On the surveillance footage, during the five minutes when the staff member responsible for the PPT went to the restroom, a girl wearing a baseball cap, work uniform, and ID badge casually walked over, sat down, opened a drawer, rifled through it, took one of the USB drives, used the computer for a moment, and left—everything took barely two minutes. She even wore gloves, leaving no fingerprints, clearly prepared in advance.
Qiao Hailou asked the event manager, “Who is that girl?”
The manager, sweating nervously, stammered, “I—I don’t know. I remember every staff member… she shouldn’t be here.”
Qiao Hailou said, “Then someone unauthorized has infiltrated and disrupted the competition, and you didn’t even notice.”
The manager replied, “Mr. Qiao, I’ll check the other cameras right away and find out who she is!”
If Shen Yuan hadn’t been cautious and brought backups, standing on stage would have been humiliating. Even if he rushed back to get the files, his focus would be shattered, affecting his performance.
The culprit wasn’t hard to guess—likely another contestant—and an investigation would reveal who it was.
Outside, the judges had finished reviewing all contestants’ strengths and weaknesses and were tallying scores to announce the gold, silver, and bronze winners.
Qiao Hailou overheard faintly, “…Gold, Shen Yuan…”
A staff member came to him: “Mr. Qiao, it’s time for the award photo.”
He stepped out of the dark room into the bright lights of the stage. Shen Yuan wasn’t over-the-top in expression—just a small smile—but Qiao Hailou could tell he was thrilled.
All the resentment Qiao Hailou had felt vanished like shadows under sunlight. The outcome was good, and that was enough; Shen Yuan didn’t need to worry about the dirty tricks—he would handle it.
Qiao Hailou went on stage to present the award personally. Shen Yuan looked up, smiled adorably, and whispered playfully, “Quick, find out which bastard tried to sabotage me—I’m going to get revenge!”
Qiao Hailou chuckled—Shen Yuan was still very much himself.
The staff brought oversized boards showing the prize money amounts. The amounts weren’t huge but impressive to look at.
Li Lin muttered under his breath, displeased seeing Shen Yuan and Qiao Hailou together: “What’s with that Qiao Hailou? Can’t he disappear? Why is he everywhere…”
Even though Shen Yuan smiled at his brother, it was natural; the smile wasn’t for Qiao Hailou. They barely interacted.
Lin Zhiwei, however, quietly sighed, noticing that Shen Yuan wasn’t ignoring Qiao Hailou but deliberately keeping a low profile in public. She guessed that something must have happened between them privately. It hadn’t even been a month since Shen Yuan had cried so much over the previous incident, yet he’d been coaxed back so quickly. She thought Shen Yuan would never outmaneuver Qiao Hailou—he had been handled, and she wasn’t sure if Qiao Hailou’s contrition was genuine or fake.
If fake, Shen Yuan would get hurt again. If genuine, Qiao Hailou intended to take responsibility. Still, she felt uneasy—Shen Yuan was young and talented, too good to fall for an older man like that.
Watching Shen Yuan, clever and lively, complain about Qiao Hailou yet be so easily coaxed, she shook her head. He was still just a child at heart.
Then Shen Yuan went backstage with other contestants. A few minutes later, the audience and judges had mostly left, but he hadn’t returned.
Li Chen asked, “What’s going on? Not finished yet?”
Lin Zhiwei said, “Ask the kid.”
Li Chen called Shen Yuan. He didn’t pick up but replied via message: the organizers needed him backstage for some issue.
Lin Zhiwei nodded: probably investigating the earlier mishap. She had seen enough to guess—such sabotage attempts were common, often unresolved. Victims had to swallow the loss and learn to be cautious next time.
The competition ended, but the organizers called all contestants backstage. Qiao Hailou had already ordered that the incident be handled—he wouldn’t allow unfair play. If mishandled, he might withdraw sponsorship.
The organizers gathered everyone in a room, displayed screenshots from the surveillance footage, and asked if anyone recognized the girl.
Everyone exchanged glances.
“I need to catch a high-speed train.”
“I didn’t even know who Shen Yuan was before.”
“I was busy at the time, didn’t notice.”
Shen Yuan, the victim, wasn’t present.
Qiao Hailou asked him, “Who do you think it is?”
Shen Yuan said, “Someone who knows me, probably a schoolmate. At least local—they wouldn’t be so prepared otherwise.”
Qiao Hailou nodded.
Manager Chen observed reactions and dismissed those clearly uninvolved, leaving two students from K University, same department but different years, whose behavior seemed guilty.
One, Liu Junjie, pointed to the other, Ying Shi: “I… I saw your girlfriend before. Her back looked like the girl in the footage.”
Ying Shi’s face darkened: “You’re trying to slander me? No proof!”
Liu Junjie replied, “Your motive’s clear—you’ve disliked Shen Yuan for a long time, spreading rumors, bragging when he was in the news, claiming he had family connections.”
Ying Shi argued, but evidence kept pointing back to him. Manager Chen asked to check his phone. Ying Shi resisted for privacy; Liu Junjie handed over his phone voluntarily, showing clean records.
By elimination, only Ying Shi remained.
Qiao Hailou asked Shen Yuan, “Do you know him? Did you offend him?”
Shen Yuan nodded vaguely, then shook his head: “I know him, but I don’t know why he’d do this.”
Ying Shi protested, but Manager Chen patiently explained that while not all wrongdoing requires police action, he was clearly suspected of violating competition fairness. Continued investigation could disqualify him.
Ying Shi turned pale. Without physical evidence, he was released—but under surveillance, he had rushed to find his girlfriend to destroy proof, confirming his guilt. The organizers announced his disqualification and notified his school, which might expel him. Shen Yuan felt no sympathy; if he hadn’t brought backups, things would have been disastrous.
Shen Yuan received the top prize in jewelry design and additional recognition from his school.
He gained the confidence to submit an application online to the Royal Jewelry Design Academy in Country E without telling Qiao Hailou first, feeling sure his grades and awards would guarantee acceptance.
As for after admission? Shen Yuan wondered if he should reconcile with Qiao Hailou. Even if they reunited, could a long-distance relationship last? He wouldn’t give up his dream for anyone.