Chapter 36 The First Counterattack
New Year’s Day is approaching.
The city streets are filled with a festive atmosphere.
Shi's, a leading fashion company, has launched its first collection of new Spring Festival items. With Chief Designer Shi Qinghe in charge, the collection features model samples on its official website, with pre-sales starting at 8:00 AM this morning.
The results are pretty good.
In just over four hours, over 10,000 orders were placed.
Shi Yin nestled in the chaise longue in the living room of Beishan Villa, clutching her tablet and scrolling through Shi's news. On the coffee table sat the half-eaten box of candy. She reached out and took another, peeled off the colorful shell, and popped it into her mouth.
The phone vibrated a few times.
Meng Xi sent a message: "Second Miss, as per your instructions, I have submitted the report accusing Shi Qinghe of plagiarism to the National Design Association and also to the media. It will soon be exposed online."
Shi Yin: “Okay.”
She turned off her phone.
The tablet is still on the interface of Shishi’s official website.
Many designers in the industry are praising Shi Qinghe's new models for being beyond imagination. Looking at the rapidly growing pre-sale orders, the company's shareholders also proposed to hold a celebration banquet among the senior management group.
"The young lady is indeed worthy of being the star of the design world!"
"Chairman Shi has a daughter like this. It is the honor of the entire Shi family and the fortune of our Shi Group!"
The weather forecast issued a red alert for blizzard today.
Employees are working from home.
Shi Yin looked up at the French window. Outside, it was a vast expanse of white, with heavy snow covering almost all living things. She also wanted to see if Shi Qinghe could withstand the coming blizzard.
…
Shi Yin went out in the afternoon.
I went to the Chinese medicine clinic next to IFS and bought a few boxes of lily tea.
Drive to Shi Building.
Several cars parked at the entrance, and the company's shareholders entered the office building one after another, rushing in. Shi Yin parked the car slowly, held an umbrella for herself, and walked forward steadily.
She took the elevator up to the chairman's office floor.
People in the corridor looked nervous. Even Secretary Li, who had followed Shi's father for many years and had strong professional qualities, was particularly flustered today and accidentally knocked over the documents in his hand.
Shi Yin stepped forward to help pick it up.
The other party was stunned for a moment, then nodded politely: "Second Miss, why are you here?"
"Last time I attended Mrs. Han's birthday party, I heard Dad coughing several times, so I went to the Chinese medicine store to buy some throat-soothing and cough-relieving herbal tea. The housekeeper at the Shi residence said Dad was at the company, so I brought it over."
"With such heavy snow, the Second Miss is really thoughtful."
“This is what I should do.”
"Director Shi is not in the office right now." Secretary Li glanced around and whispered, "Second Miss, you may not be aware that two of the dresses designed by the eldest daughter were plagiarized. The online post went viral, generating so much buzz that the company's PR team couldn't suppress it. They even filed a complaint with the Design Association! This is a very troublesome matter, and all the shareholders have been summoned to a meeting at the company."
"How could this happen? How could my sister plagiarize?"
"Who knows?"
"Is my sister here at the company too?"
"Here they are. The design department staff from Miss's team are here too. They are all in the conference room."
"Can I go and see it?"
The girl who spoke had clear almond-shaped eyes and a worried expression on her face. She looked like a filial daughter, a worried sister. The assistant understood her feelings and led the group to the conference room.
…
"Dad, believe me, I really didn't plagiarize!"
"All the best-selling products the company has launched in recent years were designed by me. My position in the industry is already solid. Why would I plagiarize at this juncture?"
Shi Yin followed Secretary Li in through the side door.
getting Started.
Then I heard Shi Qinghe's explanation.
The conference room was crowded with people. Executive shareholders headed by Shi's father sat around a round table. The design department employees centered around Shi Qinghe stood on the left, and the rest were the public relations team.
"Director Shi, the person who broke the news has released the evidence!"
The PR manager walked in.
He rushed to the hall and projected the media release onto the big screen. Seeing the comparison of the two design drafts, the clearly listed plagiarism points, and the words from retired HU Professor Pei, Shi Qinghe suddenly collapsed in his wheelchair.
"The deputy director actually plagiarized Professor Pei's unpublished work from five years ago."
"Who in the fashion design world doesn't know Professor Pei Wenqing from the Harvard Graduate School of Design? The deputy director is so bold!"
"Our Shi family's reputation is over!"
Everyone was talking about it.
With so much irrefutable evidence on display, the shareholders were furious.
"Director Shi, you have to give us an explanation for this matter! Everyone invested their money because they trusted you and the Shi Group."
"Yes, Mr. Shi, for a high-end original clothing company, plagiarism is tantamount to self-destruction!"
Father Shi's expression became increasingly gloomy.
He had originally wanted to protect Shi Qinghe, but the person who broke the news had provided too much evidence, and the online buzz was still high... He turned to look at his daughter beside him and asked knowingly, "Qinghe, did you really plagiarize Professor Pei's work?"
"Dad, I—"
"Sister didn't plagiarize."
Shi Qinghe and Shi Yin's voices rang out together.
Everyone had different expressions.
Shi Qinghe, sitting in her wheelchair, gripped the armrests even tighter, staring intently at Shi Yin's face. Her intuition told her that Shi Yin wouldn't be so kind as to exonerate her. Either he was just there to watch the fun, or he was just trying to take advantage of her misfortune.
"The evidence is all here, how can there be no plagiarism?"
"Shi Qinghe is your biological sister, of course you should speak for her!"
Shareholders questioned.
Shi Yin's appearance was undoubtedly a ray of hope for Shi's father when he was at his wit's end. He hurried forward and took her hand affectionately, hoping that she could exonerate his beloved daughter: "Yin Yin, do you have actual evidence to prove that Qinghe did not plagiarize?"
"some."
"Tell me."
Shi Yin nodded and walked straight to the projection screen. Pointing at the plagiarized artwork, she said, "It's well known that Professor Pei's later works incorporate the style of postmodern painting, with a more casual touch in the wrinkles, folds, and embroidery of the clothes. The simpler and more casual something is, the harder it is to create. Many designers have rushed to imitate Professor Pei over the years, but none of them have come close to matching his style."
"My sister's two works are 90% accurate, as if they were painted by Professor Pei himself. My sister has never met Professor Pei, nor has she ever studied at the HU School of Design where Professor Pei taught. She couldn't have painted them."
That makes sense.
People in the conference room nodded one after another.
I agree with Shi Yin's statement.
The shareholder asked again, "Are you saying that these two drawings with the name 'Shi Qinghe' on them were not created by Shi Qinghe?"
"Shi Yin, you are talking nonsense!"
Shi Qinghe couldn't sit still immediately. She jumped up from her chair, having almost recovered from her disability after six months. Shi's father, who was standing beside her, grabbed her shoulders and gave her a few "shut up" looks. He then said to Shi Yin, "Yinyin, who do you think drew these two designs?"
The sound falls.
The design department employees in the hall were all judged by the gaze.
More than a dozen people were like ants on a hot pan, jumping up and down in panic. Not wanting to be the pitiful scapegoat, they all tried to excuse themselves: "Director Shi, we had no involvement in the development of these two drafts. The deputy director directly gave the drafts to the design department without asking us to make any changes, and then sent them to the product department for pattern making and sample making!"
"So, the manuscript still belongs to Shi Qinghe."
"The charge of plagiarism cannot be cleared."
Shi Yin walked over from the shareholders' chatter, trotted over to Shi Qinghe's side, squatted down, and said with a distressed look on her face, "Sister, for an original designer, plagiarism will be nailed to the pillar of shame and will never be able to turn over. Don't joke with your future. Report the original author of these two manuscripts and let her face public judgment and legal punishment."
The two were close.
Shi Yin saw the bulging veins on Shi Qinghe's hands, the gloomy look in his eyes. The freshly painted manicure dug deep into the flesh of his palms, and his shoulders trembled with anger.
In the dark, where no one could see, Shi Yin spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "You only have two options. One is to admit that you plagiarized. If Professor Pei's team insists on appealing, you'll end up in jail, and your parents won't be able to protect you. The other is to return Meng Xi's work to her and admit that you gained fame and fortune by appropriating other people's work. Your reputation will be ruined, and you won't be able to make it in the design world, but at least you won't go to jail. Which one do you choose, sister?"
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