Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Riot of Blossoms Bewitch the Eye

“How I think isn’t important; what matters is what I do. The people of Huaxia often say, ‘judge by actions, not intentions’—that’s the principle.”
Mary blinked playfully. “And what about the chicken?”
“The chicken... I’m not entirely sure. I’ve heard you just hail a taxi, tell the driver which type of fuel to use, and you’ll naturally be taken there.”
Mary...
“How do you know all this so well?”
Mary had looked into it—Ye Qiu had only recently returned to Huaxia.
“This is an essential skill for any man.”
Ye Qiu’s earnest reply left Mary uncertain whether he was teasing or genuinely ignorant of these things.
...
“Chairman Tong, it’s not my fault. When I copied the code, it wasn’t gibberish.”
Tong Tiexing’s expression was grim, making every subsequent move of his fraught with caution.
He glanced at the man—only forty, already balding, burdened with both mortgage and car payments, and recently father to a third child. He couldn’t delude himself; unless he had no desire to remain human, he had to face reality.
“Does the artificial intelligence project truly exist?”
The balding man pondered. “I believe it does. Director Liu tried to cover it up, but didn’t intend to hide it from upper management. I even heard AI has already been applied to medical aesthetics, so it can’t be fake.”
If things were as he said, even if his shares were diluted by half or two-thirds, their value would multiply dozens of times.
If he could persuade Zhang Shao to invest with him, it was uncertain who would dilute whom.
“Go back and keep an eye on Liu Yiran. If there really is artificial intelligence, you must copy the code.”
“Chairman Tong.” The balding man looked at Tong Tiexing with difficulty. “Last time, the system was already locked when I copied the code. The company is investigating, and if I go back now, isn’t that walking straight into a trap?”
“It’s only the system that’s been locked, not you. What are you afraid of? Besides, I’m still a company director—if I tell you to copy the code, what can Director Liu do to you?”
The balding man thought it over. Tong Tiexing’s words did make sense.

“You’re already forty.” Tong Tiexing walked over and patted his shoulder. “In the internet industry, if you haven’t made it to upper management by thirty-five, you’re basically on the verge of being phased out. You can’t wait a few more years to become a delivery man, can you?”
The words struck the balding man’s sore spot.
In the internet circle, those who earned hundreds of thousands last year now fight with delivery riders over a three-yuan order, barely having time for lunch.
He watched colleagues who’d worked in the industry for over a decade, forced into dire straits not by lack of skill but by age. Gritting his teeth, he finally nodded.
Having settled things with the balding man, Tong Tiexing quickly contacted Zhang Jun.
Originally, they wanted to bring down the Ye-Liu Group, but capital always pursues profit—when he saw a chance for a windfall, reputation and appearances meant nothing to him.
...
“Look, the Ye-Liu Group has issued a restructuring statement. The Ye Qiu Group and Deep Sea Group of the Beautiful Country are investing ten billion in the AI project.”
“Ha, Zhang Group kicked Liu Yiran out of the universe application. She couldn’t cash in and had to find another gimmick.”
“I think so too. Even dared to take on Xue Qing, a major influencer with sixty million followers. This company is no different from those thugs; it’s just a ploy to stabilize the stock price.”
“Say what you will, but when trading opens, I’m definitely leaving. Heard the investigation team has begun probing the Ye-Liu Group—if you’re slow, you might get caught up in it.”
“Let’s go, everyone flood their press conference and expose the company.”
...
“We believe the third technological revolution will be founded on artificial intelligence. But we also firmly believe AI exists to help everyone live better, not to replace humans in the workplace. If AI cannot be grounded in humanity, then no matter what achievements are made, it will only lead to self-destruction.”
Liu Yiran stood on stage, the spotlight shining upon her like an ethereal goddess, as if the stage were made for her.
Yet, most of the audience’s attention wasn’t on the conference itself. The comment section was flooded with accusations, denouncing Liu Yiran for sheltering the perpetrator.
“Capital at its worst—someone assaults others and remains unpunished.”
“If such a company rises, everyone present bears responsibility.”
“Get off the stage, bring out the assailant.”
“Can you all stop flooding the chat? Speaking like this without knowing the truth.”

“This is a technology conference—fanatics should go to the entertainment section.”
The screen was filled with heated arguments and even vulgar language; a less resolute person would have already broken down in tears on stage.
But Liu Yiran remained composed throughout, gracefully holding the microphone. “I know everyone is curious about artificial intelligence. Please hold your breath as we welcome our guest, Liuyue.”
Wow.
The venue was plunged into darkness. As anxiety crept in and engulfed the crowd, a vibrant JK-style schoolgirl appeared on stage.
Looking closely, the girl possessed both Liu Yiran’s exquisite features and Ye Qiu’s unrestrained charm.
“Hello, everyone! I’m Liuyue. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. You can ask me anything—any question at all.”
At this moment, someone in the audience took the microphone. “You claim to be AI, but aren’t you just a virtual projection with someone voicing you backstage?”
“Hello, Mr. Zhou. I’m not dubbed. According to my internal data, you are an expert in rockets. You may ask me anything about rockets.”
Zhou Xianshan attended the product launch because of the rocket conference held in Linhai; all major players capable of manufacturing or purchasing rockets were present. He’d come out of curiosity, planning to expose the company’s gimmick and profiteering.
Liuyue’s invitation to ask questions played right into Zhou Xianshan’s hands.
“Very well, let me ask you now...”
...
“Mr. Ye, I really can’t take it anymore. I’ve postponed several times already—if you don’t show up soon, those young masters might eat me alive.”
On the phone, Xue Yishou’s voice was plaintive. He’d thought Ye Qiu would meet promptly after agreeing, but Ye Qiu kept delaying. The entitled sons had long lost patience and were now pressuring him.
If Ye Qiu didn’t appear soon, Xue Yishou feared he couldn’t continue doing business in Linhai.
“Alright,” Ye Qiu thought aloud, “I happen to have a matter to discuss with you.”
There were things he couldn’t lay bare to Mary; after all, they had just met and weren’t at the stage for such candidness. Besides, Mary was from the Beautiful Country, and Deep Sea was deeply entangled with American tech firms.