Chapter 76: The Plagiarism Scandal

As soon as Jiang Yunzhu returned to the company, Gerard's agent hurried over, his blue eyes nearly turning green with anxiety.

"My God, boss, you're finally back—look at this!"

Jiang Yunzhu was completely baffled. Will Gerard, the young golden-haired singer she had just signed, had recently released his debut single. The company had poured millions into the project, finally managing to gain some recognition. Riding this momentum, they secured him a spot on a singer talent show. The show was still being recorded—so what on earth had happened?

Unease grew in Jiang Yunzhu's heart. She glanced at the video in the agent’s hand, and her vision nearly went black.

A well-known blogger had pulled up the sheet music for Gerard’s new single and compared it to a song released four years ago, then publicly accused Gerard of plagiarism.

For an original artist, the stain of plagiarism is a lifelong mark of shame! Now, this video was spreading like wildfire online. The production team, having caught wind of the news, had already suspended Gerard’s participation in the show. Several days had already passed; if they couldn’t produce an explanation soon, Gerard’s career would be over. Not only would Jiang Yunzhu's millions go up in smoke, but the company’s reputation would also be tainted!

For a newly established company, this was a catastrophe.

Jiang Yunzhu pressed her temples. "How did the PR team handle this?"

"As soon as the video started going viral, the PR team offered the blogger hush money to take it down, but he refused and even made the situation public."

"Idiots," Jiang Yunzhu cursed inwardly.

Gerard was barely known; his single had only circulated within a small audience. The show he was on was still recording, and he was just a minor supporting act. This meant the accuser wasn’t an industry insider trying to set a trap. Most likely, the blogger had stumbled across the song by chance and, driven by a desire to protect original work, posted the comparison. How could someone like that be bought off without a hefty price? A hasty attempt at bribery had only backfired, giving the other party more ammunition for discussion.

Jiang Yunzhu massaged her brow and looked up. "Tell me the truth: did he plagiarize or not?"

"He didn’t! I swear! I watched Gerard compose this song bit by bit—I even helped him brainstorm!"

The agent poured out his frustration. "You know how talented Will is—he doesn’t need to plagiarize anyone. And if he were going to plagiarize, he’d pick something better than an obscure track like that! Listen to the original; it’s so clumsy, no real musician would have written it!"

Jiang Yunzhu frowned. "But the sheet music comparison shows a seventy percent similarity."

"Maybe it’s just a coincidence."

"A coincidence? I don’t buy it." Jiang Yunzhu pressed her temples. "I’m not a professional musician. Bring Gerard to me."

...

Gerard stormed in, his bright golden hair bristling with anger, looking for all the world like a puffed-up pufferfish.

"I want to sue him! This is slander!" he raged. "It may not be my best song, but I wrote it note by note myself. How could I possibly plagiarize anyone? Especially something that crude!"

"Calm down," Jiang Yunzhu said coolly. Though she was troubled and didn’t know what to do, she forced herself to remain composed. "I didn’t call you here to vent your anger. I want you to listen to the song they claim you plagiarized and tell me if their transcription is accurate."

"If you’re certain you didn’t copy anyone, then how do you explain a seventy percent similarity to a song from years ago?"

Her tone was even as she continued, "I’ve watched the blogger’s previous videos. He’s never targeted anyone maliciously. I’m not blaming the victim here, but it’s odd that he’d suddenly go after a complete newcomer like you."

Gerard, still young, didn’t quite catch Jiang Yunzhu’s implication, but he was obedient enough to listen to the alleged original song. Afterward, his face fell.

"Unbelievable," Gerard muttered bitterly. "If I hadn’t written this song myself, I’d call it plagiarism too!"

Jiang Yunzhu’s frown deepened. "Could it really be a coincidence?"

Coincidence—she, with her PR background, knew that if they used that as their official explanation, they would be ridiculed mercilessly.

Seeing the contemplative look on his boss’s face, Gerard started to panic. "Don’t look at me like that! Damn it, I really didn’t plagiarize! You’re not thinking of terminating my contract, are you?"

Even with his comfortable family background, he couldn’t afford the penalty.

"It hasn’t come to that," Jiang Yunzhu said, propping her forehead on her fist. "Go home for now and let me think."

She still had other work to deal with. By the time she finished, night had fallen. Most of the company’s employees had already left. As usual, Jiang Yunzhu brewed some coffee and went downstairs.

Her mind was a tangled mess of worries. Passing the flower shop downstairs, the warm yellow light made her smile unconsciously. She went in and bought a large bouquet.

"May you be free from worries year after year, and may you always find happiness."

She wrote these words in Chinese on the card tucked in with the flowers. The familiar script felt even more comforting. She wondered, what was he doing at this moment?

...

Shen Family Villa.

Shen Tingxiao was half-reclined on the bed, watching a surveillance video on the television screen.

It was the feed from his own company.

A cleaning worker was going about her usual routine, but after she finished, instead of leaving, she picked up a rag and wiped the camera lens. Within moments, the footage turned blurry and indistinct.

Shen Tingxiao sneered. With a flick of the remote, another camera angle appeared on screen.

The cleaner, having disabled the first camera, was now feigning innocence as she pried open his desk drawer. Inside were official company seals and a confidential USB drive.

She began copying files from the USB, glancing around nervously. At one point, she looked directly at the camera and flashed a smug grin.

Perhaps she was imagining that, once the company secrets were leaked and Shen Tingxiao faced accusations, he would try to check the surveillance footage, only to discover the cameras had been tampered with, leaving him with no way to defend himself.

"Fool," Shen Tingxiao muttered under his breath.

They’d thought to bribe the cleaning staff, but hadn’t considered that he’d already made preparations.

The phone beside his bed rang. Shen Tingxiao answered.

"Boss Shen, the fish has taken the bait," came a fluent Mandarin voice.

Shen Tingxiao's tone was cold. "Make sure everyone is ready. I don’t want that man getting the upper hand again."

"One more thing, Boss Shen—Miss Jiang has run into some trouble."

After hearing the report, Shen Tingxiao’s brow furrowed. "She should be able to handle something like this. Still, if she needs help, make sure she gets it."

No sooner had he hung up than his private phone buzzed.

Zhouzhou: "Are you asleep? Strangely, I already miss you, though it hasn’t been long since we parted."

The stern lines of Shen Tingxiao's face immediately softened. He pressed the voice message button and replied, "I miss you too."