Liu Qian could sense his head throbbing as he spoke. His eyes were red before he knew it.

After Qi Hui was done typing the last word, he finally raised his head and looked at Liu Qian annoyingly. “Aren’t you overreacting? Do you really think they are bigshots just because they created the system?”

Qi Hui scoffed and stood up. He leaned forward against the table with both hands and looked at Liu Qian. “Don’t you know who you’re dealing with? The institute handles confidential projects. You should be glad they were willing to give you authorization of any kind. What’s your problem?”

Liu Qian was stunned by what he heard. After some time, he finally composed himself.

He said angrily, “You know that’s not how it works. Our students created the system, so they naturally have the right to ownership. Even if their projects are top secret, it doesn’t give them the right to steal someone else’s work, right?”

It was no different from robbing the students.

Moreover, Prof Liu had approved this authorization agreement. Liu Qian simply could not wrap his mind around it.

“What do you mean by stealing someone’s work? Use your brains, okay? The project belonged to the institute from the start.” Qi Hui shook his head and tried to argue his point with Liu Qian. “Don’t you know how the world works? Sometimes, you can’t get everything you want.”

Liu Qian clenched his fists as he looked at the nonchalant look on Qi Hui’s face. He nearly wanted to rip the so-called authorization letter to shreds.

It was clear that Qi Hui did not care about the ownership of the students’ work. Perhaps he had even helped to make this happen. After all, he had a history of being an underhanded man.

Liu Qian inhaled deeply. After suppressing the fury in his heart, he said calmly, “I understand the unwritten rules in the trade, Mr. Qi. I hate to tell you this, but this authorization is non-binding.”

Qi Hui frowned on hearing this. “What do you mean?”

Liu Qian looked at the authorization letter mockingly and slammed it on the table. He finally replied. “Their work is protected by a patent. Even if you sign the authorization letter, it makes no difference.”

Liu Qian felt relieved that Huo Yao had thought ahead and reminded him about obtaining a patent ahead of time. Otherwise, there was no recourse for them.

Qi Hui narrowed his eyes. He naturally knew what Liu Qian meant. “Have you applied for a patent?”

“That’s right. The application has been approved and the official certification will be ready in a few months.” Liu Qian spoke solemnly.

Fortunately, software-related patents provided protection immediately from the time of application. The other patents were only legally binding after they received the certificate officially.

Qi Hui could tell Liu Qian was not joking. He instantly looked worried. “Why didn’t you tell me about the patent?”

“If I told you before applying for it, I’m sure you would have warned the institute and tried to stop me, right?” Liu Qian lost his temper and answered in a mocking tone.

Qi Hui felt annoyed. After all, he was the department head. “I told you already that I was not in a position to do as I please. Since you have applied for a patent, you could have at least told me about it. I could have avoided offending the institute.”