King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

That day, when Lin Yidan paged Zhang Wei, he was queuing at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to deposit money.

The bonus I just received from the company's finance department still seemed to be steaming hot.

Zhang Wei was really reluctant to part with it, so he handed it into the bank teller window so quickly.

The bank teller asked, "How much is this? Is it a fixed deposit or a current account?"

Zhang Wei hesitated, still unsure how much to send home, before replying, "Let's keep it in savings account first."

"All 30,000 are in a current account?" the teller asked loudly to confirm.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei wished he could reach through the window and gag the teller.

He nodded hurriedly while glancing at the depositors next to him; thankfully, no one else showed any unusual reaction.

While walking down the street, Zhang Wei made up his mind to send 15,000 yuan home in a couple of days.

He felt that this tenfold increase would be enough to bring a pleasant surprise to his family.

He also plans to explain to his family that the frequency and amount of money he sends will no longer be fixed in the future.

On the surface, he was trying to create surprises for his family, but secretly, he wasn't confident that he could achieve such good results every quarter.

After returning to the company, Zhang Wei remembered to call Lin Yidan back.

As soon as Lin Yidan answered the phone, she said, "You have to treat me to dinner."

Zhang Wei countered with a question: "Is your newspaper's cafeteria contracted out?"

"Wow, how did you know? That's amazing!" Lin Yidan exclaimed in surprise.

"This contractor is far too greedy. If he had even a little bit of meat, he wouldn't have starved you like this."

"Get lost! I've noticed you're getting more and more glib. You've lost all the simple and honest nature of people from southern Anhui. You're even more slick than us Beijingers."

"There's nothing we can do; there are just too many people from the capital around here, and they're all incredibly talkative."

"It has nothing to do with that. I think it's mainly because running around in the market and doing sales has led you astray."

Lin Yidan then said, "Are you really that clueless? The key isn't what you eat, but who you eat with."

"To be precise, it's about eating whoever it is..." Zhang Wei teased.

"What's wrong with taking a bite of your food once? Making you bleed a little is harder than making you give birth."

"Let me tell you, this time I have a perfectly good reason to make you beg and plead to treat me to dinner."

"What reason? Tell me, I've already prepared my tears and snot."

"That's right, a few of us from the Economic Daily went into business and started a market research company."

Lin Yidan continued, "They produced an analysis report on the national microcomputer market."

"There are statistics on sales volume and market share of each brand by region and industry."

"There are also monthly price trend analyses, as well as market forecasts from 94 to 96."

"I told them I needed the manuscript urgently and asked them to give me a copy first."

"So? If you know your stuff, I don't need to tell you how valuable this is, right?"

Zhang Wei immediately asked, "Are you free tonight? What would you like to eat? Chinese or Western food?"

Lin Yidan couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You're smart. I'll just have to swallow my pride and go eat Pizza Hut pancakes with you."

"Okay, no problem. I'll take a taxi to pick you up after get off work, and then we'll go to Pizza Hut."

"Wow, such strange behavior, has the sun risen in the west?"

"A taxi ride from your place to mine and then to Pizza Hut would cost over thirty yuan. Did you get a raise?"

Zhang Wei chuckled: "Our financial situation has improved slightly. Don't worry, I can't let you ride in a van; I'll pick you up in a Xiali at least."

Lin Yidan immediately stamped her foot in regret: "If I had known, I would have asked for a proper Western meal!"

"Next time, next time," Zhang Wei quickly said.

Zhang Wei first took a minivan to Xicheng District to meet Lin Yidan, and then took a Xiali car to Pizza Hut.

Surprisingly, there were already five or six groups of customers waiting in line.

Zhang Wei whispered to Lin Yidan, "There are so many rich people."

Lin Yidan teased him with a laugh, "Oh, so you consider yourself a rich person now?"

Zhang Wei frankly stated, "Anyway, I couldn't afford Pizza Hut two years ago."

Once they were finally seated at the table, Zhang Wei declared first, "This meal is on my behalf, not on behalf of Tiangong Company."

Lin Yidan had just opened the menu when Zhang Wei said this, and couldn't help but feel troubled: "Are you saying I'd better not order anything expensive?"

"Of course not, I just wanted to emphasize my sincerity. Order whatever you like."

"Actually, I'm quite happy to hear you say that. It means that our relationship is no longer just a working relationship, but a personal one."

"Hey, can we make a deal? From now on, for things like meals and movies, firstly, you'll pay for everything; secondly, we won't ask for receipts or get reimbursed, okay?"

After Lin Yidan finished speaking, she looked at Zhang Wei with some trepidation.

"No problem at all, it's a deal."

Zhang Wei's quick agreement surprised Lin Yidan.

She couldn't help but wonder if Zhang Wei truly understood the profound meaning of this agreement...

Could it be just a momentary impulse or a burst of generosity after getting richer...?

Lin Yidan pressed further, "Do you understand what I mean? From now on, I don't need to be polite to you anymore, and I can spend your money without any guilt..."

"Of course, it's just the cost of a few meals, no need to be so polite with me."

Upon hearing Zhang Wei's words, Lin Yidan realized that he hadn't understood her meaning...

She felt a little disappointed and gave a bitter smile.

I then ordered a nine-inch Super Supreme Pizza, a salad, and two Fantas.

Seeing this, Zhang Wei said, "Isn't that enough? Order a few more things."

"That should be enough. You can eat the pizza, and I'll eat the salad."

Just then, the waiter came over and placed a piece of cutlery on the table that was slightly shallower than a bowl but slightly deeper than a plate, saying, "A salad, please help yourself."

Zhang Wei immediately said, "How many bites is this small dish enough? Let's get a large pizza instead."

Lin Yidan smiled and shook her head: "If you're not full, you can have more. Anyway, this salad of mine is definitely enough. I might even be able to share half with you. Just you wait and see."

It felt like we'd been waiting forever. Zhang Wei had already downed more than half his Fanta, and the pizza the next table had ordered earlier had already been served…

I just saw Lin Yidan shouting, "Excuse me, excuse me, but be careful not to touch me..."

The salad "mountain," stacked like a pagoda and taller than Churchill's top hat, came back on its back.

Zhang Wei waited until she put the salad on the table before daring to ask, "What did you bring back with you? Where's the plate?"

Lin Yidan wiped her hands and proudly gestured with her chin: "Look, it's right down there. You think I just carried it back by hand?"

Zhang Wei tilted his head and peered into the salad from the bottom edge...

I rely on!

Awesome!

I discovered that the salad was indeed placed on the same plate as before…

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You're really quite capable!"

Lin Yidan took an empty plate and peeled off the layers of their work from top to bottom, distributing them to Zhang Wei.