The atmosphere in the boardroom was heavy.
The old man seated at the head of the table cleared his throat.
"You are all Yaqi's elders," he said slowly, gaze sweeping the room. "She is expanding Beiyan's interstellar arms trade.
"That is opening new territory. Every beginning is difficult.
"When my father founded Beiyan, the company didn't see real success until after ten full years."
This man was Li Wei's father—chairman of the Beiyan Interstellar Trade Group, and the current head of the Li family.
"Chairman," the second director said coldly, slapping the table, "that was then, this is now.
"We all have families to support. We invested our lives and fortunes into Beiyan because we trusted the Li family.
"And what have we gotten in return? Losses that can't even cover operating costs.
"The starship arms trade is a bottomless pit. If this continues, Beiyan will be dragged down with it."
Several directors nodded in agreement.
"Conservative thinking will be the death of Beiyan," Li Yaqi suddenly said, standing up. "Clinging to comfort zones, afraid to innovate—that's what will ruin us."
The room erupted.
Accusations flew.
Ignorant. Disrespectful to elders. Unfit for business.
The second director sneered. "I said it long ago—women aren't suited for business.
"You're almost forty, Yaqi. If you'd listened to me and married the earl's son back then, you'd be living comfortably as a countess instead of struggling here."
Li Yaqi's eyes flashed.
"Comfort?" she shot back. "Like my cousin, locked in a gilded cage while her husband flaunts his affairs?
"If that's comfort, then I, Li Yaqi, want none of it."
The second director's face darkened.
He was Li Yaqi's second uncle—and the second-largest shareholder of Beiyan.
"Enough," the chairman finally said, raising a hand.
He sighed. "We agreed on five years.
"As long as Yaqi's arms division turns losses into profits within five years, it stays.
"There are still six months left. Why the rush?"
The second director snorted as he stood. "Fine. Half a year.
"If it still fails, I'll personally arrange a proper marriage for my niece."
He left.
The others followed, one by one.
Soon, only father and daughter remained.
The chairman looked at Li Yaqi with complicated eyes. "Yaqi… it's not that Dad doesn't want to help you.
"Business is cruel. Everyone only looks at profit.
"If you can turn losses into profits—even break even—within six months, I'll keep the division alive.
"But if you can't… then come back and manage interstellar transport."
Six months.
Li Yaqi knew how impossible that sounded.
"I understand," she said softly. "I'm tired, Dad. I'll go back first."
Li Yaqi collapsed onto her bed.
A fluffy, cat-like pet hopped onto her chest, pawing at her face.
"Mengmeng," she murmured, covering her eyes with her arm, "go play. I'm really tired today."
Five years of preparation.
Ten years of effort.
Was it all ending here?
Her terminal chimed.
A communication request.
From Li Wei.
She took a breath, steadied herself, and accepted.
"Sister," Li Wei's image appeared after a delay, blinking. "Why are your eyes red?"
"I'm fine," Li Yaqi replied calmly. "Just exhausted.
"What is it? Out of allowance again? Or did you fail your assessment?"
Li Wei puffed up. "Hey! I passed! Next year I'll be fourth year—real starship command!
"I called because I sent you something yesterday. Starship blueprints.
"My friend made them. Take a look—if you're interested, we can talk business."
Li Yaqi stared at him. "Blueprints?
"Li Wei, you're not trying to trick me, are you?"
"Sister, you really don't believe in me at all," Li Wei grumbled. "Just look first.
"If it's useful, give a fair price. Do it for my sake."
Before she could respond, the call cut.
"…That brat," Li Yaqi muttered.
Yet after a moment's hesitation, she opened her mailbox.
The file was there.
Already decrypted.
I have nothing left to lose, she thought.
She opened it.
At first, her expression was casual.
Then serious.
Then utterly absorbed.
Minutes passed.
Her breathing slowed.
Thirty minutes later, she snapped out of it and immediately summoned a holographic workstation, feeding the data into simulation modules.
"No structural conflict…"
"Cost control within acceptable limits…"
"Production scalability—excellent…"
Three hours vanished.
Li Yaqi stood abruptly.
"T1 Wolf Lice–class Medium Star Destroyer…" she whispered. "This design…"
Without changing clothes, she copied the data onto a physical core and sprinted out of her room.
What should have been a one-hour commute took ten minutes.
She burst into the Starship Design Research Department, eyes blazing.
Her researchers and engineers looked up in shock.
"Drop everything," Li Yaqi said, slamming the data core onto the table.
"Evaluate this blueprint.
"I want a feasibility report in three hours.
"No—two.
"This might decide whether Beiyan lives or dies."