The next morning, Chen Mo was stuffed into a suit by Xiao Yu and escorted to the company. Today, the heads of the four major mobile phone giants were coming over, which surprised him.
Logically speaking, battery technology authorization shouldn't warrant the personal visit of the Big Four's top executives.
"I didn't expect you to look so handsome in a suit," Zhao Min said when she saw Chen Mo and Xiao Yu arrive.
Normally, Chen Mo showed up to the office dressed like a typical tech guy—casual clothes and all. Seeing him now in formal wear, he looked calm, poised, and unexpectedly confident.
"I think I look handsome too," Chen Mo nodded seriously.
"I was talking about the clothes," Zhao Min quipped with a grin.
"I picked these clothes myself. Of course they look good. When I put this on, Xiao Yu couldn't stop staring."
As he said this, Xiao Yu's cheeks flushed. She gave him a playful glare and wrinkled her nose.
Zhao Min rolled her eyes at the two.
"But this tie is choking me. So uncomfortable. Casual clothes are way better," Chen Mo muttered, loosening it slightly.
"It's your first formal meeting—better to wear a suit," Xiao Yu reminded him. If she hadn't insisted, he would've shown up in his usual attire.
"President Yu should be arriving soon," Zhao Min said after checking the time.
Right on cue, Yu Chengnan entered, led by the staff.
"Long time no see, Chairman Chen, President Zhao," Yu said with a polite smile, shaking their hands.
"Just saying you were about to arrive. Please, this way," Zhao Min gestured, leading them to the reception room.
After everyone was seated, Yu Chengnan got straight to the point. "We're here to talk about the carbon-based battery, of course—but also, can the intelligent assistant be licensed?"
"It's already on the app store, isn't it?" Chen Mo replied casually.
"That's the bilingual version. I'm asking about the full multilingual version. We have a lot of business in Europe and other global markets," Yu said directly.
Chen Mo smiled. "That's a bit more complicated."
"Whatever your conditions are, just say the word. We signed a strategic partnership memorandum, after all," Yu responded.
"It's not impossible to license the multilingual version," Chen Mo said thoughtfully. "In exchange, your company can provide your smart chip to us. We'll authorize the intelligent assistant."
Hua Wei's NPU, built with 10nm tech, was top-tier. If the marching ant system and AI assistant were paired with it, their performance would skyrocket. But so far, Huawei's chips had only been used in their own devices—similar to Apple's approach.
Yu Chengnan fell silent, clearly thinking it through. Both parties were proposing to trade their crown jewels. If they gave the chip to the marching ant company, their phones would lose a unique selling point, and they wouldn't be able to compete in the same way anymore.
"This is your final condition?" Yu finally asked. "I'll have to bring it back to the board for discussion. I don't have the authority to make that call alone."
"That's fine," Chen Mo nodded.
"So, shall we sign the finalized strategic cooperation agreement today?" Yu smiled.
"No problem."
After signing and seeing Yu Chengnan off, Chen Mo headed back to the lab—only to be called away again shortly after by Xiao Yu. Lei Dong, the head of Mi Company, had arrived.
Like Yu Chengnan, he also brought up battery licensing and the intelligent assistant. However, Chen Mo didn't agree right away. After all, the smart assistant was still one of their company's killer features. Unless someone could offer something truly tempting, he wasn't planning to authorize it.
That day, Chen Mo met with all the top executives from OPAL and Weiwo as well.
By the afternoon, Zhao Min officially announced the signing of strategic cooperation agreements with all four mobile phone giants.
The announcement caused a stir online. It meant the marching ant company had gained full recognition from the Big Four—a huge step forward for such a young mobile company. The domestic mobile market was about to get a lot more interesting.
However, since marching ants focused on the high-end tier, their direct competition was really just Apple, Huawei, and Samsung. Other mobile phone brands wouldn't be too affected.
Samsung, which had almost no market share left in China, was practically out of the picture. That left Huawei and Apple as the primary opponents.
On the drive home, Chen Mo leaned back in his seat, staring out the window at the scenery.
"You okay?" Xiao Yu asked, noticing his silence.
"Yeah," Chen Mo nodded. "Just realizing how exhausting meetings are compared to lab work."
"You should take more breaks," Xiao Yu said gently. "You've been pushing yourself too hard. The company is stable now. You don't have to carry everything alone."
"How about we go out tonight? A little date to unwind?" Chen Mo turned to her with a smile.
Xiao Yu looked at him, then nodded softly.
That evening, Chen Mo took Xiao Yu to the Trade Plaza—the same place where they'd had their first shopping date.
"There's a jewelry shop here. Let's check it out," Chen Mo said as they entered the mall.
He noticed her hand was bare, and her neck too. Without waiting for a reply, he took her hand and walked toward the goldsmith's.
Every time he tried to buy her something, she would find an excuse to say no. But today, he wasn't giving her the chance. He'd realized that after all this time together, he'd never even bought her flowers. Instead, it was always her taking care of him.
That wasn't right. As her boyfriend, he could do better.
"What do we need this stuff for?" Xiao Yu asked helplessly as he pulled her along. "I don't even wear jewelry."
"That won't do. Zhao Min says I'm abusing you. If I don't buy you anything, I'm just using you like a free maid."
"Did Zhao Min really say that? Who's calling you a cow?" Xiao Yu playfully wrinkled her nose at him.
"Welcome! What can I help you with today?" a smiling sales clerk greeted them.
"A necklace," Chen Mo said.
"Right this way."
They were led to a glass display. Chen Mo gestured toward a beautifully displayed jade pendant.
"That one."
"Excellent choice, sir. That's our most exquisite necklace. It's one of a kind. It's called Heart of the Buddha. The Maitreya pendant is carved from fine jade by a renowned artisan, and the chain is white gold. The meaning is serenity and joy—very fitting for her."
"I'll help her put it on," Chen Mo said, carefully fastening the necklace around Xiao Yu's neck.
"Sir, your girlfriend is stunning. This necklace suits her perfectly—her gentle temperament really brings it to life," the clerk complimented.
Chen Mo turned her around to admire it. She really was beautiful. The necklace suited her far more than he'd imagined.
Xiao Yu blushed under his gaze, her cheeks pink with happiness.
"How much?" Chen Mo asked.
"One hundred eighty-eight thousand. We're currently offering a five percent discount."
"So expensive?" Xiao Yu gasped, instinctively reaching for her neck to take it off.
"Leave it on," Chen Mo said, gently stopping her. He handed his card to the clerk. "And by the way—take me to see the rings."
Xiao Yu froze.
Chen Mo's grip on her hand was warm and firm. For a moment, she forgot how to react. Then, as the meaning of his words sank in, her face turned red all the way to her neck.