Chapter 323 – My Dear CEO Wife – Retribution (23)
By the time Bai Tang finished tidying up and came downstairs, the people gathered in the dining room for breakfast were already about to disperse.
Half an hour of waiting did nothing to dampen Manager Luo’s enthusiasm. Like an overexcited youth, he gave Bai Tang a big, hearty hug.
“Bai Tang, well done! We made it into the top 15 semifinals!” said Designer Chen.
Before Bai Tang could reply, Wen Changhe pulled him out of Manager Luo’s embrace. Bai Tang smiled and said to Designer Chen, “It was everyone’s effort.”
The boy didn’t take credit for himself, nor did he become proud over the achievement. His calm and modest attitude only made everyone like him even more.
Wen Changhe ordered breakfast for Bai Tang and unfolded a napkin, neatly spreading it over Bai Tang’s lap.
He spread Bai Tang’s favorite cheese on the toast. Bai Tang took a bite with a cheerful “nom,” his mouth filled with rich flavor, eyes narrowing in satisfaction.
Watching Bai Tang eat happily was one of Wen Changhe’s favorite pastimes.
He also ordered warm milk with nuts added in. When it was served, the boy quickly finished his toast, held up the cup, and smiled at Wen Changhe. “Thank you, A He~”
Wen Changhe leaned close with a teasing smile. “A thank-you should come with some real action, don’t you think?”
Bai Tang glanced around shyly. There were still others in the restaurant, but everyone seemed occupied with their own things, paying no attention to them.
And so, smiling brightly, the boy leaned in and gave the man a quick kiss on the cheek—mwah!—causing the few remaining designers nearby to mutter that they couldn’t bear to look, even as they secretly felt a pang of envy.
The Wen Design Team advanced smoothly through the international design competition, their momentum unstoppable as they made it all the way to the finals.
By this time, almost a month had passed since Zu Shuang was hospitalized. Her sprained left foot had mostly recovered; as long as she didn’t overexert herself or stand too long, she could walk normally.
After returning, she found that the Liu Design Team’s morale had dropped significantly. Though they, too, had made it into the finals, it was by a hair’s breadth—just barely making it through.
But this wasn’t the result she had wanted. According to her plan, shouldn’t the international judging panel have discovered that Wen’s design was suspiciously similar to Liu’s and launched an investigation?
With that question in mind, Zu Shuang arrived at the final competition venue.
Upon seeing her, Director Liu pulled her aside, his face tense with anger. “You’re going to get me killed because of this!” he hissed.
Zu Shuang didn’t understand what had happened at first, but when she followed his gaze to the stage, she froze.
The design draft presented by the Wen team bore absolutely no resemblance to the preliminary draft she had handed to Liu. In fact, it was the best work shown so far.
Each team had tried to predict the themes based on previous international competitions. Out of five possible topics, the Wen team had correctly guessed two—one in the preliminaries and one in the finals.
When Director Liu saw the final topic, he had been overjoyed. Since the Liu team was scheduled to present before the Wen team, if it looked like Wen had plagiarized Liu’s concept, the Wen Group would have been finished.
However, what Director Liu hadn’t expected was that during the preliminary round, although Wen’s design shared some similarities with the first draft of Liu’s concept, it wasn’t enough to be accused of plagiarism. As for the finals, Director Liu had ordered his designers to refine and perfect the draft provided by Zu Shuang. In his eyes, it was already flawless.
Yet Wen’s team had completely overturned their original concept, redefining the theme in an entirely new direction—one that was the exact opposite of Liu’s approach. The judging panel was full of praise for Wen’s team’s creativity and design philosophy. Naturally, the higher Wen’s scores climbed, the lower Liu’s fell.
Their disgrace had now gone international. To lose face before designers from all over the world—who would still believe in the Liu team’s artistic vision after this?
At that moment, it was Zu Shuang’s turn to be dumbfounded. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
But the worst was yet to come.
When the judges announced that the Wen Design Team had won the championship, Manager Luo took the stage on behalf of the team to deliver their speech—only to publicly question the Liu Design Team’s work.
“I’d like to ask the Liu Design Team,” he said, “why does your design’s concept look exactly the same as one of our discarded drafts?”
Holding evidence in hand, Manager Luo faced the international press without the slightest trace of fear.
In the audience, Wen Changrou shook the bottle of mineral water in her hand, watching as Zu Shuang was pushed onto the stage, a mocking smile curling her lips.
“Zu Shuang… who do you think you’re fooling?”
The old Wen Changrou had been a naïve girl, but after being thrown into the company by Wen Changhe for so long, she had learned to deal with the sly old foxes of the business world. She now understood that you can’t judge people by appearances alone.
Some look like delicate flowers on the outside but are ready to stab you in the back—and wasn’t Zu Shuang exactly that kind of person?
Forcing herself to stay composed, Zu Shuang took the microphone. Under the gaze of the judges, audience, and reporters, guilt tied her tongue; she could barely speak.
From below the stage, Director Liu lifted the agreement he’d made Zu Shuang sign during her out-of-court settlement, showing it to her as a warning. The message was clear: You take the blame for this—or don’t blame me for what happens next.
Seeing that document again, Zu Shuang nearly fainted from anger.
She dug her nails hard into her palm to steady herself, forcing calm.
Raising the microphone, she said, “Perhaps it’s just a coincidence of thought. There are so many people in the world—if you could come up with it, why couldn’t I?”
Manager Luo gave a knowing smile. He signaled Bai Tang to fetch the judges and have them display the Liu Design Team’s submitted draft on the big screen for everyone to see.
Manager Luo said, “As designers, from the moment we first enter the field, we each develop our own unique style. No two designers are the same. You can often see a designer’s personal signature in their work—this is why, when people see certain designs, they can immediately tell who created them.”
The panel of judges nodded in agreement, signaling for him to continue.
“And in the Liu Design Team’s submission—please, everyone, look here. From this point… to this point—if you connect these elements, don’t they form the letters C-Y-T?”
Following his words, the audience turned their eyes to the screen. Sure enough, the letters CYT could clearly be seen embedded in the design.
Before Zu Shuang could speak, Manager Luo continued, “That particular concept was originally proposed by our designer, Chen. That’s why his initials were included in the early draft. Later, when we came up with a better idea, we decided to abandon that version.”
He looked straight at Zu Shuang. “Miss Zu Shuang, would you care to explain this?”
No sooner had he spoken than Bai Tang displayed Designer Chen’s previous works on the large screen. Each of Chen’s past designs contained those same three letters in the exact same positions as in Liu’s submission. Every one of these designs had been officially published and could be verified—they were not fabricated evidence.
The audience erupted in shock. The way they looked at Zu Shuang and the Liu Design Team had completely changed.
To commit plagiarism at an international design competition—how outrageous.
The murmurs from the crowd grew louder and louder, and the faces of the Liu designers turned ashen.
After today’s incident, who would dare to hire them again?
When they remembered that this entire concept had been forced on them by Director Liu and Zu Shuang, resentment filled their hearts. They could already imagine their futures crumbling into ruin.
Faced with solid evidence, Zu Shuang had no room left to argue.
At that moment, with the judges’ permission, Wen Changrou stepped onto the stage and presented proof that Zu Shuang had once been employed by the Wen Group. Her resignation date came just seven days after the creation of Wen’s first draft design.
Zu Shuang collapsed to the ground. When misfortune comes, even drinking water can get stuck between your teeth.
Under the lingering effect of Xiao A’s “bad luck charm,” things went from bad to worse—there was no such thing as the worst, only worse still.
A man who had once worked for the Liu Group rushed forward. He had been forced out by Zu Shuang, then assaulted and robbed on her orders. Because she had taken everything from him, his family could no longer afford medical treatment, and a loved one had died in the hospital.
The man suddenly charged onto the stage and hurled a bottle of acid straight at Zu Shuang’s face.
No one present had expected such an act. Wen Changhe’s immediate reaction was to pull Bai Tang into his arms, shielding the boy with his back in case any of the acid splashed their way.
Zu Shuang clutched her face and collapsed to the floor, rolling in agony.
The searing pain made her wish she could faint on the spot.
The man burst into wild laughter, shouting, “This is your retribution! Retribution!”
Security guards rushed the stage and subdued him. As they dragged him away, he twisted his face in hatred and spat at Director Liu. “You filthy sc*m—may you die just as miserably!”
With that, the chaos finally came to an end.
Zu Shuang, who had only recently been discharged from the hospital, was once again sent back there.
But this time, she wasn’t so lucky. Her face was completely disfigured. When the acid had been thrown, she had just opened her mouth to speak, and some of it entered her mouth. Her tongue was corroded, her taste buds destroyed, and even her speech became slurred.
After all, she had been the female lead—shielded by that “main character’s aura.” When the bad luck charm finally wore off, she was rescued from the brink of death. But she couldn’t accept what she had become. When she saw her reflection in the mirror—a face neither human nor ghost—and learned that skin grafts and cosmetic surgery could not restore her appearance, she completely lost her mind.
Meanwhile, Qiu’er and Xiao A publicly exposed all the evil things Zu Shuang had done and everyone she had harmed. The name “Zu Shuang” became synonymous with disgrace. People spat at the mention of her, and even her own parents, ashamed, publicly disowned her—declaring that they had no daughter by that name.
Zu Shuang’s downfall was tragic, yet it was nothing more than the fate she had earned.
As for the man who had destroyed her face, he, too, faced justice in the end.
But for him, there was nothing left—his family had died because of her, and with them gone, so was his will to live. He confessed to his crime and accepted his punishment without resistance.
Wen Changhe and Bai Tang returned to their home country carrying international acclaim, elevating the Wen Group to a new height.
Under Wen Changhe’s pitiful, pleading gaze, Bai Tang’s heart softened—and he finally agreed to his proposal.
Overjoyed, Wen Changhe immediately announced that every employee in the company would receive an extra month’s salary.
Everyone offered their blessings, especially the members of the design department. To them, Bai Tang was their lucky star. Since he had joined, the team had won international awards, promotions and raises had become a reality, and now that he and Wen Changhe were getting married, the entire department eagerly joined forces—contacting wedding planners and helping organize the celebration together.