Xiao Yu sat at her desk, carefully reading over the documents Zhao Min had handed her. Over the past few weeks, she'd been shadowing Zhao Min closely and had learned a lot. In school, most of what she studied was theory. But here—inside a fast-growing company—experience mattered far more than classroom knowledge.
Zhao Min didn't baby her either. She was thrown into the thick of things, handling real tasks and decision-making. It was exhausting, but also deeply satisfying.
As she flipped through the pages, a receptionist at the front desk appeared beside her with two middle-aged men in tow.
"Xiao Yu, these two gentlemen are here to see the chairman."
"Okay."
Xiao Yu set the file down and looked up. Immediately, her expression shifted. One of the men was familiar—he had visited their rented apartment last night. The other was someone she had seen before with Zhao Min: Yao Yi, the top official in Binhai City.
"Hello again," Li Chengzhi greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Hello, sir," Xiao Yu said, quickly rising from her seat. The sudden appearance startled her—no prior notice, no warning.
"Hello," Yao Yi added with a polite nod.
"The chairman is upstairs in the lab, working on an experiment. Please wait a moment—I'll notify President Zhao."
Xiao Yu quickly headed to Zhao Min's office. She still didn't know much about Li Chengzhi, not even his name until now, but his unexpected presence clearly meant something important.
Soon after, Xiao Yu returned with Zhao Min.
"Secretary Yao, what a surprise." Zhao Min greeted him respectfully.
"President Zhao, no need for formalities today. I'm here in a personal capacity," Yao Yi replied, motioning to Li Chengzhi. "The main guest today is Mr. Li."
"Mr. Li, welcome." Zhao Min smiled and extended a hand.
"Thank you. I arranged to meet your chairman today. Could you let him know I'm here?" Li Chengzhi asked calmly.
"Of course."
Zhao Min took out her phone and dialed Chen Mo.
Given Yao Yi's personal escort, Zhao Min realized Li Chengzhi wasn't just anyone. And judging by how the smear articles about their company vanished overnight, it seemed last night's visit had already stirred big waves.
"Chairman, a Mr. Li is here to see you."
"Let him come to my office. I'll join you after finishing this experiment," Chen Mo replied.
In the lab, Chen Mo was focused on the instruments in front of him, watching the data closely. Purifying carbon crystals wasn't particularly difficult—but it required meticulous precision and patience.
So far, he'd already failed over 80 times. But each attempt brought new insights. Small variations in temperature, pressure, and duration drastically affected the crystal purity. Some attempts ended in destruction. Others came close, but weren't good enough for battery-grade materials.
"Mo Nu, give me the current readings."
"Pressure is 1316.25 kPa, temperature at 1403 Kelvin. Time remaining: 120 seconds."
"Got it."
Chen Mo waited, eyes glued to the readouts. Two minutes later, the machine beeped softly and shut down. He carefully extracted the newly formed carbon crystal and began the next round of purity testing.
Ten minutes later, he exhaled deeply.
Improved—but still not there yet.
"Mo Nu, log the new data."
"Data recorded, Brother Mo."
Chen Mo cleaned up the lab, removed his gloves and coat, and left for the office.
When he entered, Li Chengzhi, Yao Yi, and Zhao Min were already seated and chatting. Xiao Yu stood nearby, quietly observing.
"Back again, Mr. Li," Chen Mo greeted with a handshake. Then, Li Chengzhi turned and introduced his companion.
"This is my friend Yao Yi, head of Binhai City. He's here in a personal capacity—just to verify my identity. I hope this is enough?"
Chen Mo nodded slightly. So that was the play: bring a high-profile official to confirm credentials. Not a bad move. The military didn't like to waste time.
"Since Secretary Yao came all this way," Zhao Min said, "how about we enjoy some tea? Personal identity, of course."
"That sounds great," Yao Yi agreed easily.
Everyone understood what came next wasn't for them. The three left the office, leaving Chen Mo and Li Chengzhi alone.
"Mr. Chen," Li Chengzhi began, "have you given it any thought? If you have concerns or conditions, lay them out. If it doesn't work out, we won't force the issue."
Chen Mo was silent for a moment.
The military had come because the Smart Assistant hadn't been patented. The government couldn't evaluate or even inquire without overstepping. So they sent a man to negotiate quietly.
"I'm not against handing over the Smart Assistant's technology," Chen Mo finally said.
Li Chengzhi's expression brightened.
That sentence alone meant massive acceleration for AI research in multiple sectors. With that technology, their teams could make up for years of time—and in scientific development, time was more valuable than gold.
"But it won't be free. I am a businessman, after all."
"Of course," Li Chengzhi said with a chuckle. "Fair trade. No one expects you to give it away."
"Then here's my first condition: two years of tax exemption."
Li Chengzhi's smile twitched.
He wasn't a finance expert, but even he knew the marching ant company pulled in serious revenue. A two-year exemption? That was no small ask.
"I'll report that to the higher-ups."
"Second condition: you can use the Smart Assistant and its derivatives for research purposes. But you can't release them into the commercial market for five years. If they are commercialized within that period, a licensing fee will be required."
"That's... it?" Li Chengzhi asked, blinking.
"Well, there's one more thing—not a condition, just a request." Chen Mo smiled. "Do you have any well-trained retired personnel? I'd like to hire them as company security. I'll pay generously."
The company was growing fast. Security was becoming a real concern. Hiring professionals—especially veterans—was a smart move.
"Fair enough," Li Chengzhi nodded. "I'll pass all this up the chain."
"There's also that invitation to join the Academy," he added. "Any thoughts?"
"Not interested for now," Chen Mo replied. "I enjoy the freedom of research. One day I might study AI, the next—aphrodisiacs."
Li Chengzhi nearly choked.
He gave Chen Mo a long look and sighed.
"Alright. I'll report everything and get back to you."
"Looking forward to your good news."
After seeing Li Chengzhi off, Chen Mo returned to the lab and resumed his experiments—calm, focused, and undeterred.