"That should be the case. Keep an eye out. The product launches tomorrow. I don't want anything going amiss," she said quietly.

  It was nine in the morning, so most stores wouldn't be open.

  "The PR team is monitoring news and reviews already," Xiong Fen prompted. "So far, there are no attacks."

  Ma Qui hummed. "But their launch might impact our numbers. Usually, when Sophie's Secret comes out with a new launch, our sales drop a little. Having the sales drop so close to the launch might be a bad thing."

  "And the solution?" Qian Meng prompted. She looked already tired, so no one stopped to think.

  Ma Qui was the first to speak. "How about a shorter campaign? Something personal?" he prompted.

  "I would be interested in that, but I don't want to spend any more money on this line."

  The sales team head nodded. "The projected sales of this launch aren't as high as our other seasons. Because of the uniqueness of the concept, the market share is rather low."

  Ma Qui quietened down before speaking again. "I'll speak to Xiong Fen then. Do you have any ideas?" he asked.

  Xiong Fen bit her lip. "Actually, we already had plans on doing personal stories related to the line. Mostly, we wanted to emphasize on how the products came to be," she said.

  "Are you sure about it?" Qian Meng asked.

  "Yes. I'll line out the ideas and send it to you for your approval," she said quickly.

  "Understood. Let's end with that. Make sure Sophie's Secret doesn't make too much noise," she gave the final order before stepping out of the call.

  Mo Qingchen appeared out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry.

  "Any problem?" he asked.

  "Competition is launching a new collection shortly after ours releases. Usually, they will launch a collection two weeks after they file for copyrights, so we are placing everything up to safeguard our sales."

  Mo Qingchen smiled. "Anticipating the dagger before it is swung at you. That is a good strategy."

  Qian Meng shrugged. "I am not too shabby at business," she said with a sad smile.

  "I know that. Do you want to take a shower?" he asked.

  She nodded. She stretched and got off the bed. She was sluggish in her steps as she padded to the bathroom. She stepped into the hot spray and stood there until the water turned cold.

  She only stepped out when there was a knock on the door.

  "Are you okay?" Mo Qingchen asked from outside. He didn't wait for her to respond. The door clicked open and he peered inside.

  She looked at him wide-eyed. "Why do I even lock the door?" she grumbled.

  He gave her an apologetic smile. "You forgot your clothes. I got them for you," he told her gently. She nodded and watched as he pried the door open wider and walked in with his hands full of clothes.

  "Are you bundling me up for hibernation?" she asked, eyeing him cautiously.

  "You catch colds easily," he said. As if that explained everything away.

  He quietly left the bathroom but never shut the door. It was as if, he was keeping tabs on her from the bedroom.

  Qian Meng sighed as she walked out of the bathroom, her hair up in the towel.

  "Now, relax," Mo Qingchen ordered. Easier said than done. Despite that, Qian Meng nodded sheepishly and crawled under the covers. She turned to her side and pulled out her cellphone. She was looking through social media when her brows scrunched up in confusion.

  Mo Qingchen, who was sitting beside her and typing on his laptop quickly noticed the change in her demeanor.

  "What is wrong?" he whispered.

  "One minute," she responded quickly, pushing herself off the bed to sit. She scrolled some more and then opened another tab to view Sophie's Secret's website. "What the hell is this?" she hissed.

  She scrambled off the bed, her phone pressed to her ear.

  "What the hell is happening? How did they launch their product today?" she asked, her voice rising in desperation.

  Mo Qingchen could hear the confusion on the other side. He kept the laptop aside and stood up, trying to get closer to her to understand the situation.

  "No. They filed for copyright and got it yesterday. How could they have launched the product for the public already? Does this timeline make sense to you?" she shouted.

  Mo Qingchen stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked at her desperation and felt helpless. If he didn't know what was happening, how could he help and calm her down?

  "No, explain to me how they could get pictures from a private show and create designs that are similar to the ones we are launching tomorrow!" The hysteria was evident.

  Mo Qingchen's eyes widened fractionally and he pulled out his phone and searched for what Qian Meng was talking about.

  They had spoken about the new line of jewelry that Qian Meng was excited about. The inspiration for it came from a custom piece she had been commissioned to make the year before and she had been excited to venture into the industry and use modifying jewelry to revolutionize fashion in the country.

  When Mo Qingchen had asked her about the estimated sales, she had smiled and told him that it wouldn't be as big as her other collections.

  "Why are you launching it then? Shouldn't it be a conglomeration of creativity and demand?" he asked.

  "There is a higher demand for it in Western countries, but in China, people are not so enthusiastic about it. But we will grab onto a niche market," she emphasized.

  "No loss?" he asked.

  "No loss," she swore.

  Now, looking at the sinking expression on her face, he couldn't help but feel like she had spoken too early.

  "Emergency meeting. In forty-five minutes. I want answers and solutions. I don't have the time to dilly-dally, understood?" she barked at the person on the phone.