The ancient war between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in a wealthy family

Zhan Yu pointed at his phone screen, his face livid. A news report flashed across the screen, its headline jarring: "Zhan Family Enterprise Innovation Plan Suspected of Plagiarism." It was signed by Reporter Lu, the man known for hype and unscrupulous pursuit of attention.

"Damn it!" Zhan Yu cursed and punched the table, making the solid wooden tabletop make a dull sound.

A chill ran up my spine. I snatched my phone and quickly scanned the article. Between the lines, Reporter Lu implied, using a rather simplistic style, that our new plan was highly similar to that of a competitor, Yang's company. He even "cited" a supposed "insider" and claimed we had plagiarized their core technology.

The accompanying image in the article was even more sinister, placing the two companies' plans side by side and circling the so-called "similarities" in red. At first glance, there was indeed some resemblance, but I knew it was just a carefully planned smear campaign by Yang's competitors.

My phone started vibrating as calls came in one after another, all with questions from shareholders. I took a deep breath and answered the call from shareholder Zheng.

"Ms. Bai, what else do you have to explain? The whole internet is now reporting that you plagiarized. Where do you put our Zhan family?" Shareholder Zheng's voice was filled with anger and contempt.

"Shareholder Zheng, please calm down. This article is malicious slander. Our plan was independently developed and has complete intellectual property rights proof." I tried to stay calm and explained word by word.

"Proof of intellectual property? Who would believe you now? The facts are right before our eyes! I've long told you your plan is too risky, and now you've ruined the entire company!" Shareholder Zheng cut me off without mercy. "I demand this plan be halted immediately to recover the company's losses!"

The calls from other shareholders were similar, demanding a halt to the plan, and some even began to question my abilities and motives. I felt like I was stuck in a quagmire, the more I struggled, the deeper I sank.

After hanging up the phone, I rubbed my aching temples. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, night fell, the city lights shone brightly, but they couldn't brighten my gloomy mood.

Zhan's reputation was severely affected, the stock price began to fall, and partners began to wait and see. To make matters worse, customers also began to question us, and the return calls came one after another.

I looked at Zhan Yu, and his expression was also extremely grim. I knew that this incident had dealt a huge blow to the Zhan family, and as the one who proposed the plan, I was the first to bear the brunt of it.

"Don't worry," Zhan Yu held my hand. His palm was still warm, but with a hint of fatigue. "We will figure it out."

His words gave me a little comfort, but also made me feel more guilty. I wanted to prove my ability through this plan and make a contribution to the Zhan family, but I didn't expect it to bring a greater crisis.

Suddenly, I remembered all the things I'd experienced in the Bai family's internal struggles. All that intrigue, all that open and covert scheming, seemed nothing compared to my current predicament. I bit my lip, a glimmer of determination flashing in my eyes.

I picked up my phone and dialed a number... "Hello, reporter Li? This is Bai..."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I couldn't panic, nor could I get confused. I thought back to the Bai family, how I'd managed to survive the challenges posed by the concubines and the schemes of my brothers and sisters. I relied on a calm mind and a resolute will. Now, I was facing only business competition; compared to all that intrigue, it was nothing.

I told myself that I couldn't give up. I had to fight back for the Zhan family and for myself!

I began contacting my friends in the media. Reporter Li, a senior from my university, was a man of integrity and had a good reputation within the industry. I explained the entire story to him and provided him with the original documents and timestamps of our plan, hoping to use his platform to clarify the facts. Reporter Li said he would do his best, but he also reminded me that public opinion was currently unfavorable to us, and that reversing the situation would be difficult.

I contacted several other media friends, and the responses I received were largely the same. A sense of powerlessness washed over me, like a drowning person, struggling desperately but unable to grasp a lifeline.

I suddenly remembered a time back at the Bai family when I was wrongly accused of stealing my grandmother's jade bracelet. Everyone blamed me, even my own mother. At that time, I was isolated and hopeless. But I didn't give up. I found the real thief and proved my innocence.

That experience made me realize that the truth will never be covered up, and as long as I persist, I will definitely find a breakthrough.

I began to look through all the materials related to our plan, hoping to find some more compelling evidence. My efforts paid off, and I discovered that the original concept of our plan had already existed long before Yang's competitor's company was established! This was very important evidence, enough to prove that we had not plagiarized.

I immediately contacted Reporter Lu, sent him this evidence, and asked him to correct his previous report. But Reporter Lu sneered, "Ms. Bai, do you think I'll believe you? Who knows if this document is a forgery?" He rejected my request and even threatened that if I continued to pester him, he would expose more information that would be detrimental to the Zhan family.

A surge of rage washed over me, and I gripped my phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white. This reporter, Lu, was so desperate to attract attention and traffic that he could distort right and wrong so completely! I took a deep breath and told myself to stay calm and not let him provoke me.

I looked out the window. The night deepened, and the light of the street lamps seemed a little weak. I felt more tired than ever before, but I knew I couldn't fall. I had to stand up, for the Zhan family, and for myself.

A bold idea emerged in my mind. I decided to hold a small media meeting, invite some influential media reporters, publicly respond to this smear campaign, and present all the evidence to prove our innocence.

I picked up the phone and dialed the PR manager's number. "Manager Wang, please arrange a media meeting for me..." My voice was a little hoarse, but full of determination. I knew it would be a tough battle, but I was ready for it.

Manager Wang's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Okay, Miss Bai, I'll arrange it right away. Let's set the time for tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Is that okay?"

"Okay." I hung up the phone, my eyes fixed on the gradually brightening sky outside the window. Dawn was approaching, and my battle had just begun. Suddenly, the office door opened, and Zhan Yu walked in. He looked even worse than yesterday... He began to say, "Bai..." "Bai..." Zhan Yu's voice was a little hoarse, and he walked to my desk with a somewhat unsteady step. The bloodshot under his eyes was more intense than yesterday, and his face was frighteningly pale. He looked like a lonely boat tottering in a storm.

I quickly stood up and supported him, "Zhanyu, how are you? Why do you look so bad?"

He forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I just didn't sleep well last night." He paused, his eyes falling on the pile of documents on my desk, "Are you still busy with the smear campaign?"

I nodded. "Well, I've already contacted some media friends and will hold a small meeting tomorrow morning to publicly respond to this matter."

He held my hand, his palm was cold, "Thank you for your hard work."

I held his hand in return, giving him a little strength, "Let's face this together."

The next morning at 10:00 AM, the media meeting began on time. Wearing a sharp business suit, I stood on the stage, facing the many media reporters below. I took a deep breath and began to explain the whole story. I showed the original documents and timestamps of our plan, as well as the initial concept I had found earlier.

At first, some reporters expressed doubts about what I said and kept asking sharp questions. The most aggressive among them was reporter Lu.

"Ms. Bai, you said these documents are original documents. What evidence can you prove it?" Reporter Lu's tone was full of provocation.

"These documents are all electronically time-stamped, and we have complete version control records that can trace every modification." I answered calmly and projected the relevant evidence onto the big screen.

"Even if these documents are genuine, that doesn't prove you didn't plagiarize," Reporter Lu pressed. "Perhaps you simply forged them in advance?"

I took a deep breath, tried to suppress my inner anger, and produced more detailed R&D information and timelines, including early design sketches, experimental data, and email records between team members, and refuted reporter Lu's questions with reason and evidence.

I noticed that the expressions of some media reporters present began to waver, and their originally suspicious eyes gradually showed a hint of thought.

However, just when I thought the situation was improving, Reporter Lu posed a new question, "Ms. Bai, I understand that one member of your R&D team once worked for Yang's competitor. Is it possible that he leaked the trade secrets?"

This question was like a bolt from the blue, leaving me speechless for a moment. I hadn't expected Reporter Lu to dwell on this point.

I forced myself to calm down and think carefully. There was indeed such a member, but he had left Yang's competitor's company a few years ago and signed a confidentiality agreement.

I was about to open my mouth to explain when a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the venue—the beautiful spy Xiao. She was wearing an elegant white suit, a faint smile on her face. She walked straight towards Zhan Yu and whispered something in his ear.

Zhan Yu's expression changed slightly, then he turned to look at me with a complicated emotion in his eyes... He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

An uneasy premonition came over me.