The scene was set for the Original Design Competition.
This contest was divided into three stages, with three rounds of filming. In each round, a panel of professional judges would score the entries. The contestant with the highest cumulative score across all three rounds would be crowned champion.
For the showcase, each designer’s work was modeled by a celebrity partner on the runway.
This time, there were four different clothing styles—all centered around the theme of 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.'
The designers had already arrived, busy backstage helping their partners change into the outfits they’d created.
Once everyone was dressed, it was time to take the stage.
After everything was settled, Lauren Shaw found herself a place to sit down.
Eva Snow walked past her, glancing at her coolly without making any move.
Ever since she pushed Lauren Shaw last time and word got back to her family elder, there had been hell to pay. He’d raged, threatening to send her abroad to reflect. If her mother hadn't intervened, she probably would've been shipped out already.
To actually get her grandfather so worked up—clearly, she’d underestimated this woman.
Still, she had no intention of giving in so easily. 'Lauren Shaw, let’s just wait and see.'
The runway presentations came to an end.
Designers and their partners waited together in the audience, awaiting the announcements.
Chloe Shaw sat down next to her.
"Nervous?" she asked.
Lauren Shaw smiled and shook her head. "Not at all."
After spending these days together, she realized Chloe Shaw wasn't as aloof as everyone claimed. In fact, she had a really nice personality—the 'cold' exterior was probably just a kind of armor for surviving in showbiz.
Suddenly, someone hurried to the director’s side and whispered something. The mood in the room shifted, becoming tense and odd.
The director called out to her and waved her over.
Eva Snow folded her arms, watching with a face full of gloating anticipation—or rather, thinly veiled schadenfreude.
Lauren Shaw walked over, not sure what was going on.
The director thrust a phone at her, demanding, “Can you explain what’s going on here?”
Lauren Shaw glanced at the screen, then handed the phone back. “I have no idea.”
The director snorted. “No idea? Are you saying you really did plagiarize?”
"This is my own original work. Why accuse me of plagiarism?"
"Then explain this—how do you account for what happened?"
The director’s face grew stern. Even if Lauren Shaw was the investors’ pick, plagiarism was intolerable. That would tarnish their reputation. This whole program was built on originality—if a scandal broke out, how could they keep shooting?
Lauren Shaw had no explanation for how her design sketches could have been released on social media ahead of time. She’d kept them with her the entire time. How could this have happened...?
"If you insist you didn’t plagiarize, then show us proof. Otherwise, your scores will be invalidated, you’ll be asked to withdraw from the competition, and you’ll need to explain why you withdrew."
Hearing this, Lauren Shaw felt deeply wronged.
"Why should I drop out? I didn’t plagiarize anything. Where am I supposed to come up with evidence?"
Being accused of something she never did—who wouldn't be furious at such injustice?
"I've been very clear. It’s up to you."
Their argument started drawing attention.
Eva Snow sauntered over, putting on an overly sweet voice: "What's the matter? Lauren Shaw, how did you make the director so mad? Hurry up and apologize."
Lauren Shaw gave her a frosty look. "And why should I apologize?"
"Who says the director’s angry? Someone as magnanimous as him, there’s no way he’d lose his temper so easily."
Lauren Shaw glanced at the director with meaning.
With so many people present, he couldn’t escalate things any further. If he made too much of a scene, he’d be tarnishing the show’s brand and putting himself in a difficult spot.
"Lauren Shaw is right. Do I seem like the petty type who would get angry over something like this?" the director said.
Seeing her attempt to stir up trouble fall flat, Eva Snow’s lips twitched in annoyance.
The chill in Lauren Shaw’s eyes only deepened. “Director, give me three days. I’ll get to the bottom of this and have an answer for you.”
The director paused to consider, then nodded. “Fine. I hope you won’t let me down.”
When filming wrapped, Lauren Shaw walked toward the parking lot—and from a distance, she saw a familiar figure standing beside her car.
It was Yana Quinn.
She had noticed Yana Quinn watching her earlier, though she had no idea what that look in her eyes meant.
Lauren Shaw didn’t intend to make small talk and headed straight for her car. But as she reached for the door, Yana Quinn called out.
"Lauren Shaw, can we talk?"
Lauren Shaw gave her a cursory look. Truthfully, they’d barely met a handful of times—and she’d never really looked at Yana Quinn closely.
Yana Quinn had a gentle, docile beauty—that 'white moonlight' type many men found irresistible. But that softness went only skin-deep. Who knew what lay beneath?
"What is there for us to talk about?" Lauren Shaw replied brusquely.
If it wasn’t for Su Yu Che, they wouldn’t even have crossed paths.
Still, she had to admit—thanks to Yana Quinn, she’d seen Su Yu Che’s true colors even before their marriage.
Yana Quinn assumed Lauren Shaw was still bitter about that day when Su Yu Che dropped her off. She smiled faintly. “You don’t have to be so hostile toward me. I never intended to hurt you.”
Never intended to hurt her? Did she look like someone anyone could just hurt?
"Miss Quinn, if that’s all you came to say, then don’t bother. I’m not interested in your business."
Yana Quinn froze, not expecting her to be so blunt. Had Lauren Shaw really let Su Yu Che go in this short time?
"You misunderstood. That’s not what I came to talk about."
She searched Lauren Shaw’s face, trying to spot even a flicker of discomfort. She couldn’t believe Lauren Shaw could just let go. She knew Lauren Shaw had always stood by Su Yu Che during those three years she was gone.
Anyone who’d truly cared—how could they simply walk away?
"Yu Che and I dated for four years in college. I left the country for my dreams, and I know he resented me for it. But through these years, I know his heart was still with me, Miss Li—I’m sure you knew, didn’t you?"
Lauren Shaw looked at her with feigned surprise. “You left for your dreams? Then you can’t really love him that much. And honestly, maybe he doesn't love you all that much either—he never tried to find you in those three years you were gone.”
She looked at Yana Quinn indifferently. So she was trying to brag about their old flame? Fine—let’s see how she copes.
"If you ask me, during your absence, Su Yu Che spent his days partying and drinking in the clubs. You have no idea how much fun he had. Miss Quinn, would you call that love?"
She felt nothing for Su Yu Che now. Not a single stir of emotion. Even if he died, she doubt she’d shed a tear. Still, his ex showing up for a ‘walk down memory lane’—just what kind of odd move was this?
Yana Quinn was stunned by her bluntness. “He only drank because he was heartbroken…”
Lauren Shaw’s lips curled in a mocking smile, cutting her off.
"I see. So he drinks when he’s upset? Well then, if he loved you so much, why didn’t he go find you?"