After coming up with an initial idea for their startup, the five of them delved deeper into the field of smart healthcare. Realizing their team wasn’t big enough, they began searching for more partners willing to join them.
Pei Chen shared his vision with his roommates and a few friends he had competed with in various contests. They were intrigued by his plan. Additionally, Xuan Xia and Liang Tongzhou invited a few of their friends, bringing the total number of team members to ten.
In one of their meetings, Pei Chen gathered everyone to discuss the development prospects of the healthcare informatics field. They needed to decide on a specific direction.
Xuan Xia said, “I’ve looked into it. The potential for growth in healthcare informatics seems limited right now. Mobile healthcare apps are the most popular at the moment.”
Someone added, “But the market for medical apps is already pretty saturated. Many apps have already established themselves in the market. If we go down this path, it might be hard to come up with something new.”
“Yeah, I found out that a lot of mobile healthcare apps have been launched in recent years, but the market demand is growing slowly because there are so many similar products. The economic benefits in this area aren’t great either—the returns are too slow. While we could explore this field later, it might not be the best choice for our startup phase.”
“What about other areas of healthcare informatics?”
“There’s also the medical information system field, but it’s quite developed already, and we might struggle to gain a foothold…”
As everyone discussed the options, they finally turned to Pei Chen—
“Pei Chen, dear Boss Pei, you’re our leader. What’s your take?”
Everyone laughed at Xuan Xia’s playful remark and joined in, “Boss Pei, we’d like to hear your thoughts.”
“Boss Pei, we’re all counting on you. You need to make the final decision.”
“Boss Pei, Boss Pei…”
Everyone was teasing him, calling him “Boss Pei” repeatedly, which made Pei Chen smile helplessly. He rubbed his forehead in mild frustration, stayed silent for a moment, and then spoke:
“You’ve all raised valid points, and Zhiyi and I have been considering these aspects as well. But we haven’t yet settled on which specific field to pursue. I’d like to hear more of your ideas so we can discuss them together.”
Several people shared their thoughts, but each suggestion had its own set of challenges or didn’t quite fit their needs. After an hour of discussion, they still hadn’t reached a conclusion.
In the end, Pei Chen said he would continue to think it over, and he encouraged everyone to go back and research more on their own.
After the meeting, only Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi remained in the school’s multifunctional conference room. Liang Zhiyi turned to him with a playful smile and teased, “Pei Chen, do you know that you look incredibly sexy when you’re deep in thought?”
Pei Chen snapped out of his thoughts, slightly startled by her words. Meeting her gaze, he saw her smile deepen as she sighed, “No wonder you’re my boyfriend. Not only are you handsome, but you’re also so smart.”
The boy knew she was trying to cheer him up, and his eyes softened as he took her hand.
Liang Zhiyi gently reassured him, “Pei Chen, starting something new is always the hardest part. You don’t need to rush. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself—I believe you’ll come up with a great idea.”
Pei Chen looked at her with a tender expression. “Do you really trust me that much?”
She had always believed in him, just like during the intercollegiate basketball competition when he had lost confidence, yet she had unwavering faith in him.
Liang Zhiyi smiled warmly, “Of course I believe in you—you’re my boyfriend, aren’t you? And in my heart, you’ve always been the best.”
After saying that, she huffed lightly, “I get it, you just wanted me to praise you again.”
The boy’s lips curled into a smile as she leaned her head on his shoulder, softly whining, “Peipei, I’m hungry.”
There was no way he would let his little girlfriend go hungry.
He gently ruffled her hair. “Alright, let’s go eat.”
…
Ten minutes later, the two of them walked out of the teaching building. The sky outside had darkened, with dusk settling in as the last rays of the sunset faded into the evening clouds.
Liang Zhiyi suddenly mentioned she was craving hot pot, and Pei Chen, ever accommodating, agreed. They left the campus together.
As they walked, she chattered away, her face lit up with a warm smile. Pei Chen listened to her, and the heaviness in his heart gradually dissipated.
As long as she was by his side, his mood always seemed to lift.
When they arrived at the hot pot restaurant, they sat down side by side. Liang Zhiyi received a call from Zhi Mian, so she handed the task of ordering to Pei Chen.
While chatting with Zhi Mian, Liang Zhiyi asked about her friend’s well-being. Zhi Mian, knowing that she was about to have dinner, suggested they talk later.
After hanging up the phone, Pei Chen had already placed their order. He casually asked, “How’s Zhi Mian doing lately?”
“She’s been busy with her manga, and it seems like she’s in a good mood. But she just broke up with Duan Zhuo not too long ago, so I doubt she’s really over the heartbreak yet. I think she’s just forcing herself to move on.”
Zhi Mian and Duan Zhuo had been together for over three years. In the beginning, they were very happy, but as Duan Zhuo’s career took off and he became increasingly busy, more and more problems began to emerge between them.
Liang Zhiyi felt a pang of sympathy as she thought about Zhimian’s emotional turmoil and the courage it took for her to finally end the relationship. It was heartbreaking to see her friend go through that.
As these thoughts lingered, she turned to Pei Chen and mumbled, “Pei Chen, if you become really successful in your career, would you ever leave me? You hear so many stories about girls who help their boyfriends build their careers, only to be abandoned once the guys become successful…”
Pei Chen chuckled softly and pulled her into his arms, his voice low as he asked, “What nonsense are you thinking now?”
“It’s just a guess…”
He cut her off, his gaze intense. “Zhizhi, almost losing you once was more than enough to scare me. There’s absolutely no chance of that happening.”
Her heart melted at his words, and she smiled sweetly. “I know, I was just teasing you.”
She was determined to stay by his side, no matter what.
When the hot pot ingredients were brought to the table, Liang Zhiyi noticed that everything he had ordered was what she liked. Pei Chen diligently cooked the food for her, and she savored every bite with delight.
After a while, a robot moved to their table, and the server placed the dishes it carried onto their table. The robot then smoothly moved on to the next table, even making way for people as it went.
Liang Zhiyi couldn’t help but marvel, “Restaurant services are becoming more and more intelligent these days. I remember when I was a kid, we went out to eat once, and the server accidentally slipped and spilled the food. The owner scolded her harshly in front of everyone—it was awful. Now with robots, it saves a lot of manpower and reduces the chances of accidents.”
Hearing this, Pei Chen watched the robot, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He turned to Liang Zhiyi and said:
“Zhiyi, I just had a thought—we could design and develop robots for the medical field.”
“Huh?”
Liang Zhiyi was taken aback. “Like what, for example?”
Pei Chen pondered for a few seconds before he spoke:
“For example—rehabilitation robots.”
Rehabilitation robots weren’t a new concept. They first appeared in the 1980s, designed to assist disabled individuals with their rehabilitation. Countries like the U.S., the UK, and Canada were leaders in this field, while China had started later and was relatively behind.
With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, robots are a prime example of this progress. In the field of rehabilitation robotics, most of the market in China is dominated by foreign products, leaving a significant potential for domestic development.
Reflecting on the service robot they just encountered and remembering Pei Yongxia’s rehabilitation journey over the past few years, Pei Chen suddenly had an idea: they could explore the development of rehabilitation robots.
After finishing their hot pot, the two left the restaurant. As Pei Chen shared his thoughts with Liang Zhiyi, she nodded in agreement. “Rehabilitation robots could save a lot of manpower and help disabled individuals recover more efficiently. If they could be made available in secondary hospitals or even community clinics, they could really help a lot of patients.”
“Do you think this idea could work?”
“It’s great! Let’s go back and share it with the others to see what they think.”
The girl turned to him, her face beaming with pride. “My Peipei is so smart! I knew you’d come up with something brilliant.”
Pei Chen’s lips curved into a smile as he pulled her into his embrace, his gaze soft as he looked at her.
“You deserve some of the credit too.”
Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she asked, “So, is there any reward for me?”
He leaned down, his voice low as he whispered in her ear, “How about I give you a reward tonight at the apartment? What do you say?”
Her ears heated up as she immediately caught on to his intent.
Hmph, such a rogue!
After they shared the idea of developing rehabilitation robots with the rest of the team, everyone agreed that there was potential for growth in this area. They all expressed their support for the idea.
Developing such robots required more than just computer science knowledge; they also needed expertise in rehabilitation medicine, mechanics, and biomechanics. With Pei Chen’s invitation, a few graduate students from related fields, who were top performers in their studies, also agreed to join the team and embark on this entrepreneurial journey together.
A month later, the studio was officially established.
The studio was named “Chengzhi Tech Innovations.” Pei Chen, as the project leader, held the largest share and was the studio’s primary owner. Liang Zhiyi had a slightly smaller share, while Xuan Xia and the other two team members split the remaining shares equally. Although the other team members didn’t receive shares, they were granted stock options.
After the studio was founded, they used the startup funds to rent a space off-campus for their office and research facility. Liang Zhiyi was in charge of management, while Pei Chen, Xuan Xia, and others focused on research and development. Liang Tongzhou and Ji Fei’er handled financial management and marketing.
During a Saturday morning meeting, Pei Chen discussed their research focus: “We plan to develop a lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton robot aimed at gait training for patients with conditions like multiple brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and multiple sclerosis…”
As Pei Chen spoke, Liang Zhiyi’s gaze fell on him. He sat at the head of the conference table, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, with a pair of thin-rimmed glasses resting on his straight nose. His deep eyes were as mysterious as the ocean, and the evening sun streaming through the window illuminated half of his sharp, elegant profile. His aura was cool and distant, exuding a natural air of authority.
It’s often said that a man is particularly attractive when he’s focused on something.
She couldn’t help but be captivated by his charm.
“The core challenge of rehabilitation robot technology lies in real-time human-machine interaction control,” Pei Chen continued. “Generally, this involves direct or indirect control. Direct control involves directly obtaining human biological signals, such as electromyography signals or electroencephalography signals.”
As Pei Chen spoke, he noticed Liang Zhiyi’s gaze on him. Her almond-shaped eyes were curved with admiration, sparkling with a bright, reverent light.
Catching his eye, she mischievously blinked at him.
His speech paused for a brief moment, a flash of helpless affection crossing his gaze, but he quickly resumed, “Indirect control involves acquiring data from the exoskeleton joints because directly obtaining patient signals can easily be disrupted…”