As soon as Li Qiuchi spoke, the faces of everyone present shifted.

Yana Quinn's smile twitched at the corners of her lips. She knew Li Qiuchi was not someone to provoke, but with so many onlookers, she couldn't lose face now.

“Miss Li, you’re right, but people with such simple hearts won’t get far on this road. Everyone has ambition, Miss Li included. Isn’t that so?”

Yana Quinn looked over at Lauren Shaw, her smile taunting and sharp.

She was clearly trying to make things difficult for Lauren Shaw. Why should Lauren Shaw get to have it all—a good family, a talented husband, and even Li Qiuchi on her side?

Thinking about how Yvonne Sung had grown cold towards her recently filled Yana Quinn with resentment.

That bitterness made it impossible for her to watch Lauren Shaw do well.

Lauren Shaw, being called out, met Yana Quinn’s gaze coolly. "Everyone has ambitions, that’s true. But they ought to be grounded in one’s own goodness, not achieved by compromising their conscience. Miss Quinn, don’t you think I’m right?”

Tension spiked between the two—all present could sense the undercurrents.

Yana Quinn found herself at a loss for the right retort.

Just then, the host stepped over to announce the scores for this round.

Unsurprisingly, Eva Snow took first place.

Lauren Shaw came in second.

Although Eva Snow was in the lead, Lauren Shaw’s score wasn’t far behind, making Eva Snow feel a surge of anxiety.

As a contestant, Lauren Shaw was the dark horse—once least favored, she’d now beaten the odds and overtaken several other designers.

After the scores were read, the host explained the final round’s rules.

For the last episode, to be recorded next week, everyone would check into a location arranged by the production team the day before the contest. They’d have twenty-four hours, cut off from the outside world, to create a design. Cameras would be installed in every room to monitor each designer’s progress.

“About time,” Eva Snow said coldly. “Otherwise, certain copycats wouldn’t have so many chances to slip through the cracks.”

Her words pointed unmistakably at Lauren Shaw.

Everyone's eyes swiveled to her.

They all remembered her argument with the director before, and the rumors it sparked.

“Some people only get ahead by using their looks to cozy up to the director,” a voice in the crowd muttered.

Eva Snow drew herself up. Yet before she could say more, Lauren Shaw cut in, still smiling serenely. “Miss Xue, your talent for stirring the pot is as impressive as ever.”

Lauren Shaw knew nothing good could come from Eva Snow’s mouth.

Her calm demeanor left Eva Snow swinging at air.

“The incident with the director has been explained—it was just a misunderstanding. If you insist on twisting things with your own dirty imagination, that’s your problem. Don’t project that filth on me. That’s a psychological issue—a disease. You need help.”

She delivered these words with guileless innocence, making it seem as though Eva Snow really had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Li Qiuchi found this funny and let out a light laugh. "Is it really so hard to admit someone else’s talent? Don’t you all agree that Lauren Shaw just has the gift?”

She gave everyone a meaningful look. Everyone knew Li Qiuchi’s status in the entertainment world—no one dared cross her. They hastily echoed, “Yes, Miss Li is right.”

Whether they liked her or not didn’t matter—Li Qiuchi had already made up her mind. She genuinely liked Lauren Shaw and had taken a shine to her from the very start.

Eva Snow could only glare at her, but couldn’t do anything more.

She grabbed her purse and stormed out.

Yana Quinn lingered a moment before following after her.

Meanwhile, Lauren Shaw raised an unconcerned brow and turned to Li Qiuchi.

“Thanks for standing up for me.”

“No need to thank me. If you really want to, treat me to a meal instead,” Li Qiuchi replied, perfectly at ease.

“Sure! Want to grab something now?” Lauren Shaw pulled out her phone, already searching for good nearby restaurants.

“Not today—I’ve got plans. Wait until you’ve won the championship, then treat me,” Li Qiuchi said, and they walked out side by side.

They looked for all the world like old friends. Sometimes, chemistry just clicked right from the first meeting; that’s how Li Qiuchi felt about Lauren Shaw.

Li Qiuchi’s driver hadn’t arrived yet. As Lauren Shaw drove out, she saw Li Qiuchi still waiting by the roadside.

Rolling down her window, Lauren Shaw called out, “Where are you headed? I can give you a lift.”

Turns out, Li Qiuchi’s assistant’s car had run into trouble, so she gratefully accepted the offer.

“You and that Eva Snow—what happened between you two?”

A veteran of the entertainment world, Li Qiuchi could see Eva Snow’s malice plainly, and could tell Yana Quinn wasn’t much better.

“It’s nothing much, honestly. The man she liked is now my husband,” Lauren Shaw explained simply.

Li Qiuchi understood at once. “So she couldn’t get the man, and takes it out on you.”

“That’s about the size of it.”

After thinking it over, Li Qiuchi said, “She really is sick—needs to be treated.”

And somewhere, at that very moment, Eva Snow sneezed.

She scowled at the woman before her. “So, you hate Lauren Shaw too?”

Yana Quinn nodded, “I just can’t stand her arrogant act. She only got here because of her looks and sleeping her way in.”

Eva Snow folded her arms, sizing Yana Quinn up.

Yana Quinn was a Z-list actress with little fame. Still, Eva Snow vaguely recalled some past scandal involving her.

Narrowing her eyes, Eva Snow asked, “Didn’t you have some dirt come out about you before?”

Yana Quinn’s guilty look flashed, but she forced herself to sound calm. “That was someone framing me.”

“If not for Lauren Shaw, my first love and I wouldn’t have broken up. She called me the third wheel.”

Whenever Eva Snow heard Lauren Shaw’s name, her spirit seemed to flare. “What did you say? Say it again.”

Yana Quinn repeated herself.

“She ruined your first relationship? Do you have proof?” Eva Snow’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Yana Quinn shook her head, surprised. “No.”

“Who was your ex?”

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Eva Snow thought. She’d finally found someone who didn’t like Lauren Shaw—someone who even knew about Lauren Shaw’s past.

“So Lauren Shaw had a fiancé and still got with Yancy Shaw? What a scheming woman.”

She had to find a way to tell Yancy Shaw—and the whole Shen family—the truth, so they could all see Lauren Shaw’s true colors.

With that, she jumped into her car and sped off toward Yancy Shaw’s workplace.

Yana Quinn watched her disappear, a triumphant smile spreading across her lips.