Chapter 45 The initial algorithm has structural flaws.
During the weekend lunch in the Yu family's front hall, the atmosphere was like a carefully adjusted indoor temperature control system - comfortable, but lacking in real warmth.
Mother Yu gracefully put down the spoon, and the silverware and bone china collided with a crisp sound, accurately shattering the surface calm.
"Yu Sixie," she began, her tone as if she were critiquing a failing financial report, "Ninety-one days have passed since you launched this 'pursuit.' According to common market efficiency standards, that's more than enough time to complete a round of financing and launch an IPO. So, where exactly did your 'roadshow' get stuck?"
Yu Ping raised his eyes from the holographic financial news, his gaze behind the lenses as sharp as a scanner. "Is it because the valuation wasn't agreed upon, or is it because the business model itself lacks appeal? Do you need me to do a SWOT analysis for you?"
Yu Sixie was precisely cutting a piece of fried cod with a knife and fork. Upon hearing this, his movements paused slightly, and his accuracy dropped by a few tenths of a percentage point.
"Dad, Mom, this isn't a merger and acquisition project. Xitong...what she needs is understanding, not analysis."
"understand?"
Mother Yu raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she had heard a term that indicated an error in the underlying code.
"So do you understand that she recently worked over a hundred hours straight to raise Series B funding for the Huashan Hospital project, and her tolerance for inefficient partners has dropped to zero? Besides taking up precious time in her schedule, what actual emotional value or productivity support do your starry-eyed dinners and rare flowers provide?"
Yu Sixie tried to maintain his composure: "I sent her a message reminding her to rest..."
"And then her AI assistant automatically replied, 'Thank you, I'll keep an eye on it.'" Yu's mother hit the nail on the head. "What you need is penetrating user insights, Yu Sixie, not superficial customer service greetings."
At this moment, a calm, slightly crisp child's voice suddenly broke into the battle.
Sitting in a special chair, Xizhi pushed the black glasses on his nose - this was his habitual action to express sarcasm.
"Based on my observations and data analysis," he began, like a cold-blooded analyst releasing a research report, "Dad's pursuit strategy has an 87.3% failure rate. The core problem is its vague value proposition and slow iteration."
The eyes of the whole family were focused like searchlights on the seven-year-old chief critic.
Xizhi didn't even bother to look at his father. He slid his fingers across the tablet to pull up the data.
"Mother's schedule from last week shows that she declined 100% of your invitations. The reasons listed in the remarks column are: 'Too high a time cost,' 'Lack of constructive topics,' and…" He paused, perfectly replicating Xitong's sarcastic tone, "'Repetitive social fatigue.'"
Yu Sixie felt his facial muscles stiffen.
Xizhi continued to speak, his tone was plain and straightforward, but every word was sharp:
"Your last question, 'What's wrong with me?' is categorized as 'ineffective communication' and 'inverted demands' in our internal evaluation system. It's like asking users to provide solutions to the product's inherent functional flaws, lacking basic business logic."
Mother Yu looked at her grandson with admiration, as if she saw the best genetic inheritance of the Yu family, and then cast a look at her son that said, "Listen to me."
Yu Sixie took a deep breath, feeling that he was being questioned by a ruthless group of investors, and the smallest shareholder was particularly harsh.
Xi Zhi finally dealt him the fatal blow. He raised his overly mature eyes, devoid of childish innocence, and calmly suggested:
"Based on the existing data model, I suggest you abandon the existing strategy. Alternatively," Xizhi tilted his head and proposed a more ruthless solution, "hire a professional Chief Romance Officer to take over this project. The return on investment might be higher."
Yu Sixie put down his knife and fork, having completely lost his appetite.
He raised his hand, pausing. "I've received your feedback. I will...re-evaluate our strategic direction, optimize the user experience, and strive to improve our key performance indicators."
Only then did Xizhi lower his head in satisfaction, looking back at his tablet. He muttered quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear, adding the latest footnote to his father's pursuit of his wife:
"This should have been done long ago. The original algorithm had structural flaws."
…
As the night deepens, the city's neon lights cast a blurry halo in the rain.
Xitong frowned when she received the call from Su Luyao, who was crying but couldn't hide her excitement.
On the phone, Su Luyao was incoherent, only saying that Wen Yanming came to see her, apologized solemnly, and wanted to buy her a drink.
"Xiao Xi, he seems sincere... Can you come over? I'm a little nervous, so just keep me company?"
Xi Tong was doubtful, as Wen Yanming's "apology" was like the sun rising from the west.
But hearing Yaoyao's almost broken voice of hope, she couldn't bear to refuse, so she took the car keys and went out.
The location is a hidden high-end bar.
When Xitong arrived, Su Luyao was sitting in a booth in the corner, her cheeks flushed, her eyes abnormally bright, and the cocktail in front of her was barely touched.
Wen Yanming was sitting next to her in a leisurely manner. When he saw Xi Tong, he raised the corner of his lips into a perfect, slightly apologetic smile and stood up to pull a chair for her.
"Xiao Xi, I didn't expect you to come."
His tone was familiar and natural, as if there had never been any unpleasantness between them that night. "Yaoyao said she needed your company, so I took the liberty of inviting you along. It just so happens that I owe you an apology."
Su Luyao nodded hurriedly, her eyes filled with a rekindled, fragile light.
Xitong sat down and glanced at Wen Yanming's face with scrutiny.
She patted the back of Su Luyao's hand soothingly and did not touch the wine that Wen Yanming pushed over to her.
After a few pleasantries, Su Luyao did almost all the talking. Wen Yanming responded gently, but his eyes would fall on Xi Tong from time to time, with an indescribable curiosity.
Soon, he skillfully guided the conversation from the insignificant recent events to several people they knew in common, and finally, seemingly unintentionally, it settled on Yu Sixie.
"Speaking of which, Xiaoxi," Wen Yanming said, swishing the amber liquid in his glass, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather, "I saw you and Sixie together that night. What a perfect match. He really cared about you. You can't get an appointment at a private observatory like that without some connections."
He changed the subject subtly, with a somewhat ambiguous feeling:
"I wonder if he's this kind to other people. I heard he sponsored a female university student at Kyoto University..."
Xitong paused as she picked up the soda water.
Su Luyao frowned: "Beijing University?"
Wen Yanming seemed to have just realized his slip of the tongue and smiled, trying to hide the truth. "Ah, I just heard about it. Mr. Yu is from a wealthy family and has done good deeds. It's normal for him to help some poor students in his spare time."
He looked at Xitong, his eyes appearing particularly sincere. "But he definitely treats you differently from these poor college students, Xiaoxi. At least... for now, it seems he's serious."
These words, which seemed to be an excuse for Yu Sixie, were like an ice-cold needle, piercing the gap precisely.
Once upon a time, Xitong was also a poor female college student.
Especially the poor kind.
Wen Yanming sighed, his tone becoming more sincere. "For someone from a family like Si Xie, marriage is inevitably filled with other considerations. Madam Yu is so fond of you, and the Yu family can bring so many advantages to Haicheng Group... As an old friend, I just hope you can distinguish whether he is pursuing you as a person, or whether he wants to meet his mother's expectations and the business synergy that this identity can bring."
Wen Yanming never mentioned "no" to Yu Sixie in a single sentence, but every sentence he said was describing his insincere feelings.
He even "kindly" reminded Xitong not to be used, and put himself in the position of an old friend who was thinking about her.
Su Luyao seemed to understand what he said, but she sensed the subtle change in the atmosphere and looked at Xi Tong helplessly.
Xitong listened quietly, with no expression on her face, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold wall of the cup.
Wen Yanming's words were like a spider silk with barbs, trying to entangle her judgment.
Xitong knew that Wen Yanming's motives were not pure, but the fragments of information he threw out maliciously overlapped with some doubts deep in her heart that she was unwilling to admit.
She raised her eyes and looked at Wen Yanming. Her gaze was cold, without the shock or anger he had expected. Instead, it was an extreme calmness that almost caused a crack in Wen Yanming's perfect smile.
"Really?"
She spoke calmly, her voice steady and emotionless, "You know a lot about him."
Xi Tong did not respond to Wen Yanming's provocation, but instead threw the question back lightly.
His "overly detailed" concern itself is worth pondering.
Wen Yanming's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes darkened slightly.
He knew that the first seed had been planted.
It won't sprout immediately, but it will stay there, growing quietly in the right soil of suspicion.
…
A few days later.
On the breakfast table in the front hall of the Yu family, Yu's mother put down the carefully prepared flower and fruit tea and casually dropped a "warm bomb".
"The weather's been nice lately," she said, looking across at Xi Tong, who was checking emails on her tablet, and Yu Sixie, who was reading a financial report. "It seems like our family has never traveled together. Xiao Zhi said yesterday that all the kids in his class have been to Disneyland."
Xizhi entered a private elementary school for aristocrats under the arrangement of the Yu family.
Xi Zhi, who was nibbling at his fried egg, raised his head from behind his book "A Brief History of Quantum Physics" and pushed up his black glasses. He calmly corrected:
"Grandma, my original words were, '92.3 percent of my classmates have experienced this theme park, and its social currency value is significantly overestimated.'"
Yu Ping immediately put down the newspaper and made the final decision: "Whether it's overrated or not, only after experiencing it can you say for sure. It's settled, we'll go this weekend. Yu Sixie, clear your schedule. Xiaoxi, let the people below handle the company matters."
Xi Tong and Yu Sixie looked at each other, and saw a bit of helplessness in each other's eyes, as well as a hint of compromise that was difficult to refute in front of the elders.
This was clearly a carefully planned "family date" aimed at creating a friendly atmosphere for marrying off the son and daughter-in-law as soon as possible.
So, at the entrance of Disneyland on the weekend, this scene appeared:
Yu Ping was dressed in a casual Tang suit, but his aura was still as if he was patrolling his territory.
Yu's mother wore an elegant and comfortable taro purple sports suit with a silk scarf tied around her neck, as if she was not there to play sports but to attend a garden party.
Yu Sixie was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans. It was rare for him to shed his elite look, but he looked a little awkward and uncomfortable.
Xitong wore a neat shirt and casual pants, as if he was going on an inspection where efficiency was paramount.
The calmest person was Xizhi, who was wearing a little Spider-Man costume, holding the park APP terminal in his hand, and seriously planning the best tour route.
"Based on real-time crowd data and average wait times for each attraction," Xizhi announced, acting like a mini commander. "First destination: Tron Lightcycle Power Run. Estimated waiting time: 25 minutes. The thrills will suit Grandpa's preferences, while the technology will pique Mom and Dad's initial interest. Let's go."
Yu Ping was indeed very satisfied with this choice.
When he got on the lightcycle, he still maintained his reserved demeanor, but when the project started, the high speed and the feeling of weightlessness came, the old man actually roared excitedly like an old child!
After coming down, he patted Yu Sixie's shoulder with a look of satisfaction: "This is good! More exciting than the stock market!"
Yu's mother is more fond of "It's a Small World".
She sat on the colorful boat, looking at the singing dolls on both sides of the river, with a pure and gentle smile on her face.
From time to time, he would point to the exquisite scenes and say to Xitong beside him: "Look at that, how cute. Bring Xiaozhi's brothers and sisters to play with it in the future."
Xitong could only smile awkwardly but politely.
The invisible barrier between Xi Tong and Yu Sixie seemed to be diluted a little in such a noisy and joyful environment.
They walked side by side, separated by Xi Zhi who was always analyzing data. Occasionally, their arms would touch because of the crowd, or at the end of a project, they would subconsciously look at each other and exchange a look that said "it seems quite interesting."
During lunch time, in the fairytale-style restaurant, Yu Ping even tried wearing a Mickey Mouse ear headband.
Although it was only worn for ten seconds, it was quickly taken off, and no one was sternly warned to take pictures.
Yu's mother smiled and took out her cell phone, obviously having successfully captured the moment.
The afternoon's float parade brought the atmosphere to a climax.
The brilliant colors, cheerful music, and the actors' infectious performances were so captivating that even Xizhi, who was always calm and composed, was so engrossed in watching the show that he forgot to calculate the time cost.
Yu Sixie subconsciously turned his head, wanting to say something to Xi Tong, but found that she was looking up at the parade, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, her eyes reflecting the sunlight and colorful spots of light, and the lines of her profile were incredibly soft.
For a moment he forgot what he was going to say.
For Xitong, this should be her first time visiting Disney.
It was also the first time in nearly ten years since my parents passed away that I had so many family members around me.
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