The company, under Zhao Min's steady command, was finally crawling into shape.
In just ten days, she'd pulled together a skeleton crew—some recruited fresh, others veterans she'd headhunted from her old network. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to make the company breathe on its own.
Zhao Min sat behind her desk, flipping through recruitment forms. Across from her stood a sharp, professional-looking woman in a fitted blazer.
"Xiao Li, notify Director Li to increase staff outreach at university job fairs. But make sure they stick to our hiring standards—we're not running a charity." She passed over the documents. "Also, we're still short-handed in admin. Help out there for now."
"Understood, President Zhao." Xiao Li nodded, took the forms, and left.
Once the door closed, Zhao Min let out a breath and took a sip from her tea. Starting a company was like juggling knives blindfolded—everything needed attention now.
Meanwhile, the company's chairman had basically vanished into thin air. He'd dumped the reins on her and disappeared.
Painful, but oddly satisfying.
She was busy, stressed, and exhausted… but everything they were building was real. Hers, too.
Then the door creaked open.
Chen Mo walked in, slinging a backpack over one shoulder and holding a thin document folder. He looked freshly caffeinated and smug, as usual.
"Well, well. Look who remembered he owns a company."
Zhao Min's lips curled slightly. It was the first time she'd seen him in person since the office was rented. Their communication had mostly been over text or calls. She hadn't expected him to actually show up.
"Busy lately?" Chen Mo asked, dropping the folder onto her desk like a deliveryman clocking out.
"Let's see…" she tapped her fingers on the desk. "We've been setting up a data center, hiring engineers, scouting talent, managing recruiters, solving IT hiccups, fighting printer demons, and signing enough forms to kill a small forest. So, yeah. A little busy. Unlike someone who's been off meditating on a mountain."
Chen Mo grinned. "Hey now, I've been working. Second product, remember?"
At that, Zhao Min sat up straighter. "Finished already?"
"Yep. The mobile OS isn't ready to roll yet—the company's too small, and we'd get squashed if we tried to launch it now. But this one's ready and perfect for building stability."
"What is it?" she asked, intrigued.
"Office software," Chen Mo said, placing a USB drive in front of her. "Think WPS meets Office, with a touch of lightweight image editing."
Zhao Min narrowed her eyes. "You're serious?"
Chen Mo chuckled. "Do I look like a man who jokes about spreadsheets?"
He plugged the USB into her desktop and spun the monitor toward her. After a brief loading screen, a new icon appeared: a smiling cartoon ant carrying a pen.
Ant Office.
Zhao Min raised a brow. "You named it Ant Office?"
"We're the Marching Ants, right? Branding, woman. Branding."
She double-clicked it, and the software launched smoothly.
It looked familiar—polished interface, easy layout, packed with tools. Documents, spreadsheets, presentations... even a built-in PDF converter and a photo editing panel reminiscent of a simplified Photoshop.
Zhao Min's brows arched as she clicked through.
"This is... really solid." She paused, then glanced at Chen Mo. "You actually wrote all this?"
"Who else would do it? Praise me."
Zhao Min opened her drawer.
Chen Mo blinked. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for scissors."
"Scissors?"
"To test if you're real. I'm tempted to stab you and see if you're dreaming this."
"Okay, okay, calm down." Chen Mo took a cautious step back. "Compliments aren't supposed to involve bloodshed."
Zhao Min laughed but kept eyeing the screen. "I'm still struggling to believe you coded this in like... what, a week?"
"There's more where that came from," Chen Mo said proudly.
Zhao Min motioned for him to sit while she moved to the sofa with a tablet.
"Let's talk business, then. I'll give you a quick update on the company—expenses, staffing—"
"Nope." Chen Mo waved her off. "You're in charge of management. I trust you."
Zhao Min raised a brow. "So touching. Say those words to another woman in front of your girlfriend, and see how fast she strangles you."
"She already knows I trust you."
"Pfft. Simp."
Chen Mo ignored the jab and pointed at the USB. "This version works on both PC and mobile. I'll leave the promotion and rollout to you. Use it to stabilize the company. Once that's done, we can go public with the mobile OS."
"Smart move." Zhao Min nodded. "Oh—about the Marching Ant OS. I already filed for international patents through an agency. Question is, do we open source it? License it? Or launch our own hardware?"
Chen Mo's expression hardened. "Not open source."
"Why?"
"Same reason the Android ecosystem's a mess," Chen Mo said. "Google opened it, and now third-party forks like MIUI, Flyme, and others have diluted the brand. When they tried to tighten control, it was too late."
He paused. "Our system is clean, modular, and different enough to attract serious dev attention. If we open it, they'll tear it apart and rebuild it into Frankenstein OS 2.0. We lose control. Even if we beat Android, we'll still lose."
Zhao Min nodded. "Agreed. Then let's enter the mobile market directly."
"We'll need hardware," Chen Mo said. "You take care of recruitment and operations. I'll handle the phone design."
Zhao Min gave him a skeptical look. "You know how to design a smartphone?"
Chen Mo puffed out his chest. "Can a man say he can't?"
"Plenty do. Especially younger brothers like you."
Chen Mo's eye twitched. "You know I'm older than you."
"Spiritually? Maybe."
She laughed, standing up. "Fine. You design the phone. I'll focus on scaling the team—we need more developers and engineers."
With that, Chen Mo left the office, heading back to campus.
He trusted Zhao Min. She wasn't just capable—she cared. And with her handling the business side, he could focus on building the future.
Later, at the university library, Xiao Yu was already settled in, her textbooks neatly arranged. The accountant certification exam was approaching fast, and she was in full study mode.
Chen Mo quietly grabbed a few books on telecommunications and sat beside her.
"Hey," she said, looking up with a soft smile. "Didn't think you'd show up."
"I came to visit my girlfriend," he grinned.
Xiao Yu rolled her eyes affectionately. "Sorry I've been so busy. I haven't had much time to hang out."
"Then don't say sorry. Show me some practical action," he whispered in her ear.
"Sit properly." She swatted his arm, cheeks turning pink. "This is a library."
Chen Mo leaned in. "Will I get a reward after your exams?"
She smiled mysteriously. "You'll see."
As she turned back to her notes, she glanced at his books. "Weren't you reading physics last time? Why telecommunications now?"
Chen Mo grinned. "Learning how to fix my girlfriend's computer."
Xiao Yu chuckled, remembering the virus incident from weeks ago. She gently shook her head and returned to studying, but not before sneaking a glance at Chen Mo's focused face.
Her smile softened.