Volume One, Chapter 20: Keep an Eye on Her—Don’t Let Her Interfere with Qingqing’s Victory

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“Qingzhu, Shuyá is number eighteen,” someone informed her.

Qingzhu blinked her eyelashes. “Is that so? Then I’ll swap numbers with someone. I’m number seventeen. When I finish, Shuyá will be just about to go on stage. I can encourage her a little when we meet.”

“You’re too kind, Qingzhu,” came the remark.

“Shuyá doesn’t deserve your kindness,” another voice said.

...

Qingzhu changed her number.

Number seventeen.

She was ahead of Shuyá.

With her shining like a precious gem, Shuyá, a mere fragment of rubble, would only end up a laughingstock.

“Qingqing,” Fu Yichen called from behind.

Qingzhu turned around; the coldness in her eyes had vanished without a trace, replaced by pure, innocent naivety. “Brother Yichen, are you here to watch my competition? Hmm, you’re so nice.”

She wrapped her arm around Fu Yichen’s.

He couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Yes, I’m here to watch my Qingqing win the championship. You standing on the podium, holding that trophy, surpassing everyone else—it’s going to be beautiful.”

Qingzhu’s voice softened as she coquettishly teased, “So if I don’t win, I’m not beautiful?”

“No, you’re still beautiful. But when all the spotlights shine on you, you’re even more beautiful—beyond compare.”

“Hmph.”

Qingzhu’s eyes flicked playfully.

“By the way, Brother Yichen, I just saw Shuyá. She seems to have registered for this designer competition too.”

Fu Yichen’s expression instantly darkened.

Shuyá was a useless waste who couldn’t do anything right, always spending money at home. What could she possibly design?

Her participation was nothing but an embarrassment.

Fu Yichen’s face was cold.

“Where is she?”

Qingzhu quickly soothed him gently. “Brother Yichen, don’t be mad at her. This isn’t the first or second time she’s acted out. Stay calm, don’t upset yourself—I’d feel bad. If Shuyá wants to make a scene, let her. No one here even knows she’s your nominal wife.”

She didn’t want Fu Yichen to chase Shuyá away with harsh words.

She wanted him to see with his own eyes how she would bloom brilliantly under the spotlight, while Shuyá made a fool of herself before everyone. She would trample over Shuyá like a stepping stone, climbing to the peak, basking in millions of praise, winning both love and career!

Qingzhu spent several more minutes coaxing Fu Yichen until he calmed down.

Fine, he would settle things with Shuyá after the competition.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Shuyá sat on a chair by the side of the venue. All participating designers sat there. Most industry designers recognized each other, except her, a stranger.

At first, some people approached to talk to her.

When they asked about her previous design awards, she honestly said she had none, and naturally, they left. Some even regarded her as a third-rate designer who bought her way in, looking at her with disdain.

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Shuyá didn’t care.

She wasn’t here to make friends.

If no one talked to her, she was happy to be left alone.

It was Shuyá’s first time entering such a competition, so everything felt fresh. Her eyes scanned the surroundings.

The venue was the largest auditorium in Kyoto City.

There were five hundred seats.

About seventy to eighty percent were filled.

The competition had a lot of attention. Previously, Qingzhu had hyped up their master-apprentice relationship, touching countless hearts. Online discussions were lively. Once the live broadcast began, many viewers would flood the stream.

Netizens wanted to see how Qingzhu would seize the championship, wrapping the perfume filled with her master’s love in her designed packaging paper—a grand spectacle of mutual devotion between master and apprentice.

Hmph.

Those people were destined to be disappointed.

She would not let Qingzhu win.

At exactly ten o’clock, the live broadcast started.

The hosts appeared.

A standard pair: a man in a suit and a woman in an evening gown. They opened formally.

“Hello everyone, welcome to the 18th National Designer Competition. I am your host...”

After introductions, they went on with a speech thanking sponsors, leaders, the live audience, and the online viewers.

Shuyá found it a bit boring.

Fortunately,

They soon got to the main event.

“The design competition officially begins!”

“Please welcome the first designer to the stage to present their design!”

The first to step up was a male designer. On stage, his design was displayed on the large screen behind him. He explained his concept. Below were five judges, four hundred audience members, and several cameramen live-streaming the event.

The male designer was a bit nervous, often stumbling over his words.

From Shuyá’s perspective, his design was mediocre—if she were a judge, she’d give it only around sixty points.

The judges scored him a bit higher.

Seventy-two points.

Next came the second designer.

Then the third.

...

Up until number sixteen finished.

Shuyá had yet to see Qingzhu take the stage.

She grew puzzled.

Could Qingzhu be after her?

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At that moment, the host announced, “Let’s welcome designer number seventeen to present her design!”

Qingzhu stood up.

Step by step, she walked to the stage.

Qingzhu was number seventeen, right before Shuyá.

Coincidence, or...?

Shuyá watched as Qingzhu stood on stage. Then, the screen displayed Qingzhu’s design. The instant the design appeared, Shuyá’s pupils constricted. She rose from her seat, while Qingzhu cast her a defiant smile.

“This is my design.”

No!

It’s not!

It’s my design!

On the screen, Qingzhu’s design shared eighty percent similarity with Shuyá’s in color, layout, lighting, and blurred effects.

The only difference was that Shuyá had drawn roses, while Qingzhu’s featured bamboo.

This was Shuyá’s painstaking, sleepless-night creation. How had it suddenly become Qingzhu’s?

Furious, Shuyá charged toward the stage.

Halfway there, someone grabbed her.

The group accompanying Qingzhu glared at her fiercely.

“Shuyá, what do you think you’re doing?”

“How could you be so mean? Luckily, before Qingzhu went on stage, we suspected you’d cause trouble and watched you closely. With us here, you don’t stand a chance of harming her!”

They pulled Shuyá further away from the stage. She watched helplessly as Qingzhu spoke confidently on stage.

“This design is the fruit of my year’s painstaking effort: soft strokes, soothing colors, embodying my longing for my master. I…”

Shuyá struggled to push away her captors.

“Let go of me! Those designs are mine! Qingzhu plagiarized my work! I want to get on stage and set things straight!”

Everyone looked at her with contempt.

“Are you crazy?”

“Qingzhu is a nationally renowned designer. And you? Saying she stole your design is laughable.”

Fu Yichen, hearing the commotion, approached and asked, “What’s going on?”

They said, “Shuyá claims Qingzhu plagiarized her design. Boss Fu, don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”

Fu Yichen’s gaze was as cold as winter, filled with endless disdain. “Crazy woman.”

He then told the group, “Hold her tight. Don’t let her ruin Qingzhu’s big moment.”

The women nodded, thumping their chests in promise. “Don’t worry, Boss Fu.”

Shuyá’s hands were gripped by four people. She could only watch as Qingzhu stood on the stage, bathed in spotlights, basking in admiring glances.

Even the judges highly praised the design, awarding Qingzhu the highest score of the entire event—95!

Thunderous applause erupted.

Qingzhu descended the stage like a triumphant general, head held high.