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“…Although, actually, ahem…” She didn’t really have much confidence.
After all, she usually only cooked for Gu Jiachen.
But that didn’t stop Zhou Ruoyu’s rebuttal from being convincing to the people present. After all, what mattered most in a commercial game was making money!
Zhou Ruoyu pinched her chin, then added emphatically:
“Moreover, if we’re worried about public opinion, why not just hold a promotional event? Draw concept art for a few of the best award-winning works, and let the players vote! Anyway, my design is already highly polished; it doesn’t need any more tweaks. Since we’re worried about backlash, let the players decide!”
The little loli waved her hand, sealing Ling Bo’s defeat.
The latter was stunned for two seconds. After all, this was what Gu Xue had taught her… but Gu Xue hadn’t told her how to counter it!
This, this…
Forget it! Try a different approach!
Remembering the three strategies Gu Xue had provided—upper, middle, and lower—Ling Bo’s eyes rolled.
Right… right! Now was the time to interrogate!
How could Zhou Ruoyu have produced such a good piece in just one weekend? There was only one possibility: she had spent a fortune to hire a master to work overnight and produce this piece, just to save face. Hmph…
‘Hmph… So she’s willing to spend a lot to fight me to the bitter end?’ Ling Bo sneered and shook her head. Any lingering guilt she had felt toward Zhou Ruoyu had now completely transformed. After a moment, she looked up and snorted at the crowd on stage:
“High level of design? Ha! Sure, but isn’t it too abnormal? So high it’s almost… ridiculously fake~”
“What do you mean?”
The judges on stage stared blankly at Ling Bo, feeling that this familiar colleague from the planning department was acting strangely. Ling Bo confidently pointed at Zhou Ruoyu’s painting, then tilted her head and said:
“You had someone else make this painting, didn’t you, Zhou Ruoyu? How could a newcomer in the planning department create such a good design? If you really had that skill, why would you apply to the art department? Spending a fortune to cheat in the competition… You’re really too vain!”
‘A fortune?’
Gu Xue, who had been silently watching this scene, let out a long sigh. She lowered her head helplessly, covering her face and shaking it. Although she had guessed that this little green tea’s work might have been done by her father, or even by him personally, she didn’t think the little brat had spent any money…
Damn!
Gu Xue clenched her teeth in frustration, glaring indignantly at the little green tea on stage. The image from that painting flashed in her mind again, filling her heart with mixed feelings.
But Zhou Ruoyu, having heard Ling Bo’s words, was also annoyed. The little black-haired loli pouted and muttered unhappily:
“I drew this myself. It has nothing to do with anyone else…”
“Oh? Is that so?” Ling Bo crossed her arms. She refused to believe it; was Zhou Ruoyu really hiding her talent?
So, Ling Bo pulled over a friend from the art department and asked.
She pointed at a part of the painting and began questioning:
“How did you handle the shading here? What was your lighting? Could you explain your thought process for the drawing?”
“…”
The little black-haired loli fell silent. ‘Damn… they really hit a weak point. Ah, this, this… How can I explain it? It’s like presenting a patchwork thesis at a defense. I can only apologize profusely.’
But clearly, apologizing to Ling Bo wouldn’t let her off the hook. The other party was determined to prove her cheating. And why should she? After all, Ling Bo had stolen her design. Even if she couldn’t explain it, she had still drawn it herself!
After a while, seeing Zhou Ruoyu sweating as she racked her brains, Ling Bo sneered and pressed on smugly:
“What’s wrong? Can’t explain? Oh, no… Everyone was just calling you a genius, and now you can’t even explain how you drew it? And you say you didn’t cheat!”
“Uh… I-I just think you wouldn’t understand even if I told you…”
Pushed by the other’s tone, the little black-haired loli began to tremble. But it only lasted a few seconds. Then, a spark of inspiration flashed in her mind, and she suddenly thought of a solution.
‘Right! Why not just recreate it on the spot?!’
Even if she couldn’t explain it, she could draw it!
So Zhou Ruoyu pulled out her magic brush and, in front of the onlookers, announced:
“This painting is mine, so I can draw another exactly like it right now. However, there’s one problem: why should I do that? According to the rules of this design competition, there’s no clause forbidding guidance or outside help, is there? I’m curious—should we add that rule now? If you can’t prove the design is your own work, it should be treated as cheating! And the punishment… a public criticism across the whole company?”
As she spoke, Zhou Ruoyu turned around, sneered, and stared at Ling Bo. The latter was frozen in place, never expecting to be turned around like this. She could only force calm, wipe the sweat from her forehead, and say:
“Wh-why are you looking at me?! Do you think I’ll believe you just because you put on a show? If you’re capable, actually draw it again! Stop talking nonsense!”
“Of course it depends on you! After all, the only one jumping up and down accusing me of cheating is you, Sister Bo~”
Zhou Ruoyu narrowed her eyes and continued emphatically:
“Since you question me so much, you should accept my reciprocal questioning, right? I want to ask you: can you explain where all the elements in the sketch I gave you came from? Do you remember the style of the bow tie on the clothes? Do you dare to redraw your design like me? Let’s see which of us really drew our own work, and which of us stole someone else’s results to enter the competition and now tries to bite back!”
Huff~ Huff~
After her passionate outburst, Zhou Ruoyu took two deep breaths, looked up, and sneered at Ling Bo. The latter stood frozen, looking somewhat at a loss.
Around them, a murmur of discussion arose.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Looking For My Child's Father is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
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