The next morning, Chen Mo got up to find things just like the past two days—Xiao Yu had already prepared breakfast and was quietly watching a drama on her laptop. After eating together, Chen Mo took her out of the rental house.
This morning, Xiao Yu seemed to have completely recovered from the haze of the previous night. Seeing her back to her cheerful, radiant self, Chen Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Xiao Yu, if you're ever feeling exhausted, just tell me, okay?"
"It's fine," she replied with a small smile from the back seat of the bicycle. "It's just been a little intense lately. Nothing I can't handle."
Last night had been her best sleep in days. No interruptions, no tossing and turning—just peacefully dozing off and waking up naturally. She felt refreshed for the first time in a while.
After dropping her off at the dorms, Chen Mo headed out to his store just off campus.
Xiao Yu watched him ride away before heading into the dormitory. As soon as she opened the door, she was met with three pairs of teasing eyes.
"…Why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked, feeling instantly self-conscious.
"You looked like death yesterday. But today—wow. Glowing." Li Ruoxuan smirked. "Looks like love is the best beauty sleep."
Xiao Yu's face flushed bright red. She let out a soft groan and marched straight to her bed.
"Hey, Xiao Yu, did you see the class group announcement?" asked Wang Xiaolan, adjusting her thick glasses.
"Nope. What announcement?"
"Knew it. Too busy being in love to check your phone," Zhou Xiao teased. "Marching Ant Company is coming to campus to recruit interns."
"Marching Ant Company?" Xiao Yu blinked. "Is that the same one that makes those Butterfly Eye phones?"
She remembered the name clearly—Zhou had recently wanted to buy a new phone, and they'd looked at the Butterfly Eye together. It was gorgeous, stylish, and instantly left an impression.
Plus, she'd seen the company mentioned in the news lately, so it stuck with her.
"Yep, that one." Zhou Xiao nodded. "They're one of the rising stars in Binhai City. Haven't been around long, but already valued at over a hundred million. The school's really paying attention to this partnership—they want each department to send qualified students for the recruitment drive."
"Xiao Yu, you should apply. You've got great qualifications and an accounting certificate—it's a perfect match," Li Ruoxuan chimed in.
"What about you guys?" Xiao Yu asked.
"Xiaolan's doing grad school. I'm heading home to help my dad run the company. But Ruoxuan's applying. Right?" Zhou Xiao replied.
"Yup. Let's go together, okay?" Li Ruoxuan smiled. "Honestly, the last job fair was a nightmare. The interviewer looked at me like I owed him money. I wanted to slap him."
Xiao Yu chuckled at her friend's dramatics.
"I'm going to try for Marching Ant. Even though people online have been trying to smear them lately, it's all fake news. That company has serious potential. Come on—apply with me! You've got the qualifications, and they offer great benefits."
"Alright, I'll update my resume," Xiao Yu nodded after a moment of thought.
Meanwhile, back at the store, Chen Mo was checking the online chatter about Marching Ant Company. Ever since the public bounty was offered, a few people had tried to crack the Butterfly Eye phone's security, but all of them failed.
Any articles claiming vulnerabilities had long been drowned out by positive user feedback. If someone really had found a flaw, they would've gone after the bounty by now.
In terms of performance, security, design, and waterproofing, the Butterfly Eye held its own. Especially among female users, its sleek look was a big hit—even Chen Mo hadn't expected it to become that popular.
Sales were steadily rising, and the brand had made a splash in the smartphone market. Still, it was just the beginning. To gain more market share, one successful product wasn't enough.
For many consumers, the Butterfly Eye was just "pretty." The brand itself hadn't earned deep loyalty yet. People were still skeptical about long-term quality.
Chen Mo knew it'd take more than one hit to build a real brand legacy. As he was about to return to his Chinese character programming research, his phone rang.
At that moment, Zhao Min stood by the window in her office, watching the traffic flow through Binhai. The company had been through a rough patch lately. Another five employees had resigned today. It was clear someone was poaching them—she just didn't know who.
As soon as the call connected, she let out a breath of relief. Chen Mo might be young, but he had a steady, unflappable calm that always put her at ease. If she was the spine of the team, he was the anchor.
"Chairman, five more resignations today," she reported.
"You don't have to tell me every little detail," Chen Mo replied lazily on the other end.
"I just want to see if you're even capable of feeling urgency," Zhao Min shot back. "You act like nothing ever fazes you. What if they all quit? Still not worried?"
"As long as you haven't quit, I'm good," Chen Mo replied with a chuckle. "This is natural selection—some people can't handle the pressure, and that's fine."
Chen Mo recalled something Shu Lao had once shown him—how other civilizations rose and fell. He'd even seen simulated extinction events in the Science Library. To him, it was like watching a sci-fi movie. He'd seen too much to be rattled by minor shakeups.
"Sometimes I feel like betting on you was just jumping into a pit," Zhao Min said, exasperated.
Chen Mo laughed. "You're not wrong."
She sighed. "We've already reached out to Binhai University. We're sending a recruitment team to get interns, especially those in technical fields. Eventually, I want to establish a talent pipeline through them."
"I should go apply," Chen Mo joked. "Think I'll get in?"
"Sure. I'll personally approve you. Just don't be surprised when I kick you out afterward. It's been my dream to fire the boss."
Zhao Min chuckled. This chairman really had a twisted sense of humor.
"On a more serious note," she continued, "I've been thinking about building a proper headquarters and industrial park. Two sites. It's time to start planning for the future."
Chen Mo nodded on the other end. "Makes sense. Go ahead."
"I'll have Ling Feng coordinate with city officials. When you're free, come down to the company sometime."
"Got it."
Zhao Min hung up, already used to Chen Mo's calm, ghost-like management style.
Chen Mo returned to his research on Chinese character programming.
The book from the Science Library was extremely comprehensive—it covered keywords, grammar rules, statement definitions, and language logic. But adapting it to the complexity of Chinese characters was no small feat.
This wasn't just translating C-language commands into Chinese. It was the creation of an entirely new language system—one that had never existed before.
Still, after two months of grinding, he'd made solid progress. He was getting closer to completing the framework.
And now, it was time to go all-in.
Once again, Chen Mo disappeared into the zone—fully immersed in research mode.