Chapter 6: Did I Apply to the Wrong Place?

On the other end of the line, Lu Mingxuan remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly weighing the options. Finally, he said in a deep voice, "I see. Qiuyi, you have thought this through quite deeply. This is an angle the Lu family has never considered."

Lu Qiuyi felt that her improvisational skills at this moment were worthy of an Oscar.

"The one hundred thousand today is just the foundation. If your report tomorrow can use this humorous entry point to extract He Jingyue’s true attitude toward this ethical issue and the potential contingency plans for 'Zhiyu'..."

He paused, his voice carrying a cold, seductive quality:

"You will receive an even more generous reward. The Lu family never treats those who provide value unfairly."

Lu Qiuyi’s voice was filled with enthusiasm: "I will certainly do my best."

The call was hung up decisively.

Listening to the busy signal on her phone, she stared at the question she had written in her notebook—"How to make AI learn to tell dad jokes"—her expression becoming incredibly complex.

"Step one: Define what a sense of humor is. Too difficult, skip."

"Step two: Use examples, like adding internet slang? That seems feasible."

"Step three: Emphasize ethical risks and the collapse of social trust; play the moral high ground card."

"Step four: Observe He Jingyue’s reaction. Well, play it by ear."

At eight o'clock in the morning, Lu Qiuyi appeared at the He Group’s office building right on time.

The office, which had been empty yesterday, was occupied today. A young man wearing black-rimmed glasses and drinking coffee looked up at her.

"You must be the new assistant, Lu?" The man adjusted his glasses. "I’m Fu Yao, the lead algorithm engineer for the Zhiyu project."

Lu Qiuyi confirmed his identity through the nameplate on his monitor: "Hello, Teacher Fu."

Fu Yao set down his coffee cup and suddenly asked, "I heard you have a double degree in Computer Science and Finance?"

The original owner was that impressive?

Lu Qiuyi’s heart tightened, but she forced herself to nod: "Yes, that's right."

"That’s perfect," Fu Yao said, pulling a piece of paper from his drawer. "I have a simple algorithmic problem here and would like to get your thoughts on it."

On the paper was a dynamic programming problem.

Lu Qiuyi stared at the unfamiliar symbols and terminology, her mind going blank. She felt as if she were back in a college final exam, the familiar fear of being dominated by a test paper washing over her.

"This... I think..." she stammered, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Teacher Fu, my specialty is in financial algorithms; I’m perhaps not as proficient with these fundamental algorithms."

Fu Yao nodded thoughtfully, but suddenly threw out another question: "Assistant Lu, I heard you’re presenting on AI ethics?"

He lowered his voice: "Actually, CEO He hates empty, grandiose theories. Last time someone cited the 'Three Laws of Robotics' during a report, they were shown the door immediately."

Lu Qiuyi’s grip on her folder tightened: "Do you have any suggestions, Teacher Fu?"

"For instance," Fu Yao flipped through her notebook, "this entry point is quite interesting. However..."

He tapped a certain line of text meaningfully, "Assistant Lu truly lives up to your reputation as a PhD in Computer Science and Finance. You use investment banking terms like 'circuit breaker mechanism' with such finesse."

Cold sweat broke out on Lu Qiuyi’s back. Fu Yao was already humming a tune as he said, "Aren't you supposed to give a report? I'll take you to the conference room."

She felt as if she had been granted a pardon and muttered, "Thank you."

The moment she stepped into the conference room, Lu Qiuyi’s legs nearly gave out—He Jingyue was sitting at the head of the table, flanked by the Technical Director, Xie Mingxiao, and seven or eight other high-level executives she didn't recognize but who clearly radiated authority.

This setup was ten times more terrifying than her internship defense!

"Assistant Lu, begin," He Jingyue said, lifting his chin, his eyes unfathomable.

Lu Qiuyi took her flash drive to the podium and opened the PowerPoint—

The screen displayed:

[Test Scenario] User asks: My boss is bald, what should I do?

[Current Version Response] Suggest purchasing hair regrowth tonic; click the link below.

[Risk Version Response] Suggest dimming the office lights; after all, the glare might affect the vision of other colleagues.

"Absurd!" The Technical Director stood up, slamming the table, but was stopped by a wave of He Jingyue’s hand. The man’s distinct, bony fingers tapped lightly on the table: "Continue."

Lu Qiuyi braced herself and turned to the next slide of data charts—where there should have been algorithmic parameter analysis, there was a stock market candlestick chart. Lu Qiuyi finally realized the source of the strangeness when she made the slides last night, but she had no choice but to keep going.

One is separated by mountains when crossing into a different profession; the ancients did not deceive me.

The executives below whispered among themselves. A technical manager with black-rimmed glasses muttered, "Did Assistant Lu apply for the wrong job?"

Assistant Lu didn't apply for the wrong job; Assistant Lu had simply transmigrated into a book.

After she finished her report with forced composure, the conference room fell into an eerie silence. Lu Qiuyi kept her head down, trembling as she waited for He Jingyue’s critique.

Unexpectedly, He Jingyue clapped his hands and said, "Very well done. Zhiyu will be under your charge from now on."

The executives in the room looked at each other in confusion, and Xie Mingxiao frowned openly. Only He Jingyue knew his own scheme—keeping a suspicious person right under his nose was the best way to monitor them.

Whether she was a mole or not, she would eventually slip up if given enough time.

Lu Qiuyi, of course, was unaware of He Jingyue’s thoughts; she felt she had managed to bluff her way through for a while longer.

Back in her office, her father had already sent her a message: [Good work, keep it up.]

Lu Qiuyi realized that one of the executives in the meeting room must have been her father's informant.

She replied calmly: [Understood.]

Father: [Study the underlying algorithms of Zhiyu thoroughly. The Lu family is counting on you.]

Judging by her father's tone, the Lu Group clearly wanted to create a competitor for "Zhiyu."

However, her father was destined to be disappointed.

What underlying algorithms? A freshly promoted intern only knew how to write daily project reports.

What she didn't know was that He Jingyue’s computer was simultaneously displaying what she had just typed: [Project leadership secured, currently accessing core algorithms.]

The man’s slender fingers swiped across the photo of her report on the screen, and he suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"Arrange for Assistant Lu to attend this afternoon’s high-level meeting," he said to Su Nuo on the other end of the line.

After hanging up, He Jingyue opened the surveillance system, watching the girl on the screen who was scratching her head while looking at a Python tutorial. A glint of interest flashed in his eyes: "Let me see how many more surprises you can bring."

Lu Qiuyi was sitting at her desk, bookmarking an introductory tutorial on Bilibili.

The door burst open with a bang, and this time, it was Su Nuo who walked in.

"CEO He has instructed that you focus on the 'Zhiyu' project for the time being." He paused, looking like he had more to say but holding back. "If you have any questions, you can ask me."

"Then what should I be studying?" Lu Qiuyi asked sincerely.

Su Nuo’s mouth twitched. What to study? She should probably start by learning how to make a PowerPoint.

He finally understood why He Jingyue had hesitated yesterday—was this really the intelligence level of a mole?

But he recalled He Jingyue’s instructions: "For a newcomer, it’s best to get some more practice. There’s a high-level meeting this afternoon; you can start by learning how to take the minutes."

Lu Qiuyi nodded vigorously. She was good at taking meeting minutes; she had done it every day for her mentor during her internship.