They had to politely call each other ‘rivals’ when meeting in the market.
Cheng Jinyu was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyelids thoughtfully. “No, I don’t think you quite understand my meaning.”
Meng Chu: “??”
How could you interpret it that way?
“Well, I keep a close eye on you,” Meng Chu finally gave up pretending.
Cheng Jinyu looked at her. “Since you pay so much attention to me, can I say a few words?”
Meng Chu opened her mouth but didn’t retort; she just nodded softly.
“No matter what social event, protecting yourself comes first. And next time you have an event, remember to tell me.”
His tone left no room for argument.
Meng Chu didn’t expect him to say this and quietly said, “Wouldn’t that trouble you?”
“Would you trouble anyone else?” Cheng Jinyu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Meng Chu immediately shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then just trouble me,” Cheng Jinyu said naturally, “After all, it’s only right to trouble me.”
Meng Chu said instinctively, “But we’re already married.”
Cheng Jinyu raised an eyebrow, a smile gleaming in his eyes. “Since you’re so quick to answer, I’ll remember that well.”
Remember it well.
Cheng Jinyu and Meng Chu were married.
He chuckled lightly again. “Also, all roads lead to Rome. If some problems really can’t be solved through drinking and entertaining, then just try another way.”
This time, he looked seriously at Meng Chu.
“No matter what happens in the future, you can come to me anytime.”
*
When Cheng Jinyu left, he told Meng Chu to rest at home.
After all, she had drunk too much last night, and today was Saturday, a rare day off.
Originally, they had planned to take Momo for a walk together.
But in the evening, Cheng Jinyu called from the airport and said he had to fly to Beijing immediately and couldn’t accompany her.
Meng Chu naturally couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“I’ll call you as soon as I get back,” Cheng Jinyu seemed to sense her disappointment.
Meng Chu nodded. “Okay.”
“By the way, is Momo being looked after?” she anxiously asked.
Cheng Jinyu chuckled softly. “Yes, Auntie walks him every day. And the snacks you bought—he really likes them.”
Meng Chu was satisfied. “That’s good. If he finishes them, remember to tell me. I’ll buy more.”
“Yeah, next time you talk to him yourself, he’ll understand.”
Meng Chu complimented, “No wonder Momo is so smart.”
“Tone it down a bit,” Cheng Jinyu couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t spoil him.”
Meng Chu: “Where would I do that?”
They chatted like this until Cheng Jinyu said, “I have to board now.”
“Oh, I’m hanging up,” Meng Chu realized they had talked for quite a while.
She didn’t know when she had started being able to talk to Cheng Jinyu on the phone for so long.
After hanging up, Meng Chu leaned back on the sofa.
But when she looked at the dining table, she recalled the two of them sitting there having breakfast together yesterday.
No matter what happens, I can go to him.
Those words echoed in her mind again.
The original distance and estrangement between her and Cheng Jinyu seemed to be gradually disappearing.
They seemed to be pulled closer by an invisible force.
On Monday, Meng Chu immediately brought the Project Proposal and went to visit Qian Wei at Linjiang Group.
Thanks to the arrangement made at the dinner, both sides at least had a tacit understanding.
She politely handed the Project Proposal to Qian Wei and said, “Mr. Qian, regarding the cooperation between my company and Linjiang Group, there are already precedents in the market. Linjiang Group has large-scale factories in the Yangtze River Delta. My embodied robots can undergo real scene testing in Linjiang Group’s factories. I guarantee that within half a year, my robots can be fully integrated into the factory’s automated production line seamlessly.”
Meng Chu had previously arranged for a projector to be set up and flipped to the data charts.
“In my estimation, intelligent manufacturing can increase productivity by at least 35%, reduce production costs by about 15%, and greatly shorten the order delivery cycle.”
The people attending from Linjiang Group couldn’t help but lower their heads to discuss.
Obviously, AI industry was the future trend. Many companies were actively or passively moving toward intelligent automation.
As a veteran enterprise, Linjiang Group was truly afraid of being washed away by the tides of the times.
This was why Xingyuan Technology could establish a connection with Linjiang Group.
After the meeting, Meng Chu chatted with Qian Wei in the office for a while.
“Mr. Qian, if you think my project has no issues, I hope we can sign the letter of intent as soon as possible. That way, my robots can enter the internal testing phase quickly and then proceed to on-site testing on the production line.”
Qian Wei smiled and waved his hand. “General Meng, don’t be in such a hurry. This is not something I can decide alone. It needs to be approved by the Group’s decision-making committee.”
“I understand,” Meng Chu nodded. “Then I’ll wait for your good news.”
However, after a few days, Qian Wei still hadn’t given her an answer.
He didn’t even tell her whether the decision-making meeting had any outcome.
Until Thursday near the end of the workday, Gu Ting suddenly called her into his office.
When Meng Chu arrived, she saw Gu Ting’s assistant, Liu Jia, walking out with red-rimmed eyes, clearly having been scolded.
When she pushed the door open, she saw Gu Ting looking furious.
“Do you know what that bastard Qian Wei did?” Gu Ting said.
Meng Chu was stunned and immediately asked, “What happened?”
Gu Ting: “He actually collaborated with Ling Si Technology. That bastard talked nonsense to me but planned to stab me in the back without telling me anything.”
Meng Chu frowned. “What? Weren’t you the one talking to Linjiang Group’s factories?”
Ling Si Technology also specialized in intelligent robotics, directly competing with Xingyuan in the market.
Since last year, Xingyuan had been developing embodied robots; their robot dogs performed well in the market.
So developing humanoid robots was only a matter of time.
The Linjiang Group cooperation was brokered by the investor Jintai Capital.
Of course, whether this cooperation would succeed still depended on Xingyuan’s own strength.
“I don’t know exactly what that Qian Wei did, but at the Linjiang Group’s decision meeting, he fully recommended Ling Si Technology. Yet he pretended to be negligent with me. It’s like he planned to give the project to Ling Si behind my back.”
Meng Chu asked, “Does Qian Wei have any vested interests with Ling Si Technology?”
“Who knows what he’s up to in private,” Gu Ting sneered.
Meng Chu knew Gu Ting must have sources within Linjiang Group; otherwise, he couldn’t have learned about Qian Wei’s actions so quickly.
“Has Linjiang Group decided who to cooperate with yet?” Meng Chu asked.
Gu Ting shook his head. “This project is directly overseen by Deputy General Manager Zheng Qifeng. He’s a reformist within the group, very optimistic about the future AI industry.”
This was the reason Xingyuan Technology could connect with Linjiang Group in the first place.
The opportunity was there because the other side needed it.
“Now it’s a matter of comparison, waiting to see which way Linjiang Group leans.”
Or rather, it depends on General Manager Zheng.
Meng Chu remained calm. “Qian Wei probably has no say in this matter; otherwise, I would have been eliminated long ago.”
“You definitely need to meet this General Manager Zheng,” Gu Ting said angrily.
Meng Chu understood his meaning and nodded. “If we lose, then so be it. At least I should have a fair chance.”
It wouldn’t do if some villainous person behind the scenes ruined everyone’s hard work.
She had already worked hard for the Linjiang Group project.
Back in the office, Meng Chu asked her assistant Jiang Xinya to quickly search online for news about Zheng Qifeng from Linjiang Group.
Within twenty minutes, Jiang Xinya sent her a series of news articles.
Although these news releases were all official and routine, sometimes useful information could be found.
Until Meng Chu opened one link showing Zheng Qifeng speaking at the Summit Economic Forum, alongside another guest—
—Yunji Capital’s Cheng Jinyu.
Seeing the news photo of Cheng Jinyu sitting in a wide white chair, his long legs crossed lightly, his handsome face almost like a still from a romantic drama amidst a group of middle-aged men on stage,
Wow.
The world really is just one big circle.
Meng Chu couldn’t help but pick up her phone.
Since Cheng Jinyu had gone to Beijing, he hadn’t returned to Shanghai.
But he had been in touch, even sending her a photo of Momo playing outside on the grass.
It was taken by Auntie when she took him out.
Just as she was holding the phone, the WeChat screen she had been on suddenly popped up with a voice call.
She stared dumbly at the incoming call from Cheng Jinyu.
“Hello,” she answered.
Cheng Jinyu’s voice came through softly, “Still at the office?”
Meng Chu hummed and asked, “What’s up?”
She wanted to ask if he had returned to Shanghai but feared she’d sound too eager.
Cheng Jinyu suddenly said, “It rained in Shanghai today. Did you bring an umbrella?”
Meng Chu instinctively looked out the window.
Sure enough, it was raining heavily, and the sky had already turned completely dark.
Under the dense slanting rain, the neon lights outside blurred into a hazy glow.
It wasn’t the bright and clear scene on a fine day.
“It’s fine; there should be shared umbrellas downstairs,” Meng Chu said.
Cheng Jinyu hummed.
Meng Chu asked proactively, “Is your work in Beijing going well?”
“Not bad,” Cheng Jinyu replied calmly.
Then they fell silent.
The rain outside seemed to grow louder, echoing in Meng Chu’s ears.
“When do you get off work?” he asked.
“Around seven. Nothing much today.”
Cheng Jinyu replied again, then said, “I’ll hang up first.”
Meng Chu nodded.
After hanging up, she looked out at the rain and suddenly felt that the rainy season in Shanghai wasn’t so unpleasant.
On the contrary, the ticking sound of raindrops on the glass brought an unexpected peace to her heart.
Perhaps, it was because someone had reminded her to bring an umbrella when it rains.
Originally, with the Linjiang Group project in chaos, Meng Chu’s heart was a tangled mess.
But at this moment, her originally tangled heart seemed to smooth out bit by bit.
When it was time to leave work, Meng Chu planned to take a taxi.
But when she opened the ride-hailing app, she saw dozens of people queued ahead.
It seemed the rain had everyone choosing to take taxis home.
Meng Chu was prepared to queue up anyway and wait.
But after half an hour, she began to feel impatient.
So she went downstairs, planning to borrow a shared umbrella and take the subway home.
When she went downstairs, the shared umbrella rack that had been fully stocked was now completely empty.
Clearly, on rainy days, umbrellas were in high demand.
She stood under the building’s awning to shelter from the rain.
Watching the people around her gradually leave — some because their rides arrived, others because the people they waited for had come—
Meng Chu suddenly realized she was acting foolishly, standing outside under the awning and still getting a little wet.
Why not just go back inside the lobby?
After all, everyone else had gotten their rides or met their people.
What was she waiting for?
At that moment, she looked up and saw a black SUV slowly stopping by the roadside.
The dense, continuous rain wrapped the whole world in moisture, blurring the surroundings with a misty veil.
As the driver’s side door opened,
a black long-handled umbrella was extended and then unfurled, but the occupant inside didn’t get out.
Meng Chu was about to look away but then saw the umbrella held steadily by a hand.
Beneath the umbrella was the deep, handsome face of Cheng Jinyu.
Meng Chu blinked.
Was her vision blurred? Had she hallucinated?
Under the thick curtain of rain, the sound of raindrops and car horns blended into background noise.
Everything around her seemed pulled into a movie scene.
Only the man holding the umbrella remained the focal point.
Cheng Jinyu held the umbrella, walking steadily through the misty rain toward her.
When he stood before her, Meng Chu looked up at him.
Just moments ago on the phone, he was still the man in Beijing.
Now, he suddenly appeared right in front of her.
Cheng Jinyu lowered his eyelashes slightly, his gaze gently resting on her eyes.
“Meng Chu, you’re home.”