Chapter 625: By One’s Capabilities
David clenched his teeth and hid his panic. "I’ll handle this, Ms. Kim, don’t worry!"
He then signaled to a few people in the crowd. The few designers who had been relying on David's resources understood what he meant and they started to complain…
"Objection! So one can win an award by plagiarising another's design and burning it? Isn’t it too easy?"
"That’s right! Anyone here could burn some clothes! Shouldn’t everyone get a prize then?"
"That was just some outlandish design!"
…
After the string of complaints was released, the other designers could not keep it down anymore. They might still be alright if they were to lose to David, but it was harsh on their pride to lose to a newbie and they started to suspect the competition’s fairness.
"What are the judges doing? Were they bribed?"
"I’m disappointed, I didn’t think Qu Guanyang would stoop this low as well!"
"We want a rematch!"
…
The host was at a loss. He tried to calm the audience down but failed awkwardly. Following David's planting of the complaints, chaos ensued. A few judges panicked and looked at Qu Guanyang.
"Teacher Qu, what do you think we should do? Should we reassess the designs?"
"We were really surprised just now, but now that I look at it, awarding a full 10 points doesn’t really seem appropriate!"
"That’s right, David has a big influence in the industry and it might affect this award’s reputation if we handle this badly!"
…
Qu Guanyang sneered at them, "Are you guys okay? Who are the judges, us or them? If all of them were experts, then why are we needed here? And why are you guys even sitting up here? Just a few words are enough to change your decision. What kind of judge are you?"
The few judges were embarrassed and stopped talking.
Later, Qu Guanyang picked up the microphone, "Well, well, it seems like someone’s questioning my judgment!"
"That’s because you’re being really unfair this time! This is obviously plagiarism! Some random burning isn’t enough to cover it up!" someone from the crowd expressed, full of rage.
Qu Guanyang looked at the crowd coldly and declared expressionlessly, "Firstly, all of you have been talking about plagiarism, but what’s the definition of plagiarism? Chinese trends, traditional elements, anyone can come up with these. This is a publicly available theme, not an exclusive design. It’s based on one’s capabilities to make it look exceptional.
"Secondly, can all of you burn it too? Did any of you think about it? Who thought about it? What did you do? Why didn’t you do it before if you have thought about it?"
Qu Guanyang’s question rendered the designers speechless.
They realized they were being unreasonable. While it was true that anyone could do it, it was difficult to come up with the idea and execute it, which was why it caught everyone by surprise.
"Even if you say so, based on overall abilities, that anonymous L is nowhere near David!" someone yelled out, still not convinced.
Qu Guanyang used an even harsher tone and stared coldly into the crowd. "As designers, all of you don’t understand what you are doing. What is the purpose of this award?"
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Chapter 626: Who Is It?
Qu Guanyang had a powerful aura and the crowd murmured quietly, "Fashion design…"
"That’s right, it’s an award for fashion design! The most important part of this award isn’t about the model, the materials, or the skills. It comes down to ideas and creativity!
"The Golden Award selects the best designer, not the best model, the most expensive materials, or the most famous designer! If it were based on those criteria, anyone can become a designer! Why would all of you be needed? As decoration?"
Qu Guanyang was really sharp-tongued, he did not hold back at all. Everyone could not look at him straight in the eye.
He then stared at David's direction and loudly stated, "The Golden Award has been organized for the 23rd year in a row. Our processes are transparent and will not be affected by any third parties. It was like this in the past, it is how it is now and how it will be continued in the future. We detest those who try to manipulate the results. Anyone is welcomed to oversee our judging process!"
His words were clearly meant to criticize David’s behavior for attempting to change the results using his power and network.
Anyone could easily imagine that a new designer from an unknown studio could not possibly bribe all six judges, while David was forcing the judges to change the result in his favor.
Suddenly, the other contestants and photographers saw the sense in what Qu Guanyang was saying. They all looked at David critically…
"Qu Guanyang is right. The designers who were voicing out their opinions just now were trying to look for trouble! Even laymen like us were surprised. How could you say the design was bad?"
"I’ve always felt that David was too arrogant. What’s wrong with following the Chinese trend? Even if it was trending because of him, he was not the first one to create it. It’s just as Teacher Qu said -anyone can do it! He made it sound like he invented it and anyone who follows is plagiarising him!"
"The award he expected to fall into his lap just disappeared. Of course, he’d panic! Do you know how much this award can bring to him?"
"Hmm...it makes sense. Most of the awards are so superficial nowadays but Golden Award is one of the more prestigious ones!"
…
After Qu Guanyang spoke up, the other judges who panicked from the uproar started to calm down. They then explained their reasoning behind the score they assigned and a unanimous conclusion was made.
"With that, all of us decided that this Golden Award goes to designer L from Spirit Studio!"
A thunderous round of applause roared throughout the venue.
Some of the invited female celebrities were really excited. The fashion industry was used to quick changes. As soon as a fresh new design was presented, it instantly caught their attention and everyone would want to get their hands on a piece of it.
The celebrities who were gathering around Tzuyu just now were now waiting to see who this mysterious designer was.
The host cleared his throat and invited, "Now, we’ll have designer L to come up onto the stage!"
The female host was smiling with the trophy in her hands, expecting the designer to be a tall, handsome man.
At that moment, everyone was looking around, curious to see who this dark horse was.
Especially David who could not suppress his abhorrence towards the winner.
Who? Who was it?!
It was impossible that he did not know such a person within the industry!
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Chapter 627: Is She Even Legal Yet?
When everyone was expecting designer L to go on stage, something happened.
Gong Shangze passed out.
He was already suffering from a fever before, toughing it out, then he could not take it anymore.
The host was urging for the mysterious designer to go on stage. Han Momo panicked. "What to do now, Sis Li?"
Lisa touched Gong Shangze’s burning forehead and helped him to lean on her shoulder. "I’ll bring him to the hospital. You take the prize for him."
"Huh? Me?" Han Momo was shocked, her jaw left hanging.
In the end, Han Momo hopped up the stage like a bunny, almost tripping from her nervousness and outdoing everyone's expectations.
And her outfit today…
She wore a lolita-style dress and looked like a cute Japanese doll.
"What the heck? Nirvana Reincarnated's designer is a little girl? This doesn’t make sense!"
"Such a grand style. Even if it’s not a man, might as well be a grown woman! Is she even legal yet?"
…
"Uh, you’re...Nirvana Reincarnated's designer, L?" the host asked in surprise.
Qu Guanyang raised his eyebrows and touched his chin to ask, "Are you here in someone else’s stead?"
His instinct from his experience in the industry told him that she was not the designer for Nirvana Reincarnated.
Han Momo nodded and bowed to the audience politely. "Everyone, I’m sorry, L isn’t able to come today because he is not feeling well. I’m his assistant and I’m here to receive the prize in his stead!"
Now that made sense…
As everyone let out a sigh of relief, the mystery shrouding L intensified!
The competition evening finally came to an end. Han Momo carefully held the trophy and sneaked out even before the journalists could come to her.
All the attention was shifted to David and Tzuyu.
"Ms. Kim, History lost this time. Do you have anything to say?"
"Was Qu Guanyang implying that you’re trying to manipulate the competition’s result?"
"Director David, you’ve lost to someone even with your best design. How do you feel?"
…
David looked really unwell and he did not know what to answer.
Tzuyu’s phone had been ringing non-stop after the competition results were out. They had lost a few million dollars in just a few minutes after some big customers canceled their reservations. The worst thing was that the unknown Spirit Studio could end up as their biggest competitor.
David knew that things were bad just by looking at Tzuy’s expression. "Miss, it’s just a local award. It’s nothing!"
"Nothing?! In just a few minutes, we’ve lost five million dollars!"
Most importantly, how could she face everyone? People said she had good taste and had a treasure in her hands. Now, she did not win the prize and was even accused of controlling the competition results!
David cursed internally. Five million dollars, so what? Remember how much we earned before!
But he still spoke carefully, "Ms. Kim, please believe me. The effect is just temporary, that designer has a similar style to mine, but we’ve already dominated the market. He can never take away our customers!"
"He'd better not!"