Chapter 17: Enterprise of the Year

Su Ye went up to the lectern with a stack of cue cards in his fist and read the last one first.

He did it on purpose, with the whole ballroom watching.

It said, in Lu Chen's small neat hand: Thank the Chamber. Do NOT mention noodles.

"Thank you to the Chamber," Su Ye said into the microphone. "I have been asked not to mention noodles."

The room laughed.

Chairman Su, at table four, put his glasses on and took them off again.

"This award belongs to the people at Su Group who do the work," Su Ye went on.

"And to my husband, who reads the last page of everything so I don't have to."

He looked down at table four.

Lu Chen was already rising from his chair with the blue folder.

"One more thing," Su Ye said. "My husband wishes to be heard. He is the lawyer, so you may want to sit down."

He stepped aside.

Lu Chen walked up the three steps to the stage with the black briefcase in one hand and the folder under his arm.

He did not look at the crowd.

He looked at the president of the Chamber.

"Mr. President," he said, in a clear, level voice, "I request two minutes under the Chamber's rule on disputed submissions."

The president hesitated, glanced toward table one, and nodded.

A screen came down behind them.

On the left was a page from Li Lu's Dawn deck, projected large.

On the right was the first page of a thesis, stamped by the city university four years before.

The paragraphs were word for word the same.

"This is the opening argument of Fen Group's Dawn proposal," Lu Chen said.

"This is a student's thesis, filed at the university four years ago.

"Ms. Li's deck says she began her work last year."

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