Against the Algorithm

Chapter 3: Lines Crossed, Loyalties Claimed

Yue's jaw clenched. "That coward—"

"I didn't have time to argue. I—I just—I stole his phone and ran to ZGDX's base." Yao cut in quickly, her voice wavering slightly.

Sicheng, who hadn't moved this entire time, finally shifted.

Yao felt it before she saw it—that slight movement, the subtle shift of his weight, the way his entire presence suddenly became heavier.

"You stole his phone?" Yue asked, still processing.

Yao shrank slightly, but nodded. "I—I didn't think, I just—" she swallowed, exhaling quickly. "I needed proof! I knew no one would believe you without it, and I—I didn't have another way to get it!"

Silence.

Yue exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Unbelievable."

Yao wasn't done. Her voice, though still soft, carried conviction. "W-When I got to ZGDX's base, I asked for Yue, but security said he wasn't there. When they told me he was here, at HQ, I—I called a DiDi and ran to get here as fast as I could."

Another beat of silence.

This time, Lu Wang Lan narrowed her eyes slightly, her sharp gaze assessing the girl standing before them. "You stole a phone, ran across the city, and forced your way into headquarters just to prove my younger son's innocence?"

Yao froze before her face burned. Her fingers twitched. "...Yes," she admitted quietly.

"This is insane." Yue let out a deep sigh, shaking his head at the younger female and felt himself soften completely towards her.

And Sicheng?

Sicheng had not said a single word. He didn't have to. Because the way he watched her—the way his gaze had darkened, sharpened, fixed onto her like she was the only thing in the room, said everything. She had run straight to them. Straight to him. And that? That changed everything.

Lu Wang Lan was the first to break the silence. Her sharp gaze flickered from Yao to Yue, then finally settled on Sicheng, who had yet to say anything but whose entire presence had shifted—his amber eyes locked onto the small girl standing before them, his grip still tight around the stolen phone. "Well." Lan's tone was measured, smooth, dangerous. "This certainly complicates things."

Yue let out a deep breath, shaking his head, still processing everything. "Complicates?" he muttered. "No, this fixes things." He gestured toward Yao. "She just proved I wasn't the one who started it, so what's left to discuss?"

One of the board members, a rigid-looking man in his late fifties, cleared his throat. "While this does shift the narrative, there are still optics to consider. Public perception—"

Sicheng, finally, moved. He leaned forward, placing Ai Jia's phone down on the polished surface of the table with deliberate care. Then, in the coldest voice imaginable, he stated, "Public perception will not be an issue when the truth is released." It wasn't a suggestion. It was a command.

Yao, still feeling every ounce of his intensity, shifted her weight anxiously, fingers twisting in the hem of her sleeves. She wasn't sure why she was so hyper-aware of him right now—why she felt the heat of his gaze so completely despite the fact that he wasn't even looking at her anymore.

Lu Wang Lan, watching Sicheng closely, gave a short, unreadable hum. "And what do you propose, Sicheng?"

Sicheng didn't even hesitate. "We put the video out ourselves." His tone was clipped, final. "Control the story before anyone else does. ZGDX will not take the fall for this."