"I got the USB drive." Mai Xiaoshu smiled and took out the USB drive from his pocket. "With this evidence and my confession, I can now prove that you were forced to admit to plagiarism at the press conference!"
An Chengye took the USB drive and held it tightly in his hand, but his face showed no joy at all. "I can't release the video."
"Why?" Mai Xiaoshu looked up suddenly, his face full of surprise at the sudden answer.
"Although Xingye and I have no blood relationship , it was Uncle Jiang who raised me. Xingye is his only son. Even if he made a terrible mistake, I can't just watch him go to ruin."
An Chengye expressed his difficulties with a wry smile, and his eyes were full of apology when he looked at Mai Xiaoshu.
"But if you conceal the truth, even if the software you design becomes successful in the future, people will still look at you with different eyes, and you will never be able to truly turn things around! You will always have to accept being ridiculed by others!"
"Since I haven't done it, I don't care what others say. As long as the people around me are happy." An Chengye looked at her deeply, as if begging for her forgiveness.
Although An Chengye didn't say much, she knew that it was not easy to make such a decision. Finally, she stopped insisting: "I respect your choice."
After getting Mai Xiaoshu's support, An Chengye called Jiang Xingye to tell him that he had obtained the video in Jim's hands and advised him not to waste one million in vain.
Jiang Xingye didn't believe it at first, until he found out that the USB flash drive provided by Jim was empty and contained no evidence, then he finally believed An Chengye's words and asked him out.
The lab is empty on weekends.
Jiang Xingye sat in An Chengye’s former office and looked out the window.
There was a fountain in the center of the square, and the water gushed out to both sides, and the water in the pool was shining with golden light under the sunlight. Such a peaceful scene fell into his eyes, but his heart could not calm down for a long time.
Finally, a steady sound of footsteps was heard behind him. Jiang Xingye turned around and set his sights on An Chengye who walked into the office.
"How did the video end up in your hands?" Jiang Xingye spoke first.
“Is this important?”
Jiang Xingye chuckled: "Tell me, what do you want me to exchange for you?"
"As long as you promise me to protect Shiku Technology, we will owe each other nothing from now on." An Chengye shrugged and spread out his hands.
"Do you think I will believe what you say? I have ruined your reputation and left you with nothing, will you let me go easily? Stop joking." Jiang Xingye showed a disdainful smile on his face.
Mai Xiaoshu, who was eavesdropping next door, shook her head helplessly and sighed. Next to her stood a man in his 50s, who was Jiang Xingye's father and An Chengye's adoptive father. An Chengye invited him here in the hope that he could stop Jiang Xingye from making the same mistake again and again.
"Xingye, I have always treated you as my younger brother. I was glad that you were still willing to support me even though Aunt Jiang told you so many things about me. I thought our relationship could withstand any test, but I didn't expect that you still misunderstood me."
"Misunderstanding? My father has only had eyes for you since we were little, and no matter how hard I try, I can never compare to you, an orphan he picked up. He even said that he would leave the company to you to inherit. How can I treat you as a friend and a brother as if nothing happened! What you are losing now was originally mine!"
"You bastard!"
After hearing his son personally confess his crime, Jiang's father finally couldn't help it and rushed out of the room and came to the office where they were.
Following this harsh rebuke was a familiar female voice: "Uncle, calm down."
"Dad! Mai Xiaoshu!" Jiang Xingye stared at the two people standing at the door in amazement.
"You resort to such despicable tricks just because you can't compete with others in your career. You are not worthy of being my son!"
With a "pop" sound.
Jiang Xingye was slapped hard by his father. Although Mai Xiaoshu tried to stop him, he was unable to do so in time.
Father Jiang's eyes were red, and his gaze was sharp and desperate: "Do you know that Chengye could have handed over the video? He gave up because of our brotherhood and didn't want to see you being cursed by the world! He would rather bear the infamy for your whole life, and you don't even reflect on yourself!"
Jiang Xingye was stunned, tears welling up in her eyes. She stared at An Chengye with her red eyes, then looked at her father with a look of disbelief.
"Why do you always teach me a lesson because of him? Have you ever really cared about me since I was a child?" Taking off his usual disguise, Jiang Xingye was like a child abandoned by the whole world, looking at his father with a grievance.
"You still don't repent!" When Jiang's father raised his hand and was about to swing it, Mai Xiaoshu subconsciously blocked Jiang Xingye, and the slap landed hard on her face. In an instant, five fingerprints appeared on her fair face.
"Xiao Shu!" Jiang Xingye and An Chengye said in unison, looking at her worriedly.
Mai Xiaoshu raised his face and forced a smile despite the pain.
Facing Jiang's father who looked apologetic, she said softly, "Uncle, have you ever thought that the fundamental reason why their relationship has become like this is because of your preference?"
Mai Xiaoshu's words revealed a fact that has always existed but no one dared to speak out.
The situation was awkward for a while...
The three of them looked at her nervously, especially Jiang Xingye. He stood there in a daze, his mind blank, as if he had not expected Mai Xiaoshu to stand by his side at this moment.
"You..." Father Jiang widened his eyes.
"I heard from An Chengye that Xingye's specialty is playing the violin. It was you who stopped him from studying art and forced them to compete on the same track. Even in areas he is not good at, Xingye has tried hard to show you his achievements. Why can't you face up to his efforts and never give him a word of praise? Even a word of comfort would heal his pain."
Faced with Mai Xiaoshu's questioning, Jiang's father was distracted for a moment.
He asked himself in his heart why he had never reflected on the fact that his son was pushed into the quagmire because of his stubbornness!
"You're right, it was my negligence." Father Jiang finally put aside his dignity as a father and sighed softly, with endless sadness in his short sentence.
He looked at his two sons sadly. To him, they were all his own flesh and blood. If it could dispel the hatred in their hearts, it would be fine for him to admit his mistakes: "Xingye, I'm sorry. Because you are my son, I have always held you to the strictest standards, but I forgot that you also need affirmation... In my heart, I have always been proud of you."
Seeing his father admit defeat for the first time in his life, Jiang Xingye burst into tears uncontrollably, and the hatred that had been pent up in his heart melted away in an instant. Fame and fortune were never what he wanted. All he wanted was his father's recognition.
The memories of his past with An Chengye came to his mind. They had been innocent and loyal to each other, and they had sincerely promised to support each other forever. Unfortunately, fate had played tricks on him, and he had ruined their brotherhood.
Jiang Xingye knelt down on the ground sadly and shed tears of regret.
That day, Jiang Xingye knelt on the ground and cried heartbreakingly like a little animal who had lost his soul. He released all the pressure and dissatisfaction in front of his father. When he saw his father admitting his mistakes with tears, he finally let go of all the shackles and decided to forget the heart-wrenching pain in the past.
A few days later, Jiang Xingye took the initiative to come forward and confessed to the public that Yin He, a shareholder of the power-grabbing joint company, had set a trap for An Chengye. The public was in an uproar, and the target of public opinion quickly became Jiang Xingye and Yin Lunmei's father.
During that time, the two of them were under unprecedented pressure. In the end, An Chengye stood up and said that he had already forgiven Jiang Xingye, which calmed the public opinion. His behavior of repaying evil with kindness won the respect of everyone.
When everything returned to calm, Shiku Technology ushered in a new climax due to the successful launch of the Reiki ZOO project.