Sober and beautiful, my husband and son begged for my forgiveness on their knees.

As Lu Jingmo entered the venue, he immediately saw Ning Yao, who was dressed in formal attire.

His face was still the same one he knew, but his entire demeanor and aura had undergone a complete transformation.

"Mr. Lu, welcome. I attended the same dinner with you before, but you were too busy and I didn't have a chance to talk to you."

"That's right. At such a young age, President Lu has managed to secure his position as the head of the Lu Group and run it with great success. We are truly ashamed of ourselves!"

"President Lu, I didn't expect you to attend this bidding conference. If I had known you were coming, I wouldn't have bothered."

"..."

Lu Jingmo was already used to the enthusiastic praise and compliments from the crowd, and his reaction was very indifferent.

However, upon hearing the last person's words, he suddenly paused and said calmly, "This bidding process was open and fair. Even the Lu Group followed the procedures, just like everyone else here."

His words were both an explanation and a reminder.

The person then realized they had said the wrong thing and immediately apologized.

Lu Jingmo waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he didn't care.

People had a better impression of him.

Some people even used this to mock Ning Yao and her companion.

"Look how magnanimous President Lu is. Even with the renowned Lu Group, he's not arrogant in the slightest. And you're just a small, run-down company, yet you dare to call yourselves rising stars in the design world? Bah!"

Ning Yao didn't want to cause trouble, but she also refused to submit to fate, so she looked at the person coldly.

“We at ‘Shattered Stars’ have never called ourselves rising stars in the design world, but netizens like our designs and are willing to call us ‘Shattered Stars’. What’s wrong with that?”

Seeing that they hadn't refuted him before, but were now holding a grudge, the man became even angrier. "You little wench, you've got a sharp tongue! So what if netizens call you that? Who knows if you yourselves guided netizens to call you that!"

Lu Jingmo, who was just about to sit down, immediately stopped when he heard what the man said.

Yang Qian, who was traveling with him, noticed that the BOSS's expression was not good and immediately explained, "The one who spoke is General Manager Lü, who has wanted to meet with you many times. His company laid off more than half of its employees last year due to poor investment. I guess he wants to use this bidding conference to build a good relationship with the organizers and strive for other opportunities."

Lu Jingmo declined to comment.

Seeing that the man was actually taking it seriously, Zhong Yunche wanted to help Ning Yao scold him.

Ning Yao saw through it and immediately continued to fight back without being humble or arrogant.

"This gentleman looks like someone who has been in the design industry for a long time. Logically speaking, you should be our senior, but why do you not show any of the tolerance and magnanimity expected of a senior? Or have you been having a rough few years, so you can't accept that others are doing well?"

She inadvertently hit the nail on the head regarding Mr. Lü's biggest worry, causing the other onlookers to start laughing at him.

Enraged, General Manager Lü pointed at her from a distance, "What nonsense are you spouting! Who's being petty? Who's having a bad time? What right do you, a mere young girl, have to criticize me!"

Judging from the reactions of the others, Ning Yao realized that she had probably touched a nerve with this person. She smiled faintly and said, "President Lü, you're too kind. I was just going along with what you said. If you feel uncomfortable, then don't talk nonsense in the future."

"You—" President Lü was speechless, his face turning red with anger.

Zhong Yunche knew she was eloquent, but he didn't expect her to be able to push the troublemakers to this point in front of so many people. He couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.

Yang Qian had met Ning Yao before, but the Ning Yao of that time was timid, cowardly, sensitive and insecure, completely different from the quick-witted and sharp-tongued Ning Yao in front of him.

"Mr. Lu, Madam is amazing! She completely silenced Mr. Lü. But why didn't she come in with you? Why is she sitting with a man she doesn't know?"

As he spoke, he felt a chill run down his spine. He cautiously looked at Lu Jingmo, only to meet his icy gaze.

"If you like to gossip so much, why don't you switch careers and become a journalist?"

Yang Qian shook his head vigorously, not daring to breathe.

Because Ning Yao had clashed with President Lü, everyone knew she wasn't someone to be trifled with, so they stopped making sarcastic remarks about her.

Soon, the bidding process began.

The host came on stage to explain the rules.

The rules are simple: all company representatives participating in the bidding process must go on stage to give a detailed explanation of their design drawings. After everyone has finished explaining, the organizer and several other VIPs will vote according to the rules.

The one with the most votes wins.

Soon, the first representative took the stage.

Ning Yao came with a learning mindset, so her attitude was very proper and she listened very attentively.

Lu Jingmo was sitting in the front row and shouldn't have noticed her, but Ning Yao always appeared in his peripheral vision, forcing him to pay attention to her.

Seeing her take out a pen and write down notes with such seriousness, looking just like a good student, he was both confused and curious.

what is she doing?

Yang Qian saw a design drawing that looked good and was about to ask Lu Jingmo about it when he unexpectedly caught him secretly looking at his wife.

He quickly looked away, secretly shocked.

Previously, the boss never paid attention to the lady's every move. Why has he changed now?

Could it be that he missed some crucial information?

Ning Yao keenly sensed that someone was watching her, and turned her gaze in that direction, only to find herself staring directly into Lu Jingmo's eyes.

She calmly looked away and continued writing her unfinished notes.

Zhong Yunche, who was standing to the side, noticed her movements. Following his gaze, he realized that it was Lu Jingmo looking at her.

Unexpectedly, their eyes met.

Like two incredibly sharp blades, sparks flew instantly.

The surrounding air was drawn by this force, becoming heavy and tense.

At this moment, the host spoke up.

"Next, please welcome the representative of 'Shattered Star' Company to the stage."

Ning Yao stood up and walked step by step toward the stage.

All eyes turned to her, some with curiosity, some with doubt, some with disdain, and some with contempt...

Ning Yao was a little nervous.

But her nervousness wasn't due to everyone's stares, but rather because she hadn't spoken publicly about her design work in a long time.

Once on stage, she placed her hands on either side of the table, took a deep breath, and then said, "My design inspiration comes from..."

At first, her voice trembled slightly, but as she pressed the remote control and unfolded the design sketches, her voice began to become confident and composed.

As she explained, the atmosphere in the room changed.

Those who initially had no expectations of her were now captivated, their gazes shifting from disdain to focus, and finally to shock.

Even Lu Jingmo's indifferent eyes flickered when he saw those ingenious design sketches.

He thought Ning Yao only knew how to make those flashy but impractical dresses, but he didn't expect her to be so insightful in these areas...

She does have some talent.

After Ning Yao finished her explanation, the designers from the Lu Group took the stage.

His design sketches were also very good, focusing on environmental protection and health, just like Ning Yao's. The difference was that before he stepped down from the stage, he was called back by the organizer and asked several follow-up questions.

Soon, the judges began voting.

Everyone held their breath, the air seemed to freeze, and the entire venue was so quiet you could hear someone breathing...