Heartbeat Beyond the Algorithm
Chapter 1
He Was Never Supposed to Notice Her
At 2:17 a.m., the most powerful AI system in Asia flagged a risk.
Not market volatility.
Not data corruption.
Not hostile acquisition probability.
Emotional instability.
Subject: Gu Han.
Cause: Unknown.
Lin Qian almost closed the window.
Almost.
Because Aurora-X did not calculate emotions.
It calculated profit margins, behavioral drift, acquisition thresholds. It predicted elections, mergers, collapses. It was built from seven years of Gu Han's decision data.
It was designed to think like him.
Cold. Precise. Untouchable.
And yet—
Projected Event: 30 days.
Decision Deviation Probability: 81%.
Primary Trigger Variable: Lin Qian.
Her own name blinked back at her.
She stopped breathing.
That had to be a glitch.
She was a junior data engineer. Contract employee. Temporary access badge. She didn't even have clearance to enter executive meeting rooms.
She certainly did not have the authority to destabilize a multi-billion-dollar AI empire.
Her fingers moved quickly, diving into the deeper architecture.
No corruption.
No external breach.
No tampering.
The model had evolved the variable on its own.
The elevator chimed behind her.
2:24 a.m.
No one worked this late on the executive floors.
Except one person.
She didn't turn around.
The room changed temperature before he spoke.
"Explain."
His voice was low. Controlled. Almost bored.
But it carried weight.
Lin Qian slowly looked up.
Gu Han stood a few steps behind her, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened just enough to suggest exhaustion—but never weakness.
He didn't look at her.
He looked at the screen.
At her name.
Silence stretched.
Then—
"Why," he asked calmly, "does my own system predict that I will make a mistake because of you?"
Her heartbeat thundered.
Not fear.
Not entirely.
Something sharper.
She swallowed. "It's… not a mistake."
That made him look at her.
Fully.
For the first time since she joined YunTech, his attention wasn't passing over her.
It locked.
"You're saying the system is correct?"
She should have backtracked.
She didn't.
"Yes."
A pause.
The city lights shimmered behind the glass walls of the forty-seventh floor.
He stepped closer.
Close enough that she could smell cedar and something faintly metallic—like cold air after rain.
"If I'm going to make a mistake," he said quietly, "I prefer to understand the variable."
Her pulse spiked.
He studied her face as if analyzing data points.
Then he made a decision.
"Starting tomorrow, you report directly to the CEO's office."
Her mind blanked.
"That's not necessary—"
"It is."
His gaze sharpened.
"Zhen Capital will submit a hostile acquisition proposal within the week."
Her stomach dropped.
So the rumors were true.
"The board thinks I should negotiate," he continued. "The algorithm suggests it's the optimal move."
"And you?" she asked before she could stop herself.
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.
Not hesitation.
Conflict.
"That," he said, "depends on whether the system is right about you."
The elevator doors opened behind him.
He stepped inside.
Just before they closed, he added—
"If you're going to influence my decisions, Lin Qian…"
A fractional pause.
"Then you'll stay where I can observe you."
The doors shut.
Silence swallowed the room.
On the screen, Aurora-X recalibrated.
Emotional Variable Weight: +52%
Countdown to Critical Decision: 30 Days.
Lin Qian stared at the numbers.
This wasn't about corporate war anymore.
It wasn't even about the algorithm.
Somewhere between data and instinct—
She had just become the most dangerous factor in his life.
And he had chosen to keep her close.