Stellar Covenant

"Do you think we're too crowded here on Blue Star?"

At Lu Chenyuan's words, Mo Qingli's heart skipped a beat.

She looked up at him, his eyes as deep as the night sky outside the window.

"Market competition is like a crowded race," Lu Chenyuan explained slowly.

"Everyone's squeezed onto the same track, fixated on the taillights of their rivals, flooring the accelerator."

"The faster you go, the closer you get, the more likely you are to crash."

"I want to add more tracks to this world."

Mo Qingli followed his gaze toward the distant galaxy.

Her heart soared with his thoughts into that unknown darkness.

"Spaceflight?" she asked softly, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"But aren’t launch vehicles and space exploration the domain of national agencies?"

That was the common consensus.

Spaceflight was a national priority, a realm private capital dared not—and could not—touch.

"Once upon a time," Lu Chenyuan smiled, his expression tinged with mystery.

"But times have changed. And in Country A, private spaceflight has long since taken off."

He turned to her, his gaze steady.

"What I brought back from the Red Wall wasn’t just an honor."

"It was a mission—one not meant for public ears."

Mo Qingli’s breath caught.

Finally, she understood why, upon his return, he had chosen the seemingly detached role of "Chief Strategic Advisor."

He wasn’t stepping back.

He was charging forward—into a realm no one had imagined.

"National agencies are building for interstellar expeditions—manned moon landings, Mars bases, the far reaches of deep space," Lu Chenyuan said calmly.

"What I aim to do is bring down the cost of going to space."

"I’m building the 'highways' of space—cheap, reliable 'starships.'"

"I want space to stop being the exclusive playground of a handful of scientists."

"I want it to be the new frontier where the next generation of entrepreneurs can compete."

With every word, Mo Qingli’s heart trembled.

She fully grasped it now.

He wasn’t content with playing a supporting role to national agencies.

He intended to single-handedly usher in the era of commercial spaceflight for Xia Nation.

This ambition wasn’t just earth-shattering—it was universe-shattering.

"National agencies pave the way—we lay the network."

Lu Chenyuan stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, spreading his arms as if to embrace the cosmos.

"They explore the unknown; we make that path thrive."

"One day, when our ships shuttle between Earth and space as routinely as airliners, what will these petty market shares on Earth even matter?"

Mo Qingli rose and joined him.

Gazing at her husband’s profile, she felt an awe and passion unlike anything before.

This was her man.

While others were still locked in battles within Earth’s tiny pond, his eyes were fixed on the boundless sea of stars.

"This road won’t be easy," she said.

"I know."

"It’ll burn through money—astronomical sums."

"I know."

"But someone has to take the first step," Lu Chenyuan turned to her, his eyes alight with hope and invitation.

"Qingli, building rockets requires the world’s best new materials."

"And Mo Industries is the best."

Mo Qingli smiled, radiant and dazzling.

She knew what he meant.

This wasn’t a demand—it was an invitation.

An invitation to join him as a partner in a grand venture that could reshape human history.

"I’m with you," she said, clasping his hand tightly.

Just like the simple promise she’d made three years ago, trapped in a cage in Country J.

"Good," Lu Chenyuan enveloped her slender hand in his.

Another weekend, atop Cloud Peak One.

Morning sunlight streamed through the panoramic windows, spilling into the open kitchen.

Lu Chenyuan, apron tied, focused intently.

His tablet displayed a nutrition report.

Beside it lay an open cookbook on baby food.

The man who once stirred global capital markets now faced his greatest challenge: getting his son to eat one more spoonful of carrot puree.

At that moment, he meticulously mashed the carrots, his movements as delicate as if handling precision machinery finer than chip lithography.

At the dining table, Mo Qingli had finished her morning workout.

"Chief Strategic Advisor," she teased, "what’s today’s strategic objective?"

"Conquering Broccoli Hill," Lu Chenyuan replied without looking up, testing the temperature of the rice porridge with his lips.

"Good luck," she laughed, heading to the living room sofa.

Opening her tablet, she scanned Mo Industries’ most confidential encrypted emails.

Though she’d delegated daily operations to her team, key strategic decisions still required her approval.

Her demeanor remained sharp and composed—but with a softness in her brow that hadn’t been there before.

One in the kitchen, one at the table.

No words, yet an unspoken harmony flowed between them.

Sunlight stretched their silhouettes long across the floor.

"Ba-ba!"

From the playpen, little Lu Shi’an gripped the railing, wobbling on his feet.

Watching his father cook and his mother work, he babbled happily.

The once-sterile penthouse now brimmed with warmth.

"Breakfast is ready."

Lu Chenyuan carried over a tray—two soy milks, bacon-wrapped pancakes, and a small bowl of his homemade carrot puree.

Mo Qingli closed her laptop.

She took a bite of pancake without hesitation.

"Tastes good," she remarked. "Better than last time."

"High praise," Lu Chenyuan smiled.

Sitting down, he devoted himself to feeding their son.

Lu Shi’an smeared puree everywhere, giggling.

Patiently, Lu Chenyuan wiped his face with a damp cloth.

Then came family time.

The central lawn below became their domain.

Lu Chenyuan spread out a picnic blanket while Mo Qingli lifted Lu Shi’an from the stroller onto the grass.

The toddler could now crawl shakily, endlessly fascinated by ants and fallen leaves.

Lu Chenyuan watched his son explore, eyes tender.

Mo Qingli leaned against his shoulder, scrolling through news on her tablet.

Nearby, young mothers whispered.

"That’s the family from the penthouse."

"The husband’s so handsome, and the wife—unbelievably beautiful. Their aura is something else."

"No idea what they do. Clearly wealthy, but so down-to-earth."

To them, Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli were just extraordinary-looking neighbors.

No one knew that this seemingly ordinary young couple held the power to influence global industry trends with every decision they made.