Reborn: Mob Queen at 18

Chapter 10: Design Leak, Crisis Emerges

Su Xiaoxiao was extremely efficient. She handed the ten sets of designs to Yu Han early the next morning, right on time. The patterns on the tablet were bright and lively, featuring realistic elements like the Yuying High School gate and camphor trees, as well as cute designs of chibi school-uniform characters and abbreviated school mottos—perfectly matching Yu Han’s vision for campus merchandise.

“Very well done. Tweak two details: adjust the pattern ratio for the keychains, and add campus activity scenes to the inner illustrations of the photo albums.” Yu Han flipped through the designs and gave her notes in a calm tone. She didn’t lavish praise, but Su Xiaoxiao felt completely reassured.

“Okay! I’ll fix them right away and hand them in before noon!” Su Xiaoxiao nodded quickly, taking the tablet carefully, energy shining in her eyes. She could tell that working with Yu Han would not only showcase her drawing skills but also teach her a great deal.

After Su Xiaoxiao left, Yu Han backed up the designs to her computer and saved them under encryption. Warned by the mysterious text messages, she had grown extremely cautious. All core materials related to the studio were protected by multiple layers of security, lest the slightest mistake lead to a leak.

During the break, Zhan Zesheng walked by with a water cup. He caught a glimpse of the designs on Yu Han’s tablet and paused. “These are for your studio? They have a strong campus style—they’ll be very popular.”

Yu Han immediately turned off the tablet screen, looked up at him, and replied in her usual distant tone: “Yes.”

Zhan Zesheng didn’t mind her coldness. Smiling, he said, “I know a small cultural and creative factory with great cost-performance and fine workmanship. I can help you get in touch with them if you need to arrange production.”

Yu Han’s fingers froze slightly. She had been struggling to find a suitable factory—either the prices were too high, or the craftsmanship was too rough to match the quality of the designs. Zhan Zesheng’s offer was a perfect solution to her urgent problem, yet it only made her more wary. Zhan Zesheng was too “thoughtful,” so thoughtful that she doubted he had an ulterior motive for approaching her.

“No need. I’m already making inquiries.” Yu Han refused flatly, refusing to let him involve himself further. She never accepted unexplained kindness, especially now that she was still unestablished and targeted by a mysterious stalker. Any random “goodwill” from outsiders could hide hidden dangers.

A trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed across Zhan Zesheng’s eyes, but he didn’t insist. He simply nodded. “Alright. If you run into trouble later, you can always come to me.”

Watching Zhan Zesheng leave, Yu Han frowned. His identity remained a mystery—his family background, his intentions, his interest in her—all kept her on constant guard. But so far, he had shown no ill will, so she could only observe him from a distance for the time being.

When school ended at noon, Su Xiaoxiao gave Yu Han the revised designs on schedule, then hurried home for lunch. Yu Han stayed in the classroom, planning to use the lunch break to contact several factories for price comparisons, finalize a partner as soon as possible, and get her products into production quickly.

Just as she turned on her computer to look up factory information, her phone vibrated. It was the same unknown number again. The message was short, but clearly provocative:

“Miss Yu, your designs are exquisite. Too bad they won’t belong to you for much longer.”

Yu Han’s heart sank sharply, her fingers turning ice-cold in an instant. How could the other person know about her designs? Had her computer been monitored? Or had something gone wrong with Su Xiaoxiao?

She immediately opened the encrypted folder and checked the designs. The files were intact, with no signs of tampering or copying. She then contacted Su Xiaoxiao urgently: “Did you show yesterday’s designs to anyone else? Or save them to another device?”

Su Xiaoxiao sounded confused. “No, Yu Han. I only drew them on my own tablet, sent them to you right after revising, and never showed anyone else or saved them anywhere else.”

Yu Han breathed a small sigh of relief. It wasn’t Su Xiaoxiao’s fault. Then how had the stranger found out? Had Zhan Zesheng taken a photo when he glimpsed the tablet during break? Or had the stalker really monitored her devices without her noticing?

Countless questions flooded her mind, making her increasingly agitated. She forced herself to calm down and think of a counterplan. If the stranger dared say such a thing, they must be confident of stealing or destroying the designs. She couldn’t wait passively—she had to take precautions in advance.

Yu Han immediately re-encrypted all the designs with a more complex password, deleted all temporary files related to the designs from her computer and phone, and even formatted the USB drive she had used for file transfers. After finishing all this, she checked her phone’s location services to confirm no tracking programs had been installed, finally relaxing a little.

But she knew this was only a temporary fix. If the stranger could track her every move and the studio’s situation so accurately, their abilities far exceeded her expectations. More difficulties and schemes would follow.

During afternoon classes, Yu Han remained distracted. She kept glancing out the window, searching for any suspicious figure, but found nothing. No more mysterious messages arrived, and no unusual situations appeared—all as if the noon text had been just another provocation.

Yet Yu Han dared not let her guard down. She knew that the calmer the stranger stayed, the bigger a plot they were hatching. Her Inferno Studio had just gotten started, and the designs were its core competitiveness. If the designs leaked and were copied, produced, and sold ahead of time, she would suffer heavy losses, and the studio would fall into complete trouble.

After school, Zhan Zesheng stopped her again, his voice gentle with concern. “You don’t look well today. Is it still about what happened yesterday? If you’re facing trouble you can’t solve, don’t bear it alone.”

Yu Han looked up at him, her eyes cold and sharp. “I’ll say it again—my business has nothing to do with you. Please leave me alone from now on.”

She had no idea whether Zhan Zesheng was connected to the mysterious stranger, but at this moment, she wanted nothing to do with anyone of unknown background. Rather than guessing cautiously, she would draw a clear line to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Zhan Zesheng was stung by her cold tone. His smile faded, but he still didn’t get angry. He spoke softly: “I mean no harm. I only want to help. Whenever you need me, I’ll be here.”

Yu Han didn’t reply. She turned and walked away quickly. She had to finalize the factory and send the designs for production as soon as possible—only by making the products first could she keep the stranger from taking advantage.

The sun set, stretching Yu Han’s shadow long. She squeezed the tablet tightly in her hand, resolve burning in her eyes. No matter who the mysterious stranger was, no matter what schemes they had, she would never let them succeed.

The studio was her lifeblood, the foundation of her rise. No one could destroy it. She would defuse every secret calculation and threat hiding in the dark, and she would find the mysterious stranger, uncover their identity and purpose. She would never let the tragedy of her past life happen again.