Chapter 1 — Global Livestream, Her Dress Shows My Name

My Ex-Husband Forced Me to Plead the Charge of Plagiarism on behalf of my Best Friend, When Livestreamed Globally, My Name Appeared on Her Dress After learning that my submitted work was concluded to be plagiarized in Ha Mat, I went from the sharpest and most prominent young designer in the world to the quietest background person. Ha Mat liked the new sketch I just drew, I immediately offered it with both hands. Ha Mat took part in the international election for me, I didn't say a word. Even when Ha Mat blushed and said she loved Luc Ngan, I didn't fight, didn't make a fuss, and calmly signed the divorce petition. But that night, Luc Ngan stopped me in a hidden corner of the office and asked in a hoarse voice:

"Why did you become like this? It's just a few blueprints, is it that important? You can't even leave me behind?"

I looked at Luc Ngan who was almost out of control in front of me and just found it funny. His heartbroken appearance at this moment was as if the appraisal report proving that I had plagiarized Ha Mat was not fabricated by him. He stared at me, waiting for an answer. I pushed his hand away and walked past him.

"You'd better go stay with Ha Mat. Her competition collection still needs you to take care of."

“I have to go to the hearing, get out of the way.”

Ha Mat is about to participate in the international voting, no mistakes are allowed. As for my matters, I have always been behind Ha Mat. Luc Ngan's body stiffened for a moment, but still refused to get out of the way.

"Ha Tinh, you once said that you would only wear the clothes I bought you and only use the needle and thread box I gave you for the rest of your life. Have you forgotten what I said?"

I never stopped walking.

“I don't dare think about it now.”

Leaving the office, instructor Chu Minh Vien's car was already parked downstairs. He was wearing a custom-made Trung Son suit, holding a cigarette and standing next to the car. Seeing me leave, he immediately extinguished the cigarette end.

"For tomorrow's hearing, you just need to admit that the original inspiration for that work came from Ha Mat. I've already prepared a statement for you, just read along."

"Doing so is good for me. The association will not pursue legal liability, I can still keep my design practice certificate."

He paused for a moment, his eyes glanced over my shoulder, looking towards the office door. Luc Ngan was standing there, his face gloomy, watching me leave. Chu Minh Vien withdrew his gaze and lowered his voice:

"Because of this, your husband has run away so many times. You must know in your heart. He is really trying to protect you."

I didn't reply. In my previous life, I believed. Believe Luc Ngan's heartbroken look. Believe in Chu Minh Vien's words "for your own good". There were tears in Ha Mat's eyes. Then I personally admitted to plagiarism at the hearing, and was cursed by netizens for three months. At the end, when standing on the cliff by the sea looking down, the salty taste of sea water filled my nostrils. The moment it sank, the phone screen suddenly lit up. This is the message Luc Ngan sent to Ha Mat:

"It's done. The prize is yours."

I closed my eyes in the light emitted from that text message. When I opened my eyes again, I was sitting in the backseat of Chu Minh Vien's car, clutching the fake plagiarism assessment form in my hand. The date on it was three months ago. The hearing has not yet taken place. All something is still in time. So, this time I won't argue anymore. They want me to plead guilty, I will. They want me to hand over my work, I will deliver. The only thing is, what I deliver will be a little different from the previous one. Chu Minh Vien took me to the gate of the Association building and gave me the last sentence:

"Tomorrow, remember to dress a little more simply, don't wear makeup. It's best to show your dark circles. The evaluation board will sympathize with an emaciated person who admits his mistakes, not with someone who dresses delicately but tries to deny it."

I nodded obediently. He drove away satisfied. Returning to my small rented apartment, I locked the door, pulled up the curtain, and lifted the loose floor tile underneath. Inside is a sealed ceramic jar. The jar contained a dye that took me four years of research to complete. This dye is colorless and odorless. Applying it to any fabric will leave no trace. But just by coming into contact with liquid containing alcohol, the patterns hidden under the fabric will slowly appear. In my previous life, I locked this formula in a safe. After I died, Luc Ngan broke into the safe and took it, sold it to a textile factory, and exchanged it for two houses. In this life, that jar of dye will have a different effect. I squatted in front of the floor, looked at the jar for a long time, then closed the brick and wiped my hands clean. I'll come to the hearing tomorrow. I will plead guilty. I will cry. I will apologize. I would bury my face in my hands, making everyone think I deserved it. Then I will wait. Wait until the contest dress needs someone to do the final shaping. Because in all of China, I'm the only one who knows how to do that step. Ha Mat doesn't know. Chu Minh Vien doesn't know. Luc Ngan doesn't even know. They just haven't realized how important it is. The next day, the third floor meeting room of the Huaxia Designers Association was packed with people. On both sides of the long table were judges, association board members, media reporters and industry insiders. More than forty people filled the room. Chu Minh Vien sat diagonally across from me, with a stack of printed documents in his hand. Ha Mat sat next to him, her eyes were red as if she had just cried. She wore an ivory white silk shirt, her hair tied low at the nape of her neck. The whole person is as weak and fragile as a gardenia flower blown by the wind. I've known her for eight years. I know every time she wants to cry in public, she puts ice on her eyes in advance to make the redness and swelling look more natural. The Association President cleared his throat and opened the file in front of him.

“Today we are holding a hearing regarding the creative ownership dispute of the work entered in the twelfth National Style Rookie Designer Competition.”

“The complaining party is Ms. Ha Mat, the complaining party is Ms. Ha Tinh.”

"Ms. Ha Mat believes that the core design idea, shape structure and pattern system of the 'Son Hai Van' collection are all her original creations, and Ms. Ha Tinh has committed plagiarism."

“Ha Tinh, do you have anything to say?”

I stood up. More than forty eyes turned towards me at the same time.

“I admit.”

The whole hall immediately fell silent. Chu Minh Vien's fingers lightly tapped twice on the table. A smile appeared at the corner of his lips and then disappeared. Tears fell from Ha Mat's eyes immediately fell. Her voice trembled just enough:

“Tinh Tinh, you finally told the truth.”

"I don't blame you. I know your pressure is great."

“I just... just don't want to see my heart and soul taken away by someone else.”