Stepping out of the Science and Technology Library, Chen Mo walked over to the window and gazed at the flowing traffic below.
Ever since the incident where he rescued Xiaoyu, his life had changed dramatically. It hadn't been long in terms of time, but it felt like a completely different world now. So much had happened, and he'd come so far.
After that moment of reflection, he returned to his desk and started organizing the technology for the seismograph.
Earthquakes happen constantly all over the Earth, but most are too minor to be detected. They're caused by sudden fractures or displacements of underground rock layers, and the energy released becomes seismic waves—both transverse and longitudinal—that travel like mechanical waves through the ground.
Currently, even the most advanced earthquake early-warning systems in the world can only provide about 10 seconds to a minute of warning before the destructive transverse waves arrive. They work by detecting the faster-traveling longitudinal waves that come first.
That's why Chen Mo was so thrilled about this new tech. A system that could predict earthquakes five hours in advance? That would be revolutionary.
Of course, not every earthquake could be predicted this way. Sudden tectonic fractures, for instance, were essentially unpredictable—like sudden accidents in a person's otherwise routine day. But gradual tectonic movement, the kind that built up over time, could be analyzed and forecast.
The seismograph technology he now held worked by monitoring electromagnetic fluctuations in underground fault zones, analyzing the density and movement speed of rocks to calculate when they might rupture.
It wasn't perfect—smaller quakes might go undetected—but major earthquakes, the truly devastating ones, could be predicted with high accuracy. And that alone was enough to save countless lives.
"Ink Girl, help me organize the technical data," Chen Mo instructed.
"Okay, Mom—I mean, Mo," the AI corrected herself playfully.
Chen Mo smiled faintly and continued focusing. With Ink Girl's support, he didn't need to worry about data entry or formatting. He simply explained the principles, and she handled the documentation. That was the beauty of having a powerful AI assistant.
He became so immersed in his work that he didn't even notice the passage of time. It wasn't until Ink Girl reminded him that Xiaoyu had entered the office area that he finally looked up.
"What's up?" Chen Mo stretched lazily as he glanced at Xiaoyu.
"Are you done studying for the day? It's after work hours. If you're not done, I'll head home first—I need to stop by the supermarket."
"I'm just organizing some tech data. Still in the theoretical prep stage, not brain-frying level yet." He checked the time and nodded. "Let's go. I'll come with you."
The two of them left the office together.
As they exited the building, they passed groups of employees leaving for the day. Many glanced over at them—especially the female staff. Envious eyes flickered toward Xiaoyu.
After all, Chen Mo was the company's chairman: brilliant, humble, easygoing… and very much not bad-looking.
The perfect catch.
Unfortunately for them, he was clearly taken. And not just rumored—confirmed. A grass that had already been claimed, as the old saying went.
Most employees didn't even get a chance to interact with him. Chen Mo was always buried in his lab. Even those who tried to "accidentally" run into him had little luck.
"Do people ever gossip about us at work?" Chen Mo asked, walking shoulder to shoulder with Xiaoyu and occasionally nodding to greeting employees.
"Of course. You're practically the public dream man of the female staff," Xiaoyu said with a smirk.
"How come I've never heard anything?" Chen Mo raised a brow.
"You live in the lab, Mr. Hermit. When would you hear gossip?"
There had been gossip—plenty of it. Two female employees once went too far with their comments and were overheard by Zhao Min, who promptly fired them. Things had calmed down since.
Initially, it had bothered Xiaoyu. She'd been under a lot of pressure. But Zhao Min had taken her aside and reminded her of her own merit—she hadn't gotten where she was through favoritism.
Now? She didn't care what others thought. Chen Mo loved her. That was enough.
"I just don't want my position making things hard for you," Chen Mo said quietly.
"I know," Xiaoyu replied, her expression softening.
As they reached the company gates, they spotted a familiar face waiting for them.
"Xiaoyu! Chairman!" Li Ruoxi called out cheerfully.
Chen Mo smiled. "You're off duty too. And don't call me chairman after hours—we weren't so formal back in the dorm."
"Right, right," Li Ruoxi grinned. "By the way, Chen Mo, our graduation thesis defense is next week. You coming?"
"Of course. I need to do my defense too."
"Xiaoyu and I already asked for leave so we can go back and stay in the dorm a few days—enjoy the last bit of campus life. I'll return Xiaoyu to you later, okay?" She teased.
"Fine by me. I'm heading back too," Chen Mo chuckled. "How's work treating you?"
Li Ruoxi sighed dramatically. "Other than the technical team, Minister Li gives me every odd job imaginable. I'm exhausted. And I mean exhausted. Especially the 'take good care of Xiaoyu' bit."
"Want me to ask him to ease up?" Chen Mo offered.
"No, no!" she said quickly. "I've learned a lot, thanks to you. I know Minister Li is trying to train me. I may be tired, but it's worth it. Complaining would only be ungrateful."
The three of them hopped on the company shuttle and rode into the city. After a quick supermarket trip, they dropped Ruoxi off at her apartment, and Chen Mo and Xiaoyu headed back to the villa.
That evening, Xiaoyu sat on the sofa, quietly reviewing her thesis defense slides. With only a week left, she was focused but calm.
After a while, she paused.
"Oh right, about the donation and scholarship program—Zhao Jie said the school's been contacted. She asked if you'd like to go in person tomorrow."
"Of course. I'm the donor—it'd be weird not to show up." Chen Mo nodded. It had been a while since he last visited campus, aside from the occasional trip with Xiaoyu. Now was the perfect time to wrap things up properly.
"You're heading back to school? Take me with you," Xiaoyu said.
"Gladly."
She returned to reviewing her PPT, but Chen Mo gently closed her laptop.
"Relax. You don't need to memorize everything tonight. There's still time. Here, have some chestnuts," he said, handing her a few.
Xiaoyu giggled and tossed them back at him.
"I cook for you, and now you want me to peel chestnuts for you too? You pig! You do it."
"Whoa, did you just threaten me? With walnuts too?" Chen Mo raised a brow in mock horror.
The night passed in laughter and teasing.
The next morning, Chen Mo and Xiaoyu set off—heading back to Binhai University.