The Federation has been shaken by a massive upheaval recently, centered primarily around the legendary Wen family, which has remained standing despite everything.
If the Wen family's ability to carve a path through the Federation's patriarchy under female leadership was once a marvel, the sudden death of their leader and the subsequent takeover by the Lan family's eldest son, Lan An, left people sighing in lament.
Since taking power, Lan An had focused heavily on cultivating male heirs.
This was the consensus among the other financial magnates of the Federation; they did not train women, viewing them only as tools for marriage and reproduction.
Because of the Wen family's example, it was hard to tell if they did this because they believed women were useless or because they feared women were too capable.
In any case, this behavior continued until the generation of Lan An’s grandchildren.
Just last week, Wen Gan Ting, who had been at the height of his influence, was abandoned by Lan An. Meanwhile, Wen Xiang Yuan, who previously had no notable traits in the Federation aside from her beauty, made a sudden rise to prominence and took over most of the Wen family's equity.
By yesterday, almost all of Wen Gan Ting’s remaining half of the shares had been transferred to Wen Xiang Yuan, leaving him with nothing but scraps.
He had become a complete laughingstock in the circles of the financial magnates.
Of course, another person had also become a joke: the Dong family, who had already expressed an intention for a marriage alliance with the Wen family.
They had thought their daughter would marry in to become the mistress of the Wen family, but now it seemed she would only be the wife of an exiled young master.
For the Dong family, while this was humiliating, it wasn't severe enough to make them consider breaking the engagement.
It was simple: as long as Lan An was still around, they couldn't afford to offend him.
Never mind that Wen Gan Ting was still alive and had only fallen into this miserable state because he offended Lan An or Wen Xiang Yuan.
Even if Wen Gan Ting were dead, if Lan An required it, they would still have to marry their daughter off.
Madam Dong cried in Dong Qihua’s room for an entire afternoon; her husband’s mind was set, and he showed no pity for their only daughter.
Madam Dong’s eyes were red from weeping, but in contrast, Dong Qihua’s reaction was quite flat; she didn't even show a hint of resentment.
She calmly comforted her mother, repeatedly stating her stance.
"It’s fine, I’m okay."
It was always meant to be an emotionless exchange of interests; it didn't matter who she married.
Those watching the drama were merely thinking about her losing face, or perhaps that her life wouldn't be easy in the future.
But Dong Qihua’s mind wasn't on any of that; she was thinking of Wen Xiang Yuan.
She remembered the words Wen Xiang Yuan had spoken to her and the deal she had proposed.
She had a feeling that all of these events were orchestrated by Wen Xiang Yuan.
Though she didn't know how this woman, who had previously lived a more miserable life than her own, had accomplished it, Dong Qihua had a hunch that this was definitely Wen Xiang Yuan’s handiwork.
In other words, as long as she could get what Wen Xiang Yuan wanted, she would receive Wen Xiang Yuan’s protection.
Since she was going to marry into the Wen family anyway, these children who had been immersed in the dynamics of power since childhood knew very well what could truly protect them.
"I want to see Father."
Madam Dong wiped her tears and sighed.
"Your father has no choice. Although the Wen family isn't what it used to be... it’s still not something we can resist."
Dong Qihua waved her hand. "I want part of the management permissions for the operating system."
She looked at her mother, her eyes lacking much warmth.
"I need something to protect myself so that my life in the Wen family will be a bit easier."
Madam Dong understood. The fire in her eyes reignited as she grabbed her daughter’s hand. "I will find a way to get it for you."
The mother and daughter negotiated with Mr. Dong for the entire afternoon. Although Mr. Dong knew his daughter’s idea was correct and reasonable, the operating system was, after all, the project the Dong family relied on for survival.
The operating system was tied to the functioning of the entire Federation and the intricate monitoring of countless smaller projects.
He was the only one with administrator permissions, and he still disagreed with giving them to his daughter.
Even if it was a marriage alliance, once she was in the Wen family, this thing would essentially belong to Lan An.
He couldn't do such a thing.
Later, amidst Madam Dong’s distress and Dong Qihua’s hunger strike, Mr. Dong reluctantly changed the manager of a project that hadn't been mentioned in a long time and was almost forgotten by the Federation to his daughter.
He treated it as a trifle, a pre-wedding gift for his daughter.
That project was the Scavenger Purification Project.
Another upheaval was occurring within the Zhao family.
The Zhao family seemed to be suffering from a string of bad luck lately, with every venture failing.
Zhao Xiang vaguely felt that he must have offended someone. As for who would dare touch an in-law of the Wen family, the answer was self-evident.
So, when Lan An proposed that Wen Xiang Yuan join the Zhao family’s projects to co-develop the new Scavenger Entertainment Project, Zhao Xiang almost felt a sense of relief.
Having Wen Xiang Yuan come was the best possible outcome.
As long as they weren't directly seizing the Zhao family’s research and production chain and were only sending his niece to supervise, it was the smallest price to pay.
Although Zhao Xiang had been a bit intimidated by Wen Xiang Yuan since that day, it had only been for a moment.
He had known Wen Xiang Yuan for too long, and he had known her useless mother even longer; long-term impressions influenced his subconscious.
Even if he felt he had been frightened at the time, he still didn't associate Wen Xiang Yuan with danger.
After Wen Xiang Yuan arrived, she expressed her apologies to Zhao Xiang. "Grandfather is getting older, so it’s inevitable that he’s suspicious at times. Please don't take it to heart, Uncle."
Zhao Xiang was breaking out in a cold sweat; how would he dare?
"This is your management ID card. During this period, your authority in the Dingshi Group will be as great as mine. You don't need my permission to see anything you wish."
Zhao Xiang rubbed his hands together and asked the question he was most interested in.
"Regarding that entertainment project, will our Dingshi Group still be the primary developers?"
Wen Xiang Yuan nodded with a smile. "You don't need to worry about that. I will convince Grandfather. Besides, you and Saike Company were the original developers of the Scavenger Purification Project; having you improve the project is naturally the most cost-effective method."
"However, Uncle, I must still remind you that this project is not for general public use. Even if development is successful, it should only be used by a select few, so confidentiality must be maintained perfectly."
"The list of all Federation citizens allowed to enter this project must pass my review."
There it was again, that sense of pressure.
Zhao Xiang stepped back slightly and nodded. "I understand that. You don't need to worry."
Wen Xiang Yuan smiled gracefully. She told Zhao Xiang to go about his business while she toured the Research Department of Dingshi Company on her own.
Zhao Xiang understood that there was a rift between him and Wen Xiang Yuan. He had always stood on Wen Gan Ting’s side before, so he didn't dare to push too hard now.
"Your cousin is also in the research lab. If you need anything, you can find her."
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