The applause had barely faded in the Railway Ministry's command center when Director Cui Sheng stood and said:
"Everyone, please rise. On behalf of the national railway system, let us express our deepest gratitude to President Lu and the China Star team."
The hundreds of staff members stood up and bowed deeply toward Haifeng.
He immediately stepped forward, flustered.
"Director Cui, please—there's no need for this."
But Cui Sheng remained firm.
"President Lu, you deserve it.
Without your technical leadership, this breakthrough wouldn't exist.
Thanks to you, we've gone from nothing… to a nationwide transformation."
"Would you mind saying a few words to the team?"
Haifeng looked around at all the expectant faces—young engineers, weathered administrators, tired but proud workers.
He nodded.
"Today marks a historic moment—not just for the railway department, but for the entire country's transportation infrastructure."
"Because of this system, people can buy, refund, and transfer tickets online.
No more freezing in line. No more overcrowding."
"Those who can use smartphones can buy from anywhere.
Those who can't? We've got offline and phone support built in."
"The pressure on in-person ticket counters will drop dramatically.
Queuing… will become a thing of the past."
He let that settle, then smiled slightly.
"Let's imagine the future."
"We opened our phone and booked a high-speed train to Shanghai.
There's no paper ticket at the station—swipe your ID to board."
"On the train, we ordered McDonald's for delivery and streamed a TV show.
As we neared our destination, we booked a hotel and called a rideshare.
The car picks us up. We check in. All without speaking to a single person."
Silence.
The room was still.
You could hear the faint hum of the server fans.
Everyone was picturing it—and believing it.
Director Cui finally broke the silence.
"President Lu… is this possible?"
Haifeng smiled.
"All of it.
We already have the second-generation ID card system.
All we need is a small IC reader module at train station gates.
Tie it to the cloud, and it's done."
"This future isn't years away.
It's just a few steps from now."
Cui turned to his staff.
"We'll begin internal trials immediately. Pick a route."
A staffer rushed into the room, interrupting them.
"Director! We're getting flooded with phone calls!"
"Complaints?"
"No—they're thank-yous. People are calling to say this is the best Spring Festival system they've ever used.
They're also asking when other regions will get access."
Cui turned to Haifeng.
"Can we go nationwide tomorrow?"
Haifeng nodded.
"Servers are running at half capacity. We can scale to the public cloud instantly if needed.
We're good once we deploy the IC readers to the rest of the stations."
"Let's do it," Cui said. "Nationwide rollout tomorrow."
💼 That Night – Back at China Star HQ
Haifeng returned to his office, exhausted but energized. On his desk sat two documents.
They looked ordinary—but to him, they were priceless:
Investment Qualification License
National Payment License
"Finally," he murmured, "the foundation is in place."
🌐 China Star Venture Capital – Launch
Registered Capital: ¥5 billion (≈ $690 million in 2025)
Scope: Venture Capital Operations
In 2014, a ¥5 billion VC firm was a titan.
Even if the funds were limited now, the paper value alone would attract top-tier talent, investments, and media attention.
And Haifeng wasn't here to play it safe.
He knew the future.
He knew precisely which startups would explode in the next few years. And now, with this license in hand, he could finally begin betting early on the future unicorns of China.
While the company name was officially China Star Venture Capital, insiders knew:
This was Haifeng's personal strategy vehicle.
A way to compound his already enormous wealth into dynasty-level capital.
🧠 But First—The Team
A VC firm was nothing without talent.
He needed:
A sharp-eyed general manager
A lean, elite investment team
Legal, financial, and admin staff
Analysts who could turn raw tech into precise forecasts
"I don't have time to recruit them myself," Haifeng said.
"Besides—top talent doesn't apply for jobs."
"They're already working high-paying gigs, managing portfolios worth billions.
They don't scroll job boards."
"To get them, we need to dig them out."
🔎 Headhunting Firms Activated
Haifeng called in three major headhunting firms—the same ones China Star worked with for years.
They knew him. Trusted him. And more importantly—they knew he paid well.
"I need a full VC team, top to bottom," he told them.
"No rookies. Only killers. You have my budget."
They got to work that night.
And so, without fanfare, without any press release, without even a proper office yet—
China Star Venture Capital was born.
The most dangerous fund in the country… with a secret weapon:
The future.