Chapter 129: Internet Conference

After an evening of shopping with Xiao Yu and Zhang Xinxin—and several bulging bags later—the trio finally returned to the villa.

Later that night, after showering, Chen Mo stepped into the bedroom and noticed Xiao Yu lounging on the bed, fingers tapping away on her phone.

"Who are you chatting with?" he asked.

"Ruoxi," Xiao Yu replied, not looking up. "Since Xinxin wants to intern at the company, I asked if there are any openings in HR. It'd be more appropriate if she handled the placement."

"You asked already?"

"Yeah. Office assistant, security, or cleaning staff. Only the office assistant role is suitable for her. She's just a high school grad and has no experience, so she can't be placed in any technical roles or official positions without raising eyebrows."

Xiao Yu looked up. "Of course, if you insist, I can have her placed anywhere. Zhao Min wouldn't object."

"She wouldn't say anything… but she might start thinking I'm the kind of guy who abuses his authority." Chen Mo shook his head. "Just go with the assistant role. Xinxin's still young. Let her start from the bottom. There'll be opportunities to move up later."

"You're really making her be an office assistant? That's a whole mix of odd jobs—scheduling, errands, managing files..." Xiao Yu raised a brow.

"She wants to be independent, right? Let her take a bite of the real world. Later, we can support her."

"Alright, I'll let Ruoxi know."

After sending the message, Xiao Yu set her phone down and lay back on the bed—just in time to see Chen Mo grinning at her.

"…What are you smiling about?"

"Thinking of eating fish."

"Xinxin is right here!"

"The room's soundproof. You've lived here long enough to know that, haven't you?"

The next day, as soon as Chen Mo arrived at the office, Zhao Min walked in holding a report—and an expression that was hard to read.

Her eyes lingered on Chen Mo, a little too long.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Chen Mo felt a bit uneasy under her stare.

Zhao Min set the report on his desk. "Remember that drug formula you submitted to the pharmaceutical division? It's gone through animal testing with approval from the Food and Drug Administration. This is the preliminary test report."

She continued to eye him with a curious expression. It was like she was seeing Chen Mo in a new light.

"You're giving me that look like I just invented cold fusion," Chen Mo joked.

"This formula…" Zhao Min tapped the file, "Is this something you developed?"

"Oh, you mean the ahem... enhancement cream?" Chen Mo raised a brow, a bit amused by her reaction. "Not really. I came across something similar in a medical journal while browsing. You know I read a lot of books. I just ran a few tests in the lab back when I was bored. When we bought the pharmaceutical company, I had them test the formulation properly."

Zhao Min raised a brow. "So this is what you read medical books for, huh?"

Chen Mo chuckled, "It was just curiosity."

"Anyway," Zhao Min rolled her eyes, "The animal trials went well. It's a topical application, no toxic compounds, and so far, no allergic reactions. If it passes human trials, this could be massive—non-invasive body enhancement. If it gets approved for commercial use, it could make silicone implants obsolete."

She still looked a little stunned, having only realized recently that this was Chen Mo's doing.

"I've got another formula," Chen Mo added. He inserted a USB drive into his computer, pulled a document from his database, and handed it to her. "Have the research team look into it."

"What is it this time?" Zhao Min took the drive with mild suspicion.

"You'll see. Just don't open it in public," Chen Mo said, avoiding eye contact.

Zhao Min raised a brow again but didn't push further. "Alright. On another note, the China Internet Conference is happening next week in Yanjing. I've been swamped with work, so..."

"You want me to go in your place?" Chen Mo guessed.

"Yes. Some of the big domestic tech companies will be there. Our company has booked a booth—we'll need a flagship product to showcase. I suggest you bring the robot. It's about time you let it be seen."

Her gaze drifted toward the sleek assistant robot standing silently near the desk.

She'd seen it before, but Chen Mo had always kept it away from the public eye.

"Sure," Chen Mo nodded. "Not like I'm in a rush with anything. The seismograph parts are still en route, and the robots can handle most of the other ongoing work."

The 3D printer overhaul was mostly mechanical; he could let the robots handle most of it under Ink Girl's supervision. And the research on superconducting materials? That needed new lab gear anyway, which hadn't arrived yet.

"Then it's settled," Zhao Min said.

"By the way, something else—I wanted to let you know. My cousin's here for summer break and wants to intern. I've asked Ruoxi to assign her to the office assistant role."

"You're giving your own sister an entry-level admin job?" Zhao Min looked surprised.

"Something wrong with that?"

"No… just unexpected. I thought you'd place her somewhere more comfortable."

"She wants to learn and be independent. This way she's under our roof, where I can keep an eye on her. Let her work, get a taste of the real world. When the time comes, she can move up."

Zhao Min nodded in understanding. "That's a good idea. She's young—starting from the bottom is better for personal growth."

With that, Zhao Min left the office, and Chen Mo returned to the lab.

"Ink, write a lightweight intelligent program for the robot. Just enough to follow commands—smarter than Xiaodie, but nothing too advanced."

"Understood, Mo-ge."

He wanted the robot to be able to act semi-independently during the conference. Controlled demonstrations would be fine, but it had to be responsive on its own too.

Then, he turned his focus to reworking some of the 3D printer's precision parts—tasks too delicate for robots at their current capability level. Only his hands could get those tolerances right.

A week flew by.

The day before the Internet Conference, Chen Mo and Julie boarded a flight to the capital. It was his first time attending such a large tech expo. Zhao Min had arranged for Julie to go with him since she had some prior experience with events like this.

Chen Mo, having only heard of the Internet Conference in name before, couldn't help feeling a little curious—and maybe even a little excited—for what was ahead.