In the early morning, while the entire company building was still shrouded in the dim light of dawn, Jason, having ended his sleep mode, was already standing outside the Vice President's lounge, knocking on the door.
Jason: [Mr. Shen, it is time to wake up.]
Jason: [Mr. Shen, it is time to wake up.]
...
Inside the room, Shen Qinian, who had been jolted awake, lay paralyzed on the bed for a full two minutes before he managed to force his eyes open and regain some semblance of consciousness. When he saw 6:30 displayed on his phone, he nearly had a breakdown. Wiping his face, he climbed out of bed with a look of utter despair and opened the door.
"Jason..." Shen Qinian let out a long yawn and shoved his phone screen in front of the small robot's face in accusation. "It’s only six-thirty. Do you understand what six-thirty means? I stayed up with Xie Chengnan until one in the morning working overtime. I’ve only slept for five hours and you’re already here to summon my soul..."
Jason looked puzzled: [Did you not tell Jason to wake you after Nan got up?]
"Xie Chengnan is up?" Shen Qinian looked incredulous. "What is he doing up so early?" That guy usually didn't show up at the office until nine; waking up at this hour was simply bizarre.
Jason answered honestly: [Nan went for a morning run.]
"..." Shen Qinian looked like he had seen a ghost. "He doesn't plan on running every day, does he?"
Jason tilted his head and thought for a moment: [He used to run every day, but he has not done so for a long time.]
Since he couldn't fall back asleep anyway, Shen Qinian ran his fingers through his hair and squatted down to chat with the little robot. "Has he finally realized that sleeping in is beneficial for physical and mental health?"
Jason asked in confusion: [But Nan clearly told A-Yuan that morning exercise is beneficial for physical and mental health.]
Shen Qinian: "..." The "Old Driver" in him immediately went online.
His eyes lit up with a thirst for gossip, and he pulled the talkative Jason closer to whisper conspiratorially about "family matters."
When Xie Chengnan returned from his run, he saw the man and the machine huddled together, whispering. Shen Qinian’s mischievous grin was visible from seven or eight meters away.
"What are you two doing, acting so sneaky?" Xie Chengnan walked over while wiping away sweat.
Shen Qinian jumped slightly. He tried to stand up by bracing his knees, only to realize his legs had gone numb from squatting. Grimacing in pain, he said, "Just bonding with your Jason. You're back from your run?"
"Yeah." Xie Chengnan gave him a strange look. "I'm going to take a shower. Want to grab breakfast together?"
"Sure." Shen Qinian stood up and stretched his limbs, finally working out the stiffness. "See you in a bit."
Half an hour later, the two were sitting across from each other in the company cafeteria. Just as Xie Chengnan picked up his chopsticks, he received a WeChat message from his little boyfriend.
Your Little Darling A-Yuan: Are you awake yet? ~(^ ^)
Nan: I’m up. Having breakfast at the office.
Your Little Darling A-Yuan: I’m eating breakfast too~ [Attached Image.jpg]
Nan: Why didn't you sleep a bit longer?
Your Little Darling A-Yuan: I have an appointment...
Your Little Darling A-Yuan: The elderly gentleman is used to waking up early. We agreed to meet at eight to watch him carve woodblock prints.
Nan: Have you discussed the contract yet?
Your Little Darling A-Yuan: Not yet. We just chatted for a bit when we met yesterday. I’ll do a field inspection today and see.
The two chatted back and forth. Sitting opposite him, Shen Qinian watched Xie Chengnan take a sip of porridge and then a glance at his phone, the smile on his face never fading for a second.
"What are you so giddy about?" The Vice President tapped the table. "Do you even see your partner who got up early to have breakfast with you?"
Xie Chengnan didn't even look up, saying as a matter of course, "I'm talking to my baby. I don't have time for you."
"..." Shen Qinian felt at a loss for words. "Every time I hear you call him 'baby,' I just can't reconcile it with Young Master Jiang's face."
Xie Chengnan glanced at him but didn't respond.
Seeing his sour expression, Shen Qinian quickly changed the subject. "I looked into that private investigator thing you asked about yesterday. I’ve sent a few good ones to your email. You can take your pick later."
"Thanks." Xie Chengnan switched screens to check the information in his email.
Shen Qinian asked curiously, "Didn't you say last time that you weren't going to investigate anymore?"
Xie Chengnan looked at Jiang Yuan's profile picture on his phone. "I changed my mind."
"Fair enough." Shen Qinian shrugged. He was too curious to hold back, so he eventually asked, "I know you're looking into your family's bankruptcy back then. Is there really some inside story?"
"I just have some suspicions I want to confirm." Xie Chengnan didn't want to say more. He picked up a napkin, wiped the corner of his mouth, and stood up. "I'm heading to the lab. Let me know when the client arrives."
Shen Qinian could tell Xie Chengnan didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't press further and waved him off.
When Yao Duo and his party arrived at the company entrance, Xie Chengnan was called out of the lab by a phone call from Shen Qinian.
The man appeared to be in his early fifties, wearing rimless glasses. His speech and mannerisms didn't resemble a businessman's; he seemed more like a scholar.
To join in on the excitement today, Jason had specifically requested a day off from Weibo, clamoring to be the guide. Xie Chengnan couldn't win against him and let him have his way.
Thus, before Mr. Yao could even mask his surprise at seeing a robot for the first time, he heard the little robot behind the yellow line say with a smile: [Hello, Mr. Yao. I am Jason, the robot responsible for guiding your tour of the laboratory today. For confidentiality reasons, please temporarily hand over your mobile phones to the personnel waiting outside. Thank you for your cooperation.]
Yao Duo cooperatively handed his phone to his secretary and instructed, "Wait for me outside."
Jason continued: [Next, please step into the scanning area.]
Yao Duo looked at Jason with great interest and quickly stood in the designated spot as requested. A scanning system appeared on the wall, completing the recording of all his physical characteristics.
Jason: [Data recorded. Please, next person.]
A young man in the entourage handed his phone to the person beside him and stepped up. However, the next second, an entry-denied alert appeared on the system.
Jason said with a smile: [Sir, pinhole cameras are not allowed inside.]
The young man froze in place and gave a forced laugh. "I don't understand what you're saying..."
Jason repeated: [Pinhole cameras cannot be brought inside.]
The young man gritted his teeth and argued, "There must be a mistake. I don't have a pinhole camera on me..."
Jason remained smiling: [Then may we borrow your belt for testing?]
The young man's face turned pale. He looked at Jason in terror, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
Yao Duo immediately understood what was happening. His face darkened instantly as he barked at his secretary, "What is going on with this person?!"
The secretary was also startled by this turn of events. Knowing he was to blame for this incident, he answered honestly, "Because this is our first large-scale purchase of robots, the head office was uneasy and required us to hire a professional consulting team to oversee things. That man is from the consulting team."
Yao Duo's expression was grim. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Who chose the people?"
The secretary hesitated for a long time before stammering, "It was... Vice President Jiang..."
Yao Duo didn't ask further. He simply turned around, his face ashen, and apologized, "I am truly sorry for what happened today..."
Shen Qinian interrupted the meaningless apology with a serious expression. Though his tone was mild, his attitude was firm. "We need this gentleman to stay behind and cooperate with our investigation. Mr. Yao won't have an objection, will he?"
Yao Duo nodded. "It is only right."
No one knew what this person had filmed while embedded in the consulting team. For Nanyuan Technology, they could only rest easy after checking for hidden audio and video recording equipment.
The young man and his belongings were taken away by security personnel. Xie Chengnan gave Jason a gesture to continue.
Jason: [Then, please, next person step up.]
"No need," Yao Duo said in a heavy voice. "I will go in alone today."
Jason made a gesture of invitation: [Very well. Please follow me, and let Jason take you on a sci-fi journey of Nanyuan Technology's robotics~]
Shen Qinian whispered to Xie Chengnan from the side, "Do we really not need to cancel this tour?"
Xie Chengnan's gaze fell on Yao Duo, who was talking with Jason. He gave a slight shake of his head.
Shen Qinian knew he had a plan, so he didn't ask further.
The rest of the tour went smoothly. Perhaps to avoid suspicion, Yao Duo only took brief glances from the doorways of several R&D rooms and did not ask for close contact.
Their company mainly wanted to order medical robots, so when they reached the Medical Robot R&D Room, Jason very thoughtfully invited him in to experience it personally.
This R&D room was currently researching the second-generation home medical robot. Yao Duo underwent a simple physical examination on-site.
Xie Chengnan glanced at his watch and said, "The testing will take about an hour. Mr. Yao, why don't you have a seat in the visitor's lounge first?"
Yao Duo nodded and did not insist on staying to wait. He showed sufficient respect and professional boundaries, which significantly improved Shen Qinian's impression of him.
An hour later, upon seeing the report, Yao Duo expressed his shock without reservation. "We usually cooperate with private hospitals, and even one-on-one service only reaches this level of efficiency."
Shen Qinian added, "Hospitals charge per visit. In the long run, the cost is definitely much higher than purchasing a robot. Your company targets the elderly; if they can enjoy simple and accurate daily check-ups without leaving their homes, it will surely attract many customers."
Yao Duo nodded. "That is also why I want to purchase your company's robots." He then inquired, "I heard earlier that this is the second-generation robot. Can we order this model directly?"
"I'm sorry." Xie Chengnan shook his head. "This model is still in development. However, our custom models are more high-end than the home models; their overall performance will not be inferior to the second-generation home model."
Yao Duo turned to him. "Then can I see the custom model?"
Shen Qinian smiled. "Apologies, Mr. Yao. Because custom models are upgraded and combined based on customer requirements, we don't have a sample in the lab at the moment."
Yao Duo frowned, hesitating. "But if there is no sample, how can you be sure it will be more high-end than the second-generation home model?"
Shen Qinian laughed. "Let's put it this way, Mr. Yao. We currently have concept models that are even more advanced than the custom models. Therefore, we are certain we can produce products more advanced than the current home models."
Yao Duo nodded and didn't ask to see what the concept models looked like. Since the other party hadn't offered, it meant that this likely touched upon their true trade secrets.
The subsequent contract negotiations went even more smoothly than Shen Qinian had imagined. Not only did Yao Duo select all the existing functions on the customization list, but he also didn't haggle over the price by a single cent. The Vice President's smile didn't leave his face for a moment.
Before leaving, Yao Duo apologized once more. Shen Qinian was all smiles and incredibly easy to talk to, politely seeing him to the door.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 姚夺 | Yao Duo | Head of the Chinese branch of Oushi Xianlin International Senior Living. |
| 欧氏仙林国际颐养中心 | Oushi Xianlin International Senior Living Center | A high-end, foreign-operated senior care institution. |
| 姜副总 | Vice President Jiang | A character mentioned as having hired the consultant team; likely an antagonist or obstacle. |
| 概念机 | Concept model / Concept machine | A prototype or theoretical model representing advanced technology not yet in mass production. |
