Chapter Five: The Unawarded Trophy

Hearing Rust revealed that the trophy's solder was three years old, although its shell had been cast this week. A recording chip was hidden in its base. Gao's voice said, “Give her the award, and I take the copyright. If she won't sign, erase her from the industry.” The plagiarism scandal was leverage to buy Tang Li's work cheaply. Xu Zhi prepared to publish, but Tang Li seized the chip. “If this breaks now, I lose the eight hundred thousand advance for my mother's operation.” She understood the trap. Poor people sometimes had to calculate the return on being cheated. The watch showed two futures: expose Gao, and a delayed hospital transfer killed Tang Li's mother; remain silent, and Tang Li jumped after signing away her life's work.