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

14: Chapter 14 The Adult World is All About InterestsHis wrist was gripped so tightly it hurt.

Zhang Fan tried to pull his hand away, but Tang Wanqing gripped it even tighter, her knuckles turning white, like a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood.

She didn’t open her eyes; her brows were knitted into a knot, and broken sentences drifted from her lips: ”...Lying to me again... it’s all the same...”

The word ”betrayal” was like a needle, piercing Zhang Fan’s heart when he least expected it.

He remembered when Chang Yuan had copied his code and prepared to go claim credit from the boss, patting him on the shoulder and saying, ”Zhang Fan, you developed this; no one can take your credit away, don’t worry! I’ll definitely help get you a raise.”;

He remembered when Gu Feifei and Chang Yuan were having an affair in the stairwell, and she said, ”Zhang Fan, can you be more mature? Brother Yuan and I are truly in love! Look at you; besides writing a few lines of crappy code, what else can you do? Can you give me the life I want?”

...Those moments of betrayal overlapped with Tang Wanqing’s unconscious murmurs, unexpectedly giving rise to a bitter sense of shared misfortune.

”I’m not leaving,” he whispered, his voice so low, as if afraid to disturb something.

Tang Wanqing’s hand indeed loosened, and her breathing gradually steadied.

Zhang Fan sighed and turned to the bathroom to wring out a hot towel. Her cheeks were still flushed from the alcohol, and her lipstick had smeared onto her chin, making her look disheveled and fragile.

He gently wiped her face. When the towel touched the corner of her mouth, she rubbed against it like a little kitten, her eyelashes fluttering.

Feeding her water was even more troublesome. He supported the back of her neck and brought the glass to her lips, but most of the water spilled onto her collar.

Zhang Fan had no choice but to find a hairdryer and carefully blow-dry the wet patch. As the hot air brushed against her neck, she shrank her neck back and let out a vague, soft chuckle.

After fussing until the middle of the night, he finally sat down on the sofa. The suite’s sofa was large and soft, much more comfortable than the hard bed at his hostel, but he had no desire to sleep.

The moonlight outside the window gradually faded, and the horizon in the distance turned a fish-belly white. He sat there, fully clothed, listening to the steady breathing from the bed, as if guarding a fragile piece of porcelain.

At six in the morning, the first ray of sunlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling window, landing right on Tang Wanqing’s face.

She opened her eyes abruptly.

An unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar scent, and... the man on the sofa in a wrinkled suit.

Her mind went blank for a second, then was immediately engulfed by immense panic. Memories of last night flooded back like fragments—the filth of the drinking party, the struggle in the park, and that pair of hands covering her mouth...

”Ah!” She sat up abruptly, instinctively touching her neckline. Her fingertips felt the intact buttons, and she lowered her head to check her skirt—no tears, no stains, and even the off-white dress she wore last night was still perfectly on her body.

Her heart was pounding wildly. She steadied herself and finally saw the person on the sofa clearly.

It was the young man who had saved her in the park last night.

He was leaning his head against the back of the sofa, his brows slightly furrowed as if he hadn’t slept well, with faint dark circles under his eyes. The sunlight outlined his straight nose and tightly pressed lips; he didn’t look like a bad person.

But... why was he in the hotel room?

Just as Tang Wanqing was about to speak, the person on the sofa suddenly moved and opened his eyes abruptly.

Their eyes met.

Zhang Fan was clearly not fully awake either, his eyes still a bit dazed. It took him a few seconds to react, and he hurriedly stood up, his movement so rushed that he knocked over a throw pillow on the sofa.

”Aunt Tang, are you awake?” His cheeks flushed instantly, and he didn’t know where to put his hands. ”That... you drank too much last night, there were bad people in the park, and I...”

He explained incoherently, from the attack in the park to booking the hotel room, specifically emphasizing, ”I brought you here, I absolutely didn’t have any other intentions. Your clothes are intact, and I slept on the sofa all night...”

Finally, looking at Tang Wanqing’s still scrutinizing gaze, he took a deep breath and said seriously, ”Aunt, I’m not that kind of person.”

The more he spoke, the more confused he got, like a thief caught in the act.

Tang Wanqing looked at his flustered appearance and suddenly recalled the feeling of being on his back last night—broad, reliable, and that faint scent of soap.

She steadied herself, suppressed the panic in her heart, and her voice returned to its usual calmness: ”I know.”

Zhang Fan was stunned.

”Thank you.” Tang Wanqing lifted the quilt and got out of bed, her bare feet stepping on the carpet. ”Sorry for the trouble last night.” She walked to the window, turning her back to him, the morning light outlining her upright silhouette. ”What is your name?”

”Zhang Fan.” After saying this, he picked up his jacket from the sofa. ”As long as you’re okay, I’ll go back now.”

He wanted to leave, like a knight who had completed a mission—he didn’t need thanks, nor did he want to get entangled.

The disarray and tenderness of last night should be turned over once the day broke.

”Wait a moment.”

Tang Wanqing’s voice suddenly rang out, as calm as if she were a different person.

Zhang Fan’s footsteps paused.

She had already sat up, leaning against the headboard, the quilt sliding down to reveal her delicate collarbone.

In the morning light, the confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by the sharpness customary in the business world, like a hawk eyeing its prey.

”You’re Jingshen’s friend, right?” She spoke slowly, her tone revealing no joy or anger. ”I’ve seen you before, at the school gate, and... the day he resigned from Blue Whale.”

Zhang Fan was taken aback; he didn’t expect her to remember.

”Yes.” He nodded. ”My name is Zhang Fan, and Jingshen and I are college classmates.”

”Zhang Fan...” Tang Wanqing repeated the name, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on the bedsheet, making a ”click-clack” sound, as if she were calculating something. ”Have you encountered any difficulties recently?”

Zhang Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

”Yes.” Zhang Fan didn’t explain much; there was no need to speak of that grievance in front of her.

Tang Wanqing suddenly smiled, a very faint smile, but it was like ice melting. ”I know about you. Jingshen mentioned you to me, saying you were the best programmer in their department, writing code even better than the professors.”

Zhang Fan was stunned. When had that kid Gu Jingshen ever praised him in front of her?

”Sit down.” Tang Wanqing pointed to the single sofa opposite. ”Let’s talk.”

Her tone was unquestionable, carrying the aura of someone in a superior position, a completely different person from the woman who had grabbed his wrist and said ”Don’t go” last night.

Zhang Fan hesitated for a moment but sat down. He had a premonition that this conversation might be more important than last night’s rescue.

Morning light filled the room, stretching their shadows out long. One was a down-and-out programmer who had just crawled out of the mud, and the other was a female CEO who controlled a business empire. Lives that should have had no intersection had, because of an accidental rescue, met in this luxury suite, leading to an unexpected connection.

”What do you want to know?” Zhang Fan asked.

”I don’t like owing favors.” Tang Wanqing walked up to him, keeping a distance that was neither too far nor too close, maintaining politeness while exerting control. ”You saved me last night, and I must repay this favor. Tell me, what do you need? A job? Money?”

This was Tang Wanqing in the business world: direct, efficient, quantifying everything into transactions, because she understood that in the adult world, interests always come first.

Zhang Fan, however, suddenly smiled. ”Aunt Tang, I didn’t save you to get anything. Old Gu is my brother; I can’t ignore his family.” He paused and added, ”Besides, I’m not the type of person to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position.”

This was said very softly, yet it carried a stubborn frankness.

Tang Wanqing looked into his clear eyes; there was no greed, no calculation, only composure.

She suddenly realized that in this world where everything is about interests, there was still someone holding onto that clumsy sense of morality.

Her gaze softened, and the corners of her mouth even curled into a very faint smile. ”I know you’re not.”