158: Chapter 158 A Solo Toast to My Brother-in-Law!

Dusk was thick in the revolving restaurant overlooking the river in Jiangcheng. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the shimmering waves of the Yangtze River intertwined with the neon lights on both banks, casting a warm glow inside the hall—this celebration banquet, held to mark the 'repelling of Polaris's financial shorting,' gathered the core members of the Huaxia Technology Alliance: Zhang Fan, Zhou Yurou, Liu Ruyan, Song Zhiwei, Gu Jingshen, as well as the three Lu brothers and Lin Wanyi.

Before the banquet began, Lu Qingping specifically pulled Zhang Fan to the terrace to catch the breeze. Holding the newly signed 'medical ai Joint R&D Agreement,' his tone was full of candor: 'Mr. Zhang, my vision was narrow before. I was always thinking about protecting Wanyi, but I failed to see your perspective—from countering Chang Yuan's frame-up to helping Likely Yunqi Technology break free from Polaris's control, and now joining forces to win the financial war, you not only have ability but also a sense of responsibility. I, Lu Qingping, admire you.'

Zhang Fan waved his hand with a smile: 'Mr. Lu, you're too kind. It's all to safeguard our Huaxia technology industry; anyone would have done the same.'

'You can't say that.' Lu Qingan suddenly leaned in, draping his arms over their shoulders, his tone filled with excitement. 'I've already spoken with the European and American distribution team for star path, giving them full access to all my Hollywood connections. I've also contacted the special effects team from The Avengers to help you optimize the game's visuals for the Western market—we're family now; your business is my business!'

Lu Qingyan also walked out from inside, holding a tablet displaying the clinical test plan for the medical ai: 'I've contacted the Director of Orthopedics at a top-tier hospital in Jiangcheng. Starting next week, we'll use Master Li Yong's diagnostic experience to train the AI model. Regarding the 'dynamic learning framework' you mentioned, I've added a few optimization parameters. We can try to see if we can boost the accuracy rate by another 2%.'

Watching the three brothers, who had completely set aside their hostility and were now fully supportive, a warm current surged through Zhang Fan's heart—from their initial confrontation to fighting side-by-side today, this alliance, centered on 'protecting technology and protecting family,' had finally truly become a united force.

At 7:00 PM, the celebration banquet officially began. In the center of the round dining table stood a multi-tiered cake symbolizing 'Alliance Win-Win,' surrounded by miniature figurines of game characters from star path: reboot and schematics of the medical ai, with every detail showing care. Gu Jingshen was the first to raise his glass, smiling as he teased: 'First, a toast to our 'Capital Queen,' Zhou Yurou. Without your god-tier operation with the 5x leverage, we would still be grinding with the short sellers until midnight. Next, a toast to the three Lu brothers; Likely Yunqi Technology's capital protection and intelligence support were our anchor. Finally, a toast to Fan Zi; if you hadn't taken the lead in forming this alliance, we might still be fighting individually and being picked off one by one by Polaris!'

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses, the crisp sound of glass clinking echoing through the hall. Lin Wanyi, sitting beside Zhang Fan, quietly served him a piece of his favorite black truffle steak and whispered: 'Thank you for today. My brothers... they have never acknowledged an outsider like this before.'

Just as Zhang Fan was about to thank her, Lu Qingan suddenly stood up with his wine glass, staring straight at the two of them, his voice booming: 'I propose a separate toast to our 'brother-in-law'!'

'Brother-in-law?' The whole room went silent instantly, and even the background music of the revolving restaurant seemed to slow by half a beat.

Lu Qingan, however, was completely oblivious and continued on his own: 'Fan Zi, you and Wanyi are a perfect match—one is a new tech mogul, the other a powerhouse singer—and you've shouldered so much together. Our Lu family has long considered you one of our own! Please take good care of Wanyi in the future. If anyone dares to bully her, we three brothers will be the first to step up!'

Lu Qingping also put down his glass and solemnly echoed: 'Qingan is right. Mr. Zhang, if you don't mind, don't call me 'Mr. Lu' anymore; just call me 'Big Brother' like Wanyi does. Our two families will be in-laws from now on. With medical ai and game exports, we'll work together, and we'll definitely accomplish great things!'

Although Lu Qingyan was a man of few words, he also raised his glass and nodded at Zhang Fan, the recognition in his eyes self-evident—this silent gesture carried more weight than any words.

Lin Wanyi's face turned beet red, like a ripe cherry, and she scrambled to explain: 'Brother, don't talk nonsense. Mr. Zhang and I are just...'

'Just what? Just business partners?' Lu Qingan interrupted her with a suggestive smile. 'I saw it all. Last time Wanyi was recording songs until midnight, you drove her home. And when you helped her clarify the rumors spread by Lu Xiaoxiao, that protective streak of yours was even more attentive than us, her own brothers!'

Once these words were out, everyone's gaze focused on Zhang Fan and Lin Wanyi, and the atmosphere instantly turned subtle.

Song Zhiwei's hand holding the red wine glass paused slightly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the rim of the glass—she remembered the last time there was a scandal, how she had forced herself to stay calm and had her PR team forward a clarification, only to feel an inexplicable sense of loss when she saw Zhang Fan's statement protecting Lin Wanyi. Hearing the term 'brother-in-law' now, she tightened her grip on her glass, though she maintained an elegant smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Zhou Yurou lowered her head to stir the cream soup in front of her, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint arc, though it hid a hint of complexity—she had accompanied Zhang Fan from the small startup studio of Singularity to where he was now, staying up late to revise plans and fighting crises side-by-side, having long ago carved this 'partner' bond into her heart. When Lu Qingan shouted 'brother-in-law' just now, she subconsciously looked up at Zhang Fan, but when she met his awkward gaze, she quickly lowered her head again, pretending to focus on the mushrooms in her soup.

Liu Ruyan was even more embarrassed; the knife and fork in her hand almost dropped onto her plate. She remembered the last time there was overtime in the Technology Department, how Zhang Fan had seen her asleep at the desk and quietly draped a coat over her; she remembered how he defended her technical achievements at the press conference, shielding her from the accusations of 'climbing the ladder through connections.' She had kept these small, fragmented moments of warmth hidden in her heart, but now, being exposed by the term 'brother-in-law,' her cheeks instantly burned hot, and she could only pretend to tidy the stray hair by her ear to avoid everyone's gaze.

Zhang Fan stood there, feeling as if he were being roasted on a fire. He wanted to explain that it was 'just a partnership,' but looking at the sincere eyes of the three Lu brothers, he was afraid of hurting their feelings; he wanted to change the subject, but Lu Qingan was staring at him so intensely that he had no chance to speak.

'Um... let's talk about business.' Zhang Fan thought quickly, grabbing his tablet to pull up the pre-launch data for the Western release of star path. 'Just checked the backend; the stream count for wings of rebirth on Spotify has already exceeded 30 million, and game pre-orders have risen to 5 million. Warner Bros. just sent a message wanting to collaborate with us on an offline demo event. We can take this opportunity to...'

'The demo event isn't urgent!' Lu Qingan snatched the tablet away and placed it on the table. 'Sort out the thing between you and Wanyi first! If you like Wanyi, just admit it openly. Our Lu family isn't unreasonable; would we stop you?'

'That's right, Mr. Zhang—oh no, brother-in-law!' Lu Qingping joined in the teasing. 'If you're too shy to say it, Big Brother will say it for you! Wanyi, look at how good Mr. Zhang is, and he's so capable. If you're interested too, don't be shy!'

Lin Wanyi's face turned even redder; she wished she could find a hole to hide in and could only look at Zhang Fan for help. Meeting her teary, wide eyes, a strange flutter suddenly surged in Zhang Fan's heart, and the 'clarification' that had originally been on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back, he didn't know how.

Gu Jingshen, watching this awkward yet funny scene, quickly stepped in to smooth things over: 'Alright, alright, let's not pressure them! Matters of the heart take time. Let's celebrate winning the financial war first, and then talk about the clinical tests for the medical ai—didn't Master Li Yong say he's going to the hospital for consultations next week? We need to hurry up and optimize the AI's diagnostic interface; let's not keep the old gentleman waiting!'

These words finally brought the conversation back on track. Although Lu Qingan still wanted to press for an answer, he was tugged by the arm by Lu Qingping and could only sit down, unwillingly.

But this little interlude had already stirred ripples in everyone's hearts—Song Zhiwei's silence, Zhou Yurou's faint smile, Liu Ruyan's blushing, Lin Wanyi's shyness, and Zhang Fan's unspoken clarification all acted like an invisible thread, quietly entangling the thoughts of those present.