The knock on the door startled them both.
Xiao Yu quickly climbed out of Chen Mo's arms, cheeks flushed. She tugged her nightdress into place—rumpled courtesy of a certain someone—and with a light humph, darted back into the room to change.
Chen Mo shook his head and got up from the sofa.
When he opened the door, he was met by two men—one middle-aged and well-dressed in a suit, the other tall and quietly imposing, standing behind him. The man in front wore a polite smile, but the calm power in his eyes and the aura he gave off told Chen Mo this was no ordinary visitor.
"Hello, Mr. Chen Mo," the middle-aged man greeted warmly. "Apologies for coming so late. My name is Li Chengzhi."
Chen Mo didn't respond right away. He was sure he'd never seen this person before. A flicker of alertness sparked within him—especially in times like these, when everything was so... unsettled.
The fact that this man knew his home address meant he was paying very close attention.
"What do you want?"
"Could we talk inside?" Li Chengzhi kept smiling. "Don't worry. I mean no harm—I came alone, and it's just business."
Before Chen Mo could answer, Xiao Yu stepped out of the room, now changed into more casual clothes.
"Chen Mo, a guest's here. Aren't you going to let him in?"
Chen Mo glanced at her, then back at Li Chengzhi.
"Sorry. I'm not interested in talking business at home. If it's urgent, visit my company tomorrow."
He started to close the door.
"Wait." Li Chengzhi gently blocked the motion with a hand and pulled a document from his pocket, offering it. "I understand. But this really is a special case."
Chen Mo took the document and scanned it.
"Military?"
His expression turned serious.
In China, military matters were never casual. For the military to approach him—clearly, this was about the Smart Assistant technology.
"May I come in now?" Li Chengzhi asked again, still smiling.
After a pause, Chen Mo nodded.
"Come in."
Li Chengzhi took a seat on the sofa, and Xiao Yu, ever the host, brought over a cup of hot water.
"Xiao Yu, go on to bed. I'll handle this."
"Alright."
She nodded, said nothing else, and returned to the room. Chen Mo turned back toward Li Chengzhi, his expression calm but watchful.
"She's a lovely girl," Li Chengzhi said as the door closed. "You're a lucky man, Mr. Chen."
Chen Mo didn't respond.
"I'll get to the point, then. I came here tonight for two reasons. First—an official invitation to join the National Engineering Institute."
Chen Mo raised a brow.
"And the second?"
"The second is a business proposition." Li Chengzhi leaned forward slightly. "We want to acquire the technology behind your company's Smart Assistant. Name your price or conditions. If it's within our capabilities, we'll do our best to meet them."
Chen Mo wasn't surprised. He had already guessed that this visit was related to the AI tech.
He also suspected this man wasn't just some random officer.
After all, Siri had originated from CALO, a U.S. military research project aimed at creating a digital assistant with organizational and cognitive skills. Apple had acquired the civilian version of it for $200 million. It made sense that the Chinese military would have similar ambitions—and seeing the capabilities of Chen Mo's Smart Assistant would have undoubtedly raised red flags.
Especially after AI had been added to the nation's core development agenda.
"Like I said—fair trade. You set the terms. If you're not interested, we won't pressure you," Li Chengzhi said. But Chen Mo noticed the slight tension behind his calm exterior. He was worried about being rejected.
That confirmed something:
They really wanted the tech.
"And how do I know your identity is legitimate?" Chen Mo asked, voice even.
Li Chengzhi pulled out his ID and offered it.
"Already saw it," Chen Mo replied. "Doesn't prove anything."
He had no intention of taking this at face value. This was the military. Impersonation was dangerous—and not impossible. Until he had absolute confirmation, he wasn't going to say anything rash.
Li Chengzhi didn't get angry. In fact, he looked even more impressed.
"Fair point," he said with a nod. "Alright—how about this: you don't need to give an answer now. Name your terms tomorrow after I verify my identity at your company."
Chen Mo nodded.
"Deal. Come to the company. We'll talk there."
"Great. See you soon, Mr. Chen." Li Chengzhi stood and let himself out.
Once he was gone, Chen Mo shut the door and returned to the bedroom.
Xiao Yu was lounging on the bed, headphones in, scrolling through her phone. She looked up and set it aside as he walked in.
"All done?"
"Yeah. Come to bed."
He climbed in and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"Xiao Yu, let's move this weekend."
His voice was soft, but serious.
Li Chengzhi's visit had reminded him just how exposed he was now. He was no longer just some developer tinkering in his spare time. If someone really wanted to target him, it wouldn't be hard.
A high-end residential area would be much safer—more secure, more private.
"Alright," Xiao Yu said simply.
Chen Mo blinked.
"You're not going to ask why?"
"If you made the decision, you must have your reasons. What's the big deal? Moving isn't that hard." She paused. "I just wish the house wasn't so big. Cleaning it will be a nightmare. If I'd known you were the buyer, I'd have picked a smaller one."
"You've got me to help."
They both chuckled softly. Their whispers faded. Before long, the room was quiet, and sleep came.
The next morning, Chen Mo and Xiao Yu had breakfast and headed to the company. As they arrived, they noticed something strange—employees were chatting happily, even laughing.
That kind of energy had been missing lately.
"Good morning, Chairman!" a couple of them greeted as they passed.
"What's everyone so cheerful about today?" Chen Mo asked, raising a brow.
"Haven't you heard?" one of the employees said excitedly. "All the smear articles and rumors about our company vanished this morning. Word is, the heads of the water army firms got arrested. And the people who hired them were caught too!"
"Oh?"
Chen Mo was genuinely surprised. That was… sudden.
"Alright, back to work," he said, smiling slightly.
After seeing Xiao Yu off, he headed to his office.
"Mo Nu."
"Brother Mo, I'm here!"
"Check this military ID number for me…"
Chen Mo had memorized the ID number from Li Chengzhi's credentials the night before. He dictated it to Mo Nu as he turned on his computer.
All those online attacks vanishing overnight—it couldn't be a coincidence. It had to be connected to Li Chengzhi's visit.
He needed to be sure.
"Brother Mo, I found the information."
As Mo Nu's voice echoed softly from the speakers, a file popped up on his screen.