Dad looked at me with a serious expression and said firmly,
“Talk to me, son. Anyone who dares to bully you shouldn’t think they’ll get away with it. At worst, we pull out the investment, and everyone goes their separate ways.”
With those words, I felt calmness settle over me. I wasn’t alone. My parents were with me—fully, unconditionally.
Once inside the living room, I laid out all the data I had compiled and began explaining everything that had happened recently. From repeated plagiarism to humiliation, to the feeling of being betrayed by those I trusted most.
When Dad heard the name "Boran" mentioned—the name of the R&D sponsor—his face darkened instantly.
“That scumbag dares to cry thief while stealing from you? Absolutely shameless,” he growled.
I sighed. “Dad, I’m certain no one ever saw the data. I developed everything myself. Yet somehow, Luther always manages to release the exact same information before I do.”
“He doesn’t even conduct research,” I continued bitterly. “He claims it’s all divine inspiration, that the results just come to him naturally, like some kind of genius.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed. His expression turned sharp and cold.
“If he’s really the one behind this, then we’ll get to the bottom of it. I don’t believe there's any way he’s pulling this off without help.”
Without wasting time, he called a well-known national private investigation agency and hired them to investigate the incident thoroughly. If there were any digital breach, surveillance loophole, or human betrayal, they would uncover it.
My mother, who had been silent for a while, spoke with concern etched in every word.
“This situation clearly involves your girlfriend. That girl... she’s always been too clever for her own good. She’s never really been on your side,” she said, eyes full of disappointment.
“She probably realized she had no real chance of marrying into our family, so she teamed up with that worthless junior of hers to drag you down.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Your father and I will get justice for you. You should just rest for now.”
The moment she said it, everything clicked. Claire—she was the only one who had close access to my data in the lab. If anyone could quietly pass on my work to Luther, it had to be her. And now I know why.
This wasn’t just about recognition. It was about real stakes.
This R&D project was supported by the government. If successful, there would be a million-dollar prize, exclusive patent rights, and follow-up production contracts worth tens of millions. That kind of profit could sustain a business for decades.
That’s why I got involved in the first place.
Our family might be wealthy, but in Jiangcheng, we were only considered upper middle class. If I succeeded in leading this project, our company would rank among the top ten tech firms in the city.
As I watched my parents carefully discuss strategies and try their best to comfort me, a surge of warmth filled my chest. In this life, I swore I would protect them no matter what—and make sure they lived peacefully and healthily to a hundred.
