Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

At midnight, Gu Ming returned home reeking of alcohol.

The key was inserted into the lock and turned, making a soft "click" sound.

He pushed open the door.

The TV in the living room is on, but there is no sound.

The light from the screen illuminated a figure on the sofa.

Gu Ming stopped what he was doing, and sobered up a bit.

He thought to himself, he had managed to dodge Wang Tianqi and Shen Guodong, but he couldn't dodge this one at home.

"Dad, it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

While changing his shoes, Gu Ming asked casually.

The figure on the sofa remained motionless and silent.

Gu Ming sighed inwardly, knowing this wouldn't be easy. He changed his shoes, went to the living room, and pressed the light switch on the wall.

With a "snap".

The lights came on, illuminating the serious face of the father, Gu Yuanshan.

He was wearing old pajamas, holding a folded copy of the Hegang Evening News, and sat there quietly, waiting for who knows how long.

The ashtray in front of him was already overflowing with cigarette butts.

"You're back?" Gu Yuanshan asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"Yeah, just finished." Gu Ming walked to the sofa opposite him, sat down, poured himself a glass of cold water, and gulped it down in one go.

After drinking a glass of cold water, he felt calmer.

Gu Yuanshan didn't look at him, but simply pushed the newspaper in his hand to the center of the coffee table.

"Today was a glorious day."

Gu Ming's gaze fell on the front page of the newspaper.

A bold headline: "Gu Ming, a young entrepreneur in our city, achieves another brilliant success, and his virtual idol 'Zero' ignites the entire internet."

The accompanying photo is from a celebration banquet, showing the person in the center holding a wine glass and surrounded by a group of people.

In the corner of the photo, two inconspicuous figures were also captured.

One is Shen Guodong, and the other is Wang Tianqi.

Gu Yuanshan tapped the newspaper with his rough knuckles.

The spot where he struck was right on Wang Tianqi's face, which was smiling somewhat arrogantly.

"Is that guy surnamed Wang who was with you today the owner of Tianqi Entertainment?"

Gu Ming remained silent.

He knew that his father didn't usually care about these things, but he would always find a way to find out what he wanted to know.

"Yes, he came uninvited," Gu Ming replied casually.

"Uninvited..." Gu Yuanshan repeated the four words, a hint of sarcasm on his lips.

He paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"I called your second uncle who does business in Xinyang today."

"I asked him if he knew someone named Wang Tianqi."

Gu Yuanshan raised his head, his cloudy eyes staring straight at Gu Ming.

"Your second uncle told me that this person has a very bad reputation in their circle."

"It's said that he made his fortune by running private game servers and cheat programs. Later, he started an MCN (Multi-Channel Network), specializing in acquiring newly emerging small companies. If any of them disobeyed, he would use all sorts of methods to destroy them."

"Your second uncle also said that Wang Tianqi has a group of people working for him, not lawyers or executives, but people who specifically help him deal with troubles."

Gu Yuanshan's voice was very calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

But Gu Ming could hear the worry beneath his calm demeanor.

His father, an ordinary retired worker, had never inquired about these things.

He knew his father was genuinely afraid.

"Dad, I know what I'm doing," Gu Ming tried to reassure him.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Gu Yuanshan's voice suddenly rose, and his wrinkled face turned bright red with excitement.

This was the first time Gu Ming had seen his father so distraught since his rebirth.

"What do you know?"

He slammed his hand on the coffee table, stood up, and stared intently into Gu Ming's eyes, as if he were looking at a disobedient, foolish son.

"Son, Dad doesn't understand all that internet stuff, virtual idols, and big data!"

"Dad's just a rough man! Dad only knows one thing: what kind of people you can befriend, and what kind of people you should never touch!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"That Wang Tianqi, and that Shen guy in the newspaper, that cunning old fox who looks like he's hiding a knife behind his smile! Who are they? People like them are dangerous!"

"Who are we? We're just ordinary people! Getting involved with them is risking your life!"

"Money, that's enough! The money you're earning now is enough for the two of us old folks to live on for several lifetimes, enough for you to live on for more than ten lifetimes!"

"Stop it, son!"

"Take your dad's advice and stop!"

"What you're doing is too dangerous! Do you know that?"

"Something bad is going to happen! Something terrible is bound to happen sooner or later!"

Gu Yuanshan roared out the last sentence.

After yelling, he coughed violently, his whole body hunched over, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant.

The living room was quiet.

Only his father's suppressed, painful breaths struck Gu Ming's heart, one after another.

Gu Ming opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

He wanted to explain that he had the memories of being reborn, that he wouldn't lose, and that he could build his own career.

But he couldn't bring himself to say those words.

Because he knew that his father was right.

Wang Tianqi, Shen Guodong...

Anyone could crush their current self with the flick of a finger.

His so-called advantages of rebirth are very fragile in the face of absolute power and capital.

He got to where he is today not because of his ability, but because of luck.

It was Shen Guodong's playful attitude and Wang Tianqi's misjudgment.

His current situation is very dangerous; he is completely controlled by two powerful figures who could turn against him at any moment.

He had never told anyone about this fear, but his own father, the most honest man who knew nothing about business, expressed it in the simplest and most straightforward way.

Seeing Gu Ming with his head down and silent.

The hope in Gu Yuanshan's eyes slowly faded.

In his view, his son's silence was a form of rejection.

The old father's eyes went from sternness at the beginning to excitement, and now only disappointment and fear remained.

He seemed to have already foreseen his son's tragic end.

The swirling smoke blurred his face, which had aged more than ten years in an instant.

"Never mind... You're all grown up now, you have your own ideas..."

"Dad... I can't control you anymore..."

"You'd better watch yourself."

After saying that, he didn't look at Gu Ming again, and just silently smoked his cigarette.

That figure was desolate, lonely, and powerless.

Gu Ming looked at his father's seemingly bent back and his graying temples, and felt a pang of pain in his heart.

This worry and love from his family weighed heavily on his heart.

This bothered him more than the threats from Shen Guodong and Wang Tianqi.

He slowly clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.

Should we back down?

No.

Stopping now would be the real end.

I can't stop, I have to go even faster!

We must hurry!

I must build a barrier that truly belongs to me in the shortest possible time!

A barrier that can protect my family, so they never have to live in fear for me like they do today...