Chapter 37
On the live chat, netizens' comments poured in like a waterfall, but the content had nothing to do with CAE. Everyone was eagerly discussing what had just happened.
Judging from their panicked state, it seems they can't escape the consequences of tax evasion.
[Wow, which righteous person reported this?]
[Why are Yu Suhua and Yin Wenyan fighting? Oh my god, stop fighting! I want to keep listening!]
[You misheard. It was clearly Yu Suhua and Yin Wenyan who teamed up to beat up law enforcement officers. I heard Yu Suhua scream in pain as she was hit with a stun gun.]
[Hahaha, how dare they?]
Look at the head judge's face, it's ashen.
[Chief Judge: This is a programming competition, not 1818GoldenEye, you bastard!]
Judge Du happened to see this comment and couldn't help but laugh. When he turned around, he saw Judge Li's ashen face and forced himself to suppress his laughter.
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Judge Li calmly announced the final competition rankings.
The CAE finals live broadcast ended in such a shocking yet hasty manner.
Immediately after the match ended, the official Weibo account of Maomaole released a clarification regarding the defamatory video involving Yu Suhua and Zhang Mingxuan.
1. Yu Miaomiao's mother, Yu Jianqing, had long severed ties with Yu Suhua, and since high school, she had earned her own living expenses and tuition fees.
2. After Yu Jianqing's death, Yu Suhua did receive compensation, but instead accepted the bakery that Yu Jianqing had bought, which she immediately resold.
3. Yu Suhua never visited Yu Miaomiao at the orphanage, and there was no familial affection between them;
4. Zhang Mingxuan's alleged plagiarism is baseless. Yu Miaomiao applied for a patent for the game algorithm a year ago.
5. The surveillance video was created by Zhang Mingxuan bribing school security personnel and hiring actors to stage the scene; it does not represent the actual events that occurred.
6. CatJoy will not tolerate such behavior. We have secured evidence and will initiate criminal proceedings against all groups or individuals who maliciously defame Yu Miaomiao.
Following Maomaole's clarification, various marketing accounts released a series of materials about Yu Suhua's family.
One wave after another, leaving netizens overwhelmed.
CAE released the list of winners on Weibo, and Yu Miaomiao won the gold award, but nobody paid any attention.
Even the Zhang Mingxuan plagiarism incident, which had a surprising reversal, could only rank fourth on the trending searches.
The top three are:
#The entire Yu family are villains#
#YuMiaoMiaoThreeMillion#
#Zhiweige tax evasion#
There are also some very strange trending topics, such as:
#How to prevent marriage fraud in Nantong#
#Do people still buy gender-changing pills?#
#What is X?#
The incident escalated to the point that the police in City A intervened, issuing a statement that they had launched an investigation into the Yu family and their associates.
But the matter still caused a great stir, and it took more than a week for the hype to subside slightly.
-
In the coffee shop.
“Miss Yu, Yang Yu didn’t mean any harm. He’s just too young and made a mistake.”
A young woman looked haggard and pleaded in her voice.
"We have truly realized our mistakes and feel very regretful."
“But our child is just three years old. He can’t be without his father. Just name your price.”
Zhang Mingxuan confessed about Song Yangyu the moment he met the police.
The fact that employees of the well-known tech giant BOM were selling code has once again become a trending topic, causing BOM's stock price to plummet.
Yu Miaomiao finally figured out how her code had been leaked.
As a result, Song Yangyu was also sued by her.
She took a sip of coffee; it was too bitter and astringent, and she couldn't help but frown.
“In the past few years, Song Yangyu has sold a total of 18 of my contracts, making a profit of 690,000 yuan.”
"And you, truly know nothing?"
The woman froze, stammering and unable to speak.
"I don't regret misappropriating code, I don't regret receiving money, and I don't regret spending money."
"Why are you only regretting it now?"
"You don't regret it, you're just afraid."
Yu Miaomiao put down her coffee cup and walked out of the store.
Behind him, he could hear a woman's sorrowful weeping.
-
Just as I stepped out of the store, Xu Lan called.
"Miaomiao, today the sales of Cat Joy across all channels have increased by 150%!"
His tone revealed undisguised joy.
BOM's stock price plummeted, while CatJoy's stock price and sales soared.
As the biggest "victim" of this incident, Yu Miaomiao, who endured a barrage of criticism, received almost universal sympathy and remorse online.
The simplest way for netizens to show their support is by spending money.
However, since Yu Miaomiao neither does live streaming nor sells products, netizens have had to turn their attention to other options.
Several cat food products endorsed by Yu Miaomiao sold out, and sales of other products also increased.
Xu Lan had been under criticism and pressure from the board of directors, but now she finally had a chance to shine and walked with a swagger around the company.
"Well, congratulations."
"Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice has already documented all defamatory statements across the entire internet that have been forwarded more than 500 times and viewed more than 1,000 times."
"Miaomiao, are you really going to sue everyone?"
“Yes, all of it.” Yu Miaomiao said firmly, “Money is not a problem.”
She knew that even if she filed a lawsuit, some of these people would not be punished.
But she was told to do nothing, just watch them delete their comments and pretend nothing had happened;
Or they could change their stance and speak for her, transforming themselves into righteous judges.
She can't do it.
"Okay, if you put it that way, I'll have people go ahead and do it."
On the other end of the phone, Xu Lan breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Yu Miaomiao's previous statement was just a momentary outburst of anger.
"As for the money, you don't need to worry."
"Our company will cover all the litigation costs in this matter!"
Because of Yu Miaomiao, Maomao Le's sales and stock price soared, but Yu Miaomiao only received the tens of thousands of yuan stipulated in the initial contract.
Xu Lan felt truly guilty and could not possibly let Yu Miaomiao spend money again.
-
The whole matter has finally come to an end.
Yu Miaomiao unchecked the box for "Participated in the CAE competition and won the gold medal".
Add the task of "Following up on the sentencing progress of Yu Suhua's family, Zhang Mingxuan, and Song Yangyu" to your weekly routine.
I closed the memo app.
News about Li Zhi popped up.
[Miaomiao, I've chosen the location. I'll come find you at five o'clock, don't forget!]
She clicked on it and replied.
She was so busy last week that she didn't even have time to make time for the meal she had promised Li Zhi.
This time, we simply invited Li Zhi, Cheng Nuo, and Jiang Cheng all together.
After all, these people had helped her a lot.
Li Zhi, in particular, suffered immense mental anguish and remained depressed for several days.
Li Zhi chose a restaurant in the city center, serving authentic A City cuisine.
Neither Cheng Nuo nor Jiang Chengyi were from City A, but they accepted these novel dishes well.
Cheng Nuo, in particular, was as strong as three people, and he managed to eat all the leftovers.
At the end of the meal, he slumped in his chair, rubbing his round belly.
He let out a long, satisfying burp. "My first indulgent meal during my muscle-building phase was awesome!"
After Yu Miaomiao paid the bill, the group had just reached the door when Li Zhi suddenly let out a scream.
"Oh no, I forgot to buy the tickets for the Starfall Chronicles Only Comic Exhibition at 9 o'clock!"
Cheng Nuo, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment. "Is it today? I thought it was tomorrow."
Then came a scream: "Holy crap, it really is today!"
Yu Miaomiao glanced at the time; there was still a quarter of an hour until nine o'clock.
I looked up again and saw two people holding up their phones, testing their internet speeds everywhere.
Finally, they sat shoulder to shoulder in a corner of the hotel lobby.
"Miaomiao, wait for me for twenty minutes!"
"Old Jiang, wait for me for twenty minutes!"
Yu Miaomiao sighed.
As a fervent fan of the Starfall Era, Li Zhi was the only one so actively involved in this matter.
Turning his head, he saw that Jiang Chengyi also had the same helpless expression.
She said, "I'm going out for a walk."
It was late autumn, and the air conditioning was on indoors, making it a bit stuffy.
Jiang Cheng put on his coat and said, "I'll go too."
They said goodbye to the other two, walked out of the restaurant, and a cool breeze blew by, causing her to shiver slightly.
The wind carried a damp mist, a sign that it was going to rain.
The hotel is located in the most bustling area of downtown A, and you can see dozens of high-rise buildings in the distance with just a glance.
Nine o'clock in the evening is when there are the most pedestrians.
The two people were so crowded that there was almost no room to stand.
Yu Miaomiao was bumped by a pedestrian and stumbled forward, almost hitting a lamppost, but was fortunately pulled back by Jiang Cheng.
She clung tightly to Jiang Chengyi, still shaken, and looked at the throng of people, already regretting coming out.
"Let's go back."
Even so, the two of them were kept being pushed forward by the crowd and couldn't turn back.
The two struggled through the crowd, and as they passed a shop, a large group of people poured out of it.
Yu Miaomiao was so dizzy from the shock that when she turned around, she found that Jiang Chengyi was nowhere to be seen.
She stood on tiptoe and looked around, trying to find Jiang Chengyi's whereabouts.
However, my eyes were already sore, and all I could see were unfamiliar faces, none of them Jiang Chengyi.
She turned around and struggled against the flow of people, searching for that familiar face.
No, no, and it's not...
She stopped to rest by the streetlight, the sounds of voices rising and falling like the tide, filling her ears, and her brain throbbed with pain.
She felt like a ship adrift at sea, tossed about by the waves, unable to find any foothold.
Yu Miaomiao covered her ears, the noise disappeared, and the world became silent.
She blinked, a sudden wave of fear washing over her.
"Jiang Chengyi!"
She shouted, but in the noisy crowd, her voice was so faint that no one noticed.
"Jiang Chengyi——"
No one stopped, and no one looked back.
One person after another approached her and then passed her; tall or short, fat or thin, male or female, young or old, none of them were Jiang Chengyi.
"Jiang—Cheng—Yi—!"
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
Yu Miaomiao turned around abruptly and saw Jiang Cheng standing under the streetlight, his chest heaving rapidly and his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.
Under the warm yellow light, his phoenix eyes shone brightly, staring at her intently.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Yu Miaomiao thought it was because the environment was too noisy, so she asked loudly, "What did you say!"
She saw Jiang Cheng step forward, reach out, and grasp her wrist.
Then, he pulled her hands away from her ears.
Yu Miaomiao finally heard it.
"I found you."
Jiang Chengyi said.
Amidst the noisy and indistinct voices, his voice was the only one that was clear.
Yu Miaomiao could almost hear the rapid breathing mixed in with that sound.
-
Afterwards, in order not to be separated by the crowd, the two held hands tightly.
They walked towards a less crowded area, turned a few corners, and the buildings along the road became lower.
The street is lined with two-story buildings, including restaurants and ordinary residences, and is an old neighborhood that can be found everywhere in City A.
A light drizzle fell from the sky, making the temperature even cooler.
Jiang Cheng looked at the map and said, "If we cross this street, we can get back to the hotel."
"The rain is about to get heavier, we need to hurry."
He didn't get a response, so he turned to look at Yu Miaomiao and saw her staring blankly ahead.
Jiang Cheng followed her gaze and saw a road sign.
He read the words on the road sign aloud.
"Wenchu Road".
"Wenchu Road".
Yu Miaomiao repeated it.
She suddenly walked forward, with Jiang Chengyi following closely behind her.
He watched Yu Miaomiao go from walking briskly to jogging, and then to running.
In the cold autumn night wind, my coat billowed and fluttered.
Yu Miaomiao, panting and flushed, stopped across the street from a shop.
Jiang Cheng glanced at the shop.
It was an ordinary breakfast shop with a sign that read "Xue's Breakfast" in large characters. The glass door was locked, and it was closed.
Jiang Cheng recalled the contents of the Cat Fun announcement.
After Yu Jianqing passed away, the shop under his name was transferred to his mother, Yu Suhua. That shop seemed to be located in the city center.
He guessed something, and a thought struck him.
Looking at Yu Miaomiao again, she had somehow raised her head and was staring blankly at the window on the second floor of the shop.
That must be where the shop owner and his family lived; the windows were completely dark.
She remained motionless and watched for a long time.
Jiang Chengyi stood beside her the whole time, without giving any advice or making any move.
The rain became finer, leaving specks of water on Yu Miaomiao's face.
The thin coat was quickly soaked.
But she acted as if she didn't see it.
Jiang Cheng took off his windbreaker and covered Yu Miaomiao with it, then turned the hat upside down on her head.
Yu Miaomiao was startled awake and turned to look at Jiang Cheng.
In the dim light, her eyes were almost pure black, surging with some inexplicable emotions, as serene as the rippling waters of a moonless lake.
This gaze lasted for a long time.
Jiang Cheng thought Yu Miaomiao had something to say.
But she just slowly turned back and continued to look at the second floor.
"This is the house I lived in when I was a child."
Yu Miaomiao spoke abruptly, as if talking to herself.
“This used to be a bakery, which my mother ran.”
"The ground floor is the shop, and the upper floor is the living area. It's very small, only big enough for a bed. We've lived here for six years."
“Running a shop is hard work. She always gets up before dawn to work, but she always kisses my face before going downstairs.”
"I know it's time to get up when I smell the aroma of bread and butter in bed."
“My breakfast was always bread, but it was different every day. Sometimes it was a sandwich, sometimes toast, sometimes alkaline bread, but it would always be with a glass of milk. I hated milk back then.”
"When I grew a little older and could reach the table, I would pester her to make bread for me. But the smell of butter was so good that I couldn't help but sneak some, always thinking that she wouldn't find out."
“When I was sick, she was at her busiest. She had to take care of the shop and me at the same time. She was so busy that she couldn’t catch her breath. She was so anxious that she cried in the bathroom, but when she came out, she smiled and fed me medicine.”
"She thought I didn't know, but I heard everything."
“When I’m a little older, I’ll work as a cashier. I never went to kindergarten, but I’m very good at math and I’ve never made a mistake with the money.”
“Every time she finished counting the money, she would praise me, ‘Miaomiao, you’re so amazing, you’ve helped Mom so much!’”
Then he took out five yuan from it and gave it to me, saying it was pocket money.
"I haven't spent a single penny; I've saved it all up."
“I want to save enough money so that I can support her and she won’t have to work so hard.”
“But before I had saved enough money, she hired two employees, so I didn’t have to get up early anymore.”
"I was down for several days, but when she found out why, she laughed happily, which made me angry for several more days."
"I changed my target and bought her a scarf because winter is coming soon."
"I plan to give her the gift on her sixth birthday, because she doesn't celebrate her own birthday and only closes the shop on my birthday."
"Then--"
Yu Miaomiao did not continue speaking.
Because there was no "then".
Yu Jianqing died in a car accident on her birthday, and she was sent to an orphanage.
The bakery changed hands several times, and the golden-red scarf hidden in the bedside table could never be given away.
Yu Miaomiao stopped eating bread and hated the smell of cream.
“I lied,” she murmured.
"What?" Jiang Cheng asked.
“I told Lu Ye that we had a very difficult six years because of his disappearance, but I lied to him.”
"Actually, we are very happy,"
"That was the happiest time of my life."
Although those six years were the lowest point in Yu Jianqing's life, and she lived a difficult and impoverished life, she never complained or became despondent.
Yu Jianqing has the ability to face everything with optimism, and she finds ways to solve all difficulties one by one.
She is slowly but steadily climbing out of the trough.
In Yu Miaomiao's memory, the first six years of her life were mostly spent in laughter, which are the most beautiful memories of her life.
Despite the passage of time, it has not faded in the slightest.
Yu Miaomiao blinked, her gaze seemingly fixed on a window, yet also as if she were traveling through time, landing on that small bakery.
Bright lights and laughter, a mother's warm kiss, and the pervasive aroma of cream.
The lights came on in the second-floor window.
Several dark figures flashed behind the windowpane, followed by the faint, clear laughter of children, and then the helpless shouts of adults.
"Baby, don't run away, come and take a bath!"
Yu Miaomiao lowered her head and stopped looking. The wide brim of her hat fell down, covering the upper half of her face.
“Let’s go,” she said.
She pressed on forward, but Jiang Chengyi stood still, blocking her way.
You look very sad.
Jiang Cheng's words were not a question, but a statement of certainty.
"Why should I be sad?" Yu Miaomiao asked indifferently.
"She's been dead for twelve years. This house has changed hands countless times, been occupied by countless people, and had its signboard changed countless times. Why should I grieve for a changed, empty shell?"
She looked up, her hat brim slipped down, and her entire face was exposed to the rain, soaking wet.
Jiang Cheng remained silent, his phoenix eyes lowered, his gaze obscured in the darkness.
Yu Miaomiao felt a very focused gaze fall on her.
Her voice lowered, "Why would I be sad over an empty shell?"
Jiang Chengyi slowly lowered his head and moved closer to Yu Miaomiao. The distance between the two gradually disappeared until their foreheads touched.
His voice was so soft: "Don't lie to yourself."
"Your eyes are raining too."
In the cold rain, he covered Yu Miaomiao's eyes, and a warm feeling came from their skin touching.
In the pitch black, Yu Miaomiao felt something welling up from her eyes.
It's raining.
She thought.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com