Free Web NovelChapter 224: Chapter 227: The Same Old Stupid Trick
It had been snowing heavily in Aethelburg for days, but the sky miraculously cleared on the day of Wilder Preston’s full moon celebration.
The celebration was held at Aethelburg’s most luxurious hotel, and so many people came that Charlotte Shaw couldn’t possibly count them all. But she didn’t have to. Her only duty was to carry Wilder Preston around collecting red envelopes; Felix Preston and Jackson Shaw would handle the rest of the socializing.
Because the weather forecast predicted more snow that evening, the banquet was scheduled for noon. The lively festivities lasted for most of the day, and by the time the party broke up, the sky outside was already growing dark.
Both Felix Preston and Evan Yates had been drinking, so a chauffeur arranged by the Shaw Family was driving.
Evan Yates was leaning against the car window, dozing with his eyes closed, when the phone in his coat pocket suddenly started ringing.
He pulled out his phone and answered. Before the call was even over, he was wide awake.
"Yeah, I understand. Mr. Preston is right here with me. I’ll tell him immediately."
"Tell him what?" Charlotte Shaw asked curiously, holding Felix Preston’s hand.
"Hah..." Evan Yates let out a heavy breath, twisted around from the passenger seat to face Felix Preston, and said, "Preston, Ethan Lockwood and Cecilia Quincy have made their move."
Hearing this, Felix Preston slowly opened his eyes, which were heavy with drink.
He sat up straight, lifted his head from Charlotte Shaw’s shoulder, and took out his glasses to put them on.
"What’s going on?" he asked, pulling Charlotte Shaw into his arms. His fingers habitually began to knead her cheek.
Charlotte Shaw’s face had a touch of baby fat. It had lessened a bit after she gave birth, but her cheeks had become even softer and more tender to the touch. Sometimes, as Felix Preston touched them, he couldn’t resist leaning in for a playful bite.
Evan Yates said, "Ten minutes ago, the Quincy Group’s advertising department posted a video on V-Tok, insinuating that a main storyline in ’The Laws of Love’ plagiarized an ad concept their department designed a long time ago."
"The video was probably boosted—it hit the trending list just a few minutes after it was posted."
"...This trick again?" Charlotte Shaw was so speechless she couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t tell me this stupid idea came from Ethan Lockwood?"
"It actually was his idea!" Evan Yates said with certainty. "He and Cecilia Quincy are in cahoots. He comes up with the ideas, she executes them. They cooked up this whole plagiarism scandal in less than three days."
"Less than three days?" Charlotte Shaw’s eyes suddenly darkened as she keenly picked up on something in his words. "How do you know that in such detail?"
"Because—" Evan Yates glanced at Felix Preston’s expression, then swallowed the words that were about to come out. "Because... I’m not actually sure about the details. You should probably ask Preston about it later in private."
"Hm?" Charlotte Shaw tilted her head up to look at Felix Preston, her eyes questioning. "What’s going on?"
Felix Preston kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "We’re not alone. I’ll tell you when we get home."
"...Alright." Although she was dying of curiosity, Charlotte Shaw was sensible enough not to press the issue.
She took her phone out of her bag, first opening WeChat to watch a video of Sandy that Jackson Shaw had sent, before finally opening V-Tok to check out the plagiarism incident cooked up by Ethan Lockwood and Cecilia Quincy.
The incident had already been hyped up to number three on the trending list, with its popularity index just breaking twenty million.
Charlotte Shaw opened the comments section for the trending topic, but was surprised to find very few comments insulting Felix Preston or ’The Laws of Love.’
The netizens in the comments were quite rational. Instead of being led by the nose by the Quincy Group’s video, they were calmly leaving messages demanding a complete and solid chain of evidence.
[The Quincy Group is accusing someone of plagiarism? That doesn’t sound very credible. Show us some actual proof first.]
[They’re such a huge company, how can they accuse someone of plagiarism with just a few blurry screenshots? That’s so unprofessional.]
[LMAO, ’The Laws of Love’ hasn’t even been released and it’s already getting hit with plagiarism accusations. Can you people fighting your corporate wars show a little respect for the intelligence of us netizens?]
[’The Laws of Love’ plagiarized something? And it plagiarized an ad concept from the Quincy Group? Cecilia Quincy, you dare to say this on your main account?]
[The closed beta for ’The Laws of Love’ isn’t even over and the Quincy Group is already sniffing around for trouble. I’m telling you, are you people from the Quincy Family treating us Blooms like we’re from Kurisawa or something?]
With so many rational netizens, the plagiarism scandal failed to cause much of an impact. It was all heat and no substance.
Charlotte Shaw put her phone away and scoffed, "A couple of idiots. When they try to set someone up, they don’t even use a new trick."
Felix Preston’s lips curved into a light smile. "It’s better that they don’t change their tricks. I just finished digging the pit, and they jumped right in on their own. Saved me a lot of effort."
Charlotte Shaw said, "The users on V-Tok are pretty rational. So far, I haven’t seen many people defending the Quincy Group. But believe it or not, it won’t be long before a bunch of self-proclaimed ’woke’ contrarians show up online to help the Quincy Group steer the narrative."
Felix Preston looked down at her. "Of course I believe you."
Charlotte Shaw’s prediction was spot-on. Just as their car arrived at the Shaw Family’s home, a paid army of commentators defending the Quincy Group stormed the trending topic’s comments section.
Charlotte Shaw glanced over them briefly and saw that the paid commenters’ brainwashing tactics were more or less exactly what she had expected.
[Felix Preston is plagiarizing again? The whole issue with the Preston Group plagiarizing Azure Studio hasn’t even been resolved yet, and now another scandal like this is breaking?]
[Fun fact, this Felix Preston is a serial offender. Before the Preston Group went bankrupt, he was exposed for plagiarizing someone else’s designs.]
[Let’s look at the facts. If ’The Laws of Love’ plagiarized, it plagiarized. What does that have to do with Cecilia Quincy? Judge the act, not the person, okay?]
[Mr. Preston, long time no see. What are you plagiarizing this time?]
[I’m just saying, if you can’t make a game, don’t force it. You’re even copying ad concepts, how successful could this game possibly be?]
"Felix, has Volition Tech registered a V-Tok account?" Charlotte Shaw asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed, directing her question to Felix Preston in the bathroom.
CLICK!
Felix Preston turned off the bathroom light and walked toward Charlotte Shaw, drying his hair with a towel.
"Not yet. The studio is too short-staffed right now. I was planning to hire a dedicated social media manager and then set up the official account once they’re on board."
"That’s a shame." Charlotte Shaw pouted, holding her tablet. "If Volition Tech had an official account, you could use this trending topic to strike back right now."
"There’s no rush." Felix Preston sat on the edge of the bed and took the tablet from her. "I was planning to stay silent for a couple of days before hitting back anyway. Even if Volition Tech had an official account, we wouldn’t be making a move right now."
"Weren’t you curious why Evan Yates and I knew the details of this plagiarism scandal so well, Charlotte? I’ll tell you now."
"Mhm!" Charlotte Shaw immediately perked up. "I’m listening."
