Amidst the fierce competition between Yuanlong, Qin Corporation, Stellar, Mo Group, and nearly half of the tech industry, the annual Xia Nation Technology Summit commenced.
The venue was set in Jingzhou’s "Future City."
This was no longer just a blueprint from seven years ago.
From the initial investment of 100 billion, the total funding had now surpassed the trillion mark.
And "Future City" lived up to its name.
Within its boundaries, low-noise maglev tracks weaved between mirror-like skyscrapers.
Driverless vehicles glided silently along dedicated lanes.
The exteriors of buildings themselves served as massive flexible displays, streaming real-time weather updates, news, and artistic data visualizations.
Seven years ago, Lu Chenyuan had drawn this grand vision.
Seven years later, Xia Nation’s top tech giants and national resources had turned it into reality.
The summit’s main venue, resembling a colossal silver seashell, stood at the heart of Future City.
At the entrance, crowds surged.
Tech moguls, investors, and journalists from across the globe gathered here.
The atmosphere was tense and charged.
All eyes, intentionally or not, were drawn to two directions:
Yuanlong Tech’s exhibition booth.
Qin Corporation’s exhibition booth.
One to the east, the other to the west.
Separated by the central plaza, they faced each other like two titans poised for battle.
The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.
Everyone wondered how these two giants, after months of brutal infighting, would clash today.
Inside Yuanlong’s lounge, Ren Qian stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of coffee.
Her gaze fixed on Qin Corporation’s glaring logo in the plaza below, her brow slightly furrowed.
"Qin Ya has thrown half the company’s budget into this," she murmured.
"Looks like it’s a fight to the death."
Beside her, Lin Yuan was handling urgent matters for Lianshan on his tablet.
He didn’t look up, merely responding with a quiet "Hmm."
Since marrying Ren Qian, he had grown even more composed.
As if, with her by his side, even the sky collapsing wouldn’t faze him.
"Will Lu Chenyuan show up today?" Ren Qian still felt uneasy.
"He said he would," Lin Yuan set the tablet aside and met her eyes.
"But not in the way we expect."
Ren Qian sighed.
She seemed to have guessed Lu Chenyuan’s intentions.
Yet the more he acted this way, the heavier the pressure in her heart grew.
The summit’s opening ceremony proceeded as usual.
Speeches from officials, industry reports, white paper releases.
Everything seemed uneventful—until the keynote address.
The host stepped onto the stage, wearing a mysteriously excited smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our next speaker is… extraordinary."
"He has been absent from the public eye for a long time."
"Yet everything he has built has profoundly shaped our era."
"Let’s give a warm welcome to…"
The host paused, deliberately building suspense.
Spotlights instantly converged on the center of the stage.
"The founder of Yuanlong Tech—Mr. Lu Chenyuan!"
For a moment, the room fell into dead silence.
Then, thunderous applause and gasps erupted.
Everyone rose in shock, staring at the stage entrance.
Lu Chenyuan?
The man who had announced his "retirement," who had been living a reclusive life with his family?
Under the collective gaze, Lu Chenyuan walked calmly onto the stage.
He wore simple casual attire—a white shirt and dark trousers.
No tie, no designer labels, not even an assistant in sight.
Alone, he reached the center.
Behind him, the massive screen displayed no slides, no script.
Just a single line of text:
"Widen the Road."
Lu Chenyuan picked up the microphone and scanned the audience.
His gaze was calm yet carried a power that instantly silenced the thousands present.
"Hello, everyone. I’m Lu Chenyuan."
His voice, crisp through the speakers, reached every corner.
"Long time no see."
He smiled, as if greeting old friends.
"The past year has been… eventful for our industry."
"Price wars, PR battles, talent wars."
"Everyone has worked hard. Sacrificed much."
"But I have a question."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over familiar faces in the front row—
Ren Qian, Lin Yuan, Qin Ya, and Baker, Stellar’s China CEO.
"Are we racing on a narrow mountain path?"
"Chasing, overtaking, refusing to yield—until we’re battered and bruised?"
"All for the sake of being the sole champion who reaches the summit?"
"And yet, we’ve forgotten."
"On either side of this path… are bottomless cliffs."
"Below those cliffs stand our real opponents—armed with rifles."
The room was deathly still.
His metaphor was too vivid. Too brutal.
It sent a chill down the spines of everyone listening.
"Is this truly the only road we can take?"
Lu Chenyuan’s voice rang out again.
"Can we stop racing?"
"Can we work together?"
"To widen this narrow path into an eight-lane highway?"
"Where every vehicle can speed ahead without obstruction?"
......
Lu Chenyuan’s entire speech lasted barely ten minutes.
Then, he set the microphone down, bowed deeply, and walked offstage.
Yet after he left, the room remained silent.
Until, from the front row, a woman in a red dress slowly stood and began to clap.
It was Qin Ya.
Like sparks igniting a prairie fire, applause erupted across the venue.
Amid the ovation, Baker wore a professional smile as he joined in.
But his eyes held no warmth—only icy vigilance.
Leaning toward his assistant, he whispered, barely audible:
"Alert headquarters immediately."
"Lu Chenyuan just flipped the table."
The assistant nodded and slipped out unnoticed.
Baker straightened, watching Lu Chenyuan’s retreating figure with a deepening gaze.
He knew Stellar’s golden days in Xia Nation’s tech circle were over.
During the summit’s break, behind the closed doors of an exclusive VIP lounge, a private meeting took place.
Lu Chenyuan, Mo Qingli, Qin Ya, Ren Qian, Lin Yuan, and founders of other leading tech firms were all present.
No outsider knew what transpired during those four hours.
Only that it must have been a fierce battle of wits—of bargaining, compromise, and high-stakes gambles for the future.
When the doors reopened, each attendee wore a different expression.
Some relieved, some solemn—but no losers.
That afternoon, a joint statement sent shockwaves through the tech world:
The Xia Nation Technology Industry Healthy Development Alliance had been formed!
On the list of initiators for this joint statement, the names of companies such as Abyss Dragon Technologies, Mo Group, and Qin Group stood out prominently.
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
