Chapter 69 After Huang Shiyu skillfully finished speaking his heart…

After Huang Shiyu skillfully explained the market strategy and treatment direction of Xinyu Xinsheng, the next step was naturally the Q&A session with the judges. There were many judges asking questions, and Huang Shiyu's answers to each question were spot-on, flowing smoothly and effortlessly. After all, she had been preparing for this competition day and night for so long, aiming not only to win the championship but also to find suitable investors.

She also sees this competition as a great investment opportunity.

After answering the last question, nearly twenty minutes had passed in the Q&A session. During this time, Huang Shiyu glanced at Li Xingzhou several times and found that he was staring at her intently, his gaze deep and serious. Surprisingly, he seemed to be listening quite attentively.

Li Xingzhou seemed to notice that Huang Shiyu was also looking at him, and then gave her a faint smile, a fleeting one that left no trace.

Huang Shiyu remained expressionless, raising an eyebrow slightly. The two gazed at each other for a while without disturbing each other. When their eyes looked away, Li Xingzhou's words, "You look sexy with lipstick on," flashed through her mind. She unconsciously licked her lips. Although the two kept quiet about certain things, certain emotions and feelings were subtly changing over time, quite different from before.

However, she only recalled for a moment before quickly regaining her senses. Just as the host was looking around at the judges and asking if anyone had any questions, someone in the back row of the judges' panel suddenly stood up, swiftly snatched the microphone from the table, and gave no one in the audience any time to react. Even the host was stunned.

The man, wearing a hat and mask, his face completely covered, held up the microphone he had just snatched and said in a strong voice, "I have something to say. The design of the 'Heartfelt Words' project is plagiarized, not an original collaborative innovation."

Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell silent, and everyone in the audience wore an expression of disbelief, as if to say, "No way, someone would be so reckless as to plagiarize in a competition of this caliber!"

Huang Shiyu on stage frowned slightly. When she saw the man grab the microphone and his fully armed appearance, she guessed that he was after her. Sure enough, she wondered why, and who sent him.

This situation suddenly reminded her of what happened on stage the day she was invited to give a speech at University C. It was a similar moment when she almost collapsed, but fortunately she managed to escape unscathed.

She wondered if it was because a similar scene was repeating itself, but the man's voice seemed more and more familiar. However, it had been a long time, and she couldn't remember what the student looked like back then.

She wasn't sure if it was that person.

Faced with this unexpected situation, the host's mind raced, and just as he was about to salvage the situation with the microphone, Huang Shiyu's calm and steady voice rang out in the competition hall.

Do you have any evidence?

Once these words were spoken, even if the host wanted to salvage the situation, there was nothing he could do. After all, everyone's eyes were fixed on Huang Shiyu at that moment, and everyone wanted to hear what she would say next, or how she would retaliate.

This is truly the start of a great show. There were already quite a few media reporters present today. In this era where traffic is king, everyone wants to be the first to grab the top spot.

Meanwhile, compared to the media's focus on traffic, Xiang Zhinan was more concerned with the original truth of the matter. He turned to Li Xingzhou sitting next to him and asked, "Could this also be a scheme orchestrated by Huang Shiyu? But isn't this scheme a bit too big?"

"No." Li Xingzhou glanced at him and said only this, seemingly without intending to explain why.

Upon hearing this answer, Xiang Zhinan frowned.

No? No what? This wasn't orchestrated by Huang Shiyu? This person wasn't hired by Huang Shiyu?

Before he could even voice his questions or catch his shock, he was drawn back to what the man was saying.

"This design came about several years ago, and it was even a project invested in by the renowned Ms. Zhang Jingyan back then. However, it was halted due to policy reasons at the time. So when did copying a reference design become originality?" the man said unhurriedly. "Just because it's not a one-to-one copy? I need Mr. Huang to give a reasonable explanation for this!"

In an instant, everyone present erupted in a clamor over the man's words, whispering and discussing amongst themselves. Everyone wondered if the CEO of this joint innovation company was out of his mind, daring to so blatantly plagiarize, right under the noses of so many authoritative experts and investors.

However, compared to their anger over the plagiarism, many people still enjoyed discussing it with the eye of industry gossip, since no project could be as attractive as this.

Huang Shiyu witnessed the whole scene. She knew that most of the people below were just looking for trouble, since the fire wasn't actually burning them, so they didn't feel the pain. However, she didn't care. What was more important now was how to resolve this plagiarism crisis. If handled well, she could not only benefit herself but also gain more attention for her product.

This was also Li Xingzhou's first thought.

If you ask him what his second thought is, it will definitely be that it's very difficult to turn the tide.

At this moment, Xiang Zhinan suddenly interjected, "Huang Shiyu really plagiarized?" He was incredulous. "Impossible. I still have faith in her character. And who is this guy? He looks like he has ill intentions. I've never seen an accuser cover themselves up like a zombie, as if they're ashamed to be seen."

For the first time in history, Li Xingzhou agreed with Xiang Zhinan's view: "It is said that evil deeds last for a thousand years."

Xiang Zhinan was completely oblivious to the hidden meaning in Li Xingzhou's words. He looked at the stage, nodded, and sighed, "How do you think she should deal with this?"

Li Xingzhou remained silent, propping his chin on his hand as he watched Huang Shiyu on stage with great interest. He thought to himself, "Let's see if she can seize this opportunity. After all, a crisis can also be a way to gain an opportunity."

"Hello, regarding your claim that the 'Heartfelt Words and Voices' project is suspected of plagiarism, I would like to make a statement here." Huang Shiyu looked at everyone below the stage, then at the man. Her expression was solemn and calm, showing no sign of the impact of the man's words on her. She then slowly said, word by word, "Heartfelt Words and Voices absolutely did not plagiarize! I'll say it again: I'll take responsibility for what I did, and I'm not responsible for what I didn't do."

She emphasized the last part of her sentence.

The man sneered, raising his eyebrows high. "Then how do you explain, Mr. Huang, that the 'Heart-to-Heart Voice' function is so similar to the project that Mr. Zhang originally invested in? Even if there is no plagiarism, there is still suspicion of reference. Just because it is not a one-to-one copy does not mean it is not plagiarism!"

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on Huang Shiyu, and everyone wanted to hear her continue, or rather, to hear how else she could argue her way out.

The man's smile grew even more arrogant. Although he was wearing a mask and no one could see him, Huang Shiyu could clearly sense the stench emanating from beneath it. She didn't want to look and quickly looked away, but her gaze met Li Xingzhou's dark eyes. Despite her astigmatism, she could still see that Li Xingzhou was just as gentle and encouraging as he had been during his speech at C University.

To be honest, she really needs this seemingly unnecessary encouragement right now, or more accurately, she needs someone to share her unvented emotions.

Under the bright lights, Li Xingzhou still had a clear and gentle expression, as if he could completely obliterate all the whispers around him. After a long while, Huang Shiyu took a deep breath, looked past him, and looked at the man below the stage. She asked calmly, "This gentleman looks familiar. May I ask your surname?"

Caught off guard by her question, the man panicked for a moment and instinctively lowered his head, seemingly trying to hide something. But when he realized that everyone present was turning their gazes to him, he gritted his teeth angrily and said, "What do you care what my last name is? Just tell me if you plagiarized or not?!"

Huang Shiyu naturally saw through all his little tricks and sneered, "Let me respond directly here: Xinyu Xinsheng did not plagiarize the project idea invested by President Zhang." Then he got to the point, "From the very beginning of its design, every step of Xinyu Xinsheng was registered by the intellectual property department. It is an original product protected by intellectual property rights and has a complete copyright chain. You can follow my personal account for more information on this, and I will disclose it on my personal account without any concealment."

Everyone in the audience listened quietly, seemingly realizing something, and stared intently at Huang Shiyu on the stage.

"Personally, I abhor plagiarism. I want to thank this gentleman. It is because of such meticulous people that original works can remain evergreen in the market, which is also an important guarantee for healthy competition for enterprises." At this point, Huang Shiyu changed his tone, his voice sharp and sarcastic, "But I must emphasize one last point: for blatant defamation and slander, United Innovation will also pursue it to the end. As a member of the market, I resolutely oppose all illegal and malicious competitive practices."

Upon hearing this, the man seemed surprised that Huang Shiyu could turn the tables on him at this moment. Not only that, but the people around him began pointing and whispering. Faced with these gazes and words, his previous arrogance and hatred towards Huang Shiyu vanished completely. The looks he received from those around him were filled with utter contempt. He was completely frozen, as if under a spell, unable to escape or remain rooted to the spot.

Huang Shiyu observed all of this, raising an eyebrow in high spirits, as if she had won a battle, having achieved the desired effect. She then gave the host a wink, who immediately regained her professionalism, successfully smoothing things over and restoring the atmosphere of the competition to the hall.

"How could you be so sure this wasn't a setup by Huang Shiyu?" Xiang Zhinan was utterly bewildered. Driven by curiosity, he quickly gossiped to Li Xingzhou beside him.

"Even you know this is a huge game." Li Xingzhou slowly withdrew his gaze and chuckled. "Huang Shiyu wouldn't have thought of that?"

Xiang Zhinan was completely baffled: "Didn't you say earlier that black and red are still red?"

Li Xingzhou shook his head and analyzed, "Once a product gets caught up in a plagiarism controversy, it will not only attract widespread attention and heated discussions online, but it will also not be of any benefit to the product's launch. There will only be a continuous stream of condemnation, which is naturally not the result that Huang Shiyu wants."

They both studied finance, so why is there such a big difference? Xiang Zhinan stroked his chin thoughtfully and sighed, "Could it be that he's really not suited for entrepreneurship and business?"

If Li Xingzhou heard what he was thinking, he would just chuckle and then pat him on the shoulder encouragingly, saying that it's not too late to save him since you only realized it now.

Li Xingzhou rested his elbows on either side of his chair, his fingers interlaced, and glanced at Huang Shiyu as he walked off the stage. There were several people whispering to each other beside him. "It's rare to see someone so calm in the face of danger and even able to turn the tables on their opponent. This person must be quite ruthless."

“That’s how it is.” The people sitting in this row are all investors. Another investor next to him smiled and continued, “This person comes from an investment banking background. He made a lot of money by participating in two or three IPO projects in his early years. Later, he started a company with others, mainly making game products. He was successful. His products reached the top of the game category. You can only say that you can’t survive in the bloody arena of capital without some tough methods.”

Li Xingzhou's brows twitched almost imperceptibly, but he remained silent. He couldn't deny that Huang Shiyu was indeed capable and had a sharp eye for investment, but he didn't agree with her using forceful methods. He felt that Huang Shiyu was simply someone who dared to think and act, and she would pursue any area that could make money.

Back in her seat, Huang Shiyu hadn't even had time to relax from the tension she'd been feeling on stage when Lu Xiao gave her a big surprise.

"Several R&D engineers in the pre-research department said they wanted to leave."

"What's the reason?" Huang Shiyu raised one eyebrow in surprise.

It's no wonder she was surprised, because the salary she offered was relatively high in the industry. After all, it was a startup company working on this kind of technology project. If the salary was too low, it wouldn't attract talent, especially since talent is scarce these days.

Lu Xiao met Huang Shiyu's questioning gaze and began to explain the reasons why these R&D engineers wanted to leave. Some said they were in a long-distance relationship with their girlfriends and wanted to move to her place, others said they had passed the postgraduate entrance exam and wanted to continue their studies, and still others said they had received a large sum of money from the demolition of their house and wanted to go home and relax.

"And then what happened?" Lu Xiao paused, then changed the subject, "I asked my headhunter friend, and it turns out that a startup company had been eyeing these engineers a few days ago, but my headhunter friend didn't know I was a shareholder in that company, so he didn't tell me."

"Is the reason they want to leave because the other company pays them more?"

Although Huang Shiyu said this with a questioning tone at the end, her tone was a straightforward affirmation.

"My headhunter friend said the other company is willing to give equity, but I don't know the exact amount."

“Equity, it’s not that we can’t give it to them.” She turned to look in the direction where Li Xingzhou was sitting, and suddenly had a thought. “Go and talk to them first, have a good chat with them.”

Lu Xiao understood what she meant: to probe these R&D engineers' backgrounds and see how much equity the other party had promised them, so that they could have a countermeasure.

Huang Shiyu looked away.

If equity incentives are to be implemented, then each shareholder would have to transfer a certain percentage of their shares in equal proportions. Lu Xiao and Wang Ping would definitely be willing, since everyone wants to see the company grow better and better before they partner up to build a business. But would Li Xingzhou agree to this decision? Would he be willing to give up some of his shares?

After all, there is a very big difference between professional investors and founders. She has always known that professional investors are more inclined to maximize profits.

Otherwise, we could try to probe indirectly first.

She was a woman of action, and the moment she took out her phone, she received a message from Li Xingzhou.

"You executed that counterattack brilliantly."

Huang Shiyu expressed her gratitude, and then took the opportunity to ask him, "Are you free later?"

When Li Xingzhou saw the message, his Adam's apple bobbed: "Yes, I have plenty of time."

Huang Shiyu smiled and said, "That's great! There's a really good local restaurant near the exhibition hall that I really want to try. Come with me, I'll wait for you at the entrance of the exhibition hall."

A sudden thought struck Li Xingzhou.

Is Huang Shiyu inviting him to a candlelight dinner?

It must be, otherwise why wouldn't she go to eat with Lu Xiao and the others, but instead made a private appointment with him?

She even hinted to him that she really wanted him to come with her. All signs pointed to her wanting to invite him to a candlelight dinner and have some alone time together.

Although he's still in his probationary period, he feels he's not far from becoming a full-time employee...

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Author's Note: Xiao Zhou, you have so many inner monologues...