CHAPTER 585: CHAPTER 583: ABSOLUTELY SHAMELESS

Rose didn’t expect Lin Jiayi to confront her. After a pause, she immediately said with less confidence, "Isn’t it because you bribed the staff at Time Studio? That’s why today’s press conference was a disaster, right?"

Lin Jiayi was choked up and glared at her: "So are you saying the works you presented were also bought by me?!"

Rose feigned innocence and said, "I really don’t know what happened."

"It’s best not to go behind my back and double-cross me, or don’t blame me for being rude!" Lin Jiayi warned her with double meaning, then gritted her teeth, thinking about what to do next?!

After hearing Lin Jiayi’s words, Rose suddenly realized that Lin Jiayi thought she had given her own painting drafts to Time Studio. Thank goodness she wasn’t suspected of plagiarism. She breathed a sigh of relief but thought this idea wasn’t bad after all; maybe she could pin it on some unfortunate studio employee.

Both of them harbored their own thoughts, and for a moment, there was a strange silence.

Time Studio.

When Jiang Lingling heard about what happened at Zhi Mei’s press conference, she couldn’t help laughing out loud, excitedly running to report the situation to Yu Zimu, sharing the schadenfreude joy.

"I always see it as shooting oneself in the foot, it’s hilarious, the thief yelling ’Catch the thief’, but then getting exposed on the spot, I really want to see the expressions of Lin Jiayi and that little thief Rose, must be priceless."

Yu Zimu said indifferently, "What’s the rush? Just read the reports tomorrow. Those journalists love this kind of scene; they will surely portray those people over there as ugly and wicked."

Jiang Lingling chuckled: "Serves them right!" Then, seeing that Yu Zimu didn’t even crack a smile, she couldn’t help but ask:

"Director Yu, aren’t you happy? The bad people who bullied you got their karma, why don’t you show any reaction?"

Yu Zimu put down the pen in his hand and looked up at Jiang Lingling.

Jiang Lingling blinked, feeling uncomfortable under Yu Zimu’s gaze, and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Yu Zimu said, "The journalist at their press conference was arranged by me."

"Ah?" Jiang Lingling had no idea that Yu Zimu had a hand in this trouble-making.

"I guess Lin Jiayi is still being fooled by Rose. Well, they are holding a fashion show tomorrow, right? Go attend it and by the way, tell Lin Jiayi why I have Rose’s works. I want to see them fight like dogs."

"I won’t be happy until I see Rose’s downfall and reputation ruined," Yu Zimu said with a touch of melancholy, then resumed drawing with an indifferent face.

Jiang Lingling: "..." Director Yu is really inscrutable; she might as well go share the joy with Mai Qiqi or Wan Chu’er.

After Zhi Mei’s press conference ended, in just two hours, the internet was flooded with related news. The more tactful ones used the headline "Who’s the true plagiarist?" to present a neutral account of the dispute between the two parties. Those with bad intentions labeled Zhi Mei as ’plagiarist’, ’thief’, ’pirate’, ’malicious competition’, denigrating Zhi Mei as the most inferior studio. Some even speculated whether the works Rose used in previous competitions were also plagiarized.

For a time, all sorts of unfavorable rumors about Zhi Mei spread throughout the fashion circle; some people, at first skeptical, who had some connections with Lin Jiayi, called to ask about the situation.

Lin Jiayi gave a vague response: "The innocent will clear themselves," and made sure to urge them to support the next day: "After seeing our fashion show tomorrow, you’ll understand who copied who."

Tomorrow’s fashion show must go on as usual, and it must be even more lavish and widespread, or else Zhi Mei would truly be finished.

Lin Jiayi repeatedly urged Rose to bring the clothes as soon as possible, threatening harshly that if the clothes didn’t arrive, they would all be finished together. Rose, unsure of what Lin Jiayi might do and somewhat fearful of Lin Jiayi’s craziness, could only urgently call her mother for help.

Finally, nine hours before the start of the showcase, which is one o’clock in the morning, they managed to receive four large boxes of clothes sent by her mother from the airport.

Zhi Mei then called back all the staff overnight, working overtime to sort out the clothes.

The next day Zhi Mei held the fashion show at a famous five-star hotel in Beijing. Many people, to find out what exactly happened, or just to be onlookers or to show support, came to the venue.

Seeing so many people arrive and the seats filled to capacity, Lin Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief, then her eyes widened. After that, she immediately walked to the audience seat with a smile and whispered fiercely to Jiang Lingling:

"What are you doing here!?"

Jiang Lingling smiled even more happily: "Here to watch the fun."

"Don’t mess with me, or don’t blame me for not being polite!" Lin Jiayi threatened her fiercely. If today’s show also falls apart, Zhi Mei would be truly done for.

Jiang Lingling said with a laugh: "Relax, I won’t cause trouble. After watching it, I’ll give you a big gift."

Lin Jiayi looked at her suspiciously, unable to figure out her intention, but there were many people watching her, which prevented her from kicking Jiang Lingling out, so she warned her a few more times before leaving.

Soon, the music started, and the models made their appearances one by one.

Those who came to watch the excitement were a bit disappointed after the show. They even prepared a catalog of the previous Time Studio’s fashion show, hoping to compare and see which clothes were plagiarized. However, they didn’t find a single one.

Although the show went smoothly to the end, and Rose went on stage to give a speech of thanks, those who were in the know realized that the showcased main outfits didn’t match Rose’s previous style and also lacked the spirit of Rose’s earlier works. It was merely ordinary; the fabric was more expensive, and the styles were more luxurious.

After Rose finished her speech, Lin Jiayi took the stage again.

"Thank you all for attending the show today, thank you for your support of Zhi Mei.

I know that some things have happened in the past two days that have you all concerned about the rumors out there.

I believe you all saw today’s show, we did not plagiarize, nor do we stoop to plagiarism."

"Our time is precious, and so is our energy, and trivial disputes are the biggest drain on both. I declare that Zhi Mei will only spend time and energy making beautiful clothes for everyone from now on, and we won’t waste it on trivial matters, so this is Zhi Mei’s last response to the plagiarism rumors."

This kind of bearing, considering the bigger picture while maintaining purity and solitude, actually resonated with some people, and sparse applause rang from the audience, with some calling out "Good."

This was the solution Lin Jiayi thought of all night. Since she couldn’t directly face the plagiarism issue, she might as well adopt a high stance and let others think what they want.

Zhi Mei would insist that they didn’t plagiarize, let’s see what Wan Chu’er can do.

Hearing Lin Jiayi’s words, Jiang Lingling just wanted to curse, shameless, so shameless!