CHAPTER 582: CHAPTER 580: RACING AGAINST TIME

Mai Qiqi thought about it and asked, "Then how do you know which pieces are the highlights of their fashion show?"

Wan Chu’er sipped her drink lightly and smiled, "This is much easier. The drafts Rose has are all drawn by Director Yu. He just needs to check which designs Rose has used over the years; it’s not hard to guess which pieces she’ll present this time."

Hearing her words, Jiang Lingling became even more impressed by Director Yu’s abilities—remembering such distant matters so clearly, and even being able to deduce which designs Rose would bring out this time.

Mai Qiqi slightly raised her eyebrows and gave Wan Chu’er a look, saying nothing.

This girl really can read her like a book and nothing could be hidden from her; Wan Chu’er laughed, "I guess Rose surely hasn’t told Lin Jiayi about this. Instead, she will likely encourage Lin Jiayi to lean into the idea that we are copying them, and then make their plans from that angle."

"What should we do?" Jiang Lingling asked anxiously, "If they really go to the media telling them we’re copying, it will be a major blow to our Time’s reputation."

Some things are like rumors spreading without inquiry, and it’s not uncommon in business wars to see such instances—where even after the truth has been clarified, the damage lingers, leaving one unable to recover.

Wan Chu’er picked up her wine glass and clinked it with Mai Qiqi’s. Both smiled at each other and said in unison, "Bear with it for now!" After that, they both laughed heartily.

Jiang Lingling gave them a strange look, "You two are so in sync, you’d complain if you shared pants. Aren’t you afraid my cousin will get jealous?" This made Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi laugh even more.

Mai Qiqi said, "Alright, leave it to me then. Speed is crucial in warfare. I’ll arrange a meeting with the chief editor of the fashion magazine tomorrow, and aim to get this matter in the magazine within three days."

"That’s not fast enough," said Wan Chu’er, "Zhi Mei’s fashion show is in three days. They’ll definitely find a way before that, so we must quickly bring this to the public’s attention. I’ll work overtime tonight and prepare a case online, and you continue with the appointment with the chief editor tomorrow. If they really try to play the imitation angle, we’ll make sure they end up shooting themselves in the foot."

"Okay," Mai Qiqi readily agreed after thinking it over.

Jiang Lingling was somewhat confused and asked, "What exactly are you talking about?"

Wan Chu’er patted her arm with a smile, "You did well in today’s press conference, keep it up. Leave the matters besides clothing to us; you focus on the VIP customization we talked about last time. Your strength lies in precisely capturing the features of customers and finding the most suitable clothes for them, creating a perfect match between person and garment. Since we’re aiming for the high-end market, we have to try this one-on-one customization service."

Jiang Lingling nodded, "Okay, let’s give it a try. I’ll start with you and Sister Qiqi."

"Just start with Qiqi, I have too many clothes to wear," Wan Chu’er declined. With old tailors making clothes for her, plus the occasional shopping, she really didn’t lack clothing. Besides, Mai Qiqi was the one managing things at Time, so it made more sense for Mai Qiqi to be the face of the brand.

After they finished discussing, everyone relaxed. Jiang Lingling ran off to dance in the crowd, while Wan Chu’er and Mai Qiqi chatted idly and enjoyed their drinks at leisure.

Unfortunately, their leisure didn’t last long. Before even ten o’clock, Jiang Kechu and Chen Ke came to fetch them, spoiling the fun.

Lin Jiayi and Rose returned to Zhi Mei Studio, looking at the clothes prepared for the fashion show, Lin Jiayi was furious, feeling that Wan Chu’er and Jiang Lingling were beyond unreasonable. And about the matter with the assistant, she feared she had also fallen for their schemes.

Not only had they cheated her out of her money, but they were planning to deceive her again.

She would remember this vengeance!

"Three days later is our fashion show. The invitations have been sent out. What should we do by then?!" Lin Jiayi said anxiously. "If others see our clothes, they’ll only laugh at us for plagiarism. By then, the reputation of Zhi Mei will be destroyed.

If we withdraw our mainstream designs, people will mock us for incompetence, and Zhi Mei’s image will suffer, making it much harder to move upmarket in the future."

Lin Jiayi walked back and forth in the studio restlessly, her body cold with tension. Apart from Rose, the other staff had already made themselves scarce.

Rose’s thoughts churned as she tentatively asked, "Can we cancel this fashion show?"

"Cancel?" Lin Jiayi stopped and looked at her in disbelief, "How do we explain that to people? It would make Zhi Mei seem frivolous, no way!" She dismissed the suggestion and started pacing again.

Rose stayed silent, absent-mindedly pondering what to do. Now they had Louis here, and he surely wouldn’t let her off easily; he might even have more moves planned against her. Perhaps she should never have been swayed by Lin Jiayi’s tempting promises, as at least abroad she had her mother’s protection.

After pacing around for a long time, Lin Jiayi saw Rose daydreaming and couldn’t help but ask, "You’ve been in the fashion industry for so long, don’t you have any ideas? Our fashion show is about to happen, what should we do!?"

Rose shrugged, weighing the pros and cons in her heart about leaving everything here compared to returning abroad. After much thought, she decided she couldn’t just leave. If she did, Louis would undoubtedly capitalize on her apparent guilt, potentially reveal past incidents, and slander her, thus ruining her reputation.

On the other hand, if she left, she would offend Lin Jiayi, whose husband’s family, the Simon family, had considerable influence abroad. If they wanted to destroy her, a small-time designer, it would be an easy feat.

Having resolved to stay, Rose said to Lin Jiayi, "In that case, our fashion show in three days will proceed as planned. I’ll call my friends abroad immediately to ask for their help, to have them send over a batch of clothes as quickly as possible to handle the emergency."

Rose decided to turn to her mother for help. Unlike Rose’s own deceit, her mother was a genuinely famous designer with a collection that hadn’t been released yet. They could use those designs as a stopgap.

Hearing Rose’s words, a joy lit within Lin Jiayi, and a smile crept onto her face, "Rose, I’m glad to have you." But she was unaware that Rose was at the root of the problem.

Rose nodded and continued, "But we can’t just let things slide. The key styles we originally planned for the fashion show must still be featured."

"Why?" Lin Jiayi asked.

"To tell everyone the entire truth." Rose said meaningfully.

Lin Jiayi’s mind worked quickly, and she immediately grasped Rose’s idea, laughing, "Good, very good. But we don’t need to wait until the fashion show. We’ll hold a press conference the day before, where we’ll share our grievances and experiences, and at the same time, build momentum for the fashion show."