Chapter 49: Rumors and Revelations

Like Zhao Fangchun, most people who rented houses nearby were her acquaintances from the past when they set up stalls together. Seeing Zhao Fangchun, they waved and greeted her.
“Fang Jie, out to buy groceries again?”
“Yes, you all are out too.”
Zhao Fangchun had been busy from dawn till dusk every day. Although she had only chatted a few words with the women who set up stalls, they were considered nodding acquaintances; once they exchanged pleasantries, they each returned to their busy routines.

A few women, who usually got along well, bought groceries while gossiping about Zhao Fangchun.
“Why haven’t we seen Fangchun’s son lately? The last time he came to see her, I met him. That young man is really handsome, tall, and I heard he goes to university in the capital.”
“It’s not just about looks. Have you seen the clothes he wears? They cost over a thousand each. Fang Jie earns so little each month; how can families like ours afford to raise someone like that? He clearly thinks of himself as the young master from a wealthy family. Besides, I have a niece at that university, and I heard he is very flirtatious. There have been rumors about him cheating; it has spread around the school!”
“Don’t be fooled by how Zhao Fangchun dresses; her son wears all premium brands.”
“I wondered why Fang Jie is still washing dishes during the day if her business is doing well. Turns out, she treats her son like a young master! If my son acted like that and didn’t even greet people, I wouldn’t let him off easily!”

One woman, who had been whispering about Ye Qiu, leaned in mysteriously and said, “Let me share a little secret with you; don’t tell others. I heard her son was actually taken to the police station. He hasn’t attended classes for one or two months!”
“What?!”
“He’s been taken to the police station!”

Zhao Fangchun, who overheard them, tightened her grip on her shopping bag and walked up to confront them.
“My son has found work this month. I heard they provide food and accommodation and he even sent me two thousand yuan. There’s no way he’s in the police station!”
The women forced a laugh, but inwardly believed even more that Ye Qiu was indeed detained.
Food, accommodation, and two thousand… isn’t that what you get in a police station? But at least he’s being filial; I heard those jobs in the police station only pay about two thousand a month, and he transferred all of it to her.

At 7 AM the day before the official announcement, with just two hours to go, Li Shu stormed in with a grimace on his face, clutching his phone.
“What happened?”
“You’ll know once you see.”
Wang Chengde put on his glasses and looked at the phone, his expression changing slightly. The report was identical in every detail except for the name of the publisher; it matched the news their research institute was about to release word for word!
Publisher: Haicheng Research Institute.
It was clear that their research findings had been stolen.

Wang Chengde used his credentials to access the computer, but it was empty.
There wasn’t even the test data from before.
Others, hearing the news, rushed in, hastily dressed.
“How could our research report have been obtained by someone else?”
“Does that mean all our work was in vain?”
“Seriously, after working hard for more than a month, it’s gone just like that?”
“Panic won’t help. The urgent task is to find out how the report was leaked!” Yu Bu pushed up his glasses and said calmly.

As everyone calmed down, Yu Bu glanced at the subtly shifting faces around him and continued, “We undergo strict checks whenever we enter the laboratory, day or night, with patrolling personnel outside. So the thief must have gotten the report during the day.”
“Of course, there’s also the possibility that someone embezzled it.”
“One person had the last contact and stayed alone in the lab overnight without any explanation.” Yu Bu rationally pointed this out.
His gaze fell squarely on Ye Qiu.

Xiao Weicai was the first to jump up, pointing at Ye Qiu and furiously asking, “You were the only one in the lab yesterday; who else had the opportunity to access the research report besides you?”
“I’ve been picking on you all this time, yet you were so obedient yesterday, just sitting in the lab. Were you waiting for this moment?”

Seeing Xiao Weicai and his group frantically throwing dirt on Ye Qiu, Wang Chengde glared, “The progress of the entire project was brought in by Ye Qiu. Without him, we could never have succeeded. There’s no way he would do such a thankless task.”
“Honestly, even if Ye Qiu were to conduct the research by himself, he could achieve the results.”
There was a heavy silence, and no one denied it.
This was the truth; the experimental results proved they might have been heading in the wrong direction before Ye Qiu arrived.

However…
Not being able to produce research data and reports meant that all their achievements over this long period were for nothing, and tens of millions in research funds had gone to waste. Someone had to take the blame.
Coincidentally, a newcomer in the research institute…
The gazes of the few focused individuals flickered uncertainly.
“Because he could achieve results independently, he is most likely to deem the results insignificant and thus the prime suspect.”
“How can things be so coincidental? He only organized items yesterday, and today they disappear.”
“Our research institute has been stable for such a long time; how come it’s causing this chaos right after he arrives?”