Volume One, Chapter 17: Is She an Innocent?

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Fu Mingchi forcefully pulled Ye Zhaoying into his car, then, like a beast losing all reason, tried to strip off her pants to verify if she was still a virgin. Shock was written all over Ye Zhaoying’s face; she hadn’t expected Fu Mingchi to go so mad. She struggled fiercely, but it was no use—his strength was overwhelming.

Just as her pants were about to be undone, she widened her eyes and shouted angrily at Fu Mingchi, “You’re the one cheating!”

That outburst instantly extinguished Fu Mingchi’s rage. His eyes revealed clear astonishment and panic.

Ye Zhaoying’s eyes were red-rimmed as she clenched her back teeth. “You wanted to know why I’ve changed lately? It’s because I found out about your dirty dealings with Qin Lulu! And your company isn’t in trouble at all, right? You have tens of millions on hand—you just don’t want to invest in me or believe my studio can make money, so you lied and broke your promise!”

While Fu Mingchi was stunned, Ye Zhaoying broke free from his grip with force. She pulled out her phone and played the recordings, photos, and surveillance footage she had gathered—all undeniable evidence.

Fu Mingchi’s arrogance and hostility evaporated instantly. Seeing the hatred and fury burning in Ye Zhaoying’s eyes, he looked helpless, almost childlike.

In a flustered attempt, Fu Mingchi grabbed Ye Zhaoying’s hands, stammering, “Baby... Zhaoying... listen to me, things... things aren’t what you think, I didn’t...”

Ye Zhaoying’s eyes were bloodshot, pain and hurt visibly etched in them.

“That’s enough!”

“Fu Mingchi, once, I believed we could be like those dramas—starting from school uniforms to wedding dresses, growing old together. You’d be my rock, trusting me, supporting me, loving only me.”

“But alas, we ended up like most couples—scheming against each other, wearing down our feelings with endless lies and betrayals, turning our initial sincerity and beauty into decay and rot.”

Fu Mingchi, seeing Ye Zhaoying’s tears streaming down her face, panicked completely. He wanted to comfort her as usual and anxiously reached to wipe her tears.

But Ye Zhaoying turned her head sharply, and his hand missed.

“Do you know how I felt when I found out you cheated? It was like a knife twisting in my heart! I felt as if the sky was collapsing. How could someone so close to me stop cherishing me and want to leave? Am I so unworthy of faithful love?”

Fu Mingchi’s eyes reddened. Looking at Ye Zhaoying’s devastated face, sharp pangs tore through his heart.

“No, it’s not like that, Zhaoying, I’ve always loved only you. I was just blinded—Qin Lulu seduced me, I couldn’t resist, I just...”

Ye Zhaoying closed her eyes in pain. Before everything was laid bare, there was still room to deceive herself, to drown in the illusion of Fu Mingchi’s tenderness and savor it for a while.

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But now, there was no turning back.

Ye Zhaoying opened her eyes again, her voice pale yet resolute.

“Mingchi, let’s break up...”

“No! Don’t! Zhaoying, don’t leave me. Can we not decide on this yet? Give me one chance—I’ll cut ties with Qin Lulu immediately. I won’t seek anyone else. I will love only you. Can’t we just be together again?”

Ye Zhaoying’s heart bled. It was as if she could hear the sound of it shattering.

A voice inside urged her to agree, to say yes and restore what once was—the past happiness.

But she knew, there was no going back. Once infidelity occurred, the road back was gone forever.

Ye Zhaoying let Fu Mingchi hold her for a moment before she firmly pushed him away and stepped out of his car.

“Mingchi, from the moment you cheated, we were done. From now on, let’s just be strangers.”

Fu Mingchi tried to grab her hand, but Ye Zhaoying walked away swiftly, leaving his grasp empty.

Anger and unwillingness surged within Fu Mingchi. He shouted after her retreating figure, “You’re breaking up with me over this?! I don’t accept it! I told you—my involvement with Qin Lulu was an accident. She seduced me. I promise I’ll cut her off. Can’t we be like before? Your studio—I’ll make up the million I promised!”

“Or is this just because you’ve latched onto Lu Jingchen, using it as an excuse to break up with me? Don’t regret your decision today...”

Ye Zhaoying turned, smiling bitterly and weakly, a bitter mockery in her expression. She walked briskly forward, not responding to Fu Mingchi’s words further, but said coldly,

“Tell Qin Lulu she’s fired. I want her out of Morning Light Studio immediately. I can’t stand the sight of her.”

So be it. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, she and Lu Jingchen indeed had a complicated past, even if Fu Mingchi was to blame.

From now on, they would part ways completely.

That night, Ye Zhaoying returned home and lay in bed, tossing and turning.

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She no longer cried; her mind was a chaotic mess, as if invisible hands were tearing at her nerves, making it hard to breathe.

It wasn’t until midnight that she finally drifted into a restless sleep.

Sleep now—for tomorrow would be a new beginning.

Forget that person completely...

The next morning, Ye Zhaoying was awakened by her alarm. She got up and checked her phone, where local headlines automatically popped up.

“Shocking! The winner of DL Clothing Company’s project competition is this one!”

“Upset! Morning Light Studio wins! Competitors included well-known enterprises like Yuanhui!”

Ye Zhaoying clicked on the articles. They expressed surprise at the final winner of the DL Clothing Company’s competition, with regret over Yuanhui’s loss.

Of course, the word “plagiarism” was heavily emphasized throughout.

Scrolling down, many articles analyzed the similarity between Ye Zhaoying’s and Ye Qianyao’s works, comparing each image closely and pointing out every matching detail, ultimately concluding a high suspicion of plagiarism.

Several pieces also revealed the sisters’ relationship, exposing that Ye Qianyao was adopted by the Ye family, while Ye Zhaoying was their biological daughter who had been missing for ten years.

All these articles shared a common thread: emphasizing that Ye Qianyao had no blood relation to the Ye family, while Ye Zhaoying was their true daughter, subtly implying that Ye Qianyao was unwelcome and always overshadowed by Ye Zhaoying.

So even if Ye Zhaoying plagiarized Ye Qianyao’s designs and stole her glory, Ye Qianyao dared not fight back due to the family’s favoritism.

Ye Qianyao was naturally talented—her brilliance had been evident in university, where professors hailed her as a rare “genius designer,” winning numerous awards during that time.

As an outstanding graduate who further studied abroad in Country Y with many honors, how could she possibly be outdone by Ye Zhaoying, who had always been average and unremarkable?

The claim that Ye Qianyao plagiarized Ye Zhaoying was utterly absurd. It was clear who copied whom at a glance.