Song Kening bit her lip, then suddenly thought of something.
“Wait, it must be that Zhou Yuqing causing trouble behind the scenes.”
Lu Zhiyu turned to look at her.
The more Song Kening thought about it, the more convinced she became.
“Think about it. He made you go bankrupt, so of course he’s afraid you’ll make a comeback.”
“You were so famous in the chip industry before. He must have put the word out, warning everyone in the industry not to hire you.”
“Otherwise, with your resume, how could you not even get an interview?”
Her reasoning made sense.
Zhou Yuqing was meticulous and ruthless.
Since he had plotted against Lu Zhiyu and brought him down, he obviously wouldn’t give him a chance to rise again.
NEX’s chip technology had been developed entirely by Lu Zhiyu. Although Zhou Yuqing had taken over the company, he didn’t have the core technology.
What he feared most was Lu Zhiyu taking that technology and starting over somewhere else.
So blacklisting Lu Zhiyu throughout the industry was the most direct and effective solution.
Lu Zhiyu lowered his eyes, hiding the coldness in them.
Zhou Yuqing definitely wouldn’t let him off easily. He had probably already made arrangements back in Shanghai.
Although Yangcheng was far from Shanghai, in the age of the internet, information traveled quickly.
“Then I’ll stop applying for jobs for now,” Lu Zhiyu said.
Song Kening froze.
“Stop? Then what are you going to do?”
“Applying would only waste time.”
His voice was calm, without any noticeable emotion.
“Rather than waiting for someone else to give me an opportunity, I’d rather create my own.”
He picked up his phone and stopped browsing the recruitment apps, opening a technical forum instead.
Song Kening leaned over to take a look.
The screen was filled with code and technical jargon. She couldn’t understand a single word.
But judging from Lu Zhiyu’s expression, he seemed to have found something interesting.
The novel said that he would make a comeback three years later, but it never explained exactly how.
It only mentioned that he later developed a new chip that was even more powerful than his previous military-grade chip, breaking the technological monopoly of foreign countries. He then returned to Shanghai and crushed Zhou Yuqing’s company.
But when did he start developing that chip?
Under what circumstances?
What difficulties did he encounter during development?
The author never explained any of it.
Now the plot had completely changed.
His bankruptcy had happened three months earlier than it should have, and she had replaced the real female supporting character.
Lu Zhiyu hadn’t even received that final loan.
At least in the original novel, there had been one last sum of money that could save him.
Now, there was nothing.
What if her appearance had completely destroyed Lu Zhiyu’s opportunities?
Would he still be able to make a comeback three years later?
And if he couldn’t, wouldn’t she be stuck living in this terrible rental room for the rest of her life?
The more Song Kening thought about it, the guiltier she felt.
She could only turn around and sit on the bed.
“What are you thinking about?”
Lu Zhiyu’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
Song Kening jumped. She tightened her grip around the pillow in her arms.
“I was just thinking about what to make for lunch.”
Lu Zhiyu handed his phone to her.
On the screen was a forum post.
The title read:
“Bounty: Development of a Low-Level Driver for a Smart Home Central Control System — Reward: 50,000 Yuan.”
“I took this project,” Lu Zhiyu said.
Song Kening’s eyes widened.
“Fifty thousand?”
Lu Zhiyu nodded.
“The project should take about two weeks. Once it’s finished, the 50,000 yuan will be ours.”
Song Kening’s mind immediately began calculating.
50,000 yuan.
How long could that keep them going in this rental room?
They could live comfortably for several years with 50,000 yuan.
But she quickly calmed down.
“Is it reliable? What if they’re just trying to scam you into giving them the solution for free?”
“The forum is the largest technical community in the industry. There’s third-party escrow. Once the code is submitted and passes acceptance, the payment is automatically released. They can’t fake it.”
Song Kening looked at him.
His expression remained completely calm.
“Are you confident you can do it?”
Lu Zhiyu gave her a faint, almost amused smile.
“A system like this? Even the interns at my old company could handle it.”
Song Kening: “……”
Fine.
Apparently, she had been worrying for nothing.
“Then do your best. I won’t bother you. Just tell me what you want for lunch, and I’ll cook for you.”
“And tell me what you want for dinner too. Just focus on this project. It’s 50,000 yuan!”
As she spoke, her eyes were shining and a smile spread across her face, as if the 50,000 yuan had already landed in their account.
Lu Zhiyu looked at her and suddenly felt something lightly bump against his chest.
He looked away and sat down at the computer desk.
Opening his phone, he began studying the specific requirements of the project.
Song Kening took out her phone and opened WeChat.
Her balance was 933 yuan.
She calculated for a moment.
If she was careful with their spending, it should be enough to last a month.
Once Lu Zhiyu finished the project two weeks later and the 50,000 yuan arrived, their lives would become much easier.
She put down her phone and leaned against the headboard, looking at Lu Zhiyu sitting by the window and writing code.
His back was facing her, sunlight streaming through the window and falling across his shoulders.
His posture remained straight and composed, his fingers flying rapidly across the phone screen.
Looking at his back, Song Kening suddenly remembered how the novel described him.
“Three years later, Lu Zhiyu would become the ruthless monster feared throughout the business world. He would be cold, vicious, and heartless, willing to do anything for revenge. No one could get close to him, and no one could warm his heart.”
But the man sitting in a rental room in an urban village, wearing cheap sportswear, eating the water spinach she had stir-fried, and working on a 50,000-yuan bounty project—
How could he be some heartless monster?
He was simply a young man who had been betrayed by his brother, abandoned by the world, and left with nothing.
Song Kening closed her eyes and decided to take an afternoon nap.
She turned toward the wall and soon fell asleep.
Lu Zhiyu heard the steady rhythm of her breathing and glanced back.
She was curled up on the bed like a little cat, her face buried in the pillow, sleeping deeply.
She had been exhausted all day yesterday, then gotten up early today to wash clothes and cook.
Of course she was tired.
He turned back and continued writing code.
Lines of code flowed beneath his fingertips.
At the same time, a much bigger plan was slowly taking shape in his mind.
Zhou Yuqing could blacklist him throughout the industry.
He could freeze his assets.
He could take away his company.
But he couldn’t take away what was inside Lu Zhiyu’s head.
All the chips, architectures, and algorithms he had developed over the years were still there.
He only needed a computer and an internet connection to start over.
This time, he would make everyone see it.
Lu Zhiyu didn’t need anyone to give him a chance.