The harsh lights in the living room were still on deep into the night. When I got up to get some water, I walked right into Liam and Vanessa hovering over the coffee table, both faces ashen.
Blueprints were scattered across the table. Vanessa was hunched over them, crying, her finger trembling as she pointed at the laptop screen.
“Liam, what do we do? The client found structural flaws during review. They said the load-bearing design is completely unrealistic. If we don’t correct it, the bid is dead!”
Liam paced restlessly, tugging at his hair, his voice sharp with agitation.
“How could there be a flaw? Didn’t you hire a top designer to perfect it?”
“He said the core logic was too complex—he couldn’t figure it out. He only fixed the surface details. I didn’t expect the issue to still be there!” Vanessa sobbed in panic. “There’s only one day left before final submission. It’s impossible to redesign anything in time!”
I stood there with the water glass in my hand, eyes glancing over the glaring error on the screen—it was one of the “traps” I intentionally left in the draft.
I knew Vanessa didn’t understand the core logic. Copying it would only make her imitate blindly. That load-bearing system looked convincing but required a unique optimization algorithm to work—and the actual solution was only in the complete proposal I held.
“If you change the horizontal beams into an interlocking pattern and add supportive nodes…” I suggested quietly out of pure professional instinct, tone flat like casual commentary—because I knew they wouldn’t listen.
Both turned their heads toward me at once. Suspicion flashed in Vanessa’s eyes; Liam frowned like he’d just heard a joke.
“What do you know?” Liam snapped with outright sarcasm. “Don’t think saying a few technical terms makes you look like you know design.”
Then he shot me a warning look.
“Stop standing around getting in the way. Go prepare supper.”
I didn’t argue. I simply turned and went back to the guest room.
My phone buzzed—it was a message from my former apprentice:
> *Master, Vanessa doesn’t understand the core logic at all. She’s been copying your draft word for word. With my ‘guidance,’ the flaws are now even worse. If she dares present this tomorrow, she’ll be the biggest joke in the industry. Also—do you need me to pick you up for the bidding conference?*
Everything was ready. All that was left was the scene itself.
—
The next day.
The bidding conference was packed. Industry leaders and the judging panel took their seats. Camera flashes went off one after another, illuminating the confident, almost triumphant smile on Liam’s face. Vanessa stood on stage in a tailored professional suit, holding the laser pointer, pretending to speak with ease as she explained “her” proposal.
But as her presentation went deeper, frowns began appearing across the panel.
“Vanessa,” a judge seated at the center spoke first, his tone sharp with doubt, “a similar concept was used last year, and your logic has obvious gaps. The user needs you emphasized at the beginning have no practical implementation in the final design. How do you explain this?”
Vanessa’s face turned pale instantly. The hand holding the pointer trembled.
“This—I optimized based on latest trends and the logic—”
Her voice faltered. Not a single complete sentence escaped her lips. Every rehearsed line vanished.
Another judge leaned forward, tone even more severe.
“And the load-bearing structure modification—you only changed its surface. The core flaw still exists. If this ever went into construction, the risk would be enormous. Is this the level of the ‘top designer’ you claimed helped perfect the design?”
The relentless questioning hit Vanessa and Liam like brutal blows. Vanessa’s tears collected along her lashes, helplessly glancing toward Liam. The audience murmured louder, camera flashes targeting them, capturing every second of humiliation.
Liam panicked completely. His face darkened as he stood, attempting to salvage the situation—but a judge raised a hand, cutting him off cold.
“Liam, we are evaluating the proposal itself. Save unrelated explanations.”
He froze mid-step, fists clenching tight, sweat beading on his forehead. The bid was collapsing in real time, the company’s reputation on the line. And then—suddenly—something seemed to strike him.
His hand shook as he pulled out his phone and dialed my number.
