172: Rising Star

Feng Rui had already come up with hundreds of methods to manipulate this arrogant 'boss' at the negotiation table.

Therefore, he was in a very good mood today.

So good, in fact, that he felt he could show a victor's magnanimity to these two brats who had made him lose face.

He stepped forward, perfectly blocking the path of Lin Yu and Lin Yao, a practiced, gentle smile of a superior on his face.

"Classmate Lin Yu, Classmate Lin Yao, we meet again."

Feng Rui initiated the conversation, adopting a very humble posture.

"I heard about your choice. Very courageous, truly. Personally, I greatly admire young people with such boldness."

He spoke these words with genuine sincerity.

As if all the unpleasantness at the Awakening Ceremony had vanished into thin air.

As if he wasn't the capital representative who had been publicly rejected and humiliated, but rather a gentle elder genuinely concerned for the younger generation.

The crowd that hadn't dispersed yet subconsciously stopped in their tracks.

The Vice President of Fengxing Technology personally coming forward to appease Lin Yu and Lin Yao?

What kind of fantastical plot was this?

Could it be that Fengxing Technology hadn't given up and still wanted to recruit this mythical pair?

Lin Yu's steps did not falter in the slightest.

He didn't even glance sideways, walking straight past Feng Rui as if the latter were just an immobile mass of air.

Lin Yao followed closely behind her brother, also looking straight ahead.

From beginning to end, her world seemed to contain only her brother's back.

The two of them simply walked past.

Feng Rui's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

The carefully maintained geniality on his face showed a faint crack.

Only Zhao Tianyang paused slightly as he passed Feng Rui.

An invisible, mountain-heavy pressure suddenly spread out, centered on him.

Feng Rui felt as if his heart was clutched by an invisible large hand, and his breathing abruptly hitched.

The latest model 'Wind Traveler' next to him, worth tens of millions, let out a metallic groan under the strain, its body visibly sinking by a centimeter.

Zhao Tianyang said nothing, merely continued walking, catching up with Lin Yu.

The terrifying pressure came and went quickly.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Feng Rui's temple.

He watched the three receding figures, slowly withdrew his frozen hand from mid-air, and put it into his suit trousers pocket.

Suppressed snickers could be heard from around him.

Ignored again.

In front of so many people, the Vice President of Fengxing Technology was once again treated as air.

A muscle in Feng Rui's face twitched.

However, he quickly composed himself.

It doesn't matter.

Wait until it's over, wait until it's over.

In a few days, at the negotiation table, he would crush the bones of that so-called 'Old Ghost Hall' boss one by one, and swallow all their potion channels and formulas.

By then, he would personally go to collect Lin Yu's corpse.

And tell him that in this world, power must always serve capital.

"President Feng."

Two figures hurried over, precisely the two 'Wind Travel New Stars' who had chosen the nine-star mission.

They had witnessed the entire process and now appeared somewhat uneasy.

Feng Rui turned around, and the lingering awkwardness and gloom instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by an absolute, emotionless coldness.

He raised a hand, stopping them.

He didn't look at them, but rather directed his gaze to the street corner where Lin Yu and the other two had disappeared.

After a full dozen seconds.

He slowly turned his head, his face devoid of any trace of emotion.

Absolute, emotionless coldness.

"Get in the car."

He uttered two words and turned to walk towards the 'Wind Traveler' with its slightly sunken body.

The two young people exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of unease in the other's reaction.

But they dared not ask more, only hurried to follow, sitting in the back of the luxury car.

The car door closed, isolating all the outside noise.

Inside the car, the atmosphere was terribly oppressive.

Feng Rui remained silent, merely closing his eyes to rest.

The driver also did not start the car.

The young man and woman sat upright, even deliberately slowing their breathing.

They didn't know what they would face next.

But they had a premonition that things might not be as they imagined.

It's unknown how much time passed, perhaps a few minutes, perhaps more than ten minutes.

Feng Rui finally opened his eyes.

"You," he began, a plain declarative sentence, yet carrying an undeniable sense of command, "are very good."

The boy's spirits lifted, and he was about to say some polite words.

"You had the guts to follow a madman and choose a nine-star mission." Feng Rui's next sentence, however, made him swallow all his words back. "The company appreciates your courage."

"But, courage alone is useless."

Feng Rui's fingertip lightly tapped the air in front of him.

A light screen unfolded before them.

On it were dense data and charts.

"This is an emergency strengthening plan, re-devised overnight for you by the company's think tank."

Feng Rui's voice was devoid of emotion.

"From now until the last ten days before the College Entrance Examination officially begins, you will enter a fully enclosed, extreme training regimen."

"The training schedule is by the hour."

"No, it's by the minute."

He corrected himself.

On the light screen, a timetable was magnified.

From 00:00 to 23:59, every minute was clearly arranged.

Skill proficiency training, physical limit exertion, mental overload adaptation, combat video review, tactical deduction... The two half-grown youths stared intently at a few lines.

[Daily sleep time: 90 minutes (divided into three sessions, 30 minutes each)]

[Daily meal time: 15 minutes (liquid high-energy nutrient solution)]

[Time for physiological needs: 5 minutes accumulated daily]

...Not only that, all their actions would be observed, tested, and even discussed by the so-called think tank... The young man could still barely accept it, but the girl's face had already turned pale.

Such a thing was still too difficult for a girl under twenty, in her adolescence, to accept.

The boy noticed the girl's emotions beside him, swallowed, and bravely spoke up.

"This..." His throat was a bit dry, "President Feng, this... wouldn't it be... too... too..."

Feng Rui merely sneered.

"You chose it yourselves, nine-star... Do you think this is child's play? The company will not allow mission failure."

"From today onwards, all your eating, drinking, and bodily functions will be in the laboratory. Those two pieces of cloth on your bodies are no longer necessary to wear, the laboratory is constantly warm anyway, and you need to be ready for injections and examinations at all times."

"President Feng!" The boy instantly tensed his body, subconsciously clenching his fists, even revealing his professional aura.

Feng Rui, however, merely leaned back, narrowed his eyes, and exhaled a puff of smoke onto the faces of the two opposite him.

"What are your thoughts?"

Although he was smiling, his eyes were dangerously cold.