Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Zhuang Nainai took the phone away from her ear and opened the multimedia messaging application. She checked the message he had sent her, and they were the design drafts that she had received — the one with the flagship apparel.

  The drafts had obviously undergone some refinement. They were different from the one that she had sent to Gu Deshou.

  But those refinements were minor. They changed minute details such as the T-shaped zipper, which gave the apparel more personality.

  It seemed that the Gu Corporation’s designer was very skilled too.

  However, in the end, this was indeed the design drafts that she had handed over to Gu Deshou. Thus, she lowered her voice, “It indeed is this……”


  But this was her own design. Why would the Gu Corporation be accused of plagiarizing the Imperial Group’s drafts? Had there been some kind of misunderstanding?

  Gu Deshou anxiously said, “Qingyan, could you ask Mr. Si for a favor? Could you ask him to spare us just this once? I guarantee that I will never ask you to do anything of this sort again.”


  These were her own design drafts instead of some plagiarized work. Thus, she only had to give Si Zhengting a clear explanation about the matter.

  Zhuang Nainai’s thought process was very simple.

  However, she didn’t want to reveal that this was indeed an easy matter to deal with. Thus, she said as though she was in a dilemma, “You know that Si Zhengting is rather indifferent toward me. He doesn’t care about me……”


  Gu Deshou hurriedly interjected, “Nainai, do you know why I was arguing with your mother the other day?”


  Zhuang Nainai furrowed her brows. They were talking about the design drafts, why was Gu Deshou suddenly changing the topic?

  Before she could ponder on the reason for his strange behavior, Gu Deshou continued, “Nainai, the other day, I told your mother that I intend to give your Mother Zhuang 2% of the Gu Corporation’s shares.”


  What?!

  Zhuang Nainai’s eyes widened in a moment of carelessness.

  Two percent of the Gu Corporation’s shares?!

  She suddenly grew silent, stunned by this piece of news.

  She was well aware of how important the shares of a company were. When Gu Deshou had said that he would give her 20% of the shares as her dowry, he was simply doing that in an attempt to borrow Si Zhengting’s influence.

  But now, he was going to give them to Mother Zhuang?

  He was unable to exploit Mother Zhuang in any way as she was of no value to him.

  Was this Gu Deshou’s reward for Mother Zhuang, in exchange for her waiting for her whole life?

  Zhuang Nainai’s eyes suddenly grew moist. She didn’t pause to think before replying, “There’s no need.”


  Gu Deshou paused. His voice was deeper when he replied, “Qingyan, I want to give them to your Mother Zhuang.”


  “My mother won’t want it either.” Zhuang Nainai’s voice was resolute. She knew Mother Zhuang too well.

  Gu Deshou was stunned and didn’t know what to say.

  Then Zhuang Nainai spoke. “I’ll help you through this tough period, and in return, you’ll bring my mother home. In the future, don’t harass her any further. Don’t let Li Yufeng look for her as well. Let her live a peaceful life.”


  Gu Deshou paused again. “You……”


  “You won’t promise me this? Isn’t the Gu Corporation everything to you? You abandoned your own daughter and a previous lover because of it. What’s there to deliberate about this time?”


  Gu Deshou heard the biting sarcasm behind her words. He eventually let out a long sigh. “Alright.”


  ―


  Si Zhengting was sitting in the study room.

  His fists were tightly clenched, and fury blazed in his dark eyes.

  He heard Zhuang Nainai’s voice saying “It indeed is this……” through the audio monitor, and it felt as though he had been ruthlessly slapped with her voice. His trust and determination in her innocence became a joke at this moment!

  It was her. She had given the design drafts to Gu Deshou.

  But those drafts were clearly Si Jingyu’s!

  In other words, she had personally admitted that she took Si Jingyu’s drafts……

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  Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Si Zhengting leaned against the backrest of his chair, devoid of all energy. His expressionless poker face was not as flawless as it usually was.

  Depression permeated his entire body.

  When he heard Mi Nuo’s report, his first reaction was that it couldn’t have been Zhuang Nainai who had stolen the design drafts.

  When Ji Chen brought all the evidence that he had collected before Si Zhengting, Si Zhengting had still believed in Zhuang Nainai and helped to justify her actions.

  He had thought that they had already reached a stage whereby they cared for, understood, and had mutual respect for each other.

  He thought that all his compromises and tolerance could be exchanged for harmony between him and Zhuang Nainai.

  But in actual fact…… that wasn’t harmony. That was muddling along and taking a day at a time whilst being immersed in one’s own delusions.

  What had he gotten in the end in exchange for his trust?

  He thought back to how they had gotten off work that night. She had been angry with him and, thus, she didn’t say a single word to him.

  He had found that cute at that time. However, now he wondered, how did she manage to be so self-righteous even when she was in the midst of betraying him?

  Si Zhengting gazed straight ahead. He was in a state of turmoil, and he couldn’t be sure if he felt more angry or disappointed at that moment.

  The Zhuang Nainai from five years ago was undoubtedly not like this.

  She was like a ray of sunshine, automatically encasing everything dark.

  So, these issues regarding plagiarism and stealing would definitely have nothing to do with her.

  There could be no disappointment without any expectations.

  She had given him happiness, but she had also personally taken it away from him.

  Then, he heard her next words: “You also know that Si Zhengting is indifferent toward me……”


  The corners of Si Zhengting’s lips tugged upwards slightly into a cold smile.

  He knew that Zhuang Nainai was saying that insincerely, so as to humor Gu Deshou, but he felt his heart contracting unpleasantly tightly.

  So, his strong and inhibiting love for her was “indifferent” to her? Or perhaps she didn’t care about it at all?

  This feeling made him feel as though the entire world was about to collapse.

  What happened next?

  She’d said dismissively: “I’ll help you through this tough period……” And how was she going to do that? Why did she feel that it would be easy to help the Gu Corporation through this difficult time?

  Had his concessions and tolerance toward her cause her to feel as though she didn’t need to hold back? So that she could do whatever she wanted with a clear conscience?

  Si Zhengting couldn’t bring himself to listen any longer. He took off his earphones and stared at the monitor. Finally, his trembling fingers gripped the mouse tightly, and he closed that cruel chat application window.

  He sat on the chair quietly for a moment, but he was unable to calm his mind down. He was still upset.

  He picked up a cigarette and took two puffs before ruthlessly putting it out.

  Then he picked up his phone and called Su Yanbin.

  Su Yanbin’s phone rang for a very long time before he picked up. His voice was laden with sleep as he drawled, “Boss, what’s the time now? You actually called me at this time?”


  “Do you want a drink?” he asked.

  Su Yanbin was stunned. “What?”


  “Half an hour, at Meise Bar.” After Si Zhengting finished speaking, he hung up the phone without waiting for Su Yanbin’s reply.

  He immediately picked up his coat and strode out.

  ―


  After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Nainai lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn’t fall asleep.

  Initially, when she heard that the Gu Corporation’s drafts were a plagiarized copy of the Imperial Group’s drafts, she thought that Gu Deshou had gotten someone to steal the Imperial Group’s drafts. However, she had found out just now that she had been oversimplifying matters.

  That was undoubtedly her own design drafts. How did the matter become one of plagiarism of the Imperial Group’s drafts?

  Zhuang Nainai tossed and turned on her bed, and she still could not figure it out.