Inspection Day
The following morning, Jiang Mo woke up to the continuous message notifications in the "Program Recording Coordination Group".
The executive director issued a notice: "Dear teachers, we have received an urgent notice from the center that recording will be suspended for the day due to an important internal reception. You are free to make your own arrangements and recharge."
The group chat was quickly flooded with a string of "received". Jiang Mo replied with one as well, then put down her phone and walked barefoot to the French windows.
The city was awakening in the morning light, but the data science center building in the distance was unusually quiet, like a lurking beast, completely different from the vibrant busyness she usually felt when recording.
She knew that this was no ordinary "reception." It was the "inspection" that Shen Zhiyan had mentioned last night—a storm that could directly affect him and indirectly affect her. A sense of anxiety, as if she were being kept out by an invisible barrier, quietly began to grow.
She forced herself to follow a routine: washing up, making a simple breakfast, watering her pet dog, "Lu Gen." But she couldn't concentrate; her gaze kept drifting to her phone. The encrypted software was eerily quiet. She finally picked up the well-worn copy of the Tao Te Ching again and began reciting it to her pet: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of heaven and earth; named, it is the mother of all things. Therefore, always without desire, one can observe its subtlety; always with desire, one can observe its manifestations. These two are the same in origin but different in name; they are both called profound. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all wonders..."
It wasn't until around 10 a.m. that her private WeChat buzzed. It was from Xiao Chen, sending a "shivering" emoji.
Jiang Mo immediately replied, "How's the situation inside?"
Xiao Chen's reply was fragmented, clearly sent secretly when he had the chance: "The atmosphere is extremely tense... Several cars arrived, all heading directly to the core area... Teacher Shen was called away early this morning to accompany them, and her face was even colder than usual..."
A little while later, he sent another message: "I just delivered some documents and overheard the inspection team asking about data security procedures and management regulations for cooperation with external organizations... They asked very detailed questions."
Jiang Mo's heart sank. Data security, external cooperation... these keywords were like keys, precisely unlocking all her doubts about "Mingyan Capital" and the rejected donation. This was by no means a routine, cursory inspection.
She opened the encrypted software; her conversation with Shen Zhiyan was still from last night. She hesitated for a moment, then didn't send any message. Perhaps this silence was the best way to show her trust and support for him.
Time passed slowly as they waited. The afternoon sun slanted into the living room, casting long shadows on the polished floor. Jiang Mo sat on the sofa, a copy of "An Introduction to Semiotics" in her hand, but she couldn't concentrate on a single word.
The encryption software's distinctive beep finally sounded—short and clear.
She clicked on it almost immediately.
Below Shen Zhiyan's portrait, there is only one line of text, resembling a highly condensed experimental report:
They are systematically reviewing the data firewall architecture and external access logs. The stress test intensity exceeded expectations. But here, everything is fine.
There were no complaints, no emotions, only an objective description of the phenomenon and a brief "all is well." However, the words "stress test intensity exceeded expectations" were enough for her to imagine the turbulent waves beneath the calm surface. He was bearing alone the immense pressure imposed from his father's world under the guise of "inspection."
His final words, "Everything is fine here," felt more like a promise, a response to her words from the previous night, "Your firewall is stable today as well." He was telling her that he had protected her.
Jiang Mo stared at the line of text, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time, but ultimately she didn't ask for any details, only replying with a seemingly insignificant sentence:
[Received. The succulent plant sprouted a new leaf this morning, its color deeper than the previous ones.]
She poured all her surging concern and unspoken support into this "new leaf." It was a secret code only the two of them could understand, a code about vitality, about stubbornly growing under pressure.
This time, Shen Zhiyan did not reply immediately.
In the evening, Xiao Chen sent a message saying that the inspection team had left and the center had lifted the lockdown. Not long after, a notice was also posted in the "Program Recording Coordination Group" that recording would proceed as scheduled the next day.
The storm seems to have passed for now.
The encryption software lit up again at 8 PM. Shen Zhiyan's reply was simple:
New leaves are a sign of healthy growth. Observe environmental parameters and continuously optimize them.
He understood her coded message and responded in his own unique way. He even used the phrase "continuous optimization," as if they were jointly protecting not only the firewall of his lab, but also something quietly growing that needed careful nurturing.
Jiang Mo put down her phone, walked to the restaurant's island counter, and opened a thermal bag. Inside was a stomach-soothing porridge she had asked the hotel kitchen to prepare that evening, which had been kept warm in the thermal bag. She ladled out a bowl; the rice was soft and sticky, and steaming hot.
Looking at the bowl of porridge, she suddenly felt very calm.
Just then, her regular cell phone rang. It was Linda. Linda's tone lacked her usual boisterousness; instead, it carried a suppressed seriousness:
"MoMo, the company you asked me to keep a close eye on, 'Xingyao Brokerage,' which is controlled by 'Mingyan Capital,' just had a high-level management change, with a new CEO parachuted in. Guess who it is?"
Linda paused, then said, word by word:
"It's Lu Yan."
Jiang Mo's hand, gripping the spoon, suddenly tightened. Lu Yan, her former manager who had betrayed her and pushed her to the bottom.
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