Chapter 89
Even her breath is filled with her.
After experiencing a tumultuous emotional upheaval, Cheng Sangluo calmly accepted the fact that she had fallen in love with Lin Jin.
Even though this love, which she couldn't express, came on fiercely, she still chose to calm herself down and think things through. After all, besides missing the crazy woman she couldn't kiss or hug, there was another very important matter that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
She sat on the steps, hastily ate a couple of mouthfuls of the cold eight-treasure porridge, and then hurriedly ran into the study.
I haven't looked at the USB drive I found at Xu Songheng's house last night. Since it was hidden so well, it must contain some unspeakable secrets.
She barged into the study with the tin box, turned on the computer, and shook out the USB drive inside.
While waiting for the computer to boot up, she repeatedly flipped through the empty diary, trying to find more information.
Unfortunately, there was nothing unusual about the notebook, so I had to focus my attention on the USB drive.
As expected, Lin Jin's computer had a login password.
The puppy sat in the chair scratching its ears and cheeks, only to realize that it didn't even know when Lin Jin's birthday was.
She naturally wouldn't contact Lin Jin for the password, after all, that woman was extremely suspicious, and it would only cause more trouble.
Unable to think of the password, the person actually asked the smart assistant, "Cheng Sangluo, do you know what the computer's power-on password is?"
"Master, you're such a dense idiot, you don't even know your own login password."
"I asked you for the password, why are you complaining?" Cheng Sangluo rolled her eyes impatiently, thinking that this smart device was too smart, and urged, "Do you know it or not? If you know, tell me now. If you don't know, shut up and stop babbling on and on."
"Hmph, you're begging me, can't you be a little nicer?"
"You!" Cheng Sangluo was speechless for a moment, then mumbled incoherently, "I've never seen an AI that talks more nonsense than a human, so tell me now!"
The puppy suddenly realized that this lousy thing had a temperament somewhat similar to its own. How did Lin Jin manage to adjust it? Could their personalities be the same?
The smart assistant paused for a few seconds, then floated out three words: "Beg~me~".
Cheng Sangluo was so angry that she bared her teeth and spat out each word: "I, beg, beg, you."
"You can't ask me like that. You have to treat me better. You have to praise me and compliment me."
Well, they really do have the same temper; when they get angry, they're completely out of control!
"You're the smartest one, the guardian of our family. You protect the safety of the house and make sure the appliances work. You've worked so hard, here's a big red flower for you." Cheng Sangluo praised through gritted teeth, thinking to himself: Give you a big red flower my foot! When my wife comes back, I'll uninstall you.
"Hmph, you're definitely cursing me in your heart!"
What?! They even guessed that?! Are you sure this is AI, or some real person hiding in the shadows?
Cheng Sangluo's eyes widened, and she pleaded in a gentle voice, "Oh, please, please~"
"Okay, the computer password is the same as the door lock password at home. You didn't even know that? You're so stupid!" the smart home assistant answered truthfully, not forgetting to give a sarcastic remark at the end.
"What the hell? What kind of lousy AI is this?" Cheng Sangluo cursed and quickly typed the password on the keyboard.
As she watched the boot screen unlock, she held her breath, looking somewhat nervous. But when she finally clicked on the USB drive, she quickly deflated like a wilted balloon.
There isn't even a clickable icon on the USB drive.
"Impossible!" Cheng Sangluo said in a low voice, exiting the page and re-entering it, but still nothing. "It's hidden like a treasure trove, how come there's nothing here? Are you kidding me?"
She leaned back in her chair, dejected, and pondered for a moment, thinking that she couldn't possibly go to Ji Nanxing.
After all, this is considered trespassing and stealing other people's property. Going to the law-abiding police would only cause unnecessary trouble.
She picked up the tin box again and examined it carefully. It was such a small piece that she couldn't find anything suspicious. So she turned her attention to the blank notebook.
Thinking about how all the trouble he had gone through last night to find this clue had come to nothing, he angrily threw what he was holding onto the table.
Forget it, we can't find any reliable clues in a short time. It's better to hide the things first and hand them over to Lin Jin when the time is right. That woman has many tricks up her sleeve, and she might be able to find out the secrets.
Cheng Sangluo rolled her eyes at the air, probably complaining that she had been teased by the smart butler and had accomplished nothing!
After calming herself down, she resumed her seemingly endless work of carving seals.
Strangely enough, Cheng Sangluo calmed down considerably when the engraving knife in her hand landed on the stone, despite her initial agitation at not finding any clues.
She didn't let her mind wander, but recalled the words the crazy woman had said when she asked for the seal to be engraved. She didn't understand the deeper meaning behind them, nor did she understand the value of such a small seal.
Cheng Sangluo pursed her lips and shook her head. In the end, the only answer she came up with was that crazy women like to torment themselves. What other meaning could it have?
But that cunning woman did get the result she wanted, because how could she not remember something she did over and over again?
Lin Jin's name was engraved on the stone, and unintentionally, it was also engraved in Cheng Sangluo's heart. The strokes were straight and even, and could not be described as engraving, but rather as branding.
The memory is etched so deeply that her breathtaking face is imprinted on my mind; I see her every time I open or close my eyes, and even my breath carries her image.
How awful! That crazy woman is so annoying, always trying to bully me, always having a perverse sense of humor to humiliate me, and always using education as an excuse to spout those twisted theories.
But now, when I think of her, I can't muster even a trace of jealousy or resentment.
Her unpleasantness, her wickedness, her unpredictability, and her cunning mind have all now transformed into a gentle, tender quality, softening Cheng Sangluo's senses.
"Lin Jin." Cheng Sangluo slowly murmured as she carved, satisfied with her increasingly skillful technique. She even raised an eyebrow as she blew away the shavings, and her pronunciation became more certain: "Yes, Lin Jin."
The study was quiet, and the person engrossed in carving was completely focused.
Cheng Sangluo was unaware that she was already caught in the entanglement of carving seals and longing. Perhaps others found it quite boring to watch, but she was so engrossed in carving that she forgot herself.
Because of joy, one forgets oneself, and so time flows or stands still, every stroke of the pen becomes a source of longing.
Lin Jinming was not present, yet he existed in the smallest details.
She effortlessly stirred Cheng Sangluo's heart amidst his memories and longings, between silent reflections and ramblings.
*
Zhongyao Technology owns a five-story standalone office building in the center of Zehai City.
These technology research and development companies have fully benefited from the era's dividends, and their development is naturally booming. Moreover, they have the support of the huge Senyao Capital behind them, so their future is very bright.
The company's legal representative is Jin Manni, while Lin Jin is the behind-the-scenes boss. It uses multiple layers of shell companies, so Lin Sheng hasn't discovered any signs of this yet.
In other words, Lin Jin hid Zhong Yao very well in preparation for any eventuality.
Lin Jin hadn't expected to merge Zhongyao Technology into Senyao so quickly. However, due to the Lin Group's final preparations for its IPO and the performance-based agreement, he had to push forward the research and development of several major projects.
Because it involves important confidential information, today's meeting is not large in scale. In addition to her and Jin Manni, there is another person who rarely appears in public who will be attending.
Lin Jin sat at Jin Manni's desk, the mountain of documents and files giving her a headache.
She paid little attention to the contents of the document, seemingly patiently waiting for the important person to appear.
Jin Manni was busy serving tea when a few rhythmic knocks suddenly came from the door.
"Come in." Lin Jin leaned lazily in his office chair, looked up at the woman who had entered, and greeted her with a fake smile: "Long time no see."
Wei Yun was followed by two guards. Before entering the door, she deliberately turned around and gave a look, probably to arrange for her own people to guard the door.
The meeting was very formal, so Wei Lian was dressed in a crisp military uniform, implying that the trip was for official business.
She took off her military cap and held it on her arm, then walked steadily to the desk before responding to Lin Jin's greeting: "President Lin, it's been many years since we last met. How have you been?"
Lin Jin leaned forward, placed her hands on the table and gently lifted her chin, saying in a drawn-out tone, "Thanks to Wei Lian, I'm as well as I could be."
Wei Yun's gaze fell on her injured ankle, and he raised an eyebrow: "I suppose President Lin isn't as good as he says."
"Sit down." Lin Jin gestured to the guest chair in front of the desk. "Wei Lian is a very busy man, he shouldn't mind a cup or two of tea, right? Everyone's time is tight, so let's get down to business as soon as possible?"
Jin Manni glanced helplessly at Lin Jin, but still handed the hot tea in her hand to Wei Yun, saying, "Please enjoy."
"Thank you," Wei Yun said politely, then turned to look at Lin Jin.
She had intended to say something unrelated, but looking into Lin Jin's eyes, she seemed to understand something, so she got straight to the point: "I think Engineer Jin should have reported our intentions to President Lin, right?"
The following conversation involves confidential information, and we hope that you two will not disclose it to others to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.
There will be a large-scale joint exercise early next year. Our region hopes to deploy new combat tactics. Given the usefulness of the last close-range combat data collection, after careful consideration, the leaders hope to deploy newer, more effective, and integrated close-range combat drones this time.
Although drone exercises are not a new topic, your company's research and development has always been at the forefront, especially in the field of AI. Could you combine human and machine to conduct a brand-new research and development for all aspects of real combat, including reconnaissance, offense, and defense?
If your design can be used in actual combat and satisfies our side, we will invest a lot of R&D funds, buy out your R&D technology after successful trial, and may even merge Zhongyao Technology into the military industry for long-term R&D.
From a developmental perspective, such cooperation may not make you rich, but from a future perspective, establishing a long-term partnership with us is a very effective operational guarantee.
For the sake of the country and its people, driven by a sense of mission and dedication, this is undoubtedly the right choice.
"Wei Lian, thank you for your trust and willingness to cooperate with us a second time. However, we also have our difficulties. Research and development not only requires financial investment, but also more time for design and testing."
With only six months left until early next year, we cannot guarantee that we can design a product that satisfies you before the exercise.
If I'm not mistaken, no other similar R&D company would make such a guarantee, and you certainly haven't only approached us.
Lin Jin stared at the mountain of documents in front of him and revealed the biggest problem he was facing, his face showing the look of a businessman who seeks profit and avoids harm.
She was naturally eager to reach a second cooperation agreement, which would be the trump card in the performance-based agreement. However, any hidden risks had to be brought to the table for discussion, which is also a quality of an investor in avoiding risks.
“I understand your difficulties, but time is of the essence. I hope you can find a way to put other projects aside. The combat data collection a few years ago was truly impressive, which is why the leadership trusts your company so much.” Wei Yun spoke in a high-sounding manner, but also extended an olive branch. “It’s not that there are no other options, but I would prefer to cooperate with you. A win-win situation is the result that we both want to see, and you have no reason to refuse me.”
Wei Lian's words were full of hidden meaning. While waiting for Lin Jin's response, he picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and smiled meaningfully.
Lin Jin understood what she wanted to say, then glanced at Jin Manni and instructed, "Engineer Jin, please go out for a moment. Wei Lian and I have some private matters to discuss."
[Author's Note]
1. My pre-order novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for collection.
2. You wouldn't believe it, Lin Jin and Wei Lian are old acquaintances.
3. The plot explains the reason; expect the content to continue in the next chapter.
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