In the cafeteria of the Marching Ant Company headquarters, Chen Mo, Zhao Min, and Xiao Yu sat together at a small table, surrounded by other employees scattered throughout the room.
There were no private booths in the cafeteria. No matter the rank—executives, managers, or interns—everyone sat in the same kind of seats. Chen Mo and Zhao Min were no exception.
If someone wanted special treatment, they'd have to pay for it by eating out.
This policy was intentional. It reinforced a company culture of equality—no hierarchy, no elitism. Private booths for executives might create an invisible barrier and alienate regular employees. That wasn't the culture they wanted to build.
The cafeteria followed a self-service model. Cooks prepared and portioned dishes, and employees helped themselves—paying per item. They could eat what they liked, but wasting food would result in a salary deduction.
Tables ranged in size, with employees sitting in small groups, chatting and laughing. The atmosphere was warm and lively. Still, glances would occasionally drift toward Chen Mo's table.
After all, their youthful and handsome boss was something of a rare creature—almost like a national treasure.
Chen Mo had long gotten used to being watched like that. He calmly continued eating while chatting casually with Zhao Min.
"This afternoon, Gao Zhendong, the president of Samsung's mobile division, will be coming," Zhao Min said.
"Oh?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Didn't you tell them two days ago that you were on a business trip? Why the sudden change of heart?"
Zhao Min gave a small smirk. "Well, now that he's coming in person, if we keep dodging them, it'll look petty. I may not be that magnanimous, but we should at least maintain surface-level professionalism. As for whether we agree to anything they propose—that's a separate matter entirely."
"They're unlucky to be dealing with you," Chen Mo chuckled.
He wasn't worried in the slightest. Zhao Min had always run the company with precision and grace. Whatever came of this, she would handle it perfectly. He had full confidence in her judgment.
Whether or not they cooperated with Samsung depended entirely on Zhao Min's mood.
Chen Mo knew her well. After the loss they suffered during the OLED screen incident, she definitely wouldn't make it easy for Samsung this time.
As far as he was concerned, partnering with Samsung wasn't necessary. After the release of their multilingual intelligent assistant, they'd already signed agreements with over a dozen Chinese phone manufacturers. They weren't short on options.
The mobile phone market was vast. Even if Samsung were to be phased out, others would fill the gap. Their revenue would remain unaffected. Whether they worked with Samsung or not—it didn't matter.
Zhao Min handled the business side of things. For major decisions, she'd discuss with him and act based on his stance.
"Boss, be careful what you say," Zhao Min gave him a mock glare. "What do you mean they're unlucky to deal with me? They're going against the company—and the company is yours. So technically, they're going against you."
"Fine, fine. You win," Chen Mo laughed. And by her logic, she wasn't wrong.
"They suddenly cut off our OLED supply just to limit us. We lost a lot of money. Now they want something from us?" Zhao Min scoffed. "Forget it. Let them go back and play with their own sticks."
"That last line—brilliant," Chen Mo said with a smile.
"Enough talking. Your food's getting cold," Xiao Yu interrupted with a gentle nudge.
"Alright, alright. Let's eat."
After lunch, Chen Mo returned to his office, rested for a short while, and continued working on the holographic projector design.
With Mo Nu's assistance, the design progress was moving rapidly. Chen Mo only had to explain his ideas and concepts, and she would execute them at lightning speed. He didn't even need to get hands-on.
Thanks to the technological data from the Science and Technology Library, there were no bottlenecks. And with Mo Nu's help—his super-intelligent AI—it was only a matter of time before the holographic projector would be successfully completed.
At Binhai Airport, a plane roared down the runway.
Soon after, eight people exited the VIP channel—seven men and one woman. Leading them was a middle-aged man.
The man's small eyes, hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, looked sleepy. He wore a straight black suit, a light blue tie, and carried himself with a reserved, intellectual air.
This was Gao Zhendong, president of Samsung's mobile division.
He held a briefcase in his left hand. To his left stood a good-looking female assistant, and on his right was a cold-faced man—the one who spoke at the last meeting. Gao Zhendong had brought him along deliberately.
As they moved through the airport, the cold-faced man's gaze swept across the crowd. Though subtle, his expression couldn't fully hide the pride and faint disdain in his eyes.
The trio was flanked by five bodyguards.
Their attire and demeanor made them stand out instantly. Many passersby turned their heads, curious about this obviously high-profile group.
Who are these big shots visiting Binhai? people murmured to themselves.
Soon, the group exited the airport, boarded a waiting business vehicle, and drove off.
"Huaxia people are so loud and rowdy," the cold-faced man muttered as he got into the vehicle. "It's irritating just listening to them."
Gao Zhendong shot him a glance before looking away. "Focus on the negotiation. This visit is not something we can afford to mess up."
"Keep it low-key. With Chinese people, all you have to do is humble yourself a bit, let them feel like they've won, and they'll immediately puff up with pride. Didn't they say Zhao Min was on a business trip just two days ago? But the moment you, President, announced you were coming personally, they welcomed us right away. Hmph—they're the type who forget pain after the wound scabs over."
The man—Jin Zhizhang—snorted, clearly confident that everything was going as he'd predicted.
"Zhizhang, when we arrive at the Marching Ant Company, don't say anything unnecessary," Gao Zhendong warned.
He knew Jin Zhizhang was arrogant by nature. That wouldn't change. But to be fair, the man had real ability—otherwise, he wouldn't have climbed into Samsung Mobile's upper ranks.
Still, this time their opponent was the Marching Ant Company.
And in front of them, even someone as proud as Jin Zhizhang had no room to be arrogant.
All he could do now was pray that Jin wouldn't say anything offensive or stupid once they arrived. If he did, it might cause trouble they couldn't afford.
"Relax. I know we're not in Korea. I'll be careful what I say," Jin Zhizhang replied coolly.
"Good," Gao Zhendong nodded and leaned back, closing his eyes.
Seeing this, both Jin Zhizhang and the female assistant stayed quiet, silently gazing out the window.
Unaware, the vehicle continued its steady journey toward the Marching Ant Company headquarters.