23: Chapter 24 Another voluptuous and plump young woman.

The next day was Monday. Morning light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse apartment at Residence Name, casting warm spots of light onto the polished floor. The air was filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee.

Yin Tianxue, wearing a silk robe, sat at the island in the open-plan kitchen, sipping her coffee in small mouthfuls. Her complexion was better than last night, but there was still a trace of imperceptible fatigue between her brows.

Yin Tianxue set down her coffee cup, resting her elbows on the island, and unconsciously rubbed her sore waist with her fingertips. The collar of her silk robe was slightly open, revealing a fresh red mark on her collarbone.

Yu Bo turned around holding the fried eggs, saw her small gesture, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Still hurting?" he asked, pushing the plate in front of her.

Yin Tianxue's face grew hot, and she glared at him: "What do you think?"

"My fault." Yu Bo readily accepted the blame, sat down beside her, and naturally placed his hand on her lower back, gently rubbing and massaging it. "I'll be more careful next time."

His palms were warm, and his pressure was just right. Yin Tianxue hummed in comfort, her body softening a little.

"Careful about what? Careful about the time?" she said in a muffled voice, with a hint of reproach.

"Careful about your stamina." Yu Bo chuckled, his fingers pressing lightly but firmly into the small of her back. "If you can't keep up, just tell me."

"Who can't keep up?" Yin Tianxue said stubbornly, though her earlobes turned red.

Yu Bo lowered his head and whispered in her ear: "Who was the one begging for mercy last night?"

Warm breath brushed against her ear, making Yin Tianxue shiver, and she pushed him away in shy annoyance: "Yu Bo!"

"I'm here." Yu Bo laughed, wrapped his arms around her again, and kissed the top of her head. "Eat. Otherwise, you won't have the energy to go to work."

"It's all your fault," Yin Tianxue muttered softly, picking up her fork.

"Yeah, my fault." Yu Bo agreed readily, his eyes full of smiles. "I'll make it up to you tonight and give you a massage."

"I don't want you to massage me," Yin Tianxue turned her face away. "The more you massage, the more tired I get."

"Then we'll do something else," Yu Bo said, going along with her. "How about a bath together? I'll put in some essential oils to help you relax."

Yin Tianxue imagined the scene, and her face grew even hotter. Bathing with him... it definitely wouldn't be relaxing in the end.

"No," she refused, though her voice lacked conviction.

Yu Bo stopped teasing her and quietly accompanied her as she finished breakfast. When clearing the dishes, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Can you come back early today?" he asked in a low voice.

"We'll see," Yin Tianxue leaned into his embrace, feeling his body temperature. "What about you?"

"I'll be free after I finish meeting with a project in the afternoon." Yu Bo kissed her neck. "I'll wait for you to come back."

"Mm." Yin Tianxue replied. The resentment she felt in her heart from being "overworked" last night had mostly dissipated, leaving only overflowing attachment.

The two shared a few more tender moments before changing clothes and heading out. In the entryway, Yu Bo adjusted Yin Tianxue's coat collar and lowered his head to plant a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I'm leaving."

"Take care on the road."

The door closed, and the apartment fell silent. But in the air, the lingering sweetness and tenderness of the morning seemed to remain.

At two in the afternoon, in the conference room of a startup called "Yifei Intelligence" in the Jiangzhou University Science and Technology Park.

Yu Bo arrived ten minutes early. A young girl at the front desk led him to the conference room to wait. Outside the glass wall of the meeting room, he could see a few young people in the open office area discussing something around a prototype drone with a peculiar design, the atmosphere lively.

Just as the appointed time arrived, the conference room door was pushed open.

"CEO Yu, sorry to keep you waiting."

A female voice came, clear and gentle. Yu Bo looked up, a trace of almost imperceptible surprise flashing in his eyes.

The woman who walked in was in her early thirties, nearly 1.7 meters tall, wearing a well-tailored beige suit skirt with a dark green silk shirt underneath. The suit skirt perfectly outlined her tall and voluptuous figure; her chest-to-hip ratio was stunning, yet her waist was slender—it was that "hourglass" golden ratio full of mature charm refined by time. Her long hair was slightly curled, loosely draped over her shoulders, her makeup exquisite. Between her brows lay both the capability of a career woman and a relaxed, alluring charm unique to single women of her age.

She held a tablet in her hand, and as she walked, she carried a faint, woody-toned perfume scent—not strong, but with a distinct presence—which mixed with her own aura to form a unique and impressive olfactory imprint.

"Hello, CEO Shen. I am Yu Bo, from Tinglan Capital." Yu Bo stood up and extended his hand. According to the documents, the founder of Yifei Intelligence was Shen Nian, a Columbia Ph.D. and former researcher at Google X Labs.

"CEO Yu is even younger than I imagined." Shen Nian smiled and shook his hand. Her hand was warm and dry, with moderate strength, touching and releasing immediately—professional and crisp. "Please, have a seat."

The two sat on opposite sides of the conference table. Shen Nian placed the tablet on the table and got straight to the point: "CEO Yu's time is precious, shall we start directly? Shall we look at our latest flight demonstration and backend data first?"

"Sure." Yu Bo nodded.

Shen Nian operated the tablet, bringing up the video and data. Her speaking pace was steady and her logic clear as she explained; she knew the technical details like the back of her hand, but without being too esoteric. She focused on demonstrating her AI flight control system's autonomous obstacle avoidance and dynamic path planning capabilities in complex environments, as well as the efficiency of real-time image recognition and transmission based on edge computing.

"Our core advantage lies in the deep integration of advanced AI algorithms with lightweight specialized hardware, solving the 'blind flying' and 'stupid flying' problems of traditional drones in GPS-denied environments and scenarios with dense dynamic obstacles." Shen Nian's eyes were burning. "The application scenarios are very broad; industrial inspection, emergency rescue, and even logistics delivery in specific areas are all blue oceans."

Yu Bo listened intently, occasionally asking a few key questions that pointed directly to the difficulties of technical implementation and the bottlenecks of commercialization. Shen Nian answered them one by one, occasionally raising her eyebrows at Yu Bo's precise questions, her gaze toward him showing a bit more respect.

"I approve of the technology." After a round of Q&A, Yu Bo leaned back slightly, entering negotiation mode. "But CEO Shen, the market waits for no one. As far as I know, in the Deep City and DJI ecosystem, there are at least two companies working in a similar direction, and their financing progress is faster than yours. How long can your barriers be maintained? Do you have a plan for mass production and cost control?"

Shen Nian seemed to have anticipated these questions long ago and calmly brought up another document: "This is our patent layout map. Both the core algorithms and hardware designs have patent protection, so they can't get around them. For mass production, we have already discussed preliminary intentions with two foundries in the Yangtze River Delta. As long as the funding is in place, we can complete production line debugging within three months. As for cost..." She reported a number, "While ensuring performance, we can keep it at 80% of our competitors'."

Yu Bo quickly evaluated in his mind. The preliminary rating given was B+, with great potential but also significant risk, especially regarding market competition and the speed of technological iteration. However, Shen Nian's performance—professional, pragmatic, and having a clear understanding of difficulties and competition—earned her extra points.

"Very good," Yu Bo evaluated. "Tinglan Capital's investment in hard tech values long-term value. If we invest, we require a board seat and the right of first refusal for subsequent financing."