Daily Intelligence: Forced to Save the Beautiful President at the Beginning

11: Chapter 11 My Best Friend’s Stepmother is Going to Get Picked Up by a Corpse TonightThe phone screen was lit up, playing a melodramatic scene from a Tomato short drama—a CEO pinning an amnesiac heroine against a wall for a forced kiss, with the comment section flooded with ”So sweet.”

Zhang Fan’s eyelids grew heavy as he watched, his finger unconsciously scrolling through the progress bar, when suddenly, a deep red intelligence notification popped up on the Daily Intelligence System.

[Warning! Your college best friend Gu Jingshen’s stepmother, Tang Wanqing, will be ”picked up” by someone at Xiouqiu Park tonight at 0:15 due to being drunk after a business engagement, and indecent photos will be taken of her!]

”Holy crap!” Zhang Fan nearly threw his phone away.

Old Gu’s mom?

His fingertip hovered over the screen, and Tang Wanqing’s face became clear in his mind.

Zhang Fan had met her three times before. Compared to her stunningly beautiful appearance, the powerful aura she carried left a deep impression on him.

But back then, Zhang Fan was just an ordinary college student. Facing such an imposing and beautiful CEO of a large company, he didn’t even have the confidence to speak to her normally.

The first time they met was at the end of his first semester of freshman year. She had arrived in a black Bentley to pick up Gu Jingshen for the New Year. She wore a well-tailored white suit, her red lips were like fire, and standing in the cold wind, she seemed to radiate her own light.

At the time, Gu Jingshen had stiffened his neck and said, ”I’m not going back.” This female CEO, known for her iron-fisted tactics in the business world, had actually reddened her eyes.

The second time was when Gu Jingshen got a room with a girl from the art department and happened to run into a surprise anti-vice police raid, getting cornered in the hallway of a budget hotel. He was so anxious he called Zhang Fan, asking him to quickly scrape together five thousand yuan for the fine, repeatedly urging him, ”Don’t let anyone else know.”

But just as Zhang Fan ran to the entrance of the Police Station, he saw Tang Wanqing standing at the door of the duty office.

She wasn’t wearing a suit, having changed into a silk dress, but her aura was still intimidating. Seeing Gu Jingshen being led out by the police with his hair a mess, she didn’t ask for the reason and immediately slapped him. With a sharp ”crack,” the echo in the hallway made one’s ears ache.

When she turned to negotiate with the police, her back was straight as a rod, but Zhang Fan clearly saw her raise her hand to wipe the corner of her eye.

After that, Gu Jingshen still acted tough, but he would occasionally tell Zhang Fan, ”My stepmother just landed another project,” with a hint of undetectable pride in his tone.

The third time was when Gu Jingshen resigned from Blue Whale Games. The two were dead drunk at a roadside stall when a car slowly pulled up to the side of the road—it was that same Bentley. Tang Wanqing was sitting in the driver’s seat, not honking the horn, just waiting quietly.

She was wearing flat shoes when she got out of the car. She walked up to Gu Jingshen, didn’t say ”resigning is shameful,” and didn’t ask ”what will you do in the future,” but just squatted down and patiently tied his loose shoelaces into a pretty bow. The light from the streetlamp fell on the top of her head, and a few white hairs were hidden among the black ones, making Zhang Fan’s heart ache.

In fact, Zhang Fan knew better than anyone that the ”stepmother” Gu Jingshen talked about treated him even better than many biological mothers.

The black card Gu Jingshen used for clubbing always had a full limit; the limited-edition watch on his wrist was brought over from Switzerland by someone Tang Wanqing had entrusted; even the parts for his gaudily modified motorcycle were obtained with the help of Tang Wanqing’s friends on a racing team.

Last time, Gu Jingshen was on a date with an internet celebrity and didn’t have the money to buy a limited-edition bag. He sent Tang Wanqing a WeChat message in the middle of the night without giving a reason, just sending a ”?”. Half an hour later, fifty thousand was deposited into his bank account, with the note: ”Don’t wrong the girl.”

Gu Jingshen always accused her of ”coveting the family fortune,” but the company Father Gu left behind had not only not been hollowed out by Tang Wanqing over the years, but she had actually made it even bigger than before.

Zhang Fan had urged Gu Jingshen more than once: ”Your stepmother treats you well enough.”

Gu Jingshen would always stiffen his neck and retort every time, but then turn around and wear the scarf Tang Wanqing had given him, or share the braised duck she made with his brothers.

Some kindness, even if not acknowledged by words, is already carved into the bones.

Especially this year, when Gu Jingshen actually went home for the New Year. If he hadn’t run off to Hainan right after the New Year, Zhang Fan would definitely have teased him about it.

But why would Gu Jingshen’s mom go to Xiouqiu Park while drunk?

Zhang Fan wasn’t unfamiliar with Xiouqiu Park. It was a famous old park in Jiangcheng, planted with evergreen hydrangeas. Every spring and summer, it would be a sea of purple and white, like clouds spread all over the ground.

But in the middle of the night, why would a female CEO, too drunk to stand steadily, wander into that secluded place? He couldn’t figure it out.

Zhang Fan didn’t know that the stone path in Xiouqiu Park was where Tang Wanqing and Gu Jingshen’s father had walked on their first date. The day Father Gu had the car accident was also such a cold night. After Tang Wanqing finished handling the funeral arrangements, she sat in the park alone until dawn.

Over the years, she had become the decisive CEO Tang in the eyes of outsiders, ruthless and with a cold aura, but often on certain nights—like tonight, when she drank too much at a business engagement, and Father Gu’s voice played over and over in her mind—she would inexplicably head toward Xiouqiu Park.

Perhaps she just wanted to sit on that bench, smell the faint floral scent in the night breeze, and like countless times before, wait for someone who would never come again.

The phone screen showed 12:03 AM, leaving only 12 minutes until the ”time of the incident” warned by the system.

”Shit!” Zhang Fan cursed, threw off the quilt, and started putting on his clothes. Gu Jingshen was still out having fun in Hainan; if something really happened to Tang Wanqing, with that kid’s explosive temper, he would turn all of Jiangcheng upside down when he got back.

He grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the hostel. The hallway lights flickered on from the sound of his footsteps, and Fat Auntie poked her head out from the duty office: ”Where are you going so late?”

”To save someone!” Zhang Fan’s voice echoed in the hallway, and he had already rushed down the stairs.

The alleyway was empty in the dead of night, and the cold wind blew into his suit collar, making him shiver. He ran frantically toward the intersection, his leather shoes making a ”clack-clack” sound on the concrete, like a death knell. He finally managed to flag down a taxi, and the driver was a sleepy-eyed middle-aged man: ”Where to, young man?”

”Xiouqiu Park! Fast! As fast as you can!” Zhang Fan stammered, pinching his thigh hard. ”Driver, please drive faster, it’s a matter of life and death!”

The taxi shot off with a ”whoosh,” the light from the dashboard reflecting on Zhang Fan’s pale face. He pulled out his phone to call Tang Wanqing, only to realize he didn’t have her number saved at all. In his WeChat chat with Gu Jingshen, the last message was still ”Wait for me to come back and drink,” but calling him now wouldn’t solve the immediate crisis.

”How much longer?”

”We’ll be there after we turn that corner, about five minutes.” The driver smacked his lips, ”The park is closed at night, what are you going there for?”

Zhang Fan didn’t speak, his heart in his throat. Five minutes—would it be enough?

The taxi stopped at the side gate of the park. There was no guard here, just a half-open iron gate. Zhang Fan threw a hundred-yuan bill at the driver and, not waiting for change, scrambled through the gate. His leather shoes stepped onto the lawn, getting covered in dew.

Xiouqiu Park was huge, and the streetlights at night were spaced far apart; the bushes under the light looked like clawing, snarling ghost shadows.

”Aunt Tang! Tang Wanqing!” He called out in a low voice, afraid of alerting the bad guys, yet afraid that if his voice was too soft, she wouldn’t hear him.

The lakeside was empty, with only the ”rustling” sound of the wind blowing through the willow branches. He ran along the lake shore, his heart pounding against his chest, and the wound on the back of his head began to ache again.

Just then, he saw someone in the distance who seemed to be asleep, leaning against the back of a bench.