Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo delivered Ant Office to Zhao Min and decided against open-sourcing the Army Ant System, while the company prepared to enter the mobile phone market. He left the company’s management to Zhao Min, returned to school, and joined Xiao Yu in the library.

• Zhao Min handled recruitment and company operations as the new company struggled with a shortage of staff.
• Chen Mo showed Zhao Min the completed Ant Office software, which included PC and mobile versions and image-processing features.
• Chen Mo and Zhao Min discussed the Army Ant System, and Chen Mo rejected open-sourcing it because he wanted to retain control.
• Zhao Min proposed entering the mobile phone market, and Chen Mo agreed to design the phone.
• Chen Mo returned to school and met Xiao Yu in the library while she prepared for her accountant certification exam.

Chen Mo rented a former repair shop to use as a temporary laboratory and chose the Butterfly Eye Smart Waterproof Phone design from the Sci-Tech Library. He left with its complete design knowledge and realized its waterproof ports could be valuable inventions on their own.

• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu discussed her upcoming accountant exam, and he promised to support her while she studied.
• Chen Mo found a computer and phone repair shop for transfer, negotiated with Wang Jiyu, and bought the shop's equipment.
• Chen Mo cleaned the shop and prepared it as a temporary laboratory before entering the Sci-Tech Library.
• Chen Mo asked Old Shu to narrow down the library's phone designs and selected the Butterfly Eye Smart Waterproof Phone.
• Old Shu transferred the phone's motherboard and component designs into Chen Mo's mind, and Chen Mo recognized the value of its waterproof ports.

Ant Office launched its software and gained an early wave of users while Chen Mo continued designing a phone. After spending a carefree day with Xiao Yu, he again kept her out past her dormitory curfew, and they headed to the night market to buy clothes.

• Zhao Min reviewed Ant Office’s early download and paid-user numbers, then ordered the mobile version released and the software promoted to major companies.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min he would send the phone’s exterior and interface designs for samples and patent applications.
• Chen Mo met Xiao Yu after her accounting certification exam, and they spent the day eating, visiting the aquarium, shopping, and watching a movie.
• At the seawall, Liang Zhihang told Chen Mo and Xiao Yu that their submitted photograph had been shortlisted for the National Photography Competition and gave them a print.
• Xiao Yu realized that only five minutes remained before her dormitory closed, so Chen Mo took her to the night market to buy clothes and wash up.

Chen Mo and Xiao Yu spent the night together, then she visited his newly rented shop and mistook it for a phone repair business. When a customer arrived, Chen Mo repaired her phone for five yuan, while Xiao Yu helped clean the shop before returning to her dormitory.

• Chen Mo sent Zhao Min the phone exterior and interface designs, then dried Xiao Yu's hair and joined her in bed after she revealed her period had started.
• Chen Mo woke to find Xiao Yu had made breakfast, washed his clothes, and cleaned the apartment.
• Chen Mo took Xiao Yu to his shop, where the neighboring convenience store auntie praised her and told him not to let such a good girl suffer.
• A girl asked Chen Mo to fix her phone, and he reinstalled its system for five yuan while Xiao Yu urged him to serve the customer.
• Xiao Yu cleaned the shop and left for her dormitory, and Chen Mo returned to organizing the phone motherboard design.

Chen Mo sent Zhao Min the Butterfly Eye phone designs, and Zhao Min recruited Wang Sijia to help lead development of the Army Ant System. The company prepared to prototype the phone while keeping its designs confidential.

• Chen Mo told Zhao Min that he had designed the Butterfly Eye phone exterior and its waterproof charging and headphone ports.
• Zhao Min reported that the office software had gained more than three thousand paid users and seventy thousand free users, and said the company would recruit at Chen Mo's school.
• Zhao Min persuaded her cousin Wang Sijia to join the company as head of technical research and deputy to Lao Luo on the Army Ant System.
• Zhao Min gave Wang Sijia and Lao Luo the confidential phone designs and instructed them to make a prototype without leaking the materials.
• Lao Luo took Wang Sijia to register with HR while Zhao Min reflected on the company's need for more talent.

After finishing the phone motherboard designs, Chen Mo used his Sci-Tech Library selections and obtained a reproduction assistance potion recipe through random selection. He then chose a book on creating computer languages and began designing a Chinese Character Programming Language.

• Chen Mo handed the phone motherboard and battery designs to Zhao Min, then returned to reading after completing his three hundredth book.
• Chen Mo used his random selection and received the Human Reproduction Assistance Potion Recipe, which Old Shu identified as a side-effect-free aphrodisiac.
• Chen Mo asked Old Shu for advice on his free selection, and Old Shu recommended Computer Language Creation and Application.
• Chen Mo chose the book, learned how to create computer languages using his own language, and began designing keywords and phrases for a Chinese Character Programming Language.

Zhao Min prepared to launch the Army Ant System and smartphone, while Chen Mo continued developing the Chinese Character Programming Language. Chen Mo attended the launch event at the Marriott Hotel, where the venue was still filling up before it began.

• Xiao Li told Zhao Min that preparations for the product launch were complete and the event could begin the next day.
• Zhao Min invited Chen Mo to give a speech at the launch, but he declined and left the event in her hands.
• Chen Mo continued researching the Chinese Character Programming Language while Xiao Yu brought him dinner and he asked her to move in with him.
• Chen Mo told Xiao Yu he would take the next day off, then went with her for a walk by the sea.
• Chen Mo took a taxi to the Marriott Hotel for the Army Ant System and smartphone launch, found a seat in a corner, and waited for the event to begin.

At Army Ant Technology Co.’s press conference, Zhao Min revealed the company’s new smartphone operating system, Army Ant System, and introduced its first phone, Army Ant Butterfly Eye. The reporters’ interest surged as the launch moved on to the phone, whose features had yet to be explained.

• Li Tiejun arrived exhausted and expected the press conference for the newly established Army Ant Technology Co. to be dull.
• Zhao Min asked Li Lingfeng how many media outlets had come and learned that 107 were attending, including major news organizations.
• Zhao Min opened the press conference by joking that Chen Mo had stayed away to keep a low profile.
• Zhao Min revealed that Army Ant’s first product was a smartphone operating system called Army Ant System, startling the reporters and energizing Li Tiejun.
• Zhao Min described Army Ant System as independently designed, built on a new architecture, and superior in security and smoothness, then announced a second product.
• Zhao Min introduced Army Ant Butterfly Eye as Army Ant’s first phone and said its advantages would be explained alongside the system.

At Ant Army Company’s launch event, Zhao Min introduced the striking Butterfly Eye phone and the Army Ant System, while Xia Xue’s livestream drew a rapidly growing audience. The presentation continued with Butterfly Eye’s water-resistant port, as excitement around the products spread online.

• Zhao Min unveiled Butterfly Eye’s six patterned and solid-color models, impressing reporters with their design.
• Zhao Min described the Army Ant System’s security, compatibility, smooth performance, and test results showing improved benchmarks and battery life.
• Xia Xue began livestreaming the launch event on Weibo, and viewers flocked to watch Zhao Min and learn about the products.
• Zhao Min introduced Butterfly Eye’s specially designed water-resistant port, prompting excitement among the audience and livestream viewers.

Xia Xue’s livestream drew huge attention to Ant Army Company’s phone launch as Zhao Min answered reporters’ questions about the Army Ant System. The Q&A ended with Zhao Min revealing the qualities she wanted in a boyfriend and teasing Chen Mo, who was sitting in the audience.

• Xia Xue’s livestream surged in viewers and donations, pushing news about domestic mobile phone systems onto Weibo’s trending list.
• Zhao Min announced that the first batch of phones would go on sale online the next day, with pricing posted on the company website, then opened the press conference to questions.
• Li Tiejun asked about research funding, licensing the waterproof port technology, and the company’s advantages, and Zhao Min answered that funding was confidential and its technology and employees were its strengths.
• A reporter asked whether the Army Ant System outperformed Android and the Apple System, and Zhao Min replied with a humorous comparison rather than choosing one.
• Xia Xue asked Zhao Min on behalf of her viewers about her boyfriend and dating standards, and Zhao Min said she hoped for someone upright, brave, and ambitious like the man who had saved a baby.
• Zhao Min glanced toward Chen Mo as she answered, and Chen Mo covered his face with a wry smile.

Ant Army Company's press conference drew widespread attention, making the Army Ant System and Butterfly Eye Phone major online topics. As Zhao Min prepared for the phone's online sales, she warned Julie to avoid risky financing and guard against production and supply problems.

• Chen Mo told Zhao Min the press conference was already trending after a reporter livestreamed it, then left the venue.
• Global Times and People's Daily reported on the Army Ant System, and the press conference put four related topics on the trending list.
• Gan Yu's girlfriend A Qiu acted unusually affectionate and persuaded him to buy her a Butterfly Eye Phone.
• People online celebrated the phone and debated Ant Army Company's limited first batch, with some accusing the company of hunger marketing.
• Julie proposed financing or loans to raise production, but Zhao Min rejected risky funding and ordered preparations for online sales and careful checks of components, quality, and batteries.

Ant Army’s Butterfly Eye phones went on sale amid online attacks, and the first 30,000 units sold out in five minutes. Zhao Min released a preorder announcement, saw orders reach 200,000, and received a call from an unfamiliar number.

• Zhao Min learned that the official website had been crashed by a malicious traffic attack, so she delayed the launch and moved sales to the Black Cat Mall flagship store.
• Wang Sijia assured Zhao Min that the company was prepared when hackers began attacking its computers, and the Butterfly Eye phones went on sale.
• Li Guo tried to buy a Butterfly Eye phone for his wife but found that all models had sold out within minutes.
• Zhao Min ordered the company to ship the phones, announce preorders, and increase production while prioritizing component quality.
• Zhao Min saw that preorders had reached 200,000 units, then answered a call from an unfamiliar number.

After online rumors claimed the Army Ant System had a major security vulnerability, Zhao Min consulted Chen Mo and announced a two-million reward for anyone who could find and exploit one without damaging phone data. The challenge shifted public attention away from the smear campaign and drew security experts into a widespread effort to crack the system.

• Zhao Min learned from Li Lingfeng that fabricated vulnerability reports were spreading online and prompting users to return their phones.
• Zhao Min called Chen Mo, who dismissed the alleged vulnerability and proposed offering a reward to anyone who could crack the Army Ant System.
• Zhao Min raised the reward to two million, splitting it between the successful researcher and the Children's Fund, and ordered Li Lingfeng to announce it.
• Ant Army Company's official Weibo posted the challenge, sending the topic to the top of trending searches and eclipsing the smear campaign.
• Prominent security experts, including the Tencent Network Security Team and Seven Tiger Network Security Team, announced they would try to crack the system.

As Ant Army Company faced online attacks and an employee exodus, Zhao Min approved the resignations and planned to recruit interns while Chen Mo advised her to manage production carefully. Chen Mo then left his programming-language research to eat with the exhausted Xiao Yu, who insisted they go out that night.

• Worried by rumors that Ant Army Company would be acquired, Zhang Xing accepted an old friend’s offer and resigned, warning Lu Hongyi that the company might be restructured.
• Li Lingfeng brought Zhao Min ten resignation letters and reported that employees across several departments were being recruited by other companies; he said he had refused an offer to leave.
• Zhao Min told Li Lingfeng to approve the resignations, promote capable employees, and prepare to recruit, then called Chen Mo to report the poaching.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min to oversee phone quality and stop Butterfly Eye production when appropriate, then returned to researching the Chinese Character Programming Language.
• Xiao Yu arrived exhausted after a sleepless night and insisted that Chen Mo go out with her that evening; he agreed and began eating the lunch she had brought.

Chen Mo took exhausted Xiao Yu to a movie, where she fell asleep on his shoulder, then carried her home. Xiao Yu revealed that sleeping in Chen Mo’s arms eased her insomnia and stayed the night, while keeping her promised surprise secret.

• Chen Mo refused Xiao Yu’s request to go to the beach and took her to a movie instead.
• Xiao Yu fell asleep during the film, and Chen Mo carried her out of the theater and back to their apartment.
• Xiao Yu revealed she had been awake since the taxi ride and went to shower before settling into bed.
• Chen Mo took Xiao Yu’s phone and turned out the light, and Xiao Yu cuddled into his arms, explaining that she slept well there.
• Xiao Yu warned Chen Mo that his surprise would be delayed if he kept imagining her moving in, then fell asleep in his arms.

Xiao Yu recovered after a good night’s sleep and decided to apply for an internship at Ant Army Company with Li Ruoxi. Meanwhile, Chen Mo discussed staff poaching and plans for a headquarters and industrial park with Zhao Min, then returned to researching the Chinese Character Programming Language.

• Chen Mo took the refreshed Xiao Yu back to her dormitory, where her roommates teased her about her relationship with him.
• Wang Xiaolan told Xiao Yu that Ant Army Company was recruiting interns, and Xiao Yu agreed to prepare her résumé and apply with Li Ruoxi.
• Chen Mo reviewed the discussion around Ant Army Company’s security and noted that Butterfly Eye Phone sales were rising, though the company still needed to build its brand.
• Zhao Min reported that five more employees had resigned, and Chen Mo said he was not worried as long as she remained with the company.
• Zhao Min proposed acquiring land for the company headquarters and an industrial park, and Chen Mo approved the plan.
• Chen Mo resumed his research into the Chinese Character Programming Language.

After completing the basic syntax for the Chinese Character Programming Language, Chen Mo entered the Sci-Tech Library to claim three random technologies and share his work. Old Shu praised the language and began rewarding Chen Mo for it.

• Chen Mo finished the Chinese Character Programming Language’s basic syntax and successfully tested it with a decimal calculator.
• Chen Mo entered the Sci-Tech Library and received a Human Breast Development Assistance Potion (Topical), Carbon Crystal Based Lithium-Ion Battery Production Technology, and Ballpoint Pen Production Technology from his three random selections.
• Old Shu examined Chen Mo’s language, praised its ingenious syntax, and accepted it for the Sci-Tech Library.
• Old Shu began forming a reward book after Chen Mo shared the Chinese Character Programming Language.

Chen Mo gained Low-Level Artificial Intelligence Development and Carbon Crystal Based Lithium-Ion Battery Technology from the Sci-Tech Library, then arranged to have laboratories built so he could research batteries. He learned Butterfly Eye had sold 800,000 units and hurried back to his rental apartment as evening approached.

• Old Shu gave Chen Mo the Low-Level Artificial Intelligence Development book and warned him that AI depended on its source code and could become dangerous if created carelessly.
• Chen Mo reviewed his gains, deciding to pursue carbon-crystal batteries and set aside the ballpoint pen production technology.
• Chen Mo called Zhao Min and asked her to build physics and chemistry laboratories, then emailed her a list of the equipment and materials he needed.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that Butterfly Eye had sold 800,000 units for more than 500 million in net profit and that the company had acquired land in Qinhai for a new site.
• Zhao Min said the R&D department had begun developing a computer operating system based on the Army Ant System architecture, and Chen Mo asked to hear about its progress.
• Chen Mo studied the Chinese Character Programming Language until evening, then shut down his computer and rushed back to his rental apartment.

Chen Mo saw Xiao Yu off before checking on his growing company and heading home for the break. His mother welcomed him and mysteriously asked him to visit his aunt the next day.

• Chen Mo hurried to the station with Xiao Yu, who gave him a scarf before boarding her train home.
• Chen Mo returned to his apartment and continued his research on artificial intelligence.
• Chen Mo visited Zhao Min at the company, reviewed its progress, and authorized twenty million in year-end bonuses for the employees.
• Chen Mo traveled home and reunited with his mother, who said his father was still at work.
• Chen's Mother told Chen Mo to come with her to his aunt's house the next day, but did not explain why.

Xiao Yu and Chen Mo separately discovered their families had arranged blind dates for them, so both fled before meeting. They reunited in Flower City, where Xiao Yu invited Chen Mo to her friend’s wedding the next day.

• Xiao Yu learned from Xiao Man that Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhen planned to introduce her to their nephew, so she stayed at a hotel instead of going to their house.
• Chen Mo overheard his mother and Aunt Zhen arranging for him to meet a girl and ran away from Aunt Zhen’s house.
• Xiao Yu avoided Aunt Zhen’s invitation by claiming she was unwell and had plans with classmates.
• Zhang Yang and the others realized Xiao Yu and Chen Mo had both escaped the blind date and decided not to force them.
• Chen Mo met Xiao Yu in Flower City, where she playfully hit and kissed him before inviting him to her friend’s wedding.