The stream had ended an hour ago.
Liu Shuang sat in the quiet of her studio apartment, her soft ring light casting halos on the wall. Her makeup was still sharp, but the fire in her eyes had faded. The city outside buzzed with life, but her thoughts were stuck in a different time.
Shen Fu.
That name kept replaying in her head like a broken beat.
He had dropped back into her life like a glitch in the system—dragging chaos, confidence, and quiet domination in his wake. And though she acted unbothered online, the truth was clear.
She remembered everything.
Four Years Ago
Yuncheng No. 7 High School
Room 3B still haunted her.
It was the final week of term. Every student stood proudly in front of the class, showing off glossy slideshows and market analysis charts for their economics project. Everyone… except one.
Shen Fu.
He was seated at the back. No laptop. No notes. Just a tattered backpack and the silence of someone already done with this place.
Mr. Wen, the teacher, snapped.
"Shen Fu! Where is your group project? I've warned you three times!"
Shen Fu looked up with that same dead calm in his eyes.
"Didn't do it."
The entire class turned.
"Didn't do it?" Mr. Wen's voice cracked with disbelief. "You had three weeks. Your group mates already presented—what's your excuse?"
"It wasn't worth doing," He replied.
Gasps. Snickers.
One of the rich kids whispered loudly, "Bet he can't even afford printing."
Mr. Wen slammed the desk.
"Then maybe this school isn't worth keeping you!"
He marched to the board, tore Shen Fu's name from the class register, and threw it in the trash. "You're finished. Get out."
Shen Fu stood slowly. No reaction. No anger. Just a quiet nod, slinging his backpack over one shoulder like it weighed nothing.
He walked out.
And never came back.
Liu Shuang remembered gripping her pen so tight that it snapped. She didn't know why she cared. She just knew that moment burned itself into her.
Present Day
She was famous now. An influencer with brand deals, millions of followers, and a curated persona.
But even now, sitting in her expensive apartment, her heart beat differently when she thought of him.
A new file popped into her inbox.
[NestProtocol: Draft v1.0]
She clicked it open.
Shen Fu's Business Plan – Project "Nest"
"The goal is stability.
Chaos is currency—if you can control it.
Step 1: Identify three dying businesses in gang-monitored zones
Step 2: Use Xiaodie to decrypt their ledgers
Step 3: Acquire using legal fronts
Step 4: Convert one into a data brokerage café
Step 5: Use your influence to reroute narratives
Goal: Establish the most trusted misinformation filter in lower Yuncheng
Optional Bonus: Recruit content creators into a closed affiliate loop
Objective: Own the streets.
Be the lens people see the city through."
She exhaled slowly. That voice—it hadn't changed. Calm, clinical, and terrifyingly ambitious.
System Notification – Interface Update
[SYSTEM ALERT: QUEST INITIATED]
Mission Title: Project Nest
Tier: System Evolution – Urban Domination Path
Objectives:
• Secure control of 3 grey-zone businesses
• Increase Liu Shuang's public influence by 20%
• Avoid open conflict with gangs for 14 days
Rewards:
• 200,000¥ Capital Injection
• Unlock: Urban Analytics Skill
• System Evolution: "Godmode Lite v1.0"
• Passive Buff: Negotiation Pressure +15%
Failure Penalties:
• System Efficiency -30%
• Liu Shuang Relationship Reset
• Xiaodie Trust Link -40%
"Note: Upgrade will unlock 'Tier 2: Influence Manipulation' at 70% public credibility."
[Accept Mission?]
Shen Fu stared at the prompt on his dusty old burner phone.
He cracked his knuckles. Then tapped ACCEPT.
Lin Shuang's Apartment
She took a sip of bitter black coffee and picked up her phone.
One message. From him.
Shen Fu:
"You in?"
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
This wasn't high school anymore. This wasn't debate club or model U.N. This was real money, real risk… and real revenge on a city that had laughed at people like them.
She typed.
Liu Shuang:
"Let's burn it from the inside."
And she meant it.