My Aloof Husband Can't Stop His Devoted Affection

Chapter 341 - 299: Anger

After the results were announced, Yun Qi gave Ye Lingran a gentle smile. Ye Lingran was stunned for a moment, her heart pounded hard, but she was still somewhat worried about Cen Jin. However, she couldn’t leave at that moment because Master Made was personally congratulating and speaking with them.Yun Qi said a few words to his secretary Shao Min, then left the venue directly. He took out his phone and dialed Cen Jin’s number. When the ringtone sounded for the second time, Yun Qi saw a familiar figure sitting on the front steps from a distance, holding a few sheets of paper, staring straight ahead without moving, lost in thought.

His hurried steps gradually slowed down, and the hand holding the phone to his ear slowly lowered as he hung up the call. He bought a bottle of milk tea from a nearby vending machine, walked over, sat beside her, keeping half a shoulder’s distance, and handed her the milk tea. He glanced at the papers in her hand and softly asked, "Are you okay?"

Cen Jin suddenly snapped back to reality, looked at the milk tea he handed over, raised her hand to take it, and gave a faint smile: "Thanks, is it over inside?"

"Yeah."

"So how did it go? Did Ling Ran make it to the top three?" Cen Jin asked promptly.

Yun Qi looked at her, clearly feeling down himself and having withdrawn from the competition, yet she first cared about how others fared. He couldn’t help but admire such a mindset.

"Yeah, second place." Yun Qi replied softly, simply adding, "There will be journalists interviewing later since the scale of this competition is large, and many media outlets are paying attention."

Upon hearing this, Cen Jin was happy for Ye Lingran but also somewhat regretful that she didn’t become Master Made’s last disciple. Suddenly, Cen Jin was stunned, looking at Yun Qi with a serious expression, her eyes filled with light, also appearing particularly tense and grave, with a hint of cautious probing in her tone: "Then who won first place?"

"An Yuyao."

’Clang...’

Cen Jin’s heart sank hard, and all the seriousness and expectations on her face turned to indifference. Her whole body relaxed as she lowered her eyes slowly, letting out a cold laugh.

"Cen Jin, what exactly happened? Why did you suddenly withdraw? Does it have something to do with An Yuyao?" Seeing the changes in Cen Jin’s expression, Yun Qi frowned and asked in confusion.

Cen Jin did not answer Yun Qi’s question but instead handed him the two pieces of paper she was holding. Yun Qi took them with full curiosity and closely examined them. His pupils gradually dilated, his face filled with disbelief: "This..."

"Ha, now you know why I withdrew! If she hadn’t been ahead of me, it would’ve been alright. You also mentioned that this competition is heavily covered by the media; An Yuyao had already described the essence of that work very well. If I bring out the same thing, I’d undoubtedly become a joke. They would definitely think I plagiarized, and I have no evidence to prove it was my own creation. If An Yuyao countered, I wouldn’t be able to explain even with ten mouths." Cen Jin let out a cold laugh, with helplessness and irony in her tone.

"Do you know An Yuyao?"

Cen Jin smiled and nodded: "You could say that, but we’re not close. She’s Jiang Baizhou’s senior’s cousin. I’ve met her a few times."

"Then... why is it identical to your work draft?"

Even Cen Jin was baffled by this, shaking her head: "I only finished this draft yesterday afternoon, and since I had to come over early today, I took the work draft home directly after. I can’t figure out why it’s identical. If it were just a similar idea, perhaps there’s a one percent chance, but the colors and details on the back of the wedding dress being identical is just too incredible. I absolutely do not believe it’s a coincidence, and I must find out the truth."

"If there’s something hidden here, then her award doesn’t count." Yun Qi’s eyes narrowed, a hint of depth flickering in his eyes: "This matter needs to be investigated, or else Master Made and others will be kept in the dark by her."

Cen Jin nodded despondently and sighed.

"Don’t sigh; there’s still a chance to turn this situation around. Try the milk tea; this brand’s flavor is quite good."

After hearing him say this, Cen Jin felt a bit more at ease and couldn’t help but smile. She unscrewed the cap, took a sip of the milk tea, and raised her eyebrows in satisfaction: "Yeah, the taste is indeed quite good. Thank you, Yun Qi."

"You’re welcome. Aren’t we friends? It’s the least I can do."