"That's not fair!" Karen's voice made everyone turn towards her, followed by silence filling the room. Professor Luo Xia asked as he could hardly contain his excitement, "in what ways was it unfair?"
"That..That is.. she didn't even go through any art related experiences! She should be disqualified!" Karen started raising her arm up and down while repeating the word, disqualify, to lead people to join her. Unfortunately, nobody voiced with her and she looked even more embarrassing than earlier when she got ignored by Chen Mu.
Susu stepped out of the crowd and leaned lazily on one of the steady tables, "Indeed, I do not have a prestigious art school background and I didn't apply for this annual event."
"Aha! See? She admitted it, herself!" Karen pointed at Susu and acted full of herself.
"But... I have several years of graphic designing experience through self taught methods. My online portfolio had been widely recognized by many companies from overseas, our current country, and along with many other places that even if I named them, you wouldn't know of. Also, I didn't plan on attending this event, but was invited by an old acquaintance to it. This is the invitation card signed and permitted by the CEO of Huang Corps."
Susu waved the invitation card a few times before projecting it on the designer board using the projector that was provided by Huang Corps for each designer's convenience when they presented their products. Everyone nodded and some searched for her name to look at her art portfolio.
Karen gritted her teeth, "You're lying! You had somebody design for you! You have no proof for that design! For the many years that we've lived together, you've never once created any works. You must have cheated! You just wanted to take this first place away from me!" Karen's chest heaved up and down as she breathed inconsistently. Her pulse was spiking high as she faced the many pairs of eyes from the audience.
Susu smiled, "Ah, indeed. You've never seen any of my designs, so it doesn't exist. Just like how I never saw any bit of your so-called beauty, so it doesn't exist as well. On the bright side, I do not have any words of wisdom nor did I prepare a motivational speech for people to hear me talk; I only have evidence that'll stain your name and follow you for the rest of your life from here and onwards."
"W..What do you mean?" Karen stuttered as she tried to avert her gaze from Susu's intense glare.
"Didn't you just say that I was lying and that I hired somebody to do my works? Then how about we have a nice showdown in front of everyone today? I can prove that the product that I've presented today along with the rose set that you've claimed to be your design like twenty minutes ago, all belong to me. I am the original designer of it."
The murmurs amongst the crowd heightened after hearing Susu's declaration. One of the judges interrupted, "What?"
Professor Luo Xia took one of the microphones from the table and handed it to Susu.
After obtaining the microphone, Susu turned towards the crowd and said, "For those who thought that you've heard wrong or those who couldn't hear me just now, I will repeat what I just said. I, Yin, Susu, can prove that my design for tonight is my own as well as this beautiful rose set that Yin, Karen had claimed to be her own."
The contestants and judges let out a loud gasp at the same time while Karen refuted all accusations. She almost lost her balance when Susu said that she could prove that the design was all hers. "Faker! You're just jealous that I could design something as beautiful as this!"
"Oh? Then after I finish proving my own product, I'll leave the rose products for you to prove as yours. If you can't prove it, but I manage to do so, this would make you a thief; a disgrace to the designer world who will be sucking up all legal responsibilities to come. Well, let's begin with my product for the event, shall we?" After she finished her last few words, Lily walked to her side and smiled meaningfully.
Everyone thought that Susu would show them a personalized tag on the back of her design, but once again, they were mesmerized by Susu's gift in design. Lily took off the ring-bracelet that she was wearing and signaled an "okay" sign in the air. Once Chen Mu received the signal, he instructed the staff to redirect specific lights towards Lily's direction and dimmed down the rest of the room lights.
Susu made sure that Lily wore sunglasses and had her eyes closed before the lights reached her eyes. With the light shining through the bracelet that Lily was holding up above her chest, the spaces in-between, allowed some lights to shine onto the starry night area of the dress where the twinkling stars slowly connected like dots. The initials, Y.S., became visible to everyone's eyes on the dress.
As if that wasn't enough, Zhi Hei made special preparations for a wide screen that rolled down from behind and projected the initials for everyone to see. Professor Luo Xia lifted a thumb up hand gesture to Zhi Hei. In fact, this was his idea to begin with. When striking an enemy down, everyone must get a good show.
Professor Luo Xia rubbed his eyes after taking off his thick prescription glasses and took over another microphone from one of the tables, "Finally this old man doesn't need to use my million years old thick layered glasses to see the initials! Yin, Susu clearly proved her work and potentials. No offense to everyone present, but which one of you could come up with this design or an even better one? Since the doubts from Miss. Karen made Miss. Susu prove her work; it can only be fair for Miss. Karen to prove her own work in front of everyone."
"But-" Karen tried to get out of this one, but Professor Luo Xia was not Buddha. Why would he let this chance to expose the tails of a copy cat out? Why would he tolerate someone as thick-skinned as Karen?
"But what? Are you afraid that you can't show the audience the proof? Or does the design not belong to you and was actually stolen from Yin, Susu?" his words stirred a thick layer of fear in her as she gulped it back down and pretended to be alright.
"Fine. You want the proof? I'll prove it." She pulled her model over and showed everyone the brand tag from the back of the dress that clearly had her name on it. Seeing that tag made many disappointed because such a tag could be easily added on after stealing someone's design. It proved nothing.
Seeing her unfavorable situation and the doubts on everyone's face, she bit her lips and said, "I could provide the sketches! I have notes and everything with the details related to the dress!"
Professor Luo Xia spoke into the microphone, "Anyone can take that stolen work and keep the sketches and then add on a tag. Can you present anything physically related to the design like Yin, Susu showed us for hers? Every designer has their own ways to engrave their initials or signature to their designs. Why don't you show us yours? Unless you want to say that the Paris Academy only taught you so much."
"I...I only attended the school for like eight months...I don't know much about advertising my product. But this product is definitely mine! I have the tag as proof! Please trust me!" She nervously clenched on the corner of the table and looked everywhere for someone to say that they believed in her design.
Her eyes swept across the audience and spotted Tian Yuo somewhere in the crowd. She smiled and stared straight at him, but he turned his head sideways; pretending he didn't see her pleading eyes.
"Well? Prove it or leave it, but let me give you an advice. No matter how much effort you put into cheating these designs, I'll always have a way to claim it back. Just like what is about to happen now." Susu said confidently while stretching her fingers.