#26: The President’s Apology

Late at night, the sounds of clinking, running water, faint clinking of cups, moving furniture, and sweeping echoed from downstairs...

Shi Min woke up and sat up.

The light in the studio on the first floor was on. Shi Min looked toward the corner of the stairs and saw a hazy glow cast on the wall.

The other side of the bed was empty. Shi Min touched the sheets beside her—they were cold.

It seemed Luo Mingjing had been out of bed for quite some time.

The clock on the wall ticked silently, the hour hand pointing to the number two.

She wrapped herself in clothes, rubbed her face, and got out of bed.

As expected, Luo Mingjing was cleaning. The kitchen light was on, but he was in the studio area in front, kneeling on the ground with a cloth, wiping the floor bit by bit.

Shi Min asked, “Are you angry?”

Luo Mingjing paused briefly, shook his head, and said nothing.

Xu Qianqian had told her that when Luo Mingjing was in a bad mood, he would furiously do housework—it was his way of venting.

Shi Min walked around the sofa, washed two apples, and sat facing the studio while peeling them. She watched him as she spoke. “Other matters can be handed over to the lawyers. The evidence you’ve provided is sufficient. Although it’s hard to directly prove that he stole your creative ideas, we’ll figure something out.”

Luo Mingjing sat on the floor, head bowed, hair hanging down, still silent.

Earlier in the day, he had heard the lawyer’s analysis. The evidence he provided could only prove that he wasn’t plagiarizing someone else’s ideas, but there was no direct proof to accuse Ke Ge of stealing his designs. After all, Ke Ge hadn’t directly contacted him or had any opportunity to access his drafts.

The possibility of Ke Ge obtaining the drafts through Xu Qianqian’s roommate existed, but it was far-fetched.

Thus, the likely outcome was that Ke Ge would bear the suspicion of plagiarism, but as far as Guohong Company was concerned, signing a contract to sell clothing based on those designs wouldn’t be considered a breach of contract. After negotiations, the two companies might reach an agreement to jointly own the development and sales rights of the design.

Shi Min finished peeling the apple, stuffed it into Luo Mingjing’s mouth, and said, “Leave the rest to me. Don’t worry about it—I’ll handle it. That professor probably does this kind of thing often. With more resources and channels than you, he likely grabs students’ designs and signs agreements with frequently collaborating companies. That’s why he’s always one step ahead. But since he’s crossed paths with me, I won’t let him get away with it anymore, Luo Mingjing. Have some faith in me.”

Luo Mingjing took the apple and sighed weakly, “...I do.”

“You’ve done everything you could. Leave the rest to me,” Shi Min said. “Our family pays top dollar to keep lawyers on retainer—they’re the best at wielding the stick to drive away rabid dogs. I won’t let those mangy curs steal your treasure. Rest assured.”

The remaining matters would be handled by her, including how to prove that Ke Ge had stolen the design drafts from a student.

In the morning, she and Shi Chu had briefly discussed it with the lawyer, and a preliminary plan had been formed.

“A professor like this must have plenty of experience,” the lawyer said. “It’s common for professors to threaten students with graduation certificates, take their designs, and sign contracts to make money. His quick signing speed suggests he’s a habitual offender. Therefore, proving that he has taken students’ designs before will be easy. If we can find a student willing to sue him for plagiarism, even if we can’t find direct evidence, the subsequent judgment will favor us.”

Shi Chu added, “Easy. Habitual plagiarists are the easiest to catch. Go find someone. Also, IT needs to send a few people over to hack into that whatever-her-name-is’s computer. I don’t know the details, but if she stole the design, there must be traces on her computer. If not, hack it and make her confess. During graduation season, her computer will be full of thesis projects. Let’s see if she talks!”

Shi Chu was used to being shameless, so such talk came naturally. He glanced at Shi Min and asked, “You’ve been sitting there with a gloomy face without saying anything. What are you planning to do?”

Shi Min replied, “I want to ask him about the Clear Sky Cranes .”

Shi Chu smiled, tapping his fingers on the table. “It’s obvious. Though I’m not very familiar with fashion design, I can still distinguish styles. Wang Zhenyu’s Chinese Crane series... nine out of ten chances, it’s the Clear Sky Cranes Luo Mingjing mentioned. The question is, the internationally renowned Kevin Wang—how much did he plagiarize? All of it, or just a part?”

Shi Min coldly stated, “Plagiarizing more or less is still plagiarism.”

“Exactly.” Shi Chu stood up, rolled up the contract papers, and lightly tapped Shi Min’s head with them, laughing. “Your boyfriend’s matter is in your hands now. Bye, I’ll just wait to watch the show.”

Before leaving, he turned back and asked, “By the way, did you figure out what happened with your boyfriend’s three-month administrative detention?”

The lawyer chuckled and chimed in, “Administrative detention? There’s no such thing as three months—it’s at most twenty days.”

Shi Chu snorted, “That’s the issue. Of course, that record was pulled from his psychological treatment file. Three months was what he told his psychologist.”

Shi Min nodded, “There’s no such thing as a three-month administrative penalty. I checked.”

Shi Chu smirked, “Figure it out yourself. Anyway, you’re quite charmed by this man.”

Shi Min remained silent.

There was definitely something suspicious. Five years ago, Luo Mingjing was administratively detained by the Haishi police under a rather unsavory charge for three months. During that time, he wasn’t arrested, but he wasn’t released either.

However, administrative detention typically lasts only fifteen days, and even for multiple offenses, it’s capped at twenty days—it never extends to three months.

Shi Min snapped back to reality and saw Luo Mingjing turn his head. His expression was normal, neither sad nor happy.

He said, “Go back to sleep. I’ll finish cleaning the floor and come back.”

“Don’t let it affect your mood,” Shi Min ruffled his hair. “All you need to focus on now is your design work. You’re a designer—you only need to think about your craft. I’m a businessperson, so everything outside of design is my responsibility.”

In the morning, before leaving, Shi Min tucked in the blanket for Luo Mingjing, who was sleeping on the sofa. Luo Mingjing opened his eyes slightly, grabbed her hand, and hoarsely asked where she was going.

Shi Min replied, “To give a lesson.”

“...To Xu Qianqian?” Luo Mingjing’s eyes widened. “Don’t scold her.”

“Because of her copying, I now have to spend energy, time, and money to resolve an issue that shouldn’t have happened. Even at this point, you still won’t let me teach her a lesson? If it weren’t for your sake, a child like her...”

“She’s my sister, and she didn’t use my designs for anything... Shi Min, she’s just vain. I know she didn’t mean to harm me or profit from stealing my designs... She just doesn’t realize the consequences of her actions. Since she was little... I raised her. My uncle and aunt—they’re shrewd people. They never treated their daughter as family. Despite having no shortage of food or clothing, when Qianqian was young, she never ate well... Later, after my uncle had a son, they sent Qianqian to my house and told my mother, ‘We’re all family now. Having a son and a daughter makes a good match, and you can afford to raise her...’”

Luo Mingjing’s eyes welled up. “My family... our financial situation wasn’t bad. My grandfather was the head of the household, and my father was a son-in-law. He wasn’t allowed to visit his original family during holidays. My father always felt guilty about them. When my uncle and aunt asked him to raise their daughter, he agreed. And my mother... her mental state wasn’t good. It was Qianqian who took care of her. She knew how to make her laugh and comfort her—it was always her taking care of my mother. I know my uncle and aunt sent their daughter to our house for money, but since she grew up in my home, she became family. Later... when my family fell apart, she went back to theirs, but I...”

But I can’t blame her, and I can’t help but spoil her.

He wiped his tears and said, “Shi Min, I don’t have a mother anymore.”

Luo Mingjing cried. “I don’t have a mother anymore. I only have one sister left...”

Shi Min handed him a tissue, her brows slightly twitching. After Luo Mingjing calmed down, she said, “She’s spoiled because of you. Of course, what you said is true—the problem wasn’t directly caused by her, but the end result is related to her. What she did constitutes plagiarism. She made a mistake, and you see it clearly. Why do you still indulge her? If you really care about her, you should wake her up early.”

Luo Mingjing was stunned.

Shi Min continued, “Your matter can wait until I return. Your sister’s issue is separate. If you can’t bring yourself to discipline her, I will. The studio isn’t yours alone—it’s also my investment. Now that she’s caused losses to my investment, if I don’t demand compensation, can’t I at least teach her a lesson?”

At the school gate, Shi Min waited for Xu Qianqian. Soon, Xu Qianqian arrived, clutching her laptop and rushing into the car. She shoved the laptop into Shi Min’s hands and said, “It was Ma Duo who stole the designs! Look, there’s chat history! She sent my brother’s designs to Professor Ke, claiming they were her own ideas and asking him for guidance. I knew they were in cahoots! So disgusting!”

Shi Min thought that Xu Qianqian was indeed a complicated person. As Luo Mingjing had said, she was vain but not malicious. She hadn’t intended to hurt her brother, but unconsciously, she kept demanding things from him.

It was clear that she wanted the best and wanted to become the best. She admired Luo Mingjing and wanted to be like him, but she lacked the talent.

She was a selfish child raised in a calculating family. She would go to great lengths to seek justice for Luo Mingjing, even enlisting her boyfriend to hack into her roommate’s computer, spending an entire day arguing, fighting for the laptop, and recording conversations. But no matter how hard she tried now, she had committed an error Shi Min couldn’t forgive.

Shi Min rubbed her face with both hands and sighed deeply.

She locked the car door and said, “Xu Qianqian, you need to apologize—to Luo Mingjing, and to me.”

Xu Qianqian froze and blurted out, “Why? I know I owe my brother an apology—that’s right—but why should I apologize to you? What did I do to you?”

“Do you know how much hiring a lawyer costs?” Shi Min asked. “Do you know what we’ll lose if Guohong decides to co-develop? Do you know how much my investment has lost? Of course, monetary losses I can overlook, but because of you, all my previous efforts nearly went to waste. My boyfriend almost collapsed last night—his condition was highly unstable—and I lost sleep too. For all this, don’t you owe me an apology?”

Xu Qianqian was stunned for a long time.

“Xu Qianqian, do you really not realize?” Shi Min said. “In my eyes, you’re like a child holding a knife. You stab your brother, then give him the best treatment, bandage his wounds, and hold his hand, asking, ‘Can you forgive my mistake? I’m different from those who hurt you.’ How are you different, little girl? Tell me.”

Tears streaming down her face, Xu Qianqian said, “What do you know! How dare you...” How dare you say this about me?

But deep down, she knew that as soon as Shi Min said these words, a voice inside her twisted and mocked her: “This is you, Xu Qianqian. This is exactly who you are. She’s right!”

“Compensation is what you owe,” Shi Min said. “Besides compensation, I need a sincere apology from you. After that... reflect on yourself—not to me, but to yourself. Think about whether you’ve been a leech clinging to him all these years.”

Xu Qianqian wiped her tears, flung her hand, and pounded on the door. “Open it! Let me out!”

Shi Min closed her eyes briefly, unlocked the door, and stared ahead, softly saying, “Class dismissed, poor student.”

Xu Qianqian stormed off, but not long after, she returned, throwing the laptop at Shi Min. Clenching her teeth, she said, “Don’t think that just because you’re dating my brother, you have the right to lecture me. Who do you think you are? You’re an outsider—stop putting on airs!”

After saying that, she ran off with a dark expression, wiping her tears as she went. Shi Min watched her reflection in the rearview mirror as the girl ran, raising her arm to wipe her tears.

Shi Min placed the laptop carefully and sighed, “So unlovable.”

After handing the laptop to the lawyer, Shi Min leisurely drove back to the studio. On the way, she suddenly stopped the car, lowered the window, and gazed at the flower bed in the distance. Slowly, she smiled. “I’m so lucky.”

Sure enough, when she returned to the studio, Luo Mingjing still wanted to sulk. Shi Min said, “Don’t be mad. I apologize.”

“I don’t accept it,” Luo Mingjing said. “She called me crying and told me everything. You were too harsh with your words...”

“Words aren’t harsh; people need to grow up,” Shi Min said, wrapping her arms around Luo Mingjing’s waist. “How can I make you feel better?”

“Don’t bother. Nothing will work,” Luo Mingjing said uncertainly.

“Really?” Shi Min let go and turned to leave.

Luo Mingjing hesitated, quickly chasing after her. But when he saw Shi Min walking in with a paper box in her hands, he relaxed. “Don’t panic—I’m not leaving. I brought something to show my sincerity. Open it and see?”

Luo Mingjing said, “No gift will work. I’m not against you reasoning with her, but you shouldn’t have been so blunt. She’s lived a careful life since she was young—her heart is fragile. You...”

Luo Mingjing’s words trailed off. The president opened the box and placed a soft, fluffy black-and-white cat into his arms.

“Do you want it?”

Luo Mingjing held the meowing kitten in both hands, unable to speak.

Shi Min said, “Found it on the road. An apology gift. Are you feeling better now? Let’s go buy it a bed.”

Luo Mingjing trembled slightly, wanting to laugh, but instead, he hugged the cat and cried.

Shi Min smiled confidently. “Looks like this gift hit the mark.”