The night before the storm

The phone call from his father, Li Jianhua, regarding the investigation of the "New Technology Promotion Office," was like a cold probe, not only piercing Li Ming's past but also deeply embedding itself in his taut nerves. The other party's methods were becoming increasingly roundabout, drawing ever closer to the foundations he couldn't sever ties with. This omnipresent yet elusive pressure was more suffocating than a direct confrontation.

He had to speed things up. The "Mirror" lab could no longer be content with merely "preserving the spark"; it had to produce results with real value, which could serve as leverage for the future. At the same time, the publicly known "Mingyu" also needed to demonstrate greater value, or rather, "harmlessness," in order to divert attention from what might be drawing attention to it.

Li Ming summoned Wang Hao and, under the premise of ensuring absolute safety, made minor adjustments to the research direction of the "Mirror" laboratory.

“Wang Hao, the priority of the ‘mirror image’ needs to be adjusted.” Li Ming’s voice sounded particularly deep in the encrypted communication channel. “We need to produce one or two ‘demonstration-level’ results as soon as possible. Focus on tackling the ‘lightweight recommendation model based on privacy computing,’ with the goal of achieving more than 30% higher accuracy than existing platform algorithms without touching users’ original data. In addition, for the ‘decentralized community prototype,’ we can first build a minimal, feasible version that can run the core logic.”

He needs something tangible, even if it's just a prototype, to bolster his confidence and prepare for a possible showdown in the future.

“Time is tight, but… we can give it a try.” Wang Hao replied succinctly, his tone carrying the excitement of a tech enthusiast facing a high-difficulty challenge.

Meanwhile, Li Ming also took action openly. He proactively submitted a detailed "White Paper on Social Responsibility and Data Security of the 'Mingyu Life' Platform" to Zhang Lei's "Security Committee." Spanning tens of thousands of words, the white paper comprehensively elaborated on the platform's "contributions" and "determination" in protecting user privacy, promoting local employment, and carrying forward traditional culture, all while maintaining a tone of compliance, stability, and controllability. This was both a statement and a smokescreen.

He also instructed Li Ziqing to launch a high-profile "Support Program for 100 Craftsmen," announcing that special funds and traffic would be invested to help 100 traditional craftspeople revitalize themselves on the "Mingyu Life" platform. This project, full of positive energy and humanistic care, immediately won praise from the media and the public, further consolidating "Mingyu's" public image of being "small but beautiful" and "warm."

Li Ming attempted to use this "both internal and external cultivation" approach to provide himself and "Mingyu" with a thicker layer of protection.

However, the opponent's attack did not stop because of this; on the contrary, it became sharper and more specific because of his actions.

Zhao Zhen's "Zhenhua Commerce" took the lead in launching an attack. No longer content with price wars, they introduced a membership service called "Zhenhua Youxuan," directly copying and optimizing the personalized product recommendation function based on user profiles that "Mingyu Life" had previously rejected by the "Security Committee" due to "data risks"! Furthermore, leveraging its massive user base and accumulated data, this function achieved significant results upon its launch, further squeezing "Mingyu's" survival space.

What angered Li Ming even more was that Zhao Zhen, in an interview with a financial media outlet, pointedly stated: "True innovation is not about hiding in a greenhouse and daydreaming, but about withstanding the test of the market. Some companies, under the guise of 'safety,' are actually bound by their own cowardice and will eventually be eliminated by the times."

These words were like a slap in the face to Li Ming. He knew that Zhao Zhen must have the support of Lei Yao Capital's technical team behind him, and might even have obtained the "essence" of those rejected proposals they had submitted to the "Security Committee"! The so-called "security framework" seemed to have become a shackle binding only him, "Mingyu"!

Following suit, Zhou Ruilin also made his move. His "Kuaituan.com," in conjunction with several large commercial complexes under the Zhou family, launched the "Citywide Shopping Carnival" campaign. Leveraging its offline physical advantages, it created a strong sense of experience and immediacy, posing a significant challenge to the small and medium-sized merchants on the "Mingyu" platform who relied on "unique features" and "stories." At the same time, Zhou Ruilin once again resorted to his shady methods, secretly poaching several core community operations personnel that "Mingyu" had painstakingly cultivated.

With a two-pronged approach—commercial pressure and talent poaching—Mingyu's overt business has felt a real winter.

Looking at the continuously declining operating data and the somewhat demoralized team, Li Ziqing approached Li Ming with deep concern: "Li Ming, if this continues, our main business might not be able to hold on. Zhao Zhen and Zhou Ruilin... are too ruthless."

Li Ming looked out the window; the city sky was gray and gloomy. He was well aware of the severity of the situation. But he also knew that whether he bowed his head or fought back now, he would only die faster.

“If we can’t hold on, we’ll scale back.” Li Ming’s voice was calm to the point of being cruel. “Abandon some of the low-margin product lines that directly compete with Zhao Zhen, and concentrate our resources to defend our core positions of ‘Specialty Communities’ and ‘Artisan Program’. Tell the remaining team that now is the time to test our resolve; survival is victory.”

He had to be patient, he had to show weakness. He had to place all his strength and hope in that "mirror" laboratory hidden in the shadows.

Just when Mingyu's public business was suffering setbacks and the team atmosphere was extremely depressed, the "Mirror" laboratory finally brought its first breakthrough news.

Wang Hao sent a short message and an encrypted technical document via an encrypted channel.

"The lightweight privacy recommendation model prototype has completed initial testing, and in the simulation environment, the performance improvement has reached the expected target (35%). The core link of the decentralized community prototype has been successfully implemented."

Looking at the brief report, Li Ming's heart pounded, and a long-lost surge of excitement coursed through his body. Success! At least technically, they had proven that the blocked road was feasible and had enormous potential!

This was the first ray of light he saw in the darkness, and it might be the most important bargaining chip at the negotiating table in the future!

He immediately replied: "Results are archived and placed in a silent period. No testing or external connections are permitted without my instructions."

He cannot risk any exposure.

However, just as Li Ming's confidence was slightly boosted by the breakthrough in "Mirror Image" and he was preparing to continue to endure and wait for the right opportunity, a sudden piece of news exploded like a thunderclap.

The message came from Zhang Lei himself. His tone was no longer calm or probing as before, but carried an unprecedented seriousness, and even a hint of... barely perceptible coldness.

"Li Ming, haven't you been a little...too quiet lately?" Zhang Lei asked bluntly.

Li Ming's heart tightened, but he kept his tone calm: "President Zhang, we have been steadily optimizing the platform in accordance with the committee's guidance..."

“Optimization?” Zhang Lei interrupted him, his voice not loud, but carrying immense pressure. “I’ve heard that your technical lead, Wang Hao, seems to be doing some… “interest-based” technical exploration that’s not really related to the main platform development? He’s even been using some… unreported overseas computing resources?”

Li Ming's blood seemed to freeze instantly!

Zhang Lei found out?! How could he know?! Has the existence of the "Mirror" lab been exposed? Or is it just suspicion?

A wave of immense fear gripped him, but he forced himself to calm down, his mind racing. Zhang Lei used "heard" and "seems," indicating that he didn't yet have concrete evidence and might have only discovered Wang Hao's unusual online activity or resource usage through some monitoring channels.

“Mr. Zhang, you may have misunderstood.” Li Ming tried to make his voice sound natural. “Wang Hao has indeed been researching some open-source, cutting-edge privacy computing technologies recently. This is to better understand the committee’s requirements and ensure that our platform’s future technology roadmap always stays on the path of security and compliance. As for the resources, they may be some learning tests he is doing in his personal time. I will verify them immediately to ensure that all company-related actions are strictly within the framework.”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Zhang Lei's voice rang out again, carrying an undeniable warning:

“Li Ming, I hope you remember the original intention behind our signing of this memorandum. ‘Stability’ is more important than ‘risk.’ Some boundaries, once crossed, have no turning back. You’d better think carefully.”

After saying that, the call was disconnected.

Li Ming gripped his phone, his palms clammy with sweat. Zhang Lei's warning felt like an ultimatum. He not only knew about Wang Hao's unusual activities, but might even have a vague idea of ​​the existence of the "Mirror" laboratory!

The risks exposed have suddenly skyrocketed to an extreme!

He immediately severed all non-emergency contact with the "Mirror" laboratory and ordered Wang Hao to enter the deepest infiltration state to erase all possible traces.

However, just as he finished this series of emergency procedures and was still in shock, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and Liu Qiang rushed in, his face pale and his voice trembling with tears:

"Ming-ge! Something bad has happened! Uncle... Uncle was inspecting the factory when he was grazed by a part that fell from a hoisting machine that suddenly malfunctioned! He's been taken to the hospital now!"

Li Ming felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and a chilling despair instantly overwhelmed him.

Was the father's "accidental" injury a coincidence?

At this sensitive moment, just after Zhang Lei issued a stern warning?

He felt as if he were standing on the crater of a volcano about to erupt, with the ground beneath his feet cracking and molten lava already reaching his feet.

Zhang Lei's warnings were still ringing in their ears, their father's injuries were shocking, and Zhao Zhen and Zhou Ruilin's business encirclement was closing in step by step...

All the pressure, at this moment, converged into a devastating storm that swept towards him.

Where should he retreat to? And where can he possibly retreat to?

Li Ming slowly raised his head and looked out the window. The sky had turned completely gloomy, with rolling dark clouds, and a real storm seemed to be about to break.