The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

China World Hotel, rooftop Chinese restaurant.

Chen Zhi stood at the door of the private room and took a deep breath.

Pei Ningxue had just been dismissed by Pei Dongcheng with a "Xiaoxue doesn't need to come" look and returned to the car. Before leaving, she gave him a "good luck" look.

How to describe that expression? It was a mixture of sympathy and a hint of "he deserved it."

Chen Zhi straightened his collar, making sure the incriminating evidence on his neck wasn't visible, before raising his hand to knock on the door.

"Come in."

Pei Dongcheng's voice came through the door.

Chen Zhi pushed open the door.

Then he froze on the spot.

The private room was dimly lit, and a delicate fruit platter was set on the table.

Pei Dongcheng sat in the main seat, holding a fruit knife in his right hand, slowly rotating his wrist.

The blade reflected light under the lamp.

Chen Zhi's pupils suddenly contracted.

A "boom" sounded in his mind, and countless thoughts exploded.

Did Old Deng find out?

They found out I was dating three men at the same time?

They found out I had sex with his daughter the night before last?

Now you're holding a knife and ready to fight me?

A cold sweat broke out on Chen Zhi's back instantly, and he dared not take a single step forward at the door.

Pei Dongcheng raised his head and glanced at him.

"What are you standing there for? Come in and sit down."

Chen Zhi swallowed hard, braced himself, and walked into the private room, sitting down opposite Pei Dongcheng.

His eyes were glued to the fruit knife, his heart pounding.

Pei Dongcheng picked up a red Fuji apple from the fruit plate, the blade of the knife brushing against the peel as he steadily rotated his wrist.

The thin peel rolled out from under the knife blade, forming a long, continuous strip.

Chen Zhi stared at the fruit peel spinning as it fell, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

After peeling the apple, Pei Dongcheng used the tip of the knife to make two vertical cuts and two horizontal cuts on the flesh, arranging several uniformly sized pieces of apple neatly on the plate.

Then he pushed the plate in front of Chen Zhi.

"eat."

Chen Zhi was stunned for two seconds.

"...Thank you, Mr. Pei."

He reached out and picked up a piece of apple, put it in his mouth and chewed it a couple of times. It was crisp, sweet, and very juicy.

But he couldn't taste anything; all he could think about was that he was peeling an apple, not me.

Pei Dongcheng put the fruit knife back on the plate, wiped his fingers with a tissue, and moved slowly and deliberately from beginning to end.

Chen Zhi finally felt a little relieved, after being anxious for so long.

"What's wrong? You look terrible. Didn't you sleep well?" Pei Dongcheng leaned back in his chair, looking him over.

"I worked overtime last night, processing data until quite late," Chen Zhi blurted out.

Pei Dongcheng didn't reply, but picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The waiter came in and served several dishes: matsutake mushroom stewed chicken, steamed grouper, and a plate of seasonal vegetables. The portions were small, but each dish was a hearty main course.

Pei Dongcheng didn't rush to pick up his chopsticks, but instead placed his hands on the table with his arms crossed.

When was Deep Space Technology registered?

Chen Zhi sat up straight: "Last September."

"From September to now, in just over half a year, how many times has the valuation increased?"

"The exact numbers change daily, but it's roughly—"

"One hundred and thirty times," Pei Dongcheng said for him, his tone flat. "The pre-Series B valuation has already exceeded 15 billion US dollars, am I right?"

Chen Zhi's heart sank.

The figures are very precise, indicating that Pei Dongcheng has already sent people to investigate thoroughly.

"President Pei is very well-informed."

"A businessman needs to know what he should know." Pei Dongcheng picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of matsutake mushroom in Chen Zhi's bowl, and said, "Don't be nervous, eat first."

Chen Zhi lowered his head and ate two mouthfuls of rice.

Pei Dongcheng also ate a few bites, at a very slow pace, as if he were having a meal with himself, without any of the airs of interrogating a criminal.

After eating for a few minutes, Pei Dongcheng put down his chopsticks.

"Did you write Moss's core algorithm yourself?"

"I built the underlying framework, and the team cooperated in subsequent iterations."

Are you a freshman this year?

"right."

"Peking University Yuanpei School"

"Yes."

Pei Dongcheng hummed in agreement, picked up the teacup again, but this time he didn't drink from it; instead, he twirled it in his hand.

"I've been in business for 30 years and have seen all kinds of geniuses. There are those who won gold medals in the International Mathematical Olympiad at the age of 16 and those who were admitted to MIT at the age of 20. But you are the first person to grow a company from scratch to a valuation of 10 billion US dollars at the age of 19."

Chen Zhi remained silent. This was not a suitable occasion for humility, nor for boasting.

"What's your dad's name?"

The topic suddenly shifted.

"Chen Jun."

"What do you do?"

"Civil servant".

Where's your mom?

"Zhang Guifang, bank teller."

Pei Dongcheng nodded, then asked, "Who else is in the family?"

"It's just the three of us, we have no siblings."

Do your parents know what you're doing now?

Chen Zhi paused for a moment: "I know part of it."

Which part?

"Knowing that I'm starting a business, I didn't tell them too much about the specific valuation and financing details, because I was afraid they would worry."

Pei Dongcheng put down his teacup, seemingly quite satisfied with the answer.

"Being able to keep things to yourself is a good thing." He picked up a piece of fish, moving at a leisurely pace. "The two types of people you should avoid in business are those who can't keep things to themselves and brag to everyone they meet; and those who hide everything and don't even believe the people around them."

At first glance, these words seemed like a compliment, but Chen Zhi always felt there was more to them.

as predicted.

Pei Dongcheng finished eating the fish, wiped his mouth, and looked up.

"How long has Xiaoxue worked at your company?"

"They've been with me since the early days of my business."

"CFO".

"right."

"How did she do?"

"Very good." Chen Zhi said honestly, "She was the one who created the financial models for those rounds of financing from Sequoia and Hillhouse Capital, and she was also in charge of the operation of the overseas shell companies. To put it bluntly, Deep Space Technology wouldn't have been able to move so fast without her."

Pei Dongcheng listened and remained silent for a few seconds.

"She's been like this since she was little." His tone softened slightly. "While other kids were learning piano and painting, she started learning about business. In high school, she used her allowance to trade Hong Kong stocks and even made some money."

Chen Zhi noticed that Pei Dongcheng's voice softened a bit when he talked about his daughter.

"I've never interfered with her choices," Pei Dongcheng continued. "She said she wanted to apply to Peking University, and I didn't stop her. She said she wanted to be the CFO of your company, and I didn't stop her either."

He paused for a moment.

"But there's one thing I need to confirm with my own voice."

Chen Zhi's back tensed up.

What is the size of the options pool that Deep Space Technology granted her?

Chen Zhi was taken aback.

He hadn't expected this question. He thought Pei Dongcheng would ask about their relationship directly, but instead, he asked about equity.

"Fifteen percent," Chen Zhi answered truthfully. "This is my sincerity, as a partner and as a boyfriend."

Pei Dongcheng tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"Fifteen percent." He repeated the number without comment.

Chen Zhi added, "This percentage is already very high for a CFO in a startup at the same stage."

"I know."

Pei Dongcheng picked up his teacup and took another sip.

How would you define Xiaoxue?

That's a very direct question.

Chen Zhi hesitated for two seconds: "Partner."

Pei Dongcheng glanced at him but didn't say whether he believed it or not.

He put down his teacup and took out a pack of cigarettes from his inside suit pocket.

"Do you mind?"

"Please feel free to do as you please."

Pei Dongcheng lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled the smoke from his nostrils.

"Chen Zhi, let me tell you the truth."

"Please speak."

"Xiaoxue has lacked one thing since she was little." Pei Dongcheng's voice calmed down. "Her mother passed away early, and I raised her alone. I was busy with work and spent too little time with her. The only thing this child has ever feared since she was little is being abandoned."

Chen Zhi didn't speak.

"She's stubborn, very sensible, and never complains to me. But I'm her father, and I can see through some things."

Pei Dongcheng flicked his cigarette ash.

"So I'm not here to interrogate you today, nor am I here to discuss any terms with you. I just want to see what kind of person she chose."

As the smoke cleared, Pei Dongcheng stared at Chen Zhi across the table. His face, which bore a six or seven-point resemblance to Pei Ningxue, revealed no emotion.

"I've seen it now."

Pei Dongcheng stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up.

"Not bad, young man."

He walked around the table and went to Chen Zhi's side.

Chen Zhi stood up reflexively.

Pei Dongcheng reached out and patted Chen Zhi on the shoulder.

"Go back and tell Xiaoxue that I'm not leaving tonight; my flight is tomorrow." Pei Dongcheng walked to the door, opened the door to the private room, and glanced back at Chen Zhi.

"You two come over tonight and have dinner with me."

Before Chen Zhi could answer, Pei Dongcheng had already walked out.

The secretary was waiting in the corridor, and I jogged to catch up.

Chen Zhi was the only one left in the private room.

He slowly sat back in his chair, reached out and picked up the last piece of apple that Pei Dongcheng had peeled from the table, and put it in his mouth.

This time, he finally tasted the flavor.

It was indeed very sweet.

Chen Zhi took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Pei Ningxue.

"Your dad said we should have dinner together tonight, my flight is tomorrow."

Pei Ningxue replied instantly, just three seconds after the message was sent.

What did he talk to you about?

"Let's talk about the company, and then about my family situation."

"That's all?"

That's all.

There was a half-minute silence on the other end.

Then Pei Ningxue sent a message: "Didn't he ask how many girlfriends you have?"

Chen Zhi stared at the line of text, his fingertip hovering over the screen for several seconds.

He typed three words and sent them.

"I didn't ask."

Pei Ningxue fell silent again.

After a while, a message popped up.

"He'll definitely ask tonight."