Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Wen Yanxu wrapped his arms around him, showing no sign of letting go, as if he were some kind of energy source, resting his head on his shoulder with his eyes closed.

Wen Jueqian quietly let him lean against him.

After savoring a moment of quiet, he said, "I want to go to the company tomorrow."

Wen Yanxu's eyelids twitched, but he kept pretending to be asleep.

Ever since they got back from Shadow Island, Wen Jueqian had clearly noticed that Wen Yanxu had a need to "keep him in his sight."

Back on Shadow Island, Wen Jueqian had been the one clinging to Wen Yanxu.

Now the roles were reversed—from Shadow Island to Aegis, and all the way home, even when Wen Yanxu was working, he'd coax Wen Jueqian into the study to sit with him.

If Wen Jueqian moved more than three meters away, Wen Yanxu would look up to make sure he was still there.

This kidnapping had really gotten to Wen Yanxu.

Wen Yanxu: "Are you fully recovered?"

Then he answered on his behalf: "The doctor said you still need to rest."

Wen Jueqian: "After getting some sleep, I feel a lot better."

"I'm not made of glass."

Wen Yanxu lifted his head, his expression serious. "'Natural Law' has unclear motives, Qianqian—there's no guarantee they won't come after you again."

"I'm not their main target."

Wen Yanxu remained firm. "If you stay by my side, I'll feel at ease." With that, he leaned back against Wen Jueqian's shoulder.

"Axu." Wen Jueqian called his name, his tone earnest. "Floating World is about to launch; there are things I need to be there for in person."

Wen Yanxu was silent for two seconds, then said, "Can't you handle it remotely?"

Wen Jueqian felt a little exasperated.

Wen Yanxu was a senior executive at Aegis—he knew better than anyone what could be done remotely and what needed to be done in person.

Asking that was clearly just a way to stall.

He softened his tone: "Axu, you know how I feel."

"I've put so much into this game. The open beta of Floating World has to be flawless."

Wen Jueqian continued, "I'll bring bodyguards and beef up security at Lingjing Era, even if it means a bigger budget."

Wen Yanxu still leaned against his shoulder, saying nothing.

Wen Jueqian looked at him, waited a moment, then took his face in both hands and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth.

"I'll keep you updated on my schedule, and you can call me anytime to check in."

He kissed him again.

"If I'm free at lunch, I'll come to Aegis HQ to eat with you."

One more kiss.

"I promise I won't work late—I'll leave on time and wait for you so we can go home together."

Wen Yanxu finally reacted.

He let out a low chuckle and reached out to ruffle Wen Jueqian's hair, his touch gentle.

"Come have lunch with me every day?"

Wen Jueqian hesitated. "...I'll try."

"What time do you get off?"

Wen Jueqian tested the waters: "Seven o'clock?"

Seeing no give from Wen Yanxu, he changed it: "Six."

"Six, then I'll have someone pick you up."

Wen Jueqian, realizing this was Wen Yanxu's final offer, felt his heart skip a beat.

He nodded and answered, "Mm." Then he leaned in again and gently kissed Wen Yanxu on the lips.

"Trying to seduce me?"

"No!"

————

Stepping back into Lingjing Era, Wen Jueqian felt like a lifetime had passed.

The second he pushed open the office door—

"Bang!"

Confetti rained down from above, landing all over him.

"Congratulations on Boss Wen's safe return!"

Qi Yi's voice was the loudest, and as soon as he finished, he shoved a bouquet into Wen Jueqian's hands.

Wen Jueqian froze for a second, only then noticing the crowd in the office.

"What's all this?" He looked at the flowers in his hand, then at the people around him. "What's going on?"

"Boss Wen." Zhou Jing's eyes were already welling up.

Her voice trembled: "You have no idea how worried I was the day the news broke about the attack on the Aegis research center! I couldn't get a hold of you either, and when I asked President Wen, all I got was 'he's fine.'"

As she spoke, tears started to spill over.

Wen Jueqian looked at her, warmth flooding his chest.

"I'm fine." His voice was gentle. "See? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

Zhou Jing nodded hard: "As long as you're okay, that's all that matters."

Qi Yi stepped forward, clapped his hands, and drew everyone's attention.

He cleared his throat, putting on his CEO demeanor. "Alright, alright, stop crying."

"Mr. Wen narrowly escaped disaster this time—after surviving a great calamity, great fortune is bound to follow! This means that once we launch Floating World, it's sure to take off, right?"

"Right!" Everyone responded in unison, and the atmosphere instantly livened up.

Qi Yi continued, "Okay, now that Mr. Wen is safe and sound, we should be happy, not sad. Let's all head out and get back to work. Give Mr. Wen some breathing room."

The group chuckled in agreement and filtered out in small groups.

Only a few people remained in the office.

Wen Jueqian sat down behind his desk and said to Zhou Jing and his assistant Zhang Xin, "Brief me on the progress over the past few days. How are the tasks I assigned before leaving for Jueying Island progressing?"

The two immediately began giving their reports one after the other.

Wen Jueqian listened while taking notes. The progress on several key tasks was within expectations, and some had even been completed ahead of schedule.

Once they had left, Qi Yi said, "By the way, there's something I need to tell you."

He sat down across from Wen Jueqian, his expression turning more serious. "Someone tried out our internal beta version and sees huge potential in this project. They want to invest."

Wen Jueqian looked up at him.

"Which firm?"

Qi Yi opened a file. "Huanying Entertainment Group—the largest operator of immersive entertainment and social platforms on the 'Other Shore' holographic network. You must have heard of them."

A shadow passed over Wen Jueqian's eyes.

Huanying Entertainment.

Backing it was the Luo family, one of the Federation's seven great families. Building on their established foothold in traditional film and entertainment, they had been the first to complete the shift to holographic technology. They now commanded over 30% of the 'Other Shore' entertainment market—a genuine industry titan.

"What exactly did they say?"

Qi Yi replied, "Their head of investments gave high praise to our internal beta version."

"They believe Floating World has the potential to become the next breakout hit and are willing to offer a favorable valuation. If you're on board, we can set up a meeting to talk specifics."

Wen Jueqian fell silent for a moment.

The topic of investment brought to mind certain plot points from the original novel.

In the story, the bankruptcy of Lingjing Era never detailed how the internal rifts within the company widened.

It was only shown from Qiao Yuexun's perspective, tracing how this once-thriving holographic gaming company collapsed in the public eye, step by step.

It began with the game going viral, the market bullish, investors piling in, media hype, soaring valuations, and a high-profile IPO.

Then came a series of negative news.

Stock prices started to slip, panic gripped the market, more shareholders joined the sell-off, and the stock kept hitting the floor.

Finally, the funding pipeline dried up, major projects came to a standstill, and the company entered bankruptcy liquidation proceedings.

Former glory quickly turned to ruin.

Ruijia Capital's decision to sell first was the first domino to fall.

Ruijia Capital was the core investment firm of the Wen family office.

Its primary business was diversifying the enormous monopoly profits from Aegis to preserve and grow wealth; controlling the upstream and downstream segments of Aegis's supply chain; and using legal and illegal methods alike to bribe politicians and wield political influence.

In short, Ruijia Capital was the Wen family's purse and political mouthpiece.

Ruijia Capital's investment came from both personal connections with Wen Yanxu and a belief in the holographic gaming market.

But in the story, when the crisis came, Ruijia Capital was the first to cut them loose.

Whether it was on someone's instructions or a collective call by their investment experts.

An investor who's the first to bolt when you need them most—what's the point of keeping them?

Wen Jueqian looked up at Qi Yi.

"Arrange it. I'll see them."

Qi Yi nodded. "Got it. I'll make the arrangements."