Matthew was a crucial witness.

The entire theater renovation project was completed by Xia Xiaolan leading Lisa and Matthew.

Matthew was a calculating boy, always seeking opportunities to showcase himself. His friendship with Xia Xiaolan wasn’t as solid as Daisy and the others…

“Yes, I believe he will testify for me.”

Xia Xiaolan stated firmly.

“…You’re very confident.”

Perjury was a crime in America – witnesses who committed perjury would be prosecuted and face imprisonment!

But even the most comprehensive laws couldn’t control every witness’s behavior. Perjury was risky, but if a witness was bought off and the benefits outweighed the risks of discovery, the outcome became uncertain.

When Eric commented on her confidence, Xia Xiaolan didn’t argue.

Backing down before the lawsuit even began wasn’t her style.

Why shouldn’t she trust Matthew when he hasn’t actually betrayed or hurt her yet?

“Attorney Eric, Matthew not only interned with me at GMP, he’s also my senior from Cornell University—”

“OK, I got it. You’re my client, I’m your lawyer, let me handle these matters!”

…

Eric moved very quickly.

Once he agreed to take the case, he was fully committed.

This wasn’t Eric’s first copyright case. He visited GMP as Xia Xiaolan’s attorney and met with Kissinger. After questioning everyone at the GMP New York office, they all said the same thing – the theater renovation design was indeed Xia Xiaolan’s work. Senior architect Hoffman also spoke up:

“Xia is very talented. She first showed promise in the Wilson Hotel Washington project, which is why she could lead the Broadway theater renovation project as an intern. The Broadway theater design couldn’t have been Lisa’s work. We’ve worked together for years; Lisa’s style is set.”

Just as some dishes instantly reveal a chef’s craftsmanship.

Just as some works immediately show a master’s touch.

Whether famous or not, an architect with years in the field develop their distinctive marks in handling projects.

Newcomers like Xia Xiaolan, however, hadn’t yet formed fixed aesthetics. Their work was unrestricted, full of unpredictable elements.

Eric kept both paper and video records of every conversation.

He could intimidate Mrs. Dawson’s two lawyers into surrendering without a fight – he clearly had real skill… A lawyer’s ability showed in their success rate, how many cases they won, and how many out-of-court settlements they achieved.

Next, Eric would gather evidence at Cornell.

Kissinger crossed his arms, voice full of contempt – not for Eric, but for Mondo Dawson and Lisa:

“Go ahead, let these two arrogant little people know GMP’s dignity isn’t to be challenged! They insulted my judgment – I never misjudge people!”

“…”

So he hadn’t immediately thrown Xia Xiaolan under the bus because he felt his judgment was insulted and couldn’t swallow that?

“Sir, it will be as you wish.”

Before departing for Ithaca, Eric had already filed the lawsuit, including Xia Xiaolan’s appeal letter to AIA.

AIA headquarters was completely baffled.

Disqualifying an entry was normal for AIA, for various reasons… But having the audacity to appeal after plagiarizing someone else’s work? At this point, a discovered architect should slink away quietly.

They should minimize public appearances, hoping people would forget the incident.

How could an intern be so bold?

And a Chinese exchange student intern!

She questioned AIA’s judgment.

Lisa knew the design inside out – this wasn’t just Mondo Dawson’s judgment. Before disqualifying Xia Xiaolan, the “AIA Rising Star Architect” review panel had conducted in-depth questioning with Lisa.

This was the panel’s collective judgment.

How could someone who plagiarized others’ work remain in the field?

“Has Kissinger from GMP New York gone mad, signing such an appeal letter?”

“What background does this intern have—”

“Does Kissinger want to make a big deal of this? We only disqualified GMP’s submission without issuing an industry-wide notice.”

In other words, they had still preserved GMP’s face.

GMP was a first-tier firm after all, and many of their architects, including Kissinger himself, were AIA registered members.

So AIA saw this as an internal scandal, best handled quietly.

Who knew Kissinger would be so persistent, leaving AIA headquarters incredulous – in Chinese terms, Kissinger and Xia Xiaolan were showing typical ingratitude.

Either Kissinger had gone mad.

Or they were all collectively hallucinating.

“We should inform Mondo about this appeal letter and the dissatisfaction with him.”

…

So, what was Mondo doing at this time?

Lisa received a court summons!

The case was filed incredibly fast.

America was a country accustomed to litigation, used to consulting lawyers for everything. Every American encountered lawsuits in their lifetime, either as plaintiff or defendant… The chances of becoming a defendant weren’t small. You never knew when you might become one – failing to pay credit cards, forgetting to pay traffic fines, accidentally driving fence posts into your neighbor’s garden while maintaining your yard.

These matters, big or small, could make an American citizen a “defendant.”

Copyright lawsuits were also numerous, though most common not in architecture but in the American entertainment industry.

Disputes over musical works, literary works, and audiovisual works were endless, feeding a group of lawyers who made their living from this.

But no matter how common such things were, becoming a defendant and receiving a court summons still made Lisa panic.

Because she had a guilty conscience.

Who created the theater renovation design, and who led the project – Lisa knew better than anyone.

After Mrs. Wilson’s theater reopened, it indeed became popular with young people.

The style completely different from other Broadway theaters became, as Xia Xiaolan predicted, a trending spot in late-80s New York.

The bankrupt Wilsons could still afford to stay at the South Sea Hotel and maintain their dignified lifestyle thanks to this successfully reopened theater… The couple transferred the theater to George’s name when things looked bad, or it wouldn’t have escaped bankruptcy liquidation.

Lisa naturally didn’t know these things.

But after the theater reopened, Lisa had experienced its acoustics as an audience member.

How perfect the acoustics were!

Xia Xiaolan was just an intern who knew nothing about theater renovation – this was the result of her hard work and her years of accumulated industry experience.

She heard audiences praising the audiovisual effects and decoration style endlessly.

Young girls found it beautiful and cool – what was performed on stage didn’t matter, but just sitting in this theater watching shows, coming here for dates made them happy.

Hearing such praise made Lisa’s heart itch and ache – after years in the field, she had always been overlooked at GMP. GMP had never given her the chance to create such work!