After the negotiations with Miss He Liusi, Liu Hui officially established a new joint venture on "Stellar City"—the Stellar Entertainment Limited Liability Company. The Stellar Group would hold 60% of the equity in this company, the Macau He family would own 15%, and the remaining 25% would be reserved for future international partners from around the world.

Liu Hui decided to form this entertainment company because he had observed that life on "Stellar City" was alarmingly monotonous. Such simplicity might seem tolerable temporarily, but prolonged existence in such an environment rendered no one willing to stay.

As a future metropolis housing millions of citizens, "Stellar City" required urgent development in the entertainment sector to become not just a workplace but also a vibrant livable city. Otherwise its inhabitants would abandon it due to the suffocating tedium.

The He family's involvement wasn't merely about their expertise in entertainment or Liu Hui's promise to Miss He. It signified his plan to gradually loosen industry restrictions on "Stellar City." This partnership represented an experimental approach toward foreign investment integration.

Currently all companies established there were 100% owned by Liu Hui through the Stellar Group, functioning essentially as state-owned enterprises within this unique city. Having witnessed domestic SOEs' stagnation, he aimed to prevent similar issues for his group. Thus he proposed exploring competitive dynamics via this entertainment venture.

Liu's strategy involved allowing foreign capital into non-core traditional industries where profitability and control paled in comparison to Stellar Group's primary operations. With majority stakes maintained across these ventures, systemic disruptions remained improbable. Yet this was still an evolving experiment requiring iterative adjustments.

Beyond large-scale joint ventures, Liu also planned deregulating small service sectors. Inspired by domestic private enterprises' role in enhancing convenience and competitiveness, he permitted participation only from the Stellar Group employees' unemployed family members residing on "Stellar City."

This policy aimed to elevate living standards while addressing employment for thousands of families, strengthening employee commitment through stabilized households. However implementation would proceed cautiously to avoid destabilizing this artificial ecosystem.

~

Returning home after work one evening, Liu Hui found Hu Xian'er waiting with her signature warmth and delicious home-cooked meal. After dinner, as he watched news on TV, his wife suddenly entered their room alone with an unusual expression.

Curious, he quietly opened the door to find her hunched by the window gazing at the moonlight. Joining her, he asked, "Xian'er, what are you looking at?"

She replied wistfully, "Niuniu, in my past life we often watched the moon together like this. How I miss those days."

He smiled, "Though my memories of that time are hazy, watching the moon with you remains vivid as yesterday's memory. Back then our entertainment was so limited—watching the moon was practically all we could do."

She asked suddenly, "Niuniu, does the moon look different now compared to back then?"

He chuckled, "The moon has always been unchanged across time and space. It's merely poets who romanticize its phases, linking human emotions with celestial movements."

With a melancholic tone she confessed, "I long for our previous life though we only had enough to eat. I wish I could live in that era forever if possible."

Alarmed by her somber mood, Liu pulled her close and asked tenderly, "Xian'er, did someone wrong you?"

She shook her head, "You overthink things, Niuniu. It's just a passing thought."

He gently caressed her hair, "My foolish wife, your recent behavior speaks louder than words. Tell me what troubles you?"

Forcing a smile she denied any issues.

Yet when he cupped her face and noticed tears streaming down, he exclaimed in shock, "Xian'er, are you...?"

"I'm fine! The wind outside just irritated my eyes," she quickly wiped away the tears while lying through her teeth.

Examining the closed window revealed no breeze. Testing her tears with his fingers confirmed their bitterness—a traditional belief suggesting emotional pain manifests physically.

"Back home we say the more sorrow in one's heart, the saltier their tears become. Tell me, how bitter is your soul?" he implored.

She stroked his cheek and murmured, "I'm happy! Being with you this life makes me complete."

His mind suddenly connected dots—her recent odd behavior likely stemmed from discovering his relationship with Anqi. It all made sense now regarding her cryptic questions about children after the orbital station launch.

~

Returning to his office that night instead of home, Liu activated TV and playback equipment before retrieving a small iron box from storage space. Inside he found discs and photos—the first disc played footage of Liang Jingyue preparing meals while being filmed.

"Stop filming! What's special about my cooking anyway..." she protested on screen as cameras captured her evasive movements.

"You look like the ideal housewife now. Our future kids are lucky indeed," Liu's voice off-screen teased.

"Who would have children with you? You're so shameless!" she blushed, turning away.

"Love means we'll naturally have children together," he continued.

The camera panned to their bedroom where Liu declared solemnly into the lens while documenting room details, "I vow here that I and Jingyue will marry in this room and raise our family. Our happiness shall be eternal!"

Then focusing on Liang's photo on the wall as they kissed loudly for camera recording.

Pausing playback midway, Liu stared at the frozen image of his former lover with tearful eyes. He muttered repeatedly, "Jingyue, where are you now? You must despise me for breaking my vows..."

~

Drinking heavily in a bar that night to numb himself, Liu downed ten bottles of premium liquor without food or pause between drinks. When the bartender finally replaced wine with tea, his intoxicated self spat it out violently, shouting for more alcohol.

"Mr. Liu is drunk!" The bartender panicked as Liu began singing loudly while declaring love for all three women in his life.

~

Later that night, Anqi walked through a nearby park when her bodyguard Xia discovered a distress alert indicating Liu's drunken state. Agreeing to accompany him immediately, they sped toward the bar where Liu had descended into emotional chaos.

Entering just as he was shouting "Anqi, I love you!", their arrival would soon disrupt this volatile scene...

Angie frowned. She stepped forward and said, "Liu Hui, what exactly are you doing? How did you end up here drinking at a bar like this?"

Liu Hui suddenly fell silent. He looked at Angie and said, "Angie, my heart feels so heavy. The moment I see you, I feel guilty..."

"You don't have to feel bad just by seeing me," Angie replied sharply. "And what exactly are you apologizing for?"

Liu Hui stared at her with dazed eyes. "Because I know you love me and I love you too, but I've never been able to tell you. That's why my heart hurts so much - I'm betraying the love you have for me."

A thrill surged through Angie's chest. She moved closer and spoke softly, "Liu Hui, that means you truly care about me. So this is why you were troubled enough to come here and get drunk?"

Liu Hui reached out to steady himself on her arm but his body suddenly weakened. With a heavy thud, he collapsed onto the floor into unconsciousness.

Startled, Angie rushed forward, catching him in her arms as she shouted, "Liu Hui! What's wrong with you? Don't scare me like this - please wake up! There are still so many things I want to say to you!"

Xia quickly knelt down and felt his pulse. Her shoulders relaxed at the result. "Miss Angie, don't worry," she said reassuringly. "Mr. Liu has simply overindulged in alcohol and passed out from drunkenness. He'll be fine once he sobers up."

The moment these words reached her ears, Angie finally calmed down. At that instant, more security personnel arrived at the bar, swiftly securing the premises. Soon after, Wu Yuancha and Desheng appeared at the scene.

"What should we do now?" Desheng asked his superior.

Wu had never seen Liu drunk before. He glanced around and suggested, "There must be something troubling Mr. Liu that brought him here drinking. Let's take him to a hotel first. Once he sobers up, we can let him go home on his own."

Desheng knew about Liu's mental struggles. Nodding in agreement, he added, "That would work best. We'll get him to the hotel and have someone stay with him overnight until he recovers tomorrow morning."

Without warning, Angie interjected, "Let me be the one to accompany him. I promise to take great care of Liu Hui."

Wu Yuancha and Desheng exchanged glances before responding in unison, "Then we'll leave it to you Miss Angie!"

With immediate coordination, they quickly transferred Liu Hui to a hotel room across the street, leaving only Angie inside while others formed a protective perimeter outside.

Inside the dimly lit chamber, Angie carefully removed his coat and gently supported him as she wiped his face. She arranged the pillows behind him before tucking the blanket around his still form.

Even in drunkenness, Liu Hui had only been briefly agitated before collapsing into an unusually peaceful slumber, resembling a sleeping child.

As Angie sat by the bedside watching his angelic features, she suddenly noticed how frequently he furrowed his brows even while unconscious. This must mean something troubling weighed heavily on him, and immediately her mind returned to his earlier words:

"Because I know you love me and I love you too, but I've never been able to tell you..."

Remembering those heartfelt confessions made Angie's emotions fluctuate wildly - moments of elation followed by crushing despair. Now she was certain about his feelings for her; otherwise he wouldn't have suffered so much as to drink himself into unconsciousness.

What truly saddened Angie though, was the fact that Liu Hui was already married and still hadn't resolved how to handle their situation. This uncertain future left her feeling utterly dejected.

As she stared at his sleeping face, a sudden thought struck - should she use her mind-reading ability now?

Since mastering telepathy under Master Wei's guidance through rigorous training, Angie had always resisted using it on others due to her own moral principles. But with Liu Hui unconscious before her eyes, the temptation of uncovering his true thoughts became irresistible. She knew if she didn't take initiative now, he might eventually drift out of her life forever.

Yet another voice within warned against this dangerous path - once you start reading minds, it becomes a habit you can never truly abandon. The compulsion to know others' innermost secrets would consume you completely...

Torn between these conflicting desires, Angie found herself pacing the room in growing agitation until finally making up her mind.

Returning to Liu's bedside, she whispered resolutely, "Liu Hui, I'll use my telepathy only once on you - just this one time. From now on, I will never use it again."

Following Master Wei's teachings precisely, Angie began channeling the mind-reading technique toward her unconscious companion.

"What? Why can't I sense anything in his thoughts? Is my ability not yet perfected?" she panicked as nothing emerged from Liu Hui's consciousness. Doubt immediately crept into her confidence about her own powers...

"No," she suddenly realized with epiphany, "my abilities are fully developed! Even if he were drunk, I should be able to perceive something. Wait - Master Wei once mentioned that people with exceptionally strong mental fortitude can actually block telepathic intrusions. In such cases, we need to carefully search for vulnerabilities in their psychic defenses like opening a locked door."

Her eyes widened at this revelation as she finally understood why Liu's mind remained impenetrable - his mental strength was simply too formidable.

With renewed determination, Angie began meticulously scanning the fortress of Liu Hui's consciousness. Suddenly, an unexpected object caught her attention.

"What is that?" she gasped in alarm to herself. "This must be Master Wei's legendary memory lock! According to his teachings, these psychic locks can permanently seal away memories from conscious recall..."

"But why would such a mechanism exist within Liu Hui's mind? Does this mean someone deliberately locked away some crucial memories from him?"

Carefully examining the energy patterns, Angie noticed something remarkable - while the lock's power had significantly diminished, its frequency remained within her control range.

"I might be able to break through it," she mused, immediately identifying a weak point in the mental barrier.

Following Master Wei's precise techniques for dismantling psychic locks, Angie carefully activated her willpower and began dissolving the weakened memory seal...

The room suddenly filled with an eerie glow as the hidden memories surfaced.

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An epic 8000-word chapter awaits! May your reading journey be exhilarating!

RO