HARD DECISION

Chen Yiren got out of the car with his father, Mr. Chen. Lin Nan took a deep breath and walked up to the two of them. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yiren, I have something to discuss with you."

Chen Yiren, who had been in a bad mood since the morning, waved his hand impatiently and said, "We will discuss this after the competition."

Lin Nan, however, was not to be deterred. He stood in front of Chen Yiren, blocking his path, and said, "It is very important." There was a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Yiren, it appears your companion has something of importance to express to you. It would be wise of you to grant them an ear," said Mr. Chen in a gentle voice.

Lin Nan hurriedly led him in a quite corner and asked with some hesitation, "Did our project idea was stolen by Su Anya."

He knew it wasn't a good thing to doubt his own team but for some reason he felt that there was something wrong with their project. Somewhere in his he started to believe in Su Anya. He don't want to win this competition through wrong means.

Chen Yiren's face grew cold and his eyes glinted with viscous darkness. He took a step closer to Lin Nan and looked down on him, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"So what, even if I did take their project? At the end of the day, I'm the one who benefits from it," he said. "Aren't you benefiting from this too? So why are you wasting your time acting like you're better than everyone else?"

Lin Nan's face paled and he felt a pang of bitterness in his chest. He had been suspicious of Chen Yiren all this time but had held on to the hope that their team would make it to the finals through their own hard work and dedication. But now, with this new evidence in front of him, his hopes were dashed.

Still, Lin Nan managed to stay composed and said, "It doesn't matter whether you stole someone else's work or not. What matters is that you put our team's success in jeopardy by plagiarizing someone else's ideas. You may have benefitted from it today, but it's only a matter of time before your actions come back to haunt you. It's not worth the risk."

"Hah, who is gonna reveal the truth." Chen Yiren said, pointing his finger at Lin Nan. "You."

Lin Nan's heart pounded in his chest as he clenched his fist and said, "I will quit this competition and I am going to tell the competition authority truth."

Chen Yiren chuckled at the audacity of his words and said, "Do you think you have the power to go against me, don't forget I can make your father lose his job. I hope you won't put your family in trouble just to seek justice for others."

Lin Nan glared at him. He knew it was true, and his resolve began to waver.

Lin Nan stood rooted on the ground. On one hand, he was feeling guilty for Su Anya's team and on the other hand, he didn't want his father to lose his job.

"Choice is yours." Chen Yiren patted his shoulder and walked out of the room.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to sort out his turbulent thoughts and emotions. He knew it would be hard for his family to survive if his father lose his job. He had no doubt that Chen Yiren was aware of the consequences of revealing the truth. It would mean his father losing his job, and likely the entire team being disqualified from the competition. Yet he couldn't bring himself to take credit for the work that Su Anya's team had put into their project.

With a heavy heart, he finally made his decision.

"I will quit from this competition and will not tell anyone anything about the stealing of the project," Lin Nan said firmly. He may not be able to reveal the truth, but he couldn't let himself become a partner in this stolen success.

…

"Has anyone seen Lin Nan? He has not yet arrived. It's almost time to announce the competition's top three." One of Chen Yiren's team members, Li Jie, inquired.

"I didn't see him; should we give him a call?" As another team member took out his phone to dial Lin Nan's number, he said.

"There is no need; he is not a member of our team. He has withdrawn from the competition." Chen Yiren said annoyingly.

Li Jie and the other team members were stunned upon hearing Chen Yiren words. They wanted to ask why he had quit, but looking at Chen Yiren's bad mood they didn't have the courage to question him.