Wen Yin showed no expression. She replied with a single "OK" emoji and nothing more, a small signal that she had received the message. She swung her legs off the bed, gathered her long hair into a careless knot that accentuated her languid air.
There was a recording for Love Sparks today; she couldn't afford to waste time on the "plagiarism scandal." Fast and tidy—that was the plan.
On the other end, Qin stared at the brief reply, trying to read Wen Yin's mood. She'd seen the trending post—Kiki's accusation looked convincing at first glance—but there were gaps. Qin couldn't quite place them.
Over breakfast Wen Yin had gone through the post as well, and as she read something dormant in her memory shifted and came awake.
Kiki had come prepared. The post went up deep into the night, giving the gossip plenty of time to swell. Wen Yin didn't believe for a second that Kiki had acted without coaching; manipulating public opinion with such finesse wasn't something an amateur could pull off. Only insiders in the entertainment world knew these small, practiced moves.
The internet threw itself into the fray. Keyboard warriors—after so long without such a spectacle—pounced on the moral high ground and tore into "Jinjin" without waiting for facts.
Wen Yin calmly pulled up the old sketches from university, eyes lingering on the name "Kiki" with a suddenly different look. She'd been slow to react earlier; now she remembered. Of course she knew a Kiki.
Wen Yin folded her arms and stared at Kiki's avatar for a long beat. Then she shut the laptop, packed her things, and left for the studio for the second episode of Love Sparks.
If someone wanted a show, she would give them a show.
The second recording was in Luo City. Wen Yin arrived early; the other guests hadn't shown up and the livestream hadn't started. The first people she saw were Qian Shuzhi and Wen Zhi, whispering and laughing as if they'd been waiting for a curtain to open. Their laughter sharpened when they saw her.
With the male guests absent, there was no mask left for their contempt. Mockery and disdain filled their faces.
"I heard the designer you modeled for last night got into hot water?" Qian Shuzhi's tone was clipped; seeing Wen Yin's cool composure made old resentments rise. He offered a not-so-friendly greeting.
Wen Zhi's smile was all barbs—part sneer, part ridicule—but she added a hypocritical note of concern. "Lots of people online are blaming you, Wen. Don't let it bother you."
Wen Yin bit back an inward laugh. Thanks to Wen Zhi's reminder she saw the angle she'd missed. The morning's pile-on wasn't just calling out the designer; someone had quietly morphed it into an attack on Wen Yin herself.
The usual drivel—"Wen Yin only cares about money, not the designers' character"—the mindless hate posts. Now it looked like someone had paid people to push that narrative.
"Yeah, Wen. Don't listen to those rumors. But maybe next time be more careful who you guest-model for." Qian Shuzhi didn't bother to learn the facts; every sentence was another squeeze designed to humiliate.
He and Wen Zhi stood together like judges enjoying a private joke. Wen Yin let a faint, unreadable smile touch her face and turned her attention to Wen Zhi.
Wen Zhi knew exactly who the newbie designer was. She was trying to climb by dragging Wen Yin down—how could Wen Yin resist adding a little fuel to that fire? Only, this time, the flames might not lick the same spot.
Within an hour the LeR rookie designer controversy had a new development. Jinjin's runway looks had been everywhere the night before; she had gained fans and attention in spades—and, as a result, the accusation exploded like fireworks.
Wen Yin slipped into a small anonymous account and posted a reply, pretending to be Jinjin. She laid out the incident as it had really happened, step by step. Then, one by one, she uploaded every sketch Kiki had accused Jinjin of plagiarizing—every piece that matched up, every identical line, every stolen concept.
She even dug up an old campus forum, where a long-buried thread accused a certain student of plagiarism back in the day. Attached to that thread were all of Kiki's earlier lifted works. The evidence pointed squarely at Kiki: a serial plagiarist.
Wen Yin had been one of those who'd been copied in university. Back then she had the right to pursue it, yet she hadn't—who would have imagined that years later the tables would turn and the original thief would come back for accusations?
The post went viral. Netizens forwarded, commented, and the consensus shifted like the weather.
"Within a few hours the real victims came forward and proved it—this is insane!" read one repost.
"I was so ready to defend her this morning. Guess I was blind," wrote another.
"Original work is someone's labor of love. How can anyone stoop to this?" someone else asked.
"Turns out Kiki runs a small, nondescript design shop. No real work to her name—today's her one and only spike to trending. Lucky her," another quipped.
The avalanche of accusations against Kiki washed away the earlier outrage. Wen Yin's evidence struck hard and true; each piece felt like a hammer to Kiki's reputation. The tide turned so fast the crowd had whiplash. Even the trolls who'd been bashing Wen Yin found themselves called out.
Only Qian Shuzhi and Wen Zhi continued to sneer, unable to let go. Wen Yin made no attempt to explain—she sat back in the sofa opposite them and watched their performance with quiet amusement.
A noise at the door drew their attention. Qian's eyes brightened; a shy, coquettish smile flitted across his face.
Shao Yinan came in, exchanged a simple hello, and took the empty seat beside Wen Yin. Qian's smile wilted at once.
Feigning casualness, she said, "Yinan, did you see today’s trending? The designer Wen guest-modeled last night—she’s in big trouble for plagiarism."
Shao Yinan barely glanced her way. Instead he tilted his head toward Wen Yin, who had her chin tucked low, looking pensive.
"What trouble?" he asked.
Qian's teeth clenched. How dare he melt at Wen Yin's presence?
"Don't you know? That designer's been accused of copying—she might be held responsible. Wen, you've got to be more careful next time." Qian thrust her phone at him, as if that would make him side with her.
Shao Yinan barely skimmed the screen and did not take the phone. Then, in a tone that shut down the room, he said, "You mean the trending topic 'Jinjin proven plagiarist'?"
At those words Qian and Wen Zhi's smug smiles faded.