Chapter 6: Round Two

The round-two session began at two on Saturday afternoon, and Cen Wenjun was not there.

A grey-suited director from Hexin sat in his chair and apologised for him.

"Mr. Cen is in Shenzhen with the investors. He asks the board to proceed."

The old founder took the head of the glass table instead, with his reading glasses on a cord and his arms folded over his stomach.

"We proceed," said the old founder. "Mr. Yu. Your findings."

Yu stood with the lab report in his hand and did not read it.

He had slept three hours.

He had a dried-out feeling behind his eyes, a wrist that remembered being held, and a mouth that remembered a bad kiss.

His finding said Saltmarsh shared no files with Undertow.

He had not told anyone yet.

He opened his mouth to say so.

"If I may," said Lu Tianci, from the second row.

Lu had come in uninvited, in his best navy suit, carrying a laptop and a smile that stuck at the corners.

"Greywater's production team prepared a summary to save the board's time," he said. "Mr. Cen suggested it. Mr. Yu has been busy."

He did not wait.

He plugged his laptop into the screen, and a slide came up in Greywater blue.

SALTMARSH VS UNDERTOW: CORE SYSTEMS OVERLAP, 70%.

A murmur ran round the table.

Yu stood very still.

He had never approved the slide.

He had never seen it, except in the folder, and he had not opened the folder past page one because the number had irritated him.

"Seventy percent of the tide logic is a direct port," said Lu.

"Lantern's founder took the architecture out of this building and rebuilt it on another floor."

"We recommend the board treat Saltmarsh as Greywater property."

Mo Chenyao sat at the far end of the table beside Jiang Ke, and said nothing at all.

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