68: Chapter 69 Yin Tianchou

A few days later, while Yin Tianxue was still immersed in a low mood, forcing herself to handle company affairs, an unexpected person appeared at the door of the Tiansheng Group president's office.

"Sister!" A clear, youthful call, full of the vigor unique to a teenager, broke the office's slightly stifling atmosphere.

Yin Tianxue looked up in surprise to see a teenager wearing casual trendy clothes, carrying a backpack, with a height approaching that of an adult man, and facial features strikingly similar to her own, leaning against the doorframe, grinning at her and revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

The boy had healthy, wheat-colored skin, hair dyed a trendy haze blue, and a subtle black earring on his ear cartilage. He exuded an air of sunshine mixed with a hint of rebelliousness, yet those eyes, inherited from their parents, were currently keenly capturing every subtle trace of fatigue and gloom on Yin Tianxue's face.

"Tianchou? Why are you back?" Yin Tianxue put down her pen, her weary eyes finally tinged with a hint of genuine surprise and warmth.

Yin Tianchou, her younger brother, eight years her junior, had been an incredibly brilliant but unconventional child since he was small.

Two years ago, he was sent by their parents to a top-tier private high school abroad for further studies. It was said that, outside of his coursework, he was obsessed with various cutting-edge technologies and extreme sports. They didn't communicate very frequently, but the bond between the siblings was extremely deep.

"I missed you! And Mom and Dad too!" Yin Tianchou walked in carelessly, tossed his backpack onto the sofa, and sat unceremoniously in the chair opposite Yin Tianxue. His sharp eyes scanned her up and down. "Tsk, Sis, your state is not right. Dark circles, pale complexion, unfocused eyes... Even with heavy work pressure, it shouldn't be like this. Honestly, did someone upset you? Was it that guy Yu Bo?" He used his full name, his tone carrying undisguised scrutiny and protectiveness.

Yin Tianxue felt a warmth in her heart but also some helplessness. This younger brother of hers had an absurdly high IQ and EQ, and his observational skills were astonishing; it was difficult to hide her emotions in front of him.

She gave a forced smile, trying to downplay it: "Don't guess wildly, child; it's just that I've been a bit tired lately. Why didn't you tell me you were coming back in advance?"

"I wanted to give you a surprise!" Yin Tianchou pursed his lips, leaned forward, and lowered his voice, though his eyes became more serious. "Sis, don't lie to me. I went to see Mom first when I got back. Although she didn't say anything specific, that hesitant look of hers, combined with the unusually low air pressure at home... plus you looking so distracted right now, even a fool could see something happened. Did Yu Bo bully you?"

Yin Tianxue knew she couldn't hide it from this shrewd younger brother. She sighed and rubbed her temples: "There was a bit of unpleasantness, but this is an adult matter, and we will handle it ourselves. You just got back, get over your jet lag, and don't worry about these things."

"Unpleasantness?" Yin Tianchou raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing this flimsy word. "Fine, if you won't tell me, I have my own ways of finding out. But Sis, let me remind you, you are my own sister, and we share the same blood. Whoever dares to make you suffer, I, Yin Tianchou, will be the first to disagree, no matter who they are!" The protectiveness and underlying coldness in the youth's tone made Yin Tianxue's heart tremble.

She looked at her younger brother's face, still somewhat youthful but already beginning to show sharp features, and a complex warmth surged in her heart. This younger brother who used to run behind her when they were small had truly grown up.

"Alright, I know you're impressive." Yin Tianxue didn't want him to get too involved, so she changed the subject: "How long are you staying this time?"

"Depends. I took leave, so I can stay for a while." Yin Tianchou shrugged, then his eyes lit up, and he switched to a relaxed tone: "By the way, Sis, isn't your company doing some new technology layout? I know a few super awesome geeks abroad who play with hardware and algorithms. Their level is absolutely top-notch, and they haven't been recruited by big firms yet. Are you interested in getting in touch with them? They might be more interesting than your current partners!"

Yin Tianxue knew her brother had unique connections and a sharp eye in this area, but she really had no heart for it right now, so she perfunctorily said: "Sure, send me the information. You go home and rest first."

"Understood!" Seeing that his sister didn't want to talk more, Yin Tianchou didn't pursue it further. He nimbly picked up his backpack, walked to the door, and then turned back, winking at Yin Tianxue. His tone was light but pointed: "Sis, remember, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, and in our family, Dad isn't the only one who is tall. Cheer up!"

Watching her younger brother's retreating figure, the heavy boulder in Yin Tianxue's heart seemed to have been pried open just a crack. Her brother's return, carrying the sharpness unique to a teenager and his unreserved protectiveness, was like a ray of light, allowing her to feel a sliver of solid warmth from blood kinship amidst the cold sense of betrayal.

Meanwhile, at the "Tinglan Capital" office, Yu Bo stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze deep and contemplative. After that high-pressure conversation with Yin Hanhai, he quickly broke free from his defeat, turning his pain and guilt into the motivation for action.

He pressed the intercom: "Have General Manager Wang from the Investment Department and Dr. Li from the Technical Evaluation Group come over immediately."

A moment later, the two arrived. Yu Bo didn't engage in small talk and directly issued instructions: "Manager Wang, immediately launch a special talent program codenamed 'Deep Dive'. There are two key directions: First, top-tier cybersecurity experts, intelligence analysts, and crisis management consultants. The background requirements can be relaxed; what I want is practical ability, people who can solve thorny problems. Second, hardware innovation talent with disruptive potential, especially promising individuals in underlying hard tech fields like microelectronics, new sensors, edge computing, and communication security. Even if the project is in the early stages, as long as the technical approach is unique and has barriers to entry, we will invest."

Manager Wang and Dr. Li exchanged a look, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. Yu Bo's investment style had always been steady and pragmatic; suddenly turning to such an "offbeat" and even slightly "grey" and "long-term strategic" field was indeed rare.

"Chairman Yu, the investment standards and expected returns for the 'Deep Dive' program..." Manager Wang asked cautiously.

"I will set the standards. The initial budget will be listed separately with no upper limit. The return cycle can be very long; I can even accept strategic losses." Yu Bo's tone was resolute. "What I want is not short-term financial returns, but capability—hardcore strength that can build a moat and handle complex situations. Especially in the area of cybersecurity, be quick. Dr. Li, use all your academic and geek circle resources to give me preliminary candidates and assessments within a week."

A flash of excitement crossed Dr. Li's eyes: "Chairman Yu, are you wanting to assemble our own 'Technical Special Task Force'?"

"You can understand it that way." Yu Bo did not deny it, his gaze deep. "Beyond business competition, information security and the control of core technologies are becoming increasingly critical. We need some unconventional forces to ensure security, and we also need to lay out future technological high points in advance. This matter must be highly confidential."

The two men's expressions tightened, and they immediately took orders and left.

Yu Bo sat back in his chair, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk. Yin Hanhai's warning and Tianxue's tears were a dual spur. He could no longer be passive; he had to actively build defenses and accumulate capital for a counterattack. The "Deep Dive" program was both to track down the source of the video and guard against Shen Nian and possible masterminds, as well as to lay technical groundwork for the long-term development of "Listening to the Waves".

The Shen Nian incident exposed his shortcomings—in the face of complex interpersonal relations and potential threats, commercial capital alone was not enough; he also needed "sharp blades" and "sturdy shields" to control information and defend his own safety.

Investing in hardware innovation was a key step for him to get rid of technical dependence on partners like "Wing Flight" and to lay out an independent future ecosystem. He wanted to cultivate his own core innovative power.

In the night, Yu Bo's gaze turned towards the direction of the Yin Family, his eyes complex and resolute. He did not know that the youth from the Yin Family, who had just returned and possessed both high IQ and EQ, had already cast his keen gaze toward him and was about to intervene in this turmoil, which started because of him, in a way he would never expect.

Meanwhile, at the Yin Family villa, Yin Tianchou was sitting cross-legged on the carpet in his room, with three laptops of different models spread out in front of him. Complex streams of code and data monitoring windows were jumping on the screens. He had a Pocky stick in his mouth, but his eyes were as sharp as a scanner.

"Tinglan Capital's Yu Bo... suddenly recruiting cybersecurity and hardware geeks on a large scale in a low-profile manner, and the direction is so 'special'..." The youth muttered to himself, his fingers dancing on the keyboard, pulling up some publicly searchable recruitment information, sporadic discussions on industry forums, and fragments of "Listening to the Waves"'s recent investment trends. "Sis is in a low mood, the atmosphere at home is weird, and you're making such moves at this critical juncture... Interesting."

Although he couldn't touch the core secrets for the time being, Yu Bo's abnormal direction of action and deliberately low-profile style were enough to arouse Yin Tianchou's high vigilance and keen interest.

"It seems that my return this time has caught a good show." Yin Tianchou closed a few windows, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc that didn't match his age, carrying a bit of playfulness and coldness. "Yu Bo, let me see what 'trouble' you've actually encountered and how you intend to solve it. If you're not qualified..." His eyes went slightly cold, "I won't let my sister suffer."