Qi Yun didn't stay long in the study room; about five minutes later, he came out.

Xiao Hanguang, who was waiting outside the door, immediately approached and, seeing his bright eyes, knew that the conversation had gone well.

He didn't ask much about the content, just patted Qi Yun on the shoulder, "I'll have someone take you back to rest first."

"Okay." Qi Yun nodded and left the heavily guarded courtyard in the car he arrived in.

Back at the hotel, he lit a cigarette, his mood still unable to calm down for a long time.

He had just seen a piece of intelligence on Xiao Hanguang's younger uncle, the content of which was incredibly shocking and consistent with Fu Wentao's previous speculations...

He also saw that Dragon-shaped Jade Pendant, the one Old Yao brought out from King You of Zhou's tomb.

"Hoo~"

Qi Yun let out a long breath of smoke, suppressing the throbbing in his heart.

At this moment, a phone rang. He took out his phone to see it was Wendong calling, and quickly answered it.

"Leader."

"Have you arrived in Beijing?"

"Yes, just arrived a while ago."

There was a silence on the other end for two seconds before speaking again, "Come over tonight, I have something to discuss with you."

Qi Yun sensed a hint of gravity in the other's tone, but it wasn't suitable to ask more over the phone, so he nodded and agreed, "Okay."

In the afternoon, Qi Yun took some time to visit his old acquaintances, Director Fu, Director Yu, and others, and also went to the cemetery to pay respects to Old Tong.

He went to see Wendong only when it got dark.

...

It was still that familiar small building, and when Qi Yun arrived, Wendong was preparing to have dinner. Seeing him come in, he invited him to join, "You haven't eaten, right? Add a pair of chopsticks."

Qi Yun was not polite and sat down.

On the table were only four simple dishes and a soup, very homely.

Wendong personally served Qi Yun a bowl of rice, and the two ate quietly, the atmosphere somewhat unusual.

Halfway through the meal, Wendong put down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin, and wiped his mouth before speaking slowly, "Did you meet Old Xiao this morning?"

"Yes." Qi Yun also put down his bowl and chopsticks.

"How did it feel?"

"The old gentleman was very kind and gave me a lot of encouragement and affirmation." Qi Yun answered cautiously.

Wendong nodded, looking at him with deep eyes, "After tomorrow's recognition, don't stay long in Beijing, go back quickly."

"Back to J Province?" Qi Yun's heart stirred, Wendong's words came a bit suddenly.

"Yes, the sooner, the better."

Wendong took a sip from his water cup, the words seemed to have a deeper meaning, "You're in the spotlight now, being associated with the Xiao Family will attract a lot of attention, but everything has two sides."

"Standing under the spotlight is not good for you."

Qi Yun furrowed his brow slightly, thoroughly contemplating the meaning behind Wendong's words.

Combining it with the content of that intelligence, this situation was not hard to understand.

This was likely the reason the other had called him to come tonight, to keep him away from the vortex center.

Qi Yun still trusted Wendong a great deal, holding him in the same regard as Xiao Hanguang.

The reason Xiao Hanguang didn't tell him to leave was probably because they held different positions and thus saw issues from different perspectives.

Overall, Wendong's reminder was in protection of him.

"Understood, Leader, I'll head out right after tomorrow's recognition ends." Qi Yun agreed without hesitation.

"Good." Wendong was satisfied with his prompt response, "Once you return, stay low-key for a while, and don't get into another conflict with Old Hou, the previous matter has already reached me."

Qi Yun awkwardly touched his nose, "Alright, I'll keep a low profile." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Moreover," Wendong shifted the topic, "You've done excellent work bringing back Dr. Seth this time, the technology he holds is immensely beneficial to certain fields of ours."

"That individual specifically asked me to convey their thanks to you."

"It's my responsibility to do so." Qi Yun replied with a straight back.

Wendong patted his arm, his tone relaxing, "Alright, I've said everything, you're soon going to be transferred from Skyline Group, so be prepared."

....

The next day, the auditorium was filled with many heavyweights, starting from the rank of the previous Old Hou.

Due to certain special reasons, no media from the social strata were present on-site.

The ceremony was solemn and uncomplicated.

Xiao Hanguang's younger uncle gave a speech, acknowledging the achievements and presenting the certificate.

"In recognition of Comrade Qi Yun's outstanding contribution, the ZZ has decided to award Comrade Qi Yun with the July 1st Medal!"

(Having checked the data, this aligns well with the storyline.)

As the words fell, a warm round of applause erupted in the auditorium; the significance of this medal was self-evident, representing the highest honor, a dream pursued by countless individuals all their lives.

Qi Yun, in a crisp suit, solemnly walked onto the stage.

Xiao Hanguang's younger uncle personally pinned the medal on Qi Yun's chest, his eyes full of expectations.

He said nothing more and just firmly grasped Qi Yun's hand.

Qi Yun stood at attention and saluted, triggering another round of applause from the audience, with countless eyes focused on him.

After delivering a standard speech, Qi Yun stepped down, throughout the process, he remained poised and did not deliberately avoid any gazes.

Following the brief ceremony was the customary group photo and brief exchange time.

Several key figures came over to shake hands with Qi Yun, uttering a few words of encouragement, to which Qi Yun respectfully responded, maintaining a humble attitude.

His superior, Minister Lan, was also among the crowd and came over with a smile on his face, "Comrade Qi Yun, congratulations."

"Thank you for your recognition, Leader!" Qi Yun saluted in response.

"Hmm." Minister Lan glanced around and lowered his voice, "Ride with me later."

A trace of surprise flashed in Qi Yun's eyes, but he showed no sign of it, just respectfully nodded, "Yes, Leader."