[Teacher Jiang Rong is actually Li Zhidong’s real dad?!]
[Alright, that reason convinces me.]
[It convinces us too.]
Those who had previously been confused and thought the “teacher” was being “foolish” immediately understood. No matter how excellent Jiang Rong’s grades were, she was still an outsider to Li Zhidong’s father – while Li Zhidong, no matter how poor his performance, was his own son.
But understanding didn’t mean they approved. If this kind of behavior were widely accepted, the Li father and son wouldn’t have acted in secret – they would have boasted about it openly.
If Jiang Rong had remained as unknown as before, even if she’d told the truth, few would have believed her. And even if some did, the Lis could have used their connections to suppress the news. But now, with so many players watching the live stream on the December Platform, there was no way to contain the story.
As Jiang Rong had anticipated, the news spread rapidly:
[Shocking – December’s Monthly Champion Jiang Rong and Li Zhidong Have This Relationship!]
[Exposing How Father and Son Li Ruled the School with an Iron Fist, Using Top Students as Stepping Stones for the Son]
[Game Developer Li Zhidong Faked His Resume]
Soon, Jiang Rong and the Li father and son were trending on the interstellar web. Most people were furious: “Thank goodness Jiang Rong pulled through! If she hadn’t had the talent, she would’ve been crushed by their suppression and faded into obscurity forever.”
“This kind of thing can’t be tolerated – not everyone being held back has Jiang Rong’s ability.”
Reading the online comments, Jiang Rong thought back to all the job applications she’d sent that had never received a reply. Unaware of the truth, employers would naturally prioritize candidates’ game performance records – and hers, after being tampered with by the Lis, had been completely uncompetitive.
Did the Lis know this would ruin her future? Obviously – their goal had been to ensure she’d never get a chance to rise even after graduation. Their actions against her had made reconciliation impossible, leaving only malice between them.
Thankfully, she no longer needed to look for a job – and could finally settle the score with the Li father and son.
“I understand why Jiang Rong kept her identity hidden during the competition,” fans like Bai Yang and Liang Man said, their hearts aching for her. “Even without knowing who she was, Li Zhidong still targeted her. If he’d known from the start, he would’ve moved to suppress her immediately.”
This was undoubtedly true. When Jiang Rong first signed up for the competition, she’d already considered the possibility of Li Zhidong being involved – though she hadn’t known he’d be competing in the same monthly tournament. Even if he hadn’t been a contestant, he would’ve taken action the moment he learned she was participating. The more famous she became, the more dangerous it would be for the Lis – who stood to lose everything they had.
Now, however, the Lis no longer needed to live in fear.
Before learning Jiang Rong’s identity, Li Zhidong had thought losing the December Monthly Championship was the lowest point of his life. It turned out he could sink much further.
The moment he saw Jiang Rong, a sense of foreboding had washed over him. When she publicly revealed their history, his heart hammered violently in his chest – the shock was too much to bear, and he was forced to log off.
When he came to his senses, his face was pale as he murmured, “I feel like I just had a nightmare…”
Once fully awake, he despaired to find the nightmare was real. The school had issued a notice stating his father had violated both law and ethics, and had been dismissed. The respected reputation he once held was gone, replaced by universal condemnation.
Li Zhidong could barely breathe after reading just a few updates.
“No!” He refused to accept this devastating news.
Suddenly remembering something, he contacted the person in charge of his paid trolls: “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t given me wrong information, I never would’ve gone up against Jiang Rong – we wouldn’t be disgraced like this!”
If it weren’t for them, the Lis wouldn’t be in such dire straits.
“Please – get your facts straight. You targeted Jiang Rong first. With or without me, she was always going to expose what you did. Don’t try to pin this on me.” The troll manager sneered, refusing to indulge Li Zhidong’s attempt to shift blame.
Gritting his teeth, Li Zhidong demanded, “So what am I supposed to do now?”
“Who knows?” The manager was completely indifferent.
Not only was Li Zhidong’s reputation in the game industry ruined beyond repair, but even if he wanted to continue developing games, his family’s depleted fortune could no longer fund any projects.
Li Zhidong thought the same, his eyes turning red with rage as he looked at Jiang Rong’s Slime Match-3. Originally, the Lis had planned to make Jiang Rong his stepping stone – to crush her spirit so thoroughly she’d abandon games and disappear from the industry entirely. Only then could they continue to stand above others with clear consciences.
So why was it that the path they’d designed for Jiang Rong had now become his own?
As Li Zhidong sat in a daze, messages flooded into his former class group. Mechanically opening it, he saw nothing but celebrations:
“Finally the Lis are finished! We’ll never have to kiss up to them again!”
“About time! They pushed us around in school and expected us to grovel at their feet even after graduation.”
“Compared to Jiang Rong – who has real talent – cheating Li Zhidong is nothing but a complete waste.”
“Can Young Master Li see this? If you’re reading this, give us a little ‘squeak’ – hahaha!”
What made it even harder to bear was that these messages came from his so-called “good friends” – the same people who’d been on his graduation project team. In the past, they’d only ever praised him; this was the first time he’d faced such open malice from them.
Li Zhidong finally realized his situation had changed completely – even his most loyal followers were now leading the charge to kick him while he was down.
Honestly, had he treated them as badly as he’d treated Jiang Rong? No. Yet they seemed angrier than she was – as if their outrage would help them distance themselves from him, conveniently forgetting they’d all joined in ostracizing Jiang Rong back then.
“This was our class group, but since we’ve all graduated, there’s no need for it anymore.” The group owner made a sentimental comment before disbanding the chat.
With the group gone, it was as if Li Zhidong’s glory days as a “chosen one” had been erased along with it. He felt as if he’d been slapped across the face – his cheeks burning with shame.
On the interstellar web, people were mocking Li Zhidong under his social media posts – only to find the comments section gone moments later.
“What happened?”
“Li Zhidong deleted his account.”
“He’s not planning to make games anymore?”
“Well, not that his family has money left, but even if they did, he has no real skills.”
“True. If their scandal hadn’t come out, his dad’s connections in the industry could’ve helped him bluff his way through. But now everyone knows what they did – he’ll never be able to cheat his way forward again.”
Whether by choice or necessity, Li Zhidong vanished from the interstellar web entirely.
When Jiang Rong heard the news, she thought back to the oppressive days she’d spent at school – and finally felt a sense of closure.
“Student Jiang Rong, your academic records have been corrected to restore your innocence. We acknowledge that our school failed to supervise properly in this matter. Teacher Li has been dismissed and taken into official custody. We are deeply sorry for what you’ve been through…”
His actions had gone beyond abuse of power – they’d violated the law. The person speaking was the school’s vice principal, his expression sincere and his position carrying weight.
“I can let this go on one condition – that your school ensures this never happens again, and provides compensation to students who’ve already been wronged.” Jiang Rong looked directly at him.
She was certain she wasn’t the first to be wronged and suppressed, but she hoped she would be the last.
“No problem. To be honest, we’re also looking to restore the school’s reputation.” The vice principal spoke candidly. The scandal had damaged the school’s image – who knew how many other such pairs existed there?
The school didn’t expect Jiang Rong to forgive their negligence; they simply hoped she wouldn’t pursue the matter further and drag the school’s name deeper into the mud.
Looking at Jiang Rong through the screen, the vice principal sighed. Without the Lis’ interference, the school could’ve benefited from having a Monthly Champion like her to boost enrollment numbers. Now, they’d be grateful if enrollment didn’t drop.
Jiang Rong had nothing more to say to the school, and ended the call quickly.
When fans learned her academic records had been corrected, they were delighted – and even more so when they saw Li Zhidong’s grades had been reverted to their true state, putting everything back in order.
With the matter resolved, players returned to their games. The December Monthly Tournament may have ended, but the developers’ games remained available – in fact, participating in the tournament brought them even more players.
Some December Platform users had been drawn in by Li Zhidong’s antics, but most had been waiting to see how things would play out. Now that the results were final, the games were like a steaming, delicious meal – ready to be enjoyed. Far from declining after the tournament, the games’ metrics surged to new heights.
As the champion, Jiang Rong’s game was featured in the prime spot on the platform, with growth rates leading all other games from that tournament. In just a few days, Slime Match-3’s download count was pushing toward the million mark.
Jiang Rong remained calm about this achievement – she knew the game’s full potential hadn’t even been tapped yet.
Still, for every piece of good news, there was bound to be something troubling. As Slime Match-3’s downloads skyrocketed, copycat match-3 games began flooding the market. Their visuals were different from her slimes, but their core gameplay was identical.
“Host, they’re copying you!” Jiang Yu said indignantly.
“I’m copying games from Earth too, Jiang Yu. You have to understand this was inevitable – I’ve been prepared for it from the start.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised they waited this long to jump on the bandwagon.”
“I thought you’d be angry.” Jiang Yu watched her carefully, confirming she wasn’t forcing a brave face.
“Game development rarely involves creating something entirely from scratch. Most developers build on what came before, adapting and refining ideas – and I’m no exception. Besides, I didn’t invent the match-3 genre. You know that, so why get upset?” Jiang Rong poked him gently.
“Because when players try those other games, they compare them to yours – and some say yours isn’t as fun.” Jiang Yu mumbled.
He wouldn’t have been so upset if the copycats hadn’t kept trying to belittle Jiang Rong. It wasn’t the imitation that angered him, but how they kept dragging her into it – using comparisons to hype up their own games and lure players away.
“I see now – their match-3 games let players buy extra energy.” After a quick look, Jiang Rong spotted their “selling point.”
“Since our game doesn’t let players pay for energy and limits playtime, a lot of match-3 fans have switched to those other games.” Jiang Yu sounded glum.
This was exactly where the copycats were attacking Jiang Rong the most.