The attic connects the past and present; I became a tycoon and got rich overnight!

I don't understand a single thing about Chapter 19.
In a conference room that wasn't very large, besides the woman who brought her in, a man in a suit sat in the center.

To the man's left sat a stylish woman in sunglasses with a powerful aura.

Although it was only a glimpse from afar, Song Youan recognized the woman as Gu Xiaoman, a famous Chinese fashion designer!

Song Youan's calm heart was finally stirred. Gu Xiaoman had always been a designer she greatly admired and liked. Gu Xiaoman's design ideas had always guided many younger designers, and she herself had been influenced by her to some extent.

In the Chinese entertainment industry, whenever there is a major red carpet event, top actresses vie for Gu Xiaoman's haute couture gown, regardless of whether it suits them or not; getting it is considered a victory.

"Director Liang, the person has arrived."

The woman who had been arrogant just moments before transformed into a completely different person upon entering the meeting room, becoming proper and humble.

Song Youan glanced at her in surprise. Just a moment ago she was acting all high and mighty, but it turns out she's just a secretary. No wonder it's an international magazine; they look down on everyone, regardless of rank.

The man slightly raised his lips and gave a friendly smile: "Miss Song, please have a seat."

The atmosphere was a bit strange, not like a regular interview at all. The unknown situation made Song You'an wary. She quietly turned on the recording function on her phone before walking to the seat to the right of the man and sitting down.

"Hello Ms. Song, I am Liang Bei, the fashion director of QG Greater China. You can call me Leo."

Song Youan nodded slightly, but her gaze couldn't help but drift towards Gu Xiaoman across from her.

Seemingly noticing Song Youan's gaze, Liang Bei added, "Since Miss Song is a fashion design graduate, then I don't need to introduce this person in front of me, do I?"

If you don't even know Gu Xiaoman, then you might as well not be in this industry.

"Hello, Ms. Xiaoman. I really admire you, especially your 21-year-old Dark Night City luxury series, which has given me a lot of inspiration," said Song Youan.

However, Gu Xiaoman simply nodded, her eyes behind her sunglasses revealing no emotion, and her red lips barely parted as she uttered two words: "Thank you."

Such a cold and condescending attitude immediately calmed the slight unease in Song You'an's heart.

Her smile vanished, and she stopped giving the other person a friendly look.

Not to mention the international scene, even in China, Gu Xiaoman is not unique. There are many designers who can rival or even surpass her. She only likes and admires her, but she has not reached the point of worshipping her and putting her on a pedestal.

That being said, she hates people who look down on others and treat them with arrogance.

It's true that these kinds of people are better off living online; once you meet them in real life, their mystique vanishes instantly!

“Ms. Song,” Liang Bei spoke up at the right moment, holding a booklet in his hand: “Thank you for submitting your resume to our company. You added your graduation design project to your resume, which our company really likes and plans to publish in QG’s August fashion special issue.”

Time was precious, so Liang Bei didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. Song You'an was a little surprised to hear this, but then she was overjoyed, because her graduation project was the culmination of half a year of hard work, and she had received guidance from her teachers and help from her classmates. If it could be published successfully, the names of her classmates and teachers could be displayed on the title page, and might even be displayed directly after the chief designer.

QG's August special issue will be a significant addition to the resumes of these fashion design graduates!
Before Song Youan could express her gratitude, Liang Bei added, "However, Xiaoman will be the main designer for the publication."

Song Youan: ?

Was he speaking Chinese?
Why am I having trouble understanding this?
"I know this might be a bit presumptuous, but we..."

"Is this a little bit? You're being incredibly presumptuous!" Song You'an interrupted Liang Bei directly, saying righteously, "This is called plagiarism!"

Liang Bei's face darkened, seemingly surprised that Song You'an dared to say such things so openly to his face.

But as the director of a major international magazine, he calmly said to Song Youan, "Ms. Song, please don't get excited. We are doing this for the company's sake. You know Xiaoman's influence in the industry. Having her as the chief designer will definitely stimulate the market and arouse people's desire to buy!"

Song Youan looked at Liang Bei with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot and sneered: "You still want to stimulate people's desire to buy? Do you know that plagiarizing other people's work and making huge profits is a criminal offense? Do you know what criminal offense is? It means going to jail, going to jail! Doesn't a company as big as yours have a legal department? Do I, a recent graduate, have to teach you this?"

“Of course we know that, and we will also mention Ms. Song’s name on the title page. It’s just that the chief designer wants to use Teacher Xiaoman to boost sales.” Liang Bei earnestly persuaded her, and then brought up the incentive: “Of course, we won’t treat Ms. Song unfairly. I will apply to the company for 100,000 yuan as Ms. Song’s copyright fee. Of course, Ms. Song will also receive a formal offer from QG. It’s a formal offer, no probation period!”

At this moment, Gu Xiaoman, who hadn't spoken until now, finally spoke slowly: "Didn't you just say you liked me a lot? If you're willing, you can join my team after you start working here."

"Then you can plagiarize my designs even more brazenly and blatantly?" Song Youan blurted out.

Gu Xiaoman's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Liang Bei's face also turned extremely ugly. He thought to himself, "Why is this girl so difficult to deal with? In the past, even if she was initially resistant to this kind of thing, she would be tempted as soon as money and a formal offer were mentioned."

Moreover, this kind of thing is already a common business practice in the industry. It's not like QG is the only one that does this. After all, even the best designers can't have endless inspiration, and there always needs to be fresh blood to fill the gap.

Fresh talent lacks brand recognition, so nobody will pay for it. Therefore, using a well-known designer's name is the simplest and most effective way!
However, Song Youan's design was unanimously approved at a company-wide meeting. This design is avant-garde, unique, and highly creative, and it is sure to be well received by the industry! As the chief designer of QG's collaboration, Gu Xiaoman will also gain more reputation and improve her industry standing as a result.

So even though Song Youan's words were so harsh, Liang Bei and Gu Xiaoman didn't react. Having been in this industry for a long time, they knew what was important and what wasn't. Their goal was to secure the design.

Liang Bei exhaled a breath of stale air and said in a seemingly relaxed manner, "Miss Song, please don't speak so harshly. After all, Teacher Xiaoman is your senior, and this is a special case. Our company truly admires Miss Song's design, but we are worried about sales. I'm sure Miss Song can understand that."

Song Youan: "I don't understand a thing."

Liang Bei: "..."

(End of this chapter)