Ethan Yu had done his homework.
After a full day and night of digging through records, verifying timelines, and cross-checking entries, he could now confirm—those two design submissions under Hailey Tang's name were clean. Not copied. Not plagiarized. Not even inspired by anyone else's known work. They were original.
Still, that didn't mean they were perfect.
It wasn't that he was disappointed in Hailey's creativity. Quite the opposite—her vision was bold, fresh, and full of untapped potential. But that potential lacked polish. She still hadn't grasped the fundamentals of design theory. Her work had ideas, but not enough structure. Beauty, but little balance.
It needed him.
And he had no intention of letting her fall short.
He would use her ideas as the foundation, then rebuild the entire design from the ground up—layer by layer, line by line. With her instincts and his mastery, he'd craft something far beyond what either of them could do alone.
Something worthy of New York.
Just thinking about it sent a rush of adrenaline through his veins. His fingers itched for the pencil. His mind flooded with shapes, textures, proportions, flow.
This was what he lived for.
Without another word, Ethan rolled up his sleeves and pulled out his sketchbook right there in the office. No hesitation. No distractions.
He worked through the evening.
And then through the night.
By the time the moon was high in the sky, the entire floor was dark except for his office. Light from his desk lamp spilled across dozens of draft papers, each filled with bold strokes and sweeping lines. He didn't eat. Didn't check his phone. Didn't even notice time slipping away.
He was in the zone—and he stayed there until dawn.
Across town, Lin Xin'er was also burning the midnight oil.
She hadn't slept either.
All night, she sat curled up in her apartment's studio corner, pouring over her final design submission. Every curve, every detail had to be flawless. She revised until her eyes burned and her hands cramped.
Tomorrow was the Dongfang Group's internal design competition.
And she was determined to stand out.
Not just for herself.
But for him.
The sun finally rose over the towering skyline, casting a soft glow over the glass walls of the Dongfang Group headquarters. A new day had begun—but this wasn't just any day.
It was war.
Inside the company, tension filled the air. The entire design department had gathered in the main conference room. Over a hundred designers sat with bated breath, holding their sketches, prototypes, and dreams in their hands.
All eyes were on the elevator.
All thoughts were on one man.
Ethan Yu.
He was more than just the CEO. He was their judge, jury, and executioner. One look from him could make or break a designer's future. One nod could skyrocket a career overnight. One frown? You might as well pack up your desk.
Finally, the elevator chimed.
The doors slid open, and Ethan emerged.
He was still wearing the same crisp white shirt from yesterday—slightly wrinkled now, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The top buttons were undone, revealing the faint edge of his collarbone. Despite the lack of sleep, he looked maddeningly composed. Sharp, cold, and impossibly confident.
He hadn't gone home last night.
Only slept for two hours.
Washed up. Shaved. And walked straight into battle.
Behind him trailed his assistant Ji Chuan and two personal secretaries. A few senior executives were already waiting at the door, murmuring respectful greetings as he passed.
"President Yu," the design department manager stepped forward nervously, "everyone's here."
Ethan gave a slight nod and strode into the room without a word.
The moment he entered, the buzzing chatter died instantly.
Silence blanketed the conference hall. No one dared make a sound.
His presence had that effect.
Ethan walked up to the stage with a calm, predatory grace and turned to face the crowd.
"You're early," he said, his voice cool and smooth. "Good. Let's skip the speeches and get to the point. The competition starts now."
He didn't wait for applause or reactions. Instead, he walked down the stage and took his seat—front and center.
Lin Xin'er was already there.
She had picked her seat with care—just one row behind Ethan, slightly to his left. From her position, she could see his profile clearly whenever he turned his head. And oh, what a profile it was.
Sharp jawline. Straight nose. Dark lashes casting soft shadows over unreadable eyes. Even the way he adjusted his cuffs seemed elegant.
She couldn't stop staring.
Her cheeks flushed pink, but she didn't look away. There was something magnetic about him. Something dangerous and fascinating. She had worked for this moment for months, and now, it was finally here.
Today, she would show him.
Today, he would notice her.
She was sure of it.
The rules were brutal.
Each design would be displayed one by one through the projector. Ethan Yu alone had the power to decide who made it to the next round. If he liked a piece, he'd invite the designer onstage to present their concept.
If he didn't say a word?
You were out.
No questions. No explanations. No second chances.
One hundred designs. One decision-maker.
That was the reality of working at Dongfang Group.
He wasn't just the boss. He was a legend. A prodigy in the world of design. The trophies in his office weren't for decoration—they were hard-won accolades from international competitions, each bearing his name.
No one at Dongfang dared challenge him.
Because no one could.
One by one, the designs began to appear on the screen.
The tension in the room grew with every flicker of the projector.
Some were met with a cold silence.
Others got a glance, maybe a quiet hum, but nothing more.
Then, now and then, Ethan would raise a brow. Or tap a finger on the table. Or say two words: "Explain it."
Those two words sent waves of relief—and envy—through the room.
Lin Xin'er clutched the edge of her chair, heart pounding.
Hailey Tang, she thought bitterly, must've pulled something. There's no way she got this far without help.
But today, it didn't matter who Hailey knew, or how close she was to the boss.
Today, everything would come down to one thing.
Talent.
And Lin Xin'er was ready to prove that she had more of it than anyone else in the room.
Even her.