“Alright, CEO Gu. My mentor’s bottom line was 3%. You really know how to name your price.”
Qin Feifei did not argue much. Gu Ziming’s attitude had been firm from the beginning, and Liu Xiaoxiang had already told her that 5% would be ideal, but 3% was acceptable if necessary.
With business settled, the tense atmosphere in the private room quickly eased.
“Miss Qin, Professor Liu mentioned you before. She said you are very talented in chemistry, especially organic chemistry,” Gu Ziming said casually while eating.
Qin Feifei was surprised. “My mentor mentioned me to you?” She then smiled shyly. “It’s all thanks to her teaching.”
Of course, Liu Xiaoxiang had never praised Qin Feifei in front of Gu Ziming. But that did not stop him from saying it. After all, the original plot had described it that way.
In Lin Fan’s first life, Qin Feifei used certain materials to connect Lin Fan’s home with her own and applied thermal insulation treatment throughout. In the protagonist’s eyes, however, she had simply taken over his house.
“I studied under Professor Liu in the laboratory for a while too. That would make me your senior, technically,” Gu Ziming continued.
“Really? CEO Gu studied at Donghai University as well?” Qin Feifei looked at him with curiosity. Her eyes sparkled, carrying the innocent clarity of a student.
Who would have imagined that this very girl would undergo such a transformation once the apocalypse arrived?
“I only followed Professor Liu in her lab for a period. I did not attend Donghai University,” Gu Ziming replied with a smile. “If you don’t mind, you can just call me Senior Brother Gu.”
Gu Ziming was currently in Donghai City of Dragon Nation, the capital of Qin Province. It was famous for its easternmost 100-meter sea cliff, with the ocean stretching below it. Donghai University was the best university in Qin Province.
“Of course I don’t mind. Senior Brother Gu did study under my mentor,” Qin Feifei said, shaking her head lightly. She would not reject goodwill from a company CEO.
The atmosphere became even more relaxed. They ate and chatted. Qin Feifei shared amusing stories from university life and occasionally complained about various professors. Gu Ziming listened quietly, adding a comment here and there. Their rapport steadily warmed.
After the meal, Gu Ziming asked the staff to pack some untouched dishes for Qin Feifei to bring back as late-night snacks for her roommates. He then drove her to the university entrance.
Watching her walk into the campus, Gu Ziming activated the Villain’s Eye.
…
[Name: Qin Feifei
Faction: Neutral (Originally Designated Female Lead)
Favorability: 30 (Acquaintance)
Primary Ability: Advanced Chemistry]
…
The favorability scale was clear. 0 meant stranger. 30 meant acquaintance. Above 60 meant friend. 90 meant lover or family. 100 meant unwavering devotion. Negative numbers indicated hostility.
Recalling the day’s events, Gu Ziming felt satisfied. He had avoided direct conflict with the protagonist at the start. He had secured the special graphene patent. He had established a connection with the originally designated female lead.
Every step had been carefully calculated. If he had clashed directly with Lin Fan earlier, there was no way he could have eliminated him in one strike with his current strength. Instead, he would have alerted Lin Fan and made him more cautious.
The patent was preparation for future development and personal security. As for Qin Feifei, on one hand it limited the protagonist’s destiny. On the other hand, he was simply captivated by her appearance.
Ahem. I stand firmly against gambling and drugs.
…
Meanwhile.
Qin Feifei returned to her dormitory carrying several bags.
It was a four-person dormitory. That evening, three of her roommates were present. As soon as they saw the bags in her hands and smelled the aroma, they began to tease her.
“So, after your date, you still remembered us?”
“Feifei, well done! You didn’t forget your sisters for a handsome guy!”
“I’m starving. Has an angel descended to save me?”
Although girls’ dormitories could often have complicated relationships, the four of them were very close and frequently joked around.
Hearing their teasing, Qin Feifei’s cheeks turned slightly red. She hurriedly explained, “It’s not what you think. I was helping my mentor negotiate business. These were leftovers from the dinner. I packed them to bring back. If you want some, come take it. Just don’t mind that it’s leftovers.”
“Haha, we misunderstood! Let’s see what treasures you brought back!” The girls crowded around her.
A collective gasp followed. None of them cared about gaining weight. They immediately began eating with enthusiasm.
Watching her roommates happily devour the food, Qin Feifei smiled and shook her head. She simply felt that Senior Brother Gu was a good person and could be a friend. Dating or romance was still far away.
…
[Ding! Host has changed the female lead’s perception of the villain. Destiny +120.]
Hearing the system’s sudden notification, Gu Ziming was puzzled. He was nowhere near Qin Feifei and had done nothing. Yet he had gained destiny points.
He began to understand the rules of destiny.
There were two ways to gain destiny. One was to reduce the protagonist’s destiny. The other was to increase his own. Suppressing the protagonist weakened his destiny. Pulling members of the protagonist’s faction into his own camp effectively strengthened his.
Gu Ziming thought silently. In apocalypse novels, protagonists were usually dominant male leads with many supporting female characters. Lin Fan was no exception. In the early stages, he focused on stockpiling supplies. Later, he began collecting women one after another: the neighbor goddess, the lady upstairs, a small livestreamer, a beautiful doctor…
If that was the case, then he would not hold back.
Having transmigrated, Gu Ziming firmly believed in one principle: unite all forces that can be united. Increase the number of friends. Reduce the number of enemies.
…
The next day.
Gu Ziming woke up early.
There was an event crucial to the original plot. A lottery worth 200 million was about to be drawn, and noon that day was the purchase deadline.
The protagonist’s comfortable life largely stemmed from buying this lottery ticket after his rebirth.
Lin Fan’s Infinite Storage Space only allowed him to store materials he physically touched, and they had to be intact items. He could not retrieve objects remotely. Therefore, he needed money to first acquire supplies before storing them.
This 200 million was one of the protagonist’s legitimate cheats.
Gu Ziming set out at 6 a.m. He drove for three hours to a lottery shop in a neighboring city.
He spent 10 destiny points in the system mall to exchange for a scar-faced disguise mask. After putting it on, he entered the shop.
He lowered his voice and said, “Boss, buy 20,000 tickets for each of these five consecutive numbers.”
After completing the purchase, he changed clothes and repeated the process at five other lottery shops, until he had bought 100,000 tickets for the same number combination the protagonist had chosen.
In Lin Fan’s previous life, no one else had bought that number. After rebirth, Lin Fan purchased a single ticket to avoid suspicion.
Under the lottery rules here, prize money was divided by the number of winning tickets. If Gu Ziming had not bought any, Lin Fan would have taken the entire prize. But if Lin Fan bought one ticket and Gu Ziming bought 100,000, then upon winning, Gu Ziming’s share would be 100,000 times Lin Fan’s.
Soon, noon passed. The outcome was sealed.
…
At 9 p.m., at Lin Fan’s home.
There were 15 minutes left before the winning numbers for the super jackpot were announced.
Fresh from a shower, Lin Fan sat upright on the sofa, eyes fixed on the computer screen.
As time ticked by, his heartbeat quickened. His palms grew damp with sweat.
9:15 p.m. arrived.
Lin Fan watched as the numbers rolled one by one. Everything felt so familiar, until the final number locked into place.
He had won!!!
Veins bulged on Lin Fan’s forehead as he let out a furious roar.