The Legend of Cinderella's Counterattack

"Who are you?" My fingers holding the phone trembled slightly, and my heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably.

The person on the other end of the phone chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I know who you are and what you want."

His words were like a sharp thorn, piercing my heart. I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "What do you want to do?"

"I just want to tell you that there are some things you can't interfere with, and some secrets you can't know." His voice suddenly turned cold. "Take care of yourself, Mrs. Lu."

The call was hung up, leaving only a piercing busy tone. I sat on the sofa, stunned, the man's last words echoing in my mind.

"What did he say?" Lu Yuxuan asked with concern when he saw that I was pale.

I took a deep breath and told him the content of the call. After Lawrence Lu finished listening, his expression became solemn.

"It seems we have underestimated our opponents," he said gravely. "Not only do they know us inside and out, but they are also trying to threaten us in this way."

I held his hand tightly, my heart filled with anxiety and fear. Facing such a mysterious and powerful opponent, do we really have a chance of winning?

“No, we can’t just sit there and wait for death.” Lawrence Lu said with a firm look in his eyes, “Since they want to play, we will play with them to the end.”

He picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Help me find someone..."

Over the next few days, we were busy investigating the source of the "Emgrand" and the mysterious phone call. However, the other party was so well hidden that we found almost nothing.

"There must be something fishy going on when things are out of the ordinary." Lu Yuxuan looked at the information in his hand, frowning. "'Emperor' has always acted cautiously. Why would they go against us so blatantly this time? Unless..."

"Unless what?" I demanded.

“Unless they have a bigger conspiracy.” Lawrence Lu said in a deep voice, “Also, I suspect there may be another key figure hidden behind this matter.”

His words shocked me. Could it be that besides "Emgrand", there is someone else secretly controlling all this?

"We must find the mastermind behind this," I said firmly. "Only then can we truly solve the problem."

Lawrence Lu nodded, his eyes falling on a document on the table, “Maybe we can start from here.”

I followed his gaze and saw a file about the family of the person in charge of "Emgrand".

"His family?" I was a little confused.

Lawrence Lu explained: “Knowing yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. If we can start with his family, perhaps we can find a breakthrough.”

After some investigation, we found out that the person in charge of "Emgrand" has a younger sister named Sophie, a girl with a strong interest in fashion.

"Maybe, I can start with her." A bold idea emerged in my mind, "I can approach her as a fashion mentor, and then..."

Lawrence Lu looked at me, a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes, “This is a good idea, but you have to be careful, Sophie is not a simple girl.”

I took a deep breath, suppressed my inner nervousness, and began to work on my plan. First, I needed a legitimate identity to approach Sophie. I searched through various fashion websites and magazines and finally found a perfect opportunity—a young designer competition called "Future Star" was about to begin, and Sophie was one of the judges.

I signed up for the competition under the pseudonym "Chenxi" and carefully designed a series of works. These works combined classical and modern elements, and were both fashionable and avant-garde with an oriental charm. They were completely different from my previous design style. My goal was to stand out from the crowd of contestants and attract Sophie's attention.

On the day of the competition, I dressed in a deliberately understated and mysterious manner, hoping to leave a lasting first impression on Sophie. The moment I took to the runway with my collection, I could feel the gazes of the audience, including Sophie's. Her eyes were sharp and critical, but I didn't flinch. Instead, I confidently presented my work and explained my design philosophy in fluent English.

The result of the competition was unexpectedly good, and I actually won the championship. When I stood on the podium and received the trophy from Sophie, I could sense a hint of appreciation and curiosity in her eyes.

"Your work is very spiritual and thoughtful," Sophie said to me with a hint of appreciation. "I look forward to seeing even better works from you in the future."

"Thank you, Miss Sophie. Your affirmation is my greatest motivation." I suppressed my inner excitement and responded modestly.

Over the next few days, I began to frequent Sophie's social circle. I attended various fashion parties and salons she organized, seizing every opportunity to exchange fashion tips with her. I discovered that despite her wealthy family background, Sophie wasn't interested in the glitz and glamour of life. Instead, she deeply admired truly talented designers. I catered to her interests, sharing many of my unique insights into fashion and recounting my journey from an unknown Cinderella to a renowned designer. I successfully won her favor and trust.

"Chenxi, you are such a special girl." Once, after three rounds of drinks, Sophie took my hand and said with emotion, "You have a spirit of never giving up. It reminds me of my brother..."

Sophie suddenly stopped, as if realizing that she had let the cat out of the bag, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.

"Your brother?" I asked, feigning curiosity. "I don't think you've ever mentioned him before. Is he also in the fashion industry?"

Sophie shook her head, a trace of loneliness on her face, "No, he..."

Just as Sophie was about to tell us more about her brother, a phone call interrupted our conversation. Sophie answered the phone, her face became serious, she said a few words quickly and hung up.

"Sorry, Chenxi, I have something urgent to do and need to leave first." Sophie said to me apologetically, "Let's talk next time."

I nodded, watching Sophie's hurried departure, my mind speculating on the conversation on the other end. Who was Sophie's brother? What was his connection to Dihao? Everything seemed like a vast mystery, waiting to be unravelled... After Sophie's hasty departure, I didn't leave immediately. Instead, I sat there, sipping my wine and pondering Sophie's words and her brother's story. My intuition told me there must be some connection between Sophie's brother and Dihao, and this might be the key to uncovering Dihao's true identity.

I took out my phone, typed a text message and sent it to Lawrence Lu, briefly telling him what had just happened and asking if he knew about Sophie's family background. Soon, Lawrence Lu replied, telling me that Sophie's family was very low-key and there was little public information, but he would use all his resources to investigate.

A few days later, Lawrence Lu brought me a piece of news. Sophie did have a brother named Su Mo, who died in an accident a few years ago. Su Mo was very outstanding during his lifetime and was the heir that the Su family focused on training. He and the founder of "Emgrand" were once good friends.

"Su Mo's death has always been a taboo topic in the Su family, and few people know the details." Lawrence Lu's tone was a little solemn, "I suspect that Su Mo's death may be related to 'Dihao'."

Lu Yuxuan's speculation coincided with mine; we both sensed that things weren't as simple as they seemed. To uncover the truth, we decided to pursue a two-pronged approach. I continued to approach Sophie as "Chenxi," attempting to extract more information about her brother. Meanwhile, Lu Yuxuan, using business tactics, secretly met with the founder of "Dihao" to learn the truth about Su Mo.

Lu Yuxuan told me that the meeting with the founder of Dihao didn't go well. He was extremely secretive about Su Mo's situation and refused to reveal any information. But Lu Yuxuan still sensed something strange in his words and demeanor, and he was certain he knew something.

Although we encountered some obstacles along the way, our efforts finally yielded some results, and we gained a deeper understanding of Dihao and Su Mo. However, just as we were about to take further action, an invisible pressure began to weigh on us.

First, the "Chenxi" brand suffered a series of inexplicable attacks. My design drafts were leaked, partners terminated their contracts one after another, and even the media began to spread negative news about me in an attempt to smear my image. At the same time, Lawrence Lu's company also encountered an unprecedented crisis. Competitors suddenly appeared and snatched their market share in an almost frantic manner. The conspiracy behind all this seemed to point to the same direction - "Emgrand".

“It seems that ‘Emperor’ has noticed our intentions and started to counterattack us.” Lawrence Lu’s tone was solemn, “We must be careful, ‘Emperor’ is much stronger than we imagined.”

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. I knew that a tougher battle was about to begin, and I was ready to face the challenge.

The counterattack of "Emgrand" is more fierce than I imagined.

First, the Chenxi new product launch was met with unprecedented indifference. The media seats were mostly empty, and several fashion industry heavyweights who had originally agreed to attend declined, offering various excuses. The atmosphere at the event was awkward and depressing, and my heart sank little by little.

“Don’t be discouraged, Luo Luo.” Lawrence Lu held my hand and whispered comfortingly, “This battle has just begun.”

I forced a smile and nodded. I knew he was right, but the constant blows still left me feeling a little powerless.

After the press conference, I returned to the studio, only to find that the once bustling studio was now empty. Only the housekeeper, Uncle Wang, was standing at the door, looking at me with a worried look on his face.

"Miss, you're back." Uncle Wang stepped forward and whispered, "Miss Sophie and the designers... are gone."

My heart sank, a chill running from the soles of my feet straight into my heart. The departure of Sophie and the designers was undoubtedly a fatal blow to Chenxi.

"Why did they leave?" I asked, suppressing the anger in my heart.

"Miss Sophie said...that 'Chenxi' has no future and she doesn't want to waste any more time." Uncle Wang lowered his head, not daring to look me in the eye.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Sophie's departure was unexpected, but upon reflection, it made sense. Dihao's strength and methods were far beyond our current capabilities. Sophie chose to leave at this time to protect herself.

I waved my hand feebly, signaling Uncle Wang to go down first. Uncle Wang hesitated for a moment, then turned and left the studio.

I was the only one left in the huge studio. I slumped down in a chair, staring at the empty studio, feeling lost and helpless.

"Emgrand" is like a mountain, standing in front of me, leaving me with no hope.

Just when I felt desperate, Lawrence Lu appeared at the door of the studio. He walked quickly to my side and hugged me in his arms.

"Don't be afraid, Lolo, I'm here." His voice was low and firm, like a warm current that dispelled the coldness and fear in my heart.

"Yuxuan, can we really win?" I raised my head, looked into his deep eyes, and asked softly.

“Of course, we will definitely win.” Lawrence Lu’s eyes flashed with determination, “I have found some clues, and I believe we will be able to find out the details of ‘Emperor’ soon.”

His words were like a shot of adrenaline, rekindling my hope. I know this battle is far from over, and Lu Yuxuan and I still have many more challenges to face, but I believe that as long as we fight side by side, we will be able to overcome all difficulties.

Just when we were feeling the immense pressure, an unexpected ally emerged. The identity and background of this ally would be the key to our victory over "Emgrand"...

The studio was deathly silent, with only the ticking of the wall clock, as if mocking my powerlessness. The departure of Sophie and the designers was like the rip of the backbone of "Chenxi", leaving me without the strength to even stand.

"Knock knock knock..." There was a knock on the door. I looked up tiredly, but saw an unexpected face.

"Ms. Shen?" I stood up in surprise and looked at the business woman in front of me, my mind full of question marks.

Shen Meng, the head of the fashion group "Huan Cai", is well-known in the industry for her decisive style and unique vision. She and Lawrence Lu have been business partners for many years, and she has been a long-time competitor with Qin Feng, the president of "Emgrand".

"Ms. Lin, sorry to bother you." Shen Meng smiled slightly, walked into the studio, and sat down elegantly on the sofa.

"Why are you here?" I suppressed my excitement and poured a cup of tea for Shen Meng.

Shen Meng picked up the teacup and took a sip. His eyes fell on me with a bit of scrutiny: "I heard that Chenxi has encountered some troubles recently?"

I smiled bitterly. Shen Meng was really well-informed. It seemed that Chenxi’s predicament had spread throughout the circle.

"It's 'Emgrand'..." I simply told Shen Meng what happened, my tone full of helplessness and resentment.

After listening to my story, Shen Meng didn't show much surprise. She just said lightly: "I know Qin Feng too well. He will never let any competitor go easily."

I remained silent. Although Shen Meng's words were cruel, they were also true.

"But, Miss Lin, don't worry too much." Shen Meng changed her tone, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "I came here this time just to discuss a cooperation with you."

Cooperation? I looked at Shen Meng in surprise, a glimmer of hope igniting in my heart. Given Huan Cai's strength, if they were willing to lend a hand, Chen Xi might still have a chance of survival.

"I know what you're thinking." Shen Meng seemed to see through my thoughts. "Although 'Emperor' is powerful, it is not without weaknesses. This time, Qin Feng might have hit a wall."

Shen Meng’s words made me even more confused. Is there any hidden story behind “Emgrand”?

"Ms. Lin, have you heard of 'X'?" Shen Meng suddenly lowered her voice and asked mysteriously.

"X"? I shook my head. I had never heard of this code name. Could it be the mastermind behind "Emgrand"?

Shen Meng didn't answer my question directly, but said meaningfully: "Soon, you will know..."