"The response makes me curious and I can't help but ask… When we were looking at the pictures from the collection, we saw similarities to a brand called Sophie's Secret. Your designs were rather similar. Do you have a comment about that?"

  Qian Meng felt her lips tighten, but she was sure her smile was in place. This reporter really liked to push the boundaries now that he had gotten the opportunity to question her. He knew this was off-limits.

  But it was in Qian Meng's personality not to back down. She knew she could say a lot indirectly without implicating herself. Li Jun had told her as much. She knew enough about these reporters to have all sorts of answers ready. "In our concept and design class, we were taught that no idea is completely original. We are subconsciously inspired by the things around us. I don't see much of a resemblance between the designs from Sophie's Secret and our collection, really. It is a matter of quality, craftsmanship, and material."

  This was saying that no matter how hard Sophie's Secret tried to copy them, they were inferior in quality and ideas. A little poke at their lack of talent and creativity.

  But the answer didn't satisfy the reporter. He went on to question, "The rose gold detailing and some do correspond, is it not? Do you think that both designers were inspired by similar sources? What a coincidence."

  Qian Meng gave him a saccharine smile that made goosebumps rise on the reporter's skin.

  "That makes it sound insidious. You can tell from the thought process and concept behind each collection that they are different. Just because there is a similarity in style doesn't mean that they are interchangeable. One cannot just buy one or another. The debate about plagiarism is best fought in courts. I won't comment on that further."

  That was her warning. He could try her and put her in a corner. But even if you cornered someone, you wouldn't get out unscathed. She made sure the reporter understood that.

  The reporter cleared his throat but took a different approach. The questions when asked in that sequence sounded instigating. But because it was in the list of questions, Qian Meng didn't tell them off. Even if he changed the wording a little.

  "With the opposition's collection coming out… why did you launch the collection globally but not in China? Is it because of the similarity?" the reporter asked timidly.

  Qian Meng answered confidently. "The global market has a varied interest in statement pieces and more sleek designs. The Chinese market leans towards a certain style. So, all age groups wear different conventional styles. Therefore, after market research, it doesn't make sense for us to launch The Shift in China." Actually, this was not completely false. Qian Meng had wanted to push The Shift to disrupt the market.

  The reporter nodded. "But there were promotions in China, were there not?"

  She kept the smile on her face. "There were. Part of Venus's mission is to change the accessory industry in the world. The promotions of the collection were done on a transparent basis. As a businesswoman, I cannot mass produce jewelry that is not wanted by the native market."

  She didn't let the other point out the fault in her statement.

  The reporter paused and looked at her intently. "We noticed that you held out on launching the collection in some other countries as well. Is this because of the same reason?"

  Qian Meng presumed he was asking about Hong Kong, but she pretended not to understand. Instead, she focused on the literal meaning of his question.

  Hence, the answer was simple. "Yes."

  The reporter quickly realized that he was reaching her limits. So, he changed the question to something friendly. No more hidden meanings. "But now that the people in China want to see this collection launched domestically, will you consider the same?" he asked.

  "The decision has not been made as of yet. But we are taking the wants of our customers into consideration. That is all I can say."

  This was strategically said. They wanted the customers and the opposition not to know that they had another launch coming up. It was going to be a complete surprise drop. So, this statement would create hype about other things and take away focus from the main issue.

  She would get them hyped about the jewelry and then drop the bridal collection.

  The reporter clapped his hand together. "Actually, I am looking forward to The Shift. My wife has asked me to order from an international site online, too. She was rather excited that I was talking to you about it," he mentioned sheepishly.

  "Well, I hope your wife can someday, wear a design from the collection." That was all she offered.

  The reporter smiled, feeling a weight lift off his shoulder.

  "I would like to take the opportunity to venture into more private questions," he began. Qian Meng looked at him suspiciously. "It's nothing too serious, really. Word on the street is that you got married. And we know you were on a business trip a while back. How was being away from your husband right after your wedding? Did you miss him?"

  Qian Meng broke into laughter. "I didn't expect that question. Is that something your readers are curious about or you are curious about?" she asked freely.

  "When I posted that I was interviewing you, people seemed really interested in your relationship with Mr. Mo. They kept advising me to ask you to post more pictures."

  Qian Meng covered her mouth with her lips. "We've been busy. So we didn't take pictures. And what makes you think that I didn't bring him along with me on my business trip? I hid him in my luggage. You can ask the airport authority."

  It was clearly a joke. "Did you really?" the reporter asked.

  "No!" Qian Meng responded with a laugh. "He has a successful business of his own that keeps him busy. He wouldn't want to waste his time in my luggage," she said.