The Legend of Cinderella's Counterattack

The whistling of the sirens gradually faded away, and the chaotic scene in the square gradually returned to calm. I sat in the hospital corridor, clutching Lu Yuxuan's examination report tightly in my hand, but my heart could not calm down.

"Fortunately, they are just some superficial injuries. You will be fine after a few days of rest." Captain Zhang handed me a cup of hot tea with a thermos in his hand, and his tone was comforting.

I took the teacup and forced a smile: "Thank you, Captain Zhang, and thank you for your help today."

"Lolo, don't worry. I've already sent people to investigate those men in black, and we'll have results soon." Captain Zhang sighed, a troubled expression on his face, "It's just..."

"Just what?" My heart tightened, and I had a bad feeling.

"It's just..." Captain Zhang hesitated for a moment, then said, "I investigated the backgrounds of those men in black and found that they are connected to a large domestic clothing group."

"Clothing Group?" A name suddenly popped up in my mind - "Xingyao".

Xingyao Group is a leading company in the domestic apparel industry and my studio's biggest competitor. Some time ago, Xingyao Group launched a clothing line similar to ours, putting us under great pressure in terms of both pricing and publicity.

Could it be that the Xingyao Group was behind this attack?

I told Lawrence Lu my guess, and after listening to it, his face became very solemn.

"I know the president of Xingyao Group. His name is Zhao Tianming. He's a ruthless character. If he really did this, then we have to be careful."

"But why did he do this? Is it just because of business competition?" I asked puzzledly.

Lawrence Lu shook his head, a gleam in his eyes: “Business competition is just superficial. I suspect that there are more powerful forces behind Zhao Tianming supporting him. Otherwise, he would not dare to attack us so blatantly.”

My heart sank suddenly, and an unprecedented sense of crisis surged into my heart.

If this is really the case, then Lawrence Lu and I will face an even more brutal struggle…

A chill crawled up my spine, as if I had fallen into an elaborately woven trap, while my opponent was hiding in the dark, baring its cold fangs at me.

"Xingyao Group..." I muttered to myself, my thoughts rippling like a stone dropped into a lake. Was Zhao Tianming going to kill us simply because of business competition? Was there a deeper conspiracy behind this?

Before I had time to think about it, my cell phone rang.

"Lolo, something bad has happened, hurry up and check the news!" The anxious voice of my best friend came from the other end of the phone.

I hurriedly opened the news website and was greeted by a barrage of negative reports with shocking headlines:

"Rising star designer Lin Luoluo is addicted to plagiarism, and her designs are completely devoid of originality!"

"Shocking! Substandard fabrics were spotted at Lin Luoluo's fashion show, potentially deceiving consumers!"

"Lin Luoluo Studio is embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, and the identity of the boss behind the scenes remains a mystery!"

……

The photos were of my works from a fashion show, but they were deliberately cut out, spliced together, and distorted into evidence of plagiarism.

The comment section is full of insults and attacks:

"That's what I was saying. How could a little-known designer come up with such a good design? Turns out he plagiarized!"

"You can only judge a person by their appearance, but not by their heart. I used to like her designs so much, but I didn't expect she would be this kind of person!"

"Boycott the copycats, boycott Lin Luoluo Studio!"

My heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and it was difficult to breathe. These reports were completely false, clearly fabricated by someone maliciously!

"Lolo, don't worry, I've asked the public relations team to handle it. We will definitely find out who is behind this!" On the other end of the phone, my best friend's voice was still full of worry.

I hung up the phone, but I couldn't calm down.

At this time, Lawrence Lu pushed the door and walked in, his face was terribly gloomy.

"Yuxuan, how are you? Are you feeling better?" I suppressed the uneasiness in my heart and tried to make myself look calmer.

Lawrence Lu walked to my side, hugged me tightly in his arms, and said in a low and hoarse voice: “I’m fine, it’s just…”

He paused, as if trying to organize his words, and finally spoke after a long while: "Xingyao Group has attacked our company. They are maliciously acquiring our shares. Now, our company's capital chain is in danger of breaking..."

My brain buzzed and everything went blank.

How could this be?

First, the fashion show was maliciously sabotaged, then there was overwhelming negative coverage, and now, even Lawrence Lu’s company has been implicated…

Zhao Tianming, what on earth do you want to do?!

I raised my head and looked at Lawrence Lu’s tired eyes, my heart filled with guilt and self-blame.

"I'm sorry, it's all because of me that I dragged you into this..."

Lawrence Lu gently stroked my hair, his eyes gentle but firm: “Silly boy, what are you talking about? We are husband and wife, we should face the wind and rain together.”

"But……"

"There's no but," Lawrence Lu interrupted me, "What we have to do now is to find the mastermind behind this and clear our name."

Lawrence Lu’s words, like the warm sun in winter, dispelled the haze in my heart and rekindled the flame of hope in me.

"You're right, we can't just sit there and wait for death!" I clenched my fists, my eyes gradually becoming firm. "I will definitely find out the truth and won't let those bad guys succeed!"

However, the reality is more cruel than we imagined.

The Xingyao Group's offensive became increasingly fierce, and the negative media reports never stopped. My studio was almost paralyzed, and Lawrence Lu's company was facing an unprecedented crisis.

“Yuxuan, we can’t go on like this.” Looking at Lawrence Lu’s increasingly thin face, my heart was like a knife, “If you stay here, it will only make things worse. Go away and deal with the company’s affairs. Leave this to me.”

“But, your studio…” Lawrence Lu’s eyes were full of worry.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." I fought back my tears and forced a smile. "Have you forgotten? I'm an indestructible cockroach!"

In the end, Lawrence Lu chose to leave. I know that he did this to better protect me and to buy us more time.

After seeing Lu Yuxuan off, I locked myself in the studio and read through those negative reports over and over again, trying to find a flaw in them.

"Lolo, don't be like this. There is always a way to solve the problem." My best friend looked at me with concern and handed me a cup of hot coffee.

"I just can't understand why Zhao Tianming did this?" I held my head in pain. "What is his purpose in doing this?"

The best friend was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Lolo, do you remember that strange woman we met at the entrance of Xingyao Group last time?"

"Strange woman?" I tried to recall. "You mean, the woman who kept staring at us?"

"Yes, that's her!" The friend nodded. "I always feel that woman has something to do with this matter."

"You mean..." I thought, "That woman might be Zhao Tianming's accomplice?"

"I'm just guessing, but I think we should start with her. Maybe we can find some clues."

My best friend’s words were like a flash of lightning, illuminating the confused direction in my heart.

I immediately called a private investigator and asked him to help me investigate the woman's identity and background.

A few days later, the private investigator came back with the news.

"Ms. Lin, I've already found out the identity of that woman. Her name is Li Li, and she's the assistant to the design director of Xingyao Group."

"The design director's assistant?" I frowned. "Why is she following us?"

"I need to investigate further," the private detective said with a hint of embarrassment. "But I've discovered something very interesting. Li Li transfers money to a fixed account every month, and the account holder is actually..."

"Who is it?" I asked impatiently.

"She's Zhao Tianming's wife."

When I heard this answer, I was stunned.

Zhao Tianming's wife? What's the connection between them?

I took a deep breath, and a bold idea suddenly flashed through my mind.

"I know what to do!"