The Legend of Cinderella's Counterattack

Professor Fang's words resonated like thunder in my ears. The entrance to the time-travel system was in my company? How could this be possible? My mind raced through every corner of the company building: the design department, the sample room, the offices... Could there really be some hidden secret somewhere?

I suppressed the shock and confusion surging in my heart and looked at Lawrence Lu, only to find him unusually calm. His deep eyes were like a deep lake, making it impossible to discern his thoughts. "Lao Fang, are you sure?" His tone was steady, without a trace of panic.

Professor Fang nodded solemnly, pulled up the data analysis chart from the USB drive, and pointed to several unusual data peaks. "Look," he said, "these data anomalies all occurred near your company building, and the timing perfectly aligns with Luo Luo's appearance. Combined with the evidence we've gathered of spacetime distortion, it's almost certain that a passage connecting the two worlds is hidden beneath your company building!"

I was completely bewildered, but I understood one thing: my time travel wasn't accidental. It was likely connected to Lawrence Lu's company. "But how is that possible? The company building was built less than five years ago, and I..." I suddenly realized something and looked at Lawrence Lu. "Didn't your company rebuild five years ago?"

A flicker of admiration flashed in Lawrence Lu's eyes; it was clear that my reaction hadn't disappointed him. "Yes, five years ago, there was an accidental fire in the company building, and it was later demolished and rebuilt. It was after that that I began to dream about you more frequently."

Professor Fang pushed his glasses up and added, "According to my theory, the fire was most likely caused by the opening of the space-time channel. After the channel opened, the energies of the two worlds collided, leading to the accidental fire."

I was stunned. So, my encounter with Lawrence Lu was caused by a spatial and temporal distortion? But why me? Why his company? What secrets were hidden in this?

At this moment, Lawrence Lu’s phone suddenly rang. He picked up the phone, and his expression gradually became solemn. “What did you say?! Okay, I get it, I’ll come right over!”

After hanging up the phone, Lawrence Lu's face was terribly gloomy. "What's wrong?" Professor Fang and I asked in unison.

"Someone's maliciously spreading negative news about the Lolo brand, and..." His tone was icy, a murderous aura emanating from it. "It seems our competitors can no longer hold back." A chill shot up from my feet to my head. I'd heard of our competitors' despicable tactics before, but I hadn't expected them to strike at this critical juncture. Could it be that the mystery of my time travel and this sudden commercial attack had some hidden connection?

"What kind of news are they spreading?" I tried to remain calm, but my voice couldn't help but tremble. Lawrence Lu shook my hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's just some unfounded rumors about our product quality and that you copied someone else's design. These are so low-brow, no one would believe them."

"But..." I was still feeling uneasy. "If they dared to do this, they must have something to rely on. And why did they choose to do it at this time?"

"They're clearly targeting us," Professor Fang said gravely. "They want to use the space-time channel to create chaos and seize the opportunity to suppress us."

Lawrence Lu's expression darkened. "It seems we underestimated their ambition. They want more than just market share. They also want…" He paused. "The secret of the space-time passage."

I gasped. The secret of the space-time passage? Could it be that my time travel wasn't accidental, but was manipulated by someone behind the scenes? And this person behind the scenes might very well be our competitor?

Before he could think about it, Lawrence Lu’s phone rang again, “What? Corporate espionage? I see, block the company immediately, I’ll go back right away!”

After hanging up the phone, Lawrence Lu’s eyes were already burning with rage, “They are getting more and more rampant, they even dared to send commercial spies to sneak into the company!”

"It seems that we must find the space-time channel as soon as possible and find out the truth behind all this!" Professor Fang said solemnly.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. "Yuxuan, go ahead and handle the company's affairs. I'll work with Professor Fang to investigate this matter thoroughly."

Lawrence Lu looked at me deeply and said, "Okay, be careful and contact me if anything happens."

As I watched Lawrence Lu leave, the uneasiness in my heart grew stronger and stronger. A bigger storm seemed to be approaching us...

After Lawrence Lu left, my heart was in my throat, like a tangled mess I couldn't quite untangle. The competitor's attack was so fierce, so unexpected, like... a long-planned conspiracy. I kept reminding myself to stay calm, to trust Lawrence Lu, and to believe in our team's abilities.

"Don't worry, Luoluo. The innocent will be cleared." Professor Fang saw my anxiety and handed me a cup of hot tea. "What we need to do now is to collect evidence to prove our innocence."

I nodded and forced myself to focus on my work. We contacted major media outlets and held a press conference to publicly address the rumors. We also presented product test reports and design drawings to demonstrate the high quality and originality of our products. At the same time, we also strengthened our company's security measures to prevent further intrusion by industrial espionage.

However, the competitor's offensive didn't abate; instead, it intensified. Negative news flooded the internet, with malicious attacks against me and my company. Some even started boycotting our products. My design drafts were maliciously misinterpreted, accused of plagiarizing the work of an unknown foreign designer. Looking at these specious "evidence," I was trembling with anger, yet I felt helpless.

"How could they do this?!" Xiaomei, her best friend, was filled with indignation. "This is clearly a false accusation! It's pure jealousy!"

I shook my head feebly, leaning back wearily on the sofa. I understood that in the business world, there are no permanent friends, only lasting interests. And if I stood in someone's way, I would become a thorn in their side.

Just when I was about to despair, a change occurred. One day, while sorting through design materials, I stumbled upon a design from a few years ago. It was a clothing pattern I had designed for a small company when I was still a freelance designer. I clearly remember that the design was ultimately rejected due to its high cost.

I held the design in my hand, and a flash of inspiration struck me. I quickly opened my computer and searched for images of my competitor's latest product releases. Sure enough, their designs were nearly identical to mine, with only minor tweaks.

I was instantly thrilled, as if I had grasped at a lifeline. This was proof they'd plagiarized! I immediately contacted a lawyer and prepared to make the evidence public.

However, at this moment, my cell phone rang from an unfamiliar number.

"Are you Miss Lin Luoluo?" A deep male voice came from the other end of the phone. "I know who is behind this, and I know everything you want to know..."

"Hello, who are you? What do you want?" I held the phone tightly, my heart beating faster, and an ominous premonition came to my mind.

"If you want to know, come to the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. Remember, come alone, otherwise..." The other party's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of threat.

I hung up, my heart pounding. Who was that person? How did he know I'd been plagiarized? Was he trying to help me?

"Lolo, what's wrong?" Xiaomei asked with concern when she saw that I was pale.

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell her the truth. "I received a call from a stranger. He said he knew who was behind this and asked me to go to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city alone..."

"What?! This is too dangerous! How can you go alone?" Xiaomei exclaimed, "Wait a minute, I'll call Yuxuan!"

"No!" I grabbed her hand. "You can't tell Yuxuan. If they really are coming for me, telling Yuxuan will only make him worry, and it might even alert them."

"But..." Xiaomei wanted to say something, but I had made up my mind.

"Trust me, I'll be fine." I patted her hand, picked up my coat, and walked out of the house resolutely.

I took a taxi to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. It was desolate and dilapidated, and the air was filled with a smell of decay that made people shudder.

I followed the instructions on the phone and arrived at a warehouse deep inside the factory. The door was ajar, and a faint light shone from inside.

I took a deep breath, pushed the door open and walked in.

The warehouse was empty, with only a dim light illuminating a table in the middle. A man was sitting at the table with his back to me, and I couldn't see his face clearly.

"You're here." The man slowly turned around, revealing a familiar face.

"It's you?!" I covered my mouth in surprise and looked at the person in front of me in disbelief.

He is an old friend of Lawrence Lu. I met him once at a business party. I didn’t expect him to show up here and know about my plagiarism.

"Don't be surprised. I know you have a lot of questions." The man motioned for me to sit down. "I arranged all of this, including your plagiarism and that mysterious phone call. It was all to lure you here."

"Why?" I looked at him warily. "What on earth do you want to do?"

The man smiled, his eyes dark and unfathomable. "I want to make a deal with you. A deal that will make you the queen of the fashion world..."

At the same time, Lawrence Lu also made a breakthrough. Through a series of investigations and tracking, he finally found the trace of the industrial spy and captured him at the critical moment, avoiding major losses for the company.

"Well done!" I received a call from Lawrence Lu, and my heart finally settled down.

“Everything is under my control.” Lawrence Lu’s voice was full of confidence and strength, which made me feel extremely at ease.

"Yuxuan, thank you, thank you for everything you have done for me." My nose felt sore and tears almost burst out.

“Silly boy, why thank you? You are my woman and it is my responsibility to protect you.” Lawrence Lu’s gentle voice came from the other end of the phone, like a warm current flowing into my heart.

Although we have temporarily resolved the immediate crisis, we realize that the real battle has just begun and greater challenges are waiting for us.

Just as we were preparing to face new challenges, a mysterious package was delivered to me. Inside was an ancient diary that seemed to hide more secrets about traveling through time and space.

What kind of surprise will this diary bring? Can it become the key for Lawrence Lu and I to overcome everything?