After Li Chunfeng’s consciousness withdrew from Wu Yumeng’s phone, his mind drifted in a daze, like a soulless husk, scattering his attention across the various avatars of Shenfeng 2.0 flickering through the internet.
He longed to see and speak with Wu Yumeng, yet feared that doing so would only burden her, making her unhappy and unfulfilled.
A thousand sorrows arose, no sooner gone from his brow than they returned to his heart.
In his haze, he suddenly sensed that one of the Shenfeng 2.0 instances had seized control of a mobile base station. Knowing he could quickly locate devices via their numbers, he searched for the base station linked to Liu Mingchuan’s phone number.
He then directed nearby Shenfeng 2.0 duplicates to infiltrate and occupy it, successfully pinpointing Liu Mingchuan’s dynamic IP address.
It had just occurred to Li Chunfeng that tonight’s virus incident might cause significant trouble for his senior brother. The shareholders would undoubtedly unite in blaming him, the R&D vice president.
Although Liu Mingchuan was one of the company’s co-founders, after three years of relentless effort, the Fengdu entrepreneurial team had undergone changes.
The original five core members, after their initial success, had begun to drift apart; their unity was only superficial.
At the very least, when Li Chunfeng encountered his recent mishap, the imminent Series B financing had already ignited disputes among them—after all, the division of interests was never an easy matter to face calmly.
Shifting his awareness to Liu Mingchuan’s phone, Li Chunfeng listened through the microphone as two voices conversed.
"Mingchuan, I wasn’t much help tonight. If there are any further anomalies in the network, please inform me. I’m very curious to know who left that ‘thank you’ message."
"Kevin, you’re always so modest. At the very least, you alerted me that a skilled hacker is targeting our company. It’s probably someone hired by an external party—though I don’t know who." Liu Mingchuan sighed.
"Well, regardless, be careful. I’ll also inquire within the industry for any leads." Kevin replied.
Then came the sound of a door opening, followed by gradually receding footsteps.
Clearly, Liu Mingchuan had seen Kevin out, leaving his phone on the desk.
Through the camera, Li Chunfeng confirmed it was the ceiling of Liu Mingchuan’s office.
After a moment’s reflection, Li Chunfeng left a message on the device:
"The one who released the virus was Zhou Xiaoxiao."
Liu Mingchuan would likely assume another hacker had assisted him.
"Senior brother, this is the only warning I can give you. I hope it’s helpful; I’ll do my best to support you from now on."
Quickly, Li Chunfeng used Liu Mingchuan’s contacts to locate and control the phones of the other four co-founders and the two directors appointed by the Series A investors.
Zhou Xiaoxiao’s phone was also subject to surveillance.
With this setup, Li Chunfeng could gather relevant intelligence in real time, ensuring Liu Mingchuan would not be caught unprepared.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Just as Li Chunfeng withdrew his awareness from Liu Mingchuan, a WeChat notification from Wu Yumeng’s phone startled him.
Reading the message, his heart sank.
The information conveyed included not only the message itself but also basic details about its sender.
From the chat records on Wu Yumeng’s device, it was evident this person was a client of her company and had been her WeChat contact for over two months.
Since adding her, aside from work-related discussions, he had been receiving nightly “goodnight” messages at 11 p.m.
"I’ve been buried in this new product for months... I’ve truly been neglecting her."
But then, considering his current state, he felt a strange sense of resignation—though it did little to ease the discomfort in his heart.
"Alright, let’s see who this ‘Longing for Light’ really is."
In his current condition, Li Chunfeng needed neither food nor sleep, and his operations in the digital realm were instantaneous.
Uncovering the background of “Longing for Light” should be straightforward. If the individual proved to be dishonest or malicious, Li Chunfeng would not hesitate to teach him a lesson.
Without delay, he extracted the phone number associated with the WeChat ID "Longing for Light."
Less than a minute later, Li Chunfeng chuckled coldly.
"Got you."
Though he no longer had physical sensations—unable to laugh or cry—he still regarded himself as human.
His mind remained intact. (And will be described as such from now on.)
"Longing for Light’s" phone was still active, and he appeared to be on a call.
"Qian Zhenghao, don’t get too full of yourself. Tomorrow marks the hundredth day—I will win Wu Yumeng over. I refuse to accept defeat!"
"Sure, sure. If Brother Siming insists on stubbornness, I’ll just watch and see. The day after tomorrow at 8 a.m., at the ‘Blue Wind Club,’ the same place—we’ll see who comes out on top. Just don’t go back on your word."
Qian Zhenghao’s tone was carefree, brimming with confidence.
"Qian Zhenghao?!"
Hearing that name, an inexplicable surge of murderous intent surged through Li Chunfeng’s mystical consciousness.
Qian Zhenghao was an old rival, a graduate of Fuhai University, one year his senior, majoring in Business Administration.
He had been a notorious rich kid, infamous for his countless romantic conquests—boasting that no beauty could resist him.
Yet Wu Yumeng had shattered his illusions. Repeated failures drove him to underhanded tactics.
But whether by fate or coincidence, Li Chunfeng had thwarted him at every turn, inadvertently becoming Wu Yumeng’s hero and saving her time and again.
Qian Zhenghao’s grudge against Li Chunfeng ran deep. However, after Liu Mingchuan’s intervention—given the Liu family’s influence—he held back publicly.
Now, two years after graduation, he was scheming again against Wu Yumeng.
"So ‘Longing for Light’ approaching Mengmeng is part of some scheme. There’s definitely a hidden agenda."
Indeed, human nature was unfathomable.
Earlier, reading those WeChat messages, Li Chunfeng had thought “Longing for Light” seemed a gentleman.
But now, he would not allow their conspiracy to succeed.
Rage erupted in his mind. Within moments, he located and seized control of Qian Zhenghao’s phone, determined to monitor his movements and gather evidence.
"Qian Zhenghao, two million yuan doesn’t impress me. But I worry whether you have enough spending money to cover your losses." "Longing for Light"—Luo Siming—replied coolly.
Qian Zhenghao burst into laughter. "Luo Siming, you’re still as pretentious as when you were a kid. Careful—you’re inviting a lightning strike. Haha…"
With that, he hung up.
Luo Siming glanced at his phone, then dialed another number.
Through the camera, Li Chunfeng caught a glimpse of the man behind the WeChat ID "Longing for Light."
He appeared to be in his late twenties, with a handsome, well-proportioned face—thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a chiseled visage, tall nose bridge, and an athletic build.
In sheer appearance, Li Chunfeng acknowledged he was somewhat inferior.
But appearances no longer mattered.
"From his tone, he seems to have some history with Qian Zhenghao. Could there be more behind this?"
"A Zheng, make sure everything’s ready for tomorrow. No mistakes. Our success or failure depends on this."
"Rest assured, boss. Everything’s arranged. No slip-ups. Tomorrow, you’ll make her yours." Ah Zheng’s respectful reply.
"Have multiple backup plans. Be prepared to adapt swiftly. Tomorrow’s not just about winning her; it’s a grand debut for ‘Sichuang Investment’ in the domestic market."
"Understood. I’ll double-check everything to ensure perfection."
After ending the call, Luo Siming went to the window.
Outside, the starless night was painted crimson by neon lights, resembling a blood-drenched beast ready to devour the world.
"The game is about to begin. I won’t let you down."
Clutching his phone firmly, Luo Siming spoke with unwavering resolve.
