Extra Story - He Is the Moon in the Sky - Illusion (Continued)

Two days later.

Old Master Mo's eightieth birthday.

This news was hardly a secret within the top circles of Jingzhou.

When Lin Yuan brought her coffee, he mentioned it as if by chance.

"Sis Qian, President Lu is going to the Mo family tonight."

"Hmm."

Ren Qian didn't even look up.

All her energy was focused on the follow-up promotion plan for "Boundless."

"I heard it's a private banquet. The Mo family only invited their old family friends."

Lin Yuan added another sentence.

"So what?"

Ren Qian finally lifted her head from the documents.

She looked at Lin Yuan, somewhat puzzled.

"Lin Yuan, why have you been so gossipy lately?"

Lin Yuan adjusted his glasses and said nothing more.

Ren Qian quickly immersed herself in work again.

Of course, she knew what this meant.

It meant the Mo family was declaring their stance to the entirety of Jingzhou.

This was the most powerful ally Lu Chenyuan had secured for Yuanlong.

She was only happy for him.

As for what he had to give in return...

For example, attending a tedious social event.

For example, putting on an act with a woman he didn't love.

Those were just the necessary costs of being a king.

She even felt a pang of heartache for him.

The day after Old Master Mo's birthday banquet.

Lu Chenyuan convened the highest-level meeting.

"The AI project needs to be moved up."

He announced a decision that shocked everyone.

"It will be named 'Project Nuwa.'"

Lu Chenyuan looked at Ren Qian.

"You will have full authority over all resource allocation, team formation, and operational support."

"I only want results."

Full authority.

Ren Qian's heart gave a heavy thump.

If "Boundless" was Yuanlong's present,

then "Nuwa" was Yuanlong's future.

He had placed the future in her hands.

Those vague shadows concerning Mo Qingli

were instantly shattered by this weighty trust.

She was the one standing by his side, building greatness with him.

"Yes, President Lu."

She stood up, her voice firm and strong.

"I will complete the task."

She basked in the illusory happiness of this absolute trust.

She selectively ignored the anomalies on Lu Chenyuan's schedule.

The dark green-marked "Private" block was appearing with increasing frequency.

Ren Qian didn't know.

The moonlight had long since found its own direction.

And she was merely chasing a shadow cast by the moon, growing ever more distant.

"Project Nuwa" was launched in full force.

Ren Qian became the de facto operator of this massive project.

She wielded unprecedented power, mobilizing the company's top-tier resources.

She was in meetings every day.

Discussing technical paths and finalizing model details with Lu Ruoxi and Su Yang's genius team.

Ren Qian was busy to the point of never stopping, and she reveled in it.

She believed she was standing at the very center of Lu Chenyuan's commercial and technological empire.

She was his most indispensable cornerstone.

Yet, it was at this moment that a crack quietly appeared.

The first batch of supply chain cooperation agreements for "Boundless" were signed.

A thick stack of documents was delivered to Ren Qian's office.

Out of habit, she flipped to the last page.

Party A: Yuanlong Technology.

The sign-off was Lu Chenyuan's signature, steady and forceful.

Party B: Mo Group.

The sign-off was another elegant and graceful signature.

Mo Qingli.

The two names stood side by side.

Very close.

As if they were naturally meant to be written together.

Ren Qian's gaze lingered on those two names for a long time.

For the first time, an indescribable, strange feeling stirred in her heart.

Once, when Ren Qian needed to schedule an urgent meeting with Lu Chenyuan,

she opened his internal schedule.

She found an entire afternoon blocked out in dark green.

The remark contained only one character.

"Private."

She knew what that color represented.

She told herself this was just necessary business communication.

She dialed Lu Chenyuan's internal line.

No answer.

A moment later, Lin Yuan walked in.

"Sis Qian, President Lu's calls are being forwarded to me."

"He has an important meeting with President Mo this afternoon."

"If it's urgent, you could try contacting President Mo's assistant, Secretary Lin. See if they can coordinate half an hour."

Lin Yuan slid a phone number over.

Ren Qian looked at that number.

She suddenly realized.

For the first time, she could not reach Lu Chenyuan directly.

She needed to "coordinate" his time through another woman's assistant.

For the first time, she felt like an outsider.

"That won't be necessary."

She withdrew her gaze, her tone regaining its composure.

"Move the meeting to tomorrow."

A week later.

Jingzhou, Annual Business Leaders Summit.

All of Xia Country's top entrepreneurs were in attendance.

Yuanlong Technology, as the dark horse of the year, was naturally invited.

Ren Qian attended as the COO, representing the company.

She wore a carefully chosen dark blue evening gown.

Elegant, capable.

She was the queen of Yuanlong.

She mingled in the venue.

Yet her eyes kept drifting involuntarily towards the entrance.

She knew he would come.

He arrived.

It seemed as if all the lights in the venue instantly focused on a single point.

Lu Chenyuan walked in.

He was not alone.

By his side was Mo Qingli.

She wore a dark green gown that perfectly complemented the color of his suit.

The two were not holding hands.

There wasn't even any intimate gesture.

But, they stood together.

That unspoken rapport.

That powerful aura of forming their own world.

Made everyone feel they were inherently one.

A match made in heaven.

These four words, like a curse, drilled into Ren Qian's mind.

Ren Qian, holding her glass, walked over.

"President Lu, President Mo."

She raised her glass with a smile, her demeanor impeccable and perfect.

"Good work," Lu Chenyuan nodded to her.

It was still the appreciation reserved for a capable subordinate.

Mo Qingli also offered her a polite smile.

That smile was flawless.

Just then.

The Greater China CEO of a top-tier investment bank from Country A walked over.

He went straight to Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli.

"Mr. Lu, Miss Mo, I've long heard of your esteemed names."

"The birth of 'Boundless' is the most exciting event in the global automotive industry this year."

His gaze shifted between the two of them.

As if they were the sole masters of "Boundless."

And Ren Qian, the Chief Operating Officer of Yuanlong Technology, stood right beside Lu Chenyuan.

Yet she seemed to have become a transparent, elegant part of the backdrop.

She held her glass, the smile on her face still impeccable.

The red liquid in the glass swayed slightly.

It swayed until her vision blurred slightly.

Her heart felt as if pierced by a cold needle.

She didn't know how she endured the rest of that long evening of mingling.

She sat in the car.

The city's neon lights flashed past the window.

In her mind, she replayed the image of him and her standing together, over and over.

She remembered Lin Yuan's hesitant, meaningful looks.

Remembered that glaring patch of dark green on the schedule.

It can't be.

She told herself.

This is just a business alliance.

He needs the Mo family's strength to confront more powerful enemies.

He is Lu Chenyuan.

His heart was cold, unyielding.

It would not linger for anyone.

But Ren Qian was different.

The "Nuwa" Project was still in her hands.

The future of Yuanlong was still in her hands.

She was the one truly irreplaceable to his ambitions.

Back at home, Ren Qian faced the mirror and forced a somewhat stiff smile.

Yes.

Irreplaceable.

Ren Qian believed that Lu Chenyuan was the moon in the sky.

Aloof and solitary, he would never easily let worldly affections move his heart.