Mrs. Long continued. “Serena’s design was meticulous in considering every little thing. She has even thought of a child care area for children to play at while parents can be in ease safely. There are also many facilities for the elderly, which is easy to build and cost-effective. People from all age groups and strata visit the complex. So, our architecture must satisfy everyone, not only the young adults.”
Yao Luli was shaking in anger.
Mr. Xie, the other panel member, added, “Your design was a little bit more fancy and materialistic to our taste. We couldn’t feel the consideration and respect that an interior designer must have to plan an unbiased design catering to all classes of people.”
The audience nodded, hearing their explanation.
Serena bowed respectfully, “Thank you for your praise Sir, Mam.”
Huo Liwei said, “Any more questions?”
Gong Hong quickly said before Yao Luli could interfere any further. “No, no, Mr. Huo. Please forgive my employee for her rude behavior. She is young and rash. Winning and losing is all part of the competition.”
Suddenly, someone from the audience said, “Hey, I remember now. She is the same Yao Luli who was *cough* having sex in the ladies’ room stall!”
The others were stunned.
Yao Luli’s face turned ghastly pale. Gong Hong was shocked.
One other asked, “What?”
“Yes! I was in the washroom when I heard two people quietly moaning, and the man was muttering ‘Luli, Luli’ and that girl was whispering ‘Boss.’ I was wondering where I heard her name before.”
They gasped. “She was having sex with her boss, that means Gong Hong!?”
“Instead of focusing on the competition, they were busy f*cking! No wonder she couldn’t win.”
“Are they really dating, or did she…seduce him?”
“Is this her definition of professionalism?”
“With what face is she criticizing Serena?”
Yao Luli cried, “No! It’s lies! I didn’t do any such thing!”
One snickered. “I can still see a hickey.”
Yao Luli quickly touched her neck in panic.
“See? You are guilty.”
Gong Hong was utterly embarrassed.
Huo Liwei’s face darkened. “Miss Yao Luli, Mr. Gong Hong, this is a respectable place for healthy competition for aspiring and talented designers. Please limit your indecent behavior until your bedroom only.”
Their faces turned scarlet in shame. They couldn’t raise their heads to face the crowd.
“Also, I don’t mind you are questioning our judgment, but it should be civil. Shouting and screaming so unprofessionally will give the impression that we have made an unfair judgment.”
He declared. “Taking note of your unprofessional behavior, the Huo Corps ban Design Premier from any of our bids in the future, and I will also tell the other companies in our partnership to exclude you from taking part in any such event.”
They widened their eyes in disbelief.
‘We will be finished!’
Gong Hong begged in panic. “No, please, Mr. Huo! You are misunderstanding. We can talk about this.”
Yao Luli also shed a river of tears. “Yes, Mr. Huo. It must be Serena! She must have bribed someone to defame me! She had formerly worked with us, and she is taking revenge that she was kicked out!”
Gong Hong added, “Yes, it must be her! I was her previous boss, and I fired her because she was incompetent!”
Serena looked dumbfounded. Jianyu’s gaze turned dark and cold.
She twisted her resignation into being fired.
Serena sneered, “Gong Hong, you tried to molest me in your office, and I resigned to protect my dignity. Will any woman want to work with such a boss? But you twisted the facts pinning the blame on me. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
Huo Liwei widened his eyes. Suddenly, the air around him turned frighteningly icy. He looked at Gong Hong with a menacing gaze.
“Serena!” His face turned red in anger. “Don’t slander me! The truth was that you came onto me. You begged me not to fire you, but I did, and now you are humiliating me for revenge.”
Yao Luli nodded in agreement. “Yes, it’s true!”
Suddenly, the guard entered the hall. “Sir Huo, there is someone from Design Premier who wants to say something.”
Gong Hong was puzzled.
‘Somebody from the office?’ But he got a bad feeling.
“Send her in.”
A woman came in. Gong Hong recognized her. She was also a designer like Yao Luli but still an intern.
Huo Liwei said, “What do you want to say?”
“Sir, my name is Yi Liqiu. I work under Gong Hong, and I was told that my testimony is needed to prove Serena innocent.”
Huo Liwei squinted his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Sir, what Serena said is true. That day boss had said that he wants to do the meeting alone with Serena. Nobody else would join. I was passing by when I heard everything from outside, and he confessed that she can do nothing but continue to work as they had the Chen Corps deal.”
Gong Hong was sweating. He didn’t know that somebody was there!
“Serena clearly said that she is resigning.”
Everybody took a sharp breath.
“Oh, God, such a disgusting boss.”
“Sexual harassment at work!”
“Shame on him!”
“So he did have sex with Yao Luli! It is possible since he is a disgusting pervert.”
Huo Liwei’s expression turned grim. “Why didn’t you expose him?”
Yi Liqiu looked guiltily, “I am still a newbie, and I thought that he would fire me if I said anything. So I kept quiet.”
Serena was also surprised.
Huo Liwei looked at the assistant. “Call the police and take him away. We cannot let a potential rapist walk away freely.”
“No!” Gong Hong shouted. “Don’t believe her! It’s a trap. Serena must have bribed her too!”
“I-I also have recorded.” Yi Liqiu took out her phone and played it. The conversation between him and Serena resounded in the hall. “I recorded just in case.”
It was now clear that he confessed and was threatening her with the Chen Corps deal to stay in the company. This was the evidence.
Huo Liwei gritted his teeth but took a deep breath to calm himself. “Take him away!”
The assistant said, “Sir, I just got a text from Chen Corps CEO’s assistant Fan that Yao Luli had tried to sabotage Miss Serena’s presentation during their deal forcing her to back out.”
Huo Liwei glared at her. “So, you were scheming. You couldn’t win that time, and you couldn’t bear that she won this time, too, so you opposed us.”
Yao Luli turned white. The blood from her face drained away. “No! That was an accident! I also apologized to Serena.”
“Enough!” He signaled the guards.
The guards came and quickly dragged them away. They were a complete mess by the time they were mercilessly thrown out on the road. The crowd passing by was looking at them in disdain. They looked pathetic.
Jianyu smirked, seeing them pushed out. He texted Assistant Fan.
‘Good job.’
One guard was watching over them till Gong Hong would be arrested.
The commotion finally quietened down. Huo Liwei looked at Serena with complicated emotions. He said, “Congratulations, Zhi- I mean, Miss Serena. We look forward to working with you. We also award a three-year investment contract to Jia Se.”
Serena slowly moved her hand, and her face was brightly lit with a smile. “T-thank you.”
But he quickly withdrew it expressionlessly.
Serena froze and quietly lowered her hand. The smile on her face died down.
“All the winners and participants are invited to the Huo family banquet tonight for the celebration.”
The mention of the banquet reminded Serena of her task.
The other three participants got ecstatic. Even though they couldn’t win, they can get the chance to meet many influential personalities through whom they can get offered. It was not any less than a golden opportunity.
After the event was over, Huo Liwei looked coldly at his assistant. “Make sure Gong Hong is thoroughly tortured in prison, and buy all the shares of Design Premier. And Yao Luli. Don’t forget her.”
The assistant nodded. “Yes, boss.”
From a distance, he saw Serena and Jianyu together. He scrunched his eyebrows.
‘Chen Jianyu? How does she know him?’
“Was Chen Corps CEO going to come today?”
The assistant shook his head. “No, boss. I didn’t get any notification from his assistant.”
“Hm.”
On the other side, Jianyu embraced her in a tight hug. “Congratulations girlfriend. I had full trust in you that you would win.”
Serena was overjoyed. “En. It’s all because you are here to support me.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I never thought that Yi Liqiu was a witness to what happened that day. And she came at the right time. Isn’t it a coincidence?”
Jianyu coughed. He cleared his throat. “Isn’t it? Whatever but what is important that truth is revealed.”
Serena silently stared at him and was inwardly smiling. She tiptoed and kissed him on his lips. “A reward for being the best boyfriend!”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Ah, wait here. I have to call Nana.”
She went aside and dialed her number. “Nana! I won the competition!”
Nana was delighted. “That is such good news! Congratulations!”
“Hehe~~ Thank you. So, I called for an important thing.”
“What?”
“There is a banquet tonight hosted by Huo Corps, and they want you to cater to their event.”
