After secretly establishing the Xuanfeng Society, Liu Yutong stayed in the imperial capital for another half month, tying up most of the loose ends.
First, she attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Rice Technology.
Seeing the modest office of just over 200 square meters, Liu Yutong couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions. This was Lei Yun—despite being very wealthy, he chose to avoid wasting a single cent unnecessarily.
That was the mark of a real doer, someone truly responsible to investors—unlike some startup founders who, the moment they secure funding, indulge in reckless spending, eager to make everything as lavish as possible.
Lei Yun, of course, knew the current office was a bit shabby, but he confidently declared that one day, Rice Technology would have its own standalone office building, even a tech park.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was simple—some might even say humble.
No flowers, no red carpet, no media reporters—just a few red banners hung in the office. They cut the ribbon at the entrance, and that was it.
For lunch, everyone had a steaming bowl of rice porridge.
After wrapping things up at Rice Technology, Liu Yutong visited the future-famous e-commerce company EastEast a few days later.
EastEast’s new round of funding had already been finalized.
It seemed to be the first e-commerce company to secure funding against the trend since the financial crisis.
In her previous life, EastEast’s funding round was led by JR Capital.
But this time, due to the butterfly effect from Liu Yutong’s series of moves in the imperial capital, the investment manager at JR Capital wavered at a critical moment, feeling that EastEast’s logistics model was too heavy and unlikely to show profits in the short term.
In the end, it was Chu Hai of AEG Capital who brokered the deal.
The founder of AEG Capital had a bit of a private agenda. With JR Capital backing out, he was also uncertain about whether to invest in EastEast—his risk control department was giving him a hard time.
Then it occurred to him that Liu Yutong was still in the capital, so he decided to test the waters.
Sure, the woman had a bit of a ruthless streak, but he had to admit her business instincts were razor-sharp. She seemed to succeed at everything she touched.
If she thought it was worth doing, that would be the reassurance he needed.
Over the phone, Chu Hai briefly explained EastEast’s situation to Liu Yutong.
Her reply was a single word.
“Invest.”
Hearing that, Chu Hai didn’t hesitate. He agreed on the spot.
Soon after, they met with Liu Dong, the founder of EastEast.
Liu Yutong had heard his name countless times in her previous life, but this was her first time meeting him in person.
“Miss Liu, EastEast’s model is different from those C-category e-commerce companies. The investment in logistics is enormous, and it’ll take time to see returns. I want to be upfront about that,” Liu Dong said.
He was essentially saying, “Let’s get the hard stuff out of the way first—if you’re looking for quick gains on a short-term financial report, don’t invest. I don’t want any bad blood later.”
To his credit, he was straightforward about it. He never tried to hide things from his investors.
As a reincarnator, Liu Yutong naturally knew EastEast’s future.
This man, called Brother Dong, would turn EastEast into one of the largest e-commerce platforms in China over the next decade or so, building a nationwide logistics network.
“President Liu, I trust your judgment. Building your own logistics is a solid move—I believe the core of future e-commerce lies in logistics,” she said.
Eventually, they finalized the funding: AEG Capital led with 500 million yuan, while Yunshan Capital, Mingzhu Capital, and Wanlong Capital followed with another 500 million, totaling one billion yuan.
That amount far exceeded Liu Dong’s expectations. He had originally planned to shop around and talk to more firms, but everything was settled fast.
With the EastEast deal done, Chu Hai found an opportunity to invite Liu Yutong out for tea privately.
They met at the Yunlu Club, with Qin Yunlu personally hosting, her demeanor notably deferential.
“Director Liu, I spent a fortune to get my hands on this Da Hong Pao tea. Please, have a taste,” Qin Yunlu said.
“Boss Qin, you’re too kind,” Liu Yutong replied.
“It’s the least I can do. I’ve been wanting a chance to apologize—I never expected Manager Han to be that kind of person. Thank goodness you exposed him, or my club might have gone under,” Qin Yunlu said.
Liu Yutong waved it off. “Let’s not dwell on the past.”
“Then I’ll leave you two to your tea—I won’t interrupt,” Qin Yunlu said, excusing herself.
After she left, Chu Hai rubbed his hands together nervously before speaking.
“Uh… Director Liu, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“President Chu, go ahead. No need to beat around the bush,” Liu Yutong said.
Chu Hai chuckled awkwardly. “I wanted to ask—when do you plan to push Wanhui Preferred and Weibo toward an IPO?”
He was getting anxious.
Both Wanhui Preferred and Weibo met the criteria for an IPO.
But this woman kept changing her tune. First, she said they could start the process, then she said to hold off.
He was confused. Should they move forward or not?
That’s why he was pressing.
An IPO meant cashing out—converting paper wealth into real money.
“President Chu, are you feeling impatient?” Liu Yutong asked.
Chu Hai quickly waved his hands. “No, no, just curious.”
“Really not impatient?”
“Really not.”
Liu Yutong nodded. “Then wait a bit longer.”
Chu Hai was speechless. That was the same vague answer he always got.
Unable to help himself, he added, “Director Liu, how about giving me a straight answer? How much longer?”
Liu Yutong thought for a moment, then held up one hand with all five fingers spread.
“Five months?”
“Five years?”
Liu Yutong shook her head. “I’ll tell you next time.”
Chu Hai nearly spat out his tea.
Next time?
Was she messing with him?
Frustrated though he was—even annoyed—he didn’t dare voice a single complaint. After all, this was Liu Yutong.
Forget about pushing her; even if she asked him to invest more, he wouldn’t dare refuse, afraid that offending this formidable woman might bring disaster.
He’d heard the recent rumors.
At the Jiang family’s birthday banquet, Liu Yutong had stormed into the Jiang compound with over a hundred men in black, humiliated the Zhou family, and ground the patriotic businessman Jiang Yuan into the dirt.
Something like that? Even with a hundred times the guts, he wouldn’t dare try it.
But she did.
“I’ll wait for your word, Director Liu. Whenever you say it’s time to push for the IPO, I’ll start,” he said.
Seeing his weepy expression, Liu Yutong couldn’t help but laugh.
“President Chu, rest assured—when it’s time to go public, we’ll go public. This just isn’t the best moment yet.”
Chu Hai nodded bitterly.
He believed her. He did.
He was just a little antsy.
After finishing the tea, Chu Hai was about to find an excuse to leave when Liu Yutong called him back.
“By the way, President Chu, I’m planning to start a new company soon. Interested in getting in on it again?”
Chu Hai was speechless.
Here it comes. Again.
He suddenly regretted inviting her for tea. Was he about to be bled dry again?
"Director Liu, go ahead and tell me."
Liu Yutong took a document from her bag and slid it across to him.
"I just registered an aerospace company."
Chu Hai froze, thinking he must have misheard.
"Aerospace? You mean the kind that builds rockets?"
Liu Yutong nodded. "Yes, building rockets, making satellites, exploring space."
Chu Hai's mind buzzed, and for a moment, he was completely stunned.
He looked down at the file. On the cover, bold letters read: "Wanlong Aerospace Technology Business Plan."
Opening the first page, there was only one sentence.
"Let human footsteps tread across the moon and Mars, let the sea of stars no longer be distant."
When Chu Hai read that line, the corner of his mouth twitched. Though it was brimming with teenage cringe, he couldn't bring himself to laugh.
He flipped through the rest of the pages, and the more he read, the more alarmed he became.
The company's business plans included: commercial rocket launches, satellite manufacturing, space tourism, asteroid mining, a Starlink-like project... and so on.
A Starlink-like project?
Covering the sky with satellites so that every corner of the globe could access the internet?
How many billions would that cost?
Chu Hai lifted his head and stared at Liu Yutong with a very complex expression.
"Director Liu, are you serious?"
Liu Yutong nodded. "Have you ever seen me joke?"
