King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

This area is located at the border between Jiangsu Province and Shandong Province, and has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times.

Later, it became the intersection of two major railway lines, known as the thoroughfare of five provinces.

Jiangji Group is a leading large-scale state-owned enterprise in the region.

Sitting next to Zhan Yiling is the executive vice president of Jiangji Group in charge of information technology development.

Next to him was Director Yan, who was in charge of information technology projects.

Only one systems engineer accompanied Zhan Yiling, but Jiang Ji had eight people accompanying her at the banquet.

The vice president raised his wine cup and said, "Let me say a few words on behalf of Jiangji Group."

"A warm welcome to Ms. Zhan and her delegation from IBM for their visit and guidance to Jiangxi Machinery Group."

"We hope that IBM's experts can provide strong support for our IT project."

"I have long admired IBM. Although you are a little late, I am still very happy and grateful for IBM's attention to the Jiangji project."

Zhan Yiling sensed the emotion in the vice president's words...

Although she rushed over immediately after receiving the call, she was still a step later than the others.

The vice president's so-called "late arrival" clearly refers to:

For such a large project, IBM not only didn't approach us, but we had to carry them on a sedan chair to invite them.

They've got quite the airs!

Zhan Yiling quickly said, half-jokingly, "Our information is indeed very outdated, mainly because your Jiangji Group does an excellent job of keeping things confidential."

Sitting to the side, Director Yan said with a forced smile, "Ms. Zhan, don't make excuses. Why did the other companies contact us so early?"

Zhan Yiling said with a smile, "As the saying goes, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early."

She then proactively clinked glasses with the vice president and sweetly asked, "Aren't you right?"

The vice president was quite frank: "Since we're late, we should work harder. We hope IBM can show the utmost sincerity."

"Enough with the unnecessary words, it's all in the drink. Cheers, everyone!"

After finishing that drink, the vice president didn't sit down again.

Instead, he said to Zhan Yiling very sincerely, "Ms. Zhan, to be honest, tonight there are five or six tables of guests upstairs and downstairs who need my company."

"If I can find the time, I will definitely come back and have a good talk with you."

"If I can't come back, I apologize in advance. I wish you good food and drinks, and a pleasant research trip to Jiangxi Machinery Plant."

With the deputy general manager gone, Director Yan became the local tyrant.

He urged everyone present to take turns toasting Zhan Yiling.

Zhan Yiling doesn't have a high alcohol tolerance, but she has a trick: she drinks for a while and then goes to the bathroom to vomit.

I put my middle finger in my mouth and gently pressed it against the back of my tongue. Everything I had just drunk and eaten was immediately spat into the sink.

Zhan Yiling had just returned from the restroom after vomiting again when she saw several people drinking on the engineer who had come with her.

Only the middle-aged man sitting directly opposite her remained aloof and out of place with the people and atmosphere around him.

She recalled that when she was being attacked in turn, this person seemed to have been sitting still the whole time.

As far as I can remember, when Director Yan introduced everyone, he only said one sentence: "This is Old Yang."

During the meal, some people called him Engineer Yang and others called him Director Yang, but no one knew exactly what he was responsible for, or perhaps he was responsible for nothing at all.

When everyone saw Zhan Yiling return, they turned their attention back to her.

At this moment, Director Yan was already slightly drunk. He turned to Zhan Yiling and said, "Miss Zhan, you seem to be very smart. Let me tell you a riddle and see if you can guess it."

"Oh, Director Yan, I'm really bad at riddles."

"Don't say that, you're implying we're uncultured."

Zhan Yiling immediately fell silent.

Seeing Zhan Yiling smile without saying a word, Director Yan said loudly, "Why did Wu Song fail to succeed in his relationship with Pan Jinlian? What is the idiom?"

After saying that, he stared at Zhan Yiling's face with great interest.

Zhan Yiling immediately realized that the riddle was going in the wrong direction.

I made up my mind not to react at all, and in particular, I had to keep my expression and eyes firmly in check so that others could not see the turmoil in my heart.

Director Yan immediately felt bored, so he tried to persuade her, "Of course, our quality can't compare to Miss Zhan's, but at least we can read and write."

"From now on, let's stop with martial prowess and switch to literary respect."

"If Miss Zhan guesses it correctly, I will punish myself with three drinks, and each of you will drink one with me."

"If Miss Zhan can't guess, then she'll be punished with three drinks, and each of you will drink three drinks with her!"

Director Yan's suggestion immediately caused a stir.

Some complained about the unfairness, some bargained, and some even started brainstorming answers for Zhan Yiling.

The systems engineer next to him swayed as he tried to stand up.

It's unclear whether he's guessing for Zhan Yiling or trying to shield her from drinking.

After several attempts, he slumped helplessly in his chair, clearly overwhelmed with his own problems.

Unwilling to give up, Director Yan tried another trick: "Miss Zhan, it's okay if you can't guess it. After I tell you the answer, if you can explain it clearly, you win. How about it?"

Zhan Yiling remained unmoved.

Seeing this, Director Yan had no choice but to reveal the answer: "Why didn't Wu Song succeed in his relationship with Pan Jinlian?!"

Zhan Yiling unconsciously frowned.

Unexpectedly, this subtle reaction brought Director Yan great satisfaction.

He tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks and asked, "Ms. Zhan, could you please tell us about it?"

Several people nearby started making a fuss, but Zhan Yiling ignored them, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the leftover food on the table.

At this point, Director Yan could no longer contain himself.

He turned his face towards Zhan Yiling: "Because of Wu Song..."

After saying that, he burst into unrestrained laughter, but still kept staring intently at Zhan Yiling.

He hoped to derive a sense of pleasure from the slight unease and embarrassment she displayed.

Unexpectedly, Zhan Yiling continued to ignore her and picked up a towel to wipe her hands.

Director Yan had no choice but to save face, turning to him and saying, "Old Yang, you and Wu Song are from the same hometown, can you analyze whether this is the reason?"

Then, Director Yan burst into laughter again, and Old Yang's expression became extremely unnatural.

At this moment, the seemingly oldest man spoke up: "It seems Miss Zhan is not married yet. It's not appropriate for us men to talk about these things."

Director Yan scoffed, "Your statement is too one-sided. What does being married or not prove?"

"You underestimate Miss Zhan. I feel that Miss Zhan is more knowledgeable than anyone else here."

"A marriage certificate is like a diploma; whether you have one or not has nothing to do with whether you know how to do it. You can learn it on your own."

"Take me for example. I never even went to a worker-peasant-soldier university, but I've mastered everything I'm supposed to know, haven't I? I'm not much worse than anyone else, am I? Right, Lao Yang?"

Old Yang's face grew increasingly grim. He threw the towel on the table, got up, and walked out.

Zhan Yiling quickly stood up, helped the system engineer, and staggered back to the guesthouse.