Chapter 254 He Must Win

After finishing her work-related conversation with Lu Yanhe, Chen Ziyan changed the subject and started talking about "Jump Up." With a smile, she said, "Jump Up is selling very well. I haven't congratulated you yet on your successful crossover."

The book "Jump Up" has nothing to do with Lu Yanhe's acting career. It is a new project that Lu Yanhe developed on his own, so it has nothing to do with Xingyu Entertainment.

Lu Yanhe doesn't need to share the money he earns from "Jump Up" with Xingyu Entertainment.

"Thank you, Sister Ziyan, you've helped me a lot too."

“I won’t take credit for this; I really didn’t,” Chen Ziyan said. “It’s all thanks to your own abilities.”

"When Yu Jiang attacked me, Sister Ziyan, you must have stepped in, right?" Lu Yanhe said with certainty, "You must have helped me find an online army."

Chen Ziyan: "We did look for them, but even if we hadn't, everyone would still be on your side. It's easy to tell who's trying to extort money from us. This kind of thing isn't complicated; we just need to steer the conversation in a certain direction."

Lu Yanhe knew that the overwhelmingly critical and negative attitude towards Yu Jiang online back then must have been due to online trolls manipulating public opinion—otherwise, the public opinion wouldn't have been so consistent.

"Will you continue making 'Jump Up' as a long-term project?"

“Okay.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “However, Siqi and the others will handle the specific tasks. I will not be involved. I will only be responsible for the final review of all the manuscripts and the final review before each issue is published.”

“That’s good, after all, you’re really busy,” Chen Ziyan said. “I was going to tell you that people should have priorities. You’re so young and you’ve taken on so much work, you’re spinning like a top. But seeing how successfully you’ve done it, I won’t say that. If ‘Jump Up’ can become an influential series of books, it will be a great benefit to your acting career. I just want to remind you of one thing: the pie should be divided properly, and there shouldn’t be any disputes over profits. This is the most common conflict that can arise when young people start a business together, especially since you and Chen Siqi have that kind of relationship.”

“We both signed an agreement,” Lu Yanhe said somewhat awkwardly. “It’s all clearly written down who is responsible for what and how the profits are divided. She said we need to keep clear accounts and settle the money so that we don’t have any lingering resentment later.”

“She’s a really smart girl.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “The longer I know her, the more I understand why you like her.”

Hearing Chen Ziyan say that, Lu Yanhe felt a little embarrassed to respond.

Why would he like Chen Siqi?

Whatever the reason, it couldn't be because she's smart.

Chen Ziyan completely missed the point.

Lu Yanhe remained silent, knowing full well that he shouldn't deny anything at this time.

-

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan walked on campus.

The sun is shining brightly at this time of day, not as intense as at midday.

Chen Ziyan wore high heels, her hair was permed into big, curly waves, and she swayed gracefully, exuding the charm of a mature woman.

Wherever she went, she always attracted many boys to turn around.

Lu Yanhe always felt that with Chen Ziyan's image and temperament, she would definitely become famous if she debuted as an artist.

Especially considering Chen Ziyan has such formidable skills.

Only those who have experienced Zhou Ping'an know how rare it is to have a reliable, capable agent who truly cares about you.

"Walking on campus, I feel like I'm really getting old," Chen Ziyan said. "Everyone has such a young face, it's really enviable."

Lu Yanhe said, "Sister Ziyan, you are also very young, why do you always say that you are old?"

Chen Ziyan sneered and said, "Wait until you're thirty before you say that to me."

Lu Yanhe: "..."

"You, a young person who is not even twenty years old, would not understand our anxiety about age."

"I……"

"You'd better not say anything like you don't care about getting old." Chen Ziyan shot another glare at him. "You all better keep those words to yourselves until you're thirty, or you'll be asking for a beating."

Lu Yanhe silently shut his mouth.

He sensed a murderous aura emanating from Chen Ziyan.

Lu Yanhe had always known that Chen Ziyan was very concerned about her appearance and age, which puzzled him greatly.

In Lu Yanhe's view, Chen Ziyan is an outstanding woman in every aspect, and she has no need to worry about her age.

Lu Yanhe was also a little curious. A woman as outstanding as Chen Ziyan should have many men pursuing her, but he had never seen any man around her.

"Actually—" Chen Ziyan hesitated before speaking, wanting to tell him about Lu Yanhe's parents.

But at that moment, Lu Yanhe's phone suddenly rang.

"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe picked up his phone, glancing at Chen Ziyan with some surprise. "Sister Ziyan, I need to take this call."

"Okay, you can answer it." Chen Ziyan nodded.

The call was from Mao Jiayang.

"Hey, Yan He, where are you right now? I have something to tell you," Mao Jiayang said in a serious tone.

Lu Yanhe frowned in confusion, glanced at Chen Ziyan, and said, "Is it urgent? I'm with my agent right now; she's at the school."

Mao Jiayang said, "I don't know if I should say I'm anxious, but do you know that someone has planted a Trojan horse on your computer?"

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

Chen Ziyan looked at him.

Mao Jiayang said, "Someone has implanted a Trojan horse in your laptop. As long as you are connected to the internet, all your records on your laptop will be synchronized to another computer."

Lu Yanhe was stunned and completely at a loss.

-

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan returned to the coffee shop where they had been.

Mao Jiayang rushed over, carrying Lu Yanhe's laptop.

“My teacher discovered this Trojan horse,” Mao Jiayang said. “During class, I was called on to give a presentation. After I finished, he made some changes on the computer and that’s how he discovered the Trojan horse program on my computer.”

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan exchanged a glance.

Chen Ziyan asked, "Is it possible to find the IP address corresponding to this Trojan?"

“I tried to track it, but it was an overseas IP address, obviously a fake,” Mao Jiayang said. “So, I called you, although I guess you probably don’t know what’s going on.”

Lu Yanhe hesitated for a while before saying, "I really don't know what happened, and I don't even know when someone installed it."

"It doesn't take long to install such a Trojan horse now, five to ten minutes is enough," Mao Jiayang said. "Anyone who has access to your laptop can do it. But don't you usually carry your laptop with you at all times?"

Although Lu Yanhe always carried his laptop with him, he didn't protect it as if it were a secret.

There are no secrets inside a laptop.

When studying in the library, if you need to go to the restroom or get a meal, you can simply leave your laptop on the table. In fact, all students in the school have the opportunity to access it.

Lu Yanhe couldn't possibly find out who installed it.

He asked, "Does this Trojan program simply transmit all my laptop's operation records when it's connected to the internet to another computer in real time?"

“Yes.” Mao Jiayang nodded. “At first I thought it was done by one of your crazy fans who wanted to spy on you.”

Lu Yanhe thought for a moment, "I don't know, maybe."

Mao Jiayang suddenly winked at Lu Yanhe: "You haven't been watching any porn on your computer, have you?"

Lu Yanhe was speechless: "No, don't make wild guesses."

Mao Jiayang chuckled and said, "I'm just reminding you that if you watch porn and it gets recorded and leaked, that would be a minor scandal."

Chen Ziyan said expressionlessly, "For an idol star like Lu Yanhe, this is not just a small scandal. Classmate, thank you for helping us find this Trojan horse today."

Mao Jiayang raised his index and middle fingers, making a cool gesture, and said, "No problem, you're welcome. I suggest you delete it as soon as possible, and also do a full check on your phone and other electronic products. Who knows if there's a second or third Trojan."

Mao Jiayang's reminder served as a wake-up call for both Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan.

“Similarly, I think you can also call the police,” Mao Jiayang said. “This kind of thing is illegal, and you can definitely seek help from the police.”

Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes, nodded, and said, "Okay, thank you for your suggestion. We will consider it."

Mao Jiayang nodded, looked at Lu Yanhe, and said, "I have dinner appointments tonight, so I'll be leaving now."

"Okay, thank you very much for today." Lu Yanhe got up to see Mao Jiayang off.

"Don't mention it." Mao Jiayang waved his hand. "If you find out who installed the Trojan on your laptop, please let me know. I'm also very curious about what kind of crazy fan would do something like this. I really hope it wasn't a classmate from our school."

Lu Yanhe smiled, saw Mao Jiayang out of the coffee shop, and then turned back.

Chen Ziyan's expression was stern as she silently examined the notebook on the table.

Lu Yanhe went back to sit down and asked, "Sister Ziyan, what should we do about this?"

“The simplest way is to call the police, but calling the police may not catch the person who planted the Trojan on your computer,” Chen Ziyan said. “The person who planted the Trojan may just be an accomplice. I don’t think it was done by a fanatical fan. This is not the method of a fanatical fan chasing stars. On the contrary, I think it was done by someone who has been targeting you and wants you to leave the entertainment industry.”

The coffee shop was quite crowded.

After saying these words in a low voice, Chen Ziyan looked around and said, "Let's go outside to talk. It's almost dinnertime. Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."

Lu Yanhe nodded, slung his bag over his shoulder, and followed Chen Ziyan out.

The other people in the coffee shop saw the two of them leave, and once they were gone, they all asked questions out of curiosity.

"Was that Lu Yanhe just now?"

"Who is that woman next to him? Is she also a celebrity? She's so beautiful."

"But that woman looks older than us."

"So what if they're older than us? They're mature and charming."

"Why do you say that in such a lewd way?"

"Where is it indecent?"

...

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan walked out of the coffee shop.

"Where should we eat? You should know this area better than I do, right? You pick the place, it's on me."

"How about we eat at the cafeteria? The food there is pretty good."

"Are there many people around at this time? I need to find a quiet place to talk to you."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback and said, "Then let's go out to eat. There are plenty of restaurants outside the school."

The two eventually went to a Japanese restaurant.

There were small cubicles and few people, and the environment perfectly met their requirements.

After sitting down, Chen Ziyan ordered a Japanese hot pot. Once all the dishes were served, she said to Lu Yanhe, "Your situation might be more complicated than you think."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback when he heard Chen Ziyan say that.

What about him?

Lu Yanhe immediately realized that it was about the original owner of the body.

There are still several mysteries surrounding him that have not been solved.

First, who was the person who lured him to the riverbank and pushed him into the river?

Second, who is the person who wants to drive him out of Star Entertainment?

Or perhaps these two questions are one issue, and these two people are actually the same person?

Since taking over his management affairs, Chen Ziyan has started investigating this matter for him.

Since then, Lu Yanhe hasn't asked any further questions. He believes that Chen Ziyan will tell him whatever information she finds out. Another important reason Lu Yanhe doesn't press for answers is that he himself is somewhat avoiding the question.

He didn't know if he would have the capacity to bear or resolve the situation once the answer appeared. Although Lu Yanhe inherited the original owner's memories, he wasn't significantly affected emotionally. He neither inherited the original owner's inferiority complex and timid personality, nor was he influenced by the original owner's tragic experiences.

Lu Yanhe had realized that the original owner's origins were definitely not so simple, but he subconsciously avoided all of this, pinning his hopes on his own efforts to make himself stronger. Only in this way could he have enough power to protect himself after the secret was revealed.

Now, Chen Ziyan has clearly uncovered some things.

Lu Yanhe took a deep breath, knowing that he could no longer run away.

His gaze hardened as he looked at Chen Ziyan.

"Sister Ziyan, you can speak now."

Chen Ziyan took out a paternity test report from her bag and said, "Your deceased parents are not your biological parents."

As she said this, she was carefully watching Lu Yanhe's expression.

To Chen Ziyan's surprise, Lu Yanhe's reaction was not the shock, astonishment, and disbelief she had expected.

Lu Yanhe's expression remained almost unchanged; he simply remained silent as he picked up the appraisal report and stared at it expressionlessly.

“This is a blood relationship test done using hair samples taken from you and your uncle,” Chen Ziyan said. “It shows that there is no blood relation between you.”

Lu Yanhe nodded, put down the report, remained silent for a while, then suddenly stood up and said, "Sister Ziyan, I'm going to the restroom."

Seeing this, Chen Ziyan nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"It's nothing." Lu Yanhe raised his head, gave Chen Ziyan a hasty smile, and his eyes were filled with a strange glint of tears. "If I... if I said I had guessed it beforehand, would you find it strange?"

Lu Yanhe didn't wait for Chen Ziyan's reply, nodded, and turned to leave the room.

Chen Ziyan sat in her seat in astonishment, unable to process what Lu Yanhe had just said.

-

Not only was Chen Ziyan caught off guard by Lu Yanhe's reaction, but even he himself was surprised.

When Lu Yanhe heard Chen Ziyan say, "Your deceased parents are not your biological parents," a sharp, tearing pain suddenly shot through his heart.

Lu Yanhe was well aware that it wasn't his own emotion, but the pain was happening to him, acting on him in a direct and inseparable way.

Is this the original body's reaction?

Lu Yanhe immediately felt a strange sadness.

Emotions seemed to have spiraled out of control, like weeds sprayed with growth hormones, growing wildly.

Lu Yanhe went into the restroom and took a while to calm down.

He walked to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror, at the face that once didn't belong to him, but now covered his soul.

—Lu Yanhe, was that your reaction just now?

—I thought you had left completely. Is this your lingering emotional attachment, or are you still existing in this body in some way?

Looking at himself in the mirror, Lu Yanhe suddenly felt that the person in the mirror was very unfamiliar, as if looking at him with a different kind of inquisitive gaze.

Lu Yanhe dared not look directly at her anymore, so he turned on the tap and washed his face with cold water.

He finally recovered after being stimulated by the cold water.

The soul returns to its original place.

This news really caught him off guard, telling him that it wouldn't be so easy for him, as a soul from another world, to break free from the constraints this world placed on the original owner.

Painful emotions still possess an overwhelming power, capable of overturning everything at any moment.

-

Lu Yanhe returned to the room.

Chen Ziyan looked at him with concern.

Lu Yanhe sat down again and said, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Are you okay?

“OK.” Lu Yanhe nodded and asked, “Sister Ziyan, do you know who my biological parents are?”

Chen Ziyan shook her head and said, "Not yet. Based on your parents—I mean your adoptive parents—and their jobs and relationships before they died, I compiled a list of people who might be your biological parents. I've tried to contact some of them and ruled out others, but I still can't be sure. I don't dare to be too obvious or make too much of a move, for fear of alerting them."

"Yes, I understand." Lu Yanhe nodded, then suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh. "So, the person who pushed me into the river could also be my biological parents?"

Chen Ziyan fell silent.

She really couldn't rule out that possibility.

What kind of mindset would drive someone to their death?

What kind of threat does Lu Yanhe's existence pose that would make people want him to leave this world?

Chen Ziyan was reluctant to associate this matter with melodramatic plots like "ethical feuds," but she couldn't help but think about it. If it weren't for this background, she couldn't understand why Lu Yanhe would be so deserving of such treacherous actions.

"This time, they were able to plant a Trojan on your computer without anyone noticing, monitoring your every move. This shows that someone has been watching your every move, from Zhou Ping'an and his group trying to get rid of you from Xingyu Company, to Director Li wanting you to leave 'The Days of Youth'," Chen Ziyan said. "I think if it weren't for the fact that it's harder to plant a Trojan on your phone, perhaps this person would have wanted to plant a Trojan on your phone even more, so they could monitor more of your information. Why would they want to monitor you?"

"Surveillance? Cell phone?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback, his eyes lit up, and an idea flashed through his mind, "Sister Ziyan, if we can't track this Trojan on the laptop now, can we find a way to make them want to implant a second Trojan?"

Chen Ziyan instantly understood what Lu Yanhe meant.

Lu Yanhe means fishing.

The Trojan horse implanted in his computer is unmonitorable, but if it stops functioning properly, a second Trojan horse will have to be implanted. He just needs to wait and catch the person who secretly implanted the Trojan horse in his computer!

"What do you want to do?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Lu Yanhe said, "Get a new laptop."

"Get a new laptop?"

-

At 9 p.m., Lu Yanhe logged onto his laptop and sent a message to Chen Ziyan: Sister Ziyan, I'm entrusting the matter of my biological parents to you.

Chen Ziyan: Okay, by the way, I bought you a new laptop. You do live streams every now and then, but you always use the built-in webcam, which is too ugly. I had a high-resolution webcam installed for you by the manufacturer.

Lu Yanhe: Yeah, that's great! My current laptop is getting a bit slow, so I was just about to get a new one.

Chen Ziyan: You've made a lot of money now, so replace the equipment that needs replacing. Don't be reluctant to do so.

Lu Yanhe: I understand, thank you, Sister Ziyan.

Chen Ziyan: Then I'll bring it to you tomorrow.

...

Lu Yanhe then opened the "Jump Up" editorial team group and chatted with them for a while about the production of the second and third issues, including commissioning articles from Miao Yue. The normal chat lasted for about twenty minutes. He then exited the chat software, opened a set of course materials, spent thirty minutes completing an assignment for a course, and then logged into Yemai.com to check the sales and comments section of the first issue of "Jump Up".

Everything was normal until 11:30 p.m. when Lu Yanhe finally turned off his phone.

He stood up, and Mao Jiayang immediately turned around and glanced at him.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

The two of them went to the balcony.

"Will that person take the bait?" Mao Jiayang asked curiously.

Lu Yanhe said, "Since he wants to monitor me so much, I'm going to get a new laptop. He probably wants to continue implanting malware to monitor me."

"Fans these days are really scary," Mao Jiayang remarked, frowning, seemingly unaware of the situation.

Lu Yanhe offered no explanation, only asking, "Then I'll leave it to you tomorrow."

"Don't worry, if they can implant a Trojan in your computer, so can I," Mao Jiayang said. "When you bring your new computer over tomorrow, I'll take care of it. If anyone tries to install a new program on your computer, I'll receive a notification. At the same time, I'll also fix your computer so that the built-in webcam will automatically turn on and start recording whenever it's turned on. It's very simple, but it will make your computer drain the battery faster. Remember to plug it in when you turn it on, otherwise the laptop battery won't last long. Then, no matter who secretly implants a Trojan in your computer, I can record it."

Lu Yanhe nodded, full of gratitude, "Thank you, it's fortunate that I have a classmate who studies computer science."

Mao Jiayang was somewhat proud and smug, raising his chin, "That's right, leave this little thing to me."

At this moment, Xiao Jing opened the door, picked up a clothesline pole, and prepared to retrieve the clothes.

"What are you all talking about standing here?" Xiao Jing asked with a strange look.

Mao Jiayang: "Go away, go away, this is a secret between me and Lu Yanhe, don't go asking around."

"I'm not curious," Xiao Jing said, pouting.

-

Lu Yanhe thought to himself that he had already set the hook with his conversation with Chen Ziyan today, and now it was just a matter of whether he could catch the fish.

His original phone has been taken away by Chen Ziyan and sent to a specialist for examination.

The phone he has now is brand new.

Lu Yanhe reset his alarm clock and prepared to go to bed.

"Hey, Lu Yanhe, someone took pictures of you and your agent and posted them on the school forum," Mao Jiayang suddenly said with a laugh.

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

Mao Jiayang read aloud: "Lu Yanhe toured the campus with a mature and intellectual beauty, suspected to be his girlfriend! Female students, stop thinking about Lu Yanhe. Hahahaha, who came up with this headline?"

Lu Yanhe: "..."

Speechless.

Even Zhenhua has these bored people who like to make up gossip.

Lu Yanhe is increasingly losing his fascination with Zhenhua.

The school is top-tier, the teachers are highly qualified, and there are many talented and capable students. But even so, there will still be those boring people, boring things, and boring activities.

Lu Yanhe didn't even bother to respond to these messages.

There's simply not enough time to respond.

Even if what Chen Shiqiu said is true, as long as he gets close to any girl, rumors about a possible girlfriend will appear on the school forum.

Lu Yanhe got into bed, closed his eyes, and recalled what Chen Ziyan had told him that day.

Life's script suddenly took an unexpected turn.

He silently began to mentally prepare himself for the possibility of being an "abandoned child" or an "illegitimate child."

Regardless of his true identity, it's a battle.

He must win.

(End of this chapter)