RYG Corporation, CEO’s Office.
A stack of documents was slammed heavily onto the desk, leaving a faint scratch across the surface as the papers scattered.
“What do you mean you ‘can’t prove it’? What on earth is going on?!” leaving a faint scratch across the surface as the papers scattered.
“What do you mean you ‘can’t prove it’?! How is that possible?!”
The man who slammed the documents was tall and imposing. Pushing his hands firmly against the desk, his cold, hardened face was dark enough to drip water.
Right now, the entire internet was flooded with news coverage accusing Lu Qingli of plagiarism. And yet, she had the nerve to claim she couldn’t prove her own innocence?
The air in the room instantly froze into silence.
However, the woman sitting on the sofa didn’t seem threatened by his overbearing presence at all. She simply bent over calmly and picked up the few sheets of paper that had fallen onto the floor.
Her face was as clear and cold as ice, her skin fair as snow, and her soft, dark-gold long hair fell loosely over her chest.
Her brows carried a sharp yet serene elegance, she was both striking and heroically handsome, while her amber eyes possessed a crystalline clarity that seemed capable of seeing through everything.
“What I mean is… I have no way of proving that the 90% degree of overlap is fake.”
Hearing these words, the man collapsed back into his office chair as if all strength had drained from him. His hand, adorned with an expensive watch, gripped the armrest tightly as his expression darkened completely.
“Fine. Fine.”
He stared at the woman in front of him, the cold glint in his eyes as sharp as a blade as he spoke coldly:
“If you can’t present evidence, we can’t clear your name. Do you understand? The company had nothing to do with this matter to begin with, helping you this far is already beyond our duty.”
As the CEO of RYG, his priority was naturally to protect the company’s reputation to the maximum extent possible. As for Lu Qingli, she was merely a pawn to be discarded at a moment’s notice once her utility was squeezed dry.
“Over these past few years, the company hasn’t treated you poorly either,” his tone suddenly softened, before he quickly added, “For today’s press conference, please clarify this matter.”
The “matter” he referred to, naturally, was to state that the company was entirely unaware of the situation.
Lu Qingli listened to him finish. A thin layer of frost seemed to coat the depths of her eyes as she replied nonchalantly, “I understand.”
With that, she stood up and walked out of the office, the door closing behind her with a soft click.
Both sides of the street were already covered in fallen, dry yellow sycamore leaves.
Autumn in A-City had arrived quietly.
On the large display screen outside a commercial mall, advertisements flickered past one after another. Among them was an endorsement for a luxury brand featuring a popular female celebrity.
In the bottom right corner, a signature was written in calligraphic script: Luo Xuan.
A luxurious stretched Lincoln drove past the road in front of the mall.
Inside the car, the young idol sitting in the back raised her hand slightly and took off her hat. Ink-black strands of hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, with a few natural curls around her cheeks adding a touch of relaxed, effortless beauty.
That flawless, fair face was the very same face shown on the billboard outside.
Luo Xuan adjusted her bangs in front of the vanity mirror, then turned her head sideways to check whether the invisible blocker patch on the back of her neck was properly attached.
The blocker patch was used to prevent the gland from releasing pheromones.
In this world, there existed a small minority of Alphas and Omegas, alongside a majority of Betas. Luo Xuan happened to be a rare, one-in-a-ten-thousand S-grade Alpha.
Because the pheromones casually released by an S-grade Alpha could easily affect other Omegas, her manager, Gu Shuyun, had solemnly instructed her to always wear a blocker patch during important occasions.
The luxury car was spacious and comfortable. Luo Xuan leisurely adjusted her hair and habitually leaned back to catch up on sleep.
Just seconds after lying down, her manager Gu Shuyun spoke up, “Did you look at the trending searches today?”
“What’s wrong?” she asked lazily, opening her eyes slightly.
trending searches were usually just about what color outfit she wore today, what hairstyle she tried, or which celebrity was getting divorced or cheating again. Were those things even worth looking at?
However, Gu Shuyun didn’t elaborate in detail. Instead, she passed the tablet over from beside her, saying, “Take a quick look at this.”
Seeing the striking red characters on the trending topics list, Luo Xuan bounced up instantly as if her hand had been burned.
#This song has a 90% similarity to the original track! The original composer speaks out#
#Has genius piano girl Lu Qingli fallen from grace?#
#Crazy! This hit divine track is actually plagiarized?# …
Several poorly worded trending search keywords had already taken over the top spots on the hot list. Luo Xuan’s fair fingertips slid across the screen, clicking into the post with the highest heat. The content read:
Genius pianist and RYG gold-medal composer Lu Qingli’s signature work, “Crying Before the Snowy Night,” exposed for plagiarism? Sfy Corporation’s music producer Ling Youyi publicly addressed Lu Qingli, claiming that the plagiarized song was her own original piece, “Tears,” which was released three years ago. Without obtaining authorization, Lu Qingli allegedly altered the tempo and adapted the melody before releasing it.
Dozens of detailed comparison images showed the overlap between the two songs, the release date of “Tears,” and other proof.
RYG Entertainment’s latest response: Currently confirming the situation with the party involved, please remain patient.
Luo Xuan’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly, a few traces of confusion flashing across her eyes.
Lu Qingli was a famous composer in her company. How did she suddenly get accused of plagiarism out of nowhere?
“What do you think?” Gu Shuyun turned her head and asked, her tassel earrings tracing a silver arc.
Having finished reading the post, Luo Xuan didn’t answer right away, but handed the tablet back to her.
After resting her forehead on her hand to think for a moment, she offered her guess: “I remember that Ling Youyi is a producer at Sfy Corporation, right? Maybe she’s just intentionally stirring up trouble to attract media attention.”
“No, if Ling Youyi dares to call her out publicly, she definitely has cards up her sleeve.” Gu Shuyun analyzed with a serious expression, “Since this involves RYG, the company won’t just stand by and do nothing.”
“The company? Our company’s PR capabilities?”
Hearing this, Luo Xuan let out a contemptuous, cold laugh. Her almond eyes, which were usually full of smiles, narrowed slightly, turning as cold as frost. “I’m afraid they can’t wait to cut ties immediately.”
RYG was the largest entertainment company, as well as Luo Xuan’s agency. It boasted countless artists and held widespread global influence.
However, to such a huge corporate entity, so-called artists were nothing more than moneymaking commodities. If someone became a financial liability or brought trouble to the company, they would be thrown far away in the very next second.
Having debuted at a young age, Luo Xuan understood this truth deeply. So when Gu Shuyun said “the company won’t just stand by,” she suddenly felt that this already bizarre event had escalated to a whole new level of absurdity.
“Sigh… Let’s just see what Lu Qingli has to say on her end.” Gu Shuyun shook her head dejectedly. Towards the so-called genius composer Lu Qingli, she still felt a sense of sympathy and tenderness in her heart.
“Are you close with her?” Luo Xuan raised her brows slightly, curious why Gu Shuyun would feel pity for a senior colleague she wasn’t even familiar with.
Gu Shuyun touched her head a little embarrassedly and said, “A few years ago when Lu Qingli was called the ‘Nation’s Daughter’, I used to be one of her mother fans.”
“Oh, ”
Luo Xuan rested her cheek against her palm, quietly watching Gu Shuyun punch the tablet in her hand while passionately defending Lu Qingli, a subtle curve rising at the corner of her lips.
After finishing the schedule overview, Gu Shuyun entered full gossip mode, worrying over her “daughter.”
The young idol, on the other hand, simply lay back against the seat again, looking at the scenery outside the car window, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
Upon arriving at the company, Luo Xuan put on her headphones and began patiently auditioning the demo tracks the producers had selected for her.
As Luo Xuan’s expressions shifted, the hearts of the music producers standing beside her went up and down like a roller coaster.
When her brows knitted together, the producers felt as if their hearts were squeezed so tightly they couldn’t breathe, when she nodded slightly, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After listening to all the tracks, Luo Xuan took off her headphones, her expression turning completely cold.
She crossed her arms, her delicate back looking even smaller, and declared with a picky tone: “None of these songs will do.”
“With so many options, not a single one is suitable to be the title track. Did you guys put any heart into composing and arranging these at all?”
Hearing Luo Xuan dismiss their tracks as completely worthless, none of them dared to make a sound.
Luo Xuan was the company’s cash cow. She debuted at age 15, won first place in a survival show at 17, and went solo two years after debuting in a group. Now, at only 20 years old, her popularity blew through the roof.
Even non-fans, when mentioning Luo Xuan, would admiringly acknowledge that she was a born idol, disciplined, self-respecting, and naturally magnetic.
The ends of the small idol’s long black hair curled into waves, draped loosely across her back.
Even a large wine-red bow tied at the back of her head didn’t steal her spotlight, because her stunningly exquisite face had already captured everyone’s attention firmly.
Luo Xuan almost never wore a cold face. In front of the cameras, she maintained strict facial management at all times to keep a smile, never slacking off for a single moment, to the point where some people believed she naturally had smiling lips.
Yet now, the beauty who always maintained a perfect persona in front of the camera was sitting right before them with a freezing face.
“So… you’re not satisfied with any of these?” a producer asked, trembling slightly.
“Yes, not satisfied with a single one,” Luo Xuan stated directly and frankly.
Beside her, Gu Shuyun looked at the group of producers huddled together, feeling as if the dark cloud hovering over their heads was about to drift over her as well.
Unable to bear it, the manager stepped in to soften the blow, “Don’t be discouraged, these can still be used as b-side tracks.”
The dark clouds over the producers’ heads seemed to clear up slightly.
“But what about the main title track?” Luo Xuan’s brow remained cold as she criticized without mercy, “Formulaic melodies, copy-paste arrangements, these songs simply aren’t up to par.”
Thunder and rain returned to storm over the producers’ heads again.
Seeing their defeated expressions, Luo Xuan sighed and softened her tone slightly, saying, “Everyone worked hard. It’s just that these tracks fell short of my expectations because I actually hold high hopes for all of you.”
With that, she stood up from the couch, smoothed down the hem of her skirt, and added, “If the quality isn’t up to standard, it will erode my fans’ trust in me. I hope everyone can produce music that suits me better.”
Seeing her heading outside, Gu Shuyun quickly leaned forward and asked, “Luo Xuan, where are you going?”
“To get some fresh air.”
To relieve the frustration in her heart after stepping out of the conference room, Luo Xuan took the elevator up to the rooftop on the top floor of the building.
Because the top floors were mostly meeting rooms, few people came here.
Just as she stepped onto the rooftop, she detected a faint scent of rose pheromones drifting in the wind.
The scent was extremely subtle, yet it genuinely communicated the inner desires of its owner, it was the scent of an Omega in heat.
Why would there be an Omega here?
Luo Xuan pulled up her collar to cover her nose and mouth to prevent her own body from being triggered into an early heat by these pheromones.
She walked toward the corner of the rooftop, leaning against the wall as she slowly peered around the edge. She noticed a bright and gorgeous blonde beauty sitting against the wall.
The beauty’s cold eyes were half-lidded and her vermilion lips tightly pressed, but her pale neck was already flushed red. Under her slightly unbuttoned collar, her delicate chest rose and fell with her breathing.
The closer she got, the richer that cool, elegant rose Omega pheromone became in the air, a deep, restrained scent carrying a hint of bold defiance.
Perhaps due to a strong physical instinct, the other woman also sensed the Alpha pheromones on Luo Xuan and subconsciously looked up at her.
After clearly seeing the woman’s face, Luo Xuan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She recognized this person.
It was the owner of the name that had been repeated in her ears all day today. Lu Qingli.