"The Neural Bridge has changed our lives," the young woman on the screen said enthusiastically, her husband sitting beside her, nodding in agreement. "In the past, we were always arguing because he didn't understand why I was so sensitive about certain things. Now that he can truly feel my emotions, everything is different."

Alex stood in the center of MindLink Corporation's exhibition hall, surrounded by enormous screens playing testimonials from early testers. Since she and Marcus became the first test couple three months ago, the Neural Bridge had expanded to one hundred carefully selected married couples, with encouraging results.


"My daughter is fifteen," a middle-aged man on another screen said, "You know what teenagers are like—closed off, mysterious, often angry. The Neural Bridge allowed me to truly understand her world for the first time. It turns out she wasn't having tantrums for no reason, but was dealing with social pressures I had never imagined."

Alex smiled as she watched potential clients and investors touring the showroom being moved by these stories. The commercialization process of the Neural Bridge was progressing faster than expected, with the reservation list already exceeding ten thousand people.

"Dr. Chen," a well-dressed lady approached her, "I'm the head of neurology at the Mayo Clinic. We're very interested in the application of the Neural Bridge in treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Could you arrange a detailed demonstration?"


"Of course," Alex responded enthusiastically, "Our medical applications team will contact you. Preliminary data shows that when therapists can directly experience the patient's traumatic memories, treatment effectiveness increases by 60%."

All morning, Alex moved through the exhibition hall, answering questions, sharing data, and painting a beautiful future for the Neural Bridge. She was the perfect spokesperson for this technological revolution—both creator and user. But no one noticed the occasional flicker of concern in her eyes, or her habitual gesture of touching the controller at the back of her neck.


During the lunch break, Alex retreated to a quiet corner to check her phone. No messages from Marcus. Since his meeting with Chloe a week ago, the atmosphere between them had grown tense and distant. Marcus insisted the meeting was only about ethical issues regarding the Neural Bridge, but he refused to share details, and increasingly used the Neural Bridge's blocking function.

Alex sighed and put her phone back in her pocket. She should focus on today's success, not personal problems. There was an important internal company meeting in the afternoon to discuss the next phase of expansion for the Neural Bridge.

---

"Team collaboration will be our next key market," Marketing Director Jamie said in front of the large screen in the conference room, "Imagine a surgical team, all members connected through Neural Bridge, able to coordinate seamlessly; or a creative team, able to directly share inspiration and ideas without language limitations."

Alex nodded, but Technical Director Kevin raised concerns: "The complexity of multi-person connections grows exponentially. The connection between two people already generates a large amount of data, connections between three or more people will require entirely new algorithms and processing power."

"We are already developing the next generation Neural Bridge," Alex responded, "capable of supporting synchronous connections of up to five people. The preliminary test results are promising."

"There's also enormous potential in education," Education Consultant Susan added, "Imagine teachers being able to directly sense students' points of confusion, or students being able to experience historical events, not just read about them."

The meeting lasted for three hours, covering various aspects from technical improvements to market strategies. Alex maintained focus and enthusiasm throughout, but deep inside, she couldn't shake off a feeling of unease. The Neural Bridge was expanding at an astonishing rate, changing the very nature of human communication, yet she couldn't resolve the communication problems in her own marriage.

After the meeting, Alex was stopped by a reporter requesting a brief interview.

"Dr. Chen, as the creator and first user of the Neural Bridge, how do you respond to critics' concerns, especially those raised recently by Dr. Chloe Ward regarding privacy and identity boundaries?"

Alex maintained a professional smile. "Dr. Ward has raised some theoretical concerns, but our actual data shows that the Neural Bridge is safe, with user satisfaction exceeding 95%. Any new technology faces skepticism, but progress should not be hindered by fear."

"How was your personal experience with your husband? As the first test couple, did you encounter any unexpected challenges?"

Alex's smile became slightly stiff. "Like any new experience, it required an adjustment period. But overall, the Neural Bridge greatly enhanced our understanding and connection."

This wasn't exactly a lie, but it was far from the whole truth.

---

When she returned home that evening, Alex found Marcus in his studio, focused on an architectural model. Since meeting with Chloe, he had noticeably increased the time he spent working, often returning home late at night.

"Hi," Alex said softly, standing at the studio doorway.

Marcus looked up and gave her a tired smile. "Hi, how was the presentation?"

"Very successful," Alex walked into the room, looking at his model, "What project is this?"

"A new proposal for the city planning committee," Marcus replied, continuing to adjust tiny details on the model, "The deadline is next week."

Alex noticed that his Neural Bridge Controller was again set to the lowest setting. This had become the norm—their connections were becoming shallower and increasingly rare.

"I was thinking," Alex carefully began, "maybe we should try a deeper connection. We've been using the Neural Bridge for three months, but never gone beyond basic sensory and emotional sharing."

Marcus's hand paused for a moment before continuing his work. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Alex. The current level is enough for me."

"But that's the whole point of the Neural Bridge, Marcus—truly deep connections. We haven't even tried memory sharing or thought synchronization yet."

Marcus put down his tools and turned to her. "Maybe some things shouldn't be shared, Alex. Maybe we need to keep some personal space."

Alex felt a sting of disappointment. "That sounds like something Chloe would say."

Marcus's expression became defensive. "This isn't about Chloe. This is about my personal boundaries, about my needs as an individual."

"But you're not even willing to try," Alex countered, "how do you know a deeper connection wouldn't benefit us both?"

"Because I know myself," Marcus said firmly, "I need some space for my private thoughts, Alex. That doesn't mean I don't love you or don't trust you."

Alex wanted to continue arguing, but she saw the determination in Marcus's eyes and knew this conversation wouldn't lead anywhere. She turned and left the studio, feeling a deep sense of frustration.

The Neural Bridge was supposed to bring them closer, but instead, it seemed to be revealing a chasm that had always existed between them. Marcus was unwilling to open himself completely, and Alex couldn't understand why. Was it because of Chloe? Was it because he had secrets? Or was there an inherently unbridgeable gap in their relationship?

Alex stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, looking at the city lights. Behind those lights, thousands of people were using the Neural Bridge, sharing sensations, emotions, and memories. Their testimonials were filled with amazement and gratitude, describing newly discovered understanding and intimacy.

Why couldn't she, the creator of this technology, achieve the same success in her own marriage?

Her fingers lightly touched the controller at the back of her neck, and a dangerous thought surfaced in her mind. If Marcus was unwilling to deepen their connection voluntarily, perhaps there were other ways to understand his true thoughts. She immediately shook her head, trying to dispel this idea. That would be a betrayal of trust, a betrayal of her own principles.

But as the night grew quiet, as Marcus continued working in his studio, the idea refused to disappear. Alex was the creator of the Neural Bridge, and she understood its working principles and potential capabilities better than anyone. If she wanted to, she could modify her own controller, bypassing the limitations Marcus had set.

The idea was both tempting and terrifying. Alex knew where this path might lead, but she was also becoming increasingly certain that without understanding Marcus's true thoughts, she would never be able to save their marriage.

Late at night, Alex lay alone in bed, listening to the distant sounds of Marcus working, pondering choices and consequences, contemplating the boundaries between love and trust, wondering which was more dangerous: knowing too much or knowing too little.