Chapter 7

Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her answer.

My parents finally noticed me.

They sat in the second row like two stone statues, their faces filled with shock and fear.

"I... I don't understand what Mr. Hart means." Susan's voice carried a slight tremor.

"Don't understand?" Lewis raised an eyebrow. "What I mean is, did you really create this healing gem design?"

His voice rang out with authority.

Susan's face turned ashen.

Chairman Wallace finally couldn't sit still.

He picked up the microphone, his tone displeased.

"Mr. Hart, your questions seem to have gone beyond the work itself. We're here today to select outstanding healing gem designs, not to examine the contestants' backgrounds."

He wanted to suppress this matter.

But Lewis wasn't buying it.

"Chairman Wallace, you're wrong. A work's originality is the foundation of all its value. If the foundation is fake, then no matter how beautiful the healing gems blooming on top, they're nothing but worthless crystals."

As he spoke, he took out a tablet from his briefcase.

"I have some interesting things here that I'd like to share with everyone."

He connected the tablet to the big screen.

The screen immediately showed photos from my Northern Academy years.

Then came my healing gem designs, one by one.

From crude sketches to later moonlight herb infusion exercises, then to finished pieces.

Each one had a clear date and my signature.

Finally, it froze on the creation video of "First Light."

In the video, a younger me wore a faded white T-shirt, sitting in a simple dorm room, sketching stroke by stroke on the drawing board.

From the initial rough draft to the final finished healing gem design.

Every detail was clearly visible.

At the end of the video, I looked at the camera with a tired but satisfied smile.

"My 'First Light' is finally complete."

The video finished playing.

The entire venue fell into deathly silence.

Then came an uproar.

Everyone whispered and discussed among themselves.

Camera flashes went crazy, frantically flickering at the shaky figure on stage.

Susan's face flickered between light and dark under the flashing lights.

She was finished.

"No... that's not right..."

Susan finally broke down, screaming hysterically into the microphone.

"She stole from me! She stole my ideas!"

Even at this point, she was still being stubborn.

Lewis let out a cold laugh.

"Miss Susan Winters, the creation date in the video was five years ago. May I ask, where were you five years ago? What were you doing?"

Five years ago, Susan was still in high school.

She couldn't even draw basic healing gem sketches properly.

This was an undeniable fact.

Susan was completely speechless.

She collapsed on the ground like a rag doll with all its bones removed.

Chairman Wallace's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He wanted to say something, but looking at the agitated audience below and the media reporters already posting real-time news online, he ultimately chose to stay silent.

My parents finally snapped out of their shock.

My mother went crazy, jumping up from her seat and trying to rush onto the stage.

"You're all lying! You're all lying! My daughter is a genius! You're just jealous of her!"

Her hair was disheveled, looking completely mad. She was held back tightly by security while still cursing wildly.

My father sat in place, covering his face with both hands, his whole body trembling.

He didn't look at me.

He didn't dare look at me.

I stood up and, under everyone's gaze, walked step by step onto the stage.