Alice sighed, her chin propped on her hand, her lips pursed. "I understand. Who wouldn't want their country to put up a fight and win this competition? Your position indeed makes it difficult for you to recommend this contact person. If this were discovered, everyone would call you a traitor. We're good friends, and I don't want that to happen. I don't want to be a burden to you."
After saying this, Alice flashed Zhang Wan'er a dazzling smile. She then examined the design draft on her phone, tapping the table with one hand. "This design not only accentuates the wearer's waistline but also showcases sensuality perfectly. I'm curious about what kind of fabric would be used to create such an outfit. If it were made with plain white fabric, it might seem too simple. Or, once this dress is designed, what kind of person could carry it off? I think the designer has their own ideas. It's a shame I can't discuss the intricacies with them. Perhaps you could introduce me after the competition?"
Hearing Alice praise Chen Lishu, Zhang Wan'er's face showed a hint of impatience. She then took a deep breath and exclaimed, "This work is that good? If I told you that Chen Lishu designed it, would you still praise her so highly?"
"What? You're saying Chen Lishu designed this dress?" Alice looked at the design draft on her phone, her pupils constricting. If Chen Lishu truly found the right fabric to design this gown, then Alice's chances in this competition would be quite uncertain.
Zhang Wan'er slumped onto a chair, then nodded at Alice. "That's right. I found this design draft in his room today. Not only did it leave you feeling complicated, but even I, an outsider, felt the same way. If I give you this design draft, how much can you change it? What are your chances of winning against Chen Lishu in the competition? Alice, I know how much you want to win this competition, so I took the risk of stealing this design draft for you, hoping it would help. I know Chen Lishu's capabilities. She has more opportunities to promote her brand internationally, but if you lose your position as chief designer, you and your brother will have to return to living in the slums. What's the difference between that and being killed? I, Zhang Wan'er, have done something wrong to him, and I will compensate for it with hard work. Please don't feel guilty. Just focus on competing. If possible, I hope you can show some leniency in the competition and not make things too difficult. After all, Chen Lishu is also representing the country."
Alice hadn't expected Zhang Wan'er to do so much for her. Tears welled up in her eyes, and the hand holding the phone trembled slightly. After a long moment, she closed her eyes and pushed the phone away. "This design draft isn't mine, so I naturally can't take it. If it's discovered that I copied it, all my years of hard work will be in vain. More importantly, you'll be implicated. My designs aren't as good as Chen Lishu's, and winning this competition is a big question mark. But it's okay, as long as I try my best. Don't forget, my mentor is a top designer. If his disciple truly encounters difficulties, I don't believe he, as a mentor, would stand idly by. My mentor is all bark and no bite; as long as it doesn't violate principles, he won't watch me return to the slums!"
"Alice, I've heard you mention your mentor many times, but he hasn't appeared all these days. Perhaps he cherishes you as his disciple because you're the chief designer, so he's been caring towards you. Once you lose that position, coupled with his long absence, will he still be as kind to you? Even if you don't consider yourself, you must consider your brother. Your brother needs a formal status and to leave the slums. You can't let your boy continue to live so humbly, can you?"
Every word Zhang Wan'er spoke struck a chord with Alice. Her expression grew hesitant, and she bit her lower lip tightly. Seeing her waver, Zhang Wan'er came forward, grabbed her hand firmly, and began to offer advice. "I'm not directly asking you to plagiarize her work. I believe in your abilities. If you have these design drafts, you can definitely design a more perfect piece than hers! Since her design is so revealing, why don't we tone it down a bit? Then we can bring up the old issue and let everyone know that Chen Lishu made a design mistake once, causing a girl to jump to her death!"
Alice felt that doing so was wrong. It would not only steal Chen Lishu's future but also plunge her into an abyss with no hope of recovery. She didn't want to go to such extremes.
Seeing that Alice was still hesitating after all she had said, Zhang Wan'er inwardly cursed her as useless. She then took back her phone and feigned a strained expression. "Alright, since you don't want it, I'll just have to delete this picture." With that, she pressed the delete button.
Upon seeing this, Alice's right eyelid twitched violently. She instinctively reached out to stop her, her lips parting slightly. After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Why don't you let me try? I'll make some changes to her work, and you can give me some reference. You're the only one I can trust right now. As long as the work isn't similar to hers and is done better, I have a 90% chance of winning the competition!"
"Okay." Zhang Wan'er's eyes flashed with a hint of triumph as her objective was achieved. As long as she could win against Chen Lishu, what did it matter if it was plagiarism? She was certain Alice would never betray her. After all, in Alice's eyes, Zhang Wan'er had done everything to help her, and she was more likely to feel grateful than shift the blame.
Soon, Zhang Wan'er shared the picture with Alice. Watching her engrossed in analyzing the design draft, she quietly said, "Then you look at it first. I have something to attend to, so I'll be going now!"
Alice, without even looking up, replied, "Alright, Miss Zhang."
----
As Zhang Wan'er stepped out of the doorway, her vision suddenly went black, and the surrounding noise began to fade.