Night Fire Lingering

Chapter 221 Baby, I'll Back You Up

"I didn't!" Wen Yan exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Gu Yanci found her flustered appearance adorable, so he hugged her and kissed her, then returned to the matter at hand: "I'll go and negotiate with your department about this."

"No, I can do it myself."

The data analysis, programs, and processes she performed are all recorded on the computer, which serves as irrefutable evidence that she did it herself step by step.

Unfortunately, these facts cannot prove that Nan Zhiyi is a plagiarist.

“Baby, I thought you wanted me to back you up.” Gu Yanci said with some regret.

Wen Yan then realized that the tone she had used when talking to him was just like a child tattling to their parents, almost as if she was telling Gu Yan to quit and get into a fight!

Wen Yan belatedly felt a little embarrassed and turned her eyes away from him.

Gu Yanci saw through her little scheme and chuckled softly.

The next day.

Wen Yan took the materials she had prepared to Professor Zhong's office.

She originally planned to go by herself, but Gu Yanci was worried and insisted on coming along.

The office door was open, and as soon as I reached the door, I heard a familiar voice coming from inside.

“Teacher, my daughter Zhiyi has always been a good student. I watched her finish this project, and I can vouch for it.”

A gentle and familiar female voice came from inside, with a distinct Hong Kong accent.

“These are all papers that Zhiyi has published before, as well as records and certificates of mathematical modeling and statistics competitions she has participated in. With her abilities, there is absolutely no need for her to rely on others for a data analysis.”

Wen Yan's steps unconsciously stopped at the door.

Through the crack in the door, I could indeed see the figure of a middle-aged woman inside. She was wearing a blue, handmade, custom-made cheongsam and an imperial green jade bracelet, and she looked like an elegant noblewoman.

Wen Yan felt as if a huge stone was pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

The next second, she suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulder—it was Gu Yanci pressing on her shoulder and casting a concerned look at her.

Wen Yan forced a smile to indicate that she was fine, then knocked on the door three times. Hearing someone inside call "Come in," she pushed the door open and went inside.

"Know!"

Nan Yun turned her head and saw Wen Yan. Her joy was overflowing. She walked up to Wen Yan uncontrollably, wanting to hug her.

Wen Yan took a half step back, leaning her back against Gu Yanci's chest, and gave Nan Yun a polite but indifferent smile.

“Zhizhi…” Nan Yun stood there helplessly and hurt.

Wen Yan handed Professor Zhong a USB drive and printed materials: "Professor, these are my analysis process and interim results. The scripts for running the data can be found with the program and the corresponding time, so this cannot be faked. The paper version is the corresponding printout for your convenience."

Nan Yun's expression changed drastically as she looked at Wen Yan in disbelief: "Zhi Zhi, the person whose research results overlapped with Zhi Yi's... was you?!"

What happened when Zhiyi and He bumped into each other?

People's subconscious can't lie. Her first reaction was to side with Nan Zhiyi and say that she and Nan Zhiyi had the same result.

Wen Yan found it funny and burst out laughing.

The smile carried undisguised heartache and irony.

“Mommy, the similarity between Yan’s and my research results is probably just a coincidence. I didn’t expect it to be like this…” Nan Zhiyi’s position had just been blocked by Nan Yun, and now she was exposed to Wen Yan.

Wen Yan looked at her calmly and asked, "Nan Zhiyi, is your only evidence your words?"

Professor Zhong had quickly reviewed Wen Yan's printed materials. Although there were no timestamps corresponding to the editing scripts of the electronic program, the analysis of these processes showed that at least 90% of the result of Wen Yan's work was due to her own efforts.

Remembering the photos Jiang Xing sent him late last night of Wen Yan's competition awards and perfect grades over the past few years, he was openly and secretly trying to prove Wen Yan's worth.

Jiang Xing's original words were: Teacher, we do not deny that Nan Zhiyi is excellent, but she comes from a school abroad and we do not know the system and rules of her school. However, Wen Yan has been watched by thousands of people in our college to grow up. If we do not have confidence in her, we should have confidence in the college and the school. Don't you think so?

Jiang Xing's words were tactful, but Professor Zhong could hear the subtext: Nan Zhiyi's father was a famous wealthy businessman in Europe who wanted to pave the way for his daughter in capitalist countries, and he had plenty of ways to get her awards and papers.

They weren't sure if they could trust Nan Zhiyi, but they were certain they could trust Wen Yan.

That was what Professor Zhong was thinking at the time, and he felt that his prized student Jiang Xing was really smart!

"Teacher, I..." Nan Zhiyi realized she was being suspected, and appeared innocent and helpless, yet tried to calmly resolve the issue. "I don't have these materials, but if you need them, I can restore them all for you to operate once."

Wen Yan said without any mercy, "Nan Zhiyi, anyone who has done research and analysis knows that finding the direction is the most difficult part. The difficulty lies in the thought process and the assumptions at the crossroads, rather than technical issues such as the restoration operation."

"Mommy..." Nan Zhiyi quietly tugged at Nan Yun's hand for help.

Nan Yun immediately said, "Professor Zhong, I guarantee with my own integrity that my daughter would never plagiarize someone else's work. You may not know, but she once actively refused a ghostwriter; she completely—"

"Mrs. Tang, do you mean that your daughter wouldn't plagiarize, so the plagiarist is my wife?" Gu Yanci abruptly interrupted Nan Yun.

Nan Yun looked at Gu Yanci in shock, only then realizing that her subconscious choice to protect Nan Zhiyi was indirectly hurting Wen Yan.

Nan Zhiyi is her daughter, and Wen Yan is also her daughter!

Nan Yun's almond-shaped eyes, so similar to Wen Yan's, were filled with apology: "Zhi Zhi, that's not what I meant, I—"

"Then what do you mean?" Wen Yan asked calmly.

After asking the question, she quieted down and waited for Nan Yun's answer.

The girl's gaze was too frank and too direct, like a sharp, gleaming blade staring directly at her, leaving her nowhere to hide.

“Yan, Mommy has taken care of me for so many years, she knows me well enough, that’s why she dared to say that.” Nan Zhiyi held Nan Yun’s hand reassuringly and said to Wen Yan, “She didn’t mean anything by it.”

The sight of the mother and daughter showing such affection was too jarring for Wen Yan to bear, and she felt that they had absolutely no need to put on a show in front of her.

"Indeed, after all, my mother committed suicide when I was a teenager. She knows you, but she doesn't know me."

Every word Wen Yan uttered felt like a stab to Nan Yun's heart: "Zhi Zhi, Mom—"

“Mrs. Tang, Nan Zhiyi and I aren’t twins. We don’t have the chemistry to produce two nearly identical assignments.” Wen Yan interrupted her, not wanting to hear her refer to herself as ‘Mommy.’ “In this matter, only one person can escape unscathed. This isn’t the first time you’ve made a choice, is it?”