Chapter 75: Show Me Some Rings While We’re Here!

The next morning, Xiaoyu ordered Chen Mo to put on a suit and head to the company. The leaders of the four major smartphone giants were coming today, which even surprised Chen Mo a little.

Logically, an issue about licensing a battery technology shouldn’t require the top bosses of those four giants to come in person.

“I didn’t expect you to look so handsome in a suit.” As soon as Zhao Min saw Chen Mo and Xiaoyu arrive, she teased him.

Normally, when Chen Mo showed up at the company, he wore typical casual clothes for a science guy. It was rare to see him in formal wear. Seeing him like this now, he looked very steady and confident.

“I think I’m quite handsome too.” Chen Mo nodded seriously.

“I was talking about the suit.” Zhao Min laughed.

“My clothes are all picked by Xiaoyu, so of course they look good. When I changed into this, she stared so hard her eyes were glued to me.”

As soon as Chen Mo said that, Xiaoyu, sitting beside him, blushed and wrinkled her nose at him.

Zhao Min just rolled her eyes at both of them.

“But this tie feels too tight around the neck. My regular clothes are much more comfortable.” Chen Mo loosened his tie as he spoke.

“It’s better to dress formally when meeting people for the first time.” Xiaoyu quickly added. If it weren’t for her insisting he wear it, Chen Mo would probably have come in his usual casual clothes.

“General Manager Yu should be here by nine, so he should arrive soon.” Zhao Min checked the time.

Right after she spoke, Yu Chengnan walked in with a staff member.

“It’s been a while, Chairman Chen, General Manager Zhao.” Seeing them both, Yu Chengnan smiled and shook hands with them.

“We were just talking about your arrival. Please, come this way.” Zhao Min led the group toward the company’s reception room.

“This visit, first is about the Carbon Crystal Battery matter. Also, I wanted to ask if the Smart Assistant could be licensed?” Yu Chengnan sat down in the reception room and got straight to the point.

“The Smart Assistant is already in the app store. Licensing shouldn’t be needed for that, right?” Chen Mo smiled.

“That’s the bilingual version. I mean the multilingual version. We have quite a lot of business in Europe, and operations worldwide in general.” Yu Chengnan was straightforward.

“That… is honestly a bit tricky.” Chen Mo said.

“Chairman Chen, please state whatever conditions you may have. We signed a strategic partnership memorandum last time and are cooperating partners now.” Yu Chengnan pressed on.

“It’s not impossible to license the multilingual Smart Assistant to you. How about a mutual arrangement? You provide your company’s Smart Chip to our company, and I’ll license the multilingual Smart Assistant to you.”

Huawei’s NPU used very precise 10nm technology, making it a top-tier artificial intelligence mobile chip. Running the Army Ant System and the Smart Assistant on the Smart Chip would boost performance significantly.

But Huawei’s Smart Chip was never sold to others, just like Apple’s processors.

Chen Mo’s words made Yu Chengnan thoughtful. Both technologies were unique to their respective companies. If they gave the Smart Chip to Legion Ant Company, Huawei’s phone uniqueness would be gone. Competing purely on design against Legion Ant Company was tough.

“So that’s Chairman Chen’s condition? I’ll need to take this back and discuss it with the board. I don’t have the final say in this area.” Yu Chengnan replied.

“Of course.” Chen Mo nodded.

“Then, shall we officially sign the strategic cooperation agreement we talked about previously today?” Yu Chengnan asked with a smile.

“No problem.” Chen Mo nodded.

…

After signing the strategic cooperation agreement and seeing Yu Chengnan off, Chen Mo went back to his Laboratory. However, he hadn’t been there long before Xiaoyu called him down again.

Because Lei Jun from Xiaomi had already arrived. Besides battery technology, Lei Jun also brought up the matter of the Smart Assistant.

But Chen Mo didn’t agree for now. After all, the Smart Assistant was their company’s trump card. Unless something really moved Chen Mo, licensing out the multilingual version anytime soon was impossible.

With the heads of OPPO and Vivo also coming, Chen Mo spent the entire day in meetings.

That afternoon, Zhao Min had someone announce the news about reaching strategic partnerships with all four major phone companies.

This news caused quite a stir. It meant Legion Ant Company had gained recognition from the top four phone giants.

A new domestic phone company had forcefully entered the scene. The future of the phone market was about to get a lot more interesting. However, Legion Ant Company mainly targeted the top-tier high-end market. Their main competitors were Apple, Huawei, and Samsung. This wouldn’t affect other phone brands too much.

Samsung’s share in the domestic market was nearly gone anyway. So the real rivals were Huawei and Apple.

On the way back, Chen Mo leaned against the car seat, looking out the window at the scenery. Today, he truly felt it—all that meeting and talking was even more exhausting than his research in the lab.

“Is something on your mind?” Xiaoyu noticed Chen Mo seemed off.

“No, nothing. Just felt worn out from today’s meetings.” Chen Mo said.

“Then rest. You work on research every single day, you don’t need to be so tightly wound up. The company is stable now; you don’t have to work like a horse constantly.” Xiaoyu, sitting beside him, said gently.

“Maybe tonight you can come out with me? Lighten my mood?” Chen Mo turned to Xiaoyu with a smile.

Seeing his expression, Xiaoyu didn’t refuse. She gave a small nod.

That evening, Chen Mo took Xiaoyu out. He had Wang Hai drive them to Trade Plaza. It was the mall where they had their very first date.

“Hey, there’s a jewelry shop. Let’s go see.” Just inside the mall entrance, Chen Mo spotted it not too far away.

Seeing Xiaoyu’s bare wrists and neck, Chen Mo didn’t wait for any protest. He took her hand and pulled her along. Every time he thought about getting her something, she found an excuse to refuse. Chen Mo knew Xiaoyu just didn’t want to spend his money.

Strangely, after being together so long, he hadn’t even gotten her flowers once. Meanwhile, Xiaoyu took care of his daily life. He felt like he might not be the best boyfriend.

“Why buy these things?”

Once inside the jewelry store, pulled firmly by Chen Mo, Xiaoyu sighed, “I don’t need to wear this stuff.”

“Nonsense. Zhao Min said I’m mistreating you. That you’re my girlfriend but I haven’t given you anything, and you still work like a horse for me.”

“Did Sister Zhao say that? Who’s working like a horse?” Xiaoyu wrinkled her nose at Chen Mo.

“Hello, how can I help you today?”

Chen Mo had just led the reluctant Xiaoyu into the jewelry shop when a female salesperson smiled and greeted them.

“A necklace.” Chen Mo said.

“Of course, necklaces are right over here.” The salesperson led them to a glass counter.

“Pick one you like. My treat.”

“You pick for me.” Xiaoyu murmured softly.

“Alright. Please take this one out.”

Chen Mo pointed to an exquisitely crafted jade Buddha pendant necklace displayed on a mannequin.

“Sir, you have such a good eye. This necklace has our finest craftsmanship. It’s truly one of a kind. Its name is ‘Heart of Buddha’. This Maitreya Buddha pendant is made from jade, shaped and carved by a famous master jade artisan. The chain is white gold. It symbolizes rising above worldly troubles and always wearing a smile. It would suit her perfectly.”

“Let me help her try it on.” Chen Mo carefully took the necklace handed over by the salesperson and fastened it around Xiaoyu’s neck.

“Sir, your girlfriend is truly beautiful. This necklace suits her very much. Her gentle and serene aura makes this necklace look much better on her than any other style might.” The salesperson looked at Xiaoyu and smiled.

Chenmo also turned Xiaoyu slightly to look properly. She really did look beautiful. Xiaoyu had a gentle, quiet elegance, and this pendant just highlighted that quality even more.

Feeling Chen Mo’s direct gaze upon her, Xiaoyu’s face flushed. Happiness bloomed in her expression.

“How much?” Chen Mo asked.

“A hundred and eighty-eight thousand. We have a promotion, a 5% discount.”

“This expensive?”

Before Chen Mo could speak, Xiaoyu’s face showed shock. She hurriedly reached to take the necklace off.

“Leave it on.” Chen Mo stopped her hand. He handed his bank card to the salesperson: “While we’re here, show me some rings, please.”

Xiaoyu, her hand held by Chen Mo, forgot to pull away. She stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment, her brain seeming to stop. When it finally caught up, a blush spread instantly from her cheeks all the way down her neck.