Mei's mother left Hong Kong for America when Mei was just a baby. Her husband chose to stay behind with their oldest daughter, splitting the family in half. Now at the age of 25, she has been performing missions at the behest of the Chinese government for almost a dozen years to keep the family that had stayed behind safe from government assassination. Her latest assignment? Find the prototype AI device that allows the user to subjugate any other AI chip. But, with such a prize, she won't be the only one looking!

This is written for the Open Novella Contest 2025, using prompt 45: It's your big day - everything is falling into place - but why does your hot, irresistible enemy seem to think she's won?