At the competition venue.
The crowd surged, and no one paid attention to the interaction between the two. Time passed minute by minute, and the competition officially began. The venue and the judging panel were all arranged by Feiyun Group. After all, Meng Suihuan’s foundation was still unstable, and she didn’t know many big names in the industry. However, she spotted a familiar face among the judges—the person she had met when she went to report at Tianxia Network. He seemed to notice her gaze and nodded in her direction, acknowledging her.

As for her seat, it was next to President Chen, and she had been called over by his assistant. Meng Suihuan gave Lu Linshen and the others a few final instructions, then glanced over them with a smile, cheering them on.
“Good luck!”

Seeing her sweet smile, Lu Linshen felt a slight tremor in his heart.

Following the assistant, Meng Suihuan arrived beside President Chen, who, without hesitation, introduced her to those around them. Meng Suihuan didn’t act shy or lower her status. She interacted with them with a calm attitude, not being from this profession but leveraging her knowledge and insights from her future life. Occasionally, she was able to chime in with her thoughts, and the conversation was very pleasant.

One person, smiling, looked at her. “When Lao Chen first told me about this, I thought it was Lao Zhang. But when he told me the one he made the bet with was a girl in her twenties, I became even more curious about this competition.”

“No matter the outcome, it’s good to see more and more young people entering our circle. This means our team is growing stronger, and the gap with foreign countries is narrowing,” another person added.

Listening to their satisfied tones, Meng Suihuan nodded slowly, speaking with a relaxed voice.
“Yes, in the future, the gap between us and other countries will keep shrinking, and perhaps we’ll even surpass them in some areas.”

After all, in the 21st century, our country had risen, gaining a voice internationally. The Internet of Things was developing at an astonishing speed, achieving remarkable progress. Things like online payments were global firsts. Thinking about this made Meng Suihuan feel immensely proud.

However, while others couldn’t quite empathize with her pride, their impression of her had improved.

During their conversation, Lu Linshen and the others had already headed to the competition area with Feiyun Group’s employees. The competition, with no smoke of war, officially began. Everyone was intently watching the large screen not far away, where the real-time status of both sides was displayed. They each placed their chips in their designated spots, successfully connecting them to the computers in front of them.

Lu Linshen’s movements were slightly slower, and unexpectedly, the other side had already started their presentation. Qin Yu was a little upset.
“How could you do this? Didn’t we agree that the display order would be decided by a draw?!”

The response was a disdainful glance and an arrogant attitude.
“Oh, so what? The fact that we’re even competing with you guys is already elevating you.”

“Besides, what if you go first and scare the audience away?”

“You!” Qin Yu, furious, stood up to argue, but just as he was about to get up, Lu Linshen pressed him back down.
“Don’t bother.”

“After all, we’re competing on skill, not on who goes first. Whoever shows first doesn’t automatically win.”

Liu Ge laughed at Lu Linshen’s nonchalant tone.
“Still so tough. It’s fine, though. Soon you’ll realize there’s a gap, and you can’t make up for it with just words. You need this.” He pointed to his head, with a mocking tone.

Lu Linshen’s expression remained unchanged. His gaze shifted to the person in charge beside him, speaking calmly.
“Could you please inform President Chen? I’ve decided to add one condition.”

The person in charge was momentarily taken aback.
“What condition?”

“If we win, I want them to—”

Lu Linshen pointed towards Brother Liu and the others who had just mocked them.
“Apologize to us in front of everyone.”