149: Chapter 149 System Upgrade, Siblings Clash Again

Wednesday morning at Singularity Technology, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the desk. Zhang Fan had just finished signing the lawsuit documents for the Chang Yuan defamation case, the chill of the ink still lingering on his fingertips.

Suddenly, a familiar buzzing sound echoed in his mind. Pale blue system text flowed out like water, accompanied by slightly more exquisite lighting effects than before—

[Main quest "Resolve Old Grudges" (Resolve the Chang Yuan infringement and framing crisis) completed! Obtained 10,000 intelligence points, unlocked System Level 3 permission: [Follow-up Intelligence Chain] function activated!]

[Current main intelligence: The cooperation between the Lu family and Polaris Capital has a "benefit binding loophole"—Lu Qingping only knows about the surface-level cloud service cooperation, while the core technology transfer terms were signed by a third party commissioned by the late Father Lu. Lu Qingyan is secretly investigating the details of the terms.]

[Follow-up intelligence trigger condition: After establishing "trusting communication" with core members of the Lu family (Lu Qingping/Lu Qingyan), the complete intelligence on "Polaris Capital's Technology Plunder Plan" can be unlocked.]

Zhang Fan stared at the system notification, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. The Level 3 system's [Follow-up Intelligence Chain] was equivalent to having the ability to "spoil the ending in advance," especially regarding the "information gap" between the Lu family and Polaris. This was exactly the key to breaking his current deadlock—as long as he could make the Lu family realize they were being used by Polaris, joining forces to fight back would no longer be a fantasy.

"Mr. Zhang, Miss Lin is here, waiting for you in the meeting room." The receptionist's voice interrupted his thoughts. Zhang Fan put away the system interface and stood up to walk toward the meeting room. He vaguely guessed Miss Lin Wanyi's intention—the Chang Yuan incident had the shadow of Likely Yunqi Technology behind it, and with her sharpness, she had likely already realized her brothers' involvement.

Pushing open the door to the meeting room, Lin Wanyi was sitting on the sofa, clutching a white canvas bag, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the strap. Seeing Zhang Fan enter, she immediately stood up, her eyes full of guilt, looking a bit more uneasy than when they had discussed cooperation last time: "Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry, I came to apologize."

"Sit down first, take your time." Zhang Fan handed her a cup of warm water, his tone peaceful, without any sense of blame.

Lin Wanyi took the cup, the coldness in her fingertips easing slightly. She took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly: "Yesterday my brother (Lu Qingping) called me and accidentally let it slip—Chang Yuan's press conference was arranged by Likely Yunqi Technology, and even that deposit was paid by Likely Yunqi Technology. I felt extremely guilty after finding out. It was clearly me who initiated the cooperation with Singularity, yet because of my brother's selfishness, you and the company were plunged into such a huge crisis..."

She raised her head, her eyes rimmed with red, but she carried an unprecedented firmness: "I have already argued with my brother, and I have made it clear to him that I will not terminate the cooperation with Singularity because of his mistakes. In addition, I just posted on social media, not only clarifying the misunderstanding but also specifically mentioning the originality of the Star Core Engine, hoping to help Singularity regain some reputation."

Zhang Fan took out his phone and opened Lin Wanyi's social media account—in the pinned long post, she not only posted the screenshot of the Star Core Engine's patent certificate again but also mentioned her persistence in "originality": "From writing my first song until now, I have always believed that 'what you get with your own hands is solid.' The team at Singularity Technology has pulled countless all-nighters for the Star Core Engine, and every detail of star path: reboot》 hides their hard work. Such a spirit of originality deserves respect. My cooperation with Singularity will not change; I will continue to use music to convey strength, and I look forward to breaking more 'plagiarism' prejudices with them."

In the comment section, fans and players were supportive: "Wanyi is so bold! Support originality!" "I misunderstood Singularity before, now I'm a total fan!" "Looking forward to the theme song wings of rebirth》, and also looking forward to new content for star path》!"

"Thank you, Miss Lin." Zhang Fan's tone was full of sincerity, "Actually, this matter cannot be blamed on you; there is no need to apologize. On the contrary, your willingness to step forward and clarify has already helped us a lot."

"This is what I should do." Lin Wanyi shook her head, a trace of exhaustion flashing in her eyes, "It's just... I didn't expect that even though I deliberately stayed away from the Lu family in this life, I would still implicate you because of their affairs. In my previous life, they were like this, always thinking they were 'doing it for my own good' without ever asking what I wanted, and in this life, nothing has changed."

Zhang Fan looked at the desolation in her eyes, recalled the intelligence about the Lu family in the system, and said softly: "Perhaps they just used the wrong method. Lu Qingyan has been investigating the details of the cooperation with Polaris Capital recently; perhaps they didn't realize they were being used either."

Lin Wanyi was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "I hope so. But no matter what they think, I will not be kidnapped by their 'protection' like in my previous life."

After sending off Lin Wanyi, as soon as Zhang Fan returned to his office, he received a message from Lu Qingyan: "My brother (Lu Qingping) saw Lin Wanyi's post and is throwing a tantrum at home, saying he wants to 'settle the score' with you. I've already stopped him, but he's very agitated; please be careful recently."

Zhang Fan replied: "Thanks for the reminder. If you have time, I'd like to talk to you about the details of the cooperation with Polaris Capital; perhaps we can find a common point of concern."

Meanwhile, at the old Lu family mansion, the atmosphere had dropped to freezing point. In the living room, Lu Qingping printed out Lin Wanyi's social media post and slammed it onto the coffee table, the paper becoming crumpled: "What exactly are you thinking? Hasn't Zhang Fan hurt you enough? You're actually speaking up for him! Likely Yunqi Technology is your brother's company; I did all of this for you, yet you're siding with outsiders!"

Standing in the center of the living room, Lin Wanyi looked at her furious eldest brother without a shred of fear, feeling a sense of relief instead—in her previous life, facing such a scene, she would only have shed tears silently, not daring to refute. But in this life, she could finally speak the words hidden in her heart: "For me? Brother, have you ever asked me what I wanted? What I want is respect, is trust, not for you to use the name of 'doing it for my own good' to do things that hurt others!"

"Hurt others?" Lu Qingping was flushed with anger, pointing at her nose, "Zhang Fan is a liar! He approached you just for the resources of Likely Yunqi Technology and to fight against Polaris! How can you not see that?"

"What I see clearly is that you are being used as a pawn by Polaris!" Lin Wanyi raised her voice, her eyes full of disappointment, "Chang Yuan's evidence is forged, do you know that? He is just a liar who wants to make money, yet you helped him arrange a press conference, almost destroying Singularity, and almost destroying Likely Yunqi Technology! In my previous life, you were like this, cheated by others' sweet talk, and in the end, the entire Lu family went bankrupt. Do you want to repeat the same mistakes in this life?"

"You..." Lu Qingping was speechless, his face turning pale and then red. He didn't expect Lin Wanyi to know about the "previous life," and even less did he expect her to be so blunt.

Beside him, Lu Qingan couldn't help but speak up, his tone impatient: "Wanyi, Big Brother is also worried about you; don't speak like that. That kid Zhang Fan is indeed not simple; if you get too close to him, you'll suffer sooner or later!"

"Suffer?" Lin Wanyi laughed at herself, "Haven't I suffered enough in the orphanage? Being bullied, being cheated, but I never felt as suffocated as I did in the Lu family. In my previous life, to fit in with you, I gave up singing, gave up my dreams, and what did I get in the end? Lu Xiaoxiao's framing, your distrust, and the outcome of being kicked out of the house!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, but every word was clear: "In this life, I don't want to be like that anymore. I want to live by my own music, I want to cooperate with people I can trust. Is that wrong? If you really care about me, stop interfering in my affairs, and stop kidnapping me with 'family affection'!"

Lu Qingyan stood to the side, his expression complex. Looking at the agitated Lin Wanyi, then at his furious eldest and second brothers, a wave of guilt suddenly surged in his heart—they had indeed never asked for Lin Wanyi's thoughts, always feeling that "their judgment was right," while ignoring her inner grievances and fears. Especially regarding the cooperation with Polaris Capital, the details he had been checking recently were increasingly suspicious; perhaps what Lin Wanyi said was right, and they really had been used.

"Alright, stop talking." Lu Qingyan stepped forward, stopping Lu Qingan who still wanted to retort, "Wanyi is right; we should indeed respect her choices. We were wrong about the Chang Yuan matter, and we should apologize to Singularity and Zhang Fan."

"Apologize?" Lu Qingping looked at him in disbelief, "Are you crazy? We are the Lu family; how can we apologize to an outsider?"

"Right and wrong have nothing to do with whether someone is an outsider." Lu Qingyan's tone was firm, "If we don't even have the courage to admit our mistakes, how can we be worthy of Wanyi, and how can we manage Likely Yunqi Technology?"

Lin Wanyi looked at Lu Qingyan, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, then she returned to calm: "There's no need for an apology. I just hope you won't interfere in my affairs in the future. My cooperation with Singularity will continue, my musical dream will continue, and as for the Lu family... let us each be well."

After finishing, she turned around, picked up the canvas bag on the sofa, and walked out of the old Lu family mansion without looking back. The moment the door closed, the living room fell into a deathly silence. Lu Qingping sat on the sofa, his chest heaving violently; Lu Qingan frowned, not knowing what he was thinking; Lu Qingyan walked to the window, watching Lin Wanyi's receding figure, his heart full of heaviness—he knew that this argument not only pushed the relationship between Lin Wanyi and the Lu family to the freezing point but also forced them to re-examine their cooperation with Polaris Capital and their future direction.

Meanwhile, at Singularity Technology, Zhang Fan looked at the newly updated intelligence in the system—[Lu Qingyan's trust in Polaris Capital has dropped to 30%, triggering a follow-up intelligence fragment: Polaris plans to obtain Likely Yunqi Technology's core cloud service data through "technology transfer," to suppress Singularity's overseas servers], his mouth slightly upturned. Although the conflict between Lin Wanyi and the Lu family was intense, at least, the internal part of the Lu family had begun to waver, and this was one step closer to his goal of joining forces with the Lu family to fight against Polaris.