Hearing her father swear such a solemn oath on her late mother's name, MEI's suspicions vanished.
Although her father had fallen from grace after her mother's death, there was no doubt that her mother still held the most important place in his heart.
As long as the man sitting in front of her wasn't an impostor wearing her father's skin, he would never lie on her mother's name.
At the same time, a wave of guilt washed over MEI again.
When had she stopped trusting her own father? To think she needed him to swear on her mother's grave just to prove his innocence.
Li Mu noticed the guilt flickering in MEI's eyes out of his peripheral vision and mentally high-fived himself. Plan success.
Truth be told, he didn't even know what MEI's mother's name was.
But for now, the suspicion had been successfully suppressed.
Having dispelled MEI's doubts, Li Mu immediately started painting a grand picture of the future.
"MEI, with your genius intellect and the technology in my hands, if we combine our strength as father and daughter, we can definitely build an empire."
Seeing Li Mu's enthusiasm, MEI also felt a spark of interest.
"Father, since you've decided to start a company, have you thought of a name?"
Li Mu threw the question back at her. "MEI, do you have any suggestions?"
"Eh?" MEI blinked. "You want me to name it, Father?"
"I told you, I'm building this legacy for you. Of course you have the right to name it."
Hearing Li Mu's words, MEI fell into deep thought. After a long while, she spoke up. "In that case... how about 'Massive Electric Inc[MEI]'?"
"Massive Electric Inc?!"
Cold sweat trickled down Li Mu's forehead.
"MEI, why that name?"
MEI's eyes sparkled. "Father, don't you think it sounds cool?"
Are all you Raiden-types secretly chuunibyou edgelords?
Li Mu shook his head firmly. "No. Absolutely not."
Disappointment flashed in MEI's eyes.
But this time, Li Mu wouldn't budge. Raiden Mei... Scientific Researcher... Massive Electric Inc...
That name was way too ominous. It practically screamed "tragic backstory." (GGZ Era Zero MEI Company)
After circling around the topic, Li Mu finally steered it to his destination. "How about we just call it MEI Corp?"
"Eh? You want to name it directly after me?" MEI was surprised.
"This legacy is meant for you. Of course it should be named after my most cherished, most important daughter."
Hearing Li Mu's words and contrasting them with the hardships she had endured recently, MEI felt her nose sting. Tears welled up in her eyes.
This warmth... this feeling of being cherished... how long had it been since she last felt it?
Mother, are you watching? Father really has changed.
"Father..."
Watching tears inexplicably stream down MEI's face, Li Mu was confused.
He only insisted on naming it MEI Corp to keep the plot on track. If they named it something else, what if the braindead System refused to recognize it?
As for why he went through all this trouble to involve her... well, he had to give MEI a sense of participation. Li Mu had no intention of letting her god-tier scientific talent go to waste. Once MEI Corp was up and running, his dear daughter would become the Chief Researcher.
The physical items in the System Shop were obscenely expensive, but knowledge was dirt cheap. He could easily assemble a research team and use the knowledge from the System to mass-produce advanced tech.
That was where MEI's terrifying intellect would shine.
So, giving her a sense of ownership over MEI Corp was crucial. People worked way harder when they felt like they owned the place.
"But Father... building a company requires capital." MEI gently pointed out the elephant in the room. They were broke.
Starting a business required seed money. Especially for a manufacturing-heavy enterprise like this. They needed a complete production line, skilled technicians, and a massive plot of land for factories.
The initial investment would be astronomical.
However, to complete his Check-In missions, Li Mu had prepared well in advance. Naturally, he had considered the funding issue.
"Don't worry. Money isn't a problem."
MEI clearly misunderstood Li Mu's meaning.
"Are you planning to seek investors, Father? With the technology you have, there should be plenty of conglomerates willing to invest..."
"Absolutely not. I never intended to work with those vultures. If we take their money, we'll be controlled by them."
Li Mu looked at MEI, his expression solemn. "This is the legacy I'm building for you. It's a gift from a father to his daughter. How could I let others taint it?"
MEI Corp had a pivotal role in the upcoming acts.
According to Li Mu's script, to complete the "Escape from Nagazora" Check-In, they would likely offend a lot of local powers.
If they took investor money now, they would be hamstrung later.
Besides, he didn't need to beg for investment. In fact, he already had a solution.
simply put: he was going to make money while standing tall.
A gift for his daughter...
Hearing Li Mu's words, MEI's eyes reddened again. Despite wiping them just a moment ago, fresh tears spilled over.
Although her heart was overflowing with emotion, rationality yanked her back to reality.
"But Father, we don't have any capital. If we don't seek investment, how are we supposed to get our first bucket of gold?"
Li Mu didn't answer directly. Instead, he reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a card-like object, and handed it to MEI.
"A ticket to Miss Eden's concert?" MEI exclaimed in surprise after taking it.
"Don't wound yourself so tight."
Li Mu took a tissue and gently wiped away her tears.
"When you have time, go see the concert with a friend."
...
Time flew by. It was another weekend afternoon.
Li Mu sent a text and met up with Kiana. They were at the same cold drink shop they always frequented.
Inside, the two sat facing each other, each with a drink in front of them.
Kiana wore a short blue jacket over a black, form-fitting shirt. Her silvery-white hair was tied back in a high ponytail. Her overall style hadn't changed much since their last meeting.
She rested her cheek on one hand, lazily sipping her drink through a straw.
Eventually, she looked up. "So, Mu. What have you been busy with lately?"
Li Mu swirled his straw in his cup.
"I'm preparing to start a business."
"Huh?"
Confusion filled Kiana's eyes.
"Saving the world requires material support," Li Mu smiled. "We can't just be like anime protagonists, shouting about friendship and bonds while charging at the Honkai with our bare hands, right?"
"That makes sense."
Kiana accepted the explanation easily. But she immediately thought of another problem.
"But if you're starting a business, you'll need a lot of startup capital, right? Do you really have that kind of money?" Having been bros for so long, she still didn't know much about Mu's financial situation. He rarely mentioned his family.
"That is indeed an issue. But I've already figured out a solution."
Seeing the confidence on Li Mu's face, Kiana paused. A thought seemed to strike her, and she suddenly sat up straight.
She rummaged around in her pockets for a moment before pulling out a black card embossed with gold patterns. She slid it across the table to Li Mu.
"Here. Take it."
Staring at the black card in front of him, Li Mu was genuinely stunned for a moment. "What is this?"
Kiana took another sip of her drink, speaking nonchalantly. "It's my allowance from home over the years. I never really had much to spend money on, so I just saved it all. There should be a decent amount in there."
Looking at her calm expression, Li Mu suddenly remembered that his best bro actually came from a ridiculously wealthy, prominent European aristocratic family.
Li Mu blinked. He looked at Kiana, then looked at the card on the table.
This feels weird.
Why does it feel like I'm being kept by a sugar mommy?