Chapter 16 — Guess, MVP Heiress Has Returned

The hearing before the technical council was tense for nearly four hours. An independent data analyst detailed the unusual phase difference in the timestamp of the log file attached to the complaint, comparing it with three independent recording sources that Yen Chi had carefully stored in advance. Each frame is shown slowly, comparing the actual time of the processing phases with what the fake log deliberately shows, clearly showing that Yen Chi's reaction is completely within the threshold of human ability, without any signs of software intervention as reported.

The Technical Council, after reviewing all the evidence, came to a temporary conclusion: there is not enough basis to confirm that Yen Chi violated the competition regulations, and with unusual signs in the "evidence" of the denunciation, the council decided to open a deeper investigation into the origin of the anonymous denunciation, and at the same time allowed Yen Chi to compete again immediately while waiting for the final conclusion.

Stepping out of the hearing room, Yen Chi felt a great sense of relief, even though she clearly understood that this was only a temporary victory, not the complete end of the war. Luc Thanh Nam and Hoang Thi Nga, both present at the hearing, approached her, their eyes filled with complexity.

"We're sorry," Luc Thanh Nam said, his voice choked up, "for not trusting you from the beginning."

Yen Chi looked at her parents, with many mixed emotions in her heart, but she just nodded slightly, not wanting to let her emotions dominate this moment too much. "Thank you, Mom and Dad, for coming here today."

News of the hearing results quickly spread, most public opinion turned to support Yen Chi when the technical analysis was partially announced publicly. But for Luc Y Nhi, this is a heavy blow to her plans. That evening, she immediately contacted Lam Dac Uy, her voice filled with panic.

"The plan failed," she said over the phone, unable to hide her panic. "They have corroborating evidence, the council is investigating the origin of the complaint. If they track down Long, this will implicate both him and the corporation."

On the other end of the line, Lam Dac Uy was silent for a long time. When he spoke, his voice had a colder, more calculating tone than his previous considerate attitude. "Calm down. We need another, stronger move to reverse the situation before the investigation goes too far."

"What move?" Y Nhi asked, her voice still shaking.

"Public opinion is always influenced more by emotions than reason," Lam Dac Uy said, his voice regaining its familiar calm and calculating look. "Technical evidence can be complicated and difficult to understand for the general public, but an emotional story, told directly in front of the media lens, always has much more weight. You need to organize a public appearance, at the official press conference of the tournament, directly denounce your sister in front of the entire media, telling a convincing story about the oppression you have endured for many years."

Y Nhi was silent for a moment, considering. "But if you do that without concrete evidence, wouldn't it make you lose even more credibility?"

"I don't need specific evidence of cheating anymore," Lam Dac Uy replied. "You just need to tell a story about injustice in the family, about being oppressed by your sister for many years. That story does not need to be proven with technical data, it just needs to be emotional enough for the public to sympathize and turn to doubt your sister's motives in the entire incident, including the 'too perfect' way she defended herself."

That plan, although somewhat reckless, still made Y Nhi feel a glimmer of hope. She agreed, and two days later, a surprise press conference was organized by Y Nhi through Anh Kim Group's media channel, with MC Cao Ngoc Tram, a familiar host of the esports media.

The press conference took place at a large hotel, attracting a large number of reporters because of its unexpected nature. Y Nhi appeared in a simple outfit with no makeup on her face, creating the image of an honest, weak girl. She began her carefully prepared speech, recounting a tearful story about her childhood of always living in her older sister's shadow, about the times she was compared, pressured to "try as hard as her sister", and finally, hinted that the "contrasting evidence" that Yen Chi presented at the hearing may have been intentionally prepared in advance, as a sign that Yen Chi had anticipated everything, something that a truly innocent person could hardly do.

"I don't want to attack my sister," Y Nhi said, her voice chokingly speaking to the camera, tears rolling down her cheeks so perfectly that it was difficult to tell the truth from the false, "but I think the public has the right to know the whole truth, not just what was presented one-sidedly at the hearing."

That speech, which was broadcast live and spread quickly on social networks, once again shocked public opinion, causing the newly rekindled wave of support for Yen Chi to begin to waver again.

Yen Chi watched the entire press conference on a laptop screen in a private room, with Bach Khang sitting next to him. She was silent throughout the entire speech, her face didn't show much emotion, but the hand on her thigh had tightened without realizing it.

"She's really good," Yen Chi said as the video ended, her voice mixed with both bitterness and reluctant admiration. "Without any specific evidence, just tears and a few vague statements, she made the whole hearing the other day as if it never happened."

"This is exactly what I feared would happen," Bach Khang said, his voice serious. "When they can't win with technical evidence, they turn to appealing to public emotions. This is a classic media tactic, and sadly it's often very effective in the short term."

"So what should we do?" Yen Chi asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though a hard-to-control anger was rising in her heart.

"We cannot immediately react with a statement of direct confrontation," Bach Khang analyzed. "If you speak out against her right now, while public opinion is filled with sympathy for her, all your explanations will be considered fallacies, no matter how logical. We need to wait for the right time, when there is enough irrefutable evidence, to present the entire truth once and for all."

Yen Chi took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "You're right. If I react hastily now, I'll just fall into the exact trap she set — turning me into a 'strong, cold, heartless' person in front of a 'weak, sincere victim'."

"Exactly," Bach Khang nodded. "But I believe that the digital traces related to Bui Dac Long that we are tracing, combined with the investigation into the origin of the complaint that the technical council is conducting, will soon bring more specific results. At that time, we will have enough weapons to confront them directly, not just stopping at empty denial."

Yen Chi nodded, her eyes gradually regaining their familiar steadfastness. "Okay. I will keep quiet in public, not react emotionally. But I want to know all the progress of the investigation as soon as possible."

"I will update you every step of the way," Bach Khang promised, his eyes looking at her full of sympathy and trust. "You have endured too much injustice. This time, we will make sure the truth is fully exposed, so that no one can deny it anymore."

That night, despite being surrounded by a new wave of unfavorable public opinion, Yen Chi still maintained an amazing calmness - not because she was not heartbroken by her sister's increasingly obvious betrayal, but because she had learned that temporary emotions should not be the thing that determines her actions. She opened her laptop, continued to review the tracking records, mentally preparing for the unpredictable developments ahead.

Her phone vibrated, a text message from Trinh Gia Linh: "I just finished watching the press conference. Are you okay? Everyone in the team is talking loudly, some of them are swayed by Y Nhi's words." Yen Chi texted back, her tone through the text message still remained calm: "I'm fine. Just let everyone think whatever they think, the truth will be proven." Putting down the phone, she looked out the window, the city lights were still sparkling like every night, but this time, in her heart was a determination more determined than ever: she would not let a tearful press conference staged to erase the entire truth that she had worked so hard to build.