Chapter 97: You're Screwed

The CEOs present exchanged puzzled glances, wondering if they had misheard.

One CEO from a certification company laughed, "President Wang, you must be joking. This loss is due to your company's software. You should acknowledge that instead of backing out."

"And with such an incident, how can we trust your products again?" Another CEO chimed in.

As they grumbled, Grace remained composed. "Perhaps I should let my software engineering head explain this matter."

"Head of engineering??" The CEOs looked at each other in astonishment, finally fixating their eyes on the young man present. Could he be the head?

Leon started with a greeting and introduced himself.

Grace watched Leon from the side, completely unaware of what he was planning.

Leon began, "First, let me express our deep regret and sorrow for the losses this virus incident has caused your companies." The others nodded in agreement. After all, it was their companies that were fine until they used Queen software.

However, Leon then shifted his tone, "But we are not here to take the blame lightly."

"What does this Mr. Chen mean by that?" one CEO frowned.

"After thorough investigation and discussion, including a rigorous test by the renowned West Coast Laboratory in the UK, we can confirm that the Red Firewall is a top-tier firewall and it is impossible for it to trigger a latent virus." The West Coast Laboratory was indeed a real institution, known for certifying antivirus software. Of course, Queen Company hadn't contacted them. Leon was simply bluffing. The more grandiose and authoritative it sounded, the more convincing it would be. "Moreover, I've learned that the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center has received reports of similar virus incidents recently. I believe the virus affecting your companies has nothing to do with Queen Company."

The room fell silent for a while. These CEOs were no fools and naturally didn't believe Leon's words, especially given his young age. "Do you have any evidence?"

"No evidence. However, our company is working tirelessly to develop data recovery software. Soon, we will install it for you, and all your data will be restored."

"President Wang, is this your response?" a CEO scoffed.

Grace nodded. "I believe in him."

"See you in court!" They shook their heads, unwilling to stay any longer. Their departing glances were filled with pity and ridicule, likely thinking Queen Company was just making a last-ditch effort.

Leon had expected this outcome and wasn't surprised. He calmly sipped a glass of water. Now that the words were out, it was time to take real action.

After a while, Grace, still gazing at Leon, asked, "Don't you have anything to ask?"

"What are your plans next?" Grace asked without hesitation.

"Aren't you curious why I'm so confident?" Leon smiled.

Grace remained expressionless. "An out-of-court settlement or a failed lawsuit ends the same way. The difference is that the former is quieter, and the latter is more public."

"Alright, I'm not that confident." Leon raised his hand, surrendering to Grace's calm demeanor. "My real confidence lies in an email the company received."

"An email?" This time, Grace was surprised.

They walked to the office and turned on a dedicated computer.

Grace frowned as a custom chat interface popped up. Seeing the signature, her expression turned serious—XO.

She turned to look at Leon, who innocently explained, "I received this by chance. He said he could help us!"

Grace hesitated before sending a message. Meanwhile, she didn't notice Leon's eyes change as he sipped his tea.

Data Manipulation!

Activated!

"It's not easy to communicate with you," XO replied.

Grace was stunned and instinctively turned to see Leon casually drinking tea. "Do I need to leave for your conversation?" he asked nonchalantly.

Grace thought for a moment. "No, it concerns the company, so it's best you stay." She then sent another question, asking if he was really XO.

"If you don't believe me, feel free to use all means to trace my IP!" Leon had learned his lesson and had wiped the internal data commands while manipulating the computer, ensuring it was impossible to trace the IP.

Grace didn't hesitate to respond with an affirmative.

A series of dazzling program commands were launched in an attack. Watching Grace's offensive tactics for the first time, Leon was impressed. After a while, Grace was sweating, her mouth dry. It was indeed XO. Even the address was blank, making it impossible to trace by any means.

Having confirmed it was really XO, Grace felt relieved. Facing this legend of the cyber world, she naturally trusted his extraordinary abilities but was puzzled by his willingness to help.

Following Leon's command, a response appeared.

"Queen is the top hacker in China and a world-renowned hacker. Do you think I want Queen's reputation to be tarnished?"

Grace remembered that XO seemed to be patriotic.

Grace pondered this.

After the conversation with XO, Grace made herself a cup of hot milk. She still couldn't understand why XO would help her, especially since his timing was so coincidental. Grace's mind was sharp; she had a hunch that XO might have something to do with Leon.

Thinking back, she had met Leon because of this matter. Initially, she had been curious about his name's similarity and had tested him, eventually ruling him out as XO. After all, during the chat with XO, Leon was right beside her. No matter how powerful XO was, he couldn't invade without a computer, right? Grace laughed at herself for the thought, unaware that Leon had already controlled the computer and indeed didn't need one.

Though she ruled out Leon as XO, Grace was convinced that XO had a connection with him, at least knowing him. Otherwise, the timing was too coincidental.

Of course, she didn't plan to delve further into it. As Queen Company's president, she wasn't interested in XO's identity. As for her other identity, she didn't want to get involved.

"Surprised that XO showed up just in time. Now, do you regret having me invest?" Leon laughed, sensing Grace's complicated thoughts. Her sharp intuition was somewhat frightening.

Grace shook her head, sipping her milk. She said something philosophical, "Having someone witness your dream isn't a bad thing. At least when you fail, someone saw your effort..."

Leon was speechless. The two looked at each other in silence for a long time.

...

Late at night, a white BMW drove toward the H University campus.

The night breeze carried a slight chill, seeping through his collar. Leon adjusted his coat. "Yes, I'm taking Leon back to school," Grace said on the phone, pressing a button to close the window. She drove single-handedly with ease. Leon hadn't wanted her to drive him, but after a long day dealing with the company issue, Grace insisted on taking him as an apology.

"Really? Haha, Scarlett is something. But I'm already on my way, so let's leave it at that," Grace laughed.

"Yes. That's all..."

Hanging up the phone, Grace glanced at Leon, casually asking, "You know Scarlett?"

"Just met once," Leon chuckled, remembering the food fight.

"Scarlett said she wouldn't mind you staying at Red Leaf Apartment..." Grace said slowly.

Leon chuckled dryly. Living with three beauties was too stressful. Such good fortune was best avoided. Besides, he had noticed that Red Leaf Apartment was quite special, with hidden security measures. Living under constant surveillance wasn't appealing.

A few dozen minutes later, the BMW stopped near Huazhong University. Leon didn't want anyone to know he had arrived in Grace's car.

Leon quickly walked away, his head down. As he reached a street corner, he heard swearing.

"William, you're a disgrace for a governor's son, taking such humiliation."

"Who the hell is this Leon, acting so high and mighty?"

"He's a nobody. H University's rules are too strict. If it were outside, I'd have made him crawl."

Hearing his name, Leon turned. Indeed, it was a case of enemies meeting again. Among the group was William Jiang and his unknown cronies.

"Leon, I forgot to give you the apartment phone number." Grace's clear voice called out, catching William's group's attention.

Seeing him, William's face turned grim as he approached angrily, his cronies cracking their knuckles with malicious grins.

"Leon, I didn't expect to see you out this late. I thought you'd be hiding in Huazhong," William sneered.

"Did you solve the problem?" Leon smirked.

William's face darkened. He couldn't solve such an insulting problem. That night, he had smashed the wine bottle in frustration. Since entering Huazhong, he had been humiliated repeatedly, and his hatred for Leon ran deep.

"So, you're the infamous Leon? You look so harmless."

"Such a pushover, haha."

The group's blatant mockery made William's face even more livid.

"Leon, who is this?" Grace approached, frowning.

The thugs were instantly mesmerized by Grace's beauty, stunned and blushing. That figure, those legs—this woman was stunningly gorgeous.

William was also momentarily awestruck. Hearing Grace's tone towards Leon filled his chest with suffocating jealousy and frustration, finally bursting out.

"Leon, you sure know how to pick them. This chick is quite a catch. Have her serve us tonight, and we'll let you off."

"Yeah~Let me go first."

"This beauty is perfect. I agree."

"Why not let the kid watch a live show?"

The group laughed wickedly.

"William, you idiot, you're screwed."