The next morning, just as Chen Mo and Xiao Yu stepped out of the villa, a black car pulled up at the curb. Wang Hai stepped out and opened the back door for them.
Seeing him, Chen Mo smiled. "You're back."
Over the past few days, he'd been asking Zhao Min to follow up on Wang Hai's situation. After the shooting incident, it was inevitable that Wang Hai would be investigated.
"No verdict yet," Wang Hai said as he nodded. "They released me on bail for now."
"Did they give you a hard time?" Chen Mo asked.
"No," Wang Hai replied calmly.
"Let's get in the car," Chen Mo said, glancing at Xiao Yu.
With Xiao Yu present, Chen Mo didn't want to say too much. The less she knew about certain things, the better. These burdens—he'd carry them alone.
As the car drove through the morning streets, Chen Mo looked up.
"When we pass by the plaza, stop for a bit. I need to pick something up," he said.
"Got it," Wang Hai replied, occasionally checking the rearview mirror with a subtle glance.
Ten minutes later, they stopped outside a commercial plaza. Chen Mo told Xiao Yu to wait in the car, then jogged into the mall. When he returned, he was carrying a shopping bag.
"Clothes?" Xiao Yu asked with a curious smile. "Why are you buying clothes this early?"
"They'll come in handy," Chen Mo said mysteriously. "Wang Hai, let's go."
—
When they arrived at the experimental building, Chen Mo saw a few employees already waiting at the entrance, two treadmills standing upright beside them.
"Bring the treadmills to the lab entrance," Chen Mo instructed.
Since recent events, he'd been more cautious. The lab was now strictly restricted—especially with the robot project nearing its breakthrough. Regular employees couldn't be allowed inside.
"Yes, Chairman," they responded, placing the treadmills by the lab door before leaving.
After confirming the setup, Chen Mo dialed Zhao Min.
"Chairman, what's up?"
"Can I borrow your assistant?" Chen Mo said with a chuckle.
"She's technically yours already," Zhao Min teased. "Why even ask me?"
"You're her boss in the company," Chen Mo said, amused. "If I just summon her out of nowhere, how will her work get done?"
"Look at you, all professional and polite," Zhao Min laughed. "Alright, I'll let her know. Oh—and I'll have her bring the company's financial statements for the last two months too."
"Perfect."
A few minutes later, Xiao Yu entered the lab holding a file folder.
"These are the financial statements," she said, handing them over.
"Look through them?"
"Yep. Nothing stood out to me."
"If there's no issue, I won't bother reading them. From now on, you handle all our reports," Chen Mo said.
He wasn't worried about anyone tampering with the numbers. With Ink Girl monitoring all backend data, any irregularities would be flagged immediately.
"I can do that."
"Great. Now—help me with something else."
He gently nudged Xiao Yu toward the workbench, pulling off the gauze covering the robot. The machine he'd completed yesterday now stood in full view.
Xiao Yu's jaw dropped slightly in astonishment.
She'd seen parts of the project in progress before—but never the finished prototype.
"This is it?" she asked, reaching out to touch the metallic frame.
"Still a semi-finished product," Chen Mo replied. "Needs more testing. And that's where you come in."
He powered on the robot. Instantly, the sensors in its eyes and chest glowed red.
"What do you need me to do?" Xiao Yu asked, eyes full of curiosity.
"It can't walk yet," Chen Mo said. "It needs motion data—human motion data. I want to collect your walking patterns and upload them so it can mimic them."
"Oh, okay!" she nodded. "How do we start?"
"Put this on."
Chen Mo handed her the shopping bag he'd bought earlier.
"So this is what you bought?" Xiao Yu raised a brow and smirked. Then, blushing, she went to change.
When she returned, dressed in a fitted athletic vest and shorts, high ponytail bouncing slightly, Chen Mo blinked.
For a second, he just stared.
The Xiao Yu standing before him looked different—fresh, lively, and energetic. Her tall frame, long legs, and lean form exuded quiet strength and vibrant youth.
"You look amazing," Chen Mo said, resting a hand on his chin as if critiquing a painting.
"You're staring too much." Xiao Yu flushed, her cheeks growing redder by the second. "If you keep doing that, I'm going back to work."
"Alright, alright. Test first, admire later," he joked, grinning.
He led her to the treadmill and brought over the motion tracking equipment—an array of sensors and optical scanners. He fitted a sensor headband on her and attached marker sensors to her major joints.
"Stand on the treadmill," he said, adjusting the calibration. "We're ready to collect motion data."
"I'm ready," she replied.
"Start with a slow walk."
As Xiao Yu began walking on the treadmill, data streamed across Chen Mo's computer screen—joint angles, stride length, balance curves.
"Alright, stop," he said a few minutes later. "Uploading your movement data to the robot now."
As the data transfer completed, the robot on the second treadmill began moving.
It walked—awkwardly.
The strides were short and stiff. The arms swung like mechanical levers. But it moved.
"That's already pretty good," Chen Mo muttered, observing the screen.
"Keep going. I'll synchronize real-time data."
This time, as Xiao Yu resumed walking, the robot mirrored her movement more smoothly. Even the subtle head bobs and pace adjustments were replicated.
"Now speed up," Chen Mo called out.
The robot's internal gyroscope rotated, recalibrating for balance. Ink Girl began adjusting micro-movements, continuously refining limb coordination.
"Jog."
Xiao Yu picked up the pace. The robot followed, its limbs moving in a much more lifelike manner. Its motions—still a bit mechanical—were rapidly improving.
Real-time mimicry using live biometric data.
This method was far more effective than theoretical simulations alone. Chen Mo could already imagine the future applications.
After 30 minutes, Xiao Yu slowed down, chest rising and falling with each breath.
"Take a break," Chen Mo said, helping her wipe off sweat and handing her a bottle of water.
"The initial motion data has been collected successfully," he added with a smile. "You've earned a break—and a bonus."
Xiao Yu drank the water and glanced at the robot, still mimicking her idle posture in the background.
"So creepy," she murmured, half amused, half amazed.
Chen Mo laughed.
"Creepy or not, it's learning—thanks to you."