501: Chapter 496 Keeping an Appointment

Meanwhile.

T City International Airport.

A private jet from Saint Lodu landed smoothly on the runway.

The cabin door opened, and Shen Yan walked down.

He was greeted by the familiar air, tinged with an industrial scent.

His mobile phone had been turned on since the plane landed.

After getting into the dedicated airport pickup vehicle, Shen Yan made a call just as the car pulled out of the airport.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered.

“Hello? Who is this?”

A slightly tired and hoarse voice came from the other end of the line.

It was Zhang Jufeng.

“It’s me, Shen Yan.”

Shen Yan’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

There was a silence lasting several seconds on the other end.

Then came the harsh screech of a chair as someone abruptly sat up straight.

“Mr. Shen... Mr. Shen?!”

Zhang Jufeng’s voice instantly became agitated, even carrying a trace of trembling.

“You... you’re back?”

Shen Yan had been abroad during this period, without any news.

Zhang Jufeng had been suffering every day.

He feared that Shen Yan had forgotten their original promise, yet he also feared that something might have happened to him.

The hope of clearing Master Zhou Baiping’s name was now his only spiritual pillar.

“Just got off the plane.”

Shen Yan leaned back in the rear seat, watching the city lights rapidly receding outside the window.

“I thought... I thought you...” Zhang Jufeng’s words were somewhat incoherent.

“Thought what?”

“Thought I forgot?”

Shen Yan asked back lightly.

“No... I wouldn’t dare...”

Zhang Jufeng quickly denied it, but his tone revealed the guilt of being found out.

Shen Yan didn't dwell on it.

He knew well that human nature could not withstand trials, and promises appeared pale in the face of time.

What he needed to show Zhang Jufeng was not a promise, but action.

“Tomorrow at ten in the morning.”

Shen Yan spoke directly, giving him no chance to overthink.

“‘Jingxin Teahouse,’ Private Room Tian.”

“Bring all the materials you have regarding Yuanshan Heavy Industry and Zhou Baiping.”

“Remember, all of it. Don’t miss a single detail.”

Zhang Jufeng’s breathing became rapid on the other end.

He could detect the unquestionable weight in Shen Yan’s words.

This was not comfort, nor was it an empty promise.

It was the clarion call to action.

“Yes! Yes! Mr. Shen! I’ll prepare immediately!”

“I will organize everything and bring it all over!”

His voice was filled with irrepressible excitement and hope.

Shen Yan said nothing more.

“See you tomorrow.”

He hung up the phone.

Silence returned to the car.

The driver glanced at Shen Yan, who had his eyes closed resting, through the rearview mirror, even softening his breathing.

The neon lights outside the window were stretched into blurred streaks of light, dancing across Shen Yan’s closed eyelids.

The driver maintained a steady speed; only the faint hum of the air conditioning system could be heard inside the vehicle.

This moment of quiet was the last tranquility of the sea before the storm arrived.

After arriving at the underground garage, Shen Yan did not go home immediately.

He sat in the car for five more minutes.

The phone screen lit up, displaying an encrypted message sent by Kevin.

“The banquet was a success. They are starting to fear me.”

Shen Yan replied with only two words.

“Not enough.”

Then, he deleted the message, turned off the screen, and pushed the door open to get out.

The night passed without incident.

The next day.

The sky was barely light, and the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

The company building was already brightly lit.

Shen Yan’s figure appeared in the Artificial Intelligence Core Research and Development Department.

He arrived earlier than most of the Employees.

“CEO Shen.”

Wu Ya walked over carrying a steaming cup of coffee, a hint of perfectly measured concern in her eyes.

“Did you not rest well last night?”

Shen Yan’s gaze remained fixed on the giant waterfall of data in front of him.

“Has the production capacity for V9 caught up?”

He asked about something else.

Wu Ya’s expression stiffened slightly, then quickly reverted to professional competence.

“As per your instructions, we are running three shifts with the production line at full capacity. The supply gap for ‘Tianqiong No. 9’ special steel can be filled within three days.”

“Very good.”

Shen Yan took the coffee and took a sip.

The bitter liquid slid down his throat.

“What is the progress on the autonomous learning module for the AI model?”

Chen Guangke happened to walk in from outside and heard this question.

“Yan Zi, can’t you rest for a bit?”

He slapped a document onto the desk.

“You just got back from abroad; you haven't even adjusted to the time difference yet, right?”

Shen Yan’s sight finally moved away from the screen, landing on Chen Guangke.

“For me, there is no time difference, only deadlines.”

His voice was flat, yet it made the air in the entire office feel several degrees heavier.

Chen Guangke shook his head helplessly.

“Fine, you’re the boss, you call the shots.”

He pointed to a section of complex code on the screen.

“We’ve been stuck on this bottleneck for two days. The logic algorithm conflicts, and it crashes whenever the calculation volume exceeds the threshold.”

Shen Yan’s gaze swept over that segment of code.

His fingers tapped twice in the air.

“Change the ‘nested loop’ here to a ‘recursive call,’ and add a cache for ‘memoized search.’”

“Also, increase the weight of the data preprocessing by zero point three percentage points.”

He spoke extremely fast, without the slightest hesitation.

Chen Guangke and Wu Ya were stunned.

Several core programmers immediately gathered around, starting to calculate on the screen.

One minute later.

“It works! It works!”

“My God, the operational efficiency has increased by at least thirty percent!”

“This approach is incredible!”

Cheers erupted.

Chen Guangke looked at Shen Yan, his expression complex.

“What exactly is your brain made of?”

Shen Yan did not reply.

He set down the coffee cup and picked up his jacket.

“I’m going out for a bit. You handle things at the company.”

Wu Ya subconsciously asked a question.

“CEO Shen, where are you going?”

Shen Yan’s steps did not pause.

“To keep an appointment.”

Jingxin Teahouse.

One of the most renowned private teahouses in the metropolis, not open to the public, serving only members.

Every blade of grass, every tree, every brick and tile exuded a low-key luxury.

In Private Room Tian, the mellow fragrance of premium Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao tea permeated the air.

Zhang Jufeng was restless.

The tea in front of him had already been steeped three times, yet he hadn't taken a single sip.

His hands tightly gripped an old leather briefcase worn smooth, the veins bulging on the back of his hand.

The door to the private room was silently pushed open.

Shen Yan walked in.

He had changed into casual attire, making him look less sharp like a businessman and more relaxed like someone at home.

But those eyes remained so profound that people dared not look directly at them.

“Mr. Shen.”

Zhang Jufeng shot up so suddenly that he nearly knocked over his teacup.

“Sit.”

Shen Yan’s tone was casual; he sat down in the main seat on his own, picked up the purple clay teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea.

His movements were fluid, elegant, and composed.

Zhang Jufeng looked at him, his throat feeling dry.

The young man before him was completely different from those arrogant rich second-generations.

His calmness was, in itself, a powerful aura.

“Where is the material?”