Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Questioning Jiang Zhe Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Questioning Jiang Zhe The situation began to ferment.

Sitting by Jiang Fanyue’s side, Drew’s face darkened as he watched Jiang Zhe.

After having an in-depth conversation with Jiang Fanyue last night, he had come to understand that someone had actually disrupted the fairness of this competition!

Jiang Fanyue had shown him her design work and the scores she received, which amazed Drew with her talent. At the same time, he grew to deeply despise Jiang Zhe’s behavior.

He had seen Xun Yining’s work before. It contained some ingenious ideas, but after this incident, he began to doubt the authenticity of Xun Yining’s work!

As the attendees mostly arrived, the host started the ceremony, officially announcing the beginning of tonight’s awards ceremony.

After the official start, the host invited Liang Hani to give a speech on behalf of the organizers.

Liang Hani walked onto the stage with grace and poise.

Suddenly, Drew raised his hand.

The eyes of everyone on site fell on him.

Cameras also turned to focus on him.

Liang Hani asked calmly, “Excuse me, sir over there, do you have a question?”

Drew stood up.

As a contestant, he was wearing a microphone, so his words could be clearly recorded.

And simultaneously translated into the ears of everyone present.

Jiang Fanyue’s journalists also pointed the live broadcast cameras at him.

“I’m sorry to take a few minutes of everyone’s time. I would like to ask two questions on behalf of all the contestants, if that’s possible?”

“Ask your question,” Liang Hani said, unfazed.

Drew asked, “First, I would like to ask what is the relationship between Mr. Liang Hani and the judge Jiang Zhe? Why would they be seen dining together and returning to the hotel privately?

First, I would like to ask why Jiang Zhe can serve as a judge, and what her qualifications are. Just these two questions.”

His words caused an uproar throughout the venue.

Many contestants hadn’t really paid much attention to whether there was anything improper about Jiang Zhe being a judge; she indeed looked excessively young, but they were used to Eastern girls looking young, so they had no questions about it.

But now that Drew had posed the question, things suddenly seemed out of order.

Qin Jingchen’s expression darkened slightly, even though he had known that today such a question might arise.

Now everyone at the scene was whispering and discussing among themselves.

Having met Drew the previous night, Jiang Fanyue had not expected much help from him, but she hadn’t anticipated he would ask such a question.

This spared Jiang Fanyue a lot of trouble, as she would only need to make use of these two questions later to inquire her own.

And it would be even more justified.

With two journalists accompanying her, she wasn’t afraid that the organizers would prevent her from asking her questions.

Otherwise, she was ready to take the matter to an even bigger stage!

Without changing his expression, Liang Hani asked calmly, “Although I’m not sure about your purpose or the reason for asking these two questions, I won’t assume the worst about someone. For now, let’s presume that, as a contestant, you’re simply seeking this information, right?”

In one sentence, the implied meaning was quite clear.

The other judges shook their heads looking at Drew who, however, was fearless.

Liang Hani continued, “Jiang Zhe is my junior. I am friends with his parents and he has been studying with me from an early age, so we eat together and I drop her off at the hotel. This is how I show care as an elder. Does anyone still have questions about this?”

The moment Aisha, who was seated on the stage, heard this, she said, “I can attest to that.”

The other guests and judges nodded along, “I’ve also had dinner with Jiang Zhe, but it was last year.”

“If you don’t believe it, you can check the media reports from over the years. You might not see Jiang Zhe’s face, but her clothes should be quite distinct.”

The judges and guests were all reputable figures in N Country, both men and women, belonging to different factions, not all of whom were on friendly terms with Liang Hani, some even hostile towards him.

But when someone slandered him and a young lady like Jiang Zhe, they all chose to take the same stand.

This was something Drew had not anticipated.

Of course, the facts were also beyond his expectations.

He appeared quite astonished, but being dark-skinned, it was hard to tell if his face had reddened.

In the live broadcast by reporters from Jiang Fanyue’s side, the audience had been ready to berate Jiang Zhe, but they too heard the simultaneous interpretation. With so many corroborating the story, it naturally seemed credible, and the criticism immediately subsided.

But they were still puzzled—what was the answer to the second question?

Given that the second question was based on the premise of the first, and since the doubts raised by the first question were unfounded, what then was the matter with the second question?

Liang Hani quickly provided the answer, “Jiang Zhe is the only contestant in the fashion design competition to score full marks and win the championship. This is the reason she was chosen as a judge.”

Upon hearing this, the already quiet crowd became even more excited.

If Liang Hani had said this, then it certainly could not be false.

Everyone remembered that the last time there was a full score champion was six years ago, which meant that Jiang Zhe had won the championship back then!

The champion’s design sketches and outfit had been on display at the examination venue’s exhibition center for all contestants to view.

Drew had seen and observed it too, and even as a seasoned designer, he had approved of that design.

The other contestants were abuzz with discussion.

However, Jiang Fanyue’s face turned slightly pale. By this account, there was absolutely no issue on Jiang Zhe’s end.

At least in the matter concerning her and Liang Hani, there were no flaws.

She began to feel a vague unease, yet couldn’t pinpoint where the problem lay.

In the live video feed from the reporters, the audience saw this turn of events, relished it, and began to flood the screen with comments: “So we already had a champion among us!”

“That’s amazing!”

“Oh my god, I really have to bow down to Jiang Zhe.”

“Love it, love it.”

Drew, who had clear-cut feelings of love and hate, realized his mistake and did not shirk away. Standing up, he addressed Jiang Zhe’s direction, “I’m sorry, Jiang Zhe, and I apologize, Mr. Liang. I made inappropriate remarks without fully understanding the situation. Please accept my sincere apologies.”

Liang Hani was very serious: “You were not wrong to raise questions, but to fabricate issues about male-female relationships is a sign of disrespect towards me, Jiang Zhe, and the organizers. You could have verified the matter privately, but chose to do it publicly. Therefore, I accept your apology only partly; the rest I cannot accept.”

Drew, feeling his innermost secrets exposed, was overwhelmed with shame.

He was the runner-up this time and indeed held a grudge against Jiang Zhe, attempting to find a flaw in her and to touch the champion’s trophy.

Feeling deeply ashamed, he said, “If there is any way I can make amends, I will do it, no matter what it is.”

“No need, thank you. Let us proceed with the award ceremony,” Liang Hani said.

Everyone’s focus returned to the forthcoming award ceremony.