An Luo Wei pushed the door open and entered. The noise in the conference room immediately fell silent.
More than twenty gazes, sharp, probing, and full of suspicion, were directed at her at the same time. These were the "old foxes", the major shareholders who had built up the Emperor God, they could swallow a lamb like her without chewing.
Lu Bei Shen sat in the farthest chair. He didn't look at her, just flipped through a set of documents, cold as a statue.
An Luo Wei took a breath, walked steadily, and walked straight up to the podium.
"Cough..." A bald-headed shareholder (Shareholder Liu) spoke up, his voice full of sarcasm. "President Lu, if I remember correctly, this is an S-level project review meeting, not a family tea party."
A few giggles rang out.
"You brought... Madam... here, aren't you looking down on us a little too much?"
An Luo Wei clenched her laptop.
Lu Bei Shen raised his head. His eyes were cold as ice. "Shareholder Liu, she is my Exclusive Design Assistant. She is presenting her ideas today. If you think it's a waste of time, the door is over there."
Absolute domination!
Shareholder Liu was speechless, his face red. The entire conference room was silent.
Lu Bei Shen turned to An Luo Wei. "An Luo Wei, 10 minutes. Begin."
Not a word of encouragement. Not a single look of encouragement. Only pressure.
The fear in her disappeared, replaced by anger and fighting spirit. 'Okay. 10 minutes.'
She plugged her laptop into the projector. The large screen behind her lit up.
Her logo appeared. The crescent moon embracing the peach blossom petals glowed.
"Flowers and leaves." Shareholder Liu muttered, loud enough for her to hear.
An Luowei didn't care. She picked up the laser pen, took a deep breath. When she raised her head, her eyes were no longer those of a frightened employee, but of a proud artist.
"Hello everyone." Her voice rang out, clear, crisp, and... cold. "My name is An Luowei. Today I present 'Starry Moon - Eternal'."
"Before we begin, I want to ask you a question: What is 'High-end'?"
Everyone frowned.
"Is it gold? Is it diamonds? Is it luxurious architecture?" She shook her head. "No. For me, the absolute 'high-end' is 'Memory'."
She began to speak. She talked about the idea of 'Forgotten Memories'.
"We're not selling a resort. We're selling... an experience." She said, her passion starting to flow. "Star is not a star. Star is the 'essence', the most beautiful, brightest 'memory'. Moon is not the moon. Moon is 'time', 'eternity'."
"This logo," she pointed at the screen, "represents the most beautiful moment, even though it is buried by time (Moon), it is always there, silently shining (Star). Customers come to Tinh Nguyet, not to rest, but to... remember."
The entire conference room was silent. They were drawn to her words. This girl... there was something very strange. The passion in her eyes seemed to be on fire.
She finished. "That's my design. To create a place where people can face their eternal memories."
Silence.
Shareholder Liu was the first to break. "Humph! All empty words!" He slammed the table. "'Forgotten memories'? Too vague! Risky! How can you guarantee that the customer will 'feel' it? You're too young, An Lac Vi. This is a trillion-dollar business, not your thesis!"
He was attacking her age and experience.
An Luowei looked straight into his eyes. "Mr. Liu, have you ever loved someone so deeply... that even though you've forgotten them, even though you've been apart, your heart still aches when you think about them?"
"You... what nonsense are you talking about!" Liu blushed.
"That feeling," An Luowei said, her voice suddenly becoming distant, as if she was talking about a story of her own, "is 'Starry Moon'. It doesn't need advertising. It's something that everyone's soul is searching for."
She turned to look at Lu Beichen, who had been silent all this time.
"The 'eternity' that Lu Zong asked for, is it. A love, an obsession, a memory... even if it goes through thirty thousand years... it will never fade."
Thirty thousand years.
She had unconsciously said that number. The number from the dream.
SCREAM!
The fountain pen in Lu Beichen's hand broke in half. He raised his head abruptly. His black eyes stared at her, no longer icy, but a fierce storm.
Did she...just say "thirty thousand years"?
The other shareholders were stunned. They didn't understand the number, but they were shocked by the sadness and strong belief in her voice.
Silence.
Lu Beichen slowly stood up. The entire conference room held its breath.
"Everyone," he said, his voice low, but with a strange vibration, "you've heard it."
"But President Lu!" Shareholder Liu still tried to salvage. "This idea is too... fantastic! It's not realistic!"
"Fantasy?" Lu Beichen curled his lips, a cold smile. "I think this is the only idea worthy of the Emperor God."
He turned to look at An Luowei. That gaze was no longer that of a boss, nor that of a "contract" husband. It was something... she couldn't read. Pride? Pain?
He turned back to the shareholders.
"The Tinh Nguyet project. Will be implemented 100% according to Assistant An's idea." His voice was an undeniable command. "No one is allowed to change even a single detail."
The shareholders gasped. Approved? Just like that?
Luc Bac Than buttoned his shirt again. He walked towards the door, leaving behind more than twenty petrified people.
"The meeting is over."
The conference room door closed.
An Lac Vi was still standing on the podium, her heart pounding. Her breathing was rapid. She... she did it?
She had used her own talent, making those old foxes, and even that tyrant Luc Bac Than... speechless.
She had won.