novelraw Chapter 0152 Plagiarism Accusations
Chapter 0152 Plagiarism Accusations
three days later.
Limitless new product launch countdown: 24 hours.
The entire tech community in City A is watching this grand event closely.
The main visual poster for this press conference was displayed on a giant LED screen in the city center.
That was Wen Ning's design, "Vitality".
In the deep blue ocean of code, golden light of life bursts forth from the earth.
Highly recognizable, breathtakingly beautiful.
Inside the Limitless Building, everyone is making their final push.
Wen Ning sat at her workstation, checking the color difference of the promotional materials one last time.
Seeing her paintings printed on invitations, backdrops, and even souvenirs filled her with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
"Advisor Wen, this time you're sure to blow everyone away."
Zhang Annian passed by and gave her a thumbs up.
"The number of reservations through the pre-sale channel has exceeded one million, and this poster deserves a lot of credit for that."
Wen Ning smiled.
"It's because everyone cooperated well."
Everything seemed to be going so smoothly.
It went so smoothly...it was unsettling.
3 PM.
A sudden commotion broke the busyness of the office area.
At first, it was just a few employees whispering and pointing at their phones.
Immediately afterwards, more and more eyes turned to Wen Ning's direction.
Those gazes no longer held the admiration of before, but instead turned into doubt, shock, and even a hint of mockery, as if they were watching a good show.
"How is that possible..."
"It looks so alike!"
"I knew it! How could an artist be so technically savvy? Turns out he was just copying!"
Wen Ning keenly sensed that something was amiss.
She put down the color swatch in her hand.
"What happened?"
No one answered her.
Everyone was avoiding her gaze.
Just then.
Zhang Annian rushed out of the office, his face pale, holding a tablet computer in his hand.
"Sister-in-law...Advisor Wen! Look at the trending topics!"
Wen Ning took the tablet.
Slide your finger.
The top trending topic on Weibo was prominently displayed with a deep red "Explosive" label.
[Limitless Tech's up-and-coming designer Wen Ning is suspected of plagiarism! The original author broke down in tears during a live stream!]
Wen Ning's brain buzzed.
Plagiarism?
She clicked on that entry.
The pinned post is a long Weibo post by an unknown account called "Painter Xiao A".
[This is absolutely unbearable! Does capital justify trampling on originality?]
[Limitless's upcoming product poster, "Vitality," is a complete copy of a draft I posted on a niche forum six months ago! Even the composition and lighting are exactly the same!]
[I'm just an unknown painter, and I didn't want to speak out, but seeing Ms. Wen Ning taking my hard work and being hailed as a genius designer breaks my heart!]
A nine-square grid diagram is attached below.
On the left is Wen Ning's "Vitality".
On the right is what "Little A" calls the "original work".
It really does look like it.
It's ridiculously similar.
Apart from the slightly darker colors, the composition, lines, and even the position of the central golden light spot are 90% identical.
Even more deadly is...
The other party posted the so-called timestamp.
This image was created six months ago.
Wen Ning has only been with Limitless for less than a month.
unambiguous evidence.
Ironclad evidence.
The comments section has been flooded with comments.
Tens of thousands of negative reviews flooded in like a tidal wave.
[This is what you call a genius painter? This is what you call a beautiful designer? She's just a seamstress!]
[Doesn't a big company like Limitless conduct background checks? Or is it because she's the boss's wife that she can do whatever she wants?]
[The person upstairs is too naive. This is clearly an example of an "academic Daji" (a notorious womanizer) rising to power. What real skills could someone have gained by sleeping their way up?]
[My heart goes out to the original author! Capitalists, die! Boycott Limitless! Boycott plagiarists!]
Not only that.
There are also a large number of online trolls stirring up trouble.
It's clearly the work of a competitor (such as "Aurora Technology", which was previously suppressed).
They launched a vicious attack on Wen Ning's private life, even digging up the old story of her "abandoning" Jiang Ci three years ago, and fabricating a melodramatic tale of a "scheming woman rising to power."
Wen Ning's fingers were trembling violently.
The tablet computer became incredibly heavy.
She looked at those vicious words.
"Plagiarist," "thief," "shameless," "go to hell."
That feeling was all too familiar.
three years ago.
On that night of misunderstanding, in that forum post where the whole school was calling her a "gold digger".
Also like this.
There is no denying it.
Condemned by all.
PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) strikes suddenly.
Wen Ning felt a strong sense of suffocation.
My hands and feet are ice cold, and my vision keeps going black.
The whispers of the surrounding employees were amplified infinitely in her ears, turning into sharp mockery.
"I don't……"
She murmured to herself, her voice so weak that she could barely hear it herself.
"I didn't plagiarize... I drew them one by one..."
but.
Who would believe that?
The "original author" has a timestamp.
She was merely a "pretty face" who rose to power through Jiang Ci's connections.
"Advisor Wen, how...how do you explain this?"
A project manager who was usually quite polite to her walked over, his tone somewhat curt.
"Our PR department has been bombarded with calls. If it really is plagiarism, tomorrow's press conference is doomed."
"Yeah, it's so similar."
Another person muttered to himself.
"Could it be that they actually borrowed materials to meet the deadline?"
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will grow wildly.
Even her former colleagues, who had once been impressed by her, now had wavering eyes.
Wen Ning stood in the center of the crowd.
Isolated and helpless.
She wanted to explain and wanted to take out her draft.
But my hands were shaking so badly I couldn't even open the bag.
Just when she was about to break down.
"Bang!"
The door to the CEO's office was suddenly pushed open.
A tall figure walked out.
He exuded a chilling aura and an barely suppressed rage.
Jiang Ci.
He strode across the office area.
The sound of leather shoes on the floor was heavy and powerful.
Wherever he went, the employees who had been gossiping fell silent instantly and automatically made way for him.
He walked straight up to Wen Ning.
Wen Ning raised her head.
Her eyes were red and her face was full of helplessness.
"Jiang Ci...I..."
She wanted to say, "I didn't."
I want to say, "Trust me."
But it felt like my throat was blocked, and I couldn't make a sound.
Jiang Ci remained silent.
He glanced at her pale face, then at her still trembling hands.
next second.
He stretched out his hand.
In front of hundreds of employees in the company.
He gripped her cold hand tightly.
The warmth of my palm flowed continuously.
It was so hot it made my heart tremble.
Why are your hands so cold?
He asked in a low voice.
Her tone was full of concern, without a trace of doubt.
then.
He turned around.
Addressing the employees and executives with their varied expressions.
His gaze instantly turned sharp as a knife, sweeping across the entire scene.
"What are you all doing?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.
"Finished your work? Feeling free?"
No one dared to speak.
Jiang Ci held Wen Ning's hand.
He pulled her to his side.
That gesture represents both absolute protection and absolute trust.
Regarding the rumors circulating online.
Jiang Ci spoke coldly.
Every word was spoken with resounding force.
"I don't want to hear any gossip within the company."
"I believe her."
"Unconditional belief".
He turned his head and glanced at Wen Ning, his eyes resolute.
"I've seen every single one of her drafts, every single layer."
"She spent a whole week drawing that, stroke by stroke."
"As for that so-called 'original author'."
Jiang Ci sneered, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in his eyes.
"I have already involved the legal department and the technical department."
"Dare to touch my people."
"Then be prepared to be utterly disgraced."
Done.
He gripped Wen Ning's hand tightly.
"Come in with me."
He took her hand and strode back to the CEO's office under the watchful eyes of everyone.
That was his territory.
It was also the strongest fortress he built for her.