Chapter 3462: Diva, Diva (19)

Yue Wenlun actually felt a seed of doubt growing in his mind. The other party was a very famous screenwriter, while Qiao Ling’er was a complete novice. Anyone would naturally side with a professional.

Even though Yue Wenlun had feelings for Qiao Ling’er, such a massive incident required a clear answer. He knew asking might make her angry, but this involved the reputation of his studio as well as his own. It hadn't been easy for him to reach the status of Best Actor award winner. He had climbed up the ladder step by step.

This concerned his entire future. Losing the lawsuit would mean paying massive damages. It wasn't just a minor loss. He had to know the truth.

Hearing him speak this way, Qiao Ling’er felt both anxious and resentful. Her small face was filled with the righteous indignation of someone being wronged. She couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by that? Are you doubting me? I wrote this script myself, word for word, in a notebook. Even if I can't find the notebook right now, I’m the one who wrote it. They’re the ones who plagiarized my work!"

Qiao Ling’er felt extremely aggrieved, especially when the system notified her that Yue Wenlun’s favorability had dropped again. It was now down to 70.

The affection she had worked so hard to build back up was plummeting once more.

How could a man’s heart change so quickly?

Qiao Ling’er cursed him as a bastard in her mind. He had been perfectly happy when she gave him the script, but now that trouble had arisen, he expected her to solve it.

Yue Wenlun saw the tears glistening in Qiao Ling’er’s eyes and felt a pang of guilt. "The incident has already happened. What we need to do now is take the initiative. As long as you tell me you wrote this script, I will find a way to ensure the ownership stays with us."

Qiao Ling’er felt a bit guilty, but she still said firmly, "I wrote this script. I have no idea why someone else would plagiarize my work."

"As long as you’re the one who wrote it, we can stand tall. Go home and look for any evidence you can find. I’ll handle the rest. I definitely won't let you suffer any injustice," Yue Wenlun said, acting like a protective man.

Qiao Ling’er looked at him with admiration, but inside, her heart was racing with anxiety. She was ‘riding a tiger’ and didn't know how to proceed.

Could she really tell Yue Wenlun that she hadn't written the script? That would be the same as admitting she was the plagiarist.

But if she didn't say anything, she couldn't produce any concrete evidence. She needed to hurry back and fake a handwritten manuscript.

This system was a total disaster!

It caused trouble and then went into hiding without offering any help. If she was truly labeled a plagiarist, how could she continue to survive in this industry?

This incident would become a permanent stain. Whenever people saw her or talked about her, the topic would always be plagiarism.

Qiao Ling’er deeply regretted it. If she had known someone else had already written this script, she wouldn't have been so quick to use it to suck up to Yue Wenlun.

It was all because Yue Wenlun’s ex-girlfriend had made such a scene during the filming of the xianxia drama. Mu Shuyao had been so reckless and ignorant, causing Qiao Ling’er great embarrassment.

Yue Wenlun’s favorability had started dropping then, so she had produced the script just to get it back up.

If she had just waited a little longer, this situation might have been completely avoided.

She had been too impatient and had lost her cool.

Once this matter was resolved, she would have to think twice before acting. She wanted to be a superstar and capture men, but the prerequisite for everything was self-preservation!

Qiao Ling’er’s mind was racing. Since her rebirth, she hadn't encountered any real difficulties. She had gone straight into Yue Wenlun’s production and successfully caught his attention with her beauty.

Then, by relying on the bit of acting skill she had polished in her previous life, she had made Yue Wenlun believe she was an acting genius.

After that, through his recommendation, she had successfully snatched the lead role from his ex-girlfriend. She had become famous very smoothly. Compared to her previous life, where she had to play nice just to get tiny roles, her current starting point was incredibly high.

Everything had been smooth sailing until this plagiarism scandal. Qiao Ling’er was terrified, not knowing what kind of responsibility she would have to take.

Stripped of the system, Qiao Ling’er was just the same mediocre, third-rate star from her previous life. The system provided help, but it hadn't given her the vision to function without it. Now that trouble had struck, she was at a loss, unable to even think of a solution while stubbornly trying to save face.

She was afraid her capture target would find out she hadn’t written the script herself. If his favorability dropped to the negatives, all her previous efforts would be for nothing.

Her many worries had left her caught in a trap of her own making.

Qiao Ling’er asked Yue Wenlun tentatively, "What happens if someone is legally found guilty of plagiarism?"

Yue Wenlun heard something off in her tone and immediately asked, "You didn't actually plagiarize it, did you?"

Qiao Ling’er waved her hands frantically. "How could I possibly plagiarize? I just want to know what the consequences would be for you if there was a wrongful conviction."

"If our side is truly found guilty of plagiarism, the other party will seek damages. To capitalize on the hype, they might ask for a huge sum, and they’ll demand a public apology," Yue Wenlun said, his head throbbing. He was looking at a potential loss of millions or even tens of millions of catties, plus the requirement of an apology.

A public apology was the one thing Yue Wenlun could not accept. A man lived for his reputation just as a tree lived for its bark. Especially for someone in the entertainment industry, an apology was like having your skin peeled off and thrown on the ground to be trampled.

His image in the eyes of his fans would shatter. The perfect, flawless persona he had built would collapse!

His movie box office numbers depended on the support and promotion of his fans. Since this involved his entire future, Yue Wenlun couldn't help but be anxious.

"A script can really cost that much in damages? Tens of millions?" Qiao Ling’er’s face turned pale. She had never seen that much money in her life. She might be able to earn it in the future, but she didn't have it now.

Was she going to be burdened with a massive debt from now on?

The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became. She looked so pitiful and fragile that it would normally be heart-wrenching.

"That’s why you need to go back and find some evidence. This concerns our reputations. You don't want people to call us plagiarists every time they mention us in the future."

Yue Wenlun waved his hand, then told her to hurry home and look for proof.

He didn't really want to look at Qiao Ling’er right now. Regardless of the truth, Qiao Ling’er was the one who had given him the script, and she was the one who had brought this trouble to his door.

Though he had feelings for her, she clearly didn't measure up when compared to his career.

At this point, Yue Wenlun’s love for Qiao Ling’er hadn't reached the level of ‘choosing the beauty over the kingdom.’ The entertainment industry was a very realistic place, and Yue Wenlun had worked hard to establish his own studio.

Qiao Ling’er: …

Damn it. His favorability had dropped again. It fell by ten points in one go, leaving the total at 60. Now what he felt towards her was only ordinary liking.

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