Readers might not match Director Fan’s expertise, but they were no fools.
Wen Ying’s readers led the charge online. They raised doubts. “Crown of Thorns” and “With the Galaxy” were too similar.
The words differed. The backgrounds differed. Yet the plot structures matched.
It was like the same story. Wen Ying wrote it once in her words. Lan Jing wrote it again in hers.
“This is plagiarism!”
Readers vented their anger online.
Lan Jing used no exact sentences or words. She rewrote “With the Galaxy” from scratch. This method seemed clever at first glance. Yet it felt arrogant too.
“With the Galaxy” was no obscure work. In just half a year on shelves, sales topped a million. Add the wild readers from pirated copies. Plus the casual viewers who chased the drama but skipped the book. This book’s audience spread far and wide.
Such a hot book, skinned and bloodied to copy its skeleton. Did Lan Jing think everyone blind to it?
The world’s affairs held such irony. On one side, Wen Ying’s readers raged and accused Lan Jing of plagiarism. On the other, curiosity drove more people to buy “Crown of Thorns”.
Wen Ying had yet to respond to the plagiarism claims.
Xie Qian returned.
With a simple backpack, Xie Qian stepped off the plane.
His striking looks were hard to hide. His wallet stayed less flashy. At first glance, Xie Qian seemed the same as ever. No one knew he had spent days in Modu signing a demolition compensation contract.
Xie Qian had money before. Now he had more.
Demolition payout differed from “Jinhu” shares. Xie Jinghu could not curb it. He could only watch Xie Qian’s wealth double and grow.
Xie Jinghu fumed to death.
If the demolition had confirmed earlier, Xie Jinghu would have made Xie Qian repay the land loan himself. The delay stretched so long before certainty. Xie Jinghu nearly paid off the land loan. For this, he argued with Zou Weijun several times.
Xie Qian feared his mother at a loss. Zou Weijun had long found a clever way to counter Xie Jinghu.
“I will not argue with him. Let him complain to your eldest uncle. Or to your grandmother, that works too.”
Both would rush to scold Xie Jinghu. Why waste her own energy?
Perhaps from years of suppression, now each time she saw Xie Jinghu deflated, Zou Weijun felt true joy from the heart.
No matter Xie Jinghu’s harsh words, they no longer riled Zou Weijun. Compared to Xie Jinghu, she paid more heed to Lan Jing. After the variety show aired, Zou Weijun called Lan Jing. The line connected. But Lan Jing did not pick up.
Zou Weijun sighed faintly. This was resolve to the end, truly.
Zou Weijun could not sway her. She could only respect Lan Jing’s choice. This path was Lan Jing’s own. Whatever end it brought, blame fell on no one else.
During calls with his mother Zou Weijun, Xie Qian said nothing on the matter. Even in touch with Wen Ying, he never brought it up first. As if he cared little for Wen Ying’s plagiarism.
Off the plane, Xie Qian did not head home at once. He went to a bookshop first.
“The Boy Idol”, “With the Galaxy”, and “Searching for Yong” sat in prime spots at the shop. “Searching for Yong” launched less than a month ago. Winter break neared its end. A wave of student buyers filled the shop. “Searching for Yong” held the top heat.
“Searching for Yong” first printed sixty thousand copies. The publisher hid “treasure maps” in six of them. It teased readers to itch. To date, not one “treasure map” surfaced.
Xie Qian heard two girls by the shelves debate the “treasure maps'” truth. They guessed at the mystery grand prize. His lips curved up.
In just these days, a “treasure map” would turn up for sure. But who would claim those six lucky prizes?
His gaze shifted a touch. Beside Wen Ying’s three books sat “Crown of Thorns”.
Xie Qian’s smile vanished at once.
He picked up a copy at random. He stood there and read.
With Xie Qian’s current wealth, buying one novel was nothing. He could afford the whole shop. But why boost sales for Lan Jing?
Xie Qian, worth over a hundred million, could be generous at times. Stingy at others. He ignored the fatigue from the long flight. He stood in the shop and finished “Crown of Thorns”.
Xie Qian’s memory was sharp. He read “With the Galaxy” long ago. Many detail scenes stuck deep.
A mental match showed no overlapping original text.
Yet “Crown of Thorns” plagiarised “With the Galaxy” for sure!
Xie Qian set the book down. Out of the shop, his first act was a call to Zheng Zhihe.
“Has Wen Ying said when to sue?”
Zheng Zhihe tracked the matter too. He grasped Xie Qian’s intent at once.
“Rongcheng Literature Press backs Wen Ying’s suit fully. Tianjiao guards the drama rights too. They support her suit. But Wen Ying herself shows no rush.”
The emperor unhurried, what use in the chief eunuch’s fret?
Zheng Zhihe foresaw the case’s splash. No need for Xie Qian’s nudge. He contacted Wen Ying several times already. His words boiled down to one point. Even for zero lawyer fees, Zheng Zhihe wanted to take Wen Ying’s case.
Lawyer Zheng feared losing such fame-boosting work. He clung to Xie Qian and played the bond card.
Xie Qian cut him off. “Wen Ying will not pick another for this suit. I feel her trust in you runs deep. The case will come. Lawyer Zheng, prepare ahead. If I can help anywhere, tell me for sure.”
Perhaps from Zheng Zhihe’s early aid in her debut reputation suit, Wen Ying still trusted him much.
Xie Qian saw Zheng Zhihe as capable. His flaw lay in green experience. On skill alone, he needed more polish. But since Wen Ying trusted him, Xie Qian saw no point in seeking others.
After turns and twists, Xie Qian reached home by afternoon.
Xie Qian’s first home act was not seeking Wen Ying. It was handover with substitute teacher Qin Jiao.
Qin Jiao worked diligently as sub so long. She sighed in relief at Xie Qian’s return.
Teaching drained too much!
She wondered how Xie Qian endured it.
Wen Ying, Wang Shuang, Li Mengjiao, plus Peng Guoqing. None proved easy.
Sympathy filled Qin Jiao’s eyes. “Just one semester to the exam.”
Xie Qian stayed calm. “The hardest two and a half years passed. One semester poses no fear.”
With Xie Qian back, housekeeper Liu Auntie returned too.
Xie Qian handed over with Qin Jiao. Wen Ying did the same in the kitchen with Liu Auntie.
Before Liu Auntie’s return, Wen Ying restocked most fridge items used up. What she left were buys she could not source.
Wen Ying went item by item, unhurried. Liu Auntie heard Xie Qian’s voice. She grew urgent. “These are not your chores. If you handle all, will I not lose my job?”
Liu Auntie gave a light push after. She shooed Wen Ying from the kitchen.
Wen Ying steadied herself. She met Xie Qian’s eyes. Not a word passed. Yet Wen Ying’s ears warmed slowly.
Winter break lasted less than a month. Still, she felt as if ages passed without seeing Xie Qian.
