Chapter 36

The studio.

The moment the characters appeared, everyone, from the host to the judges, fell silent, with only the sound of water dripping from an overturned thermos.

Judge Li stared intently at the large screen, his eyes unblinking, and read out the characters one by one in a strained voice:

“

"

Copyright belongs to Yu Miaomiao

On the luminous blue screen, the string of characters flickered with a not-too-bright light, yet it made everyone, both inside and outside the screen, afraid to look directly at it.

In an instant, the live chat fell silent.

Zhang Mingxuan slumped in the chair, trembling all over, his face drained of color, as white as a sheet of paper.

At that moment, he knew it was all over.

The comments were silent for almost a minute, and then flooded in.

[Wow, what did I just see? The watermark is so well hidden, that's amazing!!!]

Look at that judge! He's so surprised he spilled his water, and his mouth is so big you could fit an apple in it.

Look at Zhang Mingxuan's face, I feel like he's been dead for a while...

It was worth waiting for the live stream; I laughed so hard the whole floor could hear me.

The class monitor organized us all to watch the live stream, and now everyone's gone crazy. Even people in the next class are coming over to see what's going on.

[I was cursed tens of thousands of times for speaking up for Yu Miaomiao, but the day has finally come! My name is now clear!!!!]

[Hahaha, I knew Yu Miaomiao didn't plagiarize! Where are all those people who were criticizing her? Weren't they supposed to eat shit upside down? Why aren't they here yet!]

How dare Zhang Mingxuan turn around and bite Yu Miaomiao? I thought she was a pure and innocent girl, but she turned out to be a black-hearted one.

One comment received hundreds of likes:

[I admire Yu Miaomiao the most. She endured so much abuse to clear her name. Honestly, if it were me, I absolutely couldn't have stood it.]

Judge Li finally wiped the water off the table, and when he looked up, he saw this comment on the screen.

Several complex emotions welled up in my heart.

There was shock, regret for misjudging, embarrassment for being made a fool of in public, and anger at being taken advantage of.

Judge Du was the first to come to her senses; she was the one who deciphered the characters.

Unlike the other judges who were shocked and incredulous, she was more pleasantly surprised.

She said, "Contestant Yu Miaomiao, your ingenuity is truly amazing."

"I'd like to ask, how did you come up with the idea of ​​putting the copyright attribution here?"

“I am a very possessive person,” Yu Miaomiao said.

"Every piece of code I write must be 100% labeled with my name."

In the video, the girl tilts her head, presses her earpiece, and glances at the screen.

His expression was indifferent, yet he possessed an innate confidence.

This overconfidence and arrogance, this disregard for everyone, can be described as extreme arrogance.

But nobody felt angry.

Because Yu Miaomiao possesses the power to be arrogant.

"Submission time can be modified, and materials can be replaced, but the game algorithm can never be changed."

She seemed to be answering a question from a judge.

But everyone knows who he was saying that to.

Judge Li finally snapped out of his daze, grabbed the microphone, and stared intently at Yu Miaomiao.

"Yu Miaomiao, you could have clarified this matter immediately, why did you drag it out until now?"

"It's too troublesome to explain it over and over again."

"Wouldn't it be better to explain everything clearly in one go, with everyone here?"

Yu Miaomiao responded lightly.

Given her past personality, she might have directly stated her true thoughts:

“Wouldn’t clarifying things in advance just give Zhang Mingxuan a chance to make excuses? I just want to ruin his reputation and subject him to insults from millions of people.”

But at some point, she also learned to conceal her intention to attack at the right time.

"Judge Li, what do you think?" she asked rhetorically, noticing that Judge Li's face darkened.

Okay, it wasn't completely hidden.

Judge Li gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "Indeed."

He couldn't see what Yu Miaomiao was thinking.

However, it cannot be pointed out, because CAE also did not issue a statement immediately.

On the bright side, isn't the other party's behavior also increasing the popularity of CAE?

He adopted a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor, "Zhang Mingxuan, do you have anything to say?"

In the video, Zhang Mingxuan's face is pale and ashen.

[I would call this the biggest reversal of 2025]

[Where's the surveillance footage? Isn't this solid evidence?!]

[Hilarious! If this is really true, why is Zhang Mingxuan acting like his father just died?]

I said before that people who fake surveillance footage are crazy, but I really didn't expect Zhang Mingxuan to actually dare to do it.

[Let's not jump to conclusions. Was Zhang Mingxuan coerced? Judging from his expression, he seems to have some hidden difficulties?]

[Haha, where did this plot twist come from? I think it's just the judges and Yu Miaomiao putting on an act.]

My brother is also a programmer, and he says this kind of encryption is simply impossible!

It seems Yu Miaomiao spent her three million in the right place.

Why didn't they tell Yu Miaomiao not to rush when they were scolding her?

[Why are people still trying to discredit it? I tried it using Zhang Mingxuan's publicly available source code and successfully reproduced it.]

Same as above, I tried it too.

+1

+2

...

"No, I admit that I plagiarized Yu Miaomiao."

Zhang Mingxuan uttered the sentence one word at a time, as if he had used all his strength.

He blinked with difficulty, his eyes bloodshot, and glanced at the comments before giving a self-deprecating smile.

He was far too arrogant and conceited.

If he weren't arrogant, why would he release his source code to the entire internet, handing everyone leverage over him?

If he weren't confident, how could he have so underestimated Yu Miaomiao, so convinced that she was definitely not the original creator, and so confident that he could deceive everyone and orchestrate all of this?

My phone vibrated incessantly, one call after another coming in—from my father, my mother, friends, teachers…

But Zhang Mingxuan's expression was so calm, and he no longer showed the panic and fear he had shown before.

The sword of Damocles hanging overhead finally fell.

Although this sword severed his head from his body, it also severed his hard-earned reputation, his present, and his future.

But just as he was, he no longer had to endure that unresolved uncertainty and fear that drove him crazy.

No one expected Zhang Mingxuan to admit it so readily.

Even Yu Miaomiao was slightly shocked. She thought this person would use the same tactics and make excuses as before.

"snort!"

Judge Li snorted coldly, "At least you have some self-awareness."

"Alright, we'll discuss Zhang Mingxuan's matter after the match. Let's continue."

The scoring and tallying process began on-site, with an advertisement playing in the upper left corner of the screen—this was a new sponsorship secured by the CAE organizing committee.

Yu Miaomiao glanced at the time while keeping an eye on her phone on the table.

So, she answered the phone immediately the moment it rang.

"How about it?"

"Progress is going well."

Jiang Chengyi seemed to be in a very open space, and his voice echoed back when he spoke.

"I watched the live stream."

“Excellent, it should have completely met your expectations.”

Before the live stream even ended, this amazing reversal became the number one trending topic, and tens of thousands of comments appeared under Zhang Mingxuan's Weibo post.

The backlash he will suffer will be dozens of times greater than that of Yu Miaomiao.

"More or less."

Yu Miaomiao was somewhat confused, "I didn't expect things to go so smoothly."

She had guessed that Zhang Mingxuan wouldn't cooperate; if it weren't for the female judge's live demonstration, the effect wouldn't have been so good.

"Did you leave any other evidence?"

"I applied for a patent for the algorithm in the game, and I originally planned to show it during the live stream."

【

It's just a little Easter egg in the game.

The evidence that Yu Miaomiao really wants to present is this.

The voice on the other end of the phone faded into the distance, followed by the sound of typing on a keyboard.

A moment later, Jiang Chengyi's voice rang out again, tinged with shock.

"You have applied for 12 algorithm patents."

He sighed, "Sometimes I wonder if you had foreseen this all along."

"I've already said that every piece of code I write must bear my label, and no one can steal it."

"Yes, Yu Miaomiao, you are really amazing."

"Of course."

Yu Miaomiao snorted, clearly pleased.

They didn't realize at all that the other person was using the tone of someone coaxing a kindergarten child.

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Chengyi couldn't help but chuckle.

It's unclear whether it's due to the phone's excellent sound reception or Yu Miaomiao's exceptional hearing.

She could almost hear the vibrations in Jiang Cheng's chest when he smiled, and the shallow breathing that accompanied his words.

For some reason, she felt somewhat annoyed.

"why are you laughing?"

Jiang Chengyi did not answer, but just kept smiling.

A moment later, the voice suddenly drew closer, becoming very soft, "It's about to begin."

"Miaomiao, turn on your mic."

The breath was so close, the airflow from her breathing seemed to brush against her ear.

She was slightly stunned, and after regaining her senses, she hurriedly pulled the phone away.

She didn't notice at all how Jiang Cheng had addressed her just now.

Several static crackled, and Jiang Chengyi's voice disappeared from the phone, replaced by a clear conversation between several people.

As Yu Miaomiao turned on her microphone, the conversation was broadcast live to all the viewers in the live stream.

A woman's voice said, "Siyuan's father owns a restaurant called Zhiweige, which is quite famous in City A."

Then came the kind old man's voice: "Yes, yes, Xiude's business may not be as big as yours, but it's not small either."

The young man chimed in, his voice urgent: "My dad is currently preparing for a new store, and he's invested all his working capital in it. Otherwise, we could easily come up with 3 million."

A flurry of question marks appeared in the live chat.

What is Yu Miaomiao saying? Has something interfered?

[Xiu De, Si Yuan? Where have I heard those names before?]

[Holy crap, I remember now, in that video of Yu Miaomiao's maternal grandmother, weren't her son and grandson named Yu Xiude and Yu Siyuan?]

【！！！！！！！】

[The old woman's voice inside sounds so familiar, it sounds like Yu Miaomiao's grandmother.]

[Didn't Yu Xiude say he ran a small restaurant? Zhiweige costs around 200 yuan per person, is that considered a small restaurant?]

[They can come up with three million? What nonsense are they spouting? Who's the poor one here?]

The dialogue continues.

"If you have money, why live in such a dilapidated house?"

“This is the old house we used to live in. Recently, due to some unexpected events, our whole family moved here.”

"Don't worry, I'll be moving back soon. I usually live in Shengshi Longting on the Second Ring Road."

"Zhizhi, don't worry, my dad also bought me a school district house near the Second Primary School. You can live in whichever one you want."

The cheapest apartment in Shengshi Longting costs at least 2 million yuan, and the school district apartments near No. 2 Primary School are even more expensive. Even if you bought them before the price surged, they would still cost 1 to 2 million yuan in total.

[The plot twist is out! Turns out I'm the poor one. Hilarious! I was just used as a pawn.]

[Holy crap, I'm the clown, I got tricked by them and even went after Yu Miaomiao!]

[The dilapidated house in my emotional world is a film studio; I'm watching a play...]

"Zhizhi, don't worry, once the new store opens and the funds come back, we'll have money."

"The catering industry has been very risky these past few years. What if the funds don't come back and we end up losing our entire fortune instead?"

"Brother, don't worry, with my uncle around, my dad's restaurant will definitely not lose money."

"Yes, Xiuwen is a section chief at the tax bureau. With the two brothers helping and accommodating each other, he's doing very well!"

[Didn't the video say that Yu Xiuwen was just a low-level civil servant within the system?]

This is blatant collusion between officials and businessmen, and they call it "helping each other"? I'm so angry I can't believe it.

[I knew it! Why hasn't Zhiweige gone out of business if the food is so awful? Turns out they have connections.]

"But my dad wants Zhizhi to get engaged after the Lunar New Year. There are still a few months left. Will you be able to manage your finances?"

"This, this... Grandma, didn't you say we'd soon have a three million in income?"

The old man's voice was hesitant: "We agreed before that your father and your uncle would each take 40% of the money, and I would take 20%. Giving up my share is fine, but I'm afraid your uncle won't agree..."

[Didn't you say you didn't want money and just wanted to see your granddaughter? Why did you listen to them and even calculate the percentage of money to be split?]

I feel a little sorry for Yu Miaomiao. Her family is so wealthy, yet she still wants this three million.

This is how rich people are: the richer they are, the more greedy and stingy they become.

[That's not fair. No matter how rich they are, Yu Miaomiao shouldn't have kept all three million for herself.]

"Knock knock knock knock!"

A loud knocking sounded at the door.

Who is it?

An impatient voice rang out as she walked toward the door.

With a click, the door opened.

This was followed by a scream, "Who are you?!"

"We have received reports of tax evasion by Zhiweige Restaurant and are now investigating Yu Xiude. We ask for your cooperation."

"What are you trying to do? You can't go in!"

A series of hurried footsteps.

"Turn the sound off right now!"

Judge Li finally realized what was happening and quickly instructed the broadcast director.

However, it was too late.