Chapter 17: The Petty, Stubborn Man

The judges exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. "Understood, Mr. Fu," one of them said, acknowledging Fu Hanning's stance.

Standing behind him, Li Feng couldn't help but glance at the score sheet, his eyes catching on the enormous zero. He leaned in closer to Fu Hanning, his voice lowered as he ventured, "Sir, are you really going to give the lady that score?"

"Why not?" Fu Hanning replied coolly.

"Well… you can, of course," Li Feng murmured, trying to be objective. "But it does seem a bit harsh, doesn't it? Hardly a gentleman's approach."

"She asked for it," Fu Hanning replied, his tone unyielding as he submitted his score. He knew that the highest and lowest scores would be discarded, effectively rendering his zero null. Still, he couldn't resist leaving it there to humiliate her as publicly as possible.

When Gu Yining's score appeared on the large screen, the room erupted. The entire audience broke into murmurs, and even a few gasps could be heard. The panel's scores were incredibly varied, with some judges awarding her a perfect 10 and others going no lower than a 9. The system, however, withheld the last judge's score until the very end, keeping everyone in suspense.

In the end, it was Fu Hanning's score—an unforgiving zero—that sealed her fate. Even if she won the competition, his low score would symbolize his disapproval. It would be a bitter reminder that she'd failed to earn his support, likely jeopardizing any future prospects she had with the Fu Corporation.

Despite the circumstances, Gu Yining merely crossed her arms and looked at her score with a smile. How childish can Fu Hanning get? All this just to try and rattle her?

What a petty, insufferable man.

At least he hadn't given her a low, yet valid, score. That would have damaged her chances more severely. As things stood, she still had a shot.

The host took the microphone and prepared to announce the final score. Gu Yining felt her heart skip a beat. She had to win—she needed to come out ahead of Gu Wenxuan.

Not far away, Gu Wenxuan was visibly tense. At that moment, Leon's score was just a hair shy of her own. If the final judge awarded a score above 9, she'd be knocked down to second place.

"And the final score for Leon is… 9.6! Let's give a round of applause to the winner of this year's New Perfumer Contest!"

The announcement brought a surge of relief to Gu Yining. Compared to Gu Wenxuan's more conventional offering, her innovative, bold approach had secured her victory.

She had won—she'd beaten Gu Wenxuan and, more importantly, she had proven herself.

Standing on the stage, she glanced at Fu Hanning and winked, her eyes flashing with mischief. He stiffened in his seat, visibly unnerved by her audacity. He averted his gaze, refusing to acknowledge her smug satisfaction.

Gu Wenxuan, meanwhile, was livid, stomping her foot in frustration. Her eyes were fixed on Leon with a furious intensity, as if trying to sear her rival's image into her mind. Where had this woman even come from, stealing her thunder at the last moment?

The host turned to Gu Yining, inviting her to share her thoughts on winning. She had rehearsed her acceptance speech in her mind countless times, but now she had something else in mind. She didn't intend to thank anyone. Instead, she wanted to expose someone.

She wrapped her slender fingers around the microphone, scanning the audience with a calm, determined gaze. No one had recognized her as Gu Yining, the Gu family's youngest daughter. She was free to speak her mind without fear of prejudice.

"Mr. Fu," she began, her voice carrying through the silent hall, "since this contest is hosted by the Fu Corporation, fairness and transparency should be paramount. What if I were to point out that someone here has plagiarized? Would you take action? I have no tolerance for cheats."

A wave of shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd. Leon, the bold champion, had just won the contest and was now openly accusing someone of plagiarism.

Gu Wenxuan's face turned pale as she processed Leon's words. Her hands trembled slightly as panic seeped into her heart. The perfume formula she had submitted had been given to her by her father, who'd assured her it was original and unpublished. If someone were to expose her now, she'd be defenseless.

The cameras zoomed in on Fu Hanning, capturing his reaction to the stunning accusation. A dark shadow passed over his face, and a few tension lines appeared on his forehead. What is she trying to pull now? She can't go a day without stirring up trouble, can she?

After a moment, he composed himself. With all eyes on him, he leaned into the microphone, his lips curling into a cold smirk. "Of course," he replied, his voice calm but laced with a hint of challenge.