Chapter 34 He wants to drag Shang Wu down with him and ruin his reputation.
The room was deathly silent.
The accusation was so sudden that no one had time to react.
Zhou Yanci frowned and asked in a low voice, "Awu, what's going on? Is he your disciple Qiuting?"
Shang Wu pursed her lips, helplessly saying, "Yes, I don't know why he suddenly came..."
Qiu Ting walked through the crowd onto the stage, staring at Ji Yu's astonished expression.
"Last September, the draft I submitted to the competition was rejected because its style did not match the competition theme. I have the design process and timeline to prove it."
He looked up at the big screen.
The image on the screen has changed.
It's Qiuting's discarded drafts folder, which contains design sketches for these three pieces of jewelry. Apart from the coloring and minor changes, they are almost identical.
"You steal my draft, change a few details, and it becomes your masterpiece, the culmination of three months of hard work, Mr. Ji?"
Qiu Ting scoffed and approached Ji Yu again: "Please give a reasonable explanation in front of the media reporters and the viewers in the live broadcast room."
The live stream was filled with question marks in the chat, the number of viewers surged by over 100,000, and the audience was buzzing with discussion.
Ji Yu panicked immediately.
One second she was immersed in a paradise of praise, the next the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, catching her completely off guard.
She couldn't help but step back, her sharp high heels treading on her skirt, almost causing her to trip.
Ji Yu pressed down on the corner of the table, hurriedly scolding, "What nonsense are you spouting! I don't even know you, how could I possibly steal your manuscript? This, this is my own design, if you don't believe me, ask Shang Wu!"
She pointed to the women in the audience.
Zhou Yanci also looked at Shang Wu and lowered his voice, saying, "Quickly think of a solution!"
Before Shang Wu could speak, Qiu Ting's voice suddenly rose: "Why are you asking others? Didn't you just say that this was your independent design? If it was an independent design, then give me an explanation yourself!"
Ji Yu was terrified and had no idea what to do.
The spotlights overhead and the flashes from the cameras in the reporters' hands all came crashing down on her like lightning.
Qiu Ting suddenly grabbed Ji Yu's wrist and pressed closer to question her: "I've checked your designs over the years. Your work is even better than my master Freya's. With your skills, why would you need to plagiarize? I reasonably suspect that you bought and stole these works!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the audience suddenly thought of something.
Suddenly, a voice of doubt arose from the crowd: "Freya's design style is unique, and only Qiu Ting can inherit seven or eight parts of it. Designer Ji's works are even praised as being more Freya-like than Freya's. Could it be that she stole her own design drafts?"
Zhou Yanci's face turned ashen. He immediately turned to Xiao Dong and ordered, "Go, call the bodyguards over to clear the area. Don't let that man talk nonsense here!"
"Let them make a scene," Shang Wu finally spoke, unhurriedly. "The situation is already out of control; what good will forcibly silencing them do?"
Zhou Yanci stared at her, her eyes filled with displeasure: "What do you mean by this? Are you abandoning us at the last minute?"
Shang Wu just stared at the stage without saying a word.
"I didn't steal it, I didn't steal the design!"
Ji Yu was so anxious that her face was covered in sweat. She staggered backward, her high heels scraping against the floor with a harsh sound.
Veins bulged on her forehead. When she saw Shang Wu in the audience, she immediately pointed and said, "It's her! She did everything! All my previous designs were provided to me by Shang Wu, and I released them! You should go find her!"
Everyone gasped.
None of her designs as designer Ji are original, and some are even of dubious origin!
Seeing everyone's reaction, Ji Yu's face turned completely pale.
Realizing she had let something slip, she decided to go all out and sneered, "All the design drafts, including today's work, were provided to me by Shang Wu! Qiu Ting, you took money and sold me your discarded designs, and now you're turning around and accusing me. What are you trying to do!"
Qiu Ting chuckled: "Do you have proof that I took money?"
He took out his wallet and threw it on the table.
"I can check the transaction history of all my bank cards, so I can see if Shang Wu has transferred any money to me!"
Zhou Yanci's heart tightened, and she subconsciously stepped forward.
All expenditures of the jewelry department are accounted for through official accounts. This investigation will only reveal that Chengzhou Group paid Qiuting a sum of money.
"I don't care, I don't care!"
Ji Yu was acutely aware that every second she stood there was a moment when she was being laughed at.
What international top-tier designer, what world-renowned, what the chance to share the stage with top masters to receive awards—all these dreams have vanished like bubbles!
She cannot die on her own.
Even if it means ruining my reputation, I'll drag Shang Wu down with me!
Ji Yu suddenly found her strength, screaming as she lunged forward, her voice hoarse and desperate: "It's all Shang Wu's fault! She gave me the design! She said she would make me even more famous than herself! She's Freya! She's been designing the designs behind the scenes for so many years! Find her!"
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
The sheer volume of information that has been revealed has left most people speechless with astonishment.
Qiu Ting looked at Shang Wu, her gaze suddenly softening, and her tone became gentle: "Master has never contacted me to bribe for manuscripts. As for the rest, I know nothing about it. Master, please come up on stage and explain."
Zhou Yanci's expression hardened, and he tried to take control of the situation, but Shang Wu raised her hand to stop him.
She stepped onto the stage, gracefully treading on the cold white lights on the ground, and approached Ji Yu.
Ji Yu felt a sudden, inexplicable terror and stiffened her body: "What are you going to do! I am who I am! You are the mastermind behind it all!"
Shang Wu's eyes turned cold as she took the microphone, faced the crowd, and said solemnly, "Yes, I am Freya."
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
The press conference instantly erupted in chaos.
Shang Wu parted her lips slightly: "Over the years, I announced my retirement in order to join Chengzhou Group and help my fiancé Zhou Yanci support the jewelry department."
Facing the live camera, she slowly recounted her emotional journey in how things had developed to this point.
"I have to do everything myself and also take care of the works, so I can only choose between the roles of department director and designer."
Coincidentally, Ji Yu had always dreamed of becoming a famous designer, so I stepped back from the front lines, managing the jewelry department while having Ji Yu use my designs to run events and build brand awareness.
Over the years, the jewelry department has generated enormous revenue, becoming the mainstay of Chengzhou's income. I delivered on my promises and did not disappoint Yanci, but I have let down my fans, my consumers, and my identity as a designer.
Zhou Yanci clenched her fists, her legs feeling as if they were nailed to the ground.
He was usually clear-headed and decisive, but at this moment, he had no idea what to do.
He could only watch as Shang Wu managed to quell the chaos with a few words.
Everyone calmed down and listened to what Shang Wu had to say.
Including the millions of people on the other end of the live stream.
"These years have been very painful for me. I know clearly that every work of my heart and soul should bear my own name, but I have to give it up to Ji Yu in order to ride the boat."
I now deeply realize my mistakes and am willing to resign for the sake of Chengzhou, consumers, and Freya's fans, and will never design again.
Furthermore, all income I receive from boat trips will be donated to charity. Please monitor my progress.
After speaking, Shang Wu bowed deeply and announced his retirement for the second time.
Reporters held up their cameras.
The flashbulbs were going off like crazy.
After a ten-second bow, Shang Wu removed her work badge and placed it on the table, then nodded slightly to the bodyguards below the stage.
The bodyguards, who had already been bribed, tacitly stepped aside.
Reporters rushed onto the stage like a flood, towards Zhou Yanci and everyone involved.
In the chaos, Qiu Ting grabbed Shang Wu from the crowd, a sly smile gleaming in his eyes.
"Are you satisfied, sister?"
Shang Wu didn't have time to correct his cloying way of addressing him, and simply pushed him toward the back door: "Someone is waiting for you, hurry up! Go overseas for a while."
Once caught by Zhou Yanci, Qiu Ting's fate was predictable.
Qiu Ting pulled her back: "And what about you?"
"Leave me alone."
Shang Wu left in a hurry, escorted by bodyguards.
Qiu Ting could only exit through the back door, going down the stairs to the outside.
Between the two buildings is a narrow alleyway that can only accommodate one person at a time.
A Lexus was parked at the entrance of the alley.
Qiu Ting opened the passenger door and got in, and was taken aback when she saw the man.
The other person leaned back in the leather seat, his dark eyes beneath his brow bone exuding a faint air of solemnity.
Being stared at by him, even the air felt thick with an undeniable sense of oppression.
Qiu Ting swallowed hard: "Are all my sister A-Wu's drivers so handsome and classy?"
Lu Rang stepped on the gas, and the scene from last night resurfaced in his mind.
Midnight is usually the time when he has just entered a deep sleep. The property management of the community called his landline, saying that someone wanted to see him.
When Lu Rang went out, he saw Shang Wu stamping her feet in the cold at the door.
Her eyes were red from the cold, and she grabbed his sleeve as soon as she saw him.
"Help me, you're the only one I can turn to."
That sentence contained no humble plea; it was more like making final arrangements, as if he were about to rush into the arena of fame and fortune amidst the clash of swords.
Perhaps Shang Wu's gaze was too resolute, perhaps she hadn't slept well in the middle of the night and her mind wasn't clear, or perhaps the hand she was holding was too cold.
Knowing that agreeing would bring unnecessary trouble, Lu Rang still nodded.
As a result, he was arrested and forced to work as a driver to help people escape overseas.
"Oh my..." Qiu Ting leaned against the car window, pulling on her seatbelt while looking him up and down. "Seriously, you're as handsome as a celebrity, why did you have to become a driver?"
Lu Rang gripped the steering wheel tightly with his well-defined knuckles.
"Does your sister pay you a higher salary?"
Qiu Ting leaned closer, staring intently at Lu Rang's superior profile, and suddenly realized: "You have a crush on my sister!"
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