CHAPTER 580: CHAPTER 578: WHO COPIED WHOM?

Lin Jiayi waited patiently for the press conference to begin, and finally, the lights flickered, and dynamic music started to play. The first model strutted out from backstage with a catwalk gait.

Before she had a chance to take a close look at the outfit, Rose suddenly grasped her arm. Lin Jiayi turned to see Rose’s face deathly pale, her eyes wide with astonishment, staring ahead.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Jiayi thought Rose might suddenly be feeling unwell.

Rose extended a trembling hand towards the model, stuttering: "The clothes... the clothes..."

What about the clothes? As Lin Jiayi turned to look at the clothes, the more familiar they seemed, and a dreadful premonition surged forth. She turned back to lock eyes with Rose, demanding, "Are you sure?"

Rose nodded, "Identical."

Why were Time’s clothes exactly the same as their Zhi Mei’s? Lin Jiayi pondered carefully; this outfit was not the one that Time’s little assistant had given her. Another thought suddenly burst into her mind: could it be Wan Chu’er and Jiang Lingling had done the same as her? Had they also bribed someone from Zhi Mei?

If that was the case, what should she do?

As Lin Jiayi weighed her options, the first model had already left the catwalk, and a second model, elegant and refined, stepped out, when Rose once again grabbed her arm.

"Could this one be identical too?" Lin Jiayi asked in disbelief.

Rose’s face was ashen as she nodded: "The details are slightly different, but the cutting and style are the same."

This was even worse. If they were identical, they could still argue about plagiarism, but these styles that seemed the same and yet not quite were the real trouble. If your clothes were better than the other’s, that’s fine, but if not, you’d be accused of ungainly emulation, and the label of a plagiarist would be firmly fixed upon you.

Lin Jiayi and Rose watched with mixed and anxious emotions until the end; all the models returned, and the designer came out to give thanks.

Their hands and feet felt ice-cold; Time’s newly released collection had encompassed all of their leading designs, including those few pieces Lin Jiayi had paid for—the money was wasted.

All the main designs for Zhi Mei’s show in three days were the works presented by Rose. Lin Jiayi looked at Rose with suspicion; could she have secretly sold her own designs to Time?

No, what would Rose gain from doing so? If the same styles appeared at their fashion show in three days, Rose’s reputation would be ruined along with Zhi Mei’s.

So what exactly was going on? An array of suspicions swirled in Lin Jiayi’s mind.

Meanwhile, Rose was in complete panic; looking at Mu Zi, who was basking in success on the stage, what else was there to misunderstand? He indeed was the vanished Louis.

So, today’s show was targeted at her all along! By releasing all the designs first, they left her with no moves to make, so ruthless!

This matter could not be known to Lin Jiayi, could not be known to anyone. As these thoughts raced through Rose’s mind, what should she do?

The press conference ended successfully, with the guests in attendance all responding positively and planning to purchase new clothes to support Time, with fashion magazines eagerly lining up interviews.

Mai Qiqi was pleasantly relieved to see off all the important guests, finally taking a breath. Today’s press conference was an enormous success, and this success made her feel a strong sense of accomplishment.

"Mai Qiqi, a word, please." Lin Jiayi approached Mai Qiqi with an icy expression.

Mai Qiqi raised an eyebrow and politely asked, "May I know what Miss Lin wishes to instruct?" Yet, she didn’t move because of Wan Chu’er, Mai Qiqi didn’t like Lin Jiayi and was quite displeased that Yu Zimu and Wan Chu insisted on sending an invitation to Lin Jiayi.

Seeing Mai Qiqi refusing to budge, and responding in an indifferent manner, Lin Jiayi narrowed her eyes and demanded, "Where is Wan Chu’er? Call her out." This matter was definitely related to Wan Chu’er.

Mai Qiqi scoffed in amusement, "Are you here to pick a fight? We don’t welcome you here, so take your leave without us seeing you out."

"Don’t be so quick to talk big!" Lin Jiayi glared at Mai Qiqi resentfully, "You know exactly the despicable and shameless deeds you’ve done. If it comes to light, don’t blame me for not giving you a chance beforehand."

The more Mai Qiqi listened, the more baffled she became, looking at Lin Jiayi’s expression, it was as if they from Time had done something to wrong her, but what exactly? She had no clue and dismissed it as Lin Jiayi deliberately trying to intimidate them.

"Say whatever you like! Do you really think that by spreading panic here, anyone will be scared of you?" Mai Qiqi said with disdain.

At that moment, Jiang Lingling came from backstage and, seeing the standoff, walked over and asked, "What’s happening? Lin Jiayi, what chaos are you trying to stir up now?"

Lin Jiayi gave Jiang Lingling a cold look and said with scorn, "I thought Time was something formidable, but you’re nothing but thieves, incapable of making good clothes on your own, so you steal our designs. You think you’re doing it all in secret, but if you don’t want others to know, don’t do it yourself! Let me tell you, you owe Zhi Mei an explanation, otherwise don’t blame me for exposing your plagiaristic and thievish acts to the world, letting everyone see what kind of people you are!"

All these accusations of stealing and plagiarizing left Mai Qiqi and Jiang Lingling confused.

Jiang Lingling frowned and said, "Lin Jiayi, what nonsense are you going on about? Us, plagiarizing from you? That’s laughable, why would a gold medal winner plagiarize from a loser? Who would believe such a thing?"

Lin Jiayi angrily retorted, "Don’t twist the truth. Then explain to me, why when Zhi Mei decides to hold a fashion show, Time also does the same, and even rushed to schedule it three days before ours, releasing all of our key designs first? If you don’t believe it, go to our studio now and see. Our clothes are still there. If this isn’t plagiarism, what is it? Thieves! Shameless thieves!"

The thought of her hard work over the past few days potentially going to waste, and not knowing how to proceed with the press conference in three days, infuriated Lin Jiayi.

Seeing Lin Jiayi so frenzied, as if about to explode, Jiang Lingling and Mai Qiqi exchanged glances.

Could it be true? Was Lin Jiayi not making this up?

But how could Time possibly plagiarize from Zhi Mei? Some of the clothes released today were Jiang Lingling’s own designs, she definitely didn’t plagiarize, and Yu Zimu wouldn’t do it either. There were a few other designs from another designer in their studio – could it be that this designer secretly obtained Zhi Mei’s design drafts?

Regardless of what happened, they definitely couldn’t admit to it. If they did, their reputation would be utterly destroyed. Mai Qiqi and Jiang Lingling were of one mind, exchanging looks to confirm each other’s intentions.

"Lin Jiayi, why don’t you say that your studio plagiarized our work instead? Don’t play the thief calling ’stop thief.’ Thankfully, we made our move before you did; otherwise, we really would have been ruined by you. I’m asking you, Lin Jiayi, why are you always targeting me and my sister-in-law? Truly annoying." Jiang Lingling retorted fiercely.