She stared intently at his cold, chiseled features, searching for the slightest trace of emotion.
Finding none, she tried to decipher the meaning behind his words.
The more she thought about it, the more ominous the situation seemed.
In a taut voice, she asked,
“What were the results of the security review? And how do you need me to cooperate with the investigation?”
Six months earlier, the Shen Group had become embroiled in a technology leak scandal.
Their competitors had seized the opportunity to fan the flames, triggering the crisis the company now faced.
The reason the Shen family had sought a marriage alliance with the Zhou family in exchange for one hundred million yuan in financial support was because the military contracts that the Shen Group had worked on for years had also been suspended pending the outcome of the security review.
And now…
The results were finally in?
Instead of answering directly, Lu Yanzhou asked calmly,
“According to my information, Miss Shen has only been working at the Shen Group for three months since graduating.”
“How familiar are you with the cooperation between the Shen Group and the military?”
His posture remained unchanged.
His expression didn’t shift in the slightest.
Only his eyes lowered toward her, carrying the unmistakable authority of someone accustomed to commanding others.
She could easily imagine how intimidating he must be when interrogating criminals.
Shen Shuhe wasn’t guilty of anything.
Yet even she found it difficult to breathe under the pressure of his presence.
Without showing the slightest hint of discomfort, she replied steadily,
“Although I’ve officially worked at the Shen Group for only three months, I’ve grown up around the company.”
“I’ve known about its operations since childhood.”
“And coincidentally…”
“The department I was assigned to is precisely the one responsible for our military cooperation.”
Lu Yanzhou remained silent.
His expression clearly invited her to continue—as if waiting to see whether she could prove what she claimed.
She wasn’t lying.
After the leak of the company’s core technology, her father, Shen Yanzhi, had been overwhelmed.
Unable to trust anyone else, he had assigned her directly to the division responsible for military cooperation after she joined the company.
It was precisely because of that assignment that she had spent the past three months watching their military cooperation remain frozen.
With the company’s cash flow nearing collapse, she had finally agreed to the idea of marrying into the Zhou family.
Shen Shuhe continued,
“The Tianshu Project has been a joint program between the Shen family and the military for eleven years.”
“This year was supposed to be the launch of its fourth-generation upgrade.”
The Tianshu Project was a revolutionary neural intervention navigation and regulation system.
The Shen Group had developed technology capable of ultra-precise, real-time decoding and feedback regulation of neural signals.
Using miniaturized, ultra-high-resolution imaging probes together with AI-driven neural pathway mapping algorithms, the system could identify, locate, and regulate specific nerve bundles with millimeter-level precision—including pain transmission, motor control, and even brain regions associated with particular emotions.
In medicine, it could treat conditions such as refractory epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, severe depression, and chronic pain.
It could replace certain high-risk open-brain surgeries with precise, minimally invasive, and reversible neural modulation.
From a military perspective, as the system continued to evolve, it could one day temporarily suppress pain, enhance reaction speed, sharpen concentration, and maximize a soldier’s physical potential through precise neural regulation.
It might even become a non-lethal interrogation tool.
After explaining everything clearly, Shen Shuhe looked at him with complete seriousness.
“The technology leak six months ago involved only civilian medical applications.”
“The core technology of the Tianshu Project was never leaked.”
She understood exactly why the military had suspended procurement from the Shen Group and launched the security review.
That was precisely their concern.
Yet despite working with the military for over a decade, the Shen Group had never once met an official military representative.
The entire collaboration had always remained highly confidential.
She understood why.
It involved state secrets.
But that secrecy had also made things impossible after the incident.
They couldn’t explain themselves.
First, they had no way of contacting the military liaison responsible for the Tianshu Project.
Second, they didn’t dare try to find unofficial channels, fearing they might accidentally compromise classified information.
She had never expected Lu Yanzhou himself to be overseeing the project.
No wonder he had publicly stepped forward to defend her earlier.
This was the opportunity heaven had placed before her.
She absolutely couldn’t let it slip away.
She continued earnestly,
“I hope you’ll resume the procurement review for the Shen Group’s equipment…”
“…and clear our company’s name.”
But Lu Yanzhou didn’t respond to her request.
Instead, he questioned something she had said earlier.
“Miss Shen…”
“Are you absolutely certain that the technology leak six months ago involved only civilian applications…”
“…and had nothing whatsoever to do with military technology?”
Shen Shuhe knew this was not a matter where even the slightest hesitation was acceptable.
Without wavering, she answered firmly,
“I’m certain.”
“The rumors circulating in the country are nothing more than propaganda spread by our competitors.”
“Even in the civilian medical sector, no company possesses a genuine substitute for our technology.”
She spoke with complete sincerity.
Yet across from her, Lu Yanzhou suddenly took out his phone.
Then, without a word…
He calmly began operating it.
Looking down, Shen Shuhe noticed it was an old mobile phone.
Its brand and model were impossible to identify.
At a moment like this…
He was looking through his phone?
Did he not believe a single word she’d said?
Suppressing her frustration, she persisted.
“If you don’t believe me, Mr. Lu, you can—”
“What is this, then?”
His cool voice interrupted her.
He turned the phone around and placed it on the tea tray.
Using his long index and middle fingers, he slowly slid it across the table toward her.
Looking down, Shen Shuhe saw that the screen displayed a document.
Not daring to touch his phone carelessly, she looked up in confusion.
“What is this?”
So…
He hadn’t been idly scrolling through his phone.
He’d been searching his photo gallery.
Without any noticeable change in expression, Lu Yanzhou answered,
“This is a private hospital located in Southeast Asia.”
“Inside the hospital is equipment whose similarity to the first-generation Tianshu Project technology reaches ninety-five percent.”
Shen Shuhe froze in shock.
“That’s impossible!”
she blurted out instinctively.
Lu Yanzhou glanced at the phone before her.
“You can swipe left.”
“There are seventeen photographs.”
“They include technical documentation, medical equipment, patient treatment records, and photographs of the hospital itself.”
Picking up the phone, Shen Shuhe enlarged the documents displayed on the screen.
Every tiny English word was perfectly legible.
She began swiping through the images.
One piece of evidence after another unfolded before her eyes.
There was no room for denial.
Lu Yanzhou continued,
“This hospital was established three years ago.”
“The earliest known use of first-generation Tianshu Project technology there can be traced back to eight months ago.”
His voice became noticeably heavier.
The atmosphere shifted unmistakably into an interrogation.
“So, Miss Shen…”
“Are you still certain that the Shen Group’s technology leak occurred only six months ago…”
“…and that the Tianshu Project’s core technology was never leaked?”
“This concerns classified military secrets.”
“Failing to report what you know—or deliberately concealing the truth—is a very serious offense.”
Shen Shuhe’s mind went completely blank.
A loud ringing filled her ears.
The color drained from her face.
Gripping the phone tightly, she felt as though invisible hands had wrapped around her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe.
After struggling for a long moment, she finally managed to force the words out.
“Mr. Lu…”
“Are you accusing the Shen Group of leaking the core technology of the Tianshu Project?”
If such an accusation stuck…
The Shen Group wouldn’t merely be facing bankruptcy.
Her entire family would be finished.