459: Chapter 454 Why did you buy a house here?

"Alright."

Chen Guangke nodded, no longer insisting.

"Then you be careful. Call me anytime if anything happens."

"Mm."

Shen Yan responded, watching Chen Guangke get back into the car, until the black mercedes-benz merged into traffic and disappeared around the street corner.

Only then did he turn and walk into the lobby of "Binjiang No. 1".

The air was filled with the scent of Premium Aromatherapy (high-grade aromatherapy).

The smart elevator ascended smoothly, and Shen Yan's calm face was reflected in the mirrored walls of the car.

Ding.

The eighteenth floor arrived.

He stepped out of the elevator and came to the door of Unit 181, Building C.

The thick walnut-colored door exuded a subtle luxury.

Shen Yan reached out and entered the temporary password Wang Haidong had given him into the smart lock.

"Beep, verification passed."

A mechanical female voice sounded, and the door lock clicked open.

A stuffy, unventilated air rushed out.

Shen Yan walked in, and the door behind him automatically closed with a soft click.

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows embraced the entire river view without reservation.

The river surface shimmered, and the distant cross-river bridge lay across the river like a giant steel dragon.

The furniture inside was covered with white sheets, but their value could still be discerned from their outlines and materials.

This was a home that embodied half a lifetime of a middle-aged man's efforts.

No wonder Wang Haidong's eyes held a deep, heart-wrenching pain when signing the contract.

Shen Yan's gaze did not linger on these furnishings.

He walked through the living room and directly into the study.

The study was large, with an entire wall dedicated to floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, though most were empty at the moment.

His gaze fell on the wall directly opposite the desk.

A painting hung on the wall.

An ancient-style traditional Chinese painting, framed in a thick redwood frame.

"Asking a Boy Under the Pine Tree."

The key item mentioned in the system intelligence.

Shen Yan walked to the painting, not appreciating its artistic conception.

He reached out, supporting the bottom of the frame with both hands, and with a slight effort, took down the heavy painting.

He placed the painting flat on the spacious desk, face down.

The back of the painting was a perfectly fitted backboard.

To an ordinary person, there would be no anomaly.

But Shen Yan's finger accurately pressed a very hidden spot on the lower right corner of the frame.

Click.

A faint sound of a mechanism springing open.

The seemingly integrated backboard actually revealed a tiny gap along its edge.

Shen Yan took out a Bank card from his pocket, inserted the edge of the card into the gap, and gently slid it.

The entire backboard was pried open.

In the interlayer of the frame, a recess wrapped in black velvet lay quietly.

Inside the recess was a sealed kraft paper document bag and a completely black, strangely shaped metal USB drive.

The USB drive had no markings, its surface covered with irregular patterns, and it was cold to the touch.

Shen Yan picked up the document bag first.

The bag opening was sealed with wax, intact.

He tore open the seal and pulled out a thick stack of documents.

All in English.

Transfer agreement for an anonymous trust fund in the Cayman Islands.

He quickly flipped through it.

Trustee, beneficiary, asset details...

When he turned to the last page, to the total assets, even he paused for half a second.

Three billion.

US Dollars.

This massive asset lay quietly dormant in this overseas account, forming a stark contrast to Wang Haidong's predicament.

Apparently, this was something left by the house's previous owner.

And Wang Haidong, from beginning to end, knew nothing about it.

He merely bought a house, yet remained blind to the true treasure within it.

There was no joy on Shen Yan's face.

This was merely a precise recovery of lost items, as indicated by the system's intelligence.

He put the documents back into the document bag.

Then, he picked up the black metal USB drive.

[Rare Item: Offline Cold Wallet Key]

[Description: Stores the sole access permission for the "Starlight Trust." Uses quantum encryption technology, non-replicable, non-crackable.]

The system's prompt flashed in his mind.

He placed the key and the document bag together into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

That pocket instantly held wealth that an ordinary person couldn't achieve in several lifetimes.

He re-covered the empty painting backboard, hung the painting back on the wall, its position and angle exactly as before.

After doing all this, he looked around the empty room.

Then, he turned and left.

Just as silently as he had arrived.

When Shen Yan returned to the hotel suite, Chen Guangke was sitting on the sofa, watching financial news on TV.

Hearing the door open, he immediately stood up.

"Yan Zi, you're back?"

"Mm."

Shen Yan took off his jacket, casually draped it over a nearby hanger, walked to the bar, and poured himself a glass of water.

"How's the house?" Chen Guangke followed and asked.

"It's alright, nice river view." Shen Yan's answer was bland.

He took a sip of water and looked at Chen Guangke.

"How about you, how was your relaxation?"

Chen Guangke smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Very good, I found an old teahouse, listened to some Pingtian, and felt my whole pace slow down."

He paused, then added.

"Yan Zi, should we return to Jingzhou tomorrow morning?"

"I was thinking of going to an old shop here in the morning to buy some Yunpian cake (Yunpian pastry) and braised duck to bring back for the guys at the company to try."

"Recently, for the new project, they've all been working like crazy, nonstop for almost half a month. It's time to reward them."

Shen Yan nodded.

"Okay, you arrange it."

He always supported Chen Guangke's consideration for his subordinates.

The atmosphere in the suite became relaxed.

Chen Guangke seemed to have made up his mind and finally asked the question that had been lingering in his heart.

"By the way, Yan Zi, I still don't quite understand."

"Our company's focus is currently in Jingzhou, and development is going well, so why suddenly buy such a house in T City?"

His eyes held a hint of inquiry.

"And it's a large flat. Even if we come here often for business trips in the future, this is too luxurious, completely unnecessary."

Shen Yan walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding his water glass.

Outside the window, the night view of T City had lit up, with countless lights forming a brilliant river of stars.

He didn't look back.

"I plan to build our own exclusive Artificial Intelligence algorithm studio in T City."

His voice clearly reached Chen Guangke's ears.

Chen Guangke's expression instantly froze.

"What? Artificial Intelligence?"

"Yan Zi, you're not joking, are you?"

"Our main business now is software development and applications, and this project is just an innovation. Taking such a big step all at once, will it..."

His words were filled with worry.

"The front line will be stretched too long; we can't keep up with funds and talent."

"Moreover, T City is a completely unfamiliar market for us, with no foundation whatsoever."