King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

"By the way, Yiling, I suddenly have an idea..." Zhang Wei hesitated before speaking.

"So, tell me! What are you trying to take advantage of this time?"

"Hehe! Looks like you understand me best. I was thinking, next time you go on a business trip, how about I go with you?"

"You cunning little devil, are you trying to piggyback on clients' business? Or are you trying to freeload a meal?"

"I'll pass on the meal, but I feel bad if I eat too much."

Zhang Wei chuckled, "That's what I'm thinking, anyway, IBM isn't making multimedia PCs right now."

"I can build relationships with your clients, understand their needs, and provide XuanYuan multimedia PC solutions!"

"The fact that IBM China is not making PCs now does not mean that it will not do so in the future. After all, once mainframes are launched, terminal application systems will follow."

Zhan Yiling smiled and said, "However, I can promise you that."

"Oh, right! After we finish eating, don't rush back to your little hotel. I'll show you around and broaden your horizons."

Following the IBM meeting, Zhang Wei also managed to snag another free dinner.

After leaving the Sunshine Hotel, Zhan Yiling led Zhang Wei into a house hidden among the green trees.

Zhang Wei realized that what Zhan Yiling meant by "opening his eyes" was taking him to a bar.

The two found a small table and sat down.

The waiter brought over the drinks menu, and Zhang Wei glanced at it, then clicked his tongue in amazement: "Eighteen yuan a bottle of beer, it only costs eighty cents in Beijing."

Zhan Yiling laughed and corrected, "That's what you get for 80 cents in a small shop in Beijing. You've never been to a bar in Beijing, have you? It costs 18 cents, and some places are even more expensive than this."

Even though he knew Zhan Yiling would be paying, Zhang Wei still felt sorry for her.

At this moment, Zhan Yiling ignored Zhang Wei and turned her attention to the singer on stage.

The singer was quite tall, with fair skin and a sunny smile.

They are singing Qi Qin's "The Outside World".

"The outside world is wonderful, the outside world is also full of helplessness..."

Hearing this song, Zhang Wei's heart was gently touched, and he couldn't help but think of Qin Shunan...

Thinking about the world Qin Shunan lived in…

Now, between him and Qin Shunan, who is truly offering their heartfelt blessings, and who is still waiting for whom...?

The next morning, Zhang Wei arrived at the company, ready to greet Zhao Xiaobo, whose flight back to Beijing was that afternoon.

Zhao Xiaobo's face turned grim. He whispered to Zhang Wei, "You don't know yet, do you? Something's happened! Zhong Chaohui was arrested yesterday!"

Then he strode into Chen Jianghe's office.

...

Chen Jianghe, who was in the office, immediately stood up when Zhao Xiaobo entered: "How's it going? Any definite news?"

Zhao Xiaobo closed the door tightly: "There are all sorts of rumors, but one thing is certain: this time, Zhong Chaohui and his company are probably completely finished..."

Chen Jianghe sat down silently, his face gloomy, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table.

I never expected that after fighting Chung Chiu-fai for eight years, before I could even launch a full counterattack, he would fall like this!

Zhao Xiaobo poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and continued, "My friend lives right across from Zhong Chaohui. Yesterday, he saw those cars and those people with his own eyes..."

"I witnessed Chung Chiu-fai with his hands cuffed in front of him, and those people shoving him into a jeep..."

Zhao Xiaobo lowered his voice: "The key to smuggling is the amount of money involved. It's too big! No one can protect him..."

"How big exactly? A few million?"

"A few million?" Zhao Xiaobo said dismissively. "More than 20 million was seized on the spot! It's said that he's done this several times before, so the total amount must be even more staggering."

Chen Jianghe murmured, "Such a thing should only be known by a very few people, so how did it become the talk of the town?"

"That's the problem. They know exactly what's going in each time."

Zhao Xiaobo glanced subconsciously at the office door and whispered, "Some people are saying it was A Yuan who reported it, while others are saying it was Manager Qian from Lianwei..."

"Whoever it is, it's probably a conflict between Chung Chiu-fai and them over the distribution of profits."

Chen Jianghe couldn't help but sigh, "That's just Zhong Chaohui's style. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had yesterday's glory, nor would he be in this predicament today."

Zhao Xiaobo immediately asked nervously, "Brother Jianghe, are we being watched too?"

"Could Chung Chiu-fai's case be a signal, a way to make an example of him to warn others?"

Chen Jianghe shook his head: "Even if there are no problems in your business, if someone wants to mess with you, they can find a whole bunch of problems."

"Compared to those big companies, what are we? Doing a little bit of work won't bring them any sense of accomplishment."

"However, this also reminds us that we should never touch money that we shouldn't earn..."

...

One Saturday evening, a month after I returned to Beijing from Shenzhen.

As Zhang Weigang walked up to the sixth floor, he saw He Fan and Zhan Yiling standing in the corridor, each holding a bouquet of flowers.

He wiped the sweat from his face: "It's only April, and it's already this hot. I'm rushing as fast as I can..."

Zhan Yiling quickly ran into the house, grabbed a towel, and handed it to Zhang Wei: "Quickly wipe your sweat!"

He Fan laughed and said, "Zhang Wei, you're quite the birthday boy, making us wait for so long. If Yi Ling hadn't stopped me, I would have eaten the cake long ago."

Zhang Wei took the towel from Zhan Yiling, wiped his face, and said apologetically.

"Thank you both for your concern. I was also trying to sneak back as soon as possible, but the boss caught me and we had a business talk. He said we're planning to do some promotional activities during the May Day holiday."

"Alright! Let's go inside, eat and chat, or the noodles will get soggy," He Fan said from the side.

"Actually, it doesn't really matter about birthdays, it's not a big deal." Zhang Wei smelled the aroma as soon as he entered the house.

"Isn't the 26th a big day? Every 6th of the month, we have to celebrate properly," Zhan Yiling corrected.

The three of them sat down around the folding table.

Each person has a bowl of longevity noodles in front of them, with a small birthday cake in the middle.

He Fan first took credit: "I made these noodles myself, and I personally went to buy the noodles for cutting."

Zhan Yiling pointed to the cake: "I brought this cake from Maxim's Restaurant and took great care of it along the way."

Zhang Wei was deeply moved.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the two of them, saying, "Don't say anything more, tears are streaming down my face..."

"No, we can't keep quiet at a time like this."

Zhan Yiling encouraged her from the side, "Light the candles, make a wish first, and then give your thoughts."

He was about to open the cake and put the candles on it.

He Fan quickly stopped him: "Let's eat the noodles first, otherwise they'll get cold and clump together, and they won't taste good."

Following He Fan's suggestion, Zhang Wei picked up the bowl and began slurping down the noodles, occasionally exclaiming, "Delicious!"

Then, holding an egg between her chopsticks, she said to He Fan, "We already have a cake, and you still have two eggs in the noodles? That's too extravagant!"

He Fan poked Zhang Wei with his chopsticks: "You stingy old man, I didn't spend a single penny of your money, and you're still complaining about the food..."