"I knew this person was untrustworthy," Shen Qingqing said, not surprised at all.
Lorina said gloatingly, "If I didn't know she was your future mother-in-law, I wouldn't have met her. I didn't expect her to pull such a trick. What do you think she'd do if she knew we were already friends? She'd be furious!"
Shen Qingqing stood by the window, holding her wine glass and swirling it gently. Red wine rippled in the glass. "She had ulterior motives for betting with me in the first place. If she's cheating outside the wager now, then winning against her will be even easier on my conscience."
"Okay, okay, I'll reject it directly from my end then."
"No."
Shen Qingqing revealed a sly smile. "You absolutely cannot refuse. You must accept."
"Are you planning to use her own plan against her?"
Lorina gasped. She knew her good sister too well; she never went soft when dealing with someone.
"Exactly. Will you help me?"
"Is that even a question?" Lorina's smiling face instantly turned serious. "We're friends. If I don't help you, who am I supposed to help? Your wicked mother-in-law?"
Wicked mother-in-law...
Shen Qingqing thought about it and had to admit, "That description is quite fitting."
"Oh, right, I'm holding a design competition tomorrow," Lorina said warmly, "You absolutely must come and participate. With you here, my competition will definitely be a huge success."
As a designer herself, Lorina deeply admired her sister's talent. She often consulted Shen Qingqing for inspiration when designing something herself.
"Alright, then let's have this grand show tomorrow at your design competition."
Lorina was already starting to look forward to it. "No problem!"
After hanging up, she personally went to the arranged venue for the design competition. Once she confirmed everything was in order, she finally went home with peace of mind.
Tomorrow, there would be a good show.
The competition venue was set up in a five-star hotel. Many designers had already arrived in the lobby. When Shen Qingqing arrived, she happened to see Shen Yaoyao.
Wearing a mask, Shen Yaoyao was mingling in the crowd, appearing more like an observer than a participant. Shen Qingqing merely glanced at her, not giving her much thought.
Shen Yaoyao knew that Shen Qingqing had been difficult with by Fu Tingyi and his wife. She was certain that Shen Qingqing would be utterly humiliated at this design competition and get what she deserved, which was why she had secretly come to watch.
When Shen Qingqing looked at her, Shen Yaoyao panicked, fearing she would be discovered and kicked out. To her surprise, Shen Qingqing didn't recognize her at all.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and waited to see Shen Qingqing disgraced.
Fang Ruo and Fu Tingyi also came as spectators. They sought out a highly capable designer named Lan.
Lan was very famous in the design world.
The first round of the competition began, and everyone started sketching. Fu Tingyi, watching from the audience, was confident. "After this competition ends today, Shen Qingqing will be out. Just thinking about it makes me feel incredibly good."
"Not only that, but today we'll see her utterly lose face," Fang Ruo said with a slight smile.
The theme for the first design was wedding dresses.
Lan was very fast. She completed her design within an hour and then boldly displayed it for everyone to see.
Upon seeing it, the crowd was instantly amazed.
She had even named the design "Fúlán Wedding Dress." The overall design was full of flair, and the intricate patterns were meticulously crafted.
"Miss Lan, you're amazing. A wedding dress this beautiful must look stunning when worn."
"I think the first place in this competition is already decided."
"It's definitely not going to be us."
"The design inspiration is quite good."
Everyone turned to look. It was Lorina. As the organizer and one of the judges, her appearance immediately made everyone tense and respectful.
"Miss Luo, you flatter me," Lan said humbly.
Fu Tingyi and Fang Ruo exchanged glances and smiled at each other.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingqing had also finished her drawing. Before revealing it, she took a look at Lan's design. The drawing seemed familiar. It was clearly derived from features and patterns from a design she had drawn before.
Except for some minor details on the hem, the two drawings were almost identical.
However, precisely because of these modifications, the drawing now had flaws.
"The floral patterns on your hem are too elaborate and clash with the overall design of this wedding dress, making it entirely superfluous. The shoulders are too wide; wearing this would make one look broad-shouldered and bulky."
"The waist is too narrow. If this were actually designed, such a waistline would be impossible for many women to wear. But if the waist were widened, combined with these shoulders that make one appear so stout..."
It was simply beyond description.
After hearing her critique, everyone looked at the work again and also noticed these flaws. But this was praised by the organizer, Lorina!
Wasn't this openly defying Lorina?
To everyone's surprise, Lorina nodded in agreement. "You've spoken well. If these flaws can be corrected, this design will undoubtedly be unique."
Lan's face turned pale.
She had been certain that no one had seen designer "scary's" design before, which was why she dared to plagiarize so boldly.
But everything Shen Qingqing was saying pertained to that specific design.
Lorina's sharp gaze fell on Lan. "Honestly, your work is very poor, extremely poor. I have seen better work than this. Do you want me to show you?"
Of course not!
Lan's face was pale, and she felt a chill run through her. Did Lorina know "scary"?
The contempt in Lorina's eyes was too obvious. Everyone else also looked at Lan, and began to wonder if this woman had done something wrong.
Or perhaps, there was something fishy about this design?
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Fu Tingyi and Fang Ruo exchanged a look. Fang Ruo stepped forward, her gaze soft as she looked at Shen Qingqing on stage.
"Your work is quite good, but... it looks a bit familiar?"
With that single sentence, everyone's attention shifted to Shen Qingqing's work. She hadn't intended to trouble Lan, who was being used as a pawn, so she took the opportunity to reveal her own design.
If Lan's work had amazed everyone earlier, Shen Qingqing's now left them stunned into silence.
This wedding dress seemed to have a soul, indescribably beautiful.
Fang Ruo glanced at Shen Yaoyao in the crowd. She had already seen this design from her and knew its name was "Pure White Love."
It was a finished wedding dress, reportedly an auction item, not something everyone could acquire, and not many people knew about it.
Amidst her disdain, there was a hint of excitement. "Shen Qingqing, is this truly your original creation?"
"Of course," Shen Qingqing replied without hesitation.
Fang Ruo's smile vanished instantly, replaced by disappointment and coldness. "You're lying. I saw this design long ago. It's not your original work; you copied it."
The entire crowd was shocked by her accusation.