The Iron Triangle’s Resolve

Li Yanze’s gaze followed hers, and he immediately nodded in enthusiastic agreement. “Exactly! Senior Jiang Chen possesses such steady stage presence, speaks with remarkable clarity, and has a wonderful voice. On top of that, he’s incredibly handsome! He’s practically a godsend for the stage!”

Jiang Chen chuckled. “Are you praising me, or are you trying to jinx me?”

Li Yanze maintained a serious expression. “Of course I’m praising you! The moment you step onto that stage, won’t the judges instantly award you extra points for your appearance?”

“The capable are always burdened with more work,” Zhou Yi said, a sly, foxy smile playing on his lips. “Moreover, you possess the deepest understanding of our project’s technical core. It would be most appropriate for you to lead that section during the defense.”

As Jiang Chen met the sparkling anticipation in Zhou Yi’s eyes, his feigned reluctance vanished instantly. He nodded, a soft laugh escaping him.

“Very well. If Boss Zhou has given the command, then I shall respectfully comply.”

Li Yanze was so thrilled he nearly leaped into the air. “Fantastic! I’ll head back and get started on the PPT! We’re the iron triangle!”

Zhou Yi mused, “…I don’t think ‘iron triangle’ is quite the right term here.”

Jiang Chen naturally reached out, lightly ruffling her hair. “Come on, let’s go back and prepare for the semi-finals, Boss Zhou.”

Zhou Yi merely offered a silent ellipsis. ‘This is the Nth time he’s ruffled my hair. Next time, I absolutely must set up a QR code for payment—twenty yuan per ruffle, or an 80% discount for a monthly package.’

As the three exited the teaching building, Zhou Yi led the way. Jiang Chen walked slowly beside her, his peripheral vision subtly fixed on her shoulders, which were visibly tense with anxiety.

Trailing behind them, Li Yanze watched their figures, elongated and intertwined by the sunlight, and couldn’t help but marvel to himself, ‘Senior Zhou Yi and Senior Jiang Chen look so incredibly compatible together…’

****

Inside the school’s seminar room, the whiteboard was dominated by a dense array of mind maps. Zhou Yi, Jiang Chen, and Li Yanze were seated around a table overflowing with research materials, three laptops humming simultaneously, their keyboards clicking in a rhythmic chorus.

Li Yanze furiously typed away, his fingers flying across the keyboard, as PPT slides rapidly switched on his screen. He muttered to himself:

“This color scheme is absolutely dreadful… change it, change it… and wait, this transition is far too ostentatious…”

Seated beside Zhou Yi, Jiang Chen’s long, slender fingers danced across his keyboard, moving with such speed it was as if he were unleashing a powerful combo attack.

Zhou Yi, meanwhile, kept her eyes glued to her own screen, meticulously refining the technical implementation path three times over. Every single detail was cross-referenced with the raw data, for fear of leaving even the slightest loophole open to scrutiny.

“This section needs to be streamlined,” Jiang Chen remarked, momentarily diverting his attention. He reached out to lightly tap the edge of her screen. “It’s a fifteen-minute presentation; you won’t be able to cover all of this.”

“I know,” Zhou Yi replied, a hint of frustration in her voice as she ruffled her already disheveled hair. “I’m in the process of cutting it down…”

“The data visualization here could use further optimization,” Jiang Chen suggested, pointing to a specific slide. “Wouldn’t interactive charts be more intuitive?”

Zhou Yi leaned closer to examine it, her hair inadvertently brushing his arm. “I think it could work, but we’d need to manage the time perfectly. I worry it might be too tight for the actual presentation.”

Suddenly, Li Yanze slammed his hand down on the table, startling the other two, who both looked up simultaneously.

“…Damn it!”

Zhou Yi and Jiang Chen both turned to stare at him.

“What happened?” Zhou Yi inquired.

Li Yanze, his face ashen, turned his phone to face them. “Su Xiao’s team… they also advanced to the semi-finals.”

The air in the room instantly solidified.

The familiar name emblazoned on the screen was particularly jarring.

The very team that had plagiarized their ideas and misappropriated their painstaking efforts had, unbelievably, appeared on the semi-final roster alongside them.

Li Yanze’s breathing grew increasingly ragged, his entire face flushing a furious crimson.

“How can they possibly still advance?! Did all the appeal materials we painstakingly wrote just vanish into thin air? Why is there still no outcome? If they…”

“Calm down,” Jiang Chen interjected, his brow furrowed.

“How can I possibly calm down?!” Li Yanze’s voice trembled as he slammed his fist onto the table. “I truly feel like an utter fool! To think I handed over the project so easily back then! Now, I can only stand by and watch them advance using our stolen ideas!”

Zhou Yi reached out, gently taking the phone from his clenched hand, and softly placed it face down on the tabletop.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Li Yanze looked up, his eyes rimmed with red.

“Senior, aren’t you… angry?”

Zhou Yi met his gaze and nodded earnestly. “Yes, I’m angry. But anger won’t solve anything. The fact that they could advance using our idea only proves how truly excellent this project is.”

“However,” she paused for a moment, “what we need to do now isn’t to focus on them, but to fight our own battle. We must make our presentation absolutely flawless and prove everything with our undeniable strength. As for justice…”

She looked at her two companions, her eyes radiating unreserved trust. “We leave that to the school. I believe the truth will not be denied, and the school will deliver a just verdict.”

Her words, like cool spring water, gradually soothed the agitation in Li Yanze’s heart.

Jiang Chen gazed at her serene profile, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. He then smoothly quoted a familiar advertising slogan: “She’s right. Always imitated, never surpassed. We must prove with our capabilities that originality will always prevail.”

Zhou Yi stood, pushing the PPT’s structural diagram towards them.

“Let’s do this. From this moment on, let’s unleash our true potential.”

“This is what will truly determine victory.”

Their gazes met in the air, and a fierce, unyielding determination ignited in their eyes.

****

The day of the semi-finals arrived.

For once, Zhou Yi uncharacteristically allowed herself to be completely managed.

Xiao Ju applied a delicate, natural makeup look for her: eyebrows sharply defined, lashes perfectly curled, and lips colored in a sophisticated, muted rose shade. Her long hair was styled into an elegant low bun, revealing her fair, graceful neck.

She wore a perfectly tailored navy blue suit skirt, complemented by five-centimeter beige high heels—a height she had finally mastered after countless hours of practice.

Standing before the full-length mirror in her dorm room, she gazed at the reflection of a poised, competent figure, her eyes radiating confidence, and found herself momentarily taken aback.

The suit dress elegantly sculpted her figure, and her entire presence radiated an undeniable aura of self-assurance.

“Oh my goodness, Yiyi! Are you heading to Fashion Week?!” Xiao Ju exclaimed, dramatically clutching her chest.

“Exactly! Yiyi, if you present yourself like this, the judges won’t even bother looking at the project itself!”

Zhou Yi’s ears flushed faintly from the barrage of compliments, yet uncharacteristically, she offered no retort.

She placed more importance on today’s presentation than anyone else.

More than simply appearing outstanding, she was determined to win fairly and honorably on the defense stage.

****

Downstairs, outside the girls’ dorm, Jiang Chen’s impeccably tailored dark grey suit had replaced his usual casual attire, imbuing him with an air of mature gravitas.

He was engrossed in reviewing the defense outline, his head bowed, until the distinct sound of footsteps drifted down from the staircase above.

In that precise moment, the surrounding clamor seemed to fall utterly silent.

Zhou Yi descended the steps cautiously in her high heels, the gentle morning light bathing her in its glow. The sharp lines of her suit accentuated her exceptional demeanor, while her subtle makeup enhanced her already exquisite features.

She was a stark contrast to the girl he remembered—the one always in T-shirts and jeans, who would roll up her sleeves and challenge anyone at a moment’s notice.

As she finally raised her gaze, her eyes held a trace of nervousness, yet they shone even more brightly with unwavering determination and radiance.

Jiang Chen’s breath hitched, and his heart skipped more than just a single beat.

He watched, transfixed, as she approached him. The “Good morning” he had ready on his lips caught in his throat, utterly forgotten.