Chapter 97

Chapter 97

As he descended from upstairs, the news had already spread far and wide, and Ye Zhiqiu's phone began to buzz nonstop.

The vibrations came in waves, long and short, one after another, almost without pause.

Ye Zhiqiu ignored them for now, focusing intently on his work.

Zhang Lan and Gao Yang had already left, leaving only Wang Ru in the office, organizing samples.

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu draw exquisite lines on the tablet without a tremor in his hand, she was genuinely impressed.

Under normal circumstances, being embroiled in such a scandal would have most people too restless to sit still.

After all, it concerned their reputation and future; a single misstep could ruin everything.

Many wouldn't even be able to hold a pen steady, let alone work.

However, Ye Zhiqiu's calm demeanor gradually eased Wang Ru's worried heart.

In the office, both were busy with their own tasks, the only sound being the occasional buzz of the phone.

Once he finished his work, Ye Zhiqiu put down his pen.

Stretching his arms and body, he then picked up his phone to check the missed calls and messages.

There were calls from classmates, teachers, Ye Hongxian, Ye Zheng, and also Gao Wenye.

Ye Zhiqiu: "…"

Most of the calls were from Tao Ruoqing and Qi Xin, each having left five or six missed calls.

Ye Zhiqiu skipped over them, first returning calls to Zhang Wenyuan and Li Qinghe to reassure them.

He then contacted Wang Zhou, the producer at Building No. 8, and other collaborators to ease their concerns.

Finally, he opened the messaging app.

While he was replying to messages, Tao Ruoqing's call came through again.

Ye Zhiqiu pursed his lips slightly before answering the call.

"Xiao Qiu," Tao Ruoqing's tone was anxious and reproachful, "why didn't you answer your mother's calls?"

"Just been busy," Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile, his voice as clear and calm as always. "My phone was on silent, so I didn't notice."

Tang Yue was so nervous and scared, yet Ye Zhiqiu acted as if nothing had happened, still handling everything with ease...

This surprised Tao Ruoqing.

Before calling, she and Ye Zhixia had quickly learned about the situation and knew that there was no definitive conclusion yet.

Public opinion wasn't particularly favorable toward Ye Zhiqiu either.

Despite being the same age as Tang Yue and the significant impact of this incident, she had expected him to be just as flustered and lost.

Normally, when someone is panicking, they tend to act impulsively, making it easier to persuade them.

But now, Ye Zhiqiu's tone was calm and relaxed, forcing Tao Ruoqing to rethink her approach.

There was a moment of silence on the line, and Ye Zhiqiu glanced at the time.

It was nearly twelve o'clock, the agreed-upon time for Q.L and Fashion China to release their statements.

Not wanting to engage in more conversation, he switched to speaker mode, leaned back into his chair, and relaxed his spine, which had been tense all morning.

"Xiao Qiu," Tao Ruoqing's voice echoed in the quiet office, drawing Wang Ru's attention.

"Mm, I'm here," Ye Zhiqiu replied calmly.

"What exactly is going on with you and Le Le?" Tao Ruoqing finally got to the point. "That child comes from a small place and has never seen much of the world. He came crying to me, swearing he didn't plagiarize."

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu laughed.

"If he didn't plagiarize, then it must be me who did?" he said.

This was the first time Ye Zhiqiu had spoken to her in such a manner.

Tao Ruoqing was taken aback, realizing that Ye Zhiqiu was indeed affected by the situation.

"How could your mother mean that?" she said gently. "I just meant that the child has come a long way, and you two have such a good relationship. I was thinking if there might be a way to find a solution that minimizes harm to both of you."

Wang Ru turned to look at him, her brows subtly furrowing.

Even though she didn't know much about Ye Zhiqiu's family, she could sense something was off from Tao Ruoqing's words.

How could there be a perfect solution to such a situation?

Either the evidence is conclusive, clearing one's name completely,

or one gets tainted, facing lifelong criticism.

Even showing leniency would leave room for manipulation.

Competitors could use it against you anytime, and over time, public opinion would solidify.

If any trouble arises, those unaddressed stains would become tools for others to shape public perception and launch attacks.

Though she didn't say anything, Wang Ru paused in her actions and perked up her ears to listen to Ye Zhiqiu's phone conversation.

"Can you manage to have the best of both worlds?" Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu laughed, his tone ambiguous.

"See if you can explain to the outside world that this is a collaborative work between you and Le Le, just completed separately," she suggested gently.

Ye Zhiqiu leaned back in his chair, far from the phone, so Tao Ruoqing only faintly heard his laughter but couldn't detect the coldness in it.

She added, "With the same idea, creating entirely different pieces would highlight how much better you are than Le Le."

"That might not be possible," Ye Zhiqiu flatly refused. "No matter how good my relationship with Tang Yue is, it can't compare to family, right?"

Tao Ruoqing was taken aback, momentarily failing to see how this involved others in the family.

"In the eyes of outsiders, Tang Yue is far inferior to me in both status and ability," he said. "Collaborating with someone much less capable would only imply that we settled due to some ulterior motives."

"When the time comes, my career won't matter, but you'll have to endure the gossip of those ladies when you go out. The same goes for Dad, Brother, and Ye Zhixia," Ye Zhiqiu smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "Ye Ding's business is just starting to pick up. You wouldn't want to sacrifice our family's interests for an outsider, would you?"

Hearing this, Tao Ruoqing was stunned for a moment.

She had been too eager to bring down Ye Zhiqiu, and Ye Zhixia's situation had made her anxious, making it hard for her to focus...

So, she had indeed overlooked what Ye Zhiqiu said.

But ultimately, she had never considered Ye Zhiqiu part of the family.

In her mind, if something happened to Ye Zhiqiu, only he would suffer.

She never thought that Ye Zhiqiu was actually a part of the Ye family.

"Time to go home." Without waiting for her response, Ye Zhiqiu glanced at his watch where the hour, minute, and second hands aligned, then hung up the call.

Seeing his firm stance, Wang Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief and approached him with the phone.

"The company and Fashion China's statements have been released," she smiled.

Ye Zhiqiu looked down and saw the two closely linked statements under the trending topics.

First came Q.L's official account.

Q.L's PR department was highly professional.

Besides declaring all of Ye Zhiqiu's works as original, they also shared the entire creative process and timeline of the work in question.

The initial concept and framework dated back to last December, while he was still at VIA.

After joining Q.L and preparing for the fashion week, the work had been briefly paused.

It was only resumed and completed after returning to the country in late March.

From start to finish, everything was meticulously organized.

The timeline, creative process, and details were so complete that no one could find fault with them.

Fashion China provided records of Ye Zhiqiu's submission in mid-April, screenshots of the editorial team reviewing the work, and video footage of Gao Yang delivering the piece to the company.

The official website of the competition clearly showed that Tang Yue submitted his work in early May, much later than Ye Zhiqiu's completion date.

Faced with these undeniable facts, public opinion shifted instantly.

Those who had previously questioned the timing of the work fell silent.

Following the incident, VIA's boss and design director, Sun Wei, tweeted, which quickly rose to the top of the trending list.

As Ye Zhiqiu's former boss, Sun Wei confirmed that he had been working on this piece even while at VIA, investing significant effort, ruling out any possibility of plagiarism.

The tweet included an email containing two design sketches of the work.

The frameworks of the two sketches were nearly identical, but the details differed significantly.

The content of the email showed Ye Zhiqiu seeking Sun Wei's opinions on the two sketches.

The timestamp on the email was early December of last year.

Clearly, there was no doubt left about the matter.

At this point, apart from the two parties involved, the competition organizers remained silent.

As a national-level competition, the organizers were meticulous.

Even with the facts laid out, they formally notified Tang Yue via email to submit evidence proving the originality of his work within three days.

In reality, Tang Yue had already prepared all the necessary materials.

Although he had contacted Tao Ruoqing, he had made backup plans.

If Ye Zhiqiu had attacked first, he would immediately release his materials to prove his innocence.

However, with the official statements from Fashion China and Q.L, he knew his preparations were now meaningless.

Based on the available evidence, Ye Zhiqiu had started working on the piece much earlier than he had.

At this stage, even if Ye Zhiqiu said nothing, Tang Yue could no longer turn the tide.

Tang Yue lowered his eyes, his heart as cold as death.

The fantasies about the future and the longing for that man who had caught his eye all seemed like a dream, turning to ashes before him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and all he saw was Qin Jianhe from that night in the restaurant.

The man was aloof and noble, with deep-set phoenix eyes that made him both dare not look directly and yet unable to look away.

When he opened his eyes again, a fierce determination flashed in Tang Yue's gaze.

He calmly checked the time, calmly packed his things, and calmly left for school.

Along the way, people who saw him seemed to be pointing and whispering, and some even spoke openly in front of him.

"His character is really questionable. This time, it's only because he plagiarized Ye Zhiqiu that it came to light. Actually, before this, he deliberately sabotaged another senior's graduation project."

"I've heard about that too. So it was him?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, how can he still show his face?"

"..."

Tang Yue ignored everyone, his mind still focused on Ye Zhiqiu's creative process and timeline.

Apart from the details, the overall creative approach was almost identical to his own.

At first, he thought Ye Zhiqiu might have discovered his deal with Tao Ruoqing and set a trap for him.

But now, he was genuinely unsure of what was going on.

If Ye Zhiqiu really wanted to harm him, how could he have known about the idea in his head months later?

Clearly, he hadn't plagiarized, yet he was being unjustly crucified for it...

He felt resentful.

Tang Yue clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves, his nails digging deeply into his flesh, but he didn't feel any pain.

All he felt was hatred.

Why?

Why did fate favor Ye Zhiqiu so much?

Why could Ye Zhiqiu have everything, while he, just as he was getting close to his dreams, had to fall in such a disgraceful manner?

It should be Ye Zhiqiu who falls.

The Ye family, full of wolves waiting to destroy him, and Qi Xin...

Why did fate let him linger, using him as a sacrifice?

Tang Yue mechanically moved through the crowd, ascending floor by floor to the rooftop.

The weather was perfect, and many students were on the rooftop platform after lunch, chatting and enjoying the breeze.

Today, however, the main topic of discussion was still the plagiarism scandal.

"How could Ye Zhiqiu copy him?" someone said.

"Yeah, you don't know how good Ye Zhiqiu has been to him. I envy their relationship," another person added, "Who knew he would turn out to be an ungrateful wolf? If Ye Zhiqiu hadn't kept all the records, it would have been hard to clear his name."

Tang Yue stood quietly behind them. When the second person finished speaking, he gave a cold laugh.

They turned around, saw him, and immediately left without a word.

Tang Yue took their spot, standing at the railing with a cold expression, gazing into the distance.

The tall buildings loomed ahead, but from this vantage point, he could see the massive Q.L. sign.

He squinted, his thoughts still fixated on Ye Zhiqiu.

What if...

What if it wasn't a setup?

If it wasn't, then it meant Ye Zhiqiu didn't know about his collaboration with Tao Ruoqing.

"You don't know how good Ye Zhiqiu has been to him. I envy their relationship."

The voice of the boy who had been standing there earlier echoed in his mind once more.

What if it really was just a coincidence?

A glimmer of hope sparked within Tang Yue.

If pushed to the limit, Ye Zhiqiu might still soften towards him and, as Tao Ruoqing suggested, stand up and explain to others.

His heart raced, and a thin layer of sweat formed on his palms.

Then, he reached out, grabbed the railing, and without hesitation, climbed over it.

A couple nearby noticed the commotion; the girl screamed in terror, and the boy tried to reach him, but it was too late.

Tang Yue was already standing on the narrow ledge outside the railing.

"You... You need to come back," the boy said nervously, "If you made a mistake, just correct it. There's no need to throw your life away."

"I didn't make a mistake. I didn't copy anyone." Tang Yue said.

The wind blew past him, and he closed his eyes, afraid to look down.

Fear, despair, and a sense of injustice surged within him, and he could no longer control his emotions.

"I didn't copy!" he shouted.

"Okay, okay, you didn't copy." The young man, fearing further provocation, quickly pulled his girlfriend back and took out his phone to call the school's security team.

Soon, almost everyone arrived.

Their class counselor, teaching assistant, school security personnel, even the SWAT and fire department were on the scene.

Some were trying to persuade him from above, while others rapidly set up safety nets below.

"Little Tang," Professor Wei, the counselor, paced anxiously, "who hasn't faced setbacks in life? But nothing is more important than our lives. Can you come down, please?"

Tang Yue shook his head, tears streaming down his face. He cried out hoarsely, "I didn't copy, Teacher. I really didn't copy. I want to see Ye Zhiqiu. If he doesn't come, I'll jump."

"Okay, okay, I'll call Xiao Ye right away." Professor Wei signaled with his eyes, and Teaching Assistant Zhu hurriedly dialed Ye Zhiqiu's number.

The call connected, and Ye Zhiqiu's slightly smiling voice came through: "Senior?"

"Xiao Ye," Teaching Assistant Zhu quickly lowered his voice, "can you come to the school now?"

"What's wrong?" Ye Zhiqiu was slightly puzzled.

"Tang Yue is outside the rooftop railing. He wants to see you. If you don't come, he might really jump." Teaching Assistant Zhu explained.

Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu fell silent for a moment.

He put down the scissors and pins in his hand and leaned back into his chair.

In his previous life, because of Tang Yue, Jin Baobao had an accident. Although he survived, he lost a leg and missed out on his beloved dance career forever.

Ye Zhiqiu never forgot the grudge over that leg.

But using conventional means would never give him a chance to settle it.

Life is not perfect, and Ye Zhiqiu thought this matter might have to end there.

This was also why he pushed Tang Yue to the brink over the "plagiarism" issue, leaving him no way out.

In both his past and present lives, all the malice Tang Yue had shown him, along with Jin Baobao's leg, he intended to settle once and for all.

But this phone call seemed to offer another opportunity.

Ye Zhiqiu tightened his lips, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. His brown eyes turned icy like a frozen lake.

"Hello, Xiao Ye?" Teaching Assistant Zhu's voice came through, tinged with confusion and anxiety.

Ye Zhiqiu snapped back to reality and slowly relaxed his grip on the phone.

"I'm here," he said.

He was still too impulsive. Lowering his gaze, his thick lashes hid the coldness in his eyes.

So many people were watching; it was Tang Yue's life at stake.

He had already died once. This time, even if he wanted justice, he knew he needed to prioritize his own safety.

"Put me on speakerphone with Tang Yue." He closed his eyes.

He knew Tang Yue better than anyone.

This kind of person thrived on playing the victim to gain sympathy but secretly resented the care and warmth they received.

Dark as a rat in a gutter, yet most afraid of death.

He wouldn't dare die.

"But be careful what you say, don't provoke him," Teaching Assistant Zhu warned, "I'll put you on speakerphone, okay, Xiao Ye?"

"No problem," Ye Zhiqiu smiled, "go ahead."

The call picked up the sound of wind, mixed with rapid breathing. Ye Zhiqiu spoke coldly, "Tang Yue?"

"Xiao Qiu," upon hearing Ye Zhiqiu's voice, Tang Yue crumbled, overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions, predominantly grievance and resentment. He stifled the resentment and wept, "I didn't plagiarize you. Truly, I didn't. Your study was vacant when I came by."

"If you copied, you copied. The facts are clear. What's the point of denying it?" Ye Zhiqiu's tone remained cold. He then slowly continued, "I agreed to speak with you only to tell you that I won't come."

"If you want to die," he added, his voice devoid of any warmth, "you can jump now."

Silence fell. Teaching Assistant Zhu quickly hung up the call, his face pale.

The SWAT team nearby tensed up instantly.

"This Xiao Ye..." Professor Wei whispered anxiously, his eyes fixed tightly on Tang Yue, too nervous to blink.

Tang Yue stood there gripping the railing, and after a moment, he seemed to lose all strength, slowly squatting down while holding onto the railing.

In a critical moment, the SWAT team sprang into action, rescuing Tang Yue in just two swift moves.

Tang Yue was taken to the hospital for a check-up. Lin Xuehua, standing far away, finally breathed a sigh of relief and secretly sent the video she had recorded to Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu looked at the video of Tang Yue being rescued, not lifting his eyes for a long time.

He knew his words had completely extinguished Tang Yue's hope. Though he would give up, he wouldn't really jump.

But if he had shown sympathy or pity, touching his fragile pride, Tang Yue might have jumped impulsively.

Never before had Ye Zhiqiu felt such complex emotions. His lowered eyelashes were dampened with uncontrollable moisture.

Although he had seen the video and knew there was a safety net below, he might still be unharmed if he fell.

But for Jin Baobao, he could not help but feel guilt and remorse.