440: You'll know once you open Chapter 44.

The air carried the familiar scent of industry mixed with prosperity.

The plane landed smoothly on the runway, and the massive roar gradually subsided.

Shen Yan opened his eyes; the brief rest had not dispelled the fatigue around his brow.

He turned on his phone, and the signal rushed in.

An encrypted email notification popped up on the screen.

The sender was Su Wan.

The email subject line was very concise—'Inheritance and Dreams.'

It was the draft for the press conference for reporters.

Her efficiency was still quite high.

Shen Yan tapped the attachment and scanned through it in a single glance.

The entire draft was emotionally rich and earnestly written, vividly portraying a daughter's remembrance of her father's career, her concern for the future of the Group, and her determination to fight internal parasites.

It was written by a master.

But it was too soft.

The whole piece was about sentimentality, but it lacked a blade.

In the business world, sentimentality is the cheapest thing; it only gains value when transformed into a weapon.

Shen Yan's fingers flew across the screen, deleting, revising, and adding.

He made the originally gentle wording sharper.

"...What we inherit is not just the assets of the Qinghe Group, but also the dream of the entrepreneurial generation, 'serving the nation through industry'...".

He changed this sentence to:

"...Every cent of the Qinghe Group's assets is stained with the sweat of my father and the older generation of Employees; we will never allow anyone to turn it into a tool to satisfy selfish desires!"

He also added a paragraph at the end.

"I, Su Wan, as the heir to the Qinghe Group, promise all shareholders and Employees: any hidden rats devouring the company's interests, any traitors abandoning the spirit of entrepreneurship, will be thoroughly purged. Qinghe must, and only can, bear the surname Su!"

Every word was a knife thrust, every phrase a piercing blow to the heart.

This was no longer a daughter's lament, but a declaration of war from an heir.

He sent the revised draft back.

In less than a minute, Su Wan's call came through.

Her voice carried a trace of excitement that she couldn't suppress.

"Mr. Shen, thank you so much. Without you, I truly wouldn't know what to do next."

"Your draft was good, it just lacked a bit of killer instinct," Shen Yan’s voice was very flat.

"I understand," Su Wan took a deep breath. "I will remember this favor."

"Let's focus on winning first."

Shen Yan hung up the phone, tossed it aside, and closed his eyes.

His brain was running at full speed, but his body was already protesting.

He needed rest.

Even if only for a few minutes.

"Sir, the plane has stopped moving."

The flight attendant's gentle voice sounded by his ear.

Shen Yan opened his eyes; the bloodshot appearance was even more pronounced than when he arrived.

He stood up, picked up the inconspicuous lacquered wooden box, and followed the crowd down the ramp.

The moment his feet touched the ground of S City, the assistant’s phone rang punctually.

"CEO Shen, have you arrived?"

"Just got off."

"The meeting with Mr. Ning Ke is set for ten o'clock this morning at the Jingyaxuan Teahouse."

Shen Yan glanced at the wristwatch he had just put back on.

Nine thirty-two.

The drive from the airport to Jingyaxuan in the city center took forty minutes without traffic.

Time had been compressed to the absolute limit.

"Understood."

He ended the call concisely and did not head toward the dedicated car waiting at the VIP passage.

He turned directly toward the taxi waiting area.

Working non-stop.

For the sake of fifty million in cash flow, he endured it.

The taxi driver was quite talkative, chatting about everything from the political situation to the daily expenses of his children.

Shen Yan leaned back in the seat, keeping his eyes closed to conserve energy.

His mind held no grand narratives like the driver’s; there was only a clear cash flow statement.

The 'janus' project was a giant gold-swallowing beast.

Computing power, talent, hardware—every link was burning through money madly.

The funds provided by An Ran were no longer enough because the plan and proposal had been revised.

The fifty million invested by Kaiyuan Construction seemed like a lot, but throwing it in wouldn't even make a ripple.

For the Qinghe Group, even if the plan went smoothly, he would only receive future profits, which couldn't solve the immediate crisis.

This forty million was the first lifeline for the 'janus' project.

He had to secure it.

Jingyaxuan was located in a secluded alley, featuring blue bricks and green tiles, with an old locust tree at the entrance, exuding an air of 'a great recluse hiding in the city.'

When Shen Yan paid the fare and got out, the time was exactly nine fifty-eight.

He smoothed his slightly wrinkled collar and walked inside, carrying the wooden box.

A waiter was already waiting at the entrance.

"Are you Mr. Shen? Mr. Ning is waiting for you in 'Tingzhu.'"

Passing through a winding corridor, bamboo shadows swayed, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air.

In an elegant private room, a man wearing a Chinese-style mandarin-collared jacket was leisurely boiling water.

This was Ning Ke.

He had a refined appearance, but his eyes revealed the shrewdness unique to a businessman.

"Brother Shen, you truly are a busy man. It's not easy to arrange a meeting with you."

Ning Ke smiled and stood up when he saw Shen Yan, personally pouring him a cup of tea.

The tea fragrance filled the air.

"Brother Ning jokes. I had an urgent matter, so I rushed over immediately after landing. I didn't even have time to change my clothes."

Shen Yan sat down and casually placed the wooden box on the table.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a few sentences, chatting about recent business trends.

Ning Ke was a smart man; after a few exchanges, he steered the conversation onto the main topic.

His gaze fell on the old wooden box, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"I heard Brother Shen obtained something good this time. You specifically asked me to come see it?"

"It's not really a good thing; just a small trinket," Shen Yan picked up his teacup and took a slow sip, unhurried.

He pushed the box toward Ning Ke's direction.

"Brother Ning, please take a look."

Ning Ke's gaze lingered on the mottled, peeling wooden box for a full three seconds.

The box looked old, but its craftsmanship was crude, and the materials were ordinary—the kind of item that wouldn't attract a second glance even on a stall in an antique market.

The smile on his face froze for an instant.

He looked up at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan's expression was calm, showing no sign of joking.

Ning Ke picked up his teacup and gently blew on the floating tea leaves, his movement half a beat slower than before.

When he put the cup down, it made a slight clinking sound.

"Mr. Shen."

The address had changed.

From the familiar 'Brother Shen' to the distant 'Mr. Shen.'

"What is this..."

His voice had also turned colder.

"If Mr. Shen is not joking, perhaps you think I, Ning, have too much free time lately?"

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

A broker who commanded immense influence in the metropolis valued face and time above all else.

Shen Yan had made him cancel all his morning appointments to wait here, only to be presented with a broken wooden box.

In Ning Ke's view, this was almost equivalent to an insult.

Shen Yan, however, seemed oblivious to the change in atmosphere.

He still wore a faint smile.

"Mr. Ning, please don't rush."

"Open it and see; then you will naturally understand."