King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

Although this possibility was not entirely unconsidered beforehand…

But hearing Lao Yang say it so confidently still shocked Zhan Yiling!

But given her proud personality, she would never back down easily.

Even if the chances are really slim, we must still give it our all.

She raised her glass again and said sincerely, "Thank you, Lao Yang!"

"I know that IBM got involved in this project relatively late, while other companies may have already done a lot of work with key personnel."

"But even if we withdraw now and stop participating, people will still talk about us."

"They might say that IBM didn't even pass the primary selection, or that IBM itself lacks confidence."

"Your situation is similar to mine; no matter what, they will still say what they need to say."

"In that case, let's just ignore what they say."

"You stay in Beijing for a few more months, then I'll submit my bid and go back to Beijing too. I don't care about anything else."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Zhan Yiling changed "you" to "you" instead of "formal".

Although Lao Yang's tongue was already stiff, he still managed to catch this subtle change.

He raised his eyelids to look at Zhan Yiling, and hesitantly reached out a hand towards her.

Just as he was about to touch Zhan Yiling's hand, he suddenly stopped and said, "You're still going to vote? You know there's no chance, why are you still voting? What's the point?"

Zhan Yiling, however, readily grasped Lao Yang's hand and said, "Why not vote? There's always a glimmer of hope until the very last moment."

"Old Yang, can you think of a way to help me?"

Unexpectedly, Lao Yang was moved by Zhan Yiling's words.

He shook hands with Zhan Yiling briefly, then withdrew his hand.

He said shamefully, "I would like to help, but look at my current situation. I'm lucky to have made it back to the capital safely. How can I help you?"

"Let's take it one step at a time."

Zhan Yiling said with a smile, "If I don't participate in this project, then you really won't be able to help even if you want to."

"become!"

Old Yang finally got infected, "Then you should submit a very cheap bid, so that the winning bidder can't sell it for a high price. It's best to make them lose money and just make a name for themselves."

"That won't do, Lao Yang. I, Zhan Yiling, will die a glorious death. I absolutely cannot let them laugh at IBM and say that even if IBM has stripped down to its underwear, customers still won't buy it."

Zhan Yiling suddenly realized that it seemed inappropriate to say this self-deprecating remark, which was often used in the IT sales circle, in front of Lao Yang.

He quickly added, "I think the exact opposite. Not only will I quote a high price, but I won't offer any discounts! Let them see what true class is all about."

...

He Fan had never seen Zhan Yiling so downcast before…

He gently pressed his face against hers and tentatively asked, "Are you having trouble with the project?"

Zhan Yiling frowned, looking annoyed: "I know it's hopeless, but I still have to patiently play along. Tell me, what's the point of this kind of project?"

"It's all about...participation?"

As soon as He Fan finished speaking, he realized that his joke was somewhat inappropriate.

He quickly changed his tone and advised, "I've noticed that you and Zhang Wei both like to sow seeds widely and cast nets frequently."

"Although your success rate is higher than his, you don't do a thorough analysis of the projects beforehand in order to win enough projects."

"For example, is customer analysis, competitor analysis, and opportunity analysis worthwhile...?"

"I'm different. If there's no opportunity or it's not worth doing, I won't bother."

Only then did Zhan Yiling realize that Zhang Wei was not at home.

He then asked, "Why hasn't Zhang Wei come back yet, so late?"

"He's away on a business trip."

He Fan chuckled, "It's just the two of us tonight, so don't leave."

"Where did he go? Why didn't he tell me?"

Zhan Yiling then realized that recently, this little tagalong hadn't been following her around as often...

I suddenly felt a little disappointed.

"I didn't ask, he can go wherever he wants."

"But from what I heard from him, it seems like things have started to turn around recently, and he's busy collecting orders from all over the place."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Yiling felt even more frustrated.

He sighed and said, "Companies like Tiangong, although they started from a lower point than IBM and faced harsher conditions, allowed us to make many decisions on our own."

He Fan continued, "Chen Jianghe is good at technical things, but he knows nothing about the market, so he can only delegate authority to sales."

Zhan Yiling continued, "Unlike our company, not to mention me, even my boss's boss is just a pawn, with absolutely no say..."

"Actually, he's just like me, a salesperson. The difference is that he has people under him, while I don't."

"No, you have someone below you too."

He Fan leaned closer with a sly grin and said, "I'm here for you."

Zhan Yiling shoved He Fan away: "No matter what kind of client or what kind of project, IBM's policy is the same."

"We don't care where to cultivate or where to harvest; we only care about one thing: this quarter's sales."

"Look at Zhang Wei, he can participate in company decision-making to some extent, including marketing, distribution channels, and even business and operations."

"He's worth five people in our company, and they're from different departments. No wonder he's so addicted to it."

"But have you ever thought about it? You earn the equivalent of five of his people's income, you do one-fifth of his work, and you make five times his money."

He Fan quickly comforted him, "Hey, I think he should be the one envying you."

"Actually, I know in my heart even if you don't say it. You either got upset by a client or suffered some injustice at the company."

"However, judging from today's situation, it's more likely to be a pincer attack."

"But in any case, it's best to stick to the facts and not confuse everything at once."

"Of course, it's also possible that you just find everything disagreeable for no reason, and the more you think about it, the angrier you get..."

"Then there can only be one reason: it's your period."

Zhan Yiling's eyes widened immediately: "Really? I didn't even remember until you mentioned it. Today is actually my second day."

"No, no, I'd better go back to my own place."

He Fan then grinned mischievously, "Look at what you're saying, does that mean we can't sleep together without doing *that*?"

"You yourself said that you can't sleep without holding me."

Zhan Yiling said with pity, "But you can't do 'that,' it must be so painful for you..."

"Look at what you're saying, as if I'm some kind of stallion who gets restless if I don't do *that* every day?"

That's not what I meant. What are you thinking?

Zhan Yiling quickly explained, "I mean, isn't someone next to you having trouble sleeping?"

"It's alright, I'm all better now."

Zhan Yiling was skeptical: "You said last time that you were already cured, but you still slipped away from me in the middle of the night, and I only found out when I woke up in the morning."

"But,"

He Fan whispered in Zhan Yiling's ear, "You're in a bad mood today, how can I let you leave?"

...