Chapter 73 Plagiarism
From Sabrina's tone, I picked up on something else entirely.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
My eyes locked onto her, unblinking, trying to read something from her expression. Seeing my alarm, Sabrina grew instantly smug. She lifted a hand to toss her long hair, saying carelessly, "Catherine, I won't let you win."
"What, you think you've got the skills?"
Before I could fire back, a vaguely familiar male voice spoke from behind me. I turned to look at the newcomer, my surprise evident.
Liam nodded in greeting, casually positioning himself beside me with easy familiarity. Seeing him, Sabrina frowned in confusion. "Liam? What are you doing here?"
I raised an eyebrow with interest, my gaze shifting between the two of them. Sabrina was Edward's shield girlfriend. And Liam was the Johnson family's recently found young master. Their knowing each other wasn't strange. What I was more curious about was whether Liam knew about the situation between Sabrina and his brother Edward.
Liam didn't exactly give Sabrina a warm welcome. "Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?"
Sabrina choked on her words, her face flushing red. She glared at us resentfully. "We'll see about this."
Liam let out a contemptuous snort, clearly not taking her threat seriously. Sabrina heard it. Her body stiffened, then she quickened her pace away from us.
Once she was gone, I studied the young man beside me more carefully. He appeared barely of age, his handsome face carrying an air of rebellious pride.
My tone turned probing. "Why do you keep helping me?"
Liam seemed unprepared for such a direct question. A flash of surprise crossed his face. But he quickly recovered his composure.
Liam lifted his gaze to meet mine. "What if I said I need an ally?"
An ally? My brow furrowed. Was he planning to fight Edward for the family fortune? Then he should partner with Sabrina instead. Why come to me? I didn't understand.
Liam seemed to see through my thoughts, his lips curving into a smile. "Ms. Rosewood, allow me to make a brief introduction."
I listened quietly.
When Liam finished, I couldn't help falling into deep thought. The look I gave him was full of shock. After a long moment, I tentatively found my voice, confirming, "You're saying you have a crush on your brother's girlfriend Anna, and because Sabrina keeps causing trouble for her, you want revenge on Sabrina, so you're planning to work with me?"
"Good comprehension." Liam nodded generously, admitting it outright.
My mind felt like a tangled mess. Had the entire Johnson family lost it? Two brothers in love with the same woman, both willing to sacrifice for her. And Sabrina, purely for her own selfish desires, had unknowingly offended them all.
What an idiot.
But I still couldn't understand why Liam had helped me at the banquet. So I asked him directly.
Liam was about to explain when the loudspeaker above the competition venue crackled to life. [All contestants please enter in an orderly manner and take your seats according to your assigned number.]
Liam shrugged. "Looks like I'll have to answer that after the competition."
I nodded in agreement, parting ways with him as we each went to find our seats.
The competition officially began. The host announced the topic.
[No Theme.]
Everyone stared at the two words displayed prominently on the whiteboard, instantly dumbfounded.
"What does 'No Theme' mean?"
"Free interpretation?"
Some contestants began whispering among themselves. DI staff immediately provided clarification.
"Everyone please remain calm. 'No Theme' means this final round doesn't specify a theme—everyone competes on pure ability. But no theme doesn't mean there's truly no topic. The real topic is hidden within the venue itself. It depends on whether you have an eye for discovery."
As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately voiced opposition. "Isn't that contradictory? Time is limited. If we never figure out the topic, won't we just be running around like headless chickens?"
"Exactly! You're messing with us!"
I watched the staff smile and placate them, my mind churning thoughtfully. The purpose of DI holding this competition was to solicit designs from society at large. Winning works would be purchased outright. Most of the remaining people were here for the prize money. A small portion wanted to join DI.
A company would never make a losing deal, and the most indispensable quality in a designer was creative intuition. By setting "No Theme" as the requirement, DI meant no rigid framework. And the so-called real topic was actually an assessment to filter for individual creative intuition.
Life was full of surprises, and naturally the same applied to the competition venue. Designers who could only create according to fixed rules would struggle to produce truly outstanding work.
With this thought, an idea formed in my mind. I first followed the crowd, carefully observing the entire competition venue. I inadvertently met Blake and Nicholas's gazes. Their expressions were identical. Expectant. They seemed curious about what kind of design I'd produce.
I noticed that today's competition venue was very casual, yet harmony showed through everywhere. Each person's supplies were prepared in advance by DI, and all seats were fixed.
Through this observation, I was surprised to discover that Sabrina's position was right beside me on my right, and very close—we only needed to sit upright to clearly see each other's designs.
Meeting Sabrina's triumphant, provocative gaze, my eyes darkened. What kind of bad luck was this?
I ignored her, quickly constructing a draft in my mind. No theme but with a topic—didn't that mean embracing everything? What embraces everything? Water! Looking around the entire venue, there was quite a bit of water element in the décor.
Time ticked by. Many people had already begun sketching on paper.
My peripheral vision kept tabs on Sabrina. But I saw her sitting there looking bored, as if nothing concerned her. Yet the moment I picked up my pen, she immediately straightened and grabbed her own pen.
A suspicion formed in my mind. Sabrina couldn't design good work herself, but she could copy mine! Once submitted, identical designs would undoubtedly be rejected outright. Then Sabrina would achieve her goal of preventing my victory.
This guess was gradually confirmed as my draft began taking initial form. I drew a stroke, Sabrina drew a stroke. I paused, she paused. A glance from the corner of my eye showed it was pretty similar—quite convincing looking.
But since I knew Sabrina's scheme, how could I let her succeed so easily? I pretended to be absorbed, unconsciously exposing more of my design to facilitate Sabrina's plagiarism.
Sabrina copied with abandon, completely unaware she'd already jumped into the trap I'd carefully woven. I couldn't help thinking: Sabrina, this time you're digging your own grave!
As submission time approached, I began gradually refining the details of my design. Sabrina beside me confidently set down her pen.
Just when I thought she'd submit early to gain the advantage, Sabrina suddenly raised her hand and stood up. Her voice wasn't loud, yet enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
"Proctor, I want to report this—Catherine plagiarized my design!"