Lu Qianqian's vision was no longer just the whimsical charity of a wealthy young lady, but a meticulously logical and systematically complete business plan.
In fact, many of the technologies and models involved were highly relevant to the industries currently being developed by Yuanlong Technologies.
"Where will the funding come from?" Lu Chenyuan asked the most critical question.
"No form of public fundraising will be accepted," Lu Qianqian replied with unwavering certainty.
This answer earned genuine approval in Lu Chenyuan's eyes.
"Public money would bring endless moral constraints and bureaucratic inefficiencies, completely shackling our ability to act," Lu Qianqian explained.
"I only need initial capital—from our own people."
"For example, the Lu family, the Mo family, or other socially responsible families in Jingzhou."
"We'll use this money to launch projects. Once they succeed, generating social impact or even commercial returns, more capital of the same caliber will naturally be drawn in. It’s a positive cycle."
She raised her head, meeting Lu Chenyuan’s gaze directly.
"Big brother, you’ve built a technological empire in the business world. I want to use your technology to construct a bridge—one that connects the corners of the world left behind."
Lu Chenyuan closed his notebook.
He stood up, walked over to Lu Qianqian, and placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Good."
"I’ll invest in this foundation."
"Yuanlong Technologies will be its first strategic partner and technical supporter. As for the initial funding, I’ll personally contribute 500 million."
Lu Qianqian’s eyes reddened again.
But this time, she didn’t cry.
She simply nodded firmly.
"Thank you, big brother."
"Have you thought of a name for the foundation?" Lu Chenyuan asked.
"I have," Lu Qianqian replied, a confident smile curling at the corners of her lips.
"It’ll be called ‘Faraway.’"
Faraway.
Countless distant places, countless people—all connected to me.
Lu Qianqian’s growth and transformation left Lu Chenyuan momentarily dazed.
Her journey had undeniably been shaped by his deliberate arrangements, but the person she had become was far beyond anything he could have planned.
She had found her battlefield and completely shed the insecurities of her past rivalry with Lu Ruoxi.
One pursued the mysteries of the universe in the halls of science.
The other mended the fractures of the human world in reality.
They had embarked on two entirely different yet equally magnificent paths.
This was infinitely better than any outcome the original storyline could have offered.
Yet, as old worries were resolved, new concerns quietly surfaced in Lu Chenyuan’s mind.
That evening, Lu Chenyuan returned to his mother’s estate.
As his car passed the side residence, he saw Lu Qianqian and Ji Wushuang sitting on stone benches in the courtyard, deep in conversation.
The night was beautiful, the stars brilliant.
Under the soft glow of the lights, the two women appeared exceptionally harmonious.
They weren’t sitting particularly close, yet they shared an unspoken bond that no outsider could intrude upon.
Ji Wushuang said something, and for once, her typically stoic expression softened with the faintest hint of a smile.
Meanwhile, Lu Qianqian tilted her head upward, gazing at the stars, her profile serene and gentle.
Just then, Lu Qianqian’s phone rang.
She answered—it was Lou Mengling calling.
From what Lu Chenyuan could overhear (his hearing was sharp), Lou Mengling seemed to be arranging a blind date for her, the son of a friend.
He noticed the slightest furrow in Lu Qianqian’s brow.
Then, she uttered words that struck him like a thunderbolt:
"Mom, don’t bother. I’m barely twenty! Besides, I don’t have time for this right now, nor any interest."
"Men will only hold me back."
With that, she politely ended the call.
Lu Chenyuan’s car came to a stop at the main residence’s entrance.
He remained seated inside, unmoving.
Those words echoed relentlessly in his mind:
"Men will only hold me back."
He thought of everything Lu Qianqian had endured.
Her biological father, Li Xiujian, was a ruthless schemer—the source of her darkest nightmares.
The man who raised her for eighteen years, Lu Mingye, was a selfish, weak-willed adulterer who betrayed the entire family.
Apart from himself and a few reliable older brothers, the two most significant "father figures" in her life had crumbled in the worst possible ways.
Could this have instilled in her a deep-seated aversion and distrust toward men—and marriage?
Then his thoughts turned to Ji Wushuang.
The strong, dependable woman who had always shielded Lu Qianqian in moments of greatest danger.
During that year when Lu Qianqian’s world had been shattered, her beliefs upended, it was Ji Wushuang who stood by her side, offering unwavering support and pure, unconditional protection.
The bond forged in life-and-death trials was something no fleeting romance could ever rival.
The nature of their relationship...
For the first time, a thought—absurd yet strangely plausible—crossed Lu Chenyuan’s mind.
Had they transcended friendship and camaraderie?
The moment this idea took root, his emotions grew complicated.
He wasn’t a conservative man.
When it came to matters of the heart, he was far more open-minded than most of his contemporaries.
His concern wasn’t about the matter itself.
It was the underlying reason.
If Qianqian had chosen a path society deemed "unconventional" because of the wounds she carried, then wasn’t he, as her elder brother, partly to blame?
He was the one who had ripped away the veil, exposing the brutal truths.
He was the one who thrust her into a world of hardship and complexity.
He had given her growth. He had given her wings.
But in doing so, might he have also caused her to close her heart to certain skies forever?
Lu Chenyuan leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples.
For the first time, he realized that some developments were beyond even his ability to predict or control.
Perhaps he was mistaken.
But the mere possibility left him with an unshakable unease.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the side residence...
After hanging up, Lu Qianqian let out a long sigh.
"Another blind date?" Ji Wushuang asked coolly.
"Yeah," Lu Qianqian muttered. "Mom thinks I’m too alone, that I need someone to take care of me."
"Was what you said earlier the truth?" Ji Wushuang’s gaze fixed on her.
"Which part?"
"That men will only hold you back."
Lu Qianqian laughed.
She turned to Ji Wushuang, her bright eyes clear and untroubled, filled only with honesty and clarity.
"Of course it’s true. At least for now."
She stood up, stretching her limbs.
"Wushuang-jie, look."
She pointed at the moon in the sky.
"I used to think the moon should be the center of attention, with all the stars revolving around it—that it should be the sole protagonist of the night sky."
"Just like how I once believed all the love in the world should belong to me."
She then pointed to the faint yet determinedly glowing stars.
"But this past year, I’ve spent many nights where there was no moon, or even stars. That’s when I realized darkness is the true backdrop of this world. And all we can do is strive to become a star ourselves."
"Even if we can only illuminate a small corner, it’s still a stand against the darkness."
"Right now, I just want to be a star. Whether the moon comes looking for me, or another star wants to keep me company—that’s a matter for the future, maybe the very distant future."
"I don’t have time to think about that now."
Ji Wushuang listened quietly.
She studied the girl before her.
She remembered vividly how Lu Qianqian had looked a year ago, in that overseas camp, when she first learned the truth about her origins—like the sky had collapsed, fragile and on the verge of breaking.
Now, she could face those hardships head-on, turning them into fuel for her journey and the brightest coordinates in her sky.
"I understand," Ji Wushuang nodded.
A faint but genuine smile touched her lips.
"Then you’ll need a companion. Someone who can clear the obstacles so you can shine without worry."
She stood and extended her hand to Lu Qianqian.
"Is there still room in your 'distant horizon'?"
Lu Qianqian froze.
She stared at Ji Wushuang’s outstretched hand, at the familiar, unwavering light in her eyes.
Then she clasped it tightly.
"Yes! There’s always room!"
The two women’s hands locked together firmly.
Behind them, in the not-so-distant darkness, Lu Chenyuan’s car started soundlessly and drove away.
He hadn’t heard the latter half of their conversation.
The weight of a brother’s concern still lingered heavily in Lu Chenyuan’s heart, refusing to fade.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
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'!"
