The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

"Hello, Chairman..."

Wang Nan answered the phone cautiously, wondering why the chairman wanted to call her at this time.

"Wang Nan, stop immediately regarding Ji Bai's matter. All press releases, marketing materials, and fan guidance should be withdrawn. You are not allowed to interfere in this matter again."

"what?"

Wang Nan was stunned: "But now that Teacher Yan Dahai has posted an article, it's the perfect opportunity to bring him down, so why...?"

"Stop when I tell you to stop!"

The chairman's tone was heavy, carrying an undeniable seriousness: "I'm warning you, this water is too deep for you to touch!"

"Don't ask why, just do as I say. If you interfere again, you and the artist will both be fired!"

Wang Nan opened her mouth, as if to say something more: "But he's just an orphan with no connections, what kind of trouble could he possibly be in..."

"You don't know anything!"

The chairman interrupted him directly: "Alright, that's all I have to say. Take care of yourself."

The phone slammed down, leaving only a busy tone on the receiver.

Wang Nan stood frozen in place, holding her phone. The smile on her face hadn't even faded before it turned into astonishment.

Shen Yizhen also sensed something was wrong and frowned, asking, "What's wrong, Sister Nan? What did the chairman say?"

"The chairman told us to stop immediately and not to touch Ji Bai's matter again. He said... that the waters are too deep and we shouldn't get burned." Wang Nan muttered, her mind a mess.

The ward fell silent instantly. The ecstasy they had just felt was like being doused with a bucket of cold water, chilling them to the bone.

The two looked at each other, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.

Thinking about it calmly, this whole thing is indeed strange in many ways.

Who is Yan Dahai?

The songwriter is a legendary figure in China, with a mountain of awards to his name. He has long been semi-retired and focused on creating in seclusion. He hasn't been involved in any plagiarism disputes for years. Why would he suddenly target a complete stranger, a high school student?

And the timing was too perfect.

Just when they were at their most passive and the entire internet was starting to backfire, this statement came out, like a knife being handed to them at the perfect moment.

What's even more frightening is the chairman's attitude.

The company's CEO, who is fearless and doesn't care about the business losses of top-tier celebrities, actually forbade them from touching Ji Bai, saying that "the water is too deep."

深？

How deep can the water be for a high school student who lost both parents and came from a small town?

A chill ran down Shen Yizhen's spine for no apparent reason. The wounds on her face seemed to have stopped hurting, leaving only a feeling of unease in her heart.

From infringement to the collapse of his reputation, from cyberbullying to backlash, from the backlash from fan reports to the sudden intervention of Yan Dahai, every step has been strangely sinister.

He had previously thought Ji Bai was just a somewhat talented but easily bullied person, but now he belatedly realized that he had no idea what kind of person he had messed with.

Wang Nan sat on the sofa, unaware that her phone had slipped onto her lap, only feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.

No wonder the other party never took them seriously from the beginning.

After all that, it turns out that the ones who really didn't deserve to be at the table were themselves.

The assistant was dumbfounded.

Wait, who exactly is this Ji Bai?

……

Beijing.

It's still that private club that's not open to the public.

The private room was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood, and a crystal chandelier cast a warm glow. Two figures were nestled in the leather sofa.

One of them is a woman.

The other one was also a woman.

One is perfectly ripe.

The other one is more familiar.

"Xiao Wan, you acted impulsively!"

The more familiar, beautiful woman held up her wine glass and swirled it, leaving fine droplets of wine clinging to the glass.

She looked to be in her early forties, well-maintained, and her youthful beauty was still faintly visible in her eyes.

Time never defeats a beautiful woman; it only defeats those who are merely good-looking.

Across from her, Su Wan leaned against the sofa armrest, her wine-red nails lightly scratching the rim of her glass.

Today she wore a dark red velvet cheongsam with a slit that stopped just at the outer thigh. Her crossed legs were covered with a layer of black stockings as thin as cicada wings, and her toes were hooked on a stiletto heel that looked like it was about to fall off.

She leaned back lazily in her chair, like a Persian cat grooming itself in the dark, elegant yet dangerous.

"I don't care, I want him dead!"

From the day Ji Bai asked her "How good are you?", Su Wan vowed to make Ji Bai pay the price.

Su Wan has been in Beijing's social circles for so many years, when has she ever been humiliated by a mere young upstart?

She wouldn't be able to swallow this insult until she stripped Ji Bai of his genius facade and ruined his reputation.

Why bother?

The beautiful woman put down her wine glass and sighed helplessly, "Those people were jumping around for so long, but in the end they still slunk away."

"Now that all the big shots at the top are making it clear they don't want to touch this issue, it's very dangerous for us to be at the forefront!"

Su Wan shook her head, picked up a slender cigarette between her fingers, and just twirled it around without lighting it.

"Don't worry, I checked. That song isn't registered with the copyright association, so Ji Bai can't prove he wrote it himself!"

"This is a complete mess!"

"Tell me, would people be more willing to believe a legendary veteran artist, or an eighteen-year-old mathematical genius who can casually compose a timeless classic?"

Su Wan leaned forward slightly, her collar loose, revealing her delicate collarbone.

"Even if he could prove a world-class mathematical problem, he couldn't prove something like this!"

"Unless Ji Bai produces three or five more timeless classics of this caliber, he'll never be able to shake off the stigma of plagiarism!"

After hearing this, the beautiful woman's heart finally settled down, and she smiled and tapped her forehead: "You, you always have so many clever ideas."

Are you kidding me?

For a song of this caliber, even the most talented musicians would consider themselves legendary if they could produce two or three in their entire lives.

For an eighteen-year-old boy, to come up with one poem is already an incredible stroke of luck, let alone three or five more.

Even if it were possible, that would take forever!

"Alright, then keep an eye on things yourself, and make sure you don't get yourself into trouble!"

The beautiful woman stood up as she spoke. Her dark green silk cheongsam clung tightly to her waist and hips. She walked slowly, her waist swaying gently, and the hem of her skirt swept across the carpet, leaving behind a faint scent of gardenias.

The door to the private room closed gently, leaving Su Wan alone inside.

She snapped on her lighter, the flame licking the cigarette. She took a deep drag and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

Amidst the swirling smoke, she gazed at the endless lights of the capital city outside the window, a smug, triumphant smile playing on her lips.

Ji Bai, right?

A child prodigy, right?

Anyone who dares to embarrass her will pay the price.

Whatever your reputation as a math genius or a role model for youth, once you're labeled a plagiarist, even the most impressive halo will shatter into pieces.

She flicked her cigarette ash, and the ashes fell into the crystal ashtray, like the ending she was certain of in her heart.

Ji Bai is destined to lose this round.

……

Meanwhile, Ji Bai's Weibo account was flooded with negative comments again.

Although Shen Yizhen's side was put on hold by the chairman and she didn't dare to take the initiative to guide the situation, the initiative of fans in the fan circle has always been ridiculously strong.

There's no need to start it; it comes just by smelling the aroma.

"Plagiarist!"

"Stealing other people's work and pretending to be a genius, have they no shame?"

"What seniority or status does Teacher Yan have? How could she possibly wrong a mere youth like you? Come out and apologize right now!"