The following day, Nan-Yuan Technology officially submitted their authorization application and announced the news on their official Weibo account.
Soon after, a high-traffic marketing account surfaced with a post titled: *The Nan-Yuan Technology Leak: Terrifying Details You Might Have Missed.*
The post meticulously organized two major points of suspicion:
First, by comparing the date Nan-Yuan Technology donated the robots to the Nancheng Daily reports with the first appearance of the same model in SIMON’s laboratory surveillance footage, it was clear that a robot had been secretly transported across the ocean to the SIMON Research Institute just one day after the donation.
This was absolutely not a spur-of-the-moment theft. It was highly likely that Nan-Yuan Technology had been targeted the moment they expressed their intent to donate. A crucial link in this plan was the personnel responsible for overseeing these robots. Whether it was a case of professional negligence or active collusion, Nan-Yuan Technology deserved a clear explanation.
Second, after successfully replicating the technology, the SIMON Research Institute submitted an application for third-party appraisal. The documents explicitly stated that the comparison sample was a medical robot provided by the Nancheng Municipal Government. However, when SIMON first leveled its accusations, Nan-Yuan Technology was clearly caught off guard. This indicated that the municipal government had not informed the donor that their robot was being sent for third-party appraisal. Was such a situation truly reasonable? And who exactly signed the document authorizing the provision of that sample?
The post concluded by stating that, given the strength Nan-Yuan Technology had demonstrated, the author reasonably suspected the mastermind would attempt to obstruct the retrieval of video data from the flight recorders. They hoped the Nancheng Municipal Government would provide a rational explanation, ending with the sentiment: *May the truth never be absent!*
Having just witnessed the dramatic reversal of the theft allegations, netizens were highly invested. Even researchers from various fields shared the article to support Nan-Yuan Technology’s rights. The official accounts of various government agencies were repeatedly tagged by users demanding the truth.
When Xie Chengnan woke up and saw the overwhelming wave of public opinion, he realized this was the contingency plan Jiang Yuan had prepared. If the opposition wanted to use their power to bury the truth, then they would lay out every step of the pursuit for the truth in the open, fighting this smokeless war with the support of the masses.
The turning point came even faster than Xie Chengnan had imagined.
When Shen Qinian called, Xie Chengnan was in the kitchen wearing an apron, simmering porridge for Jiang Yuan. The former Professor Xie used to think cooking was a complete waste of time and life. The current Professor Xie, however, took great pleasure in it. Even though his "little robot" had already mastered the eight major Chinese cuisines, Xie Chengnan would still personally cook for his boyfriend whenever he had the time.
"Are you at home?" Shen Qinian’s voice had a slight echo, as if he were on speakerphone.
"Mhm." Xie Chengnan stirred the porridge, his tone laced with feigned annoyance. "I took today off last night. Don't call me unless it's an emergency."
The Vice President was stifled. "You call that taking leave? You call that a notification!" He paused, deciding not to continue his rant.
Xie Chengnan raised an eyebrow, sensing something. "Is someone with you?"
"Yes." Shen Qinian suppressed his urge to tear the CEO apart and said calmly, "There are several distinguished guests here. Is it convenient for them to head over to your place now?"
Xie Chengnan was somewhat puzzled. Why would Shen Qinian ask to come to his house instead of the company? What kind of important guests were these? After a moment's thought, he replied, "Then come over. Jason has already taken over the neighborhood's surveillance system. You just need to scan your face at the gate."
Shen Qinian was shocked. "You guys move fast. Did the property management actually agree to that?"
"The development and the property management company both belong to A-Yuan," CEO Xie said, effectively ending the conversation.
Shen Qinian: "..." He had almost forgotten that his CEO was the one being "kept."
Shen Qinian didn't bring many people—only four in total.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his fifties. He sat with a straight back and a disciplined manner, carrying the distinct, solemn aura of a military man. Once seated, he introduced himself: "Hello, my name is Gu呈 (Gu Cheng). I am the head of the Technical Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of State Security. I’ve come to see Professor Xie today to discuss a potential collaboration."
Xie Chengnan was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. "Your department is interested in our company's AI?"
"Professor Xie is very sharp." Gu Cheng’s stern expression softened slightly. "Professor Yu is a consultant for our bureau. When your company was first established, he played a video of your lecture at Nancheng University during a bureau meeting. Since then, we have been monitoring the developments of your company's AI. The capabilities it displayed in yesterday's livestream were stunning, which is why we are here today." Seeing Xie Chengnan’s confusion, he added, "Professor Yu mentioned the video was sent to him by a student of his named Duan."
Xie Chengnan realized then that this Professor Yu was likely Professor Duan’s mentor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Recalling Jason’s actions from the previous day, he had a general idea of their intent. "You’re interested in Jason’s anti-intrusion and facial recognition capabilities?"
"Yes." Gu Cheng showed a look of appreciation. It was clearly a pleasure to speak with someone so quick-witted.
Midway through the conversation, Jason poked half his head out from the kitchen, interrupting them: 【Lunch is ready. Nan, should I serve it now?】
Knowing important guests were coming, Xie Chengnan had let Jason take over the kitchen after finishing the porridge, resulting in a table full of home-cooked dishes.
Xie Chengnan turned to Gu Cheng to consult him. "Since it's about that time, I had Jason prepare a few extra dishes. Why don't we chat over lunch?"
As it was indeed lunchtime, Gu Cheng followed the host’s lead and sat at the dining table with his subordinates.
Xie Chengnan asked Shen Qinian to entertain the guests while he went upstairs to wake his sleeping lover.
Upstairs, Jiang Yuan was completely buried under the covers, with only half his face and a mess of soft short hair visible. Xie Chengnan walked softly to the bedside, brushed away the stray hairs falling over Jiang Yuan's eyes, and whispered, "Baby, it's time to get up."
Jiang Yuan opened his eyes halfway, rubbed against Xie Chengnan's hand, and mumbled, "Sleepy," before burying himself deeper.
Xie Chengnan’s heart softened, but fearing Jiang Yuan would get an upset stomach if he went too long without eating, he reached into the covers to fish him out. The moment his hand touched that unobstructed warmth, his mind began to wander. If there weren't guests downstairs, he wouldn't have minded indulging in some daylight debauchery.
The groggy Young Master Jiang, however, snapped awake instantly and warned, "Don't even think about it. It’s practically chafed raw in there!"
Looking at the bristling "kitten" before him, Professor Xie gave the rounded curve he was holding a light, playful swat. He chuckled, "Get up. We have guests today."
"Huh?" Jiang Yuan looked dazed, unable to guess who would visit on a day like this.
"From the Ministry of State Security," Xie Chengnan explained briefly. "They’re interested in Jason’s programming and want to collaborate."
Jiang Yuan sat up immediately, hissing in discomfort. Once the sensation passed, he directed Xie Chengnan to get him a turtleneck sweater. Only after confirming that the marks on his neck were hidden did he head downstairs to meet the guests.
The spread on the table was lavish, but Jiang Yuan only had a bowl of porridge. His only consolation was that the porridge had been personally made by Xie Chengnan.
The Ministry of State Security’s request was simple: they wanted a facial recognition program that was secure, accurate, and efficient enough to cover surveillance cameras at major transportation hubs like airports and stations.
Xie Chengnan pondered for a moment before replying, "Then Jason probably won't meet your requirements."
Gu Cheng was somewhat disappointed but didn't want to give up so easily. He countered, "If you haven't tried, how can you be sure he can't do it?"
"The computing power of a supercomputing cluster is limited," Xie Chengnan explained in the simplest terms possible. "Jason knows too much and his functions are too diverse. For instance, the emotional computing aspect alone takes up a massive amount of resources. If you placed him in an area with excessive foot traffic, his processing speed simply wouldn't keep up."
Gu Cheng understood immediately. It was like a human’s brain capacity; if one focused on a single task, the efficiency would be higher than multitasking. But this wasn't an unsolvable problem. "Does Professor Xie have a suggestion?"
Xie Chengnan nodded. "To me, there are many things a complete AI cannot discard, but for your purposes, those functions are meaningless. I can write a specialized recognition program for you. This way, as long as your supercomputing cluster has enough power, it wouldn't just be airports and stations—it wouldn't be impossible to cover the entire public surveillance network."
Even Gu Cheng was stunned. "The entire network?"
"Provided your supercomputing clusters can keep up," Xie Chengnan emphasized again. "If they can't, you'll still have to select specific areas."
Gu Cheng nodded. "I will handle that issue. I only hope Professor Xie can write the program for us as soon as possible."
The two parties quickly reached an agreement. Although a formal contract hadn't been signed yet, the collaboration was essentially set in stone.
Jiang Yuan smiled and poured wine for everyone, raising his glass. "To a successful collaboration." With him and Shen Qinian smoothing the social gears, the two groups quickly became well-acquainted.
Once the groundwork was laid, Jiang Yuan finally asked Gu Cheng, "Uncle Gu, since you watched yesterday's livestream, you must know about our robot being secretly sent to SIMON. Our authorization application is currently stalled. Could you perhaps put in a word for us?"
Gu Cheng pointed a finger at Jiang Yuan and laughed. "I knew that wine wasn't for nothing. You were waiting for your Uncle Gu right here."
"We really have no other choice," Young Master Jiang said, slipping back into his nineteen-year-old persona to act cute. "We don't know the ropes in this matter. Now that we've finally met you, we had to ask for help."
Gu Cheng could naturally guess that some government officials were involved, though Jiang Yuan and the others likely didn't know exactly who. However, he suddenly remembered something that could indeed help. "An inspection team is coming to Nancheng after the New Year. The head of that team is an acquaintance of mine. I'll have him follow up on this matter for you."
This was equivalent to pressure from the central-level Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervisory Commission. SIMON’s third-party appraisal was a glaring flaw; as long as someone followed the trail, the mastermind would eventually be unearthed.
Jiang Yuan’s eyes lit up. "With that promise, I’ll start supervising him to write your program today!"
Gu Cheng burst into laughter. The meal ended with everyone satisfied.
After lunch, Gu Cheng and his three companions boarded a plane back to the capital. On the way back from the airport, Xie Chengnan kept looking at Jiang Yuan, his eyes shining.
Jiang Yuan tilted his head. "Why do you keep looking at me?"
Xie Chengnan reached out and gently pinched his boyfriend’s earlobe, chuckling softly. "Did you start planning this the moment you heard the Ministry of State Security was coming?"
"Of course," Jiang Yuan said candidly. "Public pressure might force the municipal government to investigate, but if the person behind this holds a high enough position, the result might just be a light slap on the wrist for 'negligence.' Would you be satisfied with that?"
Xie Chengnan naturally wouldn't be. But he hadn't even considered this possibility. Jiang Yuan’s grasp of the situation often made people forget he was only nineteen. This was, perhaps, his true talent.
***
