Red Poppies

Jingzhou International Convention Center.

While the city's financial media and business elites were still reeling from the seismic shock of Lu Corporation's impending collapse, a grand press conference was quietly underway at the venue.

The spotlight fell on two companies—

One was Mo Group, Jingzhou's established top-tier conglomerate with formidable resources.

The other was "Abyss Dragon Tech," a fledgling startup barely known to the public.

Countless reporters were baffled. Why would the prestigious Mo family stoop to co-host an event with such an obscure company?

When the conference began, the sight of Mo Qingli in her immaculate white haute couture suit standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu Chenyuan in his understated black suit sent a collective gasp through the crowd.

Lu Chenyuan!

The name at the eye of the media storm!

Shouldn't he be drowning in Lu Corporation's chaos?

What was he doing here?

And why was he sharing the stage with Mo Group's helmswoman, Mo Qingli?

"Distinguished guests, members of the press, good afternoon."

Lu Chenyuan gripped the microphone, his composed demeanor and piercing gaze instantly silencing the murmurs.

"Today, Abyss Dragon Tech and Mo Group will jointly unveil a revolutionary product to the world."

He turned slightly as the massive screen behind him lit up.

"Zhu Long"—an intelligent dynamic liquid-cooled battery thermal management system.

As complex schematics, disruptive technical specs, and performance comparisons flashed across the screen, every industry expert and tech journalist in attendance shot to their feet.

"My God! Energy density decay below 0.5%? Impossible!"

"Full-operation temperature variance under 2°C? That's five times better than current tech!"

"This is a decade ahead of the entire industry!"

If Lu Corporation's downfall was an economic earthquake,

then the "Zhu Long" system's debut was a technological tsunami—

one poised to upend the entire new energy vehicle sector and redefine energy storage paradigms.

Mo Qingli took the mic, her cool, assured voice resonating through the hall:

"Mo Group has committed to opening all production lines and supply chains to Abyss Dragon Tech, with an initial investment of 10 billion yuan to fast-track Zhu Long's mass production."

The room erupted.

The pieces fell into place—

Lu Chenyuan had never been shackled to Lu Corporation's sinking ship.

The moment he walked away, he'd stealthily launched a supercarrier beyond anyone's imagination.

During Q&A, one reporter finally found their voice:

"Mr. Lu! What's your take on Lu Corporation's crisis? Rumor says you're returning to helm the company—is it true?"

Cameras swiveled to Lu Chenyuan.

Under the glare of flashes, he responded calmly:

"Lu Corporation is a respectable enterprise. I believe it will be reborn once purged of its rot."

"As for me..."

He paused, his gaze cutting through the crowd as if sighting trembling adversaries beyond.

"My life and career set sail on a new course today."

With that, he exited flanked by Mo Qingli and bodyguards, leaving unanswered questions in his wake.

——————

At a top-tier law firm on Jingzhou's Financial Street, the conference room was thick with tension.

On one side of the table sat Lu Chenyuan and his legal team, expressionless.

Opposite them were Lu Corporation's core members—haggard patriarch Lu Chengsi, hollow-eyed Lu Mingshi, and the defeated Lu Mingye brothers.

Today was judgment day for Lu Corporation.

The lawyer summarized the terms: transfer all shares at yesterday's humiliating rock-bottom price;

In exchange, a family trust would guarantee generational wealth.

Wealth traded for power.

"Sign if there are no objections," the lawyer intoned.

Lu Chengsi's rheumy eyes swept over his broken sons before he sighed and scrawled his shaky signature—

severance of his last tether to a bygone era.

With his lead, resistance crumbled.

Lu Mingye signed with resentful fury under Lu Chenyuan's glacial stare.

When Lu Mingshi's turn came, he stared at the transfer agreement, hands trembling.

Not long ago, he'd gloated over "snatching" these very shares from Lu Chenyuan.

Now he saw himself as the fool in a rigged game.

"Uncle."

Lu Chenyuan's neutral address hit like a sledgehammer.

Lu Mingshi flinched, then signed with self-lacerating speed.

As the final document was inked, Lu Chenyuan rose and looked down at these blood relatives.

"From today, Lu Corporation enters a new epoch. The trust ensures your legacies. I advise you all... to tread carefully."

He walked out, sealing a ruined era behind him.

——————

Next morning, Lu Corporation's announcement sent markets reeling.

The artistry of Lu Chenyuan's maneuvers became clear: divest at peak, evade collapse; buy back at trough, seize control.

This masterstroke multiplied his wealth while the trust permanently excised family infighting.

Backed by Abyss Dragon Tech, Mo Group's capital, and his own mythic reputation, Lu Corporation's stock miraculously stabilized post-halt, then skyrocketed.

Markets worship only victors.

Overnight, Lu Corporation was reborn, and Lu Chenyuan's name became Jingzhou's newest business deity—and taboo.

——————

That weekend, at an elegant private club,

Lu Chenyuan opened a door to reveal Lou Mengling, her body quivering with emotion.

By the window sat a girl so still she seemed painted.

At the sight of those delicate features—mirror images of her own youth—Lou Mengling's breath caught.

Eighteen years of misplaced love and guilt crashed over her like a tidal wave.

Her lips trembled; her feet rooted to the floor.

Lu Ruoxi stood and nodded at her biological mother, voice crystal-clear yet distant:

"Greetings, Madam."

That single word—"Madam"—polite yet colder than an abyss, shattered Lou Mengling completely.

She covered her mouth, muffled sobs escaping through her fingers, brimming with irreparable regret.

The atmosphere in the private room was suffocating.

Lu Chenyuan's younger brothers stood nearby, at a loss for what to do.

In contrast, Lu Ruoxi remained eerily calm for her age.

She pulled out a tissue and handed it to Lou Mengling, speaking softly,

"Don't grieve too much. What's done is done."

There was no complaint, no tearful lament.

Yet it was precisely this composure that made Lou Mengling cry even harder.

She knew this child had endured too much hardship in the past, smoothing away all instinct to act spoiled or make demands.

...

Days later, Lu Chenyuan took Lu Ruoxi back to the old family estate in the Western Hills.

The Lu family manor now carried an air of solemnity.

Servants bowed deeply at the sight of Lu Chenyuan, their eyes filled with reverence.

Inside the study, Lu Chengsi watched as Lu Ruoxi entered, his gaze layered with complex emotions.

"Ruoxi," his voice softened considerably, "the Lu family has wronged you."

"It's all in the past," Lu Ruoxi shook her head, her answer unchanged.

Lu Chengsi studied her deeply, his heart heavy with unspoken thoughts.

He knew that under the protection of this eldest grandson, no one could harm her ever again.

"Focus on your studies," he promised. "The Lu family will stand firmly behind you from now on."

The scandal of the switched heiresses had long been reduced to trivial gossip, overshadowed by the earth-shaking restructuring of Lu Corporation and the meteoric rise of Abyss Dragon Technologies.

Lu Ruoxi's life returned to calm, her future now set among the stars of numbers and logic at Jingzhou University.

Meanwhile, far overseas, Lu Qianqian made an international call to Lu Ruoxi.

The wind and sand roughened her voice, but her tone carried unprecedented sincerity.

"I'm sorry... and thank you."

Lu Ruoxi understood.

"Take care of yourself too," she replied. "What you're doing is remarkable."

Two girls whose lives had been swapped by fate found reconciliation across thousands of miles.

Everything seemed settled at last.

But Lu Chenyuan knew this was merely the end of an era—the beginning of a new war.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows of Abyss Dragon Technologies, he gazed down at the city below, his eyes dark and fathomless.

"Zhang Qi."

"Mr. Lu."

"Initiate a full investigation into all assets and connections of the Li family," Lu Chenyuan's voice was ice-cold.

"I want Li Xiujian—that rat who's hidden for over twenty years—nowhere left to hide."

"The chessboard needs clearing."