Chapter 208: This is the original product, my mind is blown! [3 updates]

Xie Manyu has been a child star since the age of eight.

Doing the math, this year marks her twenty-fourth year since her debut.

Three years ago, she won the Best Actress award with the movie “Wordless Stele”.

Moreover, she won both the Golden Flower Award and the Golden Rooster Award simultaneously.

A divine enshrinement.

In “Wordless Stele”, Xie Manyu portrayed the Martial Emperor Empress Wu Zetian.

She played all three important life stages—adolescence, adulthood, and old age—herself.

Whether it was the prideful spirit of a young girl or the grandeur after ascending the throne, Xie Manyu’s performance was stunningly lifelike.

This character was so resonant that many fans affectionately address her as ‘Your Majesty’ to this day.

Luo Ziyue knew very well that when her name was placed next to Xie Manyu’s, it was like a moon-landing level of difference.

Even if she wanted to trample on someone, she wouldn’t dare do it to Xie Manyu.

But now the opportunity has come.

Ever since the incident at Hengdian Film and Television City last time, she had been out of work for over a month.

It was only recently that the young master from the capital she had always tried to please reached out to her, inviting her to a fashion show in O Continent.

Although she wouldn’t be paid for it, Luo Ziyue was willing.

Who knew fortune would come her way again, and Xie Manyu would actually wear a replica of the Vermilion Bird Gown.

“Quick, release a press statement,” Luo Ziyue said excitedly, grabbing her agent’s hand, “This is a great opportunity, I can get the spotlight again.”

A big star bullying a junior is always the kind of story netizens love to gossip about.

If she plays her cards right, she could completely use Xie Manyu as a stepping stone.

“Hold on,” her agent frowned, “Xie Manyu has been in the industry for so many years, wouldn’t she know how serious plagiarism is? Plus, this isn’t just your ordinary fashion clash.”

Compared to Xie Manyu’s photo, even a highly retouched photo of Luo Ziyue from five days ago looked like a maidservant’s.

“Because I’m less famous, Xie Manyu knew she could copy my style without me being able to defend my rights,” said Luo Ziyue, unconcerned, “Luckily we released ours first, otherwise I definitely would have been blacklisted.”

The agent was about to say something else when Luo Ziyue smiled, “Moreover, Young Master Ke said it was designed by his family’s company.”

“No matter how high Xie Manyu’s status is, it’s only in the entertainment circle. When those rich young masters beckon, no matter how prideful Xie Manyu is, she has to bow her head.”

Young Master Ke is Ke Manzhu’s nephew and is known for supporting female stars. Luo Ziyue isn’t the only one.

Luo Ziyue saw her agent hesitating and grew impatient: “I’ll do it myself.”

First, she had the marketing accounts publish press statements about Xie Manyu bullying her, then she posted a Weibo message herself.

[@LuoZiyueV: I never expected that as a newcomer, I would be honored with such attention from a senior. But isn’t this going too far by the senior to a newcomer who can’t obstruct your path? [distressed]]

No sooner had she posted the Weibo than Luo Ziyue’s fans were angered.

Most of these fans were also young, and with the added provocation from the marketing accounts’ press statements, they flocked to Xie Manyu’s Weibo to leave sarcastic comments.

“This Luo what’s-her-name, I’ve never even heard of her,” Xie Manyu’s agent laughed despite being annoyed, “How can she even have the face to say such things?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Xie Manyu shrugged her shoulders, “In my early years, I went through far more than this.”

“A nobody idol actually dares to use you as a stepping stone,” the agent was angry, “I’ll arrange for PR to handle this.”

He got up to leave and returned a few minutes later: “Manyu, the company wants to respond on your behalf. You decide whether you want to respond yourself or let them handle it.”

“Leave it to the company,” Xie Manyu didn’t hesitate for a second, “If the company can handle it, I won’t bother.”

The agent nodded and sent a reply to the female secretary.

After receiving the message, the secretary said, “Boss, Best Actress Xie said to leave everything to you.”

Ying Zijin glanced at it, retweeted Luo Ziyue’s Weibo, and wrote a response.

[@ChuguangMediaV: Just lie down, you don’t even qualify as a stepping stone.]

The agent and Xie Manyu saw this retweet: “???”

Their boss was a bit fierce and protective.

Xie Manyu quietly turned off her phone and turned around, “Speaking of which, I just finished work abroad and haven’t met the new boss yet. Xiao Shang, have you met them? Is it a man or a woman?”

Shang Yaozhi helplessly replied, “Same gender as you, senior.”

Not only was Xie Manyu highly regarded in the circle, but there were also many pursuers.

However, Best Actress Xie had a strong aura and high standards, and she remained single to this day.

“That’s too bad,” Xie Manyu sighed deeply, her eyes brimming with allure and charm, “I finally had the thought of getting married.”

She looked up, muttering to herself, “Are girls these days all so handsome…”

**

7 PM in the evening.

Inside the Great Hall of Verdant.

The movie screen descended, hanging in the center of the stage.

The projector equipment above switched on, casting the live broadcast of this final runway show onto it.

Lady Zhong had specially requested this from the school after learning that Zhong Zhiwan had been invited to O Continent by Madam Mu.

If Zhong Zhiwan could make her proud, naturally, she wanted to promote it.

As long as it didn’t affect the students’ learning and life, Verdant always accommodated the requests of students and parents.

The students from the Elite Class had all arrived, and numerous students from the other classes as well.

They felt honored that their classmates could receive awards at such a top-tier fashion design competition.

However, the arrival of Class 19 took everyone by surprise.

Jiang Ran stretched out his long legs and completely blocked the aisle.

Xiu Yu stepped on his foot, “Make way for your sister, your dad, and Dudu.”

Jiang Ran: “…”

Fuck, he had no standing in his family anymore.

“Daddy Ying, please take a seat,” Xiu Yu patted the spot next to him, “You’ve finally been successfully persuaded by me into being a fan of our kid.”

The last time Shang Yaozhi had passed out and woken up, she had even personally taken him home.

After seeing the real situation at his home, her maternal instinct had overflowed even more.

Ying Zijin nodded and looked toward the curtain in front.

The live broadcast had already begun, with the camera first turning to the judges’ seats and the invited guests.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Look! Look quickly!” Zhong Zhiwan’s deskmate exclaimed excitedly, “That’s Zhiwan!”

Zhong Zhiwan was dressed in a white cocktail dress today, perfectly suiting her age.

Sitting at the designers’ seats, she straightened her back subconsciously when the camera panned over her.

Zhong Zhiwan’s fingers clenched tightly, sweating nervously.

But her heart was jumping with joy; the thought of soon entering the upper circles of the capital made her unable to suppress her smile.

“Next, we invite Luxurious Embroidery from Hua Country to bring us an Eastern-style gown—” The host on stage read from the cue card, “Vermilion Bird!”

“Please welcome her.”

Music sounded, and applause thundered.

Luo Ziyue emerged gracefully from behind the curtain, her steps enchanting.

Her makeup was exquisitely done, her eyeliner deep, barely managing to carry off the gown.

“Auntie, isn’t my nephew’s taste not bad?” A young man sitting beside Ke Huizhu said proudly, “A wave of the hand, and I’ve got free labor.”

“Not bad.” Ke Huizhu was satisfied listening to the gasps from the audience, but she warned, “But don’t you bring these little stars home, your father would never allow it.”

The young man replied perfunctorily, “I know, I’m just playing around.”

The catwalk and showcase lasted just over a minute, and the audience hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of the overly luxurious and stunning gown.

At the judges’ table, Martha picked up the microphone, “Next, please have the designer of Luxurious Embroidery, Zhong Zhiwan, answer a few questions.”

This was the normal procedure.

Based on the designer’s understanding of their own design, there would be an individual score.

Lady Zhong noticed Zhong Zhiwan’s nervousness and gave her a reassuring look.

Zhong Zhiwan held her chest and stood up, revealing a generous and proper smile, “I am Zhong Zhiwan, please ask your question.”

“The materials of this gown are quite common, but the design is bold and innovative,” Martha said flatly, looking at her. “What were your inspiration and intention when designing this dress?”

“As everybody knows, Vermilion Bird is one of the Four Spirits in Eastern mythology.” Zhong Zhiwan relaxed and spoke gracefully, “It is associated with fire in the Five Elements, so I used varying shades of red.”

“And the pattern at the neckline is…”

Zhong Zhiwan talked for five minutes straight but, after finishing, noticed that Martha didn’t show any signs of excitement or pleasure.

She just kept looking at her, as if she knew everything.

Zhong Zhiwan’s heart skipped a beat.

“Amazing, amazing,” the guests below, unaware of the truth, kept praising incessantly, “At such a young age, to have such a high design talent, welcome to join our company after graduation.”

Lady Zhong immediately recognized that the speaker was the design director of a Fortune 500 company and felt very gratified.

She knew that the daughter she had raised was the most outstanding among her peers.

Zhong Zhiwan was pleasantly surprised, “Thank you.”

“One more question, the Four Spirits typically appear together,” Martha spoke again, “why did you only design Vermilion Bird?”

“Because I’m still a student, I don’t have much time,” Zhong Zhiwan smiled, “I only had time to design one. Given the time, I will design the remaining three as well.”

“One last question—” Martha’s gaze sharpened, “Are you sure you designed this gown yourself?”

Zhong Zhiwan’s heartbeat intensified, she pursed her lips and firmly stated, “Yes!”

“Good,” Martha suddenly smiled, “That concludes my questions.”

Zhong Zhiwan sat back down, finally feeling less anxious.

But her back was soaked with sweat, and she prepared to head to the restroom.

At that moment, the host began to announce the next entry.

“Coincidentally, it’s also from a company in Hua Country, which we are all very familiar with.” He glanced at the cue card, a mysterious smile on his face, “Chuguang Media, their designers’ submission was the first to arrive, the jury was amazed after seeing it, so it’s saved as the closing act.”

“Please welcome Chuguang Media with their meticulously designed— Four Spirits Series.”

The familiar term made Zhong Zhiwan pause in her tracks.

At the same time, even more intense exclamations erupted from the entire audience.

Zhong Zhiwan lifted her head and looked towards the runway.

With a “buzz,” her mind exploded.