Chapter 92 I think I've become completely dependent on it...
At the end of June, the temperature difference between day and night is quite large. It rained sometime last night, and the ground in the yard is wet. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the huge ginkgo tree in the corner, and the dense leaves rustled and turned, as if thousands of small green fans were clapping together. The water droplets that fell from the leaves pattered down, as if another shower of crystal stars had been sprinkled.
Although it was Saturday, the three children were already up early, playing a game of collecting leaves in the yard. Their cheerful laughter, like that of birds, drifted crisply into the villa's living room.
However, Chen Jiashu, who had just finished breakfast and was standing in the middle of the living room, had a dark face, and the temperature in the whole house seemed to have suddenly dropped to freezing point.
The problem started last night when Chen Jiashu handed the Tug to Lao Song to charge, but due to a small mistake like the plug not being inserted properly, it didn't charge at all.
Tug is now completely out of power and has stopped working.
The call was answered quickly.
"The meeting is postponed by an hour and a half." After saying that, he put his phone away and put it back in his pocket: "Hurry up and charge it."
Old Song felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly went to the corner to connect the power to Tug.
Standing at the corner of the stairs, Qin Qiao took in everything. A gentle smile curved her lips as she gracefully descended the stairs.
“Jia Shu”.
Hearing this, Chen Jiashu turned around, his tense jawline softening slightly. He leaned on his white cane and walked towards her, saying, "I'm going back to my study."
Qin Qiao stopped and reached out to grasp his left arm, gently pressing her fingertips on his taut forearm: "Chairman Chen, have you forgotten? Before you had Tug, didn't you always have a 'lifetime guide for the blind' named Qin Qiao by your side? Her service period was for a lifetime, and... she would never run out of power."
There was a hint of jealousy in her words. Chen Jiashu was amused by her and his smile widened. He took her fingertips in his hand and squeezed them: "Okay, we'll leave after you've had breakfast."
*
The crescent moon hung obliquely, its silvery light falling on Qin Qiao's long, black hair.
She was standing on the balcony having a video call with Yang Shuhua.
In the video, Yang Shuhua leans back on the sofa with a gentle, contented smile on her face.
Yang Shuhua told her that she had received the cordyceps gift box that Jiashu had sent the day before yesterday.
Chen Jiashu, who had just entered the bedroom, overheard this and, supporting himself against the wall, walked toward the balcony.
Qin Qiao went up to him and immediately turned her phone screen towards him: "Jiashu, I'm video chatting with my mom."
Chen Jiashu stopped and said gently, "Mom."
His handsome face filled the small frame in the upper right corner, and Yang Shuhua's smile deepened, her tone becoming even gentler: "Jiashu, thank you for always thinking of me."
The three chatted for a while longer, frequently bursting into light laughter. Around eight o'clock, Yang Shuhua's favorite TV series was about to start, so she said she was going to watch TV. Qin Qiao reluctantly hung up the video call.
Then, she took Chen Jiashu's hand, and the two of them turned around and went into the bathroom together.
Just before Qin Qiao lay down to sleep, Chen Jiashu turned around and faced her.
He frowned slightly: "Qiaoqiao, I think... I've become completely dependent on Tug."
"This is a good thing. We're all happy that it can help you." Qin Qiao pulled the blanket up to her long neck.
Chen Jiashu frowned even more: "But I was just thinking... 'Star Technology' is riding high right now, but there are no invincible generals in the business world. If, I mean if, some giant acquires it in the future, or if the founder wakes up one day and finds that the project has invested a lot but has never been profitable, will he... shut it down?"
Chen Jiashu's concerns are not unfounded. If the company decides to stop the project due to acquisition, poor management, or strategic adjustments, the servers, once shut down, will become like a robot with its chip removed, unable to navigate intelligently, turning into nothing more than a "brick."
Over the past six months, Tug has indeed helped Chen Jiashu regain a sense of control over his life. When a person's dependence on a product deepens, their worries are no longer those of a consumer about a product, but rather like the worry of "organ transplant" regarding whether "anti-rejection drugs" will be discontinued.
"Jia Shu, you mean to..."
What Qin Qiao didn't say was that she felt it was unrealistic. Star Technology wasn't Chen Cheng's previous company that they could easily acquire; it was a company with a market value of 20 billion. Moreover, their focus was on electronics, and forcibly acquiring an AI company with little synergy with their core business would likely be met with board approval from the outset.
Chen Jiashu understood what she meant and shook his head: "I want to meet their president and have a good talk. If we share the same ideals, I'll take one or two hundred million yuan from my foundation every year to help myself and all visually impaired people like me. What do you think?"
One or two hundred million a year is not a small amount, but it can provide a stable source of funding for this project. Qin Qiao believes that there must be many people who share the same concerns, and those with the ability are likely to make the same choice as Chen Jiashu.
This is a virtuous act that benefits both oneself and others, and brings good to everyone. Qin Qiao naturally supports it; she hugs Chen Jiashu's arm and nods emphatically.
A week later, they arrived at the building where the company was located.
Accompanying them was Yosuke.
They had made an appointment in advance and were able to enter the company smoothly. They were greeted by the company's vice president, Deng Lei. After a brief exchange of pleasantries and handshakes, Deng Lei led them to an elegant reception room.
The interior furnishings are simple yet dignified, with two large black leather sofas placed opposite each other in a "two" shape, flanked by a single sofa on each side, and a light-colored solid wood coffee table in the middle.
Qin Qiao and Chen Jiashu sat side by side on the sofa, Assistant Ye sat on the single sofa on the right, and Vice President Deng sat opposite them.
After everyone was seated, Deng Lei took the initiative to greet them: "I apologize, everyone, but our president has an important international video conference coming up and is unable to attend. He has specifically entrusted me to make sure you are all well taken care of."
Chen Jiashu smiled and replied, "Mr. Deng, you're too kind. We've been too kind. We understand that your company is very busy."
A neatly dressed female assistant brought tea, placed it gently beside each person, and then quietly withdrew.
Chen Jiashu spent about ten minutes explaining his purpose, and General Manager Deng listened attentively throughout, wearing a standard official smile.
Both sides knew perfectly well that if the CEO truly wanted to talk, he wouldn't have avoided meeting with them. This current arrangement, however, already implied that a deeper discussion was impossible.
I imagine they've received quite a few people like them during this period.
Chen Jiashu didn't care; they had just misunderstood.
Finally, Chen Jiashu earnestly emphasized that his purpose in coming here was not to covet their technology, but to become their "charitable partner."
However, the vice president tactically cleared his throat: "Chairman Chen, I completely understand your concerns. To be honest, this is also a core issue that has been repeatedly discussed within our company. But please rest assured."
He paused for a moment: "Our 'electronic guide dog' project will absolutely, ever stop. The first major thing our president did after the project was on track was to completely spin it off from the main company and establish an independent subsidiary called 'Star Wish'. Furthermore, he injected all the project's patents, data, brand, and legal obligations of 'lifetime maintenance' into it."
"This is the highest principle written into the company's articles of association and cannot be changed."
Qin Qiao and Chen Jiashu were undoubtedly shocked. How much determination must that have taken?
Chen Jiashu nodded in admiration: "President Deng, your company president's vision and determination are truly admirable. This is no longer just business; it's the creation of a monument of merit. As a beneficiary of this project, I want to contribute a drop of water to the spring you've dug, a spring that will never run dry. Let this spring nourish more people like me who are waiting for light in the darkness."
Although Mr. Deng was moved by their kindness and vision, he still subtly indicated that the company would not accept any cooperation related to 'electronic guide dogs'.
Seeing that the negotiations had failed, Chen Jiashu had no choice but to get up and take his leave. Deng Lei escorted them all the way to the company building and watched them get into a Mercedes-Benz seven-seater van.
After the car drove away, he turned and went straight to the president's office.
*
After leaving, the vehicle drove for a short while before entering the ground parking lot of "Kamic Global Park," the largest park in Beijing.
Besides business, they also brought their three children with them to Beijing. Since it wasn't summer or winter vacation, the tourist attractions wouldn't be too crowded, so they could have a good day out.
Two nannies and children were already waiting at the entrance. Chen Jiashu and Qin Qiao got out of the car one after the other, and the driver went around to the trunk and carried the electronic guide dog, which weighed only about 40 kilograms, to the ground.
Qin Qiao pulled Chen Jiashu over, bent down to turn on the power, and then took the tow rope from the driver and handed it to Chen Jiashu.
With Tug, Chen Jiashu no longer needed Qin Qiao's help or support and could walk alongside them naturally.
When Tug is in normal mode, it acts like a well-trained guide dog, skillfully helping him avoid various obstacles.
"Dad, Mom!"
The children saw them from afar and ran towards them, shouting as they went.
Chen Jiashu's left arm was grabbed by Xixi and shaken. She said excitedly, "Daddy, I heard a little girl who just walked by say that there is a huge haunted house inside. I really want to go on an adventure."
Chen Jiashu smiled indulgently: "You can play whatever you want today. Dad and Mom will stay with you all day."
Zhaoye and Danie are both grown up, and being boys, they've long passed the age of being spoiled. The two of them led the way, and their large group entered the park by swiping their ID cards.
As soon as Xixi and Zhaoye entered the amusement park, they rushed straight into the crowd like birds released from their cages. The nannies quickly followed, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared from sight.
The steady Danie always walked on Chen Jiashu's left, and the father and son walked slowly side by side.
When Qin Qiao occasionally turned around, she would catch Danielle glancing at Chen Jiashu from time to time, watching his every move.
Although it's not peak tourist season, there are still a steady stream of visitors, but thankfully it's not so crowded as to be packed with people.
Chen Jiashu wasn't wearing sunglasses and was walking a stylish, cutting-edge tech dog. Many passersby didn't think he was blind, so no one gave him any leeway. Fortunately, Tug had accurate environmental prediction and dynamic obstacle avoidance capabilities, and Chen Jiashu and Tug worked well together, so the two of them walked steadily and calmly.
Reaching a sycamore tree, Chen Jiashu suddenly stopped and turned his head: "Danie."
The footsteps had been too noisy earlier, but now that it was a bit quieter, he could distinguish Danie's footsteps.
“Dad,” Danie responded softly.
"Why didn't you go play?" Chen Jiashu asked, somewhat surprised.
Danie's eyes flickered for a moment before she said, "I...I don't really like amusement parks."
Chen Jiashu habitually looked around, then looked down and asked, "Where's Mom?"
Danie saw Qin Qiao, who was taking pictures of them with her phone ten meters away: "Mom, take pictures of us again."
Qin Qiao put down her phone and jogged over from the crowd: "You only just realized Danie was still here?"
Chen Jiashu realized that she was deliberately not reminding him, waiting for him to discover it on his own.
Chen Jiashu turned to Danie again: "Danie, go play with Xixi and the others. Dad and Mom will just take a walk."
The child said "Oh!" and ran away.
"Let's go," Qin Qiao reminded him, her words carrying a double meaning.
The couple strolled slowly through the bustling crowd, chatting about company affairs, family matters, and their children's future academic plans. They talked back and forth, and soon they found Zhaoye playing shooting games and stopped together to his left.
Hearing the continuous "bang! bang! bang!" of gunfire, Chen Jiashu turned his face toward the source of the sound:
"I remember when we were dating, I played this game too, and I even won you a life-sized pink teddy bear." Chen Jiashu recalled the blurry images of the past.
Although he had lost sight in his left eye by then, it didn't affect his 5.0 vision in his right eye, so his shooting accuracy was still pretty good. I remember that every time he hit a target, Qin Qiao would jump up and cheer excitedly.
Qin Qiao took a picture of Zhang Zhaoye's cool and handsome back as he fired a gun. Upon hearing this, she put down her hand and replied with a smile, "Of course I remember. I brought this teddy bear back to the dormitory, and they were so envious."
As they were talking, a somewhat older woman's voice interrupted: "Don't block the way, move aside."
Chen Jiashu stepped aside to let the man pass.
Qin Qiao stepped forward: "Let's not stand in the middle of the road, let's go find Xi Xi and Danie."
As they crossed the arched bridge leading to the Misty Forest area, Chen Jiashu mentioned the information about Star Technology that he had asked Zhang Zhu to investigate three days earlier: "Star Technology has been established for nearly four years, and for the first three years, almost all of its resources were poured into 'guide dogs.' In a field where technology iterates so rapidly, such long-term investment regardless of cost either indicates a family with deep resources or... astonishing capital backing it up."
The sound of water flowing gently under the bridge; the two walked down the bridge.
Qin Qiao chimed in: "Either serve yourself... or serve others..."
Could it be that this was designated by certain organizations?
The two seemed completely absorbed in a murder mystery game, unraveling its intricacies with each conversation, finding it increasingly fascinating. The main reason was the founder's enigmatic nature: refusing to appear at press conferences, declining camera exposure, and resembling a reclusive 'knight-errant' from ancient times—a figure both pure and enigmatic in today's fame-driven world.
Four years.
Four years.
Chen Jiashu repeatedly pondered the word "four years," and suddenly recalled a casual conversation he had with Chairman Wang, a former friend of Zhu Ao, during a dinner with several senior executives four months prior.
Chairman Wang laughed and said, "Little Zhu... he went to Beijing after leaving Huaxin. It's been more than three years. Oh, a year ago, my old friend of his invested in his company. He's doing very well. It's some kind of technology company... I think. Wait, maybe I misheard."
Chen Jiashu suddenly stopped.
Qin Qiao, who was still walking forward, noticed that Chen Jiashu hadn't followed. She turned around and saw the man standing there with a solemn expression.
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