The situation in BS Province had finally been brought to a complete close after the heart-stopping battle at the construction site.
Qi Tianhu had been captured after taking a bullet to the right shoulder. His trusted lieutenant, Centipede, was shot dead on the spot by a sniper who had been lying in wait at a commanding position when he attempted to detonate the industrial explosives.
The man who had ruled Jinchuan with an iron fist for twenty years—the Underground Emperor—had ultimately brought his reign to a brutal end.
Following the trail, the police sealed all the illegal coal mines under the Qi family’s name in one fell swoop and rescued dozens of people with intellectual disabilities who had been illegally detained and enslaved as forced laborers.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiaoshu’s older brother, Wang Dashu, was still missing, with his fate unknown.
That was the only regret Liu Yutong carried in her heart throughout the entire affair.
Over the following week, Liu Yutong represented the Wanlong Association Group in signing several in-depth cooperation agreements with the authorities of BS Province.
The mining rights to Qingyan Mountain’s lithium deposits were formally finalized. The Wanlong Association Group, Zhang Mining, Xie Group, and the state-owned assets of BS Province would jointly invest in and establish a company called Longchuan Lithium.
The first phase of investment would reach five billion yuan, with mass production expected to begin within two years.
Wanlong Aerospace also officially finalized the location of an assembly and launch base somewhere in BS Province.
Construction on Wanlong Plaza projects in Jinchuan, Jingchuan, and several other prefecture-level cities resumed in full. In addition, two major projects—a logistics hub and an agricultural products deep-processing base—were added to the plans. The local government held three special coordination meetings for them, clearing every possible obstacle and giving the projects the green light all the way.
Before leaving, Liu Yutong arranged a private meeting with Professor Xu Yangeng.
The elderly professor, who had been frightened half to death in the apartment blocks, seemed to have shed an entire layer of himself after everything he had been through. He had grown noticeably thinner, yet his spirits were better than ever.
Liu Yutong kept her promise. On the spot, she signed an eight-million-yuan check to provide the initial funding for his battery project.
She also made her requirements clear: he was to begin with smartphone battery research and proceed step by step. He could not expect to swallow the whole elephant in one bite. In scientific research, the greatest taboo was aiming too high without a solid foundation.
She further required Xu Yangeng to produce a viable business plan and a report on his progress within two months. As long as the work was solid, she would provide at least another fifty million yuan in funding.
Xu Yangeng’s hands trembled as he accepted the check.
But this time, it was not out of fear. It was excitement.
His wife, Zhou Wanqing, and their daughter, Xu Yi, were moved to tears as well.
Their years of suffering had finally come to an end.
As for Zhou Ming, the investigative journalist who had spent three months undercover in the illegal coal mines, he was sent to the best hospital in Jinchuan, with all his medical expenses covered by the government.
This had been a directive from the higher authorities, who wanted to hold him up as an exemplary figure.
Liu Yutong even offered him five million yuan in recognition under her personal name, but he refused without the slightest hesitation.
Instead, he made a request that both surprised Liu Yutong and did not surprise her at all: he wanted his family relocated to Pearl City.
Liu Yutong immediately understood his intentions.
Zhou Ming was clearly afraid of retaliation. He had offended too many people. Even though many of them had been arrested, there was no guarantee that they—or their associates—would not seek revenge after being released. And they might target not only him, but his family as well.
The headquarters of the Wanlong Association Group was in Pearl City. People like the intimidating men in black Zhou Ming had seen were everywhere there, making it a much safer place.
He did not want money. He only wanted to exchange it for his family’s safety.
Liu Yutong agreed without a second thought.
Not only did she agree, but she also promised to provide his family with a four-bedroom apartment worth roughly one million yuan and guarantee their safety.
She even told him that he was not allowed to refuse again.
In the end, the tough-as-nails journalist accepted the kindness with tears streaming down his face.
With that, the cleanup work in BS Province was finally complete.
In late September, Liu Yutong flew back to Pearl City with Yun Cheng, Lan Die, and the others.
More than a thousand core members of the Wanlong Association who had distinguished themselves in the Battle of Jinchuan returned with her.
The group booked out Pearl City’s largest hotel for a grand welcome banquet for everyone who had taken part in the battle.
Ma Da drank until his face was bright red. Standing on a chair with a glass in hand, he regaled the newly inducted brothers with every detail of the Battle of Jinchuan, spraying spittle everywhere as he spoke. At the most exciting part of the story, he misstepped and nearly fell off the chair. Wine splashed all over him, prompting a roar of laughter from the entire banquet hall.
After returning to Pearl City, Liu Yutong rested for only one day before throwing herself back into her studies and work.
Her junior year had already begun. Although she held the titles of honorary professor and distinguished alumnus at the University of Finance and Economics, she still had to attend her classes. Fortunately, the university president had made a special exception, allowing her to arrange her schedule flexibly.
Thankfully, the structures of the six major business groups were already operating smoothly. Each group’s president was handling their own responsibilities, and there were far fewer matters requiring Liu Yutong’s personal approval than before.
During the National Day holiday, Liu Yutong took her grandparents and Yaya to the capital, fulfilling the two elderly people’s long-held wishes to see Tiananmen Square and climb the Great Wall.
Yaya had now started first grade. She was doing extremely well in school, especially in mathematics, where she displayed astonishing talent.
First-grade problems had long since ceased to pose any challenge to her. She could already solve complicated word problems normally taught in third or fourth grade, and she performed multiplication and division faster than many third- and fourth-graders.
This unexpected discovery strengthened Liu Yutong’s resolve to nurture the little girl’s mathematical abilities.
After spending several relaxing days in the capital, Liu Yutong once again settled into the rhythm of school and work, moving between the two with unwavering consistency.
The Wanlong Association Group continued to grow steadily and rapidly at the same pace.
Time flew by. Before anyone knew it, the end of 2009 had arrived.
Before the annual meeting officially began, Liu Yutong summoned the presidents and core executives of the various business groups to the large conference room on the forty-eighth floor of Shunchang Tower. There, she held a product strategy meeting to prepare for the market battles ahead.
More than three months had passed since the group’s last restructuring conference. During that time, the Wanlong Association Group’s six major business groups had completed an intensive period of integration. Their various business lines were gradually getting on track, and the benefits of cooperation were beginning to emerge. Meetings and administrative affairs were also being handled more efficiently.
Liu Yutong sat at the head of the conference table.
Present were Yang Xin, president of the Commercial Consumer Retail Group; Yu Xin, president of the Technology Group; Zhang Dalong, president of the Digital Group; Lin Muyang, president of the Entertainment and Media Group; Xu Shishi, president of the Supply Chain and Logistics Group; and Su Mansu, vice president of the Finance and Investment Group.
All six leaders were present, along with Ma Da, head of human resources; Chu Yang, head of security; Yun Cheng and Lan Die, Liu Yutong’s special assistants; Qiu Ciyun, CEO of Longxin Semiconductor; Zhao Tianyi, head of Tianyi Law Firm; and the other attendees.
Everyone was there.
“I called everyone here today mainly to bring you up to date on the progress of each division and discuss our key plans for the coming year.”
“Yu Xin, you go first.” Liu Yutong gestured to Yu Xin.
Yu Xin stood up and opened the laptop in front of her, projecting its display onto the large screen behind her.
A rendering of a mobile phone appeared on the screen.
The phone’s black body featured clean, angular lines, with subtly rounded corners that softened its otherwise crisp, businesslike look.
Its screen-to-body ratio couldn’t match the razor-thin bezels of the full-screen era that would come later, but in 2009, the display was already impressive enough to turn heads.
The most eye-catching detail was the circular physical button beneath the screen—smooth, prominent, and unmistakable. On the upper center of the back sat the camera and flash, along with an especially striking dragon logo.
The dragon had been adapted from a Chinese character. It looked both imposing and beautiful.
Apart from the few people who had known about it in advance, everyone present froze for a moment when they saw the design.
Not because it was ugly, but because it looked strangely familiar.
