Chapter 230: APP Links to University Halls: Overseas Invitations Prompt Reflection

Zhao Jianguo stared at the Screen, his fingers typed a few characters on the keyboard and then stopped. The System Prompt still hung in the lower right corner, the message "National Scope Help Signal Access" pressed on his mind like a stone. He rubbed his temples, just as he was about to open the details, the door was pushed open.

He Yushui came in carrying a Cloth Bundle, her hair tied neatly, a bit of sweat on her face. "I pulled an all‑night shift." She set the bag on the table, "The help data you gave is too messy; manual sorting alone won't work, we need to model it."

Zhao Jianguo nodded, "Do you have a plan?"

"I've drafted a preliminary framework." She sat down and opened her notebook, "We packaged maintenance, energy, and senior‑friendly needs into standard modules, creating a replicable 'Smart Community Solution.' I've already named it—the 'Siheyuan Model.'"

Zhao Jianguo smiled, "You're talking big."

"It's not me being boastful; someone actually took interest." She pulled up the backend logs, "The Tsinghua tech team reached out proactively at 3 a. m., saying they want to integrate our APP system for a pilot connection."

Zhao Jianguo sat up straight, "Tsinghua? They reached out first?"

"Yes. They reviewed the platform operation logs and think this scheduling logic can be applied to campus logistics." He Yushui clicked the mouse, "The Permission binding is already done, the Data Stream is connected."

Zhao Jianguo stared at the blinking connection icon on the Screen, silent. Tsinghua's move was like paving a highway over their dirt road.

Before he could recover, the System Prompt rang.

【Detected international encrypted communication request, source: MIT Urban Sustainable Development Research Center】

He Yushui glanced at the pop‑up, "They're moving pretty fast."

"Do we accept?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Not accepting is just not accepting." She lifted the corner of her mouth, "Let's hear what they want."

Three minutes after the video request was approved, the remote screen lit up. A foreign professor wearing glasses sat at a desk, holding an electronic translator, and opened with a stiff Chinese line: "We… are… very… interested."

Zhao Jianguo sat on the Chair, unmoving.

He Yushui whispered, "He's using real‑time translation software, about a two‑second lag."

The professor continued, "Your community management model is efficient, low‑cost, and replicable. We want to introduce it to low‑income neighborhoods in Boston."

Zhao Jianguo listened, not rushing to reply. He stood, walked to the wall, and pointed at the red‑background, yellow‑text banner—"Technology Serves the People."

He faced the camera, "Our technology is born here, grown here. It solves the problems of ordinary Chinese people."

The professor was momentarily stunned; the translator stalled a few seconds before speaking. He frowned, said a few more sentences, and the translator displayed: "Technology knows no borders. Sharing drives progress."

Zhao Jianguo shook his head, "Technology can be exchanged, but the model can't be transplanted. Your city and our Siheyuan have different environments and people; copying it outright will cause problems."

The professor's tone shifted slightly, "We can co‑develop and jointly optimize. Funding, equipment, Laboratory—MIT can provide all of them."

He Yushui, listening nearby, couldn't help but interject, "How do you plan to cooperate? Should we send people over? Or just take the code directly?"

The professor raised his hand, "We respect intellectual property rights. We just hope to learn from the experience."

"Learn?" Zhao Jianguo sat down again, "What you see are the APP, the Data Stream, the scheduling efficiency. But you don't see how San Daye does accounting, how Wang Nainai brews plum‑sour tea, how Sha Zhu flips a wok. Those things can't be written into a paper."

The professor was silent for a few seconds.

The translator slowly output, "So… you're refusing?"

Zhao Jianguo said, "It's not refusing dialogue. It's just clear—our results prioritize serving the home country first. Whichever province is in trouble, we help that one first."

He Yushui added, "Also, we don't need external funding. If we can walk the road ourselves, we won't reach out."

The professor stared at the Screen, his gaze shifting from confidence to confusion. Finally he nodded, said something, and the translator displayed: "I understand. The cultural foundations differ."

The call ended, the screen went black.

The room fell quiet.

He Yushui turned to Zhao Jianguo, "Tell me honestly, were those words already thought out beforehand?"

"It was spontaneous," he smiled, "but the meaning has always been there."

She also laughed, "Actually they don't get it. Our system's roots are in human warmth. Without this chatter of neighbors, even the best program is just an empty shell."

Zhao Jianguo nodded, "So it can't be moved."

Just then, the System Prompt popped up again.

【First successful international technology negotiation, stance firm, strategy sound】

【Reward skill unlocked: International Technology Negotiation Expertise】

Zhao Jianguo opened the skill description, and the page auto‑expanded. It listed several abilities: Cross‑cultural Communication Identification, Overseas Intent Analysis, Diplomatic Response Template Generation.

"Pretty useful," he said.

"There will probably be many more talks about cooperation in the future." He Yushui closed the meeting log, encrypted the archive, "I dare say this is just the first."

Zhao Jianguo leaned against the Chair back, watching the archive timestamp on the Screen: 10:47.

Footsteps came from outside; someone shouted from the Courtyard, "Jianguo! Phone! Long‑distance?"

He replied once, but didn't move.

He Yushui asked, "Should I go answer?"

"Later," he said, "let's first see if there are any other messages."

She glanced down at the backend, then raised an eyebrow, "Another new request just came in."

"Where's it from?"

"Stanford, Berkeley, Cambridge…" she listed a few names, "All academic institutions. Some want Permission requests, some want data exchange."

Zhao Jianguo wasn't surprised, "Once Tsinghua connects, it's like issuing a passport."

"Do you want to reply to each one?" she asked.

"No need." He opened the system menu, "Enable auto‑response template. Uniform reply: 'Welcome to inquire, but we are not opening cooperation for now.'"

He Yushui entered the command and confirmed sending.

Just after clicking, another message popped up.

This time it wasn't an invitation.

It was a report.

The title read: "Potential Application Value of the Siheyuan Community Governance Model in Global Grass‑roots Management"

The issuing body was a research unit under the United Nations Development Programme.

"Even the United Nations is eyeing us?" she muttered.

Zhao Jianguo stared at the headline for a few seconds, then said softly: "The commotion is too big."

"But we haven't done anything special." He Yushui shook her head. "We just figured out how to live our lives, and incidentally set up a platform."

"It's precisely because you didn't deliberately do anything that it seems genuine." Zhao Jianguo said, "The less people understand it, the more they feel it has research value."

She chuckled: "Then they'll never learn it."

Zhao Jianguo didn't laugh. He opened the nationwide help‑signal list and saw that more than twenty new entries had been added. West Mountain repairing water pumps, Broad West replacing circuits, Northeast installing heating…

"We're still swamped with things here." He said, "Where would we find time to deal with the outside?"

He Yushui stood up, stretched her wrists: "I'm going to the cafeteria to get something to eat. You shouldn't stay up too late either."

She walked to the doorway, glanced back at the Main Control Console: "Right, that slogan on the wall—should we snap a photo and send it to Pure Brilliance? As a formal reply."

Zhao Jianguo thought for a moment: "Send it."

She pushed the door and went out.

Only he remained in the room.

He switched the system interface to the data map. Domestic points were thick as dots, while overseas requests were blocked outside the firewall, flashing yellow.

His fingers lightly tapped the desktop twice.

Just as he was about to get up, the Screen suddenly jolted.

A new prompt popped up.

【Detected multiple overseas IPs continuously scanning system ports】

【Security level raised to Level 2】

【Suggest activating anti‑tracking protocol】

He narrowed his eyes.

Before he could act, a shout came from outside the door: "Jianguo! The long‑distance call just now—the other side said it's important, please call back immediately!"

He stood up and glanced at the Screen.

The activation key for the anti‑tracking protocol was still flashing.