Addicted to Love, Mr. Fu’s Newly Married Wife

Chapter 1729 Plagiarism Scandal

"The winner of the gold medal is..."

The host dragged out the last syllable of his name, the microphone was raised high, but the name was not uttered for a long time.

The air in the venue seemed to freeze.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed on the huge LED screen in the center of the stage.

The beam of light from the overhead light shone on the host, and fine dust particles tumbled within the beam.

Nan Weiwei's hands, resting on her knees, were tightly clenched together, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, each beat echoing and making my eardrums buzz.

This is the most prestigious design competition in China. Just being shortlisted doubles your market value. And if you win the gold medal…

She dared not think.

Her mind was a mess. What would she tell Lu Feng if she didn't win the award? Although he probably wouldn't mind, she still felt she had let him down.

On the big screen, the silver and bronze award-winning works were still playing on a loop.

The exquisite lines and bold color schemes all showcase the creator's talent.

That's real, hard power.

Xiao Mei, who was sitting next to her, leaned back and slumped in her chair, letting out a long breath.

"Well, that's it."

Xiao Mei shifted her gaze from the complex composition of "Breaking the Cocoon" on the screen, turned to Nan Weiwei, and lowered her voice: "Look at the lighting and the composition, it's simply a display of skill. My mediocre skills aren't even worthy of carrying their shoes. It's a good thing we weren't shortlisted, so we don't embarrass ourselves."

Nan moved her lips slightly, wanting to say something comforting, but her throat was too dry to make a sound.

She turned to look at the front row.

Those are VIP seats.

Several people dressed in haute couture were sitting upright with their backs ramrod straight; these were all big names in the design world.

Nan lowered her head slightly, staring at her feet. Just then, a person suddenly rushed out from the shadows on the left side of the stage.

It was a worker wearing a name tag, looking hurried, walking very fast, and almost tripping over the cables on the ground.

He rushed to the host's side in a few steps, stood on tiptoe, covered his mouth with one hand, and whispered a few words in the host's ear.

The host's expression visibly froze.

The professional smile vanished instantly, replaced by surprise, which then turned into solemnity.

He instinctively covered the microphone, his brows furrowed, and his gaze darted nervously toward the backstage control room.

The crowd that had been whispering instantly fell silent.

Awards ceremonies of this caliber are planned down to the second.

Such a serious broadcasting incident has never occurred before.

"what happened?"

"Has something gone wrong?"

"Could it be that the gold medal-winning work has been reported for plagiarism?"

The surrounding chatter gradually grew louder.

Nan Weiwei's heart skipped a beat.

Plagiarism?

Probably not. This is a national competition; who would dare to risk their life at this crucial juncture?

She looked up at the large screen. The screen was frozen on the summary page of all the awards, except for the gold box in the very center that represented the gold award, which was still a completely black question mark.

It hasn't been shown yet.

Logically, the screen should switch to the next image as soon as the host announces the name.

Could it be a technical glitch?

The host on stage was still negotiating with the staff. The two spoke very quickly, and although the content was unclear, their body language showed that the argument was intense.

The staff pointed to the backstage area, then to the large screen, and finally forced a tablet computer into the host's hands.

The host glanced down at the tablet, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the sea of ​​people, as if searching for something.

Nan Weiwei felt a chill run down her spine.

That look in his eyes... something feels off.

Before she could even figure it out, the host took a deep breath and raised the microphone again. This time, his hand trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Distinguished guests, dear designers."

The host's voice was somewhat dry, and even trembled slightly.

"We just received an urgent notification from the organizing committee. Given the special nature of this year's gold medal winner, and the... slightly unexpected incident that just happened to the judging panel, we need to take a short break."

There was an uproar.

Conflict? Special circumstances?

What kind of work could bring an awards ceremony to a halt?

What's the point of doing this now?

"Weiwei, do you think there might be a dark horse emerging?" Xiaomei tugged at Nan Weiwei's sleeve, looking gossipy. "For the judges to do this, the work must either be ridiculously bad but have a powerful backer, or it must be so good that it breaks the rules."

Nan shook her head slightly.

"do not know."

All she wants now is to end this ordeal as soon as possible.

Anyway, I have nothing to do anymore.

She secretly checked on her phone just now, and her name wasn't on the shortlist at all. The shortlist notification text message she received earlier was probably a scam or a system error.

It was all for nothing.

She glanced down at the time on her phone. "Never mind, let's go," Nan Weiwei said softly, bending down to pack her bag.

"Huh? You're not going to watch this? This is a huge bombshell!" Xiaomei's eyes widened.

"It's pointless, it's not my problem anyway. I still have to work when I get back." Nan Weiwei stuffed the power bank into her bag and zipped it up.

At this moment, the host, holding the microphone, said with a serious expression: "The unexpected thing about this gold award is that we found that two designers' works are exactly the same, in other words, one of them plagiarized."

The crowd erupted in uproar! If the charge of "plagiarism" were proven true, it would be absolutely impossible to remain in this industry! Everyone despises such behavior.

Such incidents have happened before, but they are rare and have serious consequences, so no one dares to try them easily. The committee members thought that no one would dare to repeat the same mistakes and break the law.

But who would have thought that at this very moment, such a despicable thing would happen to the world...

Moreover, it's so blatant; the two design drafts are exactly the same, even the shading in the sketches is identical...

Fu Yanchen and Nan Yifeng exchanged glances after two months. They had a world-class design team; others would copy them, but they would never copy others.

Nan Wei narrowed her eyes tightly, as if trying to see through the fog to uncover the hidden truth.

His fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the chair, making a rhythmic sound as if he was thinking about something important.

She knew very well that this person was incredibly audacious, daring to plagiarize others' work, and that once verified, this person would face extremely serious consequences.

If it's an individual, they will be completely cut off from this circle for the rest of their lives.

If it's a group, then her company will also be implicated, with the least severe punishment being a ban of up to ten years!

A full ten years! For any company, such a long ban would undoubtedly be an incredibly heavy blow, potentially even leading to bankruptcy...

In more serious cases, the company will be excluded from all future competitions, and even if it does have the opportunity to participate in the future, it will rarely win any major awards.

Nan Weiwei wondered who was so audacious as to dare to cross this red line against all odds?

Xiao Mei frowned, looking at Nan Weiwei with a puzzled expression, her tone tinged with indignation and regret: "Weiwei, what are these people thinking? Why do they have to resort to plagiarism! Don't they know how dangerous it is?"

"Take me for example. If I'm not good enough, I can just admit that I'm not as good as others. Why risk being exposed by plagiarizing other people's work?"

"This behavior is simply self-destructive! If it comes to light one day, it will not only harm the original author's interests, but also plunge the author into an abyss of no return, and may even cost them their entire lives..."

Nan Weiwei played with the number plate in her hand, her fingertips gently stroking the edge.

"Because the shortcut is too tempting."

She turned her head and glanced at everyone. If she won this time, she would gain both fame and fortune. The thrill of rising to the top in one step would be enough to make people ignore the bottomless abyss beneath their feet.

It's just a gambler's mentality; they always think they can get away unscathed, or... they think they have the ability to turn black into white.

"However, playing with fire in this kind of situation definitely requires some thought."

Nan Weiwei added a sentence, picked up the water glass in front of her, and took a sip.

The host on stage seemed quite pleased with the commotion in the audience.

He tightened his grip on the microphone, his voice rising several octaves: "To ensure fairness, the organizing committee has decided to display these two works on the spot. Please look at the big screen."

The lights in the venue went out instantly.

The huge LED screen lit up, and the dazzling white light made people squint instinctively.

The two design drafts appeared side by side.

The image on the left features smooth lines and bold colors, with the signature in the lower right corner: Shengshi Group, Anya.

The image on the right has the exact same composition, down to the exact same handling of shadows. The signature in the bottom right corner reads: ...

Nan Weiwei almost choked on the water she had just swallowed.

That name belongs to her.

"Cough cough..."

She clutched her chest and coughed violently, her cheeks instantly turning red.

It wasn't because I choked on water, it was because it was absurd.

Did the gossip of the gossip end up affecting me?

Xiao Mei suddenly jumped up from her chair, pointed at the big screen, and opened her mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

"Wei...Weiwei! Isn't that your manuscript? How come it's the same as Anya's?"

The surrounding chatter surged in like a tide, and the previously scattered gazes now focused on this direction like spotlights.

Whispers turned into blatant pointing and whispering.

"Is that her? That unknown newcomer?"

"You've got some nerve, daring to plagiarize the CEO of Shengshi Group. You don't want to work here anymore, do you?"

"She's quite pretty, but I didn't expect her to be so dishonest."

Fu Yanchen, who had been leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, opened his eyes a crack upon hearing the noise.

His gaze fell on the two names on the screen, then shifted and settled on Nan Weiwei, who was coughing and her face was flushed. He couldn't believe that Nan Weiwei would do such a thing.

The man tapped his knee twice with his long, slender fingers.

Nan Yifeng's expression froze for a moment, then returned to normal. Shengshi Group, the company he had just acquired, how could Weiwei be involved?

He turned to the side and lowered his voice: "Weiwei, what happened?"

His tone betrayed no emotion, only inquiry.

There are only two possibilities for this level of plagiarism: either Nan Weiwei plagiarized An Ya, or An Ya plagiarized Nan Weiwei, or someone leaked the manuscript.

Either way, this matter is unlikely to be resolved amicably today.

Nan Weiwei finally stopped coughing.

She took out a tissue and wiped the water stains from the corner of her lips, her movements slow and deliberate.

I quickly went through all the people who had handled the manuscript in my mind.

Besides myself, only Xiaomei read the first draft, and the manuscript was submitted directly to the organizing committee's email address.