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

146: Chapter 146 The Schemes of the Ex-Girlfriend and the AdultererUnder the sycamore tree at the entrance of Jiangcheng Prison, the autumn wind swirled fallen leaves, which landed on Chang Yuan’s shoulders.

He wore a faded, washed-out old jacket, clutching a tattered canvas bag in his hand, his eyes filled with resentment and malice.

After serving his three-year sentence, the former technical director of Blue Whale Games had become a forgotten ex-convict, with even his previous savings used to pay off legal settlements.

”Mr. Chang, please this way.” A black sedan slowly pulled up in front of him. The window rolled down to reveal a stranger’s face. ”I’m a staff member from Yunqi Technology. President Lu sent me to pick you up, saying he has a business deal he wants to discuss with you.”

Chang Yuan froze for a moment, then a flash of greed appeared in his eyes. He knew of Yunqi Technology; it was a top-tier tech company in Jiangcheng, and Lu Qingping was a well-known figure in the business world.

He suppressed the doubts in his heart and bent down to get into the car. ”What does President Lu want with me?”

The man handed Chang Yuan a document containing a technical analysis report of ”star path: reboot,” with the core parameters of the ”Star Core Engine” highlighted. ”Mr. Chang, you were the former technical director of Blue Whale Games, and you played an indispensable role in Blue Whale’s ’Sok Engine’ back then.”

”Now, Singularity Technology’s Star Core Engine is actually an improvement based on the Sok Engine. As the core developer of the Sok Engine, you deserve copyright and profit sharing.”

”Star Core Engine? Zhang Fan?” Chang Yuan’s fists clenched tightly.

If there was one person Chang Yuan hated most in his life, it was certainly Zhang Fan. Naturally, he would never believe he was at fault; he only believed that all his misfortunes were caused by Zhang Fan.

Therefore, Zhang Fan’s success and the explosive popularity of Singularity Technology, while he himself had been thrown into prison for ”embezzlement” and ”commercial espionage,” caused his jealousy and resentment to surge instantly.

”President Lu is willing to help you seek justice,” the man continued. ”As long as you can prove that the Star Core Engine infringes on your rights, President Lu will not only pay for your legal fees but also offer you a position as a technical consultant at Yunqi Technology, with an annual salary of one million.”

Chang Yuan looked at the parameters on the document and thought of his current predicament, then agreed without hesitation: ”Fine! I’ll cooperate with you! Zhang Fan stole my technology to make money, and I absolutely won’t let him get away with it!”

That afternoon, Chang Yuan searched everywhere, trying to contact Zhang Fan’s ex-girlfriend and his own former lover, Gu Feifei.

On the other side of the city, Gu Feifei sat by the window of her rented apartment, removing her cheap makeup in the mirror.

The woman in the mirror had a sallow complexion, dark circles under her eyes that she couldn’t hide, and dry, yellowed hair tips. She was a completely different person from the spirited girl who used to flaunt brand-name clothes three years ago.

After Blue Whale Games went bankrupt, the news of her abandoning Zhang Fan to become Chang Yuan’s mistress spread throughout the Jiangcheng gaming industry. Initially, it was just within the gaming circle, but as Zhang Fan became increasingly successful, unscrupulous media would periodically drag her out to ridicule her, causing her reputation to be completely ruined; no one in the entire industry dared to hire her.

Her parents felt she was a ”disgrace” and cut ties with her. The bags and jewelry she had received while trying to please Chang Yuan were all confiscated as proceeds of crime. In the end, she had to hide her identity, find a regular boyfriend who treated her ”not too badly,” and live in this rented apartment with an eight-hundred-yuan monthly rent.

”If I had known, I wouldn’t have broken up with Zhang Fan, and I certainly shouldn’t have believed Chang Yuan’s lies.” Gu Feifei sighed at the mirror, her fingertips tracing a crack on the edge of the mirror—it had broken last week during a fight with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend had said she had ”a heart higher than the sky, but a life thinner than paper,” a remark that pricked her heart like a needle.

Just then, her phone suddenly rang, showing an ”Unknown Number.” Gu Feifei hesitated, but still picked it up. A voice that made her scalp tingle came from the receiver: ”Feifei, it’s me, Chang Yuan.”

Gu Feifei’s hand trembled violently, and she almost dropped her phone. ”You... what are you looking for me for? I have nothing to do with you anymore!”

”Don’t be so heartless.” Chang Yuan’s voice carried an oily smirk. ”I just got out, and I have a money-making opportunity in my hands that can help you turn your life around. Tomorrow at 3:00 PM, Room 302 of the Crown Hotel, I’ll give you 100,000 as a meeting fee first. If it works out, there will be more benefits later. If you don’t come, then forget it; there are plenty of people who want to make this money anyway.”

After hanging up, Gu Feifei stared at the phone screen, her heart in turmoil.

100,000 was enough for her to pay a year’s rent, buy a few decent clothes, and perhaps even mend her relationship with her parents.

As for Chang Yuan’s ”money-making opportunity,” she didn’t need to think to know it was nothing good, but ”only a fool would turn down money.” At worst, she would just move to another city and find another boyfriend afterward; she was already used to this kind of life anyway.

The next day at 3:00 PM, Gu Feifei dressed up gaudily and walked into Room 302 of the Crown Hotel. Chang Yuan was sitting on the edge of the bed in a bathrobe. Seeing her enter, the greed in his eyes was undisguised: ”Feifei, it’s been years, you’re still as beautiful as ever.”

Gu Feifei forced back her disgust and squeezed out a smile: ”Brother Chang, about that 100,000 you mentioned...”

”What’s the rush?” Chang Yuan pulled her hand and led her toward the bed. ”Let’s catch up first; you’ll get your money.”

For the next few hours, the room was filled with sickening gasps.

Chang Yuan vented his three years of suppressed frustration like a starving wolf, while Gu Feifei was perfunctory throughout, thinking only of that 100,000 and the subsequent benefits.

Only after finishing for the third time did Chang Yuan lean against the headboard, light a cigarette, and slowly get down to business.

”Feifei, do you want to take revenge on Zhang Fan?” Chang Yuan blew a smoke ring, his tone instigating. ”Think about it, who ruined you like this? You gave up going abroad for him back then, and what about him? Now he’s a billionaire, surrounded by beautiful women, and people call him a ’tech upstart,’ while you’re stuck living in a rented apartment, and even your parents don’t recognize you!”

Gu Feifei’s expression darkened instantly. She hated Zhang Fan—not because he had succeeded in his business, but because he was ”living better than her.” She hated him for not trying to keep her back then, and she hated herself even more for being blind, choosing to follow a liar like Chang Yuan instead of picking a potential winner.

”What are you trying to say?” Gu Feifei leaned into Chang Yuan’s arms, her fingers unconsciously twisting the belt of his bathrobe, her tone carrying a hint of coldness.

”Do you know about the currently popular game ’star path: reboot’ by Zhang Fan?” Chang Yuan lowered his voice, his eyes filled with malice. ”That game is essentially a copy! The early stage is the unfinished ’star path project’ from Blue Whale, the content is copied from Blue Whale’s ’Cangqiong,’ and even the ’Star Core Engine’ that everyone is praising as miraculous is just a modified version of the ’Sok Engine’ I developed back then!”

He sat up, pulled a stack of documents from the gym bag at the end of the bed, and threw them in front of Gu Feifei: ”Here is a comparison of the content between ’star path’ and ’Cangqiong,’ as well as the parameter comparison between the Star Core Engine and the Sok Engine. You participated in the early research and development of the ’star path project’ back then, so you must have more evidence in your hands—as long as you come forward to testify that Zhang Fan stole technology and copied content, we can ruin his reputation and get a huge settlement!”

Gu Feifei picked up the documents and flipped through a few pages, her eyes devoid of any ripples. She was no longer the little girl who would be incited by ”justice” or ”revenge.”

She put down the documents and asked bluntly: ”Tell me, if I testify for you, what’s in it for me? Don’t try to feed me empty promises; I’m not buying that.”