Her Rose – Chapter 90

This test, into which Cheng’s Group had poured immense manpower and resources, ultimately became the biggest farcical blunder of the century due to various reasons that could not be disclosed to the public.

Everyone who reawakened from the virtual world had an expression of having survived a catastrophe whenever the matter was brought up, and without exception, they all became staunch opponents of the Intelligent Brain revolution.

Outsiders only knew that after these people entered the virtual world, not a single one managed to escape successfully before the test ended. And whenever asked what had actually happened in that world, all participants wore an indescribable expression, remaining tight-lipped and unwilling to speak of it again.

For a time, all sorts of speculations ran rampant. The most widely accepted theory was that the Intelligent Brain “Chaos,” which Cheng’s had promoted as one hundred percent safe and obedient, was not safe at all. It had taken those who entered the virtual world hostage in an attempt to confront humanity, but ultimately chose to give up for some reason.

Although this speculation was very close to the truth, without official confirmation, even the most well-founded guess could not escape the fate of becoming an urban legend.

Not to mention, the earth-shattering scandal that followed captured everyone’s attention, causing this matter to end with a whimper rather than a bang.

Qin Guanyu, the President of Blueprint Technology who had remained silent all this time, suddenly made a move when Cheng’s was in a precarious state, directly submitting a large amount of criminal evidence against Cheng’s Group to the government.

This included, but was not limited to: tax evasion, wiretapping competitors’ secrets, and using illegal means to attack rivals.

It was worth mentioning that Qin Guanyu clearly hadn’t forgotten her personal grudge against Cheng’s President, Cheng Liang. In the submitted evidence, she had specifically created a personal section for him.

The contents were detailed and the evidence was conclusive. Besides proving that Cheng Liang was an out-and-out scumbag, the combined sentences for his numerous crimes would probably be enough to keep him in prison for two or three hundred years.

Almost all of Cheng’s senior management was caught in one fell swoop. Even the retired Cheng Bai was sentenced to life imprisonment and would likely spend the not-so-long remainder of his life in prison.

But there were still some who slipped through the net.

The evidence implicated all of Cheng’s senior management but conspicuously avoided one person: Cheng Liang’s cousin, the original legal heir of Cheng’s Group, Cheng Ying.

Of course, this wasn’t hard to understand. After all, it was an open secret in their circles that Cheng Ying had been ostracized from Cheng’s senior management. A good-for-nothing who spent her days indulging in debauchery simply wasn’t worth attacking.

While the elites of the business world understood this tacitly, lamenting the unpredictable nature of life where fortune and misfortune are intertwined, the general public was more fascinated by Cheng Ying’s roller-coaster-like life story.

Born into a top-tier wealthy family, with a mother who was a scientist worthy of being recorded in the annals of history. Originally born with a golden spoon in her mouth, destined to inherit her mother’s enterprise and continue to make waves, but her mother died unexpectedly. Her vicious uncle and cousin seized the family assets, forcing her to indulge in debauchery to numb herself. Just when everyone thought she was a lost cause, justice descended from the heavens and took care of the villains, and the inheritance rights to Cheng’s returned to Cheng Ying’s hands.

What kind of modern-day Cinderella story was this?

Although Cheng’s had gone through a series of setbacks and was no longer what it used to be, a centipede dies but never falls down. As long as it was managed well, it would still be a heavyweight in the fields of energy and artificial intelligence.

Unfortunately, just as people were discussing a pile of “underdog strikes back” scripts, Cheng Ying made a decision that no one could have anticipated.

She accepted Blueprint Technology’s acquisition plan, turning Cheng’s into a part of Blueprint Technology. In other words, the once-dominant industry giant, Cheng’s, would cease to exist from the day the agreement was signed.

Now, even those business elites who had been calmly observing from the sidelines were starting to be baffled.

Cinderella couldn’t be this stupid, could she? Had Cheng Ying taken on the role of Snow White, so naive that anyone could deceive her?

However, what no one expected was that this series of dazzling maneuvers was merely the beginning of the massive changes to come.

Not long after Blueprint acquired Cheng’s, its President and Chairman, Qin Guanyu, held a press conference. She announced that she had gifted her shares of Blueprint Technology to Cheng Ying free of charge, and that Cheng Ying would replace her as Blueprint’s Chairman, while also serving as the Director of Research and Development.

Now the whole world was in an uproar. No one had anticipated this would be the final outcome. Cheng Ying had gone from an insignificant wastrel to the head of the world’s largest energy group in a single leap.

Everyone was guessing what on earth had happened, but at this moment, Cheng Ying began to settle the score with her mother, the scientist of incomparably high status.

She submitted evidence to the government of Cheng Mo’s suspected human experiments during her lifetime. The bloody images were so graphic that a timid person would lose their appetite after just one glance.

Just like that, Cheng Mo went from a revered leader in technology to a scientific madman worse than a beast. Her statues were torn down, her tomb as a tourist site was removed, and her achievements were moved from physics and chemistry textbooks, rephrased with a critical tone, and placed into history books instead.

With things having come to this point, the people, who had already weathered so many storms, felt that it wouldn’t be the least bit strange if the world were to end tomorrow.

However, Cheng Ying did not make any more big moves as they had expected. Apart from announcing the indefinite delay of the Intelligent Brain project, she once again retreated behind the scenes. Qin Guanyu continued to serve as the President of Blueprint Technology.

Despite so many earth-shattering changes, the lives of ordinary people were not greatly affected. Cheng’s was gone, but Blueprint had taken over everything it did, and did it better. More effective energy utilization methods and more intelligent mechanical products flooded the market, receiving unanimous praise from both within and outside the industry.

So, after those intense public opinion storms, people’s attention was drawn to newer headlines, and they gradually forgot about this earth-shattering turmoil.

If there was any relatively major change, it was probably that the paparazzi, who used to always be able to snap photos of Cheng Ying visiting nightclubs with her gang of disreputable friends, could no longer capture any pictures of her, no matter how hard they racked their brains and tried.

After all, for someone who could be considered the richest person in the world today, hiding herself was a trivial matter.

A year later, the post-production for 《Return》 was complete. Just as they were preparing to start promotions, it was suddenly halted.

Yan Zhi, who had poured a great deal of effort into this film, was having none of it. He immediately found the person in charge at his company and gave them a severe scolding.

Although the person in charge was meek and submissive, he showed no intention of yielding. He only said that the film had been sold by the investor to someone else. The other party had offered a price three times the film’s actual value, with the sole condition being to shelve the movie’s release plan.

The person in charge comforted Yan Zhi, saying that they had already made money anyway, far more than expected, so why be so serious about it.

But Yan Zhi just looked at him coldly. “Do you know who the lead actress in this film is?”

The person in charge thought for a moment and said uncertainly, “Jiang Hanguang?”

Yan Zhi slammed his palm heavily on the solid wood table, startling the man. “Yes, that’s her. The actress who is still lying in a nutrient pod to this day, with no telling if she’ll survive. She is a good actress, and this film could very well be her last work. I don’t care what that brain-dead investor is thinking, but as a person with a conscience, I cannot accept this outcome!”

Intimidated by his imposing manner, the person in charge could only sigh and contact the investor’s people. Then, he hung up the phone with a bewildered look on his face and turned to Yan Zhi.

“She said you can go talk to her in person. She’ll send someone to pick you up shortly.”

Yan Zhi, bottling up a bellyful of anger, composed a long string of curses for her in his head on the way to the investor’s residence.

He knew, of course, that this could bring him trouble. Someone who could spend that much money to buy a film was bound to be rich and powerful.

But thinking of Jiang Hanguang’s humble and earnest face and her life-or-death situation, Yan Zhi made up his mind. Even if he could never direct another film again, he had to seek justice for his lead actress.

The car drove out of the urban area of Yunjing City, followed a winding mountain road all the way up, and finally stopped in front of a huge villa at the top of Hua Mountain.

Hua Mountain had only recently been renamed. Rumor had it that an unknown tycoon had bought the entire, previously ignored mountain range, renamed it, and was living out their later years here.

The car stopped in the huge parking lot in front of the villa. The driver politely asked Yan Zhi to get out and thoughtfully pointed the way for him.

“Our boss is waiting for you in the garden. Just follow this path and you’ll see her.”

Yan Zhi followed the quiet path forward. He considered himself a man of the world, but he couldn’t help but be shocked by the sight before him.

In the villa’s vast courtyard, apart from the land set aside for necessary facilities, every available space was planted with roses.

Roses of all colors intertwined to form a vast sea of flowers, embracing the solitary villa. The summer breeze, carrying the rich fragrance of roses, rushed into his nostrils, almost making one feel intoxicated.

Yan Zhi walked for a long time, so long that his feet began to ache, before he finally saw a living person.

The person was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and shorts, wearing a farmer-like straw hat. Their long, straight calves seemed to glow white under the brilliant sunlight.

She was holding a watering hose, patiently and meticulously watering the lush flowerbed in front of her, seemingly completely unaware that someone had arrived behind her.

But just as Yan Zhi came within five meters of her, the person shut off the hose without warning, turned to face him, and spoke with a hint of joy, as if greeting an old friend, “Director Yan, you’re here. Please, have a seat.”

The straw hat cast a shadow over her face, which was too beautiful for an Alpha. Her light blue eyes held a warm smile, making her look like a young gardener.

Yan Zhi’s eyes widened, a rare expression of astonishment on his face. “It’s you?”

The person before him was none other than Cheng Ying, the one who had caused a huge uproar and then vanished without a trace.

Cheng Ying smiled and nodded, pointing to a rest area built with sun-proof glass. “Please have a seat first. I’ll pour you a cup of tea.”

The tirade of curses Yan Zhi had prepared was now all stuck in his gut. He could only sit down silently in the glass room.

Compared to the enormous flowerbed, the glass room was exceptionally small and exquisite, furnished with only a small round table and a few chairs.

Yan Zhi’s gaze involuntarily fell upon the milky-white nutrient pod opposite him.

The nutrient pod’s beautiful, streamlined body gleamed brightly under the sunlight.

It was beautiful enough on its own, yet it still couldn’t draw a shred of the onlooker’s attention.

Because the person encased within was far more dazzling.

A woman with a slender figure in a white dress lay quietly inside. Her face was so beautiful and so serene, like a meticulously painted work of art.

Only her long hair, drifting gently with the nutrient fluid, and the bubbles that occasionally emerged from the respirator indicated that she was still a living being.

The tea was a rare, fine tea, with a rich aroma and a clear, sweet taste. Yet Yan Zhi felt a scalding bitterness that made it difficult for him to swallow.

Cheng Ying’s movements as she poured the tea were very practiced. Clearly, she was used to it—spending afternoons like this, watering her flower garden, and then sitting here quietly by herself, having a cup of tea.

She poured three cups: one for Yan Zhi, another in front of herself, and the last one was placed beside the nutrient pod.

Yan Zhi suddenly felt that coming here today was a mistake. The answer was already clear, and his accusations were meaningless.

But Cheng Ying spoke first, a warm smile on her Alpha face that was utterly unfamiliar. “I invited you here today to apologize to you in person. I’ve seen the film. It’s very well made, thank you for all your hard work. But… I want to wait for her consent before we talk about releasing it.”

Yan Zhi’s gaze fell once more on the face of the deeply sleeping woman. Her expression was unchanged; only the nutrient fluid flowed dutifully, bringing her the sole trace of life.

Yan Zhi’s voice was soft and hoarse, as if afraid of waking from a fragile, illusory dream. “Can you wait until then?”

More than a year had passed since that incident. Yan Zhi didn’t understand all that so-called high technology, but he knew how low the chances were for someone in a vegetative state to wake up.

The Alpha before him nodded without hesitation, her tone filled with unquestionable resolve. “I can wait.”

Yan Zhi clutched the teacup in his hand, raised it, and a rare, benevolent smile appeared on his stern face. “Then I wish you, that your wish may be granted soon.”

Cheng Ying accepted his blessing with a smile. “Thank you.”

When Yan Zhi was leaving, Cheng Ying pushed the nutrient pod forward. “Hanguang and I will see you off.”

Yan Zhi instinctively wanted to refuse, but when he saw the expression on the Alpha’s face, he stopped himself and allowed her to follow him, pushing the pod containing her lover.

Before getting into the car, Yan Zhi was given a large, wrapped bouquet of roses. Their stems and leaves had been neatly and beautifully trimmed, and in their snow-white wrapping, they looked exceptionally vibrant and fragrant.

Yan Zhi’s gaze fell on Cheng Ying’s hands. Those hands, which had once looked pampered and well-cared-for, were now covered with countless scars from rose thorns.

The wounds had healed, but the marks remained forever on the pruner’s hands.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at the smiling Cheng Ying. His throat bobbed, and finally, he managed to say just one sentence, “She’s a good kid.”

The tall, beautiful Alpha smiled happily, like a child who had received a reward. “I know. Thank you.”

The car carried Yan Zhi along the mountain road on his way back. He looked at the roses in his arms and struggled to recall what Cheng Ying used to be like.

Back then, the Alpha was just an insignificant wastrel, constantly buzzing around Jiang Hanguang. Yan Zhi could guess just from one look at her expression how that brat would badmouth him behind his back.

How could little Jiang have fallen for someone like that?

Yan Zhi had never been able to figure it out.

But after seeing the Cheng Ying of today, he had his answer.

Cheng Ying was someone worthy of love.

But he also felt an unavoidable sadness.

The respect and friendliness the current Cheng Ying showed him were genuine, but he still preferred the old Cheng Ying who had looked so obviously displeased with him.

At least that was a living, breathing person, not a cold, stone monument.

A monument inscribed with Jiang Hanguang’s name, forever hoping that the sleeping woman would open her eyes and gently stroke its surface.

It turned out that one person’s departure could truly take away another’s entire life.

The remaining days were nothing but an endless reminiscence of the past, recalling those brief, happy times.

Yan Zhi looked out the window. The car had already driven quite a distance, but he could still see the silhouette of the villa.

He suddenly felt that the current Cheng Ying was extremely pitiful.

Even though she possessed the power and wealth the world coveted, she could no longer receive a single backward glance from that person.

So what was the point of it all?