"What kind of technology this time?"
In the vast space of the Science and Technology Library, Shu Lao stood in front of Chen Mo. This marked the 743rd book Chen Mo had read—his progress since acquiring the laser sensor technology two months ago.
He had read over 140 books during that time, a pace slower than before. But Chen Mo wasn't in a rush. With only 257 books left to complete the first phase, he could afford to take his time.
Now that the laser sensor was completed, he was ready to select the next technology. After much consideration, he'd finally made his decision.
"Humanoid robot design," Chen Mo said. "With current tech, it's feasible. Shu Lao, bring out all designs related to appearance—I want to review them."
"As you wish."
Shu Lao waved his hand, and in the center of the library, bookshelves bloomed with countless covers of humanoid robot designs. Many of them were massive—like Transformers—likely impractical or ornamental. Chen Mo felt his scalp tingle just looking at the sheer variety.
"Standard human size," Chen Mo clarified, steeling himself.
With another gesture, all the oversized robots vanished, leaving only books with reasonable proportions.
He didn't worry about the overwhelming number. Even if he devoted his entire life to research, there was no way to absorb all the knowledge stored here. He just needed the right piece at the right time.
After a bit of digging, he finally settled on a design that looked sleek and elegant—one that wouldn't be too hard to manufacture.
Since he was still at the trainee level, the design included only the hardware blueprint—no software. But that didn't matter. Chen Mo could write the control systems himself, or let Ink Girl handle it. What he really needed was a lab assistant.
Xiao Yu didn't have a technical background, and he couldn't ask her to stick to his side all the time. As for bringing in outsiders—he didn't trust anyone else with his secrets yet, especially the existence of artificial intelligence. So a robot assistant it was.
Just as he retrieved the robot design from the library, Zhao Min entered his office.
"Apple's people contacted us," she said. "Cook wants to meet and discuss a partnership."
Chen Mo sat silently for a few seconds, then shook his head.
"Tell them I'm unavailable. I can't leave the company at the moment. If he wants to talk business, he can come here. The difference in who visits whom matters—it implies who's seeking whom."
Zhao Min nodded. She had been thinking the same thing, and she appreciated that Chen Mo immediately understood the optics.
"I was wondering why he didn't just come see us. Logically, if they want to cooperate, shouldn't they approach us directly?"
"Who said they're even here to cooperate?" Chen Mo asked, glancing at her.
That made Zhao Min pause. She realized she'd been swept up by the assumption—everyone believed Cook came for a partnership. But that was just media speculation. Apple had never officially confirmed it.
"The media says he came to see us," Chen Mo continued. "And since he's in Binhai, people believe he wants to work with us. But he hasn't stepped through our door—not once. If we go running to his hotel, we shift the power dynamic."
Zhao Min immediately saw the implications. If they went to him, it would look like Marching Ant was desperate for Apple's approval. The media wouldn't know the meeting was at Apple's request—they'd just see Marching Ant showing up at Cook's hotel. The interpretation would be brutal.
Suddenly, they'd look like a small upstart begging to be acknowledged.
Online trolls and rumor mills would tear them apart.
"That's why I said no," Chen Mo added. "Business is like war. One bad move, and it all unravels."
Zhao Min nodded seriously. She'd dealt with PR storms before. The internet could destroy a company's reputation in hours, especially if it looked like they were selling out.
"There's another possible reason," Chen Mo said with a faint smile. "Too many reporters are swarming our company. Maybe Cook didn't want the media to find out, so he came quietly. Just his luck, he got spotted."
"He's the CEO of the number one tech company in the world. Visiting us personally is already unheard of," Zhao Min replied. "Now that Butterfly Eye 2 has launched and our smart assistant doesn't support iOS, their stock keeps falling. He's panicking. This is him lowering his stance."
Chen Mo chuckled. "Remember who Cook usually meets when he comes to China?"
High-level government officials, ministers, mobile carrier chairmen—never young CEOs of rising tech firms.
If he walked into Marching Ant's office now, it would look like he was lowering himself to the level of a new competitor. That's why he wanted Chen Mo to come to him—so he could retain the illusion of superiority.
If the talks failed, he could spin the narrative any way he liked. Visit another company. Drop by a phone store. Say it was part of a broader visit. Meanwhile, Marching Ant would be left holding the embarrassment.
"They'd say we went begging for a partnership and got rejected by Apple," Chen Mo said. "Even if it's not true, perception becomes reality."
Zhao Min gave a soft laugh. "Looks like my concerns were unnecessary."
She'd been worried Chen Mo would accept the invite and walk into a trap. But from what he'd just said, he saw the game clearly.
"If they want to visit, we'll welcome them. If not, it's no loss. We never asked for this meeting."
Chen Mo wasn't hostile toward Apple—after all, their products were good. But he held no admiration for Steve Jobs.
Jobs had been worshipped in China, but most people didn't know that he never once visited the country, and even held prejudice and disdain toward the East. His arrogance had set the tone for Apple's behavior in China for years.
From discriminatory warranties to the infamous "Apple tax," the company had taken advantage of local consumers for too long.
Now, Cook—Jobs' successor—seemed more accommodating, but Chen Mo wasn't convinced that the arrogance had vanished. The so-called cooperation? It came from desperation, not goodwill.
After Zhao Min left the office, Chen Mo summoned Ink Girl.
"Help me organize all the materials and design drawings for the robot," he said.
As for Apple?
Let it be.
He wouldn't chase them.
That was his principle.