Evolutionary Superstar

"Brother Lin, over here!"

Su Xiaoran waved as Lin Haoren arrived at the designated meeting location.

Besides the black MPV behind her, there were also two other people inside the vehicle: the assistant-driver called Xiao Yu and the A-list actress Mu Qingxue.

"Hello, Classmate Mu. We meet again. Thanks for giving me a ride."

"Mm."

Mu Qingxue acknowledged Lin Haoren’s presence with a nod as he entered the back seats with Su Xiaoran.

Facing such a nonchalant attitude, Lin Haoren could only smile wryly in silence.

He couldn’t quite figure out the mindset of this A-list beauty queen. At times, she seemed quite respectful and friendly. At other times, she seemed distant and unwelcoming.

However, Lin Haoren could at least see that, besides those she was genuinely close to, she kept everyone else at arm’s length. He wasn’t sure if she had always been like this, or if it was a habit she had developed to protect herself.

Either way, since Mu Qingxue didn’t seem interested in talking, Lin Haoren couldn’t be bothered to force a topic.

The ride back to Jinhai City, Nanqiao Student District, was awkward and silent.

Only the sound of Su Xiaoran playing with Oreo was heard in the car. Of course, the noise was mostly Su Xiaoran’s bell-like laughter and Oreo’s annoyed grumbles.

No matter how Su Xiaoran teased him, Oreo could only voice his dissatisfaction.

He was a proper domesticated tuxedo cat. He knew that violence was not the solution, not to mention that he couldn’t beat such a big human in a real fight anyway. The size and weight differences were too great.

A gentlemanly cat does not pick a losing battle.

As Su Xiaoran pinched his soft cheeks, Oreo cast a glance at Lin Haoren with a "You owe me" look. Lin Haoren understood the silent message and made an OK gesture with a smile.

Isn’t it just about giving Oreo more premium cat food?

It’s okay; this Bro has money.

The awkward silence in the car became unbearable. Lin Haoren couldn’t bear to put up with it for 2 hours. Thus, he took out his new phone to doom-scroll.

=====

#JinhaiConstructionSiteCraneAccident#

A construction crane unexpectedly swung out of control, crashing into the adjacent construction building. 5 workers were killed, and another 17 were injured in the accident.

=====

Lin Haoren’s hand trembled as he came across this most recent news.

He didn’t doubt that the crane accident was also caused by Xeraphi’s cyberattack. As such, his heart immediately felt heavy, like a stone was weighing down on it.

This was just one city.

How many more cities had suffered a cyberattack from Xeraphi’s AI? What about the rest of the world? How many people were killed or injured in total?

Lin Haoren didn’t know the specifics, but he figured the number wouldn’t be small.

Even a couple of dozen or hundreds were one too many.

More importantly, it was just the first phase of Xeraphi’s cyberattack, an experimental run. The next phase of cyberattacks would likely be on an entirely different scale.

Lin Haoren did not wish to see such a day arrive.

Lumi was currently the best weapon against Xeraphi’s AI, but she was like a bird with clipped wings. Without sufficient computing resources, Lumi’s potential couldn’t be fully utilized for a guaranteed decapitation strike.

He had neither the capital nor the authority to access so many resources legally. On the other hand, illegal access was easy to achieve, but it came with enormous consequences once discovered.

Lin Haoren didn’t want to spend his years behind bars or burdened with crippling debts.

His best option was to hand Lumi over to the state. The nation’s military-grade supercomputers were suitable for Lumi’s foundation.

With the highest level of military authority, accessing the nation’s vast resources to deal with Xeraphi’s AI would become simpler.

However, Lin Haoren didn’t like the idea of handing her over to the state for free, not to mention that establishing secret contact with the military wouldn’t be so easy.

What should he do to achieve a win-win situation?

Lin Haoren couldn’t help but shake his head. He had a plan, but the plan was too simple and required refining.

One wrong move and he would be putting himself in a disadvantageous position. His freedom must never be compromised.

Otherwise, farming Reputation Points would become difficult.

...

Two hours eventually passed, and the black MPV pulled up in front of Hongxing Apartment, Building 3.

"Finally back!"

Su Xiaoran stretched with her arms out after getting off the MPV with Lin Haoren.

"Eh? Why are you also getting off, Sister Mu?" Su Xiaoran suddenly noticed; her expression became wary, like a cat guarding her food.

Mu Qingxue noticed this, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"What? We’ve been on a 2-hour ride. Are you not even going to invite me up to drink some water?" Mu Qingxue asked assertively with her hands on her hips.

"Really? You only want to come up for some water? Nothing else?" Su Xiaoran asked doubtfully.

Her feelings were clear: Mu Qingxue was unwelcome.

Mu Qingxue felt exasperated and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Su Xiaoran was seriously treating her like an outsider.

Why was she like this? Had she not been good to her?

Naturally, Su Xiaoran knew Mu Qingxue treated her well, and she was grateful for that. But spring has arrived, and Mu Qingxue shouldn’t get in the way of her love.

Of course, if Mu Qingxue really knew what Su Xiaoran was thinking, she would explode with anger.

Dating was taboo for celebrities in the entertainment industry, especially for a nameless actress without any capital or background like Su Xiaoran, who was just starting her career.

If she dated before establishing herself, it would be very difficult to secure future resources.

Who would offer her roles when she had no value?

The cake was only so big, resources were limited, and the competitiveness was extraordinarily high.

Peers were happier to see a starlet fall than a new one rising.

Mu Qingxue really wanted to give Su Xiaoran a serious talk, but she realized Su Xiaoran might not take her words seriously.

Their views on love and career were different.

This made Mu Qingxue upset. She thought they were on the same path, but it had unknowingly diverged. Her obedient and cute junior had been corrupted by love.

And the culprit behind that...

Mu Qingxue couldn’t help but glare at Lin Haoren, causing the latter to be taken aback.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!