The next morning, at eight o'clock.
Today, Shu-Yang was going to the office, so he stood in front of the mirror, putting on his uniform and getting himself ready. But there was a deep silence in the living room. Jun-Yu was sitting there wearing a white three-quarter-sleeved shirt over a grayish-green T-shirt.
There was a deep look of worry on his face. Wan-Qing was standing beside Jun-Yu. Until now, she had not known why Jun-Yu had stopped going to the university or what had happened to him. Today, Jun-Yu told Wan-Qing everything.
Wan-Qing:—"I'm sincerely sorry for you after hearing everything, Junior. But we don't even have seven days left. The Science Exhibition is on the 25th."
Jun-Yu:—"My head isn't working, Senior. I had prepared the presentation for this exhibition a long time ago. But what Dad did...!"
Jun-Yu stopped after saying this and let out a long sigh before speaking again—
Jun-Yu:—"I don't think I can start something new from scratch. All my data has been destroyed. I was observing the virus from the Zhongmiao Lab. Senior, I don't think I'll get the opportunity to do my PhD in Germany anymore."
Seeing Jun-Yu's condition, Wan-Qing became worried herself. But without letting Jun-Yu understand her concern, she composed herself and said—
Wan-Qing:—"You're mistaken, Junior. A talented trainee like you can't lose this easily. Do you remember Professor Sir saying that if we wanted, he could help us with this exhibition?"
Jun-Yu:—"Senior, I don't want Sir's help. That's why I was secretly preparing a project on my own."
Wan-Qing:—"But why don't you want Sir's help?"
Jun-Yu:—"Because this isn't an ordinary annual exhibition. A national-level Science Exhibition is going to be held. This was a golden opportunity for me to prove myself in front of the world. I wanted to prove myself without anyone's help."
Wan-Qing understood Jun-Yu's state of mind.
To motivate him, she said—
Wan-Qing:—"Junior, I'll only tell you this much: this is not the time to be disappointed. If you keep wasting time lamenting over what Uncle did, even these seven days will pass. If you trust your own memory, then even if you don't take the professor's help, you can still take my help."
Jun-Yu wanted to accept Wan-Qing's help, but he was also worried about her.
Jun-Yu:—"But Senior, what about your presentation? Are you going to present it?"
Wan-Qing:—"Hydroponic farming, meaning soil-less cultivation. And I got this idea from you. So instead of helping me, you can accept my help without hesitation."
Jun-Yu:—"But I never told you about this."
At Jun-Yu's words, Wan-Qing began thinking about an old incident. Back then, Professor Lin-Boshi and Jun-Yu had been researching soil-less farming together.
Wan-Qing:—"It seems that you've forgotten everything because of the mental pressure. During your first year, because of your excellent results, you got the opportunity to research hydroponic farming with Professor Sir. That was when I took a look at your notes. But you didn't know about it."
Wan-Qing reminded Jun-Yu of his first-year university results and brought back those old memories.
Jun-Yu:—"Oh, right. Senior, I'm ready to accept your help. To be honest, I wanted to ask for your help, but I was worried it would put too much pressure on you. That's why I didn't say anything."
Wan-Qing:—"Then where will you start?"
Jun-Yu:—"I'm trying to recover all the information from my research. Once your presentation is ready, please come to Lang-Ying-Ting."
Wan-Qing:—"Okay. I'm going to the university now. I'll talk to Professor Sir and see if I can ask him to give you a few more days."
After saying this, Wan-Qing left Lang-Ying-Ting.
As soon as she left, Shu-Yang also came out. But when he arrived, he found the living room completely empty. That was because Jun-Yu had followed Wan-Qing and gone to his secret, ruined laboratory.
---
Meanwhile, beneath the cherry blossom tree standing in front of Lang-Ying-Ting, Shi-Han, Xiao-Tong, and Hao-Ran were standing together.
For the past few days, Hao-Ran had been staying at home and studying properly for his admission.
Today, Shi-Han was taking Hao-Ran to Shanghai University to sit for the entrance examination for admission to the Computer Science department.
Xiao-Tong was holding a large piece of paper rolled up into a cylinder.
Shi-Han:—"Let me see what that is, Xiao-Tong. And who are we waiting for here?"
Xiao-Tong:—"No! I can't show this. Only the person it's meant for can see it. But if you want, you can find out who it's for."
Hao-Ran:—"Then just tell us, Sister Xiao-Tong."
Xiao-Tong:—"It's for Shu-Yang."
As soon as Xiao-Tong said this much, she tried to divert their attention by asking about Hao-Ran.
Xiao-Tong:—"Anyway, forget all that. Tell me this—aren't the annual admission tests being held at the university around this time? Then how is Hao-Ran going to take admission in Computer Science at this time?"
Shi-Han smiled slightly and said—
Shi-Han:—"Actually, Hao-Ran has caught the attention of the Computer Science professor as a particularly talented student. That's why the professor himself is giving Hao-Ran this opportunity."
While saying this, Shi-Han noticed Shu-Yang walking toward his car. He was wearing his police uniform, a black-strapped watch on his wrist, a gun at his waist, and black sunglasses to protect his eyes from the sunlight.
Shi-Han quickly said—
Shi-Han:—"Oh, there's my police brother. Go and give it to him, Xiao-Tong."
As soon as Shi-Han said this, Xiao-Tong went toward Shu-Yang.
Xiao-Tong:—"Shu-Yang, wait."
Shu-Yang heard Xiao-Tong after she called him just once and stopped.
Shu-Yang:—"Do you want to say something, Xiao-Tong?"
Xiao-Tong handed the paper in her hand to Shu-Yang and said—
Xiao-Tong:—"Yes, take this. It's a small gift from me for becoming friends with me."
After saying this, Xiao-Tong hurried away toward her destination.
Shu-Yang slowly opened the paper Xiao-Tong had given him and saw a beautiful painting.
He saw that Xiao-Tong had painted a picture of him that looked exactly like him. But there was something special about this painting. In Shu-Yang's painting, there was a girl in the distance, looking at him with admiration.
However, Shu-Yang could not understand what it meant yet.
Still, he smiled slightly when he saw the painting because Xiao-Tong had created it absolutely perfectly.
---
Meanwhile, Jun-Yu went to the ruined laboratory and slowly looked around at everything. He tried to touch his shattered dreams and feel the success he had once hoped to achieve.
But when he realized that everything was already gone, he let out a long, disappointed sigh.
As soon as Shu-Yang arrived at the police station, the police officers working there celebrated after seeing that he had recovered and was able to return to work again. Jing-Hao welcomed Shu-Yang by handing him a bouquet of flowers.
At the same time, the other officers began applauding. Shu-Yang was very happy with their warm welcome, and at the same time, he became emotional.
Some time later, the bouquet Jing-Hao had given Shu-Yang was placed on the table in Shu-Yang's office room. Shu-Yang was standing at the corner of the table, reading a case file. He now had to go and interrogate someone. Jing-Hao was standing beside Shu-Yang.
Jing-Hao:—"Sir, may I ask you a question?"
Shu-Yang closed the file because he had finished reading it.
Shu-Yang:—"What question?"
Jing-Hao:—"The murder case of Xin-Yan, the owner of the Yu-Sheng Music Group, which is connected to the people who shot you. Why do you want to solve the copyright case involving Shin-Shing Company first instead of solving this case?"
Shu-Yang:—"There are two reasons. The first reason is that a company never works only for its own interests. The future, well-being, and losses of many people are connected to a company."
Jing-Hao:—"If the Xuan Gang is involved in the murder of Xin-Yan from Yu-Sheng Music Group, will you really be able to console yourself? You probably understand exactly why I'm saying this."
Shu-Yang:—"Yes, I understand. Because if people's well-being and future are connected to a company, then people's well-being and future can also be connected to a gang. But trust me. The copyright case involving Shin-Shing Company will be solved very soon."
As soon as Shu-Yang said this, he left the room.
Because Jing-Hao had brought up the Xuan Gang during Shu-Yang's explanation, the second reason why Shu-Yang wanted to solve this case first remained unknown.
Some time later, in the interrogation room, a writer named Lin-Yu-Shin was sitting sadly with her head lowered in front of a table. There were clear signs of exhaustion on her face, and the marks of staying awake night after night were clearly visible.
In front of her, on the table, there was a glass containing half a glass of water.
After a short while, Shu-Yang entered carrying a thick file and sat down in front of Lin-Yu-Shin.
There was a few seconds of silence.
Shu-Yang placed the file on the table and said—
Shu-Yang:—"You're Writer Lin-Yu-Shin, aren't you?"
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"Yes."
Shu-Yang:—"I've checked your social accounts, live streams, emails—everything. Don't worry. The law is on your side. Just tell us the whole truth so that you can help the law."
Lin-Yu-Shin slowly raised her head and asked—
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"Which truth are you talking about, Officer?"
Shu-Yang looked directly into Lin-Yu-Shin's eyes and said—
Shu-Yang:—"Who is behind the copyright claim against Shin-Shing Company? I know very well that you are not involved in this."
There was a brief silence.
Seeing her career being put at risk because of the corporate conflict between Shin-Shing and Yi-Shing Companies, Lin-Yu-Shin was extremely frustrated.
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"But what's the point of telling the truth? Can you erase my humiliation?"
There was a mocking smile on Lin-Yu-Shin's face toward her own fate. But her sarcastic words did not change Shu-Yang's expression.
Shu-Yang:—"Why are you talking like this? The law is equal for everyone. Besides, neither you nor I can change the past. But I can help you get justice."
Hearing Shu-Yang's words, Lin-Yu-Shin let out a long sigh.
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"To be honest, I don't want any of this either. But Yi-Shing Company framed me in such a way that no one believes what I say anymore."
Shu-Yang quietly listened to her.
Shu-Yang:—"Yi-Shing Company framed you? But why? What do they gain from doing this?"
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"At first, I didn't know that Shin-Shing Company and Yi-Shing Company were rivals. Yi-Shing Company didn't think about my career even for a moment when they did this just to achieve their own interests."
Shu-Yang:—"You realized that your social accounts had been hacked. And you also had an idea about who was behind the hacking. So why didn't you try to do anything about it?"
Lin-Yu-Shin took a sip of water from the glass on the table and said—
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"That's your misconception, Officer. At first, I was frightened by what had happened. I thought Yi-Shing Company might try to harm my family.
But later, I realized that I was the only one who could restore order between the two companies."
After saying this, Lin-Yu-Shin took a deep breath and then continued—
"To do this, I risked my family's safety and spoke in favor of Shin-Shing Company during a live stream. I even made a statement that I had sold the Silent Killer Project to Shin-Shing Company.
But I didn't know that my profile had been hacked, and through the hacking, Yi-Shing Company had obtained the complete script of the Silent Killer Project. So all the evidence went against my statement.
Shu-Yang already knew everything. Even though he hadn't been coming to the office all these days, he had used his sources to gather all the evidence of the hacking. Now, only Lin-Yu-Shin's statement was left.
Shu-Yang opened the file he had brought with him and placed several printouts in front of her before saying—
Shu-Yang:—"These IP logs, server records, and digital forensic reports show that a cyber team was involved in hacking your account."
As soon as Shu-Yang said this, Lin-Yu-Shin anxiously asked—
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"But why would any cyber team have a grudge against me? I haven't harmed them in any way."
Shu-Yang:—"It's possible that Yi-Shing Company hired them. That's why it will be difficult to gather legal evidence against Yi-Shing Company.
However, you should stay away from Yi-Shing Company in the future."
At Shu-Yang's words, Lin-Yu-Shin nodded up and down and said softly—
Lin-Yu-Shin:—"Hmm. I'll definitely be careful. Even if there's no legal evidence against them, the truth is clear. They used me to corner Shin-Shing Company."
After hearing everything from Lin-Yu-Shin, Shu-Yang had now reached the final stage of this case.
He reassured Lin-Yu-Shin and said—
Shu-Yang:—"Don't worry anymore. We now have proper evidence proving that you're innocent. Besides, the real reason behind this case will be revealed at the press conference. Yi-Shing Company unleashed the press on Shin-Shing Company like a pack of wolves to corner them. They didn't even realize that they were digging their own grave."
After returning from the office at night, Shu-Yang went to the rooftop of the apartment. He searched for Jun-Yu everywhere—beside the pool, under the cherry blossom tree, and in every other place. But he couldn't find Jun-Yu anywhere.
Shu-Yang realized that Jun-Yu might be in his laboratory. That was the only place he hadn't checked yet.
When Shu-Yang went in front of the laboratory, he could sense that Jun-Yu was actually inside because the laboratory door was locked from the inside.
Shu-Yang knocked on the door and called out to Jun-Yu—
Shu-Yang:—"Jun-Yu! Jun-Yu, are you inside? I know you're in there. Come outside for a moment. I have something important to talk to you about."
Shu-Yang's first call reached Jun-Yu's ears, but Jun-Yu was irritated with Shu-Yang at that moment. He didn't respond to anything Shu-Yang said. So Shu-Yang continued calling him repeatedly from outside the door.
Eventually, so that Shu-Yang would stop, Jun-Yu angrily said from inside—
Jun-Yu:—"I don't want to listen to anyone right now. Tell me your important matter after the 25th."
Shu-Yang pleaded with Jun-Yu and said—
Shu-Yang:—"This is related to Shin-Shing Company. I want you to resolve all your problems with Uncle."
Jun-Yu:—"Right now, I'm trying to piece my shattered dream back together. Grandma Xiao-Lin's words made me realize my mistake, but—when the destroyed state of my lab, which I built out of my passion, keeps appearing before my eyes—then I also realize just how cruel Mr. Jun-Kai really is."
As he said this, Jun-Yu's voice trembled.
After composing himself, Jun-Yu spoke in a firm voice—
Jun-Yu:—"I keep forgetting that he is my father. So listen carefully to this as well—Shin-Shing Company is neither mine, nor am I the heir to all of Mr. Jun-Kai's property. I'll be happy if you stop bothering me now."
Shu-Yang clearly understood that Jun-Yu was crying inside.
Trying to calm Jun-Yu, Shu-Yang attempted to make him understand—
Shu-Yang:—"Jun-Yu, you're making a mistake. You're still suffering because of this one incident. But everyone makes mistakes. At least give Uncle one chance."
As soon as Shu-Yang said this much, Jun-Yu became extremely angry and said from inside—
Jun-Yu:—"Perhaps my words didn't reach your ears. For your own good, I'm telling you again—leave this place. Otherwise, I don't even know what I'll do to the person who comes here to recommend Mr. Jun-Kai to me."
Shu-Yang was hurt by Jun-Yu's words. However, he also understood Jun-Yu's state of mind.
Standing outside the door, Shu-Yang said—
Shu-Yang:—"Okay, I'm leaving. But I have one request—whatever else you do, don't hurt yourself."
After saying this, Shu-Yang left.
Inside the laboratory, tears could be seen running down Jun-Yu's cheeks.