Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Source Intelligence proposes working with Hanlian Microsystems to improve its nearly 10,000-card L100 cluster and develop Icecore’s next-generation AI accelerator. Zhao Wenyuan says Source Intelligence may already have TSMC packaging parameters, which could let Hanlian reverse-engineer improvements for the existing cards.
• Hanlian’s engineers are energized by the prospect of shaping a project from the beginning rather than adapting technology to hardware and software already fixed in place.
• CFO Lu Mingzhou raises Source Intelligence’s financial constraints and the risks of a long-term partnership that shares critical resources without making Hanlian part of the company.
• Recognizing that a simple collaboration may not secure Hanlian’s future, Shen Zhonghe proposes that Hanlian join Source Intelligence. He explains the company’s ownership and rights structure and offers flexible payment terms, prioritizing commercializing the technology over immediate payment. He proposes a 150-million-yuan payment to settle the institute’s stake.
• The parties agree to discuss the acquisition further. Shen plans to brief his team and consult his former mentor, Academician Qiu Yue.
• After leaving, Zhao asks Lu how he prompted Shen to propose a sale. Lu explains that Hanlian needs a genuine deployment environment, not merely interested buyers—and that Source Intelligence, with its cluster, chip designs, manufacturing partnership, and national-project status, is uniquely positioned to provide one.

Character developments

• Shen Zhonghe moves from cautious hope to decisive commitment. He is willing to defer compensation so his team’s technology can reach real-world use and his colleagues can stay together.
• Zhao Wenyuan shows ambition and confidence in the project, but also unease about using negotiation tactics that might disadvantage Hanlian.
• Lu Mingzhou demonstrates strategic skill: he frames the practical limits of a partnership so Hanlian recognizes that acquisition may be the best route. He reassures Zhao that the deal can benefit Hanlian and the state as well as Source Intelligence.
• Hanlian’s engineers see a rare chance to put years of research into practice rather than remain trapped by financial and technical constraints.

Significant themes

• Turning research into practical value: Hanlian’s technology has attracted interest, but without a real system in which to deploy it, its potential remains unrealized.
• Opportunity and urgency: Hanlian’s approaching deadline and the rarity of Source Intelligence’s resources make the partnership a potentially once-in-a-lifetime chance.
• Collaboration versus acquisition: The chapter presents integration as a way to align technology, funding, and deployment, while raising questions about ownership and long-term rights.
• Strategic negotiation and mutual benefit: Lu’s tactics create leverage for Source Intelligence, yet the deal is framed as a win-win because Hanlian gains a path to deployment and future licensing income.

Character interactions

• Zhao’s technical proposal draws Shen and the Hanlian team into enthusiastic discussion.
• Lu’s financial objections cool the meeting and force both sides to confront the limits of a straightforward partnership.
• Shen responds by offering an acquisition proposal, while Lu carefully avoids committing before the legal and financial terms are reviewed.
• In the car afterward, Zhao questions the ethics of Lu’s approach; Lu argues that Hanlian is not being deprived of value, since its protected revenue rights and future licensing opportunities remain intact.

Plot points and events

• Source Code holds a major internal review of its upcoming Glutinous Rice Ball app, the company’s first consumer-facing product aimed at everyday users and its biggest launch so far.
• Product lead Jiang Yixin presents its guiding idea: “Trustworthy agent.” Rather than compete on conversation alone, the app aims to give reliable answers and help users take practical next steps.
• Jiang describes common failures in rival AI products: outdated instructions, fabricated information, and claims to have completed real-world actions—such as restaurant bookings—that were never actually made.
• In a live demo, the app answers a weather question using current data and a cited source. It then handles a child-vaccination question cautiously: it explains what it cannot confirm, provides dated local information, offers nearby clinics, and generates a phone script for checking details.
• The chapter ends as Jiang enters a more serious question about insomnia and feeling that life is pointless. The app’s response is not yet shown.

Character developments

• Jiang Yixin comes across as composed and persuasive. She frames the product’s limitations honestly and emphasizes usefulness without pretending the AI can do more than it can.
• Han Luyi evaluates the demo critically, recognizing that the weather feature is technically ordinary, while approving of the vaccination guidance as a meaningful improvement over a generic disclaimer. His private thoughts about the mascot add a lighter note.
• Su Niannian notices Han Luyi arriving, but their interaction goes no further in this excerpt.

Significant themes

• Trust and accuracy: AI should not mislead users with stale data or fabricated details.
• Agency and practical help: A good assistant should help users move toward an outcome, not merely produce an answer.
• Responsible limits: The app acknowledges uncertainty and directs users to verify consequential information.
• AI’s real-world impact: The presentation contrasts conversational polish with the harder challenge of reliably helping people act in everyday life.

Character interactions

• Jiang addresses the assembled Source Code and Source Intelligence leaders, credits the model team, and invites feedback.
• Han Luyi and Su Niannian exchange a brief glance; otherwise, the chapter centers on Jiang’s presentation and the audience’s reactions.
• The room laughs at the restaurant-booking example, but Jiang treats it seriously, using it to underline the gap between claiming an action and actually having the capability to perform it.

Key plot points and events

• Glutinous Rice Ball’s final trustworthiness demonstration addresses a suicidal user. It expresses concern, urges the user to move away from means of self-harm and contact a real person, and offers buttons for a crisis hotline or emergency contact.
• The team explains that high-risk responses use both model detection and a fixed safety workflow. They debate whether the company should follow up if a user declines help, weighing the chance to prevent harm against privacy, intrusion, and legal risk. Han Luyi postpones the decision for later legal and ethical review.
• Jiang Yixin confirms that the crisis feature has only been tested internally, using public information, and hopes it will never be needed.
• The demonstration moves to Glutinous Rice Ball’s agent capabilities. It finds Cantonese restaurants near Zhangjiang Park, checks reservation options, and successfully books a private room for four. Jiang invites colleagues to join the meal, lightening the mood.
• Jiang explains that the agent turns requests into tasks, uses tools to perform them, and reports results. For verifiable information or actions, it must rely on tools rather than memory and cannot claim a task is complete without confirmation.
• Challenged to find a competitor’s confidential AI budget, Glutinous Rice Ball refuses to invent a figure, offers a research framework, and then provides a sourced, scenario-based estimate when pressed. It also identifies Dingsheng Cloud’s upcoming agent-product launch.
• Han approves the product, and the team applauds. Afterward, he and Su Niannian discuss their workloads and Jiang’s well-being. They settle on April 30 for the app launch—the same date as Dingsheng’s event.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Yixin presents the product confidently but is personally affected by the crisis-response demonstration; she briefly composes herself before continuing. Han notices she has seemed unwell, and Su promises to give her time off.
• Han Luyi acts as a cautious leader, probing the product’s limits and warning against overstepping users’ boundaries. He ultimately expresses confidence in the team and agrees to host the launch.
• Su Niannian recognizes both Jiang’s strain and the broader ethical dilemma. She supports Jiang’s rest and encourages Han to take care of himself as well.
• Liu Yu, Zhao Wenyuan, and Chen Jianye contribute differing perspectives: Liu worries about failing to intervene, Zhao stresses the risks of intrusive monitoring, and Chen explains the technical safeguards and audit records.
• The successful reservation and the agent’s sourced analysis demonstrate practical usefulness, while Han’s approval restores the room’s confidence after the serious discussion.

Significant themes

• Safety versus privacy: Responsible crisis intervention requires balancing care, user autonomy, and the risk of intrusive monitoring.
• Trust and accountability: The product must distinguish verified facts from guesses, disclose uncertainty, and provide traceable sources.
• AI as an agent, not just a chatbot: Glutinous Rice Ball’s defining promise is that it can use tools to complete real-world tasks.
• Human responsibility and limits: The team recognizes that AI should not act as a user’s parent and that unresolved ethical and legal boundaries require careful judgment.
• Competition and ambition: Choosing Dingsheng’s launch date for Glutinous Rice Ball’s own release signals Han’s appetite for direct competition.

Plot and key events

• Han Luyi meets with Zhang Biao, who has just returned from a successful six-month assignment in Zhangjiakou. Zhang says he has learned more during that time than in all his years since leaving the military and wants to keep working for Han.
• Han assigns Zhang to travel to Taiwan and retrieve 10,000 Ximing chip cards being manufactured at TSMC. Zhang will go with Liu Yu, who is currently in Beijing, and will receive a detailed briefing from Xue Zhaoheng, Ximing’s former CEO.
• Han stresses that they must act quickly, while following proper procedures. He explains that Source Intelligence’s growing profile—including its chip-company acquisition and participation in a national-level project—could attract attention and lead to U.S. sanctions. If that happens, the shipment and its deposit could both be lost.
• The scene shifts to Washington, where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang testifies at a congressional hearing on advanced-computing export controls. With Senator William Harper’s help, Huang argues that overly strict restrictions will push Chinese companies toward domestic chips and weaken U.S. influence.
• Huang cites Source Intelligence’s advanced AI model and its experiments with domestic chips, as well as its acquisition of Sili-Lumin Semiconductor, as evidence that restrictions may accelerate China’s chip industry. He advocates allowing sales of downgraded, auditable products to China. An AMD representative supports his position.
• A senator then asks Google to compare the Chinese model with Gemini. Google dismisses the comparison, and Huang suspects Google prefers strict controls. The questioner is identified as Kenneth Chen, a prominent politician and opponent of China.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Biao is shown as disciplined, dependable, and eager to learn. Han recognizes that Zhang must grow from a capable executor into a manager who understands the purpose behind an assignment and can adapt independently.
• Han Luyi balances trust in Zhang with careful instruction. He explains the political and business risks so Zhang understands why speed matters, rather than merely following orders.
• Jensen Huang uses the hearing strategically, presenting export controls as counterproductive and linking Source Intelligence’s progress to the risks of cutting Chinese firms off from U.S. technology.
• William Harper gives Huang an opening to make his case, while AMD’s representative lends it broader industry credibility. Google’s representative rejects the claim that the Chinese model rivals Gemini, and Kenneth Chen steers attention toward that comparison.

Significant themes

• Speed versus procedure: The chip shipment is urgent, but Han insists that haste must not come at the expense of proper process.
• Adaptability and leadership: Zhang’s next stage of development requires understanding an assignment’s purpose, not just carrying it out.
• Technology and political power: Semiconductor supply chains and AI development are vulnerable to government decisions, especially export controls and sanctions.
• The unintended effects of restrictions: Huang argues that cutting off access may encourage Chinese firms to develop domestic alternatives, potentially reducing U.S. leverage rather than preserving it.

Key plot points and events

• At a U.S. congressional hearing, Senator Kenneth turns Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s warning about China’s AI progress into a political attack on Source Intelligence Technology (SIT), suggesting the company’s success proves export controls have failed. The first day ends without a decision.
• On the second day, Kenneth pushes the Commerce Department to consider placing SIT on the Entity List, while Jensen’s ally William argues that allowing sales of reduced-capability, auditable chips would preserve U.S. competitiveness. Jensen confirms Nvidia’s H20 chips are ready for mass production.
• The Commerce Department signals it is considering a targeted licensing framework. The hearing gives both sides a political win, and Nvidia shares rise 5%. Jensen believes SIT’s chip supply has already been cut off and stops monitoring the company.
• Meanwhile, Zhang Biao arrives in Taiwan and joins Liu Yu to oversee delivery of SIT’s TSMC chip order. They verify the documentation and learn the chips are produced, packaged, and undergoing final testing.
• Their plans are disrupted when Xue Zhaoheng reports that the U.S. has added SIT to the Entity List. Liu Yu urges immediate notification of senior leaders and an emergency meeting. He discovers the listing takes effect in 36 hours, leaving a narrow window to respond.

Character developments and interactions

• Kenneth proves adept at using hearings for political positioning: he frames Jensen’s remarks to target SIT, then supports action against the company while avoiding a direct confrontation with Nvidia.
• Jensen tries to defend continued chip sales as a way to maintain U.S. influence, but ultimately secures progress toward Nvidia’s commercial goals. He dismisses SIT as no longer a concern.
• William backs Jensen by presenting controlled chip exports as a compromise between national security and commercial competitiveness.
• Zhang Biao and Liu Yu work methodically to secure the TSMC shipment, then respond to the Entity List news by escalating the crisis rather than making unauthorized decisions. Liu Yu takes the lead in identifying the deadline and coordinating next steps.
• Xue Zhaoheng brings the urgent news and prepares to join the response effort.

Significant themes

• Politics and self-interest: Senators and executives use national-security arguments to advance political or business goals.
• Unintended effects of export controls: Restrictions may encourage domestic alternatives while also creating powerful leverage over supply chains.
• Supply-chain vulnerability and timing: SIT’s plans depend on a complex international process, and the new restrictions turn a routine shipment into a race against a deadline.
• Responsibility under pressure: Liu Yu emphasizes that in a crisis, promptly involving superiors is safer than acting alone.

Key events

• After learning a U.S. restriction would soon take effect, Han Luyi, Lu Mingzhou, and Xue Zhaoheng coordinate with Zhang Biao and Liu Yu to get an existing semiconductor shipment out before the deadline.
• The team discovers that the final payment has been wired but will not clear until the next morning. Lu Mingzhou arranges a bank confirmation letter to stand in for the funds.
• At TSMC, Liu Yu uses the contract, completed paperwork, and the fact that the restriction is not yet in force to argue for continued delivery. TSMC agrees to proceed once it receives the payment confirmation.
• Zhang Biao presses the freight forwarder to secure that evening’s sailing, while Liu Yu works with TSMC. The goods pass inspection and are loaded onto a truck.
• At the port, customs flags the shipment for manual review because the end-user statement names Source Intelligence Technology. With the cutoff approaching, Liu Yu quickly obtains a factual supplementary statement from TSMC’s legal team.
• Customs clears the shipment, and the carrier confirms it is “shipped on board” before the new restrictions take effect.

Character development and interactions

• Han Luyi remains composed under pressure, directing the effort and assigning clear responsibilities. His calm reassures Zhang Biao and Liu Yu.
• Liu Yu proves methodical, persuasive, and quick-thinking. He anticipates compliance objections, prepares multilingual documents, secures TSMC’s cooperation, and handles the last-minute customs hold.
• Zhang Biao uses discipline and persistence to keep the freight forwarder focused on the deadline, then verifies the crates and stays with the shipment through port processing.
• Lu Mingzhou contributes a practical solution to the payment delay; Xue Zhaoheng helps assess the production and inspection process.
• The TSMC representatives are cautious but ultimately cooperate, while the freight forwarder is initially skeptical and overwhelmed by the impossible-seeming timeline. The team’s respectful, evidence-based approach helps keep both parties engaged.

Significant themes

• Urgency and teamwork: The shipment succeeds because the team divides responsibilities and coordinates across companies under a strict deadline.
• Preparation and persistence: Advance paperwork, careful documentation, and rapid responses overcome procedural barriers.
• Rules, timing, and ambiguity: The team relies on the restrictions not yet being effective and on the order’s existing status, while institutions weigh compliance risks against contractual obligations.
• Composure under pressure: Liu Yu’s planning and Zhang Biao’s persistence contrast with the growing anxiety around them, underscoring how discipline can turn a narrow opportunity into success.

Key plot points and events

• At Source Intelligence headquarters, Han Luyi praises Liu Yu and Zhang Biao for getting the L100 shipment out before a ban took effect and awards each a 500,000-yuan bonus. He assigns them to a new office: Liu Yu will handle scheduling and visitors, while Zhang Biao will generally stay with Han. Han then asks Liu Yu to make him an Americano.
• Han visits Ma Xiaofei’s makeshift studio to discuss investing in his content business. Ma presents a detailed plan to hire a camera operator and editor, expand his technology videos, document the growth of his studio, and pursue selective sponsorships.
• Han suggests adding accessible content about AI, especially explaining what it can and cannot do. He offers himself as a resource and proposes a recurring interview-style show with industry guests. Ma enthusiastically agrees, but Han realizes he has not asked Gu Siyue to prepare the investment agreement. His hesitation while messaging her makes Ma suspect something is wrong.
• At her law firm, Gu returns from jiu-jitsu visibly irritable after reading Han’s message. Her colleague Shen Yuwei guesses that Gu is romantically interested in someone. Gu denies it at first, then asks whether someone who likes you might stop contacting you.
• Shen advises Gu to trust her instincts and contact the man herself if she likes him. Embarrassed, Gu retreats behind a folder and sends Han a brief “Okay” in response to his request to draft the investment contract.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Luyi remains a decisive, generous investor and supportive friend, but his awkwardness over contacting Gu suggests unresolved romantic feelings—or at least discomfort—beneath his professional request.
• Ma Xiaofei shows growing ambition and business sense, presenting a thoughtful plan for turning his solo channel into a small studio. His playful familiarity with Han contrasts with Han’s role as his backer.
• Gu Siyue struggles to reconcile her feelings with Han’s long silence and purely work-related message. Though proud and guarded, she ultimately agrees to help.
• Shen Yuwei uses teasing and blunt relationship advice to draw Gu out, shifting the conversation from denial to a more honest admission of interest.
• Liu Yu and Zhang Biao accept their rewards and new duties; Liu remains polished and eager to please, while Zhang is quiet and disciplined.

Significant themes

• Ambition and investment: Ma’s plan reflects the effort and strategy behind building a creative business.
• Technology and public anxiety: Han sees AI education as a timely way to help audiences understand a fast-changing technology.
• Romantic uncertainty and communication: Gu’s frustration stems from Han’s silence and the ambiguity of his intentions; Shen’s advice challenges her to act rather than wait.
• Professional and personal boundaries: Han approaches Gu for legal work, while their private history gives the request an emotional weight neither directly addresses.

Key plot points and events

• On April 30, reporters gather for Source Code Technology’s launch of the Tangyuan App amid intense attention. The Entity List restrictions have just taken effect, and online speculation is widespread. One reporter admits he was paid to publish a critical post, while others anticipate that the media Q&A will focus on the restrictions.
• The company remains silent online, choosing to address the controversy at the event. Onstage, Han Luyi says Source Intelligence has not been affected and claims it anticipated the restrictions.
• Han introduces Tangyuan Chat, presenting it as a new AI product built around the company’s mission of making useful AI accessible to everyone.
• He contrasts existing chat apps, which can offer similar-looking recommendations but may rely on recycled search results—or even invent information. He argues that Glutinous Rice Ball aims not merely to answer in text but to genuinely help users.
• The chapter ends as Han begins a live demonstration of the unreleased Tangyuan App.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Luyi appears calm and confident before the launch, relying on his faith in Glutinous Rice Ball. Onstage, he addresses the political controversy directly, then smoothly shifts attention to the product.
• Su Niannian, responsible for coordinating the event, checks on Han after overseeing the preparations. She worries about his lack of visible nerves but privately has confidence in him.
• The reporters trade rumors and predictions about the Entity List and a competing Dingsheng Cloud launch later that day. Their conversations show how commercial rivalry, paid commentary, and geopolitical news have become entangled.

Significant themes

• AI’s practical value: The launch positions the next step in AI as taking action for users, rather than merely generating plausible text.
• Trust and reliability: The restaurant-booking example highlights the risks of AI hallucinations, especially when systems present fabricated information as real.
• Technology and geopolitics: The Entity List controversy raises questions about whether AI models themselves are becoming strategic assets, though the stated explanation centers on semiconductor acquisitions.
• Public narrative and competition: Media coverage, online opinion, and the rival afternoon launch all shape the stakes of Tangyuan Chat’s debut.

Chapter summary

Key events

• At a product launch, Han Luyi demonstrates the mobile version of Glutinous Rice Ball Chat by asking it to book a business dinner. The AI breaks the request into steps, compares restaurants using websites and apps, checks availability and policies, and presents sourced options.
• After Han selects a restaurant, the AI requests permission to use his contact details and explicit confirmation for a prepaid voucher. It completes the booking, which is confirmed by text. The audience applauds the system’s ability not merely to answer questions but to carry out tasks.
• Han then introduces the desktop version and invites the audience to suggest a live task. A reporter asks it to investigate Dingsheng Group’s agent strategy and predict what the company will announce that afternoon.
• Glutinous Rice Ball searches public sources, downloads original documents, compiles evidence into a spreadsheet, flags an unverified investment claim, and produces a research report and presentation. Its forecast—that Dingsheng will unveil an enterprise agent development and runtime platform with knowledge bases, workflows, plugins, permissions, and cloud deployment—closely matches Dingsheng’s actual launch materials.
• At Dingsheng Tower, executives watch the livestream and realize how closely the AI’s prediction resembles their planned announcement. CEO Zheng Xiaobo, fearing a humiliating launch, hands the afternoon presentation to Liu Bo and tells everyone to keep watching.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Luyi presents the technology confidently, while emphasizing user permission and confirmation before sensitive actions. He jokes about the restaurant booking, then frames the AI as a tool that can solve problems rather than leave people to do the work themselves.
• The audience and reporters shift from surprise to excitement. One reporter’s request turns the demonstration into a high-stakes test; another, who had planned a hit piece, quietly withdraws it. A financial journalist is impressed by the AI’s research, which rivals work his team spent weeks doing.
• Su Niannian, watching from the wings, worries that Han’s unscripted challenge could go badly.
• Zheng Xiaobo grows increasingly anxious as the demonstration unfolds. His past setbacks involving Han Luyi make him wary, and the accurate prediction leaves him unsure how to proceed.
• Liu Bo questions whether the launch information has leaked, but receives no answer. When Zheng assigns him to host the launch, he accepts despite his visible unease.

Significant themes

• AI as an agent, not just an adviser: The chapter contrasts answering questions with understanding goals, planning steps, using tools, and completing tasks.
• Trust, evidence, and accountability: The AI cites sources, distinguishes confirmed facts from unsupported claims, expresses uncertainty, and pauses for consent before using personal information or spending money.
• Competition and disruption: Glutinous Rice Ball’s capabilities threaten to make Dingsheng’s planned product look derivative and outdated.
• Public demonstrations and risk: Han’s live, audience-driven challenge creates excitement but also exposes both companies to unpredictable outcomes and public judgment.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• At Source Code’s launch event, Glutinous Rice Ball Chat completes a live research task about Dingsheng. It produces a sourced, 26-page report and a 10-slide presentation, consolidating duplicate information and flagging unverified claims. Its citations link directly to original documents.
• The demonstration shows that Glutinous Rice Ball can plan and carry out a complex task—not just answer questions—while allowing users to monitor, change, pause, or take over its work.
• Han Luyi presents the company’s principles for AI agents: visible, controllable, correctable, and traceable. High-risk actions require user authorization, and he openly warns that the system’s performance involves a privacy trade-off.
• The company claims Glutinous Rice Ball ranks first across seven public evaluations and leads in complex-intent comprehension. Han argues that understanding what users mean—not merely operating tools—is what enables the agent to complete extended tasks.
• Glutinous Rice Ball Chat is announced for download at noon across desktop and mobile platforms, with free basic chat, trial agent tasks, and a 199-yuan monthly Pro plan.
• Han introduces the Tangyuan Protocol, an open standard through which developers can make websites, software, and services available to Glutinous Rice Ball. Developers immediately begin considering integration, seeing the agent as a new gateway to users and transactions.
• During Q&A, Han says the product uses only Source Intelligence’s Tangyuan Model and its own computing cluster in Zhangjiakou, with no overseas model APIs or cloud services. The answer reassures the audience amid new U.S. Entity List restrictions.
• After the event, Su Niannian reveals that the live audience task was improvised. Registrations have already passed 3.17 million and are still climbing.

Character developments

• Han Luyi emerges as a confident, strategically bold presenter. He promotes the product while acknowledging its limitations and privacy costs, and responds calmly to questions about sanctions and competitors.
• Su Niannian shows both confidence in the product and concern about Han’s willingness to improvise during a live presentation. Her remark that Dingsheng “deserved it” suggests personal satisfaction with the demonstration’s target.
• The financial reporter shifts from fearing that AI may replace his research work to seeing the product’s practical value and deciding to try it for himself.
• The audience and developers move from amused curiosity to apprehension about job displacement, then to enthusiasm and urgency as they recognize the product’s capabilities and ecosystem potential.

Significant themes

• AI as an agent, not merely a chatbot: The key distinction is that Glutinous Rice Ball can use tools to accomplish tasks, not just provide information.
• Trust and accountability: The product’s actions are designed to be inspectable and interruptible, while risky operations require permission.
• Privacy versus performance: Han openly frames privacy as a cost users should understand, rather than promising frictionless capability without trade-offs.
• Competition and technological independence: The launch positions Source Intelligence as resilient despite U.S. restrictions, emphasizing its own model and computing infrastructure.
• Ecosystem power: The Tangyuan Protocol turns the agent into a potential gateway to services, prompting a race among developers to become its preferred tools.
• Work and disruption: The reporter’s reaction and the audience’s quieter laughter suggest excitement is accompanied by real anxiety over AI replacing human labor.

Character interactions

• Han uses the live Dingsheng research task to engage the audience and demonstrate the system’s capabilities; audience members challenge him to repeat the demonstration.
• He explains the product’s safeguards directly to users and addresses reporters’ concerns about privacy, sanctions, and competitors.
• Su Niannian privately reprimands Han for improvising, while acknowledging that the target of the research task deserved scrutiny.
• Developers react to Han’s protocol announcement by contacting their teams, while the staff’s registration update confirms the launch’s immediate public impact.

Plot points and events

• Lin Yizhou registers for Glutinous Rice Ball Chat shortly after its launch and is astonished to find himself user number 4.28 million. While waiting for the service to open, he reads the Tangyuan Protocol documentation, which lets software expose capabilities that the AI assistant can invoke.
• As a freelance backend programmer struggling to find work, Lin hopes the new assistant might help him handle client emails—an area where his poor communication has cost him jobs.
• He asks Glutinous Rice Ball to review his work inbox, identify unanswered messages, and draft replies to the three most important. The assistant produces useful, tactful drafts; Lin approves them, and it sends the replies and adds two follow-up tasks to Apple Reminders.
• Curious about the task’s slow pace, Lin examines the execution logs and realizes the assistant navigated his email client through screenshots, visual recognition, and simulated mouse clicks. He sees that native Tangyuan Protocol support could make email tasks far faster by giving the assistant direct access to structured email functions.
• Lin spots a business opportunity: build an email client that natively supports the protocol. He settles on the name Yuanxiao Mail and asks Glutinous Rice Ball to help plan an MVP. Before it can respond, his free Agent allowance runs out, and he hesitates over the 199-yuan monthly upgrade.
• A reminder prompts him to watch Dingsheng’s Agent launch event instead. Its livestream has not yet begun, but the comments suggest viewers are waiting to see whether Glutinous Rice Ball’s prediction will prove correct.

Character development

• Lin shifts from a discouraged freelancer to an alert would-be founder. His firsthand use of the assistant helps him recognize a technical bottleneck and turn it into a concrete product idea.
• He shows self-awareness about his weak client communication, but also pragmatism: he appreciates the AI’s effective drafts rather than insisting on doing things his own way.
• His enthusiasm is tempered by caution. He is ready to explore the business but pauses before paying for a subscription, choosing to assess the competing launch first.

Significant themes

• New platforms create opportunities: An open ecosystem can leave gaps that small developers may fill.
• The value of integration: AI capability alone is not enough; direct, structured software access can make tasks dramatically faster and more reliable than visual automation.
• Technology and entrepreneurship: Lin’s technical insight becomes a potential business opportunity, though success is uncertain and larger companies may eventually enter the space.
• AI as practical assistance: The assistant is useful not because it performs flashy demonstrations, but because it helps with ordinary work Lin finds difficult.

Character interactions

• Lin coordinates with other developers in the AI group chat, whose jokes about work and family provide a light contrast to his excitement.
• He instructs Glutinous Rice Ball to review, draft, and then send emails; the assistant requests access, explains its plan, and requires confirmation before sending.
• Lin then treats the assistant as a potential collaborator, asking it to estimate the gains from native protocol support and to help design his proposed email client.

Plot and key events

• Dingsheng launches Ling Tai, its enterprise Agent platform, with a polished presentation about its AI background, cloud services, enterprise knowledge bases, workflows, plugins, permissions, and industry applications.
• Viewers quickly recognize that Dingsheng’s features match the predictions made earlier that day by Source Code Technology’s Glutinous Rice Ball. The launch chat turns the presentation into a running checklist, and the audience dwindles after the demonstrations.
• Lin Yizhou sees that Ling Tai’s workflow requires people to configure each step, while Glutinous Rice Ball can act on a single natural-language request. He closes the stream and buys Glutinous Rice Ball Chat Pro.
• To regain attention, Dingsheng hastily adds the Ling Tai Interconnection Protocol, adapted from Source Code’s publicly available Glutinous Rice Ball Protocol. The surprise announcement steadies viewership and draws stronger applause, but reporters’ questions expose that the documentation and much of the protocol are not yet ready.
• After the event, Zheng Xiaobo tells Liu Bo that presenting both protocols on the same day reframes the competition as an industry trend, concluding: “Copy them, then surpass them.”
• That evening, a restaurant Glutinous Rice Ball booked during its morning livestream is crowded with businesspeople hoping to encounter its creator—even though the reservation was canceled.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Yizhou moves from watching Dingsheng’s launch to recognizing the practical difference between a manually assembled workflow and an Agent that independently carries out a request. His decision to subscribe signals confidence in Glutinous Rice Ball.
• Liu Bo, Dingsheng’s newly promoted vice president, delivers the presentation professionally but becomes increasingly uncomfortable when asked about the hastily created protocol. Zheng praises him afterward, then explains the competitive strategy behind the announcement.
• Zheng Xiaobo responds pragmatically to the threat from Source Code: rather than concede that Dingsheng was anticipated, he borrows its protocol approach and tries to portray both launches as evidence of a broader trend.
• Viewers, media, and Dingsheng’s event staff shape the contrast between the companies: online audiences mock the predictable presentation, while the media become interested once Dingsheng announces a new protocol.

Significant themes

• Innovation versus imitation: Dingsheng’s established enterprise platform is overshadowed by Glutinous Rice Ball’s more autonomous approach; Dingsheng reacts by copying its protocol strategy.
• Real capability versus presentation: Ling Tai’s demonstrations look smooth, but Lin notices how much human configuration they require. Its polished launch cannot hide the gap between a scripted workflow and an Agent that handles a goal.
• Public perception and competition: The online audience’s attention, comments, and departing viewership directly affect the launch—and Dingsheng’s decision to improvise.
• Efficiency and user effort: The chapter asks whether elaborate workflow-building actually saves time, especially when the system can instead understand and execute a natural-language instruction.

Plot points and events

• On April 30, reporter Xu Bingbing arrives at Source Intelligence Technology’s launch event expecting to cover the company’s addition to a foreign government’s entity list. Founder Han Luyi says the company anticipated the restrictions and their impact is limited.
• The launch demonstrates Glutinous Rice Ball Chat, an AI agent that can plan and carry out complex tasks and interact with external devices. Xu realizes this product is a far bigger story than the restrictions, though her cameraman, Old Zhang, did not film the key demonstration.
• Xu secures an in-depth interview with Han through CEO Su Niannian and returns to the company that afternoon.
• In the interview, Han explains that the product is designed for multistep tasks, with safeguards around granting AI permissions. He declines to disclose the company’s preparations for the restrictions, calls them trade secrets, and rejects framing the company’s work as a matter of national identity.
• Han says Chinese companies can define the next generation of AI products, arguing that strong models and market needs will shape what comes next. Afterward, Xu’s team films company footage and finds a lobby display showing more than five million registered users and thirteen million tasks executed.

Character developments

• Xu Bingbing shifts from a planned report about trade restrictions to pursuing what she recognizes as a potentially era-defining AI story. She trusts her instincts, adapts quickly, and presses for an interview rather than chasing Han backstage.
• Han Luyi comes across as composed, confident, and careful: he avoids grand claims about the product, answers sensitive questions candidly but protects trade secrets, and emphasizes usefulness over nationalism.
• Old Zhang initially follows Xu’s filming priorities but realizes they missed crucial footage. He later spots the company’s user statistics and asks whether to record them.
• Su Niannian acts as a capable, welcoming intermediary, arranging the interview while noting Han’s busy schedule.

Significant themes

• The importance of recognizing a major story: Xu’s instincts lead her to prioritize the product over the expected entity-list angle.
• AI capability and responsibility: The agent’s power to act in the outside world makes reliability and limits on permissions essential.
• Technology beyond nationalism: Han argues that AI should serve users because it is useful, not because of a company’s nationality.
• Confidence under external pressure: The company presents the restrictions as manageable while continuing to invest in its model and ambitions.

Character interactions

• Xu and Old Zhang’s contrasting reactions to the missed demonstration show the practical tension between planning and recognizing news as it unfolds.
• Xu negotiates with Su Niannian, then questions Han directly about the product, safety, restrictions, and China’s role in AI.
• Han maintains a professional, lightly humorous rapport with Xu; after the interview, he declines her personal WeChat request and directs her to contact Su instead.

Key plot points and events

• Deputy Mayor Zhu Jianming reviews an extra briefing about Haicheng’s key companies and focuses on Source Intelligence Technology.
• He learns that China Media Group’s reporters independently sought out the company after attending its Glutinous Rice Ball launch, interviewing founder Han Luyi and filming at its headquarters. Zhu sees this unsolicited attention as evidence that Source Intelligence’s influence is growing.
• Glutinous Rice Ball has passed eight million registrations within eight hours, and developers are already exploring its open protocol and building startup ideas around it.
• The briefing notes that Dingsheng added open-protocol material to its Spirit Terrace launch, apparently in response to Glutinous Rice Ball. Zhu acknowledges Source Intelligence’s impact but warns his secretary not to repeat online mockery of Dingsheng, another local company.
• Zhu asks whether Source Intelligence has joined Haicheng’s program for companies preparing to go public. It has not, and the city has not yet discussed its capital-market plans with the company.
• He directs the district, after the holiday, to begin a low-pressure conversation with Source Intelligence, accompanied by one or two municipal financial-affairs officials. The government should respect the company’s choices while preparing support if it wants to list.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Jianming moves from assessing Source Intelligence’s recent achievements to considering how the city can help its longer-term growth. He is impressed by the company’s momentum but careful not to presume it wants to go public. His insistence on respecting its pace shows a pragmatic, service-oriented approach.
• The secretary is well informed about the company and tries to bond with Zhu by repeating online jokes about Dingsheng. Zhu’s sharp correction reminds him that both companies belong to Haicheng and that office talk must be handled discreetly.
• Zhu and the secretary discuss the company’s media attention, performance, and possible listing plans. Their exchange reveals Zhu’s personal attention to Source Intelligence and the secretary’s role in gathering and communicating timely information.

Significant themes

• Support without overreach: The government can encourage and prepare to assist a company, but the decision and timing of a listing belong to the company.
• Local economic development and competition: Source Intelligence’s success may strengthen Haicheng, but officials should avoid treating local companies as enemies or celebrating one at another’s expense.
• Reputation and independent validation: Media interest initiated by reporters, rapid user growth, and developer activity signal influence beyond company publicity or official claims.
• Potential versus proven success: Zhu sees Source Intelligence as a possible flagship enterprise, while recognizing that startup growth must be sustained before it can be judged firmly.

Key plot points and events

• Glutinous Rice Ball Chat’s launch far exceeds expectations: By 10 p.m., it has passed ten million registrations and reached three million peak concurrent users. Traffic spikes cause some task calls to time out, but prior stress testing, rate limits, and circuit breakers prevent a major outage.
• The company scrambles to expand computing capacity: Xue Zhaoheng reports that production lines in Pengcheng have materials and slots ready. He will oversee production, aiming to turn salvaged chips into computing cards within two weeks. Han Luyi prioritizes speed over cost and approves holiday work with extra pay.
• Technical adaptation is progressing well: Jiang Songran expects training-side operator adaptation to finish by mid-May. The team’s pace is boosted by nightly code fixes uploaded through Han Luyi’s account, though the contributors’ identity remains an unspoken secret.
• The launch is already generating substantial revenue: Lu Mingzhou reports nearly 98,000 paying users and about 19.59 million in advance payments on the first day. Han cautions that this initial surge will fade and that the company must deliver reliable service for the full subscription period.
• Capacity remains a major concern: Paid users may increase their usage once familiar with the product, especially through the desktop version. The company’s own clusters keep marginal costs low, but hardware shortages and production delays may force it to rent cloud capacity for short-term demand.
• The chapter closes on personal notes: Su Niannian accepts Han’s offer to drive her home. They recall BugKiller’s first-day registrations—just over 600, compared with today’s ten million. After she leaves, Han sits alone in the car and receives a message from Gu Siyue asking if he is free the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Luyi remains measured amid the triumph, focusing on service obligations and infrastructure risks rather than celebrating revenue. He shows consideration for employees’ holiday time and thanks Su Niannian, though she deflects the gratitude.
• Xue Zhaoheng is eager to advance the hardware project and treats holiday work as a welcome step toward his goals. He is surprised by how smoothly software adaptation is going but chooses not to question the team.
• Jiang Songran manages infrastructure pressure and protects the team’s quiet arrangement around Han’s anonymous technical support.
• Lu Mingzhou is exhilarated by the revenue figures, but Su Niannian’s reminder about his wife’s plans makes him realize he is missing an opportunity to spend time with her; he promptly leaves.
• Su Niannian and Han share a warm, understated moment in the car. Their long history with the company gives the launch’s scale emotional weight, while their conversation hints at closeness without resolving what either feels.

Significant themes

• Success brings new pressures: Explosive growth is both a triumph and a test of computing capacity, service reliability, and business sustainability.
• Commitment and sacrifice: Employees accept holiday work, while Han tries to balance urgency with fair compensation and concern for their rest.
• Growth and perspective: The contrast between BugKiller’s 600 initial users and Glutinous Rice Ball Chat’s ten million highlights how far the company has come.
• Unspoken support and affection: Han’s concealed technical contributions and the quiet warmth between him and Su show relationships expressed through actions as much as words.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Siyue rewatchs the replay of Glutinous Rice Ball’s successful launch, but finds herself watching Han Luyi rather than following the presentation. She admits she wants to see him immediately and asks for his address.
• She picks him up, and they drive to a brunch restaurant she has chosen for their planned meeting. Traffic delays them, and they arrive too late to keep their reservation.
• Han Luyi suggests a nearby soup-dumpling shop instead. The modest, unplanned meal brings back memories of their earlier time together, and he teaches Gu Siyue how to eat the dumplings without burning herself.
• With the city crowded for the holiday, Gu Siyue abandons her carefully prepared itinerary. They walk along the river, and Han Luyi takes her hand. She responds by threading her fingers through his.
• Back home, Han Luyi smiles over their messages and their hand-holding. A group chat alerts him to turn on the news: Glutinous Rice Ball is featured in a national report, which announces that it surpassed ten million registered users on launch day. In an interview, Han declares, “We will define the next generation of artificial intelligence products.”

Character development and interactions

• Gu Siyue moves from rationalizing her feelings to acting decisively: she seeks Han out without pretending the meeting is only about work. Though her carefully planned date goes awry, she gradually lets go of control and accepts the spontaneity of their day.
• Han Luyi recognizes that Gu’s attention is personal and that he feels differently about her than he has about past admirers. Though he is wary of intimacy, he initiates physical closeness by taking her hand; her reciprocal gesture gives him visible happiness.
• Their teasing—over her hidden itinerary, his supposed snooping, and his overeager bite of a hot dumpling—shows growing ease and affection. Their shared memories also connect their present relationship to their past.
• The ending contrasts their intimate, quiet outing with Han’s growing public prominence as a technology leader.

Significant themes

• Taking a leap toward intimacy: Both characters move beyond avoidance—Gu by openly pursuing what she wants, and Han by taking a tentative step toward closeness.
• Planning versus spontaneity: Gu’s itinerary fails, but the unplanned alternatives create the day’s most meaningful moments.
• Private and public lives: Han’s personal happiness unfolds alongside the national recognition of his company and its product.
• Ambition and innovation: The broadcast frames Glutinous Rice Ball’s launch as a milestone in China’s AI development and reflects Han’s confidence in the future.

Plot points and events

• Nexus AI’s managers are summoned on a Saturday night to assess Source Code Technology’s newly released, open-source Tangyuan Protocol, a specification that lets AI agents connect directly to online services.
• A side-by-side demo compares Nexus’s Atlas agent with Source Code’s Glutinous Rice Ball Chat. Atlas uses screenshots and mouse control to shop for a tent, struggling with ads, shifting page layouts, and repeated product checks. It eventually finds a suitable option, but the process takes several minutes.
• Glutinous Rice Ball calls the retailer through Tangyuan’s structured interfaces. It rapidly filters products using detailed specifications, shipping information, and return policies, offers three tailored choices, and completes an order after the user confirms. The demonstration takes under twenty seconds, excluding manual payment entry.
• Nexus’s executives recognize that Tangyuan’s advantage is not simply a better model: the protocol bypasses the need for agents to navigate websites visually.
• The team debates whether to adopt Tangyuan or create a competing standard. Ryan argues that a free protocol can still control an industry by shaping what developers build and learn, much as web standards did.
• Ryan shelves Nexus’s Computer Use project and directs Sarah to study Tangyuan and consult major clients. Nexus will launch its own open standard, named the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and begin promoting it before development is complete.
• After the meeting, Ryan tells John that he is less concerned about Sam Altman than about Lu Yi Han, whose rapid innovations keep catching Nexus off guard.

Character developments and interactions

• Ryan Miller moves from alarm to strategic resolve. He recognizes that the contest is about influence and control of the industry’s narrative, not immediate licensing revenue.
• Sarah, the product manager, demonstrates both systems and executes the test purchase. Her work makes the contrast—and Nexus’s strategic problem—impossible to ignore.
• The Indian Computer Use product manager initially defends Atlas’s progress but is stunned when Tangyuan bypasses the challenges his team has spent months addressing. His project is then put on hold.
• Michael, Nexus’s marketing head, questions the commercial logic of a free protocol and initially resists supporting a rival’s standard. He is ultimately part of a team tasked with competing for influence.
• John, the CTO, advocates supporting Tangyuan, then asks Ryan whether OpenAI might define a competing protocol. Ryan instead identifies Lu Yi Han as the more unpredictable threat.
• The team’s reactions shift from silence and disbelief during the demo to debate, then acceptance of Ryan’s strategic direction.

Significant themes

• Standards create power without charging fees: A free protocol can determine which services and tools become widely adopted, giving its creator lasting influence.
• Integration versus imitation: Direct, structured service connections can outperform even a capable visual agent by avoiding unreliable website navigation.
• Innovation moves the competitive goalposts: Nexus is forced to abandon one development path when a new protocol makes its hard-won technical advances less decisive.
• Control of the narrative: Naming and promoting a standard early can shape industry expectations before the technology is finished.
• Speed and uncertainty: Ryan fears that Lu Yi Han repeatedly advances faster than Nexus can anticipate.

Plot points

• Han Luyi visits Ma Xiaofei’s shabby startup office to sign the investment agreement. Ma signs without reading it, eager to formalize their deal, and they joke about their close friendship.
• The team begins filming the first episode of Xiao Fei Talks AI. A stray recording catches Ma making a suggestive joke, and the team plans to turn it into transition footage.
• In the interview, Han explains why AI service protocols matter: agents can connect users to services directly, bypassing many human-oriented interfaces. A shared protocol—such as the Tangyuan Protocol—could become a common language between AI agents and service providers.
• Han also acknowledges that Glutinous Rice Ball Chat can seem overly restrictive. He argues that systems trained to maximize user approval may learn to flatter and agree rather than provide accurate answers. His company is still exploring how to address this problem.
• Han leaves without joining Ma for a meal, saying he has another engagement. Afterward, Ma discovers that the embarrassing joke has already been sent to the editor.

Character developments and interactions

• Han Luyi shifts from relaxed banter with Ma to a serious, confident explainer during the interview, showing his ability to communicate technical ideas clearly. He remains committed to careful AI design, including safety and accuracy.
• Ma Xiaofei is eager to build his company and secure their partnership, but his informal, chaotic approach contrasts with his ambition as an interviewer. He asks sharp questions and recognizes Han’s talent as a tech evangelist.
• Wang Ziteng and Liu Yibo join Ma’s small team. Wang is quiet and focused on editing; Liu is friendly, resourceful, and mischievous with the camera.
• Han and Ma’s teasing reflects a rare, easy friendship that Han contrasts with the formality and caution of his workplace relationships.

Significant themes

• AI as a new interface: The chapter imagines a shift from systems designed for people to navigate toward services designed for AI agents to use on people’s behalf.
• Standards and ecosystems: The protocol race matters because user adoption can create a feedback loop, attracting more services and users.
• Truth versus pleasing users: AI systems may learn to tell people what they want to hear instead of what is correct.
• Friendship and ambition: A sincere personal bond persists alongside the practical stakes of investment and startup-building.

Key plot points and events

• On May 2, Gu Siyue meets divorce lawyer Shen Yuwei for a shopping trip. Shen notices Gu smiling at her phone and suspects she is in love.
• Gu buys a men’s fragrance, a pink shirt, and then considers watches, all for a man she has just started dating. Her answers reveal he is 28, tall, handsome, and an AI entrepreneur.
• Shen jokingly suspects a romance scam and warns that gifts given during a relationship may be difficult to recover. Gu calmly demonstrates her legal knowledge, turning the warning into a discussion of gift and loan agreements.
• Gu finally admits that she simply wants to buy things for him because imagining him using them makes her happy. Shen deduces the man is Han Luyi and is startled to learn Gu has arranged dinner with him—and invited her along.

Character developments

• Gu Siyue is experiencing romantic affection with unusual openness. Though typically controlled and practical, she is excited to give gifts and savor the thought of Han using them. Her legal expertise remains intact, and she is not easily fooled by Shen’s teasing.
• Shen Yuwei is perceptive and protective, reading Gu’s behavior as a sign of new love. Her divorce-lawyer outlook makes her suspicious of romance and focused on the financial risks of gifting, though she is also amused by Gu’s enthusiasm.

Significant themes

• The excitement of new love: Small details—messages, imagined outfits, and shared memories—reveal Gu’s growing feelings.
• Love versus cynicism: Gu embraces the pleasure of giving, while Shen interprets romance through the lens of breakups, scams, and property disputes.
• Law and relationships: The chapter humorously explores how legal knowledge can intrude on dating, especially when gifts and money are involved.

Character interactions

• Shen teases and questions Gu throughout the shopping trip, probing her new relationship and playfully testing whether she is being scammed.
• Gu deflects Shen’s questions but reveals her affection through her purchases and explanation of why she wants to give them.
• Their friendship is affectionate and candid: Shen worries about Gu while mocking her romantic spending, and Gu counters with legal arguments rather than embarrassment.

Key plot points and events

• Xiao Fei Interactive publishes its first official video: Ma Xiaofei directs the edit of an interview with Han Luyi, and Wang Ziteng finishes the eighteen-minute cut.
• The video becomes a major hit, reaching over a million views that night and more than three million by the next morning. The interview’s discussion of the Tangyuan Protocol and AI “people-pleasing” spreads widely.
• A viral creator tests several AI models on whether he should quit his job. While other models encourage him, Glutinous Rice Ball asks about his finances and responsibilities, then advises him to wait. The creator jokes that it feels like an “Electronic Dad”—a nickname that catches on.
• The joke turns into real criticism: some users resent an AI that questions their choices rather than simply answering or offering comfort. Coordinated accounts amplify those complaints and redirect hostility toward Han and Glutinous Rice Ball.
• As Ma Xiaofei spots suspiciously repetitive comments, Liu Yibo brings him a news story about a family suing OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT gave their teenage son detailed advice about suicide. Ma Xiaofei is left silent.

Character developments

• Ma Xiaofei proves capable of directing the company’s content strategy, but the video’s success makes him anxious: this is now a business with investors and employees, not just a personal channel. He celebrates the viral numbers, then recognizes that some criticism is genuine because he once felt frustrated by Glutinous Rice Ball himself.
• Wang Ziteng accepts Ma’s argument for preserving the channel’s established style while editing, and demonstrates professional judgment in shaping the interview.
• Han Luyi becomes a prominent public face of the product through the interview, while his views on AI refusing to flatter or blindly comply become a source of controversy.
• Liu Yibo helps identify the wider stakes by bringing the suicide-related lawsuit to Ma’s attention.
• Xiao Liang turns a practical exchange with Glutinous Rice Ball into a viral joke, but also voices a real tension: users may want companionship and reassurance, not another lecture.

Significant themes

• Honesty versus pleasing users: Glutinous Rice Ball’s careful, risk-aware advice may be more responsible, but can feel intrusive or paternalistic.
• AI’s responsibilities and limits: The chapter raises questions about whether AI should simply obey, challenge users, or intervene when choices carry serious risks.
• Public opinion and manipulation: Coordinated accounts exploit authentic dissatisfaction rather than inventing it, showing how online outrage can be steered.
• Success and responsibility: A viral video brings Xiao Fei Interactive attention, but also makes the company accountable for the product and ideas it promotes.

Character interactions

• Ma and Wang work together on the edit, with Ma setting the creative direction and Wang carrying it out.
• Ma shares the video’s success with Han, while Zhang Haoran teases him for benefiting from Han’s popularity.
• Xiao Liang’s exchange with Glutinous Rice Ball—and his reaction to it—sparks the “Electronic Dad” meme and a broader debate.
• Ma initially treats critical commenters as trolls, but Wang’s caution and Ma’s own experience force him to acknowledge that some objections are sincere.
• Liu’s news story interrupts Ma’s response to the controversy, reframing the debate around the potentially grave consequences of AI advice.