Shen Jin took the phone and slowly examined the Wan Hui Network website. From the overall design to the specific features, everything felt eerily familiar. As his gaze deepened with a hint of gravity, the dim lighting in the room concealed his unease, so even Zhou Fan, who was sitting closest to him, didn’t notice anything unusual.

While the others continued their discussion, Shen Jin gripped the phone tightly. For most people, Linshen’s launch of Wan Hui Network would seem like a fallout with Xuyu Group, but Shen Jin knew better. He knew this was because of that matter.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Zhou Fan’s loud voice.
“Shen Ge.”
“What?” Shen Jin’s mind had been preoccupied, so he hadn’t caught what Zhou Fan was saying.
“I asked if you think this website looks familiar. I feel like I’ve seen something similar before, but I just can’t remember where…”

Shen Jing’s expression darkened slightly, but he subtly diverted the topic.
“Most websites these days have similar overall styles. The only differences are in the specific functionalities.”

After speaking, he handed the phone back to Zhou Fan.
“It’s late. We have research to do tomorrow. Time to sleep.”
“Oh, okay.”

Shen Jin lay in bed but couldn’t fall asleep. From the moment he first saw the website, he recognized it immediately. It was identical to that website from back then. The only difference was that what existed back then was just a prototype, while now, many of the features had been fully realized.

His heart pounded as his mind replayed Linshen’s icy, emotionless voice:
“Shen Jin, you stole from me. You may have gained temporary glory, but one day, I’ll stand before you and take back the honor that rightfully belongs to us.”

Over the years, Shen Jin had dismissed those words. After all, he had covered his tracks well, and Linshen couldn’t find any evidence. As long as he didn’t admit it, no one would ever know the truth.

And Linshen? That incident had ruined his reputation and career.

It was all because of Xuyu Group. If it weren’t for that upstart company, Linshen’s team would have collapsed long ago. How could they have had the chance to make a comeback?

—

After Wan Hui Network went live, Linshen and his team kept a close eye on the page, watching the steadily rising metrics with genuine excitement.

Amid their joy, there was a sense of deep emotion.
“Lao Lin, after all this time, the website we designed back then has finally gone live. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day.”
“What kind of expression do you think Shen Jin will have when he sees Wan Hui Network? Panicked? Sleepless all night?”
“It’s such a pity we can’t witness it ourselves.”
“We’ll see it soon,” Linshen said coldly as he stared at the name “Wan Hui Network” on the screen. “Very soon.”

“Alright, enough about Shen Jin. Let’s not spoil the mood with that unpleasant name. I bought some drinks. Tonight, we should properly celebrate this.”

Perhaps because it was indeed a moment worth celebrating, even Linshen, who rarely touched alcohol, drank half a glass. Unfortunately, his tolerance was low, and his head quickly became foggy.

When sober, he might have reminded himself not to contact her easily. But now, with his mind clouded, he forgot all about it. He took out his phone and dialed a number. When the call connected, he smiled like a child.
“Suisui, our website is finally live.”
“I’m so happy.”

On the other end, Meng Suihuan, who had been fast asleep, was startled awake by the call. Still groggy, she took a while to gather her thoughts.
“Why are you calling me all of a sudden? Did something important happen?”
“Suisui, I’m so happy. Our website went live.”

His nonsensical response left Meng Suihuan puzzled.
“What are you talking about?”

Linshen repeated the same sentence again and again. Even though she was still groggy, she quickly realized something was off. Tentatively, she asked, “Did you drink?”
“Mm!” He hummed in confirmation, nodding on the other end of the line, and repeated the same words again.

Meng Suihuan: “…”

She never imagined that a drunken Linshen could be so persistent, endlessly repeating one sentence. Didn’t he get tired of it? After several attempts to steer the conversation failed, she could only mumble to herself,
“Didn’t Tianxia Network go live a long time ago?”

They had even celebrated its launch together back then. At that time, he had seemed so calm and composed, exuding the poise and demeanor of a leader. Not like now.
“It’s Wan Hui Network. It’s called Wan Hui Network.”

To her surprise, he actually heard her random mumbling and responded to it, unlike when she had been speaking to him seriously earlier.

She couldn’t help but laugh.
When she spoke earnestly, he ignored her, but when she casually muttered something, he responded. Truly baffling.

Curious about what he was talking about, Meng Suihuan got out of bed and grabbed her backup phone. Unsure of the exact characters, she typed the corresponding pinyin into the search bar. What began as a casual attempt turned into genuine surprise when she actually found Wan Hui Network.

Clicking into the site, the first thing she noticed was the name in the top left corner and the tagline, which was nearly identical to Tian Xia Network’s:
Wan Hui Net
— A collection of countless pieces of information. Your questions, our answers.

She chuckled.
The tagline wasn’t as clever as hers, but it was passable.

After a quick glance at the page and its features, she noticed they weren’t as well-designed as Tian Xia Network’s.
“I really don’t understand why your so happy about this. Your treating it like some kind of treasure,” she teased with a light laugh.

Talking to a drunk person is always a gamble—sometimes they respond, sometimes they don’t.

Just like now, the only reply she got was the sound of steady breathing from the other end of the line.

Meng Suihuan: “…”

She really wanted to reach through the phone, grab the now-sleeping Linshen, and shake him awake.
He had called her in the middle of the night just to talk about this trivial matter, and after disrupting her sleep, he had the nerve to fall asleep himself!

“Hmph.”
“I’ll remember this.”
“I’ll settle this score with you next time!”

“Miss Meng, I’ve found out who’s targeting us.”

For the past few days, Jiang Chengxuan had been investigating relevant information. When he finally uncovered some details, he immediately called Meng Suihuan to share the good news.

Based on Jiang Chengxuan’s findings, the culprit was Shoucheng Group, one of the earliest real estate companies in Ning City. Before arriving in Ning City, Meng Suihuan had done her research on competitors in the same industry, and naturally, Shoucheng Group was among them.

The company’s founder, Yang Yuming, had made his fortune flipping houses during the early stages of reform. He bought low, sold high, and amassed an enormous fortune, making him one of the first wealthy individuals in Ning City. But that was more than a decade ago.

With policy changes and more daring entrepreneurs entering the business world or engaging in real estate ventures, Shoucheng Group began to fade into the background. Yang Yuming, now advanced in age and lacking the energy to manage the group’s affairs, gradually stepped away from the industry.

“Why would Shoucheng Group be competing with us for land? Haven’t they shifted their focus to other sectors?”
“If I remember correctly, wasn’t it the smartphone sector?”
“Yes, Shoucheng is now primarily focused on smartphone development.”

“I’ve also heard more about it. Recently, there was a personnel change in Shoucheng Group. The original chairman, Yang Yuming, retired due to health reasons, and now all operations are managed by his son, Yang Xun.”
“Perhaps this change brought a shift in their development strategy.”

“Oh, Yang Xun? It’s him?”
“Miss Meng, do you know Yang Xun?” Jiang Chengxuan asked curiously.
“I don’t know him.” She paused before adding, “I’ve just heard the name before.”

Her words weren’t exactly a lie; she hadn’t heard it from someone else but rather from reading the plot of the original story. In that story, Yang Xun played a notable role, primarily as a foil to the male lead, accelerating his growth or heating up the romance between the male and female leads. Yang Xun had an eccentric personality and unpredictable methods. Upon noticing Linshen’s potential, he had repeatedly tried to poach him. Though unsuccessful, his actions still caused significant trouble for Linshen.

“Alright, I’ve got it.”
“Once I wrap up my current work, we’ll find an opportunity to meet Yang Xun in person.”
“Got it.”

However, before Meng Suihuan could find the time to approach Yang Xun, Shoucheng Group’s people came to her first.

Raising her eyebrows slightly, she was a bit surprised but didn’t overthink it. Calmly, she said, “Let them in.”

Before her words even finished, a man in a pink shirt under a black suit strode in confidently, sunglasses perched arrogantly on his nose. He scanned the room as if inspecting a grand estate, his gaze finally landing on her. After staring for a moment, he lowered his sunglasses and glanced at her with a sneer.
“You’re the boss of Xuyu?”

His arrogant demeanor was even more insufferable than described in the book. Since he was so rude, she naturally decided to respond in kind. Ignoring his question as if she hadn’t heard it, she turned to the staff beside her and said, “You can leave now.”

After dismissing the staff, she sat calmly, making no effort to hide her scrutinizing gaze as she looked him over from head to toe. But she still didn’t acknowledge him, leaving him to stand there awkwardly.

Yang Xun, left hanging like that, grew irritated. He walked up to her desk, knocked on it with his hand, and removed his sunglasses in frustration.
“I’m talking to you! Is this how Xuyu treats its guests? No manners at all?”

Only then did Meng Suihuan lift her gaze. With a mocking laugh, she said,
“At Xuyu, we always treat our guests with courtesy. But for someone like you—who barges in uninvited, rude and disrespectful—I’m already being polite by not having you thrown out.”