jewelry design and the same moniker, you're on par with each other. As a result of that,
you'll naturally want to determine who's best.”
Her response left Lina at a loss for words. Ashlyn and I are indeed very alike. We're on the
same level in many ways, including our design talent and skills. Having to share the
spotlight with another is a hard pill to swallow for people as outstanding as us. We want to
rise to the top alone. That's why I took up her challenge. I was going to challenge her too,
but it's just that she beat me to it.
“That's why I said the two of you are competitors and competitors who are hard to come
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtby at that. I'm envious that you have a rival who you can grow and compete with, Lina.
Having a competitor means you have someone driving you to improve or risk getting left
in the dust. You don't have any choice but to work hard and advance your craft.”
After a few seconds of silence, Lina nodded. “You're right. That's exactly how I feel about
her right now. Because of her, I've realized the talent I'm so proud of is actually nothing to
shout about. That's because someone else has similar talent. I'm not someone uniquely
blessed with it. On the contrary, I need to gain more experience and spend more time
working hard to better myself. Otherwise, others will surpass me, and I'll become a loser.”
“Yeah. Ms. Myler must surely feel the same way too,” came Natalie's reply.
Lina let out a sigh. “To be honest, I owe her a big thank you. Last year, I won a rather
prestigious competition again, which inflated my ego tremendously. I thought I was the top
youngest jewelry designer. Oddly enough, the designs I came up with during that period
didn't contain any spark of inspiration, and even my mentor became thoroughly
disappointed in me. It wasn't until I stumbled upon an interview with Ashlyn in a magazine
that I realized I wasn't one of a kind but that there were other talented people like me in
the world.”
“So you adjusted your mindset after that?” asked Natalie.
“Yes. I regained a sense of balance and rediscovered my inspiration.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmNatalie rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “In that case, you owe her a big thank you indeed.”
Lina replied with a smile, “That goes without saying. I've always felt grateful to Ashlyn in
my heart. Otherwise, I would've retaliated immediately when she suddenly showed up and
provoked me, though, I must say, that haughty look on her face makes me want to give
her a good, hard slap.”
Amused by her response, Natalie covered her mouth and chuckled. Then she turned to
look at Lina with envy. “How lucky you are. I wish I had a competitor with similar caliber.”
“Don't you?”
Natalie shook her head. “No. Before discovering that Jessie and Jasmine are the same
person, I thought she had drawn those designs herself. Did you know? I was incredibly
excited and emotional when I saw them because I thought, here's someone I can compete
and grow with for a long time. In the end, it turns out that Jessie is Jasmine, and Ms. Linde
had drawn the designs for her.”