Chapter 12

A few days later, the school held an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

If you placed, you could get investment from major corporations.

To get funding for our filming, the senior and I decided on the spot: we’re in!

We cleared every hurdle, and thanks to our solid creative ideas and my quick, unflappable tongue, we actually won first place.

The senior and I were so excited we went to a street stall to celebrate with skewers.

Just then, I received a notification: in half a month, the main investor of the competition, Dingsheng Group, would be hosting a charity gala.

As the first-place winners, we were honored to receive an invitation.

Originally, it was just to be background noise, to show off Dingsheng Group’s support for college students. But to my surprise, the organizers notified me to be the second female host—the role that announces the donation amounts.

Now that was a problem. The dress code requirements were completely different. I couldn’t just wear my universal white shirt and black pants like I did for the competition.

The organizer’s contact person hinted to me, both directly and indirectly, that since I was so pretty, I should wear something high-end to outshine everyone else and become the star of the gala.

I kept nodding, saying, “Yes, yes, of course.”

Meanwhile, I was scrolling through Taobao, debating whether to buy a 300-yuan dress or a 350-yuan one…

My wallet wouldn’t allow for anything more.

Unexpectedly, my mom called and said she had a beautiful dress and matching jewelry, and since she knew I needed it, she’d bring it over. She’d be at the gate soon.

This situation clearly meant something was up!

Once I asked, I realized Yang Qi had been messaging my mom. While asking her to organize some things at the villa, she’d “accidentally” mentioned the name of the first-place winner of the competition. My mom was overjoyed, realizing it was her own daughter.

Then, hearing I could attend a gala full of elites—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—my mom was all in.

Yang Qi had set a trap, mentioning how precious and unworn a certain dress was, but that she didn’t really like it and suggested my mom put it away. She did the same with a set of expensive jewelry.

My naive mom fell for it.

Sometimes I wonder if she’s a single-celled organism.

I remembered the plot: under Yang Qi’s design, Yang Zheng wears her expensive haute couture dress to a banquet, where Yang Qi intentionally gets red wine on it that won’t wash out, ruining the dress. The master-crafted jewelry is also “accidentally” damaged.

While Yang Zheng’s family is panicking and trying to cover it up, Yang Qi—who had previously said she didn’t need the items—suddenly demands them back, just to watch the family humiliate themselves. In the end, the dress cost 800,000 yuan and the jewelry 3 million; Yang Zheng’s family couldn’t afford the compensation.

Since Yang Qi is so obsessed with the plot, I’ll play along. If I don’t let her feel the pain once and for all, she’ll keep buzzing around me like a mosquito, which is really annoying.