"Phoenix Technology News: From the 15th to the 17th of this month, the World Artificial Intelligence Conference will be held at the Capital International Conference Center. According to inside sources, Chen Mo, founder of the Marching Ant Company, will be attending the event with the company's AI research team. This marks Chen Mo's first public appearance in front of the media following the recent attack…"
"Penguin News: The World Artificial Intelligence Conference, taking place on the 15th in the capital, is drawing global attention. Tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Alibaba, Penguin, Umbrella, Amazon, Huawei, Samsung, Intel—and of course, Marching Ant—will all be in attendance…"
Even before it began, the World Artificial Intelligence Conference had become the center of global attention. Since the Marching Ant Company released its intelligent assistant, an AI boom had swept the world. For the past year, artificial intelligence had dominated headlines and become a focal point in science and tech.
Naturally, this year's conference had attracted significant global interest. Top minds and elite research teams in artificial intelligence had already started arriving in China.
Outside the VIP terminal at the Capital International Airport, Lanxi waited eagerly for the arrival notice. She was an assistant in the president's office, personally assigned by Zhao Min to handle coordination for the AI conference.
But two days ago, she received an unexpected update—during the event, she would serve as Chen Mo's temporary assistant.
For her, and many others in the company, Chen Mo wasn't just the chairman—he was an idol. Young, brilliant, mysterious, and completely taken by Xiao Yu.
Few employees ever had a chance to interact with him directly, let alone work alongside him.
When Lanxi got the news, she was so excited she barely slept for two nights.
And now, a few minutes later, she spotted Chen Mo stepping through the VIP exit. Lanxi's heart jumped as she quickly approached.
"Chairman, hello! I'm Lanxi. President Zhao assigned me to serve as your temporary assistant for the duration of the conference," she introduced herself nervously, her eyes wide with a bit too much awe.
This was the first time she'd seen him up close. Chen Mo's calm, confident air gave off a natural charisma that was hard to ignore.
"Hello." Chen Mo gave her a light nod.
Xiao Yu hadn't accompanied him on this trip. The couple's upcoming wedding had just been announced. If she were to appear with him at a major public event, it could easily shift the focus from tech headlines to gossip columns.
Chen Mo respected Xiao Yu's wishes—not to mention, he preferred to keep her out of the media spotlight whenever possible. It was his way of protecting her.
With Xiao Yu absent, Zhao Min had arranged for a temporary assistant, forwarding Lanxi's resume to him ahead of time. A Capital University management grad, she'd only been working a year before Zhao Min personally recruited her into the assistant team as a rising star in management.
"Are you… stunned by how handsome I am?" Chen Mo teased, seeing her dazed expression.
"Y-Yes—No! I mean—uh…" Lanxi stumbled over her words, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry, Chairman!"
"It's fine." Chen Mo chuckled. "Let's head to the hotel first."
"Right!" Lanxi followed quickly, inwardly berating herself. So embarrassing!
Once in the car, she composed herself and began briefing him.
"This year's AI conference theme is 'The New Era of Artificial Intelligence.' There are four main sections: the Summit Forum, Special Events, Product Exhibitions, and the Innovation Competition.
"Tomorrow morning's opening ceremony is the Summit Forum, where our team will give a tech presentation. After that is a new segment—'The Peak Q&A'—hosted by an AI robot developed by the National Engineering Institute."
When she mentioned the AI host, Chen Mo's interest piqued.
A national-level AI robot?
He wasn't surprised. After he provided the core source code for his smart assistant to Li Chengzhi—securing tax exemption in return—the government had likely repurposed it into their own AI project. Although there had been no public announcements, Chen Mo knew the end result wouldn't be anything simple.
And now, it seemed they were using this global platform to debut their progress—boosting confidence in China's AI capabilities.
Suddenly, Ink Girl's voice rang in his earpiece:
"Mo-ge, Li-ge is calling you."
Lanxi fell silent as Chen Mo accepted the call.
The name on his screen: Li Laoge—his nickname for Li Chengzhi.
Li had visited Chen Mo before, following an earlier attack, and gifted him three homes in a government compound. Back then, Li hinted at wanting to bring Chen Mo into a confidential government project. However, with Xiao Yu injured at the time, nothing came of it.
Now, Li's voice came through the line, sounding cheerful.
"Chen Mo-ge, how's everything?"
"No complaints. Feeling healthy, so I guess that counts as good," Chen Mo replied. "Sounds like you're in a good mood?"
"I got promoted recently," Li laughed. "You just landed? On the way to your hotel?"
"Yep."
"Remember last time I mentioned I wanted to talk to you?" Li asked.
"I remember. But I just arrived. Let me settle things after the conference. I'll come find you—we can talk properly then," Chen Mo said.
"Oh? No hints? Come on, give me something," Li pressed.
Chen Mo grinned. "Even you get curious? Nope, no spoilers. I'll tell you in person."
"Haha, fine. I'll be waiting."
When the call ended, Chen Mo nodded at Lanxi to continue.
"Boss, is there any other itinerary you'd like me to prepare?" Lanxi asked after finishing her rundown.
"After the conference, I'll handle some private matters. But during the event, just follow the original schedule," Chen Mo replied.
"Understood." Lanxi didn't pry further. She knew where the line was and how not to cross it.
Back at the hotel, Chen Mo went straight to bed.
After a long flight, he needed rest.
Tomorrow, the World Artificial Intelligence Conference would begin.