At thirty, I started my comeback from the intelligence system.

He suddenly remembered the important figure he had finally managed to curry favor with at a dinner party last week—Lu Shiming, an independent director and shareholder of Hanfeng Group and the young master of the Lu family, one of the top wealthy families in Shenzhen.

At the time, Lu Shao seemed dissatisfied with the few internet celebrity faces who accompanied him at the drinking party, finding them vulgar. Instead, he asked a few more questions about whether there were any "cleaner-looking" women in the company.

Although Su Qingqing in front of me is cunning, she is indeed good-looking and has a charming demeanor of a virtuous woman forced into depravity. Perhaps she is just to Lu Shao's liking.

If we offer Su Qingqing to Young Master Lu, firstly, we can please him and solidify our relationship; secondly, using Young Master Lu to deal with Chen Geng would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Maybe if Young Master Lu is in a good mood, I can climb even higher.

As for Su Qingqing... it's her good fortune to be favored by Young Master Lu. How could he possibly mistreat her in the future? I've found her a good match; she should be grateful to me.

Maybe we can even become kindred spirits with Young Master Lu?

Thinking of this, Zhou Peng smiled and said, "Qingqing, don't worry. Chen Geng is like a grasshopper in autumn; he won't last long. Dealing with him is easy. But..."

He deliberately dragged out his words.

"But what? Mr. Zhou, as long as you can help me, I... I'm willing to do anything!" Su Qingqing quickly declared, leaning forward slightly, her neckline revealing glimpses of her skin.

Zhou Peng smiled with satisfaction and lowered his voice, saying, "I'll show you the way. You know Chairman Lu Shiming at the group headquarters, right? A true scion of a wealthy family!"

"I can still exchange a few words with him. If you can 'get acquainted' with Chairman Lu and please him, let alone one Chen Geng, even ten Chen Gengs, Chairman Lu could crush them with a flick of his finger. Your good days are yet to come!"

Su Qingqing's heart was pounding.

Lu Shiming? That rumored young, handsome, and powerful young master of the Lu family? She'd only seen him once, from afar, at the company's annual party. His presence and entourage were far beyond what Chen Geng or even Zhou Peng could match. If only she could get close to him…

"But... how could someone like Chairman Lu possibly be interested in me..."

Su Qingqing lowered her head, feigning shyness, but her heart was burning with excitement. Finding a father like this for her child? That was like a windfall! No, it was like a gold mine falling from the sky!

"You don't need to worry about that," Zhou Peng said confidently with a smile. "I'll handle things with Chairman Lu. You, take these next few days to prepare yourself. Buy some decent clothes, get your hair done, and... do your best, understand?"

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou! I will remember your great kindness for the rest of my life!" Su Qingqing smiled through her tears, her eyes filled with gratitude and dependence as she looked at Zhou Peng.

Zhou Peng felt completely at ease under that gaze, as if he could already see the bright future of being appreciated by Young Master Lu and getting a promotion and a raise.

He casually patted Su Qingqing's hand on the table: "Why are you being so polite with me? Don't worry, with me here, no one will dare to bully you in the future."

Su Qingqing suppressed her nausea and didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she returned a charming smile.

Both harbored their own ulterior motives, and the office was filled with an unspoken atmosphere of scheming.

Meanwhile, Chen Geng, who was working diligently at GG Company and completely unaware of the impending conspiracy, had just stepped into the door of Galaxy Securities' business department.

……

At 3 PM, the daytime futures trading session closed on time.

As Chen Geng walked out of the securities brokerage, the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling, but his squinting eyes gleamed with an unusual light.

All six long positions in crude oil futures have been established as planned. The average entry price was 603.8 yuan per barrel. A total of approximately 54 yuan in margin was used, which is almost all of his available funds, including loans.

A high-stakes gamble.

Success or failure depends on the news at 9 PM tonight.

He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the matter of futures trading. Right now, there was another matter to deal with—the divorce.

He took out his phone and sent Su Qingqing a WeChat message: "Meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau at 4 PM. Bring all the necessary documents."

Su Qingqing replied almost instantly, with just one word: "Okay."

There was no arguing, no pleading; it was unlike her usual decisiveness. Chen Geng sneered inwardly. It seemed that the 200,000 yuan had made her hate him completely. But it didn't matter anymore.

He took a taxi home to retrieve his household registration booklet, ID card, and marriage certificate.

Unlocking the door with the key, a rush of cold air hit me. The house was quiet, eerily quiet. Almost all traces of Su Qingqing remained, but the feeling of "home" was completely gone.

Their wedding photo still hangs on the living room wall. In the photo, he's grinning like a fool, while Su Qingqing nestles in his arms, looking "happy." Now, it seems utterly ironic.

He went into the bedroom, opened a drawer, and took out the necessary documents. On Su Qingqing's dressing table, the bottles and jars were still there, and the air seemed to still carry the scent of her usual perfume. On the bed, her pajamas from the previous night lay scattered.

Chen Geng silently looked around, feeling no intense pain as he had imagined, only an empty numbness and a deep weariness.

Years of marriage, countless sacrifices, and in the end, all that's left is this house full of cold memories and a pile of debt.

"It's all over," he whispered to himself, as if saying goodbye, or as if making a declaration.

With his identification in hand, he turned and left, gently closing the door behind him. This place, which had once held all his fantasies about "home," would henceforth have nothing to do with him.

At 4:10 PM, the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The divorce proceedings went surprisingly smoothly. The staff conducted their routine inquiries and mediation, but both parties remained expressionless, stating that "the relationship has irretrievably broken down, we are voluntarily divorcing, and there is no possibility of mediation." Signatures, stamps, and the official seal were affixed.

The two red books were replaced with two dark red ones.

As she walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Su Qingqing didn't even glance at Chen Geng, and went straight to a black sedan that was already waiting there by the roadside.

The car window rolled down, revealing Zhou Peng's greasy, chubby face. He smiled at Su Qingqing, then glanced at Chen Geng with undisguised contempt and mockery in his eyes. He then rolled up the window, and the car sped away.

Chen Geng stood there, clutching the still-warm divorce certificate in his hand, watching the car merge into the traffic and disappear from sight.

He vaguely felt that Zhou Peng looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but one thing was certain: he was definitely not the man from the bar last time!

The last vestige of unrealistic fantasy in my heart was completely extinguished.

Yeah.

He twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that lacked warmth.

Clean and neat.

He didn't leave immediately, but went to the convenience store next door, bought the cheapest bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and drank most of it.

The cool liquid slid down my throat, extinguishing the last bit of restlessness in my heart.

Then, Chen Geng took out his phone and checked the positions in his futures account again.

That represents risk, but it also represents...boundless hope.

"System..." he murmured to himself.

A deep blue virtual panel quietly appeared.

[Today's intelligence list...]

[1. Lai Yongkang's postoperative recovery did not meet his expectations... (Status update: The incident has been triggered and intervened, and the threat has been resolved.)]

2. An international ocean-going oil tanker fully loaded with crude oil... (Status: Pending trigger)

[3. Company finance manager Li Qianqian has defaulted on her debts and is looking for "parasites." Please be careful.]

Of the first two pieces of intelligence, one has been changed, and the other is awaiting verification.

And the third point...

"Li Qianqian, the finance manager, is facing a debt crisis and is looking for a 'parasite'..." Chen Geng paced slowly, his mind racing.