499 Sky's anniversary arc (4)
The news spread like wildfire as everybody’s phone rang one after the other. The reporters were hushing and whispering furiously as they checked the news and again.
Yunru was dumbfounded as the allegation fell on his ears. But the temperature took a steep drop instantly when Jun coldly demanded an answer. “Who said that?”
pAnD a(-)n0ve1.com The merry dancing atmosphere came to a sudden halt.
The reporter who did slightly gulped back in his throat. “I-I am not saying it! I got a message with evidence.”
“Evidence saying that Chen Yunru betrayed Sky? BETRAYED? Are you sure you are looking at the right message?”
Jun walked towards the reporter with each of his steps carrying a heavy and deadly weight to it. He unceremoniously snatched the phone from the reporter and looked at the message.
There were clips of Yunru and Huan working together and files leaked from Huan’s computer which looked like story drafts.
Yunru and Huan rushed and saw the images. She softly stammered. “B-But this is my story…I am working on it.”
Yunru nodded hard. He glared fiercely at the reporters and demanded an answer. “What nonsense are you people spouting!? Why are you showing these pictures and Huan’s drafts! I will sue you all for invading her privacy!”
One of the reporters scrolled down the evidence and said, “Privacy doesn’t seem to be the issue here, President Chen. Plagiarism is.”
“Huh?”
“The story on which Miss. Shi is working on is something that seems to have been stolen from one of the Sky authors.”
Yunru stared at her aghast at the allegation. “I…You are saying that I stole an author’s story here!?”
“That’s what the evidence says.”
“Nonsense! Huan is working on an original story! I know it because I have been working with her! I have seen how hard she has been dedicating herself to her career. She is spending so many sleepless nights to craft out the story she wants to and you are saying I stole the idea from Sky!?” His nostril flared and he was trembling with fury.
Huan, too, seemed shaken up by suddenly being in the spotlight and for all the wrong reasons.
Ai narrowed her eyes at the report and sharply and unforgivingly said, “I hope you know what charges are being put here and how serious they are. Accusing President Chen of stealing ideas and stories would not be taken lightly.”
Until a few months ago, Ai was in this position herself so she knew better than anybody how devastating that accusation was.
Jun placed his hand on Yunru’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Step back, Yunru. Let me talk to them.”
“Bro, they are speaking nonsense!” His eyes were close to getting teared up though as Sky’s President, he wanted to remain firm and indifferent.
“I know. Do you think you have to explain anything to me?”
Nuo came and smacked on his head. “Bro is right! Why are you two getting so down for? We will get at the bottom of this and throw away all these accusations!”
“Sis Nuo…”
Jun kept scrolling down the evidence on the snatched phone of the reporter. “The evidence says Yunru stole an author’s work here. What work is it? Which author from Sky is it?”
Jun read through Huan’s drafts and said, “I never came across this story at Sky as any of the author’s submissions.”
The reporters replied. “That’s because President Yunru never let it come to the surface. The story here belongs to author Cui Fen.”
The authors gasped and instantly, their attention fell onto their fellow newbie colleague and writer, Cui Fen, who had just been giving her own small interview to the reporters.
Fang Yang asked with shock, “Cui Fen, that’s your story!? But you never said anything about it!”
Liang Chin said, “Yeah weren’t you working on the research?”
Ai didn’t get the chance to talk to Cui Fen that much as compared to the other authors, but as far as she knew, Cui Fen definitely hadn’t started writing her story.
Cui Fen stiffened and cold sweat began to trickle down her forehead. “That…I-I…” she clasped her phone hard between her palms.
Jun questioned. “Is that the story you were working on? Is that the truth?”
She frighteningly took a step back now feeling even further nervous and afraid. She was just a newbie and Jun was the CEO. Despite the huge pressure she felt mounting on her shoulders with everybody’s scrutiny, she managed to reply hoarsely. “…Yes.”
Yunru widened his eyes. “Huh!? That’s impossible! You weren’t working on this story at all!”
Cui Fen’s expression paled and she burst into tears. “I…”
One of the reporters intervened. “Presentation Chen, you are scaring your own writer here. Is that how Sky treats their employees?”
“I remember Miss. Cui nervously glanced at President Chen a couple of times during her interview as if she was afraid of something. This must be the reason why. President Chen stole her story!”
“Yeah I remember her looking in that direction too!”
“She was definitely afraid of President Chen.”
“And look how scared Cui Fen is…”
Jun said and at the same time Zixin harshly rebuked the reporters as well. “Enough.”
There were only two voices among the many but they were sharp and cold enough for everyone to shut their mouths.
Zixin warned. “I hope you have gotten the chance to verify your claims and evidence before pointing fingers at my brother. Because when it is proven that he is innocent, you will have a very heavy price to pay.”
Yunru tearfully blinked at Zixin, his heart gushing with warmth. He trembled, feeling Zixin’s sincerity. Until now, Zixin couldn’t connect to his family the way it was before his accident. Yunru always tried to stay positive that his brother would return one day and everything would go back to how it was.
But inwardly, he was extremely anxious seeing how that distance never seemed to shrink between them. But seeing Zixun standing up for him made his heart flutter with joy and tears slip from his cheeks.
It was at this moment that he truly began to feel that the efforts of bringing Zixin back to the family were bearing fruits that he always wished for.