Before setting out, Jiang Si had actually received a call from her mentor's wife.
But the mentor's wife only mentioned over the phone that she had already contacted an expert in handwriting analysis.
However, the expert still had some matters to attend to and might arrive a little later.
At the time, Jiang Si didn’t think much of it.
In fact, she had prepared multiple backup plans. Even if she couldn’t find the right person,
she could still fight for justice on her own today.
But she never expected that the person who showed up would be her mentor!
To think, it had been nearly seven or eight years since they last saw each other.
Lost in these thoughts, Jiang Si’s legs moved on their own, and she stood up.
Yet before she could speak,
Professor Li and the relevant leaders from the Construction Ministry had already stepped forward. "Deputy Director Yu, what brings you here?"
Clearly, everyone was quite surprised by his arrival.
After all, Deputy Director Yu was involved in confidential scientific research, currently serving as the deputy chief engineer at the First Academy of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery. He rarely made public appearances.
They usually only caught glimpses of him during year-end ministerial meetings.
Though the Construction Ministry and the Seventh Ministry of Machinery did have some overlapping projects, such matters were typically handled by lower-level staff.
No one could fathom why Deputy Director Yu had come in person this time.
As these thoughts crossed their minds, Yu Bai'en’s gaze swept past the crowd and finally settled on Jiang Si.
"My apologies for disturbing everyone today."
"Deputy Director Yu, you’re too kind," replied Deputy Minister Xu from the Construction Ministry’s project team, instinctively assuming Yu had come to discuss the construction of a factory under the Seventh Ministry’s jurisdiction.
"Deputy Director Yu, regarding the project delay—"
But before he could finish, Yu Bai'en cut him off.
"Deputy Minister Xu, I’m here today on personal business. We can discuss the project delay another time."
Personal business?
Deputy Minister Xu’s confusion deepened. "May I ask what personal matter brings you here?"
Short on time, Yu Bai'en didn’t beat around the bush. "I heard my disciple’s design proposal ran into some trouble. Since I had time today, I came to get a clearer picture."
With that, he ignored the stunned reactions and walked straight to Jiang Si.
"What’s this?" He looked at her, his tone gentle. "Have you forgotten your mentor so completely that you won’t even greet me?"
His words instantly drew everyone’s attention.
Jiang Si’s nose tingled with emotion. "Mentor!"
Though she had transmigrated into this world, she hadn’t just inherited the memories—she carried the emotions too.
To Jiang Si, her mentor wasn’t just a teacher who had guided her beginnings. He was more like a beacon lighting her path forward.
Memories flashing before her eyes, her voice trembled. "Mentor, why are you here?"
"Your mentor’s wife called me."
After a pause, Yu Bai'en added, "If I didn’t come, wouldn’t you have been bullied to death?"
Hearing this, Jiang Si couldn’t help but laugh.
Though she could handle this matter herself, having someone stand up for her felt undeniably good.
Then, Yu Bai'en turned his gaze toward Shen Dong and his wife, He Lin.
His eyes were calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"Was it you who accused my disciple of plagiarism?"
"I—"
He Lin, guilty as charged, paled instantly under his stare.
Her lips moved wordlessly for a long moment, unable to form a single syllable.
She glanced at her husband,
but Shen Dong was already in hot water himself, too afraid to speak up.
Moreover, judging by the leaders’ reactions,
this "Yu" fellow clearly held significant influence.
So much so that Shen Dong couldn’t even meet He Lin’s pleading gaze.
When neither of them offered an explanation, Yu Bai'en bypassed them entirely and addressed Professor Li.
"Professor Li, it’s been a while."
Professor Li clearly recognized him, and the two exchanged a respectful handshake.
"I didn’t expect you to come in person today."
When he’d seen the revised proposal at Old Gao’s place earlier, he’d noticed Jiang Si’s artistic style seemed familiar.
Who would’ve guessed she was Yu Bai'en’s direct disciple?
"With my disciple’s reputation at stake, how could I not come?"
Yu Bai'en then asked, "May I see the original draft that was stolen?"
"Of course." Professor Li nodded and handed over the design manuscript.
Though Yu Bai'en hadn’t yet seen the unedited version from the photos,
after just a quick glance at the current design, his brows furrowed tightly.
"This draft has been altered—and not just once or twice."
Yu Bai'en pointed at several lines and annotations on the blueprint, his tone firm.
"The framework and core concept belong to my disciple, but here, here, and here…"
His finger landed precisely on several critical details. "These areas have been professionally doctored."
With that, he extended his hand.
Without a word, Jiang Si handed him a flashlight she’d prepared in advance.
The mentor and disciple moved in perfect sync, as if they’d rehearsed it.
A few minutes later, Yu Bai'en delivered his verdict.
"These sections were scraped with a blade, then smoothed over with professional retouching paste. The technique is skilled, but—"
The moment he said "but," Shen Dong’s heart leaped into his throat.
Sure enough, Yu Bai'en’s next words struck like a slap to the face.
"Any professional designer would make revisions before finalizing a draft, not after."
Many in the room weren’t from art or design backgrounds,
so Professor Li took a moment to explain.
Normally, after completing a pencil sketch, a designer would place it beneath tracing paper
and meticulously ink the lines.
Any corrections would require carefully scraping away the unwanted parts with a blade.
Areas that became too thin or rough would need retouching paste to restore smoothness.
Finally, a matching technical pen would be used to redraw the modified lines or text.
After Professor Li’s explanation, the room erupted in understanding.
"Exactly! If he’d already finalized the draft, why make such extensive changes unless he had something to hide?"
Deputy Minister Xu’s expression darkened.
They’d been working overtime for a month on this project,
planning to break ground right after the New Year.
And now, after all that effort, the supposedly carefully selected design turned out to be plagiarized?
"Comrade Shen, what kind of nonsense is this?"
Deputy Minister Xu grew angrier the more he thought about it. "You’d better explain yourself right now!"
But at this point, why would Shen Dong confess?
If he did, how would his colleagues ever look at him again?
How could he face his parents?
Now, only one path remained.
Having made up his mind, Shen Dong actually calmed down.
He glanced around the room. "Everyone has their own habits. Back at the design institute, how many drafts didn’t I revise over and over before submitting?"
Hearing this, the crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
What the hell? By his tone, did he actually think this was something to be proud of?
Meanwhile, the leaders from Beijing's Second Architectural Design Institute sitting in the back row wished they could vanish into thin air on the spot.
They had thought Shen Dong had finally come to his senses.
Who knew he’d just dropped an absolute bombshell instead!
Embarrassing—utterly mortifying!
But at this moment, Shen Dong, like a wild horse that had slipped its reins, had already turned his accusations toward Yu Bai'en.
"Even if you’re Jiang Si’s mentor, you can’t just accuse me of plagiarism without proof just because my blueprints have some revisions!"
Yu Bai'en remained unfazed. "Then what about the photos? How do you explain those?"
"How should I know?" Shen Dong’s eyes darted evasively. "The design drafts were submitted to the Ministry of Construction over a month ago. Who knows what might’ve happened in between?"
He had initially considered dragging the Huo family into this but decided against it, opting for a vaguer approach instead.
"Jiang Si is resourceful. Maybe... maybe she had other ways of accessing these materials. It wouldn’t be surprising..."
Slap!
Before he could finish, Jiang Si’s hand struck his face.
Shen Dong was left stunned.
It was He Lin who reacted first. "You—how dare you hit someone?!"
"And why shouldn’t I?" Jiang Si sneered.
Truly, when pushed to the brink of disbelief, laughter was the only response.
Seeing He Lin about to lunge at her, Jiang Si didn’t hold back either.
With another backhanded strike, she left both husband and wife utterly dazed.
