...
The next day.
The first round of the competition begins.
It is an exhibition of jewelry design works and on-site scoring.
After adjusting her mindset, Shang Wu unveiled the red silk covering her work on stage, eliciting a burst of suppressed gasps of amazement from the entire audience.
It was a brooch.
Using platinum as the base, a peacock is outlined, with the feathers using an extremely complex micro-pave technique, adorned with layers of gradient sapphires and diamonds, and featuring a rare large-sized moonstone that flows with a soft and mysterious halo under the light.
Unsurprisingly, Shang Wu's proudest work, which she planned to release in a limited edition next quarter, received the highest score in the first round.
After the match, Shang Wu declined all congratulations and interviews, left the venue alone, and headed towards the parking lot, seemingly wanting some fresh air.
Just as she walked to a slightly dimmer area, three burly men wearing masks and hats pulled low suddenly rushed out from the side and blocked her way.
"Stop! Hand over your bag!" The leader's voice was fierce, and he brandished a dagger in his hand.
Shang Wu took a step back and hugged her bag tightly.
"What do you want? This is the competition venue!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Give it to me!" Another man stepped forward to snatch it!
Just as the robbers were about to touch Shang Wu, two dark figures rushed in from the side and behind, their movements swift and fierce.
In the blink of an eye, the three robbers were swiftly and decisively brought to the ground, completely incapacitated.
The whole process was so fast it was dazzling.
The two men were dressed in ordinary black suits, but their skills were clearly not those of ordinary people.
They didn't even look at the person on the ground, but instead cautiously scanned their surroundings before nodding slightly to Shang Wu.
"Miss Shang, you've been frightened."
Shang Wu didn't thank them; she just stared at them.
"Who are you? Who sent you? Are you the one who helped me cancel the competition penalty?"
The two bodyguards exchanged a glance, their expressions remaining unchanged.
One of them replied, "Ms. Shang, you've misunderstood. We are members of the security team for this competition, responsible for the personal safety of all participants. We were just conducting a routine patrol and happened to see you in danger."
Security for the major event? Or just a coincidence?
Which major competition's security personnel have this kind of skill and reaction speed?
But the two didn't give Shang Wu a chance to ask any more questions. They left quickly and soon disappeared into the night.
Shang Wu stood there, looking in the direction they had disappeared, a greater sense of doubt welling up in her heart.
The self-inflicted injury ruse was used, and the person was lured out.
However, the other party was extremely vigilant and could not be extracted from them. Instead, they used an even more perfect excuse to evade the issue.
The idea that Aying gave her worked, but it didn't lead to any substantial progress.
Shang Wu frowned, took out her phone, and subconsciously dialed Chen Chunzhi's number.
He's well-informed; he might be able to find out something.
"Congratulations, Ah Wu! First place in the first round! That's awesome! I'm watching the live broadcast right now." Chen Chunzhi's voice was as relaxed as ever.
"Let's not talk about that now," Shang Wu interrupted him, her tone serious. "You have a wide network of connections, could you help me find out who the main initiator and the largest investor of this design competition is?"
The only person capable of wielding such power in the competition, disregarding even the organizers and the judging panel, is the largest investor.
Chen Chunzhi on the other end of the phone readily agreed.
Ten minutes later, when he called back, his tone was somewhat strange and hesitant: "I found out that the organizers of the competition are public, and it was jointly launched by several investors."
"What I want to investigate is the person who is truly in charge behind the scenes, the one who can change the organizing committee's mind with just a word," Shang Wu emphasized.
Chen Chunzhi scratched his head on the other end and chuckled, "Oh dear, how could I possibly know so much about the affairs of such big shots? It's probably just some financial tycoon who's got your eye on you, right? Why do you care about that? Just focus on the competition and win the prize!"
His perfunctory attitude and excuses were all too obvious.
Shang Wu fell silent for a moment, having nothing to say.
Chen Chunzhi reassured him, "Alright, alright, don't worry about this. Let's hurry up and prepare for the competition. There's still a second round, isn't there?"
Shang Wu glanced at the hotel building not far away, then had no choice but to hang up the phone and go back.
She returned to her room and shook her head when she saw Aying's expectant eyes.
“There were people protecting me, but they insisted that it was the competition's security team.”
A-Ying clicked her tongue: "That's obviously an excuse! How could the security team always arrive so promptly? They've clearly been protecting your safety behind the scenes all along. If you ask me, could it be Lu Lu?"
Shang Wu looked up at her.
Aying shrank back, belatedly realizing, "Did I...did I say something wrong...?"
"It can't be his."
Shang Wu interrupted her, "I broke up with him a long time ago. Please don't mention that name again, okay?"
Such unfounded speculation serves no real purpose other than wishful thinking and stirring up past memories.
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