463: Chapter 458 I'm betting on your ambition

"Patek Philippe, Nautilus series, rose gold model. I already had someone pick it up from the boutique in Geneva yesterday."

"I'll make sure he 'accidentally' sees it when I provide the final piece of intelligence."

Only then did Shen Yan give a grunt of affirmation.

"Let him know that helping us only benefits him."

"Once this is done, I hope to see the share agreement for that shipping route as soon as possible."

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!"

Wang Haidong's voice was perfectly sycophantic.

He hung up the phone.

Shen Yan walked to the window.

The sky had already brightened.

A new day had begun.

[Ding—]

In his mind, the system's cold notification tone rang out again.

[Daily Intelligence Refreshed]

[Intelligence Type: Intermediate Wealth Intelligence]

[Intelligence Content: Three days ago, wealthy businessman Harry Winston lost his grandfather's antique pocket watch, 'Heart of Time,' valued at approximately eight million euros, in a VIP box at the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. The watch is currently being mistaken for a replica by a cleaner and is hidden in locker A13 of the casino's Employee Locker Room No. 3. Harry Winston has privately posted a ten-million-euro reward for its recovery.]

[Intelligence Validity: 48 hours]

Monaco.

Too far.

Without even doing any mental calculations, Shen Yan immediately dismissed the piece of intelligence.

Ten million euros wasn't a small sum to him, but it was merely icing on the cake.

Spending two days flying to Continent A for that bit of icing wasn't worth it.

He picked up his phone and unlocked the screen.

On the wallpaper was a little girl with pigtails, smiling brightly at the camera.

It was Youyou.

In that moment, Shen Yan's gaze softened.

He opened his contacts and dialed Liu Hui's number.

The phone rang twice before being picked up, and Liu Hui's gentle, slightly sleepy voice came from the other end.

"Hello? Shen Yan, why so early?"

"Are you awake?" Shen Yan asked.

"Mm, you woke me up," Liu Hui said with a hint of a smile in her voice.

"Tomorrow, Youyou's kindergarten is holding a home-school social; parents must attend."

Shen Yan didn't ask if she was free; he simply stated it.

"You're coming with me."

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by Liu Hui's clearer laughter.

"Alright."

"Is this an early internship for being Youyou's mother-to-be?"

"Yes."

Shen Yan's answer was crisp and decisive.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

Hanging up, the nerves that had been taut from working all night seemed to relax slightly.

He turned and walked out of the office.

The office area for the 'janus' project was already a scene of bustling activity.

Last night's frenzy, rather than draining these geniuses, acted like a potent catalyst, igniting everyone's passion.

The formulas and architectural diagrams packed onto the whiteboards hadn't even been erased yet, and behind every computer sat a pair of bloodshot but exceptionally bright eyes.

The sound of typing was as dense as rainfall.

Shen Yan walked a lap without saying a word.

Dr. Fang Jingyuan and Chen Hao were huddled around a test board, discussing something intensely.

Seeing Shen Yan approach, Chen Hao looked up excitedly.

"President Shen, the simulation data for the Level 3 cache pool is out. The power consumption is seven percent lower than we expected!"

Shen Yan simply nodded, his gaze sweeping over the code scrolling rapidly across the screen.

"Continue."

He dropped those two words and turned to leave.

Beneath the seemingly calm surface, a trace of coldness flickered in his heart.

Three months.

Little time remained until the deadline of his public bet with Silicon Valley's 'Aegis Lab.'

The head of Aegis Lab, Miles Kopper, was a man he had met a few times.

That man had used despicable means to steal the initial conceptual framework of the 'janus' project, packaging it as their so-called revolutionary project, 'prometheus,' and promoting it heavily worldwide.

Now, the eyes of the world were focused on this competition spanning thousands of miles.

Everyone believed that 'janus' was destined to lose.

Shen Yan didn't care in the slightest.

What had been stolen was nothing more than a pile of scrap paper he had long since discarded.

However, the feeling of being played for a fool was, after all, not very pleasant.

He had already marked those thieves in his ledger.

"prometheus?"

An imperceptible sneer curled at the corner of Shen Yan's mouth.

He looked forward to seeing what a scene of despair that laughable little flame would be when the sun of 'Kuafu' rose.

Five in the afternoon.

Shen Yan turned off his computer, preparing to leave to pick up Youyou.

However, there was a knock on the office door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a spirited figure walked in.

An Ran.

She wore a well-tailored beige trench coat, her long hair draped casually over her shoulders. Her face bore a hint of travel fatigue, yet her eyes remained sharp.

"Just get off the plane?" Shen Yan looked at the small carry-on bag by her feet.

"Flew in from Shenzhou."

An Ran set the suitcase aside and sat down on the sofa without ceremony.

"I had to catch you before you finished work, otherwise I wouldn't know which island you'd be off to for leisure."

Shen Yan smiled but didn't respond to her remark.

He knew that An Ran was not one to visit without a reason.

This travel-worn appearance was definitely not for idle chatter.

"Let's have dinner together," An Ran said, looking up at him. "I've made a reservation."

Shen Yan glanced at his watch.

He thought of Youyou's expectant eyes.

But he also saw the refusal to take no for an answer in An Ran's eyes.

"Alright."

He picked up his coat and agreed decisively.

A private restaurant named Jingyuan.

In the quaint, antique-style private room, there were only the two of them.

The food arrived quickly—all exquisite Jiangnan dishes.

An Ran was in no hurry to speak, sipping her tea unhurriedly and chatting about some anecdotes within their circles.

"By the way, the autumn auction in Hong Kong a few days ago, Mei Jinning also went and bought a pair of pink diamonds; it seems she's completely settled down now."

"Mm," Shen Yan replied flatly, picking up a crystal shrimp with his chopsticks.

"And Ning Ke, he recently made a connection with the royal family in Dubai and is doing very well. He even asked me about you last time, wanting to introduce some business to you."

"We'll see," Shen Yan's answer remained brief.

He knew these were just the appetizers.

An Ran finally set down her teacup.

The cup met the tabletop with a crisp clink.

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

"I heard," An Ran looked at him, articulating every word clearly, "that you've broken through your bottleneck?"

Shen Yan's movements paused for a moment.

"News travels fast."

"This isn't just news." An Ran leaned forward slightly, her beautiful eyes shimmering with the light unique to capital. "This is a signal worth a hundred billion."

"Shen Yan, I'm not here to listen to your corporate speak."

"I invested so much money because I'm betting on your ambition, not your half-dead 'janus'."