Chapter 80 The Cocktail Party: Prometheus
For a moment, Sun Ying's expression froze. She wanted to look at Ye Yuying's legs, but she stopped herself.
This fact seemed to be transmitted slowly within her reflex arc, like a massive amount of information, taking a long time to elicit a response.
Her hand, which was holding the water glass, suddenly wobbled in mid-air, and the lemonade inside spilled out.
She hurriedly grabbed several tissues to wipe her clothes clean. Sun Ying looked down at her soiled clothes with some distress, but when she looked up again, her eyes were red.
She slammed the water glass she was holding heavily on the table, making a dull thud.
Under Ye Yuying's somewhat astonished gaze, she suddenly raised her hand and covered her eyes tightly with it.
But those uncontrollable, scalding tears still gushed out from between her fingers.
The sharp-tongued and arrogant Asian women's track and field champion, who had never shed a tear on any field, cried like an abandoned child at this moment, her shoulders trembling violently.
Ye Yuying looked at her in astonishment.
Sun Ying's voice rang out from between her fingers, stubbornly saying, "Don't ask me why I'm crying. These are clothes from the brand; getting them wet would damage their image..."
Ye Yuying paused for half a second, then pushed the tissue box on the table in front of her and replied clearly:
"Um……"
Sun Ying burst into tears, her voice filled with anguish: "Ye Yuying, how could you do this? I was hoping you wouldn't steal my thunder, but how could you end up crippling yourself like this..."
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Yuying spoke softly in a tone that carried a hint of helplessness and teasing, as well as a gentleness that only they understood:
"……Hello."
"These are people who are going to represent the country and participate in the Olympics. Why are you crying so horribly? Aren't you afraid of being photographed by paparazzi?" She paused, and a faint, warm smile appeared on her lips.
These words, so familiar yet firm, only made Sun Ying cry even harder.
Sun Ying suddenly raised her head, her face still streaked with tears from crying. She forcefully pulled out a tissue and wiped her face vigorously. Then, in a nasal voice, she sobbed and wiped her face again, forcefully retorting in a low voice:
"I'll cry if I want to, so what if I get filmed? It's been eight years, and you're still just as annoying as ever."
Ye Yuying didn't take it seriously and chuckled: "You hate me and you cry? Sun Ying, has your mental fortitude declined so much in recent years?"
As she spoke, her facial features contorted as she pulled her tracksuit up to cover her face.
Later, after Sun Ying had cried enough, she was able to speak with difficulty. She kept her head down so that others wouldn't see her swollen eyes, and her fingertips unconsciously drew circles on her knees.
She took a deep breath, tilted her head back, looked out the window, and gazed down at the bustling city from above, murmuring to herself.
"No one's leg is as lame as yours, which I find regrettable. You have such great talent, and your legs are naturally better than mine..."
Ye Yuying smiled calmly, "I'm not going to follow the path of a professional athlete, and your journey to where you are today is the result of both talent and hard work."
She tapped the leather armrest of the sofa with emphasis, saying, "You are now the number one in Asia. I'm no longer an athlete."
These words made Sun Ying momentarily dazed, as if she had been reminded of some fact.
She came to her senses and said with some emotion, "Yes, you didn't want to be an athlete in the first place. But I don't know if it's because I haven't seen you in so long, but the impression I have of you is still from when you were a teenager, when you always beat me in every competition."
Even though she desperately wanted to win at that time, she never hoped that Ye Yuying would be injured.
She always felt a sense of regret, thinking that if Ye Yuying hadn't existed during her middle school years, her journey in the national competition would have been much smoother.
However, she is always grateful for the strong opponents she faced on the field, otherwise she would have become complacent long ago...
But...but...
She could imagine Ye Yuying being defeated, she could imagine Ye Yuying retiring, but she could not imagine that Ye Yuying would be injured by an accident, or even say goodbye to the normal walking of an ordinary person.
This fact caused her mind to go completely blank for a moment, as if it had crashed.
The invincible Ye Yuying, after many years, actually... made her exit from the stage like this.
If comic book authors wrote like this, they'd be torn to shreds by criticism!
Sun Ying felt a dull ache in her chest, like the saturated humidity in the summer air, making her feel suffocated and uncomfortable.
Ye Yuying watched her quietly, watching the arrogant Sun Ying reveal such a vulnerable side in front of her.
Her eyes stung with tears, and she quickly blinked, suppressing the emotions that were about to well up inside her.
"Alright, Miss."
Ye Yuying smiled impatiently and urged, deftly breaking through the pool of sorrow.
"Stop crying, what's there to cry about? I don't rely on my legs to make a living now." Ye Yuying looked at her, a slightly teasing smile curving her lips.
Sun Ying suddenly raised her head, her red and swollen eyes devoid of any sharpness, looking at her with a somewhat blank expression.
“Right now,” Ye Yuying met her gaze without flinching, her tone becoming serious, “I am also realizing my dream…”
“I’m not your opponent either, but your most loyal audience, and… good friend.” She paused, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes.
Sun Ying was stunned by her words and even forgot to sob.
Ye Yuying leaned forward slightly, her calm eyes sparkling as she looked at Sun Ying, and then, in a persuasive tone, softly said:
"So, Sun Ying, listen carefully."
"Your participation in the Olympics this time is not just about you alone."
“Think about it,” she said, lowering her voice even further as she described the blueprint with great seriousness.
"If you really manage to bring back an Olympic gold medal, then when I, Ye Yuying, go out and do business with those snobbish capitalists, I can casually say—"
She paused deliberately, then said in a tone full of pride:
"Hello everyone, I am Ye Yuying, the founder of Ashera. By the way, Olympic champion Sun Ying is my friend."
"Just imagine how much face that would give me! Everyone'd be vying to vote for me then..."
Sun Ying was completely bewildered by her strangely materialistic and damnably competitive words of comfort, and burst out laughing.
The immense sorrow was belatedly replaced by a feeling of absurdity that was both laughable and lamentable.
“So,” Ye Yuying looked at her, the teasing smile on her face slowly fading, revealing the look of determination she had back then.
"Make sure you bring me back a medal."
“Any color is fine,” she said, looking at her and emphasizing each word, “but gold would be best.”
...
"Hold!"
Sun Ying finally couldn't hold back and swore.
With a mix of tears and laughter on his face, he said, "I'm not that good... those African athletes have long arms and legs..."
Looking at her like this, Ye Yuying suddenly felt a long-lost warmth welling up in her heart.
Those youthful memories of competing fiercely on the track seem to have all come back at once.
They used to compete, admire, and rival each other, but in the end, they became the people who understood each other best.
This is the best possible outcome for arch-rivals and rivals.
That day, as they walked out of the corridor together, the sun broke through the clouds and shone warmly on their faces.
Ye Yuying smiled and looked at Sun Ying beside her, saying softly:
"Sun Ying, run down with mine..."
Sun Ying stopped in her tracks, staring blankly at Ye Yuying's pure and innocent smile.
"...Okay, you annoying thing." Her voice was still as arrogant as ever, but with a serious nasal tone.
The two walked side by side, continuing forward.
Just as they were about to part, Ye Yuying seemed to remember something and suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, right, there's something else."
Sun Ying was also somewhat downcast and looked at her with a touch of sadness.
"Give my assistant an autograph, she's a huge fan of yours."
Sun Ying laughed and scolded, and the two smiled at each other. All the regrets and pain seemed to disappear at this moment.
*
Just as Ye Yuying had promised, the second-generation Ashera product was completed within six months, and they immediately called Feng Ting to come and see the results.
The hardware structure has been optimized to its limit, but the core neural feedback algorithm always exhibits a slight, imperceptible delay when processing certain complex, non-standardized action commands.
However, this delay cannot be eliminated in the short term; we can only try to optimize the algorithm as much as possible.
Ye Yuying was still not satisfied with the delivered product, even though the team had worked countless sleepless nights on it.
When Feng Ting arrived, it was a gloomy afternoon.
The atmosphere in Ashera's research and development lab was so tense it was almost frozen.
Without any unnecessary preamble, Ye Yuying personally donned the v2.0 prototype, which was lighter and more streamlined than the first generation.
She manipulated the exoskeleton to stand up slowly. This time, the process of standing up was almost seamless. The coordination between the hydraulic feedback and the bioelectric sensors was significantly smoother. She walked steadily for a few steps in the laboratory, completed a smooth turn, and even completed a half-squatting motion.
All of this seemed more stable and smoother than during the internal testing session.
As Ye Yuying tried to turn sideways to avoid a suddenly appearing obstacle, the exoskeleton's left leg experienced that fatal delay of about 0.2 seconds.
In clinical practice, this could potentially disrupt the rhythm of movement and cause a person to fall.
Old Wu and the engineers were all sweating profusely.
Ye Yuying stopped moving and released the power from the exoskeleton.
She looked at Feng Ting, her face showing no panic or attempt to hide anything, and explained frankly.
"Mr. Feng, as you can see, this is the bottleneck we're currently facing. In the prediction and interpretation of neural commands for compound movements, we still have a theoretically unacceptable delay. This is the challenge we need your funding to overcome in the next stage."
Feng Ting remained calm, leaned back in his chair, and took a sip of tea that had been steeping for a while and was slightly bitter because he was watching the demonstration intently. He was a complete novice when it came to technology. They had indeed made some progress, but he didn't understand the data regarding technical latency.
"It's pretty good." It's unclear whether this is a comment on the tea or on the second-generation product.
He then slowly stood up, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and walked around the second-generation Ashera prototype, as if examining an item waiting to be auctioned.
His gaze darted between Ye Yuying and the exoskeleton on her foot, then paused abruptly. "Today's demo was more stable than I expected, but..."
He turned to look at Ye Yuying, bent down slightly, and looked at her almost at eye level.
"You still have a long way to go before you can commercialize your business."
Ding Chu gripped the pen nervously, his palms sweating.
"However, the completion rate is higher than I expected. We can discuss the additional investment agreement later." Feng Ting's tone softened.
...
Ding Chu and Lao Wu were completely stunned.
That's... all?
Seeing her shocked expression, Feng Ting's smile deepened.
Although he was just an outsider watching the spectacle, Cheng Mingdu was unlikely to let his sister lose too badly, and he spent every penny with great peace of mind.
Feng Ting left with his assistant, the door closing behind him, leaving only the few of them in the laboratory.
Old Wu finally couldn't help but mutter, "He's really decisive. The second round is a deal starting at 50 million... My hands are shaking."
*
Feng Ting has a foundation that hosted a charity gala themed "Accessible Living in the Future," and sent an invitation to Ye Yuying.
Ye Yuying didn't want to go; she didn't really like too many business-related events where people flatter each other. But since the funding round hadn't closed yet, she thought that showing her face might help her secure some opportunities.
It's all about money.
On the night of the party, Ye Yuying appeared alone in that quiet yet luxurious space filled with artistic atmosphere.
She was dressed in a low-key black pantsuit and leaned on a lightweight cane, looking somewhat out of place among the group of people dressed in glamorous evening gowns and champagne.
I didn't actively socialize with anyone; I just quietly, alone, admired the artworks in the exhibition hall.
She couldn't tell who was who, but she knew about the various bigwigs from snippets of conversation.
However, networking also depends on opportunity; without an opportunity, she has no chance to enter into a conversation.
The atmosphere at the party gradually warmed up, the lights were dimmed, and soft jazz music flowed through the air.
Ye Yuying, holding a glass of champagne, stopped beside a display stand featuring an abstract oil painting.
Her attention wasn't on anyone; she was secretly planning her strategy for the next round of financing.
However, at that moment, the hushed conversations in the room suddenly surged like a tide, and a noticeable commotion arose.
"Have you heard? The founder of 'Prometheus' has also come."
"Is that the startup team that just released their exoskeleton demo recently? They just won a national innovation award last month..."
"Yes, I heard they have two large funds behind them, they're coming on strong."
"Could this be officially endorsed?"
"Prometheus." The name made Ye Yuying's fingers tighten.
Prometheus, a competitor in the same field, rose to prominence in just a few months. It is working on artificial exoskeletons and even subtly compared the technological shortcomings of the first generation of Ashera in its promotional materials—their intelligent feedback algorithm claims "zero latency," although industry insiders know this is an exaggeration, but for investors, this gimmick is eye-catching enough.
A man appeared in the crowd.
He was tall and slender, dressed in a well-tailored blue-black suit, exuding a powerful aura while maintaining a deliberate sense of approachability.
Jiang Yuran, CEO of Prometheus, is a few years older than Ye Yuying and can be considered a rising star in the startup world.
As soon as he appeared, he was immediately surrounded by several investors who began exchanging pleasantries.
"President Jiang, I heard that your second-generation prototype has completed closed-door testing?"
"Yes, Prometheus's speed is truly astonishing."
Ye Yuying listened from the side, but her heart was still full of doubts—she didn't know if the closed-door test was just a publicity stunt, or if they really had a perfect technical approach.
However, just as she was about to turn away and not want to get involved in this mess, Jiang Yuran seemed to notice her and his eyes lit up.
"Isn't this CEO Ye?"
He walked over with light steps, his smile carrying a hint of provocation.
"Nice to meet you, founder of Ashera." He extended his hand, his voice not loud, but it made several investors nearby look up.
Ye Yuying smiled faintly and extended her hand to shake his. "President Jiang, you flatter me."
"Not at all," Jiang Yuran bowed slightly, glancing down at the cane in her hand, then changed the subject, "I didn't expect that Ashera's second-generation product is about to be unveiled? Or... will President Feng announce something tonight?"
As soon as Jiang Yuran finished speaking, a slight commotion suddenly arose at the entrance of the party.
Feng Ting entered, and Cheng Mingdu stood beside him.
Ye Yuying's fingers paused slightly. She turned her head and saw a very familiar figure passing through the crowd.
He was still wearing a simple dark suit, with his shirt collar slightly unbuttoned. He looked aloof and noble, and his aura made the surrounding conversations unconsciously lower.
He walked side by side with Feng Ting, who seemed to be deliberately introducing him to the important figures in the room.
Jiang Yuran seemed surprised that Cheng Mingdu was there. He immediately raised his glass and hurried over to greet him: "President Cheng, President Feng!"
"President Jiang," Feng Ting greeted him politely.
Cheng Mingdu's gaze swept lightly over Jiang Yuran, without lingering on him, as if it were merely a polite response.
Jiang Yuran didn't let this opportunity slip by: "President Cheng, our Prometheus recently completed closed-door testing of a new generation of exoskeletons. I've heard that Baiyue Capital intends to make strategic investments in the medical technology field this year. I wonder if you'd be interested in learning about our technology roadmap?"
He deliberately lowered his voice, but his speech was packed with information, making it difficult for other startup CEOs to find an opportunity to interject, leaving them feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Knowing that she was Jiang Yuran's number one rival, Ye Yuying naturally couldn't let the conversation fall into her hands.
Jiang Yuran moved so quickly, as if he knew she had difficulty walking, that he went to meet her from afar, giving her no chance to even listen in.
She held a wine glass in her hand, and the condensed water droplets on the glass slid down her fingertips, just like her feelings at that moment, subtle and icy.
Cheng Mingdu reached out and accepted the champagne from the waiter, his long, slender fingers pausing slightly. His gaze swept past Jiang Yuran, seemingly unintentionally, but precisely landed on Ye Yuying.
But when Ye Yuying looked up, she found him looking elsewhere.
Jiang Yuran smiled and continued, "We already have ideas for the second-generation neurofeedback module, which theoretically can achieve a response delay of less than 0.05 seconds. This is also why we have attracted the attention of two international funds. Mr. Cheng, if you are interested, I would be happy to arrange an in-depth technical exchange."
He seemed to take a step forward intentionally or unintentionally, almost separating Ye Yuying from the line of sight between the two.
Looking at Jiang Yuran's calm and composed demeanor, Ye Yuying seemed to understand his little scheme to marginalize her. She couldn't believe that at his age, he was still playing these tricks like a primary school student.
Cheng Mingdu's expression remained unchanged; he merely nodded slightly, his tone aloof: "Discuss the technical exchange with President Feng."
Jiang Yuran was stunned for a moment, then seemed to immediately understand Qu Zhongyi's meaning.
Feng Ting knew nothing about technology; he was clearly just trying to get rid of him.
Then, Jiang Yuran changed the subject and brought up a very sensitive topic: "But speaking of which, I heard that Ashera's second-generation product will be launched soon?"
Ye Yuying's heart tightened slightly. She knew that Jiang Yuran was openly trying to drag her down with him.
Sure enough, Jiang Yuran naturally said to Cheng Mingdu, "President Cheng, you're probably still observing, right? Why don't we take this opportunity to have a friendly exchange among our peers?"
The surrounding investors immediately turned their attention to Ye Yuying.
There seemed to be a momentary pause in the air.
Cheng Mingdu finally shifted his gaze from Jiang Yuran to Ye Yuying. His gaze seemed heavy, more oppressive than any sharp words.
"A friendly spar?" Cheng Mingdu pursed his thin lips slightly, his fingertips gently stroking the stem of the champagne glass, making an almost imperceptible sound.
His gaze swept coldly over Jiang Yuran. "Who are you talking about sparring with whom?"
Jiang Yuran was slightly taken aback by that glance, but still maintained a polite smile: "Naturally, we are innovators in the same field. President Cheng, you should have heard that Ashera's second-generation product is also nearing completion—Prometheus and Ashera are both exoskeletons, but our core technologies are completely different. Such exchanges can inspire each other."
Ye Yuying gripped the wine glass in her hand tightly, feeling the competitive atmosphere spreading to her feet like black water.
The next second, she slowly turned to Jiang Yuran, a defiant smile curving her lips.
“A friendly spar… sounds good,” she said, gently swirling the wine in her glass. The red wine created an elegant ripple in the glass. She raised her chin and looked at Jiang Yuran with a cold, sharp smile.
"However, technology is not something to talk about at a cocktail party. If you really want to compare, why not wait until our second-generation prototype is made public and run a blind test?"
Jiang Yuran was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "President Ye is really confident."
“There’s nothing I can do,” she said softly, lowering her eyelashes. “I also look forward to groundbreaking new technologies in this industry.”
Those around her sensed the sharpness and subtle rivalry in her words, and they all wore meaningful expressions.
Prometheus's current products are still in the black box, and no one knows what they will look like. However, they have made several concept models, all of which are disruptive innovations full of technological sense.
Seeing that she had pulled the situation back, Jiang Yuran felt slightly displeased, but she still maintained a polite smile and turned to chat with the investors next to her.
The atmosphere relaxed.
Ye Yuying, holding her wine glass, retreated to a less conspicuous corner, raised her hand and stroked the curved surface of her cane with her fingertips, trying to slow her heartbeat.
The amount of champagne in her hand hasn't decreased at all since she entered; she simply treats it as a social decoration.
Ye Yuying stood in the corner, seemingly separated from the surrounding noise by a thin mist. She disliked such occasions, finding them too ostentatious and fake.
Just as she was taking a breather, a beautiful woman in a velvet dress walked over with a smile, raised her glass, and said, "President Ye, I've heard a lot about you. President Feng has mentioned you many times—there aren't many female entrepreneurs who can create hard-tech products like Ashera. Let me toast you."
Ye Yuying didn't know the other person, but since he approached her with women's issues, she had no choice but to accept it.
Ye Yuying was slightly taken aback, then smiled politely: "You're too kind."
Seeing this, several other entrepreneurs gathered around, laughing enthusiastically.
"Mr. Ye, this toast is also for you—we're all eagerly awaiting the debut of the second-generation Ashera."
"Mr. Ye, could you provide some inside information or a hint?"
The atmosphere was pushed to an irresistible level of enthusiasm.
She held the glass, feeling a bit conflicted. Alcohol wasn't exactly good for her health, but refusing every drink would seem too cold and make her lose face.
A glass of whiskey was handed to him from mid-air. Following the arm, he saw Jiang Yuran with a smile on his lips. The woman who had spoken to Ye Yuying earlier was now standing behind him, leaning against him like a little bird; she must be his female companion.
This couple... seems to be plotting against her in a roundabout way.
Ye Yuying slightly raised her chin and took it.
The spicy sensation instantly slid down her throat. She frowned slightly and immediately made an excuse to go to the restroom.
But Cheng Mingdu, who was standing not far away, saw the whole scene clearly.
He was talking to Feng Ting, but his attention was drawn to her. As he watched her tilt her head back, his eyebrows unconsciously lowered.
In that instant, his gaze was so sharp it seemed to slice through the glitz and glamour of the scene.
-----------------------
Author's note: 50~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
