"Ahem, ahem."
The middle-aged man seated at the head of the table swept his gaze over everyone present. "All of you here are Yaqi's uncles and elders. Yaqi's expansion into the interstellar arms trade is also for the sake of our North Goose.
This is like pioneering new territory—the beginning is always the hardest.
Back when my father built North Goose from the ground up, wasn't it only after enduring the first ten years that we now have the North Goose Interstellar Trade Group?"
This middle-aged man was the chairman of the North Goose Interstellar Trade Group, the current head of the Li family, and Li Wei's father.
"Chairman, the past is the past, and the present is the present.
Now, all of us have families to support. It's because we trust you, the head of the Li family, that we've invested everything we have in North Goose.
But what about now?
We're actually spending more than we're earning.
The investment in starship arms trade is a bottomless pit!
If things continue like this, our North Goose will be dragged down sooner or later!" The second director snorted coldly.
"Sticking to old ways, lacking ambition, and refusing to step out of our comfort zone—that's what will drag North Goose down!" Li Yaqi couldn't help but stand up and retort angrily.
Hearing Li Yaqi speak like this, the directors began murmuring among themselves, accusing her of being immature, disrespectful to her elders, and so on.
"I've said it before—girls aren't suited for business.
You're almost forty now, Yaqi.
If you had listened to me back then and married that Count's son, would you still be struggling here? You'd have long become a Countess and enjoyed a life of ease." The second director chuckled lightly.
"Enjoy a life of ease? Second Uncle, I don't want to end up like my cousin, becoming a caged canary in someone else's hands. Even when her husband fooled around outside, she didn't dare speak up!
If that's what you call enjoying life, then I, Li Yaqi, have no such fortune!" Li Yaqi shot back without backing down.
The second director's expression darkened.
This second director was Li Yaqi's second uncle, her father's younger brother, and the second-largest shareholder of the North Goose Interstellar Trade Group.
"Alright, alright. How about this—let's give Yaqi a little more time.
Didn't we agree on five years before?
The five-year deadline.
As long as Yaqi's starship arms trade department can turn a profit within five years, we'll let it continue.
There's still half a year left now.
What's everyone in such a hurry for?" The Li family head said cheerfully.
"Then we'll give our niece half a year. When the time comes, Second Uncle will arrange a good marriage for you." The second director snorted coldly and left the meeting room.
The other directors also filed out of the meeting room one by one.
The Li family head looked at his daughter's expression of unwillingness and resentment and sighed deeply. "Yaqi, it's not that your father doesn't want to help you.
This is just how business is.
Everyone only cares about profit. You still have half a year left.
Within these six months, as long as your arms trade department can turn a profit—or even just break even—your father can keep your department running.
But... if you fail, then let it go.
If you still want to do business, you can continue with the previous interstellar transport trade."
Half a year... how could she possibly turn a profit in just half a year?
She didn't even have a decent starship product in her hands right now. She didn't believe she could turn a profit within six months.
"I understand... Father, I'm a bit tired. I'll head back first." Li Yaqi murmured as she walked out of the conference room.
Li Yaqi threw herself onto the bed in her room. A fluffy, cat-like pet hopped onto the bed in front of her.
"Mengmeng, I'm really tired today. Go play by yourself for a while." Li Yaqi covered her eyes with her arm, trying her best to hold back her tears.
Five years of preparation. Five years of effort.
Over a decade of her youth.
Was it all going to end like this?
Beep beep beep beep beep
Just then, her handheld terminal chimed. She glanced at it.
It was a communication request from her younger brother.
She sat up, composed herself, and accepted the call.
"Sis... why do your eyes look red?" Li Wei greeted his sister through the video feed.
Due to the cross-star system communication, there was a delay of nearly ten seconds.
"It's nothing. I've just been really tired these past few days.
Why are you contacting me all of a sudden? Did you run out of living expenses again? If I remember correctly, aren't you on break in a few days?
Or did you fail your annual grade assessment and have to repeat the year?" Li Yaqi stared at Li Wei.
Li Wei pouted. "Sis, why do you always assume the worst about me?
I still have living expenses, and I didn't fail. Next year, I'll be a fourth-year and can finally pilot a starship for real!"
"Then why are you contacting me?" Li Yaqi looked suspiciously at her brother, who never visited without a reason.
Li Wei got down to business. "I sent you a starship blueprint file yesterday. It should have arrived by now. Take a look.
It was... put together by a friend of mine. He wanted to know if you'd be interested in purchasing it."
"Starship blueprint file?" Li Yaqi stared at her brother again. "You're not in debt and trying to scam me, are you?"
"Sis, why do you always look down on your brother? Anyway, go check it out quickly. If you're interested, contact me.
I'll help you get in touch with that... friend.
Don't set your expectations too high. If it's barely usable, just offer a decent price. Consider it doing me a favor." Li Wei still didn't believe Zhao Chen's starship design would amount to much, so he tried to smooth things over.
"I won't say more for now. Remember to contact me after you've looked at it."
Unwilling to talk further with his sister, who always underestimated him, Li Wei ended the call.
"That kid... what friend does he have who can design starships? He's definitely trying to scam me." Li Yaqi didn't believe a word Li Wei said.
But after sitting on her bed in a daze for over ten seconds, she inexplicably opened her email. Sure enough, there was a data file waiting, already decrypted.
Well, she had nothing else to do right now, and her starship design department was going nowhere. Might as well take a look at whatever Li Wei sent.
Li Yaqi consoled herself as she opened the file. As she looked over the extensive starship blueprint information, her expression gradually began to change.
From initial indifference, she became intensely focused, her breathing even growing quieter.
After studying it for over half an hour, she suddenly snapped back to reality. She raised her hand and summoned a holographic computer, beginning to simulate some of the data from the file.
No problem... no problem... everything's fine!
This process continued for another three hours.
Li Yaqi's expression was exceptionally animated as she muttered, "T1 Wolf Louse-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer... this... this Technical Blueprint..."
She abruptly stood up, quickly copied this Starship technology onto a data disk, then ran out of the bedroom and headed straight for the Starship design research department she had established.
A journey that normally took an hour was completed in just ten minutes as she manually piloted her flying car.
Without even bothering to change into her researcher's attire, she rushed into the research department, stood before her team of research engineers, and pointed at the data disk.
"Hurry up and help me check whether this Starship blueprint technology is feasible!" Li Yaqi could barely contain her excitement. "I want a reliable feasibility report within five hours!... No... I want it within three hours!"