Chapter 37: Unveiling the Truth

Chapter 37: Unveiling the Truth

Creston Media sent word to Emily's studio, assuring her that their PR team would handle the allegations against her, advising her to stay calm. Emily waited anxiously all day, but when there was still no response from them, she started to feel restless. She even tried calling Ethan twice, but each time she was met with the monotonous, automated voice: "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."

As time dragged on without a response, public opinion turned increasingly hostile, with more and more negative comments flooding in:

"Still no response? Weren't they supposed to clarify everything?"

"How can they possibly clear this up? The evidence is ironclad—I'm curious to see how they'll try to spin it."

"An artist plagiarizing? No, no, that's not plagiarism [dog emoji], that's 'borrowing' [dog emoji]."

"This time, not even her sugar daddy will be able to save her."

"Say no more—any mention of this and she'll slap you with a lawsuit. Afraid yet?"

"Lawyer's letter warning [dog emoji]."

Just as Emily was on the verge of taking matters into her own hands and issuing a statement, her studio's social media account suddenly updated:

**AlisaStudio: [Official Response to the Allegations Against Alisa of "Plagiarism" [Image]]**

Clicking on the image revealed the following:

"We hereby solemnly declare: The public service announcement poster shot by Alisa was not plagiarized, and she has never engaged in any act of plagiarism or the theft of others' work!

The so-called 'plagiarized' photo is from the July 2006 issue of the American magazine *The Diver's Journey.* We have obtained the [complete, original] magazine photo:

[Image]

As you can see, the photo being compared to Alisa's poster is not the original image. It has been cropped and altered, with adjustments made to the color and lighting to create the illusion of plagiarism!

The accuser deliberately cropped the original photo to match the composition of Alisa's poster and altered the colors of the model's dress and the water to maliciously fabricate evidence of plagiarism!

The accuser's rhetoric has been consistently inflammatory, guiding public opinion in a calculated, malicious defamation campaign!

We have identified the person who initiated these defamatory claims. This individual used the internet to create false narratives, tarnishing Alisa's work and damaging her public image. We have already filed a lawsuit against this disgraceful behavior, and we will pursue legal action to the fullest extent!

We also warn the media and the public who have followed this trend of defamation to immediately retract any false reports and cease their slander, or we will hold them equally accountable.

The internet is not a lawless place. While you may speak anonymously, that does not absolve you of responsibility for your words. If you think you can use the internet's lack of transparency to spread lies and create chaos, think again!"

Emily read the statement, stunned by the revelation.

The photo had been cropped? How could someone go to such lengths?

She spent some time searching for the magazine and photographer mentioned in the statement but found that neither were particularly well-known. A non-professional foreign photographer shooting for an obscure foreign magazine—how had Creston Media managed to track down this information?

After the studio's statement was posted, the comments were filled with shock and disbelief. Everyone seemed to share Emily's reaction; no one had expected the so-called "plagiarized" photo to be a manipulated screenshot!

Shortly after the statement, Creston Media's official account reposted it, adding a video.

In the video, a middle-aged foreign man introduced himself as the original photographer and displayed the unaltered photo. He explained that he had taken the photo over a decade ago during a diving trip and was shocked to discover that it had been maliciously edited and used to defame another photographer. He also mentioned that, as a photography enthusiast, he had long admired the young Chinese photographer Alisa and had seen her work at an art exhibition in Paris several years ago.

Towards the end of the video, the photographer grew visibly upset as he spoke out against the unjust treatment of such a talented artist, saying that someone as gifted as Alisa should not be subjected to such baseless accusations. Finally, he offered to give her the original photograph as a token of his admiration and to help clear her name.

With the "victim" himself vouching for her innocence, Emily was finally exonerated.

In their industry, nothing was more damaging than an accusation of plagiarism. Even if one could prove their innocence, any lingering doubt could tarnish their reputation for years to come.

Emily now understood why Creston Media had waited so long—they had been preparing an irrefutable counter-evidence, ensuring that no one could dispute her innocence. Only with such a solid rebuttal could her name and her career remain untarnished.

As she watched the video, Emily's gaze was drawn to a fleeting moment where the photographer's hand briefly appeared on screen. She immediately recognized the wristwatch he was wearing.

Was this video shot by him? Had Ethan tracked down the original photographer and filmed this video himself?

A wave of emotion swept over her. The fact that he had gone to such lengths to protect her reputation… it was more than she had expected.

Two hours after the clarification was posted, major video sites and media outlets suddenly began pushing a new story about Emily—not about the plagiarism scandal, but with headlines like:

**"The Real Identity of Photographer Alisa: Heiress to an Old European Jewelry Fortune, Born into a Billion-Dollar Family!"**

**"Is Alisa Already Married? Husband's Family Revealed to Be Wealthy and Powerful, A Perfect Match!"**