Mr and Mrs Huo: Chapter 23

One had to say this situation was unprecedented. When was it ever heard that someone was foolish enough to plagiarize a jewelry design right before a known descendant of the original designer?

The audience was still in shock over this once-in-a-lifetime event.

After managing to contain his anger Fang Zhifei opened his mouth to speak, "You fraud, do you know what you have done? You managed to drag the entire industry into the mud with your greed and foolishness. Blatantly plagiarizing from a foreign designer! You are a national disgrace."

Mao He was very flustered. In his anxiety, he tried to defend himself. "I...I...I didn't plagiarize."

Fang Zhifei's face darkened even further. "You still dare say you didn't plagiarize in front of overwhelming evidence. Good! Very good! You and the company behind you should prepare yourselves. Neither of you will go scot-free."

At this threat, Yan Hui stood up to say something, but no one gave him a chance. Before he could say a word, Austin interjected, "According to the rules, Lustrous is disqualified and will no longer be allowed to participate in the Donovan Jewelry Design Competition."

"Someone call security to escort them away."

Wang Zian, who had already prepared the security and was waiting for further instructions, quickly ordered them to escort Lustrous out.

Yan Hui and his team could only cooperate to avoid embarrassment. They all had their faces down, trying to prevent people from memorizing and recognizing their faces in the future. Too bad they wouldn't have it so easy. The paparazzi were already waiting for them when they made it out.

Multiple flashes and questions bombarded them in an instant. With no bodyguard protecting them, it could be estimated that they'll spend some time with the reporters.

With this incident, very few would be willing to work with Lustrous again.

After Lustrous had been escorted off, the host of the competition quickly came to control the situation and introduced the last contestant.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I now present Radiance from the last finalist, Bejeweled."

Then, the last jewelry piece for the competition was pushed on stage by one of the staff.

Exclamations sounded in the hall at the sight of this piece.

It was a necklace that deeply reminded one of the red sunset. 

Its base consisted of 5 circles that were connected to form layers. Underneath the last layer, the rest of the base was a net shaped like an inverted triangle and connected to the final layer. The entire base was made of platinum.

The layers and nets had many tiny pockets in them. Many shades of red diamonds were used embedded in those tiny pockets.

Red diamonds are considered the rarest and some of the most expensive diamonds in the world. They were also called Red Fancy. And in this moment, multiple shades of red diamonds decorated this necklace. 

The most eye-catching part of this necklace was where the last layer and net were connected. In the middle of their connection was the largest pocket in the base, and a sizeable reddish-orange diamond that mimicked the sun was in it. It was dazzling and flawless.

The diamonds closer to the sun were a lighter shade of red. The farther they were from the sun, the darker their color. This transition was very smooth.

Every time the stage lights hit Radiance, breaths were caught. It was like staring at the breathtaking brilliance of the sun at sunset. 

The more they stared at it, the better their moods became. This effect was unique.

Research does say that staring at the sunset has a calming power and puts people in a better mood. But who would have thought that a necklace designed after the sunset could mirror that effect? This shows that the imitation was done to a point many thought was impossible.

As the audience continued to be mesmerized by the necklace, the host continued, "Radiance has a unique feature. It's stunning, but it can be too elaborate to wear on different occasions. Because of this, Radiance was designed so that every part of it is detachable."

As soon as she spoke, one of the staff came on stage and began to pull the necklace apart.

It turns out that every layer of the necklace could be separated and worn individually. The last layer could be separated to form a necklace with the sun as a pendant. The net could be worn separately or dismantled to create earrings of different shapes and sizes.

The most exciting part of this was the center of the triangular net. The two longest strands in the middle of the net could be divided. One into two and another into 3 forming five parts in total. Two of the five parts each had a component of a simple clasp hidden at the back of the base. And then, the parts in total could be rearranged to form a bracelet of different sizes to suit the wearer.

This unique necklace aced every definition of multipurpose.

If this were an auction, it would be a fierce fight to decide this masterpiece's highest bidder and final owner.

"Is...is this our...our piece?" One of the designers at Bejeweled questioned with his mouth agape. None of them could believe it, except, of course, those who participated in the design and creation of Radiance.

"Of course, it's ours," Song Ye replied. His eyes were full of pride and satisfaction at the sight of Radiance dazzling the crowd. This was a piece he took part in creating. He and the other designers of Radiance had been on tenterhooks since they created Radiance. 

They were afraid of the previous incidents repeating themselves. Now they all breathed a sigh of relief and enjoyed the recognition of their hard work. Li Na was thrilled as well. Having their piece successfully on stage proved that they didn't fall victim at the most critical point. 

It wouldn't have been this smooth if she had done it alone. Li Na looked to where the audience was seated to find Yu Yuan. Without her, who knew how much more difficult getting here would be even if they made it?

Her eyes found Yu Yuan, and she gave a smile of gratitude. Yu Yuan returned her smile as if saying there was no need for thanks.

Seeing Radiance was like the final nail in the coffin for Tan Lin. Now she was sure that she had fallen into a trap. When did it all start? Had she been like a jumping clown before their eyes? 

Tan Lin could barely calm down at the moment. She stiffly held both her hands together to stop herself from bolting. Maybe she still had a chance. She couldn't give herself away yet since she hadn't confirmed anything.

Li Na noticed all her fidgeting and sneered. She had enough evidence to get Tan Lin arrested. The only reason Tan Lin was still here was they didn't have evidence of the person behind her. Perhaps Tan Lin would inadvertently help them gather more evidence.

Even if she couldn't, that was fine. Lustrous and Yan Hui would suffer heavy losses after today. The additional evidence was just something that could knock Yan Hui further down. It wasn't necessary.

As she thought of the problems Yan Hui would face, Li Na felt satisfied. It serves him right!

At this point, the staff on stage had already put the necklace back together. It was now time for the judges to make their evaluations. 

Cao Min sighed in amazement. "I don't know what to say. This is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever seen in my entire career."

Loud whispers could be heard after her statement. It should be known that asides from being a designer, Cao Min had a well-known hobby of traveling around the world to see every type of rare jewelry that could be found. She had undoubtedly set her eyes on truly beautiful pieces that even the world hadn't heard about. This kind of praise coming from her carried a huge weight.

"I can barely take my eyes off it," Cao Min continued. "This piece carries the ingenuity that is rarely seen in other designs. Its multipurpose feature is genius and very difficult to achieve without destroying the necklace itself, but I see success right in front of me."

"Not to mention how it mimics the sunset. Many of us assumed that this level of imitation could only be found in paintings. Still, this piece has opened a new door for the jewelry design industry."

Austin Caide nodded, "Cao Min is right. This is a new achievement in the industry. I can also see the efforts put into sourcing the many shades of red diamonds used. Everyone knows how rare a piece of red diamond is, not to talk of this much on a necklace. I don't know much about diamond jewelry, but I can't help be commend the creator on this aspect."

"I'm very happy and reassured," Fang Zhifei started. "After the previous contestant, I was worried that the new generation only amounted to this much. But I'm glad my worries were for naught." And then, he continued to evaluate Radiance. 

Even if he didn't specialize in diamonds, Fang Zhifei's evaluation showed how much of an expert he was. His evaluation was very comprehensive, exposing the audience to details they might have missed. 

After Fang Zhifei spoke, the rest of the judges gave their comments, and the scores were collected. Every judge awarded perfect marks!

This, of course, was expected as everyone already knew the winner could only be Bejeweled.

Once the results were announced, Li Na breathed a sigh of relief and broke into a huge smile. She turned her team to celebrate.

All Bejewelled members were overflowing with joy and excitement, except for Tan Lin. But no one had the mind to care about her. Her attitude since the start of the competition had left a mark on everyone's mind. Now no one wanted to associate with her.

This year's competition was sure to live in the minds of all participants for a long time. Never in the history of the Donovan Jewelry Design Competition has such a rollercoaster competition taken place.

******

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y'ALL! 🥳🥳

It's been a while, but I'm back!!

My exams finished sometime in December. Pre and post-exams were stressful, so I decided to take a short break. I mean, who gives assignments after exams?😒😒

Anyways, I'm back to writing, and I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter.

See ya next week.😘

Previous|TOC|Next