Ling Yan frowned and looked at Gu Zhong on the stage with some worry.
The man remained calm and composed, as if everything was under control, and the smile on his lips revealed a hint of sincerity.
The slight unease she felt quickly subsided. She should trust Gu Zhong and not be tripped up by such a despicable and clumsy trick.
“Mr. Yang, you can’t just say things like that. If you have evidence, please present it, or apply for arbitration with the association, or file a lawsuit in court, instead of shouting and yelling here.”
Faced with this arrogant slander, all politeness and courtesy were put aside, and Gu Zhong's words, which were no longer sarcastic, became utterly blunt.
Seeing Gu Zhong's calm demeanor and his unwavering commitment to the investigation and arbitration, Yang Ruo couldn't help but feel uneasy. Had their plan gone wrong again, and had Gu Zhong made some preparations without her knowledge?
As the plagiarist of the core technology, he knew perfectly well that if Yaozhong did not completely change the technological framework, and the two sides were to go to court, Yaozhong would undoubtedly lose the case.
Yang Ruo couldn't understand where Gu Zhong's confidence came from. It was impossible for him to rebuild the underlying technology and completely change the technological path in just a few months. This was something that could never be done quietly.
However, recalling the shock she felt upon seeing the released video, Yang Ruo began to have endless doubts.
However, now that the die is cast, there is no turning back once war is declared.
"We will send our core technologies to the industry association later for professional verification. Once the results are available, we will follow the procedures to file a lawsuit in court for a judgment."
The reason I'm saying this here today is simply because I'm afraid Miss Gu will refuse my reasonable request. After all, a mere mention of "trade secret" would be enough to shut the association out.
Yang Ruo's words sounded righteous and stern, but no one present was a fool; everyone could guess his real purpose.
Disrupting the press conference has embroiled Yaozhong in scandal and controversy. It's best for existing partners to adopt a wait-and-see attitude, and it goes without saying how many orders Yaozhong will lose.
Anyone who has been to a lawsuit knows how slow the comparison and judgment process is. Moreover, technical plagiarism is the most difficult to determine. Once you get entangled in it, it can take several years to extricate yourself from the situation.
The Yang family is large and powerful, so it's not like they've been crippled. Even without the plagiarism, Yaozhong could very well be dragged down. But what if the Yang family really has irrefutable evidence? Everything would be against Yaozhong.
"Mr. Yang, you are truly good at putting yourself in others' shoes and understanding their perspectives—Yaozhong has a clear conscience and would not do anything underhanded, so naturally he would not refuse the association's inspection. I have another question for you, Mr. Yang."
Gu Zhong subtly criticized Yang Ruo's despicable behavior, and then raised another question.
"Please go ahead, Mr. Gu."
Stung by Gu Zhong's sarcasm, Yang Ruo's face stiffened for a moment. He tightened his skin and still tried to maintain his composure.
"Does being the first to publish something truly make one the originator?"
"What does Mr. Gu mean by this?"
A sense of foreboding rose in Yang Ruo's heart. She stared intently at Gu Zhong, as if trying to see through her thoughts.
"What I mean is, shouldn't we prove things today instead of putting them off until tomorrow?"
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Author's Note:
I'm making a wish: I hope I can update daily!
Thank you, Noelle, for the landmine! Hugs to Nono!
//
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:38:25 on March 5, 2022 and 11:03:05 on March 18, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Noelle (1);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Anonymous (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 112 The Newly Rich CEO and the Fallen Heiress (18)
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"Mr. Gu, you must be joking. Everyone in the industry here knows how much time and effort is required for technical comparison. How can you prove it on the spot?"
Since Gu Zhong dared to retaliate in public, he might have already dug a pit for them, just waiting for them to jump in.
However, even though she now realized something was wrong, Yang Ruo was in a difficult position and could only stubbornly make some pointless arguments.
"That's not difficult. Your company's products have recently been launched on the market, and we specifically purchased a batch to verify certain things."
Following Gu Zhong's words, someone had already pushed a cart full of cardboard boxes onto the side. After cutting open the brown cardboard, they found brand new, unopened mobile phones inside, but the markings on them clearly belonged to the Yang family's company.
"Mr. Yang, is this your product?"
Gu Zhong also had one delivered to Yang Ruo.
"...I can't be sure, who knows if it's some kind of counterfeit product?"
Unsure of Gu Zhong's true intentions, how he would retaliate, or where the trap lay, Yang Ruo dared not readily admit it, even though she held a phone that was clearly manufactured by her own company.
"No problem. All of you guests here are very fashion-conscious, so I'm sure some of you have already bought it, right?"
Gu Zhong was not in a hurry to respond to Yang Ruo's denial, and turned to ask the other members of high society present.
As she said, quite a few people have already started using Yang's new products. No one dislikes a convenient tool that can make things twice as efficient.
"Mr. Yang, surely they're using your products?"
Gu Zhong pressed on, a heavy sense of pressure pressing down on Yang Ruo. He couldn't deny that wealthy young masters and high-ranking officials and politicians wouldn't buy counterfeit phones.
"···yes."
His senses grew increasingly uneasy. There must be something they had overlooked—a trap, or rather a security lock, that Gu Zhong had deliberately set up must have appeared in their actual machine.
"There are quite a few industry professionals present. As you all know, the key to realizing mobile phone functions lies in the core coding on the chip, which is what Mr. Yang referred to as the core technology."
Gu Zhong first gave a brief explanation, and upon hearing her words, Yang Ruo's pale face regained some color.
He's not stupid. Even if it's plagiarism, with completely identical technology, wouldn't he be able to rewrite the code? Even if Gu Zhong really did leave some security lock, they would have already overwritten it with new program code.
"To prevent unfair competition, Yaozhong has specially set up a security lock in the core code segment. This security lock was written and inserted by me personally and is hidden in the entire project package. It cannot be overwritten or overridden. I will not go into the details of how it works here."
Yang Ruo's heart, which had been half relieved, was suddenly filled with anxiety again. His palms were sweaty, and he felt as if he were standing under the guillotine, not knowing when the blade would suddenly fall.
"Please turn on your phones and follow my instructions."
The highest-definition camera of the time was pointed at the phone that Gu Zhong had just opened, and the recorded content was transferred to the big screen. The audience watching the show couldn't wait to operate it as well.
The joy one experiences when personally participating in a game and becoming a part of uncovering the truth is indescribable, which is why they are so enthusiastic.
As the buttons on the cube phone were pressed one by one, the cursor on the screen unfolded layer by layer of menus—until a hidden menu that Yang Ruo was completely unaware of appeared. Finally, Gu Zhong entered a string of numbers, and a colorful flashing interface popped up on the big screen. Accompanied by the sound effects of the Yaozhong promotional video that they had just heard, a line of large characters appeared—"Yaozhong Technology".
The entire audience erupted in uproar; clearly, everyone who followed the instructions had witnessed this scene.
"Mr. Yang, we are truly honored to have Yaozhong featured in your products. We just don't know when our two companies became so close? Do you need to pay advertising fees?"
Gu Zhong, still smiling, casually announced the death sentence for the Yang family.
In broad daylight, the plagiarist shamelessly sued the original creator, only to end up losing more than he gained.
From this day forward, the Yang family will not only be losers, but also a laughing stock for the entire Hong Kong Island.
Yang Ruo stared at Gu Zhong with bloodshot eyes, looking as if she wanted to devour her alive.
Although he kept saying how much he loved Gu Zhong, that love was lofty and unapproachable. He liked a tree, a flower, or a rabbit, but when it conflicted with his own interests, he could abandon them without hesitation.
"Gu Zhong, you are truly vicious!"
"Isn't it you, Mr. Yang, who needs to go to the association to verify the certificate? I saved you a lot of procedures and trouble today, so why don't you thank me and instead get a lot of complaints?"
Tomorrow, Yaozhong will submit its core technology to the industry association for verification by professionals, and we hope your company will do the same. Once the results are available, we will proceed with the legal process and file a lawsuit for judgment.
Gu Zhong scoffed at Yang Ruo's unfounded accusations of bluffing. After a brief rebuttal, he turned cold and seriously returned Yang Ruo's words.
Under repeated stimulation, Yang Ruo's vision blurred, and she finally could not hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground.
"As for the so-called whistleblower, the leaker within Yaozhong, our company will make the information public after we have investigated."
Gu Zhong waved for someone to carry away the unconscious Yang Ruo, and continued speaking, his piercing gaze sweeping over several Yaozhong executives, some of whom couldn't help but tremble.
Having witnessed Gu Zhong's profound foresight, no one believed they could truly hide the truth; exposure was inevitable. Now, the only option was to make plans and seek a way out.
"Yaozhong is a company that will definitely not let everyone down."
Without further ado, Gu Zhong concluded with this brief sentence and bowed deeply.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Yaozhong's press conference today was not a failure due to the disruptors; on the contrary, it was a great success.
"Ms. Gu, congratulations."
"Yaozhong will definitely become a giant that transcends eras."
As Gu Zhong stepped down from the stage, she was overwhelmed by a chorus of congratulatory words.
Seeing everything come to a perfect end, and watching Gu Zhong surrounded by flowers and flattery, Ling Yan raised her glass high in a toast across the crowd, though the man couldn't see it.
She put down her empty champagne glass, turned and walked out of the venue.
For both her and Gu Zhong, now is not the right time to really talk.
——
After the press conference, Yao Zhong formally filed a lawsuit against the Yang family for stealing trade secrets.
Because the evidence was too conclusive, and the case was exposed in public at a press conference attended by numerous media outlets, there was no room for explanation, and the process was expedited.
The Yang family's mobile communications business was forced to cease production. Distributors who had partnered with them joined forces to negotiate, arguing that the company's actions constituted a breach of contract and refusing to continue selling its products, while demanding compensation for their losses.
Having already faced numerous lawsuits, the Yang family had no choice but to recall all the products that had already entered the market, swallowing this bitter loss.
And the potential clients they had previously negotiated with all terminated their cooperation with them.
Besides, the other industries that the Yang family was involved in all suffered significant blows to varying degrees.
The company's overall reputation was affected, its stock price plummeted for several consecutive days, and its share price was halved, causing widespread despair in the stock market.
Unfortunately, the Yang family had a major project at a critical juncture. With multiple collapses, the cash flow was completely cut off. Even though the Yang family patriarch swallowed his pride and begged for loans everywhere, very few people were willing to lend a hand.
As the sun sets and the building crumbles, even a god cannot stop its decline.
Another established family has fallen, and many other wealthy families in Hong Kong can't help but feel a sense of unease. They have also become much more restrained in their various cunning tricks that they used to play so smoothly.
As for the charge of stealing trade secrets, it was one of Yang Ruo's technical directors who took the blame.
After all, these people are always cautious and would never get involved in anything shady. They prepare scapegoats in advance. And sometimes, money really can buy people willing to risk their lives.
——