Chapter 31: Overtaken by a Rival

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Su Ruochu was nervous.
Chen Fan was equally tense.
Facing the girl before him,
Chen Fan believed no one understood her better than himself.
In their past life, they had been in love for over four years,
whispering sweet nothings and treating each other with utmost respect.
He knew everything about Su Ruochu.
Yet, in this lifetime, seeing Su Ruochu’s cheeks flushed, her body trembling slightly,
Chen Fan inexplicably found himself nervous.
Just as the two were about to share their very first kiss, trembling and hesitant,
a car horn suddenly blared nearby.
Startled, they both jumped.
“Dear daughter.”
Su Ruochu turned her head and saw a black sedan parked across the street.
A middle-aged man in a suit stood beside the car, smiling warmly and waving at her.
Startled, Su Ruochu quickly released Chen Fan’s hand.
“Dad…”
Chen Fan was shocked. That middle-aged man was Su Ruochu’s father?
Which meant he was about to meet his future father-in-law.
Su Ruochu glanced awkwardly at Chen Fan, her face flushed with embarrassment, then hurriedly ran across the street.
After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Fan followed.
“Dad, what are you doing here?”
Su Xuecheng smiled and ruffled his daughter’s hair.
“I just finished a dinner meeting and didn’t expect to run into my own daughter on the way back.”
His gaze naturally fell on Chen Fan, who had followed along.
“Who’s this, dear? Why don’t you introduce him to your father?”
Su Ruochu blushed deeply, embarrassed and unsure how to start.
Chen Fan, however, stepped forward with confidence.
“Hello, sir. I’m Su Ruochu’s classmate, Chen Fan.”
Su Xuecheng smiled broadly at Chen Fan.
“Nice to meet you. So you’re classmates.”
Chen Fan explained,
“Today the college entrance exam results were released, so I came to see how Su Ruochu did.”
“Oh, that’s it.”
Su Xuecheng smiled as he appraised Chen Fan.
“Since you’re here, why not come home for a bit?”
“No, no. I have to head back.”
Chen Fan glanced at Su Ruochu, then waved.
“Goodbye, sir. I’ll be going now.”
“Well, I won’t see you off then. Take care on the road.”
Su Xuecheng watched as Chen Fan rode off on his bicycle, then turned back with a warm smile toward his daughter.

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“That boy’s not bad—open and confident, handling himself well even in front of an elder, without a trace of nervousness.”
He then sneaked a glance at his daughter.
“Could it be he likes you?”
Su Ruochu’s embarrassment deepened, and she linked her arm with her father’s.
“Dad, what nonsense are you saying?”
“Haha, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“My daughter is so beautiful; it’d be strange if no boys liked her.”
“But…”
“I notice your attitude toward him is different from other boys. Daughter, do you like him too?”
Su Ruochu blushed, nervous.
“Dad, you promised not to interfere in my love life.”
Su Xuecheng chuckled.
“I’m not interfering, just curious.”
“What, even your own father can’t speak?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Su Ruochu said softly,
“I… like him.”
“I’ve already agreed to date Chen Fan.”
Su Xuecheng smiled as he tousled her hair.
“The college entrance exams are over; you’re officially a grown-up now.”
“Dad doesn’t oppose your relationship, but as your elder, I have a few words of advice.”
“Make sure your feelings are not a fleeting impulse. You must understand him well, and…”
Su Ruochu quickly reassured, “Dad, don’t worry. Chen Fan is truly a good student.”
“He did very well on the exam, scoring 603 points—higher than I did.”
“Oh?”
Su Xuecheng was surprised.
“That makes me realize I might have underestimated him.”
Su Ruochu grew nervous.
“Dad, could you please not tell Mom about tonight?”
Su Xuecheng smiled.
“She’s your mother. Why shouldn’t she know?”
“My mom… if she finds out, it’ll be like the sky is falling. Plus, she still treats me like a child…”
Su Ruochu pouted, obviously full of complaints.
Su Xuecheng laughed as he gently rubbed his daughter’s head.
“You have no right to say such things about your mother. She’s your mom; isn’t it natural for her to worry?”
Su Ruochu playfully stuck out her tongue, then softly swung her arm through her father’s.
“So, will you promise me or not?”
“I never said I’d keep it from her. I’m just saying I’ll tell her when the time is right.”
Faced with his daughter’s sweet coaxing, Su Xuecheng was helpless.
“Alright then. I’ll keep your secret.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Get in the car. Let’s go home together.”
“Okay.”

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Su Xuecheng started the car with a warm smile, glancing at his daughter beside him.
“I promised to keep your secret, but can you tell me more about this Chen Fan classmate…”
Su Ruochu was clearly still basking in immense happiness.
“Chen Fan can seem quiet sometimes, but he’s actually very thoughtful and independent.”
“Also, his grades in class hadn’t been outstanding before, but just before the college entrance exams, it was as if he suddenly had a breakthrough…”
…
Easy Domain Network clearly sensed Chen Fan’s Domain Network as a threat.
Recently, they ramped up their investment, flooding the market with advertisements.
It seemed they intended to crush Chen Fan’s site with sheer financial power.
Chen Fan’s own money-making venture also hit a snag.
After all, there were only so many computers needing repair in such a small town.
Even if Chen Fan repaired every computer in the district, his earnings would be limited.
Putting all his funds into promotion only made a small splash.
Compared to the wealthy Boss Yao, Chen Fan’s investment was but a drop in the ocean.
By August, under their massive financial offensive,
Chen Fan’s Domain Network gradually lost its edge, with Easy Domain Network overtaking it in daily traffic.
Sitting before his computer, Chen Fan was deeply frustrated.
Maybe he had taken the wrong path from the start.
Competing with money was a dead end.
No matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t match Boss Yao’s wealth.
It was only a matter of time before he was overtaken.
If he truly wanted to surpass his rival, he needed to change his approach and find another way.
His computer screen showed both Domain Network and Easy Domain Network sites open.
In recent days, Chen Fan had devoted almost all his energy to monitoring their traffic.
“Sigh, am I really going to lose like this?”
“It’s hard to accept!”
Chen Fan scratched his head, feeling down.
Just then, a graceful figure entered through the school gate.
Su Ruochu had arrived.
She greeted Zhou Honghai briefly, then naturally sat beside Chen Fan.
“How… how did you know I was here?”
Chen Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Su Ruochu winked confidently.
“I have my inside sources.”
Chen Fan suddenly smiled.
“Guo Shuai told you, didn’t he?”
Su Ruochu said nothing, instead reaching into her bag and pulling out an envelope, placing it in front of Chen Fan.
Chen Fan was stunned.
“What’s this?”