Xiao Wenyao held a new product launch event at Feiyang Group.
Many reporters arrived on time, making the launch event lively. Xiao Wenyao, along with his assistant and the design department manager, arrived at the venue early.
He displayed the new creation on the big screen.
"This is our company's original work, named 'Summer Night'."
The reporters immediately recognized that once this necklace was produced, it would undoubtedly trigger a buying frenzy.
"Indeed, President Xiao's company is full of talented individuals. With such a design, even the eccentric Lolin would praise it."
"If not for President Xiao's discerning eye, how could he recruit so many talented people?"
Everyone fawned over him, making Xiao Wenyao's mood exceptionally pleasant.
Just then, the main door was pushed open. Everyone instinctively turned their heads and saw a woman walk in. The imposing aura she exuded unconsciously made people lower their voices.
Xiao Wenyao recognized her at a glance. "Shen Qingqing, what are you doing here?"
Shen Qingqing cast a cold glance at him and then addressed the reporters, "I have something to announce today. The original work in President Xiao's hands… is plagiarized!"
The venue instantly fell silent.
Xiao Wenyao, seizing an opportunity when no one was paying attention, glanced at Wang Guangyi. Wang Guangyi was also sweating profusely. He quickly wiped his forehead and stepped forward.
"President Xiao, rest assured, the timeline evidence is well-preserved."
Xiao Wenyao felt relieved. He put on a righteous demeanor. "I didn't even hold you accountable for plagiarizing our company, and now you've come here to cause trouble? This is a press conference, and you cannot disrupt it. Guards, escort her out."
Immediately, two security guards entered, intending to take Shen Qingqing away.
However, she loudly declared, "Your company previously accused me of plagiarism and provided me with a complete design timeline. Now I have found evidence to refute it. President Xiao wouldn't dare to look, would he?"
With the truth and falsehood intermingled, the reporters were unsure who was the plagiarist. But they were always eager for a spectacle. One of them immediately stood up and said, "President Xiao, I think it's best to let Miss Shen explain."
"Since she claims to have evidence, she should present it. Otherwise, rumors will spread that President Xiao is being shifty."
"If the evidence turns out to be fake, this would also be an opportunity to clear Feiyang Group of this slander."
Xiao Wenyao found himself in a predicament.
Agreeing was not an option, yet refusing was also impossible. But then he thought, what evidence could Shen Qingqing possibly have? She was probably just being unreasonable out of unwillingness.
He composed himself and said, "Since everyone says so, then you can present your evidence."
Seeing his confident and unfazed demeanor, everyone turned their attention to Shen Qingqing.
Shen Qingqing walked to the computer with a hard drive. The staff member, seeing her captivating face, inexplicably became nervous. "Do you need to use the computer?"
"Yes."
Shen Qingqing smiled slightly, instantly captivating the staff member, who in a daze, stepped aside.
She inserted the hard drive into the computer and operated it with nimble fingers. Soon, a screen appeared and played the content she had copied the previous day.
Xiao Wenyao immediately glared at Wang Guangyi.
He was also in a panic. This timeline was his creation and had always been stored in the hard drive in his office drawer. How could it be in her possession?
Before Shen Qingqing could speak, Xiao Wenyao preemptively attacked, "What kind of evidence is this? Just a mysterious design draft, and you want to claim it as evidence? This has nothing to do with the jewelry to be launched today. Shen Qingqing, stop making trouble and leave."
The reporters were also bewildered.
Shen Qingqing pressed the spacebar, and two timeline documents appeared on the screen. The content was identical, but the design drafts were completely different.
"Are your designers that skilled, capable of drawing two entirely different designs simultaneously?"
Of course not.
A design draft represents a designer's painstaking effort, and each designer has their own style and abilities.
These two were clearly not drawn by the same person. The one on the left, in terms of design and lines, was far inferior to the one on the right, not on the same level at all.
Everyone looked at Xiao Wenyao with suspicion.
Xiao Wenyao remained composed and sneered, "This hard drive of yours is clearly fabricated to frame me."
"It seems you won't give up until you see the Yellow River," Shen Qingqing said, tapping on the computer again. She enlarged "Summer Night" and played it on the screen.
She lowered the brightness, and a watermark appeared on the previously clear lines.
Xiao Wenyao's eyes widened slightly, and his lips trembled.
Shen Qingqing glanced at him and said faintly, "When I was designing this draft, I deliberately added a low-saturation watermark to prevent anyone from stealing my design."
At this point, it was clear to everyone. Only the designer themselves would know certain details within the design.
Moreover, Wang Guangyi's expression had changed, his guilt and surprise evident for all to see.
Someone questioned, "President Xiao, did you really steal someone else's design?"
With the situation as it was, Xiao Wenyao knew it was too late to clear his name. He immediately retorted, "Of course not. The design was given to me by Wang Guangyi. How was I supposed to know he stole it from somewhere else?"
Wang Guangyi looked at him in disbelief.
"President Xiao..."
Xiao Wenyao reprimanded him sternly, "Wang Guangyi, I hired you because I valued your talent and character. But I never expected you to do such a despicable thing and almost tarnish the company's reputation. I now announce that you are fired."
The threat in his eyes was too obvious. Wang Guangyi trembled and hung his head in despair and dejection.
Xiao Wenyao then apologized to the reporters, "I am truly sorry. I never imagined such an employee would appear in my company. This oversight is my responsibility. Upon my return, I will strictly manage my subordinates, and such a thing will never happen again."
His apologetic attitude was sincere. Although the crowd was semi-skeptical, they could find no fault with his words.
"President Xiao, is an apology all that's required?" Shen Qingqing's voice was clear and cold, yet sharp. "The liquidated damages you took from our Ruis Group, are you going to return them?"
"Return? Of course, I'll return them." Xiao Wenyao gritted his teeth. "Not only will I return them, but we can also continue our cooperation."
"You want to cooperate, you want to stop cooperating, as you please? What do you take our Ruis Group for?" Shen Qingqing tilted her chin slightly, a hint of pride in her expression. "Even if we are to cooperate, you should compensate us for our losses, as well as the damage to my reputation."
Xiao Wenyao said each word deliberately, "What do you want?"
"Give our group one percent!"
"You, you don't understand business matters, so don't speak carelessly. One percent..." Xiao Wenyao's breathing became uneven, purely out of anger from her.
Shen Qingqing smiled brilliantly. "It doesn't matter if I understand or not. It depends on President Xiao's sincerity."
She cast a subtle glance at Wang Guangyi, as if reminding him that if he knew what was good for him, he should agree quickly. Otherwise, when she escalated the matter, what he would lose would not just be one percent, but the reputation of Feiyang Group.
Xiao Wenyao was indeed intimidated. He took a deep breath. "Alright, I will personally speak with Master Fu later."
Shen Qingqing was satisfied and swept away.
Little did she know, her graceful departure infuriated Xiao Wenyao. Due to the presence of reporters, he could only swallow his anger.
Shen Qingqing returned to the company and shared the good news with Fu Jingshu.
Fu Jingshu's eyes held a hint of admiration. "Well done."