Flying Swan and Returning Wild Goose

The storm had passed, but calm did not follow.

Instead, another, greater storm was brewing.

At seven in the morning, an announcement released through Yuanlong Technology's official channels sent shockwaves through the business world.

The content was simple—just two lines:

"Effective immediately, Lianshan Technology will operate as an independent entity. All equity transfers have been completed, and it no longer holds any legal or commercial affiliation with Yuanlong Technology."

"We wish Lianshan Technology a prosperous future."

The notice was signed by Yuanlong Technology's board of directors.

Like a depth charge, the announcement left everyone stunned.

"What does this mean?"

"They sold their most profitable global supply chain business outright?"

"Is Lu Chenyuan cutting off his own arms?"

"This is insane, absolutely insane!"

Media calls flooded every publicly listed number for Yuanlong Technology.

But no one answered.

The market reacted immediately.

After a previous trading halt, Yuanlong's pre-market shares plummeted again.

To everyone, it seemed this corporate titan was about to sink.

At Cloud Peak One,

Lu Chenyuan was reviewing a document—not a financial report, but a risk assessment on overseas talent repatriation.

Mo Qingli carried a freshly brewed pot of Longjing tea.

She had changed out of yesterday's professional attire into comfortable beige loungewear.

Placing the tea beside Lu Chenyuan, she glanced at the news on her terminal.

"Selling 'Lianshan' means giving up 60% of our overseas market buffer," she remarked.

"No," Lu Chenyuan replied without looking up. "It's giving it a pass to breathe more freely out there."

Mo Qingli nodded. She understood.

Sometimes, becoming an "enemy" was the best protection.

"What's next?" she asked.

"Delisting," Lu Chenyuan said flatly.

Mo Qingli's hand paused slightly as she poured the tea.

Then, steady again.

She looked at him, not with surprise, but quiet comprehension.

"Are you sure?"

"I am," Lu Chenyuan said. "Yuanlong doesn’t need to answer to shareholders or stock prices."

"It only needs to answer to technology. To the future."

"The shackles of being a public company are too heavy."

"I need it to be a beast that obeys only me, caged but untamed—not a pet constantly fed to please the crowd."

Mo Qingli slid a warm cup of tea toward him.

"Fine. I’ll have the Mo family’s funds assist with the privatization."

"I need them to absorb as many circulating shares as possible in the secondary market," Lu Chenyuan said.

"Consider it done," Mo Qingli replied without hesitation.

As if they weren’t discussing a trillion-dollar corporate maneuver—

but merely what to have for dinner.

At nine a.m.,

Yuanlong Technology headquarters.

Newly appointed co-CEO Zhang Qi held his first all-hands virtual meeting.

Behind him loomed the company’s massive logo.

"I announce that Yuanlong Technology will initiate the privatization process," he declared.

"The company will repurchase all circulating shares at a 20% premium over the IPO price."

"We’re coming home."

Zhang Qi’s voice echoed through every Yuanlong office worldwide.

If spinning off "Lianshan" was shocking,

announcing the delisting was earth-shattering.

A trillion-dollar tech giant at its peak, voluntarily stepping away from the capital markets—

unprecedented in global business history.

"Why would they do this?"

"They don’t need the money!"

"What is Lu Chenyuan planning?"

Questions swirled in everyone’s minds.

But Yuanlong offered no answers.

This corporate leviathan, under the world’s gaze, began retracting its tendrils, closing the gates to the outside.

It chose to dive into the abyss.

A country.

West Coast, a secluded villa.

Dr. Li Zhenhua paced anxiously.

One of the world’s top photoresist experts,

he was also on Country A’s controlled list—a high-tech talent barred from leaving.

His phone was monitored.

His lab was under government "protection."

He was a bird trapped in a gilded cage.

Just as despair set in, an unknown number called.

Only one sentence came through:

"Dr. Li, go to Wang’s Tea Restaurant on Third Avenue in Chinatown."

"Order the 'Family Feast' combo."

"Bring nothing."

Li Zhenhua’s heart raced.

This was the code phrase from the "Distant Horizons International Talent Exchange Foundation."

He knew Zhang Qi’s people had come for him.

Thirty minutes later, Li Zhenhua entered the restaurant’s private booth.

Nervous, aware of countless eyes watching, he sat and told the server:

"One Family Feast."

The server nodded. Soon, a large covered tray arrived.

Li Zhenhua lifted the lid.

No food inside.

Just a janitor’s uniform, a cap, and an address.

He understood.

Five minutes later.

Li Zhenhua exited through the back door of the tea restaurant, now dressed in a cleaner’s uniform.

Pushing a garbage cart, he turned into a narrow alley.

At the end of the alley stood an unremarkable van.

The door slid open, and without hesitation, he climbed inside.

The engine roared to life, and the vehicle merged into the endless stream of traffic.

Three hours later.

A private jet from a neighboring country touched down quietly at Jingzhou International Airport.

As the cabin door opened, Li Zhenhua and his five core team members descended the stairs.

The glaring sunlight made it hard for him to keep his eyes open.

Yet the air carried a familiar scent.

He took a deep breath—he was home.

Representing Yuanlong Technology, Ren Qian was there to greet them.

She offered no words of welcome, only handing him a document.

“Dr. Li, welcome to Hanqing Technology.”

“This is the blueprint for your future laboratory. Within three months, we’ll have it built to the highest global standards.”

“Your family has already been relocated to Jingzhou and settled in.”

“Now, let me take you to meet someone.”

Li Zhenhua’s hands trembled slightly as he held the document.

He had waited far too long for this day.

Yuanlong Technical College, cafeteria.

Lu Chenyuan, clad in a chef’s uniform, was serving food to students.

Today’s special was braised pork.

His hands were steady, each scoop perfectly measured.

Ren Qian led Li Zhenhua and his team inside.

Many students recognized her, greeting her respectfully with “President Ren.”

She nodded, guiding them to the serving line with trays in hand. Soon, they reached the counter.

Li Zhenhua studied the young man in the tall chef’s hat, puzzled.

“President Lu,” Ren Qian said softly.

Lu Chenyuan looked up and smiled at Li Zhenhua.

“Dr. Li, welcome home.”

Instead of a handshake, he ladled a generous spoonful of steaming braised pork over Li Zhenhua’s rice.

“Eat first,” he said. “No work talk today—just family.”

Li Zhenhua was stunned.

He had imagined countless scenarios for this meeting.

In a high-end boardroom.

In a state-of-the-art lab.

Never had he pictured it happening in a technical school’s cafeteria.

And the legendary Lu Chenyuan—the man who had stirred global upheaval—was serving him lunch.

In that moment, all his wariness and unease melted away.

He didn’t feel like a scientist being recruited.

He felt like a family member returning from a long journey.

After the meal, Lu Chenyuan walked with Li Zhenhua across the campus.

“President Lu, the world says you’ve gone mad,” Li Zhenhua finally blurted out.

“Do they?” Lu Chenyuan chuckled. “Maybe so.”

He gestured toward the students hunched over experiments in the nearby lab building.

“Look at them, Dr. Li.”

“They’re students of Yuanlong Technical College.”

“Three years ago, I sent them to the best institutions worldwide to learn.”

“Now, they’re back.”

“They don’t understand capital, markets, or stock prices.”

“They only understand technology, materials, and craftsmanship.”

“They are the reason I dare to be ‘mad.’”

Li Zhenhua followed his gaze.

Through the glass, he saw young faces—focused, untainted.

Suddenly, he understood.

Lu Chenyuan wasn’t building a company.

He was cultivating an ecosystem.

A self-sustaining, self-replenishing haven, impervious to external storms.

Yuanlong’s delisting was merely raising the walls of this sanctuary—higher, thicker.

“Dr. Li, your salary here may not be the world’s highest,” Lu Chenyuan said, his gaze unwavering.

“But I can give you undisturbed soil—a place to research in peace for the rest of your life.”

“I ask only one thing.”

“Teach these kids everything you know.”

“Let them stand on your shoulders.”

Li Zhenhua fell silent.

After a long pause, he extended his hand to Lu Chenyuan.

“President Lu, I see it now.”

Soon, news spread like wildfire through the tech world.

Lithography expert Li Zhenhua and his entire team had returned home—joining Hanqing Technology!

The shockwave hit harder than Yuanlong’s delisting.

Nation A had blocked technology, barred equipment.

But they couldn’t lock down hearts.

And the ripple effect had only just begun.