At the same time, Lin Ruoxuan utilized all her accumulated top-tier media and investor resources to continuously build up momentum and frantically create hype for the concepts of "New Generation Technology" and "AI Medical Aesthetics."
Her image began to appear frequently on the covers of major financial magazines, every appearance triggering heated discussions.
Eight months later, "New Generation Technology Group" held a product launch event that shocked the entire industry and capital market.
On the huge holographic stage, lasers focused.
Lin Ruoxuan, wearing an extremely sharply tailored white suit full of futuristic tech sense, was like an envoy stepping out of a sci-fi movie, radiating light and stunning the entire audience.
She unhurriedly demonstrated to the whole world the revolutionary products developed based on those "future codes":
AI smart skin diagnostic devices, AI-assisted precision medical aesthetic robots... various products that far exceeded the industry's highest standards! Products that completely didn't belong to this era!
The competitors in the audience looked at each other, completely unable to understand—how exactly did this company, established less than a year ago, achieve such an era-spanning breakthrough in underlying algorithms and engineering implementation?
Standing in the center of the stage, she spoke with assurance, translating complex and obscure technical parameters into safety promises and effect guarantees that consumers could relate to the most.
"We use AI to redefine beauty."This manifesto, full of power and ambition, accompanied by her confident, elegant, and professional image, instantly detonated global social media, becoming a phenomenal annual topic.
After the launch event ended, returning to the tranquil private lounge.
Lin Ruoxuan finally took off the hard mask of a strong businesswoman.
She looked at that dazzling self in the mirror, both familiar and unfamiliar, and asked softly to the empty air, her voice carrying a trace of undetectable longing:
"Tyrant, did I... do okay today? I didn't disappoint you, did I?"
Xu Yunzhou gazed at that exquisitely beautiful face on the screen, intertwined with exhaustion, excitement, and a massive sense of achievement. Without half a bit of hesitation, his fingertip lightly tapped on that [Reward] button emitting an alluring pink halo.
"Excellent. Today, you are the goddess watched by the masses; the world shines because of you."
That familiar soothing feeling wrapped around her, and the strong outer shell Lin Ruoxuan had been forcing herself to maintain crumbled and collapsed at this moment.
Her eye rims rapidly turned red, and the tears accumulated for a long time could no longer be restrained, rolling down like pearls from a broken string.
She fiercely bit her lower lip, using all her courage, her voice trembling violently and carrying an almost desperate expectation, asking while choking with sobs:
"Tyrant... how much longer are you going to hide in a corner I can't see? Exactly what day do I have to wait until... before I can truly touch your face, before I can forcefully, with all my strength, hug you back, before I can truly kiss your lips, instead of... instead of forever only being able to pour out my longing to this piece of cold air?"
Xu Yunzhou fell silent.
His gaze swept over the attribute panel next to her that had reached near perfection; the various data were gorgeously dazzling:
[Appearance: 96/100 (Both bone structure and skin have reached perfection; the flow of her glances retains the clear agility of a young girl while containing the sharp edge of a business leader)]
[Figure: 94/100 (The golden ratio appears even more outstanding after the most professional carving; every curve exudes health, strength, and ultimate aesthetic feeling)]
[Knowledge: 82/100 (Displayed astonishing comprehension in complex capital operations and frontier technology fields; the combination of theory and practice already possesses the demeanor of a grandmaster)]
[Temperament: 92/100 (The unhurried bearing cultivated by controlling tens of billions of capital and leading industry trends; chatting and laughing naturally carries the kingly aura of strategizing in a command tent and winning battles a thousand miles away)]
[Influence: 81/100 (Successfully broke out of the circle relying on disruptive AI medical aesthetic products, becoming a tech-business star pursued by global media, but top-tier international reputation and deep political/business connections still require time to settle)]
[Comprehensive Charm Value: 89/100 (All attributes have reached first-class, only Influence is a half-step away from the true global peak)]
[Hidden Talent: Business Prodigy (Activation degree 65%: Has completed the gorgeous metamorphosis from a successful entrepreneur to a senior capital operator, beginning to show immense potential to define industry patterns and influence industrial trends)]
[Currently Controllable Assets: Approx. 18.5 billion Yuan]
Her figure and appearance had not suffered the slightest damage due to high-intensity business operations.
On the contrary, under the full companionship and meticulous care of top nutritionists, conditioning specialists, and masseurs, the various scores were still growing day by day, approaching perfection.
"Soon,"
Xu Yunzhou said to the empty room, as if giving her a slim hope, and also as if deceiving himself,
"When the listing bell strikes, the moment you truly put on the crown... perhaps, that will be enough."
This sentence sounded so illusory even to himself.
November 2011, NASDAQ in New York, brilliantly illuminated, the focus of the world.
Under the spotlight, this was the coronation moment belonging uniquely to Lin Ruoxuan.
She wore a custom-made pure white suit, outlining her already mature and graceful curves.
Her makeup was exquisite and flawless, yet her eyes were more dazzling than all the flashbulbs in the venue.
Standing at the focal point of the world, at this moment, she subconsciously tilted her head slightly, and toward that void that only she could perceive, murmured with an almost pious whisper:
"Tyrant, I'm going up. Look... I've finally walked to where you requested."
In front of the screen, Xu Yunzhou tilted his head back and chugged down who knew which can of cold beer; the alcohol and the scene before his eyes mixed into a dizzying thrill.
His fingertips tapped out a line of text on the keyboard, like a blessing, and also like a final command:
"Go. Let this world, from now on, remember—my Xuanxuan."
Lin Ruoxuan took a deep breath, as if drawing endless strength from it.
She reined in all her private, fragile emotions, as if putting on the hardest armor, and with confident and elegant steps, walked toward that bell-ringing podium symbolizing the peak of capital.
Facing the global media and financial elites waiting eagerly below, she revealed an impeccable smile that instantly captivated countless camera lenses.
Behind her, on the huge electronic screen, the stock ticker "NTG - New Times Group" lit up boldly like a suddenly erupting nova, heralding the official beginning of a legend.
Just at the final moment when the ceremonial staff signaled that she could ring the bell, she unexpectedly raised her hand, signaling to wait a moment.
Then, amidst everyone's curious and expectant gazes, she took the microphone from the host.
Her gaze clear, firm, and powerfully sweeping across the entire venue, her voice clearly spread to every corner of the world through the high-quality amplification equipment:
"Over the past period of time, many people, including some well-meaning friends, have asked me the same question: A young girl who started by selling milk tea, on what basis can she stand here today?"
Her words paused slightly, leaving the audience a second to think. Then, the corners of her lips lifted into that iconic confident arc that had already been frozen on the covers of countless financial magazines,
"I want to say, dreams never nitpick about one's origins. The key lies in whether you possess the foresight to see through the fog of the era, and... the almost paranoid boldness and execution to turn the blueprint in your mind into the reality beneath your feet!"
"Today, the listing of 'New Generation Technology' here is absolutely not just a milestone for one company."
Her voice rose, full of declarative power,
"It represents a belief even more, a direction we have always persisted in: The most cutting-edge technology ought to humbly serve humanity's most authentic and eternal pursuit—the desire for beauty! Our mission is exactly to make this pursuit unprecedentedly safe, precise, and furthermore, within reach!"
Her gaze seemed to unintentionally sweep across a certain direction in the void, her tone becoming gentle and profound:
"Here, I must solemnly thank a... special mentor. When I was most bewildered and didn't know where the path was, it was him who cleared the fog for me and guided my direction; when I was most fragile and almost wanted to give up, it was also him who gave me strength and reignited my fighting spirit."
"He once told me that my stage shouldn't be confined to square inches, but should be... the sea of stars."
(TL: "Sea of stars" translates Xingchen dahai [星辰大海], a highly popular modern Chinese poetic phrase used to describe immense, romantic, and limitless ambitions that span the boundless cosmos.)
Her voice rose again, carrying the heroic spirit and determination of a pioneer:
"Therefore, please remember everyone, the ringing of the NASDAQ bell at this moment is absolutely not the end point of our journey! It will be the first starting gun sounded by our giant ship, 'New Generation Technology,' sailing toward a broader, more unknown, and more exciting future! Thank you everyone!"