The crowd erupted in uproar, and reporters even captured Wen Qinglian's disgraceful behavior on camera. Hu Lou couldn't bear to watch any longer and tried to pull Wen Qinglian away, but the backstage entrance and the exhibition hall exit were locked, making it impossible for them to leave.
The VCR on the screen was still playing.
"So you admit you leaked the design drafts, is that right?"
"...Yes." The woman pursed her lips and admitted it.
"Why?"
"I didn't want to either!" The woman suddenly raised her voice, but then lowered it again.
"But... but I clearly designed it too, so why can everyone only remember Cui Qingling?"
"You hate her?"
The woman shook her head, seemingly sobbing softly.
"If I stay at Jinghong, I'll never get ahead in my life. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm in this industry because I want to become a chief designer and have my own brand. Who wants to live in someone else's shadow their whole life? Cui Qingling is very good. She's always guided me and given me a lot of advice. I originally... I hadn't thought of it..."
What were your original thoughts?
“I just wanted to leave after this event, but it was Wen Qinglian… She said that if I helped her this time, she would make me the chief designer of Wen’s company.” The woman’s voice was a little hurried.
"I... I was just momentarily blinded by greed, but I didn't give her the final version. I still gave her the version I designed at the beginning, but it kept being rejected. I couldn't help it. I dream of becoming the chief designer. I didn't intend for this to happen in the first place. I really didn't..."
The woman tried to explain herself, but no one present seemed to sympathize with her; instead, their eyes were fixed on Wen Qinglian.
Wen Qinglian's face was extremely ugly. She looked at Cui Qingling and went straight for her. Meng Wan was faster than her and stood in front of Cui Qingling first.
Lan Xing, who was watching this scene, couldn't sit still any longer. After telling someone to keep an eye on the area, he rushed out.
"Cui Qingling, was it you who did this! Was it you!" Wen Qinglian's voice was sharp, making people involuntarily frown.
"Dream on? Plagiarism wasn't enough, now you want to pull the victim-blaming act?" Meng Wan looked at her coldly, knowing that she should be prepared to bear the consequences of her actions.
"I didn't plagiarize! It's you who framed me! You just grabbed someone and tried to accuse me of plagiarism. Your methods are really dirty. And the power outage was your doing, wasn't it?"
Perhaps it was a sudden inspiration, but Wen Qinglian found a point to refute.
The camera was pointed at the two people, and in the darkness, only the flashes of light kept shooting at the faces of the three people.
"No plagiarism? Then why are you panicking?" Despite the barrage of flashing lights, Meng Wan's expression remained completely composed.
“Besides, the VCR hasn’t even finished playing. How do you know we’re framing you, or that you plagiarized us?” Cui Qingling held Meng Wan’s hand, her eyes fixed on Wen Qinglian.
His expression was calm and his tone was even, a stark contrast to Wen Qinglian.
"Do you have any evidence?" The words displayed on the screen went unnoticed.
"I have it! I have evidence!" The volume suddenly increased, and everyone's eyes turned to the screen.
Wen Qinglian gritted her teeth, wishing she could rush up and smash the screen.
"I'm afraid Wen Qinglian will go back on her word, so I recorded it." The woman took out her phone, looking flustered, her fingers trembling, and she made several mistakes.
The woman clicked on the recording, and the first thing to come out was her voice, which sounded somewhat muffled, as if it were in a pocket or bag.
"This...this one isn't acceptable either?"
"Of course not! Look at this thing for yourself, and compare it to Jinghong's Zen series from last season. Do you think I'm stupid? Would Jinghong use this for an exhibition?"
Wen Qinglian's voice practically sealed the plagiarism charge.
Her face flushed red and then turned pale, but she couldn't get out. She could only stand there, frozen in place, enduring the judgmental gazes of others.
"This...this was originally a first draft of the Everlasting Beauty series, it can't be that bad, can it?" The woman was somewhat dissatisfied, but her voice was soft and lacked confidence.
"First draft?" Wen Qinglian raised her voice.
"You're just giving me a rough draft?" The recording includes the sound of papers scattering.
"I didn't," the woman muttered softly.
"First draft? As a designer, don't you know how many versions a first draft goes through to the final draft? Don't you realize how big the difference is between the final draft and the first draft? Look at what you're holding now! Forget about being the chief designer of Wen's, I'm starting to doubt whether you're even Cui Qingling's best assistant!"
"I..." The woman had barely opened her mouth when Wen Qinglian interrupted her.
"Wen's is planning to set up a small, private custom jewelry studio overseas. So, give me the final design, and I'll make you the head of the studio. Isn't becoming the chief designer your dream? A final design in exchange for your dream, isn't that a good deal?"
Her tone softened, like that of a queen trying to coax Snow White into eating the apple.
"Isn't this... plagiarism?"
"Plagiarism? If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who will know? Who has the evidence?" Wen Qinglian said matter-of-factly. "Besides, do you think giving me a first draft means it's not plagiarism?"
The woman remained silent, which seemed to be a tacit agreement.
"Got it? Tomorrow, I don't want to see this garbage again. I want to see a new manuscript on my desk, understand?"
The woman remained silent, while Wen Qinglian's tone was light and cheerful, suggesting she was in a good mood.
"You don't need to look so worried. Once the manuscript is published, I'll immediately have someone send you abroad to be the chief executive of the Wen Group. After the storm has passed in a couple of years, I'll let you come back. Money and fame, you'll have everything you could want."
"……I see."
After a long silence, the woman finally gave in. The recording ended, and the screen went dark.
The exhibits suddenly lit up, and the sudden brightness made everyone squint, only opening their eyes slowly after their eyes adjusted.
"Miss Wen, do you have anything else to explain?"
Meng Wan looked down at her, her aura alone overwhelming the other by several levels. Lan Xing appeared behind Meng Wan at some point and patted Cui Qingling on the shoulder.
Cui Qingling silently gave her a thumbs up, which made Lan Xing very pleased.
"Who knows if they're using so-called AI-synthesized voices to frame me?"
Wen Qinglian stared at Meng Wan. As long as she stubbornly denied it, then she wasn't plagiarizing!
Lan Xing didn't give in either, and clapped his hands together, his face showing a hint of admiration.
"That's amazing, so outstanding!" Lan Xing said, shaking her head. She walked over to Wen Qinglian and, before Wen Qinglian could take a step back to avoid her, she put her arm around her shoulder.
"Miss Wen, I'm a shy person, you know. Could you teach me how to be like you?"
Lan Xing's tone and expression were 'sincere,' yet they made Wen Qinglian's face turn red and then black, like a colorful palette, quite a sight to behold.
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