Expedition

Lu Chenyuan's daily life seemed to have returned to a rhythm of quiet regularity.

Though they had hired a housekeeper, whenever Lu Chenyuan had time, he was the one taking care of household matters.

In the mornings, he prepared breakfast for Mo Qingli and their son.

During the forenoons, he would accompany Lu Shi'an for walks on the lawn.

In the afternoons, when the sunlight was just right, he would sit by the floor-to-ceiling window in his study, quietly reading or reviewing certain specialized materials.

Occasionally, he would skim through core reports sent by Yuanlong, Hanqing, and Lianshan.

But Lu Chenyuan never made any annotations—he merely glanced through them.

He was like an observer, watching the trees he had planted with his own hands grow independently, their branches lush and thriving.

Zhang Qi, Ren Qian, and Lin Yuan had all become capable of standing on their own.

Meanwhile, the Healthy Development Alliance for Xia's Technology Industry was gradually fulfilling its intended role, following its predetermined trajectory.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

But Mo Qingli knew this was merely a facade.

She understood her husband.

The quieter he appeared, the fiercer the storm raging within him.

He wasn’t resting—he was gathering strength for the next, even grander expedition.

That evening, Lu Shi'an fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli found a rare moment to sit together in their home theater.

The screen wasn’t playing a movie but instead displayed an enlarged proposal.

On its cover were just two words:

"Expedition."

The document bore no logo of Yuanlong or any corporate insignia.

The couple sat side by side.

As Lu Chenyuan swiped through the tablet, the contents on the screen flipped page by page.

In a soft and measured voice, he began explaining.

This wasn’t a standard business proposal.

There were no complex commercial models or dazzling financial data.

Only sketches of concepts.

For instance, the blueprint of a near-Earth orbital space station.

Or the design draft of a reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle.

Or simulations of resource extraction on a lunar base.

And one concept, boldly circled in red, so audacious it bordered on madness:

"The Earth-Moon Economic Belt."

This was a vision that treated Earth and the Moon as a unified economic system.

When the final image—a star map marking the distribution of mineral resources on asteroids—froze on the screen, Mo Qingli exhaled softly.

She turned off the display, plunging the room back into dimness.

Only the moonlight from outside illuminated their faces.

Yet beneath Mo Qingli’s calm expression lay a trace of barely perceptible awe.

The plan Lu Chenyuan had first mentioned to her after returning from Country J had finally reached the stage of implementation.

"So," Mo Qingli spoke, her voice cutting through the silence,

"You fought all the battles on the ground, forced everyone to the negotiating table, and laid down the rules."

"Not for peace."

"But to make them all look up—toward the battlefield in the sky."

Lu Chenyuan didn’t respond, silently confirming her words.

"A pond cannot nurture true dragons, let alone multiple ones," he finally said, his voice low.

"In a pond too small, dragons will only exhaust themselves, tearing at each other."

"But the cosmos—the sea of stars—can."

"The sea of stars has enough space for dragons to roam, enough unknowns for them to explore."

Mo Qingli turned her head to look at him.

In the faint light, his profile remained sharp and resolute.

"This pie is too big," she remarked.

"So big that Yuanlong alone can’t swallow it."

"I know," Lu Chenyuan replied.

"But first, I need a sharper sword."

"To carve this pie open—to let everyone see the hope of sharing it."

Mo Qingli understood.

She reached out and took his hand.

"I’ll stand with you."

Her voice was soft, but the weight behind it was as immovable as a mountain.

...

On the weekend, the rooftop terrace of the penthouse at Cloud Peak No. 1 hosted what appeared to be an ordinary family barbecue.

No outsiders were present—just Lu Chenyuan’s family of three, along with Ren Qian, Lin Yuan, and Zhang Qi.

This was the core quartet of Yuanlong.

Lu Chenyuan, dressed in a casual T-shirt, expertly flipped skewers of meat on the grill.

The aroma of cumin and charcoal filled the air.

Lin Yuan was clumsily peeling a grilled prawn for Ren Qian, who watched him with feigned disdain, though the smile at the corner of her lips betrayed her amusement.

Little Lu Shi'an sat in his high chair, babbling simple words and waving his tiny hands, trying to catch the drifting scents.

Everything radiated the warmth of everyday life.

It could have been mistaken for the most ordinary gathering of friends.

"How is Lianshan doing lately?" Lu Chenyuan asked casually, as if making small talk.

"Steady," Lin Yuan answered, finally placing the peeled prawn onto Ren Qian’s plate.

"The core team is solidified, and market share is expanding gradually."

"It’s learned to walk on its own."

Lu Chenyuan nodded.

"And Hanqing?" He turned to Ren Qian.

"The investments in foundational research are starting to pay off," she said.

"Several patents for underlying algorithms have been licensed by companies within the Alliance."

"Cash flow is very healthy."

Lu Chenyuan gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.

He placed a skewer of grilled chicken wings onto Mo Qingli’s plate.

Then, wiping his hands with a napkin, he made what seemed like an offhand decision.

"I’m planning to establish a new company."

His tone was matter-of-fact.

Yet the words "new company" made Lin Yuan and the others pause mid-action.

They looked at Lu Chenyuan, their eyes questioning.

"One focused on aerospace technology," he continued.

"Its name will be 'Expedition.'"

Lin Yuan and Ren Qian exchanged a glance.

They understood instantly.

Back when Lu Chenyuan had spun off Yuanlong’s core technologies to form Hanqing,

And then separated a portion of its applied operations to create Lianshan,

Everyone had assumed it was for risk diversification, for building strategic buffers.

Now they realized—

That was only the first step.

Hanqing was the scabbard.

Lianshan was the shield.

And now, Lu Chenyuan was ready to draw the true sword hidden within.

"What do you need from us?" Ren Qian asked directly.

"Transfer the materials science and AI algorithm teams from Hanqing."

"Pull a group of engineers from Yuanlong’s core labs."

"And from Lianshan, I’ll need talent in market and supply chain management."

Lu Chenyuan’s request amounted to carving a piece from each of the three companies.

But after years of development, whether it was Yuanlong itself, Hanqing Technologies, or the Yuanlong Vocational School of Technology quietly nurturing talent, there was now enough human capital to support his vision.

Zhang Qi and Ren Qian didn’t hesitate.

"No problem," they said.

Lin Yuan, however, remained silent.