My father-in-law wanted to "peel" me, and I thought he was going to peel an apple for me.

China World Summit Wing, top-floor Chinese restaurant.

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

Pei Ningxue had just been sent back to the car by Pei Dongcheng's remark, "Xiaoxue doesn't need to come." Before leaving, she shot him a look that said, "You're on your own."

How to describe that expression? It seemed to be a mix of sympathy and a bit of "you deserve it."

Chen Zhi adjusted his collar, making sure the incriminating marks on his neck were hidden, before raising his hand to knock.

"Come in."

Pei Dongcheng's voice came through the door.

Chen Zhi pushed the door open.

Then, he froze in place.

The lighting in the private room was soft, and an exquisite fruit platter sat on the dining table.

Pei Dongcheng sat at the head of the table, holding a fruit knife in his right hand, slowly turning his wrist.

The blade glinted in the light.

Chen Zhi's pupils shrank sharply.

His mind went blank with a loud boom as countless thoughts exploded:

Did this old guy find out?

Find out that I'm three-timing?

Find out that I just slept with his daughter the night before last?

Is he holding a knife to fight me to the death now?

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Chen Zhi's back, and he didn't dare take a single step forward from the door.

Pei Dongcheng looked up and cast a glance at him.

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

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

Out of the corner of his eye, he kept staring at the fruit knife, his heart racing.

Pei Dongcheng picked up a Fuji apple from the fruit bowl. The blade pressed against the peel as his wrist turned steadily.

A thin strip of peel curled out from under the blade, forming a continuous long ribbon.

Chen Zhi stared at the spiraling peel falling down, his Adam's apple bobbing.

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

Then he pushed the plate in front of Chen Zhi.

"Eat."

Chen Zhi was stunned for a couple of seconds.

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

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

But he couldn't taste anything at all. His mind was filled with just one thought: What he's peeling should be the apple, not me.

Pei Dongcheng placed the fruit knife back on the edge of the plate and wiped his fingers with a tissue, his movements unhurried from start to finish.

Only then did Chen Zhi let his suspended heart drop just a little bit.

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

"I worked overtime last night, sorting out data until pretty late," Chen Zhi lied smoothly.

Pei Dongcheng didn't reply; he just picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The waiter came in and served a few dishes: matsutake mushroom chicken soup, steamed leopard coral grouper, and a plate of seasonal vegetables. The portions weren't large, but every dish was exquisite.

Pei Dongcheng was in no rush to pick up his chopsticks, resting his folded hands on the table.

"When was Deep Space Technology registered?"

Chen Zhi sat up straight. "Last September."

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

"The exact number changes every day, about—"

"One hundred and thirty times," Pei Dongcheng answered for him, his tone flat. "Now, the pre-Series B valuation has exceeded fifteen billion US dollars. Am I right?"

Chen Zhi's heart sank.

This number was extremely precise, meaning Pei Dongcheng had already sent someone to investigate thoroughly.

"You are very well-informed, Mr. Pei."

"As a businessman, you can't be ignorant of the things you ought to know." Pei Dongcheng picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of matsutake in Chen Zhi's bowl. "Don't be nervous. Let's eat first."

Chen Zhi lowered his head and shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice.

Pei Dongcheng also took a few bites at a very slow pace, as if dining alone, with no posture of interrogating a prisoner at all.

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 subsequent iterations were coordinated by a team."

"You are a freshman this year?"

"Yes."

"Yuanpei College at Peking University."

"Yes."

Pei Dongcheng hummed in acknowledgment and picked up his teacup again. This time he didn't drink, but swirled it in his hands.

"I've been in business for thirty years and have seen all kinds of geniuses. There are those who win gold medals in international Olympiads at sixteen, and those who are exceptionally admitted to MIT at twenty. But you are the first one to build a company from scratch to a ten-billion-dollar valuation at the age of nineteen."

Chen Zhi didn't speak. This occasion wasn't suitable for modesty, nor was it suitable for showing off.

"What is your father's name?"

The topic suddenly shifted.

"Chen Jun."

"What does he do?"

"Civil servant."

"And your mother?"

"Zhang Guifang, bank teller."

Pei Dongcheng nodded and asked again, "Who else is in your family?"

"Just our family of three. No brothers or sisters."

"Do your parents know what you're doing now?"

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

"Which part?"

"They know I'm starting a business. I haven't told them much about the specific valuation and financing details, for fear they might worry."

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

"Being able to keep things under wraps is a good thing." He picked up a piece of fish, his pace unhurried. "In business, the most feared are two types of people: one who can't keep a secret and brags to everyone; the other who hides everything and doesn't even trust those closest to them."

At first glance, this sounded like a compliment, but Chen Zhi felt there was more to come.

Sure enough.

After finishing the piece of fish, Pei Dongcheng wiped his mouth and looked up.

"How long has Xiaoxue been working at your company?"

"She has been with me since the early days of the startup."

"As CFO."

"Yes."

"How is she doing?"

"Very well," Chen Zhi told the truth. "She built the financial models for the financing rounds with Sequoia and Hillhouse, and she is also responsible for the operation of the overseas shell companies. It's no exaggeration to say that without her, Deep Space Technology wouldn't have grown so fast."

After hearing this, Pei Dongcheng fell silent for a few seconds.

"She's been like this since she was a kid." His tone softened slightly. "While other children were learning piano and painting, she started learning business knowledge. In high school, she started trading Hong Kong stocks with her pocket money, and even made a bit of a profit."

Chen Zhi could hear it; when Pei Dongcheng talked about his daughter, there was a touch of softness in his voice.

"I've never interfered with her choices," Pei Dongcheng continued. "When she said she wanted to get into Peking University, I didn't stop her. When she said she wanted to be the CFO at your company, I didn't stop her either."

He paused.

"But there is one thing I have to confirm personally."

Chen Zhi's back stiffened.

"What is the option pool Deep Space Technology gave her?"

Chen Zhi was taken aback.

He hadn't expected this question. He thought Pei Dongcheng would ask directly about their relationship, 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's fingers tapped lightly on the table twice.

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

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

"I know."

Pei Dongcheng picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"What is your positioning for Xiaoxue?"

This question was very direct.

Chen Zhi weighed his words for two seconds. "Partner."

Pei Dongcheng glanced at him, neither saying he believed it nor that he didn't.

He put down his teacup and pulled a pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his suit.

"Do you mind?"

"Please, go ahead."

Pei Dongcheng lit one, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke through his nose.

"Chen Zhi, I'm going to be honest with you."

"Go ahead."

"Xiaoxue has lacked one thing since she was little," Pei Dongcheng's voice flattened. "Her mother passed away early, and I raised her alone. My work kept me busy, so I spent too little time with her. Growing up, the only thing this child has ever feared is being left behind."

Chen Zhi remained silent.

"She puts up a tough front and is very sensible; she never complains to me. But I'm her dad, and there are some things I can see."

Pei Dongcheng flicked his cigarette ash.

"So I didn't come here today to interrogate you, nor to negotiate any terms with you. I just wanted to see what kind of person she chose."

As the smoke cleared, Pei Dongcheng stared at Chen Zhi across the table. On that face, which shared a sixty or seventy percent resemblance with Pei Ningxue's, no emotion could be discerned.

"Now I've seen you."

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

"Young man, not bad."

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

Chen Zhi stood up instinctively.

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 it, and looked back at Chen Zhi.

"The two of you come over tonight and have dinner with me."

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

The secretary, who was waiting in the corridor, trotted to keep up.

Chen Zhi was left alone in the private room.

He slowly sat back down in his chair, reached out, picked up the last piece of apple Pei Dongcheng had peeled on the table, and popped it into his mouth.

This time, he could finally taste it.

It was indeed very sweet.

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

"Your dad says we're having dinner together tonight. His flight is tomorrow."

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

"What did he talk to you about?"

"About the company, about my family background."

"Just that?"

"Just that."

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

Then Pei Ningxue sent a sentence: "He didn't ask how many girlfriends you have?"

Chen Zhi stared at the text, his fingertips hovering over the screen for several seconds.

He typed two words and sent them.

"He didn't."

Pei Ningxue was silent again.

After a good while, a message popped up.

"Then he'll definitely ask tonight."