AWB Chapter 291 Slander and Plagiarism
Chapter 291 Slander and Plagiarism
“Check the background of that French company.” As I turned around, I caught Lin Xiaxia hurriedly putting away her phone. “Also, pull up the surveillance footage from the last six months, especially from the sample room and the design department.”
Xu Sisi suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now! Last month I went to the showroom and saw Lin Xiaxia taking pictures. She said she was going to post them on WeChat Moments..."
All eyes were on Lin Xiaxia. Her face turned deathly pale, her fingers gripping the bag strap tightly: "I...I just..."
I walked up to her. "Just what? Hand over your phone."
Her hands trembled as she unlocked her phone. Her photo album was filled with detailed images of various Suzhou embroidery samples, along with chat logs with someone nicknamed "angle." It turned out that the French company had been eyeing our designs for a while. After obtaining samples through Lin Xiaxia, they preemptively registered a patent and then accused us of plagiarism.
“…” I rubbed my temples wearily. “At the same time, we need to contact the media and hold a press conference.”
Three days later, at the press conference held at the Suzhou Embroidery Museum, we invited several elderly embroiderers, all over sixty years old, to give a live demonstration. On camera, their wrinkled fingers moved nimbly, each stitch embodying decades of skill.
“This is true Suzhou embroidery.” I stood under the spotlight, holding up the peony fan. “It cannot be replicated by cold machines. Every stitch is infused with the embroiderer’s heart and soul, and every piece is a unique work of art.”
After the press conference, Xu Sisi took me to meet an elderly embroiderer. The old woman took out a double-sided embroidery from the bottom of a box; one side had peonies, and the other side had butterflies.
"The secret skill passed down through generations, 'Butterfly Loves Flowers'." Her eyes glistened with tears. "Actually, I've wanted to pass it on for a long time, and now I finally have this opportunity."
Looking at the embroidery, I suddenly had an idea: "Why don't we create a 'Suzhou Embroidery Inheritor' program? Let more people know the story behind this craft."
Three days after the press conference, I was in my office working on the "Suzhou Embroidery Inheritors" program when I suddenly received a call from an unknown number.
"Ms. Gu, this is Lin Xiaxia's mother." The voice on the other end of the phone was choked with sobs. "Xiaxia... is in the hospital."
The hospital disinfectant smelled pungent. When I pushed open the ward door, I saw Lin Xiaxia lying on the hospital bed, her face so pale it was almost transparent.
A simply dressed middle-aged woman sat beside her bed, clutching a handkerchief embroidered with orchids.
“Miss Gu,” Lin Xiaxia said weakly, “I’m sorry, I lied to you. But I had to do it.”
I pulled up a chair and sat down, noticing a yellowed photo album on her bedside table. Lin Xiaxia's mother opened the album with trembling hands; inside were old photos: young embroiderers working intently in front of their embroidery frames. In one photo, a woman with features remarkably similar to Lin Xiaxia was embroidering a huge peony design.
“That was my maternal grandmother,” Lin Xiaoxia said softly. “She was one of the last inheritors of the ‘Butterfly Loves Flowers’ embroidery technique. Twenty years ago, that French company wanted to buy out the craft, but my grandmother refused. Later…” Her voice choked up, “They sent people to steal the design drawings, and my grandmother fell down the stairs to protect the embroidery patterns…”
I suddenly remembered the "Butterfly and Flower" painting that the old embroiderer displayed at the press conference; no wonder it looked familiar at the time.
“Over the years, I’ve been collecting evidence.” Lin Xiaxia pulled a USB drive from under her pillow. “They not only wanted to steal our designs, but also wanted to monopolize the entire Suzhou embroidery market. I pretended to be bribed by them to get this evidence.”
Xu Sisi suddenly pushed the door open, holding a document in her hand: "I found out! That French company is backed by an international handicraft smuggling ring that specializes in targeting traditional handicrafts from various countries..."
“Wait,” I interrupted her, “Xia, why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“Because…” she bit her lip, “I found out that there are people within the company colluding with them. I’m afraid of alerting them…”
"The Yun Group you mentioned? What's your relationship with the Yun Group?"
Just then, the door of the ward was pushed open.
The man rushed in, panting: "Miss Gu, something terrible has happened! That French company held a press conference, saying we plagiarized their design!"
I stood up, looked at Lin Xiaxia's pale face, and suddenly had an idea: "Xiaxia, can you still embroider?"
She paused for a moment, then understood what I meant, and a glint of light flashed in her eyes: "Yes!"
Three days later, in the exhibition hall of the Suzhou Embroidery Museum, Lin Xiaxia sat in front of her embroidery frame. An IV tube was still inserted in her hand, but her fingers remained nimble. Before the camera, she embroidered an unprecedented "Butterfly and Flower": the front depicted blooming peonies, while the back showed withered flowers, with butterflies resting on the decaying petals, as if in mourning.
“This is the true ‘Butterfly Loves Flowers’,” I said to the camera. “It is not only a skill, but also a spirit. Twenty years ago, someone gave their life to protect it; today, people are standing up for it again.”
After the press conference, based on the evidence provided by Lin Xiaoxia, the police successfully dismantled the smuggling ring. Lin Xiaoxia, the girl who had been quietly protecting the heritage of Suzhou embroidery, could finally stand openly in the sunlight.
Standing in the museum's exhibition hall, looking at her grandmother's photo on the wall, she said, "I want to teach 'Butterfly Loves Flowers' to more people, Miss Gu..."
I nodded and took her cold hand in mine: "Let's do it together."
Fifteen days later, the Suzhou Embroidery Museum's exhibition hall was packed with people. Lin Xiaxia stood in the center of the hall; her face was still somewhat pale, but her eyes were bright.
Behind her was a huge "Butterfly and Flower" embroidery piece, with blooming peonies on the front and withered flowers on the back. Butterflies perched on the withered petals, as if telling a story about protection and inheritance.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I said, standing in front of the microphone, "today is not only the day that the 'Butterfly Loves Flowers' technique has been brought back to life, but also the day that our Suzhou embroidery brand officially launches the 'Inheritor Program'."
Just then, the exhibition hall door was pushed open. Qin Yu strode in, followed by several middle-aged men in suits.
I recognized one of them as the investor who had previously tried to acquire our brand through an unequal agreement.
“Miss Gu,” Qin Yu walked up to me and said in a low voice, “I’ve brought the person with me this time.”
I nodded and turned to the investor: "Mr. Wang, do you remember the acquisition agreement you proposed three months ago? At that time, I said that Suzhou embroidery is not a commodity, but a heritage. Now, I would like to ask you to take a look at this."
A video begins playing on the big screen: veteran embroiderers patiently teaching young people how to embroider; Lin Xiaxia persevering in completing "Butterfly Loves Flowers" while in a hospital bed; Xu Sisi searching for scattered inheritors of Suzhou embroidery in the countryside...