As soon as Lu Linshen returned, Qin Yu eagerly came over, wanting to take credit. “Lu Ge, I’ve already arranged for the news to be released. It will definitely take effect in the next couple of days. How about that, did I handle the timing well this time?” Instead of receiving praise, Qin Yu saw a look of disapproval on Lu Linshen’s face, as if he were disappointed in him.

“Why aren’t you usually this proactive?” Lu Linshen bit out.

Qin Yu, being lively, talkative, and well-connected, had been entrusted with spreading the news and influencing public opinion. Lu Linshen had assigned him the task of releasing the information about the company’s plan to operate independently at the right moment.

Qin Yu felt wronged, “Isn’t it because you were worried that things might change if it was delayed?”

Lu Linshen didn’t respond. Seeing his expression darken, Qin Yu quickly added, “I only took the initiative because you said everything was ready. I hope this won’t affect the follow-up arrangements?”

“…It won’t have much impact,” Lu Linshen replied. However, now that the news was out, he couldn’t approach her directly for a while, to avoid suspicion.

Qin Yu, seeing the seriousness on his face, mischievously teased, “So, were you feeling down because you couldn’t see Meng Jie for a long time?”

Lu Linshen gave him a glance. “Meng Jie asked me to help with a lottery system. If you’re so free, you can help write the basic code.”

“Lu Ge, I’m really busy. The new program we wrote is still in trial operation, and with Lao Xie and the others not around, I have to keep an eye on several computers by myself,” Qin Yu said, then turned to leave but paused, adding, “This heavy love from Meng Jie, you can enjoy it alone.”

Though he said this, in the middle of the night, Qin Yu woke up to go to the bathroom and found that Lu Linshen was still working overtime, sitting with a computer in his lap, wearing a jacket.

“You’ve got the lights too bright, I can’t sleep at all,” Qin Yu complained as he sat down cross-legged across from Lu Linshen. “What code are we still missing?”

Lu Linshen smiled lightly and without hesitation listed the missing codes. With Qin Yu’s help, their efficiency improved greatly. By the time the morning light started to shine through, they finally wrapped things up.

During the trial run, Qin Yu stretched his shoulders and said, “Lu Ge, when other people pursue women, they usually take them to dinner, watch movies, or maybe buy flowers. But you? You’re coding every day for love. Can’t we be a little more fashionable?”

“She’s not just anyone,” Lu Linshen replied.

“Pfft—” Qin Yu smirked, “Lu Ge, don’t try to deny it. You just don’t know how to flirt, and you make excuses for it. The worst part is, the excuse is terrible.”

Unable to resist, Qin Yu continued, “At this rate, when will I get to drink your and Meng Jie’s wedding wine?”

“Don’t expect any wedding wine. We probably won’t be having one,” Lu Linshen said with a tone of self-pity.

Hearing his pessimism, Qin Yu immediately grew anxious. He quickly slapped his mouth, “Pah, pah, pah, Lu Ge, don’t listen to my crows’ mouth. Although you’re pursuing Meng Jie through coding, just like you said, she’s no ordinary woman. I’m sure she’s seen all the usual methods many times. She might even appreciate your unique approach. Don’t get discouraged…”

Lu Linshen smiled without explaining and then said to him, “Let me treat you to breakfast. What do you want?”

“I’ll have one bowl of vegetable soup noodles, one fried dough stick, two sesame buns, and a plate of pickled vegetables…” Qin Yu listed off his orders in rapid succession.

Lu Linshen was stunned. “Your breakfast will probably take two hours from East City to West City, are you sure?”

Patting his now-flat stomach, Qin Yu pouted, “Then just a bowl of vegetable soup noodles and two plates of pickled vegetables. Make sure they add more pickled vegetables.”

“…”

Meng Suihuan didn’t expect that, just one day after Lu Linshen had agreed to help her with the lottery program, he had already finished it. When she saw the completed lottery system, she was stunned. He had been staying up late working on other projects, and the bloodshot eyes hadn’t even cleared up, but here he was again, staying up late to help her. Dark circles had appeared under his eyes, and she was a bit concerned.

“Can your body handle all this staying up? I’m not in a rush; you can rest and work on it later…” she said.

“Lao Qin has already spread the news. After today, we will be at odds with the company, and it will be difficult for me to meet with you alone for a long time,” Lu Linshen replied.

This was the result she had been waiting for, but when it actually came, she could feel a pang of bitterness in her heart. She quickly avoided his gaze, pretending she hadn’t heard him, and changed the subject.

“Oh, the news was released early. Will this affect your plans?”

“It won’t affect anything,” Lu Linshen said as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, which had an address and a phone number written on it. “Yesterday, you mentioned you wanted to collaborate with someone. This is my senior from the same school. He’s reliable both in terms of ability and character. This is his address and phone number. You can contact him when the time comes.”

Meng Suihuan laughed at his sudden change of attitude. “Just yesterday you were against me seeking out other teams, and now you’re actively helping me make connections?”

“Did the sun rise in the west?” Lu Linshen coughed, looking a bit awkward. “There are indeed many internet teams emerging lately, but many of them just follow the same old formulas, with no real technology of their own. Collaborating with such teams would be a waste of time. Even if you’re lucky enough to find a solid team, what happens if they leave with their team later? All your efforts would be wasted.”

“Rather than that, it’s better to build a team of your own.”

“Lu Linshen,” she suddenly called out with a smile.

“Yes?” he responded.

“Was that description of yours meant for yourself?” Meng Suihuan teased.

Lu Linshen didn’t answer, his face showing a moment of discomfort. Meng Suihuan smiled more and took the address and phone number he had written down. “Don’t worry, this time I’ll be cautious and learn from you.”

In just two or three days, the news spread rapidly, and as the person involved, Meng Suihuan naturally received a lot of attention. To avoid further gossip, she deliberately stayed indoors more. Although she had cut herself off from external chatter, things were still stirring within Xuyu Group.

“Xiao Lu was designing our lottery system just a few days ago. How did he suddenly decide to leave the company?”

“Yeah, this came out of nowhere.”

“Meng Jie, we’re all dying to know, tell us what’s going on!”

“I’ve noticed your relationship with Xiao Lu has been a bit cold lately. Is there a conflict? Even if there is, you wouldn’t joke about something like this!”

For all these questions, Meng Suihuan only had one answer: “It’s true.”

“As for the reason, there’s no real reason. It’s just time for things to part ways.”

The news quickly spread, naturally reaching Zhou Fan’s ears. He hurried to share it with Shen Jin and others. “Shen Ge, Shen Ge, I’ve got huge news! Come over here quickly!”

“Zhou Fan, we’re busy with research. Why are you so excited?”

“Yeah, every day is busy as hell. You’re not focusing on chip research, and yet you have time to gossip.”

“This is different.” Seeing their disinterest, Zhou Fan didn’t drag it out. He got straight to the point. “This isn’t ordinary gossip. It’s gossip about our competitor, Lu Linshen.”

When Lu Linshen’s name was mentioned, it was like a stone dropped into calm waters, causing ripples. The group, who had been complaining just moments before, immediately became interested. Even Shen Jin, who had been focused on coding, stopped and gave Zhou Fan a curious look.

“What happened to Lu Linshen?”

“Shen Ge, since you asked, I’ll stop hiding it. Lu Linshen and Xuyu Group had a falling out over differences in ideas, and now his team has completely cut ties with Xuyu.”

“He’s lost the powerful backing he had.”

“Is this news for real? No way, it can’t be. Didn’t he just help Xuyu develop a mobile phone chip? The company is on the rise, so how could they break up?”

“Exactly, Xuyu just went public recently. Everyone knows this isn’t the right time to leave. A smart person like Lu Linshen would never make such a choice. This must be fake news…”

Zhou Fan quickly countered, “I’ve looked into it, and it’s true. Just yesterday, Xuyu posted an announcement on Tianxia Network.”

“Wait, I’ll show you.”

Tianxia Network: “After negotiations, Xuyu Group and Huaqi Network Company have peacefully terminated their contract. We wish both parties all the best in the future.”

Just a few lines of text, but it caused an uproar. The post had thousands of comments below it.

“Look at how many people are commenting on this. But since Tianxia Network posted this announcement, they haven’t published anything else related.”

One person quickly snatched Zhou Fan’s phone and read it closely. “Wow, it really is a post from Xuyu!”

“Hey, Xuyu is hot right now in Ning City. How could Lu Linshen cut ties with them at this crucial moment? Do you think he didn’t leave voluntarily but was kicked out?”

“Impossible! They’re in different industries—Lu Linshen with internet development and Xuyu with real estate—there’s no major conflict of interests. It was supposed to be a win-win to keep them together, so it’s unlikely…”

“How can there not be a conflict of interests? Lu Linshen has developed Tianxia Network and mobile phone chips. Both of those projects are hugely profitable. But given their current positions, Xuyu is taking most of the profits. Think about it—he spent so much effort creating those things, only for Xuyu to profit off them. After a few times, it’s bound to make him unhappy.”

After their analysis, Zhou Fan felt that each reason was possible, and he suddenly became confused. He looked up at Shen Jin, who seemed unaffected.

“Shen Ge, what do you think?” Zhou Fan asked.

Shen Jin held a central position in their group, almost like the soul of the team, so everyone became curious about his opinion and fell silent.

Shen Jin remained calm and spoke in a cold voice. “Lu Linshen is a rational person. Making such a decision at this point is not a simple matter. There’s most likely another reason behind it.”

“However, no matter what the reason is, as long as he’s distancing himself from Xuyu, this is a good thing for us.”