Genius Club

That afternoon, Zhao Ying Jun, known for her quick and decisive actions, had a meeting with the legal advisor of MX Company in her office. Together, they worked efficiently to draft a contract transferring the naming rights and the trademark of “Rhine” to Lin Xian.

Shortly after, Zhao Ying Jun invited Lin Xian to a crucial strategy meeting with the company’s mid-level managers. During this meeting, she proposed appointing Brother Wang, the head of the marketing department, as the first vice president of Rhine Company. She emphasized that Brother Wang’s extensive experience and proven loyalty would be invaluable assets for Lin Xian’s new venture.

Brother Wang was not only one of the original employees at MX Company but had also been a steadfast ally of Zhao Ying Jun from the beginning. He was highly respected within the company and was on track to be promoted to vice president of MX Company that year. His loyalty was so profound that he was the first person Zhao trusted with her plan to promote her secretary—a secret he discreetly shared with Lin Xian, further confirming his reliability and solidifying his suitability for the vice presidency.

After the meeting, Zhao Ying Jun’s team managed the logistics efficiently. They secured the building adjacent to their current office and immediately began the cleaning and renovation process.

Amid this flurry of activity, Lin Xian felt somewhat out of place. Though this venture was ostensibly his, Zhao Ying Jun appeared to be managing every detail, almost as if she was the true steward of the project. It felt as though they were two parts of a single entity working towards a common goal.

Nevertheless, Lin Xian decided not to dwell on these thoughts. If he had to manage these operations himself, it would have taken months to organize everything. Zhao Ying Jun’s proactive approach was actually a blessing in disguise. Moreover, Lin Xian hadn’t planned to get deeply involved in the day-to-day workings of Rhine Company. He intended to use the business primarily as a means to secure funding and serve as a cover for his true intentions.

His main focus wasn’t on the daily profitability—though securing a profit seemed almost guaranteed with resources from 600 years in the future. Secretly, Lin Xian planned to use Rhine Company as a platform for implementing a series of much larger plans.

That afternoon, after finalizing several formalities, Lin Xian returned home, utterly exhausted. The role of CEO was demanding and not suited for everyone. It involved a relentless stream of decisions, both significant and minor, which proved to be both taxing and draining.

As he relaxed in his bath that evening, Lin Xian mused, “Let the company stabilize quickly.” Once everything was operational and running smoothly, he could step back and assume the role of the detached manager he envisioned. Reflecting on it, having Brother Wang as vice president seemed increasingly like a wise decision. The complexities of leadership truly come to light only when you are in that position. Without Brother Wang’s seasoned expertise and stability, managing such a multifaceted organization would have been nearly impossible.

During lunch earlier, Lin Xian had contemplated offering his friend Gao Yang a position within the company. Gao Yang was exceptionally intelligent, though his overactive mind sometimes made him appear slightly absent-minded. Nevertheless, Lin Xian trusted him completely.

However, employment was still employment. Initially, Gao Yang seemed like a good fit, but he declined the offer, humorously citing a movie, Chinese Partner:

“Never play mahjong with your mother-in-law. Never date a woman who has more ideas than you. Never start a business with your best friend.”

Gao Yang elaborated, “Lin Xian, I’d prefer not to work at your company. It’s not about the money—I’m not chasing every dime. More importantly, I don’t want to risk our friendship. That means more to me than a job.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Lin Xian attempted to reassure him. “My company isn’t solely focused on profits; it’s laid-back. Even if it fails, it’s not a big deal.”

“Oh, you don’t understand,” Gao Yang insisted. “Being an employee and being a boss are different worlds. Many businesses fail because friends and family get involved. I might not ruin your company, but I lack expertise in many areas. I don’t want to be a burden or cause you embarrassment.”

“Since childhood, I’ve excelled at video games—from Contra to League of Legends, I’ve never been defeated by anyone. But being good at games doesn’t translate to being good at work… So, forget it. Just buy more cars from me for your company.”

Realizing Gao Yang’s firm stance, Lin Xian decided not to press the issue further. For Gao Yang, preserving their friendship was more important than any potential job benefits.

As Lin Xian contemplated this, he acknowledged the wisdom in Gao Yang’s concerns. Numerous close friends and classmates had fallen out over business ventures, loans, or startup partnerships. It was a frequent occurrence. Hence, if Gao Yang preferred to stay out, Lin Xian would respect his decision and simply continue to support his friend’s car dealership.

That evening, after his bath, Lin Xian yawned and prepared for bed. He glanced at the clock—it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. Tonight, he wouldn’t be encountering the three-knife thief, joining the face gang, or visiting Big Cat Face’s house for dinner. His only option was to wander through his dream world.

Soon, drowsiness overcame him. Lin Xian turned off his phone, rolled over, and closed his eyes to drift into dreams.

Whoosh!

Before Lin Xian could even react, a fierce gust of wind slapped his face.

“Summer wind?” he muttered, puzzled. Could it be that familiar summer breeze had returned? It seemed unlikely… However, just as Lin Xian was about to open his eyes, he realized something was amiss. This couldn’t be the original first dream because—

“Ugh, it stinks!”

Lin Xian pinched his nose and opened his eyes to a shocking scene. Under the bright moonlight, he saw barren ground, either muddy or parched, completely devoid of life—not even a single weed. He scanned the desolate landscape around him.

Where was he? This place was neither the old nor the new Donghai. There were no signs of human life! Had the city been deserted? Or had he somehow traveled to a completely different location this time?

Boom!!!!

To his right, a large clump of black, muddy sludge crashed down and exploded, sending garbage and substances resembling feces flying! The foul smell was overwhelming. Lin Xian hurriedly stepped back, unsure if he’d been splashed by the sludge.

What was happening? If this was another case of the space-time butterfly effect causing a significant temporal shift, then the dream world—which represented the future world 600 years later—must have changed again. What triggered this? What was the anchor point?

Lin Xian initially thought the deaths of Ji Xin Shui and Ji Lin would impact this world, influencing the future. But… When he dreamt yesterday, the second dream remained unchanged. Whether it was the Old Donghai, the New Donghai, Big Cat Face, Er Zhuzi, or even the moon in the sky, everything was exactly as before.

This meant that even someone like Ji Xin Shui, who considered himself a world-class figure and a backup member of the Genius Club, his death didn’t ripple through the timeline 600 years later. His death was as insignificant as a feather.

“No, wait, the moon!” Lin Xian suddenly realized something crucial. If the future world in this third dream had altered so drastically, was the Genius Club still there? Was their emblem still on the moon?

Lin Xian quickly looked up—

One… Two… Ten… Hundreds!

He stood frozen, then swiftly turned to look behind him. The same scenario unfolded. The sky was filled with countless luminous discs! Hundreds, thousands of moons!

“This can’t be…” If so many moons were visible outside Earth, then he was definitely not experiencing a normal dream!

Lin Xian looked up again, examining these “moons” more closely. He noticed discrepancies…

Firstly, they were too perfectly round, resembling artificial constructs. All the “moons” were aligned at the same height in the sky—like cookies on a tray, positioned much lower than the actual moon.

Secondly, these “moons” were an intense shade of blue. Blue moons occasionally appeared in real life due to air quality and weather conditions, but the blue glow from these “moons” was clearly not natural moonlight. It seemed more like the light emitted from some kind of engine or mechanical ion beam!

“What is this?” As Lin Xian delved deeper into his observations, not only the “moons” but also the “sky” behind them seemed unnatural. The sky was too low, too oppressive. And there was a distinct dividing line separating it from the distant sky! What had transformed this world?

Lin Xian’s confusion deepened.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Another wave of foul water descended from above… Lin Xian darted to the side, attempting to dodge it. But it was futile; the water splashed too high and too wide, covering his clothes in foul-smelling black spots.

“Damn,” Lin Xian cursed. This place was unlivable.

He looked to the right. There, at the edge of the matrix of these “moons,” was a boundary where they ceased. As long as he ran to the right… he would soon escape the range of these “moons” and discern their true nature from the side.

Without hesitating further, Lin Xian started sprinting to the right. Despite his speed, the “moons” in the sky slowly retreated. As he ran, all manner of strange debris continued to fall, and he often stepped on bizarre, soft, and hard objects, making him feel nauseous. What kind of garbage world was this? Could humans truly inhabit such a harsh environment?

Finally, after running at full tilt for half an hour, Lin Xian reached the outer edge of the “moons” and looked back at the sky—

What he saw was an indescribably spectacular scene. Above the hundreds, thousands of fake “moons”… floated a city! A city suspended in the sky!

Even from his limited perspective, he could see parts of the city. The towering buildings, the myriad bright lights—it was undeniably a city! A… sky city!

“So… those blue moons aren’t celestial bodies, but engines? Like rocket engines, lifting this massive city into the sky?” Lin Xian was astounded by the sight of the engines glowing blue. The sheer thrust required to elevate a city!

Moreover, what was this sky city? Lin Xian looked further ahead and noticed a bright spot bustling with lights and activity. He ran toward it.

On his way, he encountered a little boy running in the same direction.

“Hey, kid,” Lin Xian stopped him, “Can you tell me, what’s that city in the sky?”

“That’s Rhine!” The boy’s eyes sparkled as he responded.

“What?” Lin Xian stood there, recalling the document he signed that afternoon and the name he had chosen in Zhao Ying Jun’s office that morning…

“Yeah, don’t you know?” The boy looked at Lin Xian, puzzled, pointing to the city upheld by hundreds, even thousands, of “blue moons” in the sky: “That’s Rhine Sky City!”