Chapter 78

Chapter 78

From Layla's perspective:

The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense. Sophia stood there with her arms crossed, wearing a smug smile on her face.

I didn't waste any more words on her. I turned and went back to my desk, thinking, 'I have to win this competition and shut everyone up.'

For the next three days, I was basically working non-stop on the competition piece.

During the day I had to finish the work Alan assigned, and at night I stayed at the company working overtime on the design.

Selina saw how hard I was working and would bring me food from time to time, and also cover for me so I could focus on my drawings.

The theme "Spring" - Sophia had ready-made experience with it, but I didn't want to take the usual route. When people thought of spring, it was nothing but flowers, grass, and sprouts - too clichéd.

I wanted to do something different, something that could show spring's vitality while also being practical.

I remembered when I was little at my grandmother's place in the countryside - on spring mornings, dewdrops would hang on the wheat seedlings, sparkling when the sun hit them. When the wind blew, the wheat would ripple like waves, and there was the scent of grass in the air, and the silver bracelet my grandmother wore on her wrist.

Inspiration suddenly struck.

I wanted to design a detachable silver bracelet with fine wheat wave patterns carved into the body - people couldn't even notice them unless they looked carefully.

Then pair it with three delicate charms: a dewdrop-shaped white mother-of-pearl, a sprout-shaped turquoise, and a small silver wheat ear.

Normally, they could just wear the silver bracelet - simple and elegant. When they wanted to change the style, add one or several charms to add a refined touch. This way it fit the mood of "spring" while meeting the needs of different occasions.

Once I settled on the direction, I buried myself in drawing.

The lines and patterns had to flow smoothly, the size proportions of the charms had to be just right - all of this needed repeated adjustments.

Alan's standards were always high. I couldn't make a single mistake.

On the third night, I finally finished the design draft and presentation.

The presentation started at 2 PM the next day. Everyone from the design department was there, and Alan sat in the main seat with his usual expressionless face.

Sophia went first. She wore a sharp white suit, holding an elegant folder, and walked to the front with complete confidence.

Her design was a necklace with a blooming cherry blossom as the main element. The petals were set with pink sapphires, and the center had tiny diamonds. It did look really beautiful.

"My design concept is 'Dancing Cherry Blossoms.' The most iconic symbol of spring is cherry blossoms. The pink sapphires represent the softness of cherry blossoms, and the diamonds represent dewdrops on the flowers. The overall style is romantic and elegant, suitable for young women to wear." Sophia explained clearly on stage.

Colleagues below nodded and whispered things like "so pretty" and "Sophia's really something."

Sophia looked at me smugly with a challenging expression.

Then it was my turn. I took a deep breath and walked to the front with my design draft.

I wasn't wearing anything fancy, just my usual white shirt and jeans, but when I projected my design onto the screen, the room instantly fell silent.

"My design is called 'Spring Meadow.' The main piece is a silver bracelet with wheat wave patterns carved into it, paired with three detachable charms." I pointed at the screen and said slowly, "Spring isn't just flowers and grass - it's also the vitality of the fields. The wheat wave pattern represents the vastness and hope of the fields. The white mother-of-pearl charm symbolizes morning dewdrops, the turquoise charm is the color of sprouts, and the wheat ear charm represents harvest and joy."

"This silver bracelet can be worn alone or paired with different charms to meet the needs of various occasions like daily commutes, dates, and gatherings. It's cost-effective, suitable for mass consumption, and mainly targets young women aged 18-35." As I spoke, I showed the detailed drawings and technical specifications.

The colleagues below went from initial surprise to gradual approval, with some even nodding.

After the presentations, Alan had us step down while he and the colleagues discussed and judged.

I returned to my seat, and Selina quietly gave me a thumbs up, whispering, "Layla, your design is really good, way more creative than Sophia's."

Even though the work was good, Alan's judgment was what really mattered.

After about half an hour, Alan finally stood up. He looked at Sophia and me and said, "Sophia's 'Dancing Cherry Blossoms' is beautifully designed with mature craftsmanship and meets market needs, but it lacks originality. There are many similar designs on the market."

"Layla's 'Spring Meadow' has a fresh design. The detachable concept is clever, the wheat wave pattern details are well-executed. It captures the mood of 'spring' while being both practical and having market potential. Overall, the winner of this competition is Layla."

My heart filled with joy.

Selina excitedly grabbed my hand and whispered, "That's great, Layla! You won!"

But just then, Sophia suddenly shouted, "Impossible! Mr. Fields, did you make a mistake? She must have copied."

Everyone froze and looked at Sophia.

Her face turned bright red as she pointed at me and said, "Layla, tell the truth - did you plagiarize my design? Or copy someone else's? Otherwise, how could a newbie like you possibly create such a good piece?"

I frowned and said coldly, "Sophia, you need evidence when you make accusations. I didn't plagiarize anyone."

Sophia pulled out a stack of printed papers from her bag and slammed them on the table, saying, "Of course I have evidence. This is my 'Pastoral Scenery' series from last year. It has wheat ear and dewdrop elements. You must have seen my design drafts and copied my ideas."

She picked up a sheet and showed it to everyone, saying, "Look, this is my design draft. It has wheat ear patterns and dewdrop-shaped charms - exactly the same as her 'Spring Meadow.' Layla, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Colleagues below started murmuring, and some looked at me with suspicion.

Cara and Mica looked especially gleeful.

I stood up, walked to the table, picked up her design draft and looked at it, then said, "Sophia, I've never seen your design draft. In your 'Pastoral Scenery' series, the wheat ears are three-dimensional and the dewdrops are round.

But in my 'Spring Meadow,' the wheat waves are patterns carved into the bracelet body, and the dewdrops are irregularly shaped white mother-of-pearl inlays. They're completely different."

I took out my design journal from my folder and said, "Besides, this is my design journal. It has detailed records of my entire process from concept to completion, with daily revision notes and clear dates.

Your design draft is from last year, but my design concept and details are completely new. How can you call this plagiarism?"