"I've regained my former confidence with your words alone, Aunt Gu," Fan Xi said.
"Oh? Why? I'm curious," Gu Yi asked.
"Someone of your position, wisdom, and age knows me—unlike a certain person who claimed she did but couldn't even name a single work I participated in." Fan Xi rolled her eyes at Ling Qingyu.
Gu Yi chuckled and nodded. "Don't doubt your charm. She just has a slightly different interest."
"If only she recognized my face and figure…" Fan Xi sighed dramatically, while Ling Qingyu inwardly nodded at her words.
Since she had subtly seen and touched a few times before, she would never forget Fan Xi now. Just wait for her…
"Believe me, she won't forget from now on. I'm fairly certain," Gu Yi shot a knowing glance at her future daughter-in-law, who smiled guiltily.
Unbeknownst to Fan Xi, Ling Qingyu had begun to target her. Maybe even if she knew, she wouldn't resist much or dislike the idea—so long as her dream wasn't affected.
The only obstacle Ling Qingyu faced was the resistance toward love between girls. Though she understood this world was a little different in terms of tolerance, she wasn't sure if that included Fan Xi.
After chatting with Gu Yi, Fan Xi knowingly excused herself. She knew the two had topics that couldn't be discussed freely.
Her presence wouldn't offend either woman, but it could bring discomfort. Withdrawing when necessary was a skill.
Ling Qingyu lamented Fan Xi's social awareness. As expected of a veteran actress who had to mingle in many circles, Fan Xi grasped the perfect timing—neither too early nor too late.
"Have you finished everything?" Gu Yi asked.
Her implication was clear—could they speak alone?
"Of course, the rest depends on others." Ling Qingyu stretched and cracked a few joints in her waist. "Why don't we take a stroll? I've been too immersed in the preparations—I need to freshen up my sense of smell."
The two walked away from the group, enjoying the tantalizing wind brushing against their hairlines.
The earthy dampness carried by the breeze brought a soothing refreshment. The night seemed peaceful, adding to the joyful atmosphere of the gathering.
"You better not disappoint my girl. I only have one," Gu Yi teased, though the weight of her words carried a chilling threat.
"How dare I?" Ling Qingyu fixed her slightly messy hair and replied.
"As long as you know."
"Is there a secret you want to talk about?"
"I know you're leaving the country for a while in the coming weeks. After listening to the two doctors and the nurse, I understood you're accompanying them." Gu Yi paused. "But won't you be too vulnerable once you leave? Your businesses are now being eyed by many people."
"I've delegated enough, Mother. Even without my presence, things can run fairly well for months—provided officials don't intervene through crooked or underhanded methods. Plus, I'm only away for two weeks at most."
"I don't think your confidence comes from what you just said."
"Your eyes are sharp as always," Ling Qingyu praised. "I have enough wealth to cover losses if things go south. Not to mention, with your protection, I doubt such situations will even arise."
"I thought I was overestimating your strength, but it turns out I was underestimating you," Gu Yi said with a heavy sigh. "Don't worry, I'll handle the officials. I'm still waiting for your support in the future."
Gu Yi immediately realized that Ling Qingyu's confidence stemmed from her abundant cash flow. Her assistant had estimated a rough figure, but from Ling Qingyu's words, the actual amount could be far greater.
Half a trillion?
"Thank you, Mother." Ling Qingyu smiled and turned her gaze toward the women happily celebrating with genuine laughter. "I received an invitation to meet Province N's top circle. It looks like they're preparing for a big battle to suppress me. I didn't even bother responding to their provocation."
"Provocation? I'd call it a direct threat and a show of force," Gu Yi corrected. "Is it the Shen and Xia families? However, I heard you have a good relationship with the Shen Group. Why would they target you?"
Gu Yi had clearly done a thorough investigation into Ling Qingyu's situation. It was her early warning that had made Ling Qingyu aware of their malicious ambitions.
Of course, Ling Qingyu had anticipated this long ago. Athena had already informed her before her mother-in-law did, sifting through their communications.
The actions were illegal, prompting Ling Qingyu to feign innocence and sincerely thank Gu Yi.
"No friends forever, only eternal interests—the circle of adults," Ling Qingyu's answer was concise. "Perhaps greed has overwhelmed their sanity, or they're simply helpless, forced to go against the entire circle here."
"Please, don't perceive the world with that attitude all the time. Not every adult prioritizes interests above all else."
"I know, but it doesn't hurt to guard against others. Otherwise, how could I be worthy of sitting in this chair and responsible for the many employees and family members who depend on my success?"
"Alas, at least the girls around you are sincere and genuine. Cherish them."
"You don't need to say it twice."
Both of them fell silent and squinted into the distance. Being away from urban infrastructure allowed them to observe the celebration elsewhere, with spotlights wavering around.
Perhaps a concert or something similar.
Gu Yi asked, "Have you prepared any feedback and solutions in case something disrupts your business chains?"
Ling Qingyu replied, "Since last time, when the Qin Group from the capital smeared and interfered, I suffered a few losses and prepared several preventive measures covering many areas. I've addressed a lot, but not everything—loopholes will always exist. However, I've already made countermeasure plans for the most likely sectors they'll target.
"In fact, I could force them into losses if every chain were fully intertwined and belonged to me. However, that would give others an excuse to sue me for monopoly, despite my current level being far from reaching such heights."
"You've covered everything, but I hope you don't escalate the situation into something uncontrollable," Gu Yi said.
"The initiative isn't in my hands, unfortunately," Ling Qingyu replied. "There could be real trouble if they're cornered too quickly. After all, most real estate belongs to the big families and other hidden forces. What if they maliciously raise rental prices or break deals to force my businesses to suffer losses? Even though it's a lose-lose scenario, I'd rather avoid it."
"But from your tone, you don't seem too concerned about that."
"Of course not. In terms of wealth, I can outlast them," Ling Qingyu responded with pride. "What concerns me more is the anonymous smearing. After all, a loss of reputation is the hardest to recover from."
"You? Maybe in other areas, I'd have some concerns. But when it comes to public opinion, you're completely in control." Gu Yi recalled the hacker group backing Ling Qingyu—capable of fighting against the Qin family from the capital and even causing them financial losses.
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Censorship, monitoring, and even property damage—though she had no direct evidence and Ling Qingyu never admitted to it, Gu Yi knew she was the mastermind.
She didn't mind her daughter-in-law's prowess or fear it, because she knew Ling Qingyu never abused it.
"I can't always rely on my trump cards and expose myself. Wouldn't that just further validate that I'm behind the attacks? I don't want to create more enemies to deal with. Unless absolutely necessary, I won't bother flipping the table. A business war should be settled through our own means."
"To be honest, it feels like my existence is a joke to them—they don't even give me face," Gu Yi said, referring to the attackers' intent.
"Maybe it's because of your face that they're willing to talk to me on the same level," Ling Qingyu smiled, comforting her angry mother-in-law.
Even though Gu Yi didn't voice it outright, Ling Qingyu could tell she was displeased.
"As the saying goes, a dragon cannot defeat a local snake. It's good that things are playing out this way. I don't want to attract your old enemies, especially at your level. Otherwise, I'd just hop out of the country and invest abroad."
"No, you can't. I mean—please consider your motherland first."
"Interest is everything, Mother."
"I know you must be upset that your chip manufacturing has to be divided among multiple parties. The cake is too big for you to swallow alone. But I'm sure even outside the country, you'd face the same scenario. At least here, you have me."
"I don't blame you. In fact, I never had the slightest blame. I knew the stakes before I even opened my mouth," Ling Qingyu replied. "That's exactly why I should never bet everything on a single entity. Having more options means more leverage.
"Once we reach 7nm, someone will try to take advantage without contributing much—minimal input, maximum gain. And if I achieve another breakthrough, do I have to gift away the profits again? For the motherland? Who's in power, and who's making the real money? I don't think I need to spell it out.
"5nm, 3nm… am I supposed to take all the risks, only to become a stepping stone for others? Life isn't fair—there's no doubt about that. But that doesn't mean I can't resist, right?"
Sure, Athena's inventions were effortless and cost-saving compared to conventional research breakthroughs.
Nonetheless, if Ling Qingyu's achievements were replaced by ordinary inventors who toiled relentlessly, only to see their hard work exploited for others' profits, who would willingly accept such a fate?
The emotions, struggles, breaking points, and dangers invested took an enormous toll. Yet, the gains were never proportional to the effort. Compromise seemed necessary, and rules were established—unspoken yet binding, leaving people helpless to abide by them.
But in Ling Qingyu's eyes, rules were meant to be broken. Sooner or later, researchers and inventors would be discouraged from pushing further. After all, who would willingly see their credit and merits handed over for unrelated others to reap the benefits? Such an imbalance would inevitably lead to clashes between the political and business circles.
The former had more leeway and networks to command the latter. Neither side was truly good. Political families resembled aristocratic rulers, while businesses were dominated by corporations.
The compromise between the two provided a breather for ordinary people, but these matters were far too distant from what truly mattered to her.
Ling Qingyu only wanted to receive what was proportional to her efforts. Athena was her daughter—her creation—and her work deserved recognition.
The original intention and motivation to contribute to her country's rise had already faced a Waterloo before even starting its engine.
The hidden ambition lurking in her heart crackled as an imaginary plan took shape in her mind.
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