represents the studio's external image, and Mr. Chen Runsen knew about this afterwards, but did not take any measures to stop it, apologize or clarify."
"He tacitly approved and even condoned the escalation of this slanderous behavior, which led to the escalation of cyber violence and caused secondary harm to my client."
"We demand that they be held jointly liable."
Shang Wu was stunned by Lu Rang's professional demeanor.
She had never seen Lu Rang defend himself in person. His words were detached yet logically sound, leaving the opposing lawyer speechless.
Shang Wu stared at Lu Rang's wrist, which had clearly defined knuckles, beneath the neatly trimmed sleeves of his suit, and pursed her lips.
This man looks so handsome when he's defending himself!
The trial proceedings were almost entirely one-sided.
The evidence is conclusive and the legal principles are clear.
Ultimately, the judge delivered the verdict in court. The judge confirmed that the female assistant's remarks to Shang Wu constituted defamation and insult, ordering her to issue a public apology and pay a fine of two thousand yuan.
To Shang Wu's surprise, the judge also ordered Chen Runsen's studio to issue a statement on its official channels, clarifying that the incident was a misunderstanding and apologizing to her for mismanagement.
Although Chen Runsen himself was not directly punished, the studio's apology is equivalent to an apology from him.
The female assistant's fine wasn't high, but the legal verdict has completely cleared her name.
Shang Wu breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, looked at Lu Rang from afar, and smiled.
She and Lu Rang walked out of the courthouse side by side, and the media reporters who had been waiting for a long time immediately surrounded them.
Shang Wu said a few words and was about to leave with Lu Rang when she unexpectedly saw several young girls timidly squeeze through the crowd, holding small bouquets of flowers and handing them to her.
"Sister Shangwu, I'm sorry, we misunderstood you before."
A girl blushed and mustered her courage to say, "We watched the live broadcast of the court hearing and only then did we realize how much you suffered. That assistant was so awful, and Chen Runsen knew perfectly well but didn't say anything. He was so shameless!"
"Yeah! We used to be his fans, but now we feel his character doesn't match his designs! On the contrary, you, sister, remained so calm even after being wronged, using the law to protect yourself, so cool!"
"This is just a small token of our appreciation, please accept it! We support you!"
Shang Wu stared blankly at the sincere yet apologetic young faces before her.
She never expected that at the end of this undeserved disaster, she would receive such kindness and support.
She accepted the flowers and sincerely thanked them, saying, "Thank you so much. Thank you so much."
Shang Wu turned her head to look at Lu Rang, who had been protecting her.
"I am able to stand here today, cleared of all charges, all thanks to him. He is my lawyer and my fiancé, Lu Rang."
The reporters' cameras immediately focused on the beautiful couple standing side by side.
Lu Rang put his arm around Shang Wu's shoulder, nodded slightly, and didn't intend to say anything more.
The plagiarism scandal was finally weathered without major incident. Although the process was agonizing, the outcome even brought some unexpected gains.
Those fans who originally liked Chen Runsen suddenly turned from hating Shang Wu to liking her, and even started shipping her with Lu Rang, and began to learn about her studio and Lu Rang's law firm.
Shang Wu felt much more relaxed and finally had time to call Cheng Zhou.
She always kept his relationship with Lu You in her mind.
"Ah Rang, we haven't been to Cheng Zhou's restaurant in a long time. How about we go see him at noon? And ask him how things are going there?"
Shang Wu made the suggestion.
Lu Rang nodded in agreement.
The two drove there.
However, as soon as Shang Wu arrived nearby, she noticed something was amiss. Usually at this time, there would already be customers queuing up outside the restaurant, but today it was unusually quiet.
When the car came to a stop, Shang Wu was stunned when she saw the scene at the restaurant entrance, thinking she had misread it.
A huge lock hung on that familiar glass door. Looking through the glass, you could see tables and chairs neatly stacked together, covered with dust cloths.
The bar was also cleared out, looking like it had been closed for a long time.
A simple notice was posted at the entrance.
This store is temporarily closed. Thank you for your continued support and patronage.
"Temporarily closed."
Shang Wu looked at Lu Rang, "Cheng Zhou really closed the restaurant."
Lu Rang's expression also turned serious.
He took out his phone and dialed Cheng Zhou's number, but it was switched off.
The two then tried contacting the restaurant manager and other employees, but received similar information.
The boss suddenly announced a temporary shutdown a few days ago, giving employees a paid extended leave, and then disappeared. Nobody knows why.
Shang Wu's heart sank.
She remembered what Cheng Zhou had said on the phone that day.
"Then I'll grant her wish and show her what true social standing is all about."
He was actually serious.
He closed the restaurant he had built from scratch and chose to return to the family business he had once desperately tried to escape!
For Lu You, he really had to give up everything.
Shang Wu stood in front of the closed restaurant door, looking at the cold notice, her feelings incredibly complicated.
She seemed to see her past self and Lu Rang, moved by Cheng Zhou's deep affection and resolute determination, and saddened by the freedom he was about to lose.
If Cheng Zhou really goes to find Lu You, how will Lu You respond?
...
On the other side, in Lincheng.
Inside the teahouse's private room, the air was filled with the gentle fragrance of incense.
Lu You sat upright in a pear wood chair, opposite her second blind date.
Li Zhewen is the only son of the Li family.
In stark contrast to the arrogant and rude man surnamed Zhao from last time, Li Zhewen was gentle, polite, and spoke with propriety.
He graduated from a prestigious overseas university, possesses extensive knowledge but doesn't flaunt it, and comes from a family with a background almost equal to the Yu family, running a vast technology industry.
He expressed his appreciation for Lu You's independent management of her company, and said he respected her future career choices, even offering some insightful opinions on the areas she invests in.
He met almost all the criteria for a good match, even exceeding Lu You's expectations.
Gentle, respectful of women, strong, and clearly has a crush on her.
Lu You lowered her eyes, mechanically sipping her tea, but her heart felt numb and cold.
Li Zhewen was so good that she couldn't find any fault with him or any reason to refuse him.
But the more she did this, the more she felt as if an invisible hand was choking her, and the feeling of suffocation grew stronger.
"Miss Lu?" Li Zhewen's gentle voice brought her back to her senses.
"You seem a little distracted? Is the tea here not to your liking?"
Lu You snapped back to reality and forced a standard smile.
"No, the tea is very good. It's just... I was thinking about some work-related things, sorry."
Li Zhewen smiled and expressed his understanding: "Ms. Lu is a career woman, which is understandable. In fact, my parents are very satisfied with Ms. Lu, and I also feel that I get along very well with her."
He paused, his tone becoming more serious, and looked at Lu You with sincere eyes, "If we both feel it's a good match, we can take it a step further and solidify our relationship. My father's idea is that if Miss Lu agrees, we can ask our elders to formally propose marriage tomorrow."
A marriage proposal?
So fast.
Lu You's heart clenched, and her fingertips instantly turned icy cold.
She subconsciously looked into the distance.
Lu Zheng is here today, and he suspects that she may have deliberately ruined the blind date.
Seeing Lu You looking over, his smile deepened, clearly pleased with the outcome, and he gestured for her to agree with his eyes.
The private room fell silent.
Lu You opened her mouth, but the word "okay" was like a thorn stuck in her throat, impossible to utter.
The image of another person flashed uncontrollably through my mind.
The boy who could make desserts, whom she repeatedly pushed away, but who always kept coming up to her.
However, he was ultimately not a suitable match.
The path before her was her predetermined destiny.
Lu You closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, all the struggle in her eyes had been forcibly suppressed, leaving only a stagnant calm.
She heard her own emotionless voice.
Okay. I agree.
Li Zhewen's face immediately lit up with a relieved and joyful smile: "Great! I'll inform my family to make preparations right away."
Lu Zheng nodded in satisfaction, then got up and left silently.
A marriage was decided in just a few words.
Lu You felt a chill run through her body, as if her soul had been detached, and she coldly observed everything.
the next day.
The Yu family's old residence.
The atmosphere was more formal than yesterday.
Lu Zheng sat in the main seat, while Lu You, dressed in a well-fitting lotus-colored suit, sat below him with an indifferent expression.
Li Zhewen and his parents arrived on time.
The parents of both sides had a very pleasant conversation and have begun to discuss the specific date and procedures for the engagement.
“I think the eighth day of next month would be an auspicious day, so why don’t we hold the engagement banquet?” Mr. Li suggested with a smile.
Lu Zheng nodded: "The eighth is good, let's set it as that..."
Before he could finish speaking, the old house's butler walked in somewhat hurriedly and whispered a few words in Lu Zheng's ear.
Lu Zheng frowned slightly, seemingly surprised, but still nodded: "Let him in."
Everyone was puzzled, wondering who would come to disturb them at this time.
A moment later, Qianjue led a young man in.
The moment Lu You saw who it was, the teacup in her hand trembled violently, making a crisp clinking sound.
A few drops of warm tea splashed onto the back of her hand, but she didn't feel them at all. She just stared wide-eyed at the doorway in disbelief.
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