“It’s impossible! Th—”
“What? You think surveillance footage can be faked? Is that you in the video or not?”
Faced with Shen Nanyue’s sharp questioning, Lin Siwan was unable to answer.
Her confidence visibly crumbled.
Shen Nanyue then displayed photos of her studio’s original outfit alongside the outfit Lin Siwan had brought.
“The image on the left is the original design created by Nan’an Studio for this competition. The image on the right is the outfit Lin Siwan brought me. The similarities between the two are obvious—everyone here has eyes and can judge for themselves.”
“Since deciding to enter this competition, Nan’an Studio has been working on these designs. From the earliest sketches to sample tailoring, every draft still exists in our studio. During this period, Miss Lin visited my studio frequently. Therefore, I have every reason to suspect that the outfit produced by Miss Lin’s team is plagiarized from ours!”
The moment Shen Nanyue’s firm, resonant voice rang out, the controversy exploded to an entirely new level.
Rigging. Plagiarism.
Words loaded with scandal and negativity were far more exciting to the public than simply watching a fashion show.
In an instant, online discussion about the event surged to another peak.
In the design industry, plagiarism was considered the gravest offense possible.
Once branded a plagiarist, a designer would effectively be blacklisted from the industry forever.
And if Lin Siwan truly had plagiarized the design, it would not only ruin her team—it could drag down the entire company with her.
Lin Siwan never imagined that Shen Nanyue would completely disregard the reputation of the Shen Group and openly expose the plagiarism scandal in front of so many reporters and media outlets.
Now she was no longer merely panicking.
She was terrified.
She had only just managed to secure a position within Shen Group.
If the plagiarism accusations stuck, the money, status, and even the men she had finally obtained could all disappear in an instant.
She could not bear the thought.
“Miss Lin, can you give us a reasonable explanation?”
Shen Nanyue clearly had no intention of letting her escape.
The faint electric buzz from the microphone seemed to drill directly into Lin Siwan’s ears, making her scalp tingle.
“Miss Lin, regarding Miss Shen’s accusations, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Miss Lin, did your company really plagiarize Miss Shen’s designs?”
“Miss Lin, were you the one who ordered someone to destroy Miss Shen’s outfit?”
At last, reporters broke through the security lines and swarmed around Lin Siwan, bombarding her with questions.
Startled, Lin Siwan stumbled backward and nearly fell to the floor.
“Get away from me!”
She screamed, but no one stepped forward to protect her.
The other judges were all desperately distancing themselves, afraid of getting dragged into the scandal.
Some reporters attempted to rush toward the stage to interview Shen Nanyue, but Shen Nanyue herself stepped down first and walked calmly toward Lin Siwan.
Her face was icy cold.
With just a single glance from her, the reporters who had wanted to approach her instinctively stopped in place.
Suddenly, commotion erupted from another direction.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
It was Chen Mu’s voice.
Shen Nanyue looked over.
Chen Mu had shoved his way through the crowd and rushed to Lin Siwan’s side, pulling her protectively into his arms.
Oh?
A hero saving the beauty?
Now this was getting interesting.
Leaning casually against the edge of the stage, Shen Nanyue smiled at the reporters who wanted to interview her.
“Go on over there first. There’s bigger gossip happening. You can ask me questions later.”
The moment she said it, all the reporters surrounding Shen Nanyue instantly rushed toward Lin Siwan instead.
Meanwhile, Shen Nanyue simply leaned against the stage edge, leisurely watching the drama unfold.
“I’ll explain everything to you!”
Chen Mu shielded Lin Siwan in his arms while staring directly at the cameras ahead.
“Siwan does bear some responsibility in this matter, but the real mastermind is her assistant and designer, Li Yao!”
His loud voice echoed through the venue’s speakers.
“What is this? Are we watching a K-drama? Twist after twist after twist?”
“Shh! Stop talking and let’s hear him out!”
Chen Mu then proceeded to tell a story.
According to him, Lin Siwan’s assistant and designer, Li Yao, had secretly stolen Nanyan Studio’s design drafts, altered them slightly, and plagiarized them.
Then, the day before the competition, she had secretly sneaked backstage and destroyed Nan’an Studio’s outfits.
Her goal was to make her own designs shine during the runway show.
By then using “Nan’an Studio plagiarism” as a publicity stunt to promote herself as a designer, Li Yao would no longer remain an unknown small designer at Shen Group.
As he spoke, Chen Mu pulled out his phone and displayed footage of Li Yao secretly sneaking backstage the previous night and cutting up the outfit.
Following his line of reasoning, Li Yao had committed such a shameless act purely for fame, and it supposedly had nothing to do with Lin Siwan.
“A couple of days ago, I already felt something was off about Li Yao, so I secretly investigated her. I didn’t expect there really would be a problem. I’ve already handed her over to the police station to await investigation. I hope everyone will stop making things difficult for Siwan.”
Chen Mu’s voice carried a pleading tone.
Hearing that he was trying to protect her, Lin Siwan quickly buried herself in his arms and began crying pitifully.
“I never imagined Li Yao would do something like this. It’s all my fault. If only I had discovered it sooner…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re just too innocent—that’s why someone like her could use you as a pawn.”
Chen Mu comforted her gently.
Listening as the audience gradually redirected all the blame onto Li Yao, Shen Nanyue could not help sneering inwardly.
They had thrown the blame away so cleanly.
As expected of a shameless cheating couple who could even justify sneaking around behind others’ backs.
Fortunately, she had never truly intended to drag the Shen Group into the scandal.
Otherwise, she definitely would not have let them off so easily.
With the truth seemingly revealed, the program’s reputation was restored.
The staff once again blocked reporters from rushing forward, and the award ceremony resumed.
Lin Siwan personally handed the trophy to Shen Nanyue and whispered coldly,
“Sis, I didn’t expect you to actually have real ability! You’ve really pissed me off this time. I’d advise you to be careful.”
“Miss Lin, if you don’t want to apologize, then don’t. Why threaten me instead?”
Unlike Lin Siwan’s hushed tone, Shen Nanyue deliberately said it loudly.
Her voice even carried a trace of fear and grievance.
Playing innocent?
As if she didn’t know how to do that too.
Lin Siwan immediately panicked.
Her face flushed dark with frustration, but she still had to force a smile toward Shen Nanyue.
“Sis, please don’t tease me anymore. I sincerely apologize to you—it’s all because I failed to properly manage my subordinates that you were wronged. Please forgive me, okay?”
Shen Nanyue ignored her completely.
With a cold laugh, she lifted the trophy toward the cameras and tilted her head with a smile.
The image of the beauty holding the trophy was instantly captured forever.
And just like that, the name of Nan’an Studio was officially launched into the spotlight.
After the competition ended, Nan’an Studio held a celebration gathering.
Once Shen Nanyue met up with Zhou Yushen, she dragged him along to the party.
“Oh wow, Senior finally brought her boyfriend with her!”
Over the past few days, Zhou Yushen had been visiting Shen Nanyue every single day.
The junior members of the studio had long figured out the relationship between the two, even though their boss constantly denied it.
But bringing Zhou Yushen to the celebration banquet today was basically acknowledging his identity as the “boss’s husband.”
The girls’ gazes toward the two became even more openly teasing.
Shen Nanyue shot them a proud glare.
“Enough teasing. I only took in a poor stray who hadn’t eaten yet. If you keep talking, I’m putting a spending limit on tonight’s meal!”
The juniors instantly shut up and grabbed the menu, immediately ordering the most expensive dishes they could find.
Sitting beside Shen Nanyue, Zhou Yushen raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.
Could it be that she’s finally come to her senses?
— The end of the Chapter–
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