Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

The media's barrage of cameras and microphones finally subsided, and the massive glass curtain wall of Deep Blue Future City reflected the blinding midday sun, resembling a crystal cage that had just risen from the ground.

After seeing off the last batch of suppliers whose fake smiles were so stiff, Li He sprawled out on the sofa in the makeshift VIP lounge, treating the expensive champagne in his hand like mineral water, and downed most of it in one gulp.

"Bro, that was fucking exciting." Li He ripped off his tie, his eyes still gleaming with the excitement of his earlier boasting. "You didn't see Jiang Feng's face when he left, it was like he'd swallowed two pounds of flies. And that Old Zhang, he was practically groveling, practically licking the soles of my shoes clean. Is this the taste of power?"

Bai Jingyou stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, carefully wiping his fingers with disinfectant wipes. He felt a bit tired of shaking hands with so many people.

"That smells of money, and it smells of blood." Bai Jingyou said calmly without turning his head. "Those people who were circling around you just now, if the Jiang family or any other family can afford a higher price, they will sell you without hesitation and even help you count the money."

"Really?" Li He scratched his head. "We have the Ye family backing us up now."

"The Ye family?"

A soft laugh came from the doorway.

Ye Lingqing pushed open the door and entered, followed by two assistants carrying briefcases.

She had changed out of her business attire from the ribbon-cutting ceremony and was now wearing a black cashmere coat, making her appear even more aloof and imposing.

"Young Master Li, in this industry, pinning your hopes on others is usually the first step to bankruptcy." Ye Lingqing walked to Bai Jingyou's side, took a document from her bag, and slammed it on the table. "Also, don't think of your brother as so noble. He pulled me into this mess just to use the Ye family's name as a shield. If the project fails, I guarantee he'll run faster than anyone else."

Bai Jingyou turned around, looked into Ye Lingqing's insightful eyes, and smiled: "Likewise. When President Ye was cutting the ribbon just now, she was gripping the scissors very tightly. Were you thinking that if I couldn't smooth things over, you'd just stab me to death with the scissors?"

"I did consider it," Ye Lingqing admitted frankly, then changed the subject, "Do you know who was in that car?"

"I don't know." Bai Jingyou shrugged, walked to the sofa and sat down. It was the spot Li He had just warmed up. He frowned and moved to the side. "But I can smell it."

"What does it taste like?" Li He asked curiously as he leaned closer.

"The smell of decay." Bai Jingyou crossed his legs, tapping his knees lightly with his fingers. "Jiang Feng, that idiot who only thinks with his lower body, couldn't have come up with that disgusting trick of using magic to defeat magic. Poaching people from other places and disrupting the supply chain and morale—that's too underhanded and too old-fashioned. Jiang Feng doesn't have that kind of brain."

Ye Lingqing's eyes narrowed slightly: "You mean, Sun Zhi?"

"Besides this white glove that does dirty work for the wealthy families in the capital, I can't think of anyone else who could keep a mad dog like Jiang Feng in check." Bai Jingyou's lips curled into a playful smile. "It seems that old geezer in the Jiang family is really desperate, even resorting to using this rusty chamber pot."

"Sun Zhi is a troublesome person." Ye Lingqing frowned. "He doesn't do legitimate business; he specializes in exploiting loopholes in the rules. Your Deep Blue Future City focuses on a completely open ecosystem, which in his eyes is a sieve full of holes."

"A sieve is good." A cold glint flashed in Bai Jingyou's eyes. "Only a sieve can let the sand pass through and leave the gold behind. I'm just afraid he won't come."

……

In the western suburbs of Beijing, there is an inconspicuous private club.

There is no hustle and bustle of the city here. All around is a withered bamboo forest, which rustles in the wind, exuding a desolate chill.

The dimly lit private room was filled with a strange smell of cigars and sandalwood.

"Snapped!"

An expensive crystal ashtray was smashed against the wall, shards flying everywhere.

Jiang Feng unbuttoned his shirt, his chest heaving violently, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

He paced back and forth in the room, his leather shoes crunching on the debris.

"That pretty boy! Damn it, how dare he!" Jiang Feng slammed his fist on the mahogany table. "Not only did he dare to confiscate my goods, but he also dared to humiliate me in public! And that bitch Ye Lingqing, she actually really is in cahoots with the Bai family!"

At that moment, the soft sound of a wheelchair turning could be heard from the shadows of the room.

A middle-aged man in a dark gray Zhongshan suit slowly pushed his wheelchair into the light.

He was extremely thin, with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a thick blanket covering his knees.

He held a purple clay teapot in his hands, and every now and then he would bring it to his lips and take a sip.

If you didn't look into his cold, venomous eyes, he would look like any other sickly old man you'd see on the street.

"Second Young Master, you're too hot-tempered; it's bad for your liver." Sun Zhi's voice was hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. "Sit down and have some tea."

"Drink my ass!" Jiang Feng whirled around, pointing at Sun Zhi's nose. "Uncle Sun, why did you stop me from making a move in the car? With just one order, those bodyguards could have overturned that lousy table!"

"And then what?" Sun Zhi slowly stroked the purple clay teapot. "Tomorrow's headlines will be about the second young master of the Jiang family getting into a brawl and sabotaging a key technology project in the capital. Then the police will show up, the Ye family will seize the opportunity to cause trouble, and the banks will accelerate their loan withdrawals. Second young master, do you think the Jiang family isn't dying fast enough?"

Jiang Feng froze, gritted his teeth, and sat back down on the sofa: "So, are we just going to let it go like this? Look at how arrogant Bai Jingyou is!"

"Arrogance stems from ignorance." Sun Zhi smiled faintly, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by smoking. "Young people, they think they can overturn the rules just because they've got some new technology. His so-called transparent supply chain sounds impressive, but it's actually just courting death."

Jiang Feng was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Sun Zhi put down the purple clay teapot, took out a neatly folded A4 sheet of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Jiang Feng.

"What is this?" Jiang Feng took it and glanced at it in the dim light. It was covered with company names.

"This is the list of suppliers that have passed DeepBlue Technology's initial review." Sun Zhi's eyes gleamed with calculation. "If Bai Jingyou wants to expand his business, he must bring in a massive number of small and medium-sized suppliers. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish; if the water is too murky... it's easy to fish."

Jiang Feng still didn't quite understand and looked bewildered.

Sun Zhi sighed, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"Second Young Master, in business, you don't necessarily have to be better than your competitors, as long as they're worse than you." Sun Zhi held up a withered finger. "Isn't he going to develop smart homes? Isn't he going to create a fully interconnected system? What if the smart locks installed in Future City automatically open in the middle of the night? What if the so-called environmentally friendly materials have formaldehyde levels ten times higher than the standard? What if DeepBlue's cloud data, which it's so proud of, leaks homeowners' private recordings?"

Jiang Feng's eyes gradually brightened.

"You mean...?"

"I've already arranged for three shell companies to infiltrate his supply chain list," Sun Zhi said with a sinister smile.

"If a safety incident occurs, the Ye family will be the first to jump out and distance themselves. At that time, without us even lifting a finger, angry consumers and panicked capitalists will tear Bai Jingyou to shreds."

Jiang Feng was thrilled and slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Uncle Sun, you're ruthless! That Bai Jingyou would never have thought of using someone else to do his dirty work!"

"He's too young, too reliant on data." Sun Zhi picked up the teapot again, his eyes darting around. "Data is static, people are dynamic. In this world, human nature is the biggest destabilizing factor."

Jiang Feng grinned maliciously as he poured himself a glass of wine: "Bai Jingyou, we'll see. When you're a rat in the street, I'll definitely throw that glass of wine in your face!"

……

As night falls, the lights are on.

On the top floor of DeepBlue Technology's headquarters, huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the bustling city of Beijing.

The office was dark, with only a few large monitors emitting a faint blue light that reflected on Bai Jingyou's cold face.

Chen Mo knocked on the door and came in, holding a cup of black coffee.

"Boss, the hook's moving." Chen Mo handed the tablet to Bai Jingyou. "The tech department just detected that three new suppliers are uploading data packets with unusual sizes. Although they've disguised it, it's as obvious as ink on a blank sheet of paper."

Bai Jingyou took the tablet, glanced at the names of the three companies, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Hongda Electronics, Yongxin Technology, and Landun Security," Bai Jingyou murmured. "Their names sound quite righteous, but their actions are rather despicable. Have you investigated thoroughly? Who's behind them?"

"I've investigated." Chen Mo adjusted his glasses. "The shareholding structure goes through seven layers, ultimately pointing to several offshore trusts overseas. However, the actual controllers of these three companies all had dealings with Sun Zhi in the past."

"It really was him." Bai Jingyou wasn't surprised. "This old man, still using the same old tricks. That might have worked in his day. But today..."

Bai Jingyou gently slid his finger across the screen, zooming in on the three red anomalies.

"He thought he was injecting poison into my system, but little did he know, he was putting samples into my petri dish."

"Boss, should we blacklist them now?" Chen Mo asked, "Or should we just hand the evidence over to the Economic Crime Investigation Department?"

"No." Bai Jingyou waved his hand, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of a hunter seeing his prey fall into his net. "If we try to catch them now, we'll only manage a few small fry. That old fox Sun Zhi will definitely clear himself of all charges. Since they want to put on a show, we'll play along."

He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the endless stream of car lights outside, as if they were countless flowing data.

"Chen Mo, grant them more authority. Not only grant it, but give them the green light." Bai Jingyou's voice was deep and seductive. "Make them think their plan is flawless, make them think I'm already dead. Only when they're at their most triumphant will they be stretching their necks the furthest."

"Also, inform Lin Lanfeng." Bai Jingyou turned his head, his pupils reflecting the eerie blue light on the screen. "Tell him to prepare for Sun Zhi's attempt to use a backdoor? Then I'll show him what it means to catch a turtle in a jar."

"What about... Jiang Feng's side?"

"Ignore that idiot." Bai Jingyou smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Let him dream for a few days. After all, these are the last few good nights he'll ever have."

Chen Mo nodded and turned to leave.

The office fell silent again.

Bai Jingyou picked up his coffee and took a sip. The bitter taste spread in his mouth, yet it made him feel incredibly clear-headed.

My phone vibrated; it was a WeChat message from Ye Lingqing.

"I heard you let a few mice in? Be careful not to mess things up."

Bai Jingyou replied, "Even rats are meat. Perfect timing, Deep Blue's AI defense system is just in need of some real-world data packets to feed it. President Ye, get the popcorn ready, the show's just beginning."