Chapter 217
After returning home, Leo and Isabella sat back, expecting Ben to bring them the money.
However, they waited an entire day, and there was no response from Ben’s side.
Incredulous, Leo opened Twitter.
The top trending topic was still about the plagiarism accusation.
He clicked on the topic and saw that netizens were demanding a statement from Storm Group.
Usually, in such a situation of public outrage, a company would quickly come forward to clarify.
But Storm Group did the opposite, remaining silent despite the trending topic hanging there for two days.
Was this appropriate?
Had Ben not seen the questions from the internet users?
[I can’t believe a big company like Storm Group would stoop to plagiarism! This is so disappointing!]
[True, although the two games differ drastically in production, their settings and male character designs are very similar. Starry Romance is definitely a copy.]
[Are they ignoring it just because the copied game was produced by a smaller company?]
[This is disgusting!]
[Ha, they probably think, “What does it matter if you know we plagiarized? You’re still going to buy our phones, right? Typical big company arrogance.]
[Boycott Storm Group, boycott their new phone.]
In two days, the ever–efficient gossip mongers unearthed even more information.
For instance, the plagiarized game was called Future Romance, produced by a company named Infinite Technologies.
The sole shareholder of this company was none other than Leo.
Who is Leo?
Ben’s half–brother from the same father.
But recently, Old Mr. Landor had publicly announced Leo’s expulsion from the Landor family.
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At the time, the gossip enthusiasts had a brief discussion about it.
But without any response from the concerned parties, the discussion faded after a few days.
Now, the topic was reignited.
[I said it before. Leo being expelled from the Landor family was definitely Ben’s doing, trying to suppress him and keep the inheritance for himself!]
[I also think there’s something fishy going on here!]
Some even began to defend Leo’s game.
[Actually, Future Romance isn’t that bad. But it only has a one–star rating in the software library. I think Ben must have deliberately suppressed it.]
[Driven out of the Landor family and now having his work plagiarized, Leo really has it rough.]
People naturally sympathize with the underdog, and at the moment, Leo appeared to be just that.
Plus, with Storm Group’s continued silence, the public felt even more sorry for Leo and started spinning conspiracy
theories
[I just found out that Susan was the lead manager of the Starry Romance. And she’s Ben’s wife! Ben’s refusal to admit fault must be because of his wife!]
[If that’s true, Ben and his wife are tainted for life.]
There were occasional voices of reason urging people to calm down, but such logical arguments were not as
attention–grabbing as conspiracy theories.
Soon, the comments were flooded with various doubts and theories.
Leo, seeing these comments, was naturally pleased.
But what he wanted more was the sixty million dollars.
So, he waited another day, patiently.
The trending topic remained at the top, and Storm Group still hadn’t offered any explanation,
Leo figured Ben probably didn’t want to pay.
“Ben, you’re forcing my hand,” he thought.
With a grim face, Leo logged onto Twitter and posted a message.
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[I haven’t slept for three days. Future Romance was a labor of love by my wife, Isabella, like our own child. We never Imagined that changing its clothes would lead to it being snatched away. The thief is rich and powerful, while I am just a castaway expelled from my own family. What do I have to fight with?
[I thought about giving up.
[But seeing my wife’s red eyes, I can’t let it go.
[Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Why should we back down when we’re not the ones in the wrong?
[This time, even if I have to walk through all difficulties, I am resolved to fight for my child and Isabella.]
Along with this post, Leo shared a picture of a legal notice.
He had officially filed a lawsuit against Storm Group.
His post was full of vulnerability and sorrow.
His followers, who already sympathized with him, left encouraging comments.
[You can be assured of justice. Plagiarism is plagiarism, and we all can testify for you.]
[I refuse to believe that Ben can be stronger than the law.]
[If this issue is simply brushed aside, I will lose my faith in our country.]
Thousands of supportive comments quickly filled the feed.
Leo browsed through the comments, letting out a cold laugh..
“Ben, you forced my hand.
“Now, I want to see how you’re going to silence these voices.
“You’ve lost this time.”
Leo’s post rekindled the interest in the trending topic, which shot back to the top of the charts.
Storm Grou
The public demanded a response from Storm Group.
However Group remained silent.
Storm
Instead, Rose posted on her Twitter.
[Seeing this trending topic, I’m filled with questions. If Ben really had that much power, would this topic even be allowed on the charts? Think before you jump on the bandwagon.]
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Her post set off another explosion of comments.
Within moments, she received thousands of negative responses.
[Here comes the sycophant. How much did you get from Storm Group?]
[Don’t be so harsh. Maybe she’s just eagerly trying to curry favor.]
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[I used to think Rose was an individual with integrity and even liked her a bit. Now, I’m turning from a fan to a hater.]
ito
Her comment section was swarmed with people turning from fans to haters.
Most female celebrities would panic at such a backlash, but Theresa got excited instead.
She had been feeling down lately and was looking for a reason to argue with someone.
So, she actively engaged in online spats with the netizens.
[Turning into a hater? Please do it fast. Having a fan with such low intelligence is a disgrace to me.]
[Yes, Storm Group gave me a cent. For that dime, I absolutely must stand up.]
[You’re right, you’re all right. Not only are you right, but you can also reach the skies.]
After Theresa’s tirade, the netizens became even more agitated and started to argue back fiercely.
She was unfazed, taking on thousands single–handedly.
1
Unfortunately, after just half an hour of argument, her account was suddenly taken offline and she couldn’t log
back in.
Her agent called her, furious, “What are you doing? Do you realize you’ve offended all the netizens? Theresa, you’re not getting your account back for a month.”
Theresa held the phone away from her ear and smirked slightly, “Fine, as long as you’re happy.”
After hanging up with her agent, Susan called.
“Theresa, why did you have to speak up at a time like this? Are you out of your mind?”
Theresa replied nonchalantly, “As soon as I saw the trending topic, I knew you were up to something. Even if I get
scolded now, it will surely turn around soon.”
Susan laughed, “You saw right through it.”
Theresa raised an eyebrow, “With Ben’s capabilities, he can suppress any trending topic. Seeing it hanging there so obviously, it’s clear there’s something fishy. Mainly, I was just in a bad mood and wanted to argue with the
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netizens,”
Susan asked curiously, “Why were you in a bad mood?”
Theresa frustratingly tugged at her hair, “It’s my mom again. She’s forcing me into blind dates, and this time it’s
with Thomas.”
Susan was surprised, ‘Thomas? Since when did you two get involved?”
Theresa briefly explained the situation, leaving Susan shocked throughout the conversation.
Theresa couldn’t help but complain, “Before, I would have gone on these blind dates just to appease my mom,
now, I…”
“Now what?” asked Susan.
Theresa paused for a moment, “There’s nothing, really!”
Suddenly feeling flustered, she abruptly hung up the phone.
On the other end, Susan, hearing the dial tone, wore a curious expression.
She had a hunch.
Was Theresa experiencing something unusual?
Theresa, a true Gemini, was unpredictable and enigmatic.
What would she be like in a romantic relationship?
Susan couldn’t help but wonder.
Meanwhile, Theresa opened her computer game, looking troubled at the grayed–out username on her friend list:
“Light.”
She had initially thought Light was a girl.
Moreover, sensing that the girl seemed a bit depressed, she had made a point of playing games with her.
As they played together more. Theresa realized something was off.
She was starting to develop feelings for Light.
but
This realization left Theresa in a state of shock. Could it be that her lack of interest in romance was because she
actually preferred women?
Theresa struggled with these thoughts for several days.
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Then, a few days ago, Light confessed something to her.
Light revealed that she was actually a “trap” – a guy playing a female character in the game.
So, the person Theresa had been playing with and developing feelings for was actually a guy
She was initially panicked and immediately logged off.
When she finally sorted out her feelings and went online again, Light’s account never became active again.
Theresa waited day after day at their usual meeting spot in the game, but she never saw him again.
This left her feeling incredibly downhearted.
Amidst these emotions, she saw the trending topic on Twitter and, in a burst of anger, started lashing out at
netizens.
But even
But even after venting her frustration, when she logged back into the game and saw Radiance’s still inactive username, her heart felt even emptier.
So this was what liking someone felt like.
When that person wasn’t around, it seemed like nothing else mattered.
But once you had that person, it felt impossible to accept anyone else.
Holding a pillow over her face, Theresa began to wail.
Was this… online love?
She had fallen for someone who might never log in again.
Indeed, it seemed she was the most miserable one.
