Zheng Jiaojiao carefully pondered the situation and concluded that Xu Xiaoyue was bluffing.  

If Xu Xiaoyue really had a backup plan, she would have stormed into the office long ago to demand an explanation. Why would she waste time arguing here?  

After reassuring herself, Zheng Jiaojiao regained her confidence.  

“This proposal was clearly written by me. Even if you’re anxious, you can’t just openly steal it,” the woman said smugly.  

“Fine.”  

Xu Xiaoyue grabbed Zheng Jiaojiao and dragged her straight to the office.  

With Liu Honghong’s precedent fresh in everyone’s minds, no one dared to step in and stop the two of them.  

The woman swayed her slender waist, her fair and delicate arm tightly clutching Zheng Jiaojiao’s collar, her dark hair fluttering in the wind. From behind, the scene had a certain aesthetic of violent beauty.  

No one noticed that, at the back of the crowd, stood two tall, straight-backed men.  

“This female comrade is quite interesting. Her little mouth fires off nonstop, and her verbal attacks are sharp.”  

“Yichen, this trip was totally worth it—getting to watch such a thrilling show.”  

Gu Yichen smiled faintly, the cuffs of his simple white shirt slightly rolled up. He lightly brushed off nonexistent dust from his clothes. “If we’re watching a show, I prefer to see it through to the end.”  

With that, before the other man could react, Gu Yichen had already followed them.  

Inside the office, Manager Yan frowned at the two intruders.  

“What’s the meaning of this?”  

Zheng Jiaojiao struggled to free her arm, a flash of pain crossing her face.  

Xu Xiaoyue looked slender and delicate, but who knew where she got such strength? She had dragged her all the way here without letting go.  

“Manager Yan, here’s the situation. The proposal Zheng Jiaojiao submitted to you was actually written by me.”  

“By you?” Manager Yan stood up, her gaze shifting from Zheng Jiaojiao’s face to Xu Xiaoyue’s, then back again.  

“Zheng Jiaojiao, explain what’s going on.”  

“Manager Yan, I don’t know what’s happening either. She’s insisting that I plagiarized her proposal.”  

At this point, Zheng Jiaojiao had no choice but to stubbornly deny it.  

The tension in the office was palpable. Manager Yan looked at Xu Xiaoyue and said sternly, “Comrade Xu Xiaoyue, you claim this proposal is yours. Do you have any proof?”  

This was exactly the question Xu Xiaoyue had been waiting for. She pulled out a palm-sized notebook from her pocket, densely filled with notes on the proposal’s ideas, records, and a timeline of adjustments.  

She handed the notebook to Manager Yan, her tone calm and composed.  

“Manager Yan, this is my evidence. These are my rough drafts while working on the proposal. The timeline and details here match exactly with the proposal Zheng Jiaojiao submitted to you.”  

“As for the timeline, you can verify it. If I were really trying to stir up trouble or frame someone, I would’ve had to thoroughly study the proposal first before preparing this draft.”  

Zheng Jiaojiao glanced at the notebook, her mind racing. She immediately retorted, “Xiaoyue, I never expected you to sneak a look at my proposal and prepare notes in advance.”  

“I know you’re upset about me getting promoted early, but you can’t frame me like this. No wonder I couldn’t find my draft earlier.”  

This was a classic case of the thief crying “stop thief.” Today, Xu Xiaoyue had truly witnessed it firsthand.  

Manager Yan lowered his head and flipped through the notebook. The timeline inside was indeed recorded in meticulous detail.

If the proposal Zheng Jiaojiao submitted was a concise outline, then this notebook was an extension of the details, making it much easier to implement.  

“Each side sticks to their own story—I’m completely confused,” the woman said indifferently, placing the notebook on the table.  

Xu Xiaoyue hadn’t expected Manager Yan to react this way. Her draft notes were extremely detailed, and anyone who read them should immediately understand who the real author of the proposal was.  

Frowning, she said, “Manager Yan, this matter is very simple.”  

“I can explain in detail the inspiration behind every part of this proposal and the sources of its specifics. I conducted thorough market research and have a clear understanding of product displays in the supermarket and which items are bestsellers.”  

“You can ask Zheng Jiaojiao the same questions and see what kind of answers she comes up with.”  

Hearing this, Zheng Jiaojiao’s face turned ashen. She had only focused on copying—how would she know where the data came from? If asked to reiterate the contents of the proposal, she wouldn’t even be able to manage that.  

Speechless, she still stubbornly refused to admit it. “How do I know if what you’re saying is true? What if you’re just making it up? Should everyone else just go along with your lies?”  

“Whether I’m making it up or not can be verified by comparing it with past data,” Xu Xiaoyue replied, looking at the woman as if she were an idiot.  

At this point, the truth was already crystal clear.  

Thinking of the proposal she had already submitted, Manager Yan fell silent for a moment.  

If she admitted that Zheng Jiaojiao had plagiarized Xu Xiaoyue, it would reflect poorly on her as a leader for failing to verify the proposal before submitting it.  

She turned to Xu Xiaoyue. “Alright, I understand. Zheng Jiaojiao was in the wrong here. She’ll apologize to you, and we’ll consider the matter settled.”  

“An apology settles it?”  

Xu Xiaoyue almost wondered if she had misheard. She had spent three or four days painstakingly researching and brainstorming this proposal, only for a casual apology to suffice after it was plagiarized?  

“Manager Yan, I’ve always held you in high regard. This proposal was something I worked on for three or four days, conducting research and refining ideas after receiving your notice.”  

“Now, my work has been credited to someone else. If an apology is all you propose as a solution, I cannot accept that.”  

Manager Yan’s expression darkened further. She hadn’t expected Xu Xiaoyue to be so unrelenting.  

“Then what do you suggest should be done?”  

“I want Zheng Jiaojiao to issue a public apology and have her plagiarism officially reported to uphold integrity in the workplace.”  

Her words landed firmly in the office.  

Without hesitation, Manager Yan flatly refused: “Impossible.”