To be able to hold back and keep composure like this.

The next morning, Jiang Mian deliberately made a trip to her studio.

Xiao Li had arrived early and was busy handling some items received at the reception desk. Looking up and seeing Jiang Mian walk in, she immediately hurried over.

"Sister Mianmian, are you really alright?" She still looked rather worried.

"I'm fine, set your mind at ease." Jiang Mian patted the back of Xiao Li's hand reassuringly and walked upstairs with a smile.

She had come to the studio simply to check the files stored on her computer. Although public opinion was currently stirred up, most of the people who knew Jiang Mian still trusted her.

As for those who were only acquaintances, pressured by Jiang Zhouyi, whether they believed her or not, they would certainly stand with Jiang Zhouyi on the surface.

To Jiang Mian, this was not the most important thing.

What she needed to ensure was the trust of her current business partners; everything else could be overturned in due time.

If Jiang Zhouyi wanted to play games, she would accompany him now. Anyway, since her studio had fallen into such a desolate state, she had plenty of time to spare.

The video surveillance recordings of her past creative works had always been safely stored and well-backed up.

Jiang Zhimuch had arrived at the Wen family estate early in the morning, first offering birthday wishes to Elder Wen before heading to the courtyard to find Wen Jinhuai.

Jiang Zhimuch had gone for a morning run and was now brewing tea in the courtyard.

The Elder's birthday banquet was officially scheduled to start in the afternoon, having reserved the banquet hall at the Jiangjin Restaurant, which required time for setup during the day.

Those who could arrive at the old estate to offer birthday greetings at this hour were basically close friends or relatives.

Wen Jinhuai sat in a chair, pouring a little tea into a cup. Seeing Jiang Zhimuch approach, he gestured toward the cup in his hand.

"Are you really this carefree?" Jiang Zhimuch said with a smile, walking over in that direction.

The man chuckled softly, lowering his gaze to take a sip of tea: "Did you expect me to go out and steal the Elder's thunder?"

As everyone knew, there were plenty of people eager to curry favor with Wen Jinhuai, but today was the Elder's birthday banquet, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to steal the spotlight.

Although the Elder wouldn't scold him, it was, after all, the Elder's major milestone birthday.

Jiang Zhimuch sat down in the adjacent chair, casually leaning against the table to pour himself a cup of tea.

Wreaths of hot steam curled upward, and he lowered his head to take a sip. The tea was quite hot, suggesting it had been brewed not long ago.

He had certainly managed to catch a cup of fresh, hot tea.

Amidst his thoughts, he looked up again at Wen Jinhuai.

The man was wearing a black shirt with the top buttons casually undone, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone.

Lost in thought, his gaze was slightly lowered, his long eyelashes masking most of the emotions in his eyes.

On the cuff of his left wrist, a rhombic diamond cufflinks gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

"Have you heard about Jiang Mian's situation?"

Everyone knew what a plagiarism scandal meant in the design circle.

It concerned not only whether a designer could continue to stay in the industry, but also the companies that had previously collaborated with the designer.

As it happened, Jiang Mian had sold a batch of design drafts to Jiang Zhimuch not long ago, and the finished products of these items had not yet hit the market.

The money had already been wired to Jiang Mian. If Jiang Mian fell, wouldn't those creations of hers leave him trapped?

Wen Jinhuai merely chuckled softly: "Are you scared?"

"I'm not scared. Aren't I just showing concern on your behalf?" It was rare to see Wen Jinhuai care so much about a young woman, let alone one not from an elite family background.

Inevitably, he wanted to pay a little more attention to the two of them.

Wen Jinhuai cast a sideways glance at him. Jiang Zhimuch raised an eyebrow, shrugged his shoulders, and lowered his head to drink his tea.

"You just need to prepare yourself for how to promote the new products and make a big name to earn yourself a fortune when the time comes."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhimuch lifted his gaze.

"You have that much confidence in Jiang Mian?"

The man shook his head: "Ever since this matter started, has she made any response on her end?"

"No, she hasn't." Thinking back, the matter had first shown signs the day before yesterday and had spread widely yesterday. Logically speaking, it was impossible she hadn't seen it.

Yet until now, neither Jiang Mian's studio nor XG's domestic headquarters had made any move.

It was as if they didn't care about this happening at all.

That could only mean one thing: the matter was entirely groundless, and Jiang Mian was 100% confident that it would not affect her.

"But?" Since she was confident she could overturn it, why let the rumor continue to spread online?

Jiang Zhimuch couldn't quite wrap his head around it.

Wen Jinhuai curled the corners of his lips into a smile: "She's waiting for an opportunity—the opportunity for the other party to strike first. Whoever strikes first loses."

Up until now, it had merely been verbal accusations of plagiarism without anyone presenting any evidence. No matter how much it spread, it could not shake her foundation.

"So that's how it is!" Jiang Zhimuch slapped the table as the realization dawned on him.

Without any evidence to prove she plagiarized, if she rushed to clarify things herself, it might instead make people think she had a guilty conscience.

On the contrary, if she maintained an attitude of letting wise judges see wisdom and benevolent ones see benevolence, many netizens would eventually realize why the rumors always just mentioned plagiarism without ever displaying the actual works.

At that point, the people spreading the rumors would be the ones forced to prove how she allegedly plagiarized.

"To be able to hold her temper this well?" Jiang Zhimuch clicked his tongue in amazement. Jiang Mian's composure seemed far more steadfast than he had imagined.

Selling those design drafts to him was probably indeed due to a tight turnover of funds.

"Holding your temper is a good thing, but sometimes, not necessarily." Wen Jinhuai smiled, setting down the cup in his hand.

Jiang Zhouyi's family was pushing Jiang Mian very hard. That younger brother of hers had no brains and actually thought Jiang Zhixuan could remain untainted out of the mud.

The Jiang family over there was anxious to hitch themselves to the Wen family, and Wen Yan still thought it was only natural.

Sigh, someone without a brain like that—it was fortunate he didn't end up marrying Jiang Mian.

Otherwise, it truly would have ruined Jiang Mian's entire life.

At this thought, an image floated into his mind of Jiang Mian wearing a qipao, wisps of hair falling softly beside her ears, carrying a quiet and captivating allure.

In fact, the encounter at the Jiang family estate was not the first time Wen Jinhuai had seen Jiang Mian.

Tracing back further, it probably went back to when Jiang Mian's parents were still alive.

Back then, she had accompanied her parents to visit Elder Wen. At the time, Wen Jinhuai had just returned from abroad and was resting in his room.

When coming downstairs, he had inadvertently caught sight of Jiang Mian squatting in the courtyard to look at flowers.

She was still a child back then, just a little girl, while he was merely a youth of sixteen or seventeen.

He hadn't gone up to greet her; after watching her for a little while, he simply picked up his glass of water and went back upstairs. So it was completely normal that Jiang Mian had no impression of him at all.

Later, when Jiang Mian was studying at Jingjiang University, he had actually seen her a few times, catching accidental glimpses of her whenever he returned to the campus.

He had a good relationship with President Cheng and was naturally well-acquainted with Professor Chen.

Professor Chen had repeatedly mentioned this prized pupil of hers, praising her extraordinary talent in design, which was why he had paid a little extra attention to her.