Zheng Suxin’s first reaction was: Did the designer sell the same draft to multiple clients? Or did they both hire the same person, and their styles are just similar?
Either way, no matter who she suspected, Zheng Suxin would never suspect Mrs. Xie of plagiarism.
Everyone still had to operate in the same circle. If someone got caught doing something like that, wouldn’t they be laughed at?
All this over a small competition? The prize was only 200,000 yuan. Losing a single game of mahjong could cost more than that.
Mrs. Xie was, after all, Xie Yizhao’s wife. There was no way she’d go to such lengths for such a small amount of money, right?
So it was either a misunderstanding, or the designer was the one up to something.
What Zheng Suxin didn’t expect was that Lu Xi had designed the piece herself. Since she was currently abroad, she immediately added Lu Xi on WeChat and sent her the design images.
Whatever was going on, it would be clear once Lu Xi saw the designs.
And when Lu Xi received the images, her expression grew even more serious.
This wasn’t just similar, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call it a copy-paste job!
Yang Yihan was stunned.
Earlier, she had only said they were ‘similar’ and even worried she had overstated things. But now, she realized she had actually been way too mild in her wording!
Plagiarism was something she despised. In their industry, it was all too common. Many peers had risen to fame and made fortunes by pulling off these acts, knowing exactly how to exploit loopholes so the victims couldn’t even sue. Some unlucky designers had seen their careers ruined, trampled by the very people who stole from them.
Yang Yihan’s expression turned serious. She asked, “What are you going to do?”
She knew Lu Xi wouldn’t just let this go.
If it were her, she wouldn’t be able to resist confronting the culprit immediately.
But she was also curious, who was this so-called designer? How did they even get their hands on Lu Xi’s work? Even she herself had only just seen the designs today. And Lu Xi wasn’t careless enough to upload them online. That meant someone close to her had leaked them.
If that were the case, the range of suspects was too broad.
The Xie family’s servants, employees at Lu Xi’s studio, anyone who had access to the designs could be involved.
Lu Xi didn’t respond right away. She furrowed her brows, deep in thought. After a while, her expression finally relaxed slightly, and she let out a cold laugh. Though her tone was calm, it carried a sharp edge: “I have a pretty good idea who it is.”
If Wang Qianru hadn’t appeared before her recently, she might have suspected someone around her, that would have been the most logical conclusion.
But she remembered, Wang Qianru had seen those designs a long time ago.
Back then, she hadn’t been on guard. Sometimes, when Wang Qianru and other design students were around, she would sketch out ideas without a second thought.
Thinking back, she realized how naïve and careless she had been.
If someone had wanted to steal from her, they wouldn’t even have needed to memorize the designs. Snapping a quick photo with their phone would have been enough, and she might not have even noticed.
Now, as the head of her own studio and a professional designer, she was much more careful. The moment a design was finalized, she archived it and never shared it. Only her assistant, who handled client communications, had access. Even her study remained locked at all times.
Logically speaking, the only suspects were Wang Qianru and those former classmates who had seen her work in the past.
And confirming the truth would be easy.
Lu Xi directly messaged Zheng Suxin, asking who her designer was.
Zheng Suxin responded quickly : [Wang Qianru. Did you hire her too?]
“…” Lu Xi didn’t know how to answer that.
So Zheng Suxin had assumed she also hired a designer?
Lu Xi responded bluntly, telling her that she had designed the piece herself.
Now it was Zheng Suxin’s turn to be confused.
Mrs. Xie was a designer? Then how had Wang Qianru gotten hold of her designs to plagiarize them? Did they know each other?
The situation seemed to be getting more complicated…
But to Lu Xi, this wasn’t complicated at all. It was actually quite simple.
Wang Qianru had seen her designs before. Now, she probably assumed Lu Xi was ‘out of the picture’ and that even if she copied the designs, no one could do anything about it. So she had just taken them and used them as her own.
Though Lu Xi appeared calm, she was actually furious inside.
But anger alone wouldn’t solve anything. She wasn’t the type to suffer in silence and pretend nothing had happened. If she didn’t make Wang Qianru pay the price, how could she justify the effort and creativity she had poured into those designs?
“Don’t worry, I know what to do. I’ll let you know once I’ve handled it,” Lu Xi assured Yang Yihan.
Yang Yihan knew Lu Xi had a long battle ahead, so she didn’t linger.
She simply smiled and encouraged her: “Alright, I’ll be waiting for your update.”
Once Yang Yihan left, Lu Xi immediately went to her study. She turned on her computer, ready to take a closer look at her ‘old friend’s website.
Plagiarism was like an addiction. If Wang Qianru thought Lu Xi was ‘gone,’ then surely she hadn’t stopped at copying just one design.
The first time Lu Xi had visited the site, she had only browsed casually, half-amused.
But now, she was going to examine it carefully.
She needed to gather evidence, so she could send everything straight to her lawyer.
This was going to be a big task.
Lu Xi had only just started when the servant knocked on the door again.
“Madam, someone is here to see you. It’s Ms. Wang, the one who visited last time.”
Lu Xi : ?
She was momentarily stunned.
Wow. She hadn’t even gone looking for Wang Qianru yet, and now Wang Qianru had come knocking on her door instead?
Lu Xi couldn’t guess why she was here this time, but she had to see her regardless.
She went downstairs and entered the living room. The once-familiar face greeted her with a smile, but Lu Xi frowned slightly. Why did Wang Qianru look so fake now?
Even when she had badmouthed her to her face last time, Lu Xi hadn’t felt this annoyed.
Before Wang Qianru could speak, Lu Xi coldly asked, “Did you bring your son to apologize this time?”
Wang Qianru showed an apologetic smile.
She sighed and said, “I’m sorry, I tried to convince my son, but he wouldn’t listen. He’s grown up now, doesn’t obey me at all, and even argued with me. He said if I kept pushing him, he’d run away from home.”
Lu Xi didn’t even raise an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
“Exactly. I don’t know if he’s just at that rebellious age, but he’s getting harder and harder to manage. I’m busy with work, I have to take care of him, it’s exhausting, and he doesn’t even understand me…”
Lu Xi : ?
Wang Qianru had launched into a monologue about her hardships. What was this? Playing the sympathy card?
Lu Xi asked, genuinely confused, “Your son doesn’t understand you… and you expect me to?”
Wang Qianru paused awkwardly.
She had already experienced Lu Xi’s sharp tongue last time, so this time she had come mentally prepared.
No matter what, her son refused to apologize, and she couldn’t force him. Her husband didn’t know about this situation yet, but her mother-in-law did. And since the boy had acted pitiful in front of his Grandma, the old woman was dead set against making him apologize.
Wang Qianru herself didn’t really want her son to bow his head either.
That Xie Heng wasn’t the type to let things go. Apology or not, he might still beat up her son.
Wang Qianru had come prepared this time, bringing an assortment of premium fruits and a handbag she had designed herself as a gift for Lu Xi.
Lu Xi glanced at the bag. It wasn’t a knockoff of her own work.
But she was immediately alert.
Wang Qianru must have some ulterior motive for coming here. It might not even be about her son.
With the amusement of someone watching a performance, Lu Xi decided not to expose her just yet. She wanted to see what Wang Qianru was really after.
Noticing that Lu Xi wasn’t refusing her gifts, Wang Qianru’s eyes lit up slightly.
Looks like there’s a chance.
She sighed and said, “Actually, my son meant well. He saw the ornament and thought it was beautiful. He just wanted to take a picture to show me, but got distracted and accidentally put it in his pocket. It’s my fault too. I’m always busy with work and don’t have time for him. You’re a woman, you should understand how hard it is to juggle both a career and raising a child…”
Lu Xi shook her head and bluntly said, “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a job.”
Wang Qianru : “…”
“I’ve never raised a child either.”
“…”
Looking at Lu Xi’s pretty face, which wore an innocent expression, Wang Qianru suddenly found it hard to laugh.
—Who was this woman, really?
This conversation was going nowhere!
But for the sake of her career, even if she despised Lu Xi and wished she could scratch her face, she had to endure it. She even had to keep smiling.
Wang Qianru said, “As you know, I’m a fashion designer. I run my own studio, so I’m extremely busy…”
Lu Xi interrupted her again.
“I know. I’m also a fashion designer.”
Wang Qianru froze.
She… was also a fashion designer?
So they looked the same, had the same name, and now shared the same profession?
It had to be a coincidence.
That’s what she told herself, but doubt lingered in her gaze.
The words she had planned to say got stuck in her throat, suddenly hard to voice.
Lu Xi, however, took the initiative. “Alright, tell me, what do you really want?”
Seeing that Lu Xi had asked directly, Wang Qianru hesitated but didn’t want to waste this opportunity.
Her eyes flickered.
No, it’s impossible, she reassured herself. If she were still alive, she wouldn’t still look like this. No matter how advanced cosmetic procedures are, they can’t stop the natural aging of the eyes.
Thinking this, she felt much more at ease.
So she got straight to the point and smiled at Lu Xi. “I heard that you’re close with Master Louis and Young Master Ye. Could you… introduce me to them?”
Lu Xi glanced at her with a half-smile.
—So this is what it’s about?
Lu Xi neither agreed nor refused. She thought for a moment and then said, “I’ll say it again, your son hasn’t apologized to mine yet.”
Wang Qianru paused, frowning.
Why was Lu Xi still harping on about that? Wasn’t she being petty?
So she repeated her earlier excuse, that her son hadn’t done it on purpose.
“Stop talking nonsense!”
A voice rang out.
Xie Heng had come out to get a drink of water. Passing through the hallway, he had overheard Wang Qianru’s excuse about her son ‘accidentally taking’ something. Unable to hold back his anger, he let out a cold laugh.
Wang Qianru looked up in shock.
She saw a tall, blue-haired teenager standing on the second-floor hallway, hands in his pockets, his expression arrogant.
He sneered, “Who cares if it was on purpose or not? The little deer is ours! What gives an outsider the right to take it?”
Lu Xi : “…”