King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

A little while later, Zhan Yiling went to the kitchen and brought back three small plates, preparing for Zhang Wei to cut the cake.

Just as Zhang Wei picked up the knife, ready to start, Zhan Yiling suddenly called him to stop.

She quickly ran to get her newly bought Olympus point-and-shoot camera: "I almost forgot to take pictures. This important historical moment must be recorded."

He Fan set up the selfie mode.

Zhan Yiling placed the candles, lit them, and let Zhang Wei make a wish.

The three of them gathered around the cake and took several group photos.

Zhan Yiling suddenly felt a little sad: "If Shu Nan were here too, it would be great. We're one short now."

Zhang Wei's face immediately darkened.

He Fan instructed Zhan Yiling: "Remember to print out several copies of these group photos and have Zhang Wei send them to Shu Nan to prove that we haven't forgotten her."

Zhan Yiling stared at Zhang Wei: "Hey Zhang Wei, didn't Shu Nan send you a birthday card? I remember she sent one last year, the year before, and the year before that..."

Zhang Wei stammered, "It should be sent, it's probably on its way... International mail is just so unreliable..."

Seeing Zhang Wei evading the question, Zhan Yiling and He Fan exchanged a glance, looking at him with puzzled expressions…

They immediately changed the subject: "Zhang Wei, we won't ask what you wished for just now..."

"You're twenty-six today, and you're now the sales director for Tiangong in charge of the northern region..."

"Tell me what you want to achieve when you turn thirty."

"I'm just a sales director in name only; I haven't achieved any sales yet..."

Zhang Wei, who was cutting the cake, shook his head reluctantly.

"This has nothing to do with performance; I'm currently unemployed."

He Fan offered a word of comfort, then said, "Let's all talk about it, Zhang Wei, you go first."

"Then I'm at a loss. I only have four years left until I turn thirty, He Fan has four years and seven days left, and Yi Ling, you have four years and thirty-five days left."

As Zhang Wei spoke, he shook his head with a wry smile.

"Hey Zhang Wei, can you stop calculating everything so meticulously?"

He Fan couldn't help but criticize him.

"Zhang Wei, you're closest to the target, you should have a clearer view of it, so why don't you say something?"

Zhan Yiling was clearly not going to let this topic go easily.

As Zhang Wei handed the two small plates of cake to them, he tilted his head and thought for a moment: "My goal for turning thirty is very simple."

"It means achieving the five blessings: wife, children, money, house, and car."

"What a peasant, from southern Anhui, no less. You've been in Beijing for so many years, can't you achieve something?"

He Fan made no attempt to hide his contempt for Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei, unfazed, retorted, "So what's your goal? Let me see what you, a Beijing native, are capable of."

He Fan stood tall and proud, declaring confidently, "I must be able to support Yi Ling before I turn thirty!"

"Give me a break! Yiling is more likely to support you."

"Can't you be realistic and try to catch up with Yiling's salary by the time you're thirty?"

Not satisfied with just saying that, Zhang Wei added, "How about being more realistic and starting to earn a salary at thirty?"

He Fan, whose sore spot had been hit, immediately deflated upon hearing Zhang Wei's words.

He glared angrily at Zhang Wei, but had no words to reply.

"Zhang Wei, you really have bad taste! He Fanbai is treating you so well!"

Zhan Yiling stood up for him, saying, "I firmly believe that He Fan will earn more than me when he is thirty. We can bet on that."

"Forget it, I'm not falling for your tricks. If you two team up to set me up, I'll definitely lose."

"Look at what you're saying, how did we ever trick you?" Zhan Yiling stared at Zhang Wei.

"Yiling, when you're thirty, quit your job and stay home to have a baby. By then, He Fan can easily find a temporary job and earn more than you."

He Fan glared at Zhang Wei and ignored him.

He then asked Zhan Yiling, "And what about you? What are your goals for when you turn thirty?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

"What did you say?"

"I said when I'm thirty, you'll definitely be earning more than me."

Zhang Wei immediately pointed at Zhan Yiling: "That's He Fan's target, not yours."

Zhan Yiling raised her head: "How can it not be mine? What's mine is He Fan's, and what's He Fan's is mine. He Fan's target is my target, Zhan Yiling's target."

The air in the room froze instantly, and an awkward silence fell.

At this moment, He Fan was deeply moved by Zhan Yiling's words.

If Zhang Wei hadn't been there, he would have loved to pick up Zhan Yiling and hug her tightly...

Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure out how to respond…

Then Zhan Yiling asked, "Oh, by the way, the school anniversary is in a few days. Would you like to go back to the school for a visit?"

He Fan had just finished crafting a few sentences when Zhan Yiling's words instantly ruined them, and his mood plummeted.

He retorted angrily, "Do you think I'd go?"

Zhan Yiling said cautiously, "We're not going to see those teachers, we're just going back to see our classmates, and you're still not willing to do that?"

"All the classmates I, He Fan, want to see are in this room. Who else do you want me to see?"

He Fan retorted in a muffled voice, "Could it be those roommates who kicked me out of the dorm in my junior year?"

Zhan Yiling stuck out her tongue and turned to look at Zhang Wei with pleading eyes.

"It was all my fault back then! If it weren't for me and Shu Nan, you wouldn't have..."

Zhang Wei stammered, "But if I really go back to see my teachers and classmates, it seems like I won't have much to say."

"Hey, this is the first anniversary celebration we've had since graduation, why are you all acting like this? You have absolutely no feelings for your alma mater."

Zhan Yiling couldn't hold back any longer and complained.

"My alma mater? Are there any mothers in the world who would be so cruel to their own children?!"

He Fan no longer held back, "Yi Ling, I'm telling you, not only will I not go back this time, but I will never go back in the future!"

"If you want to go back, go ahead, but don't drag me into it!"

Seeing this, Zhang Wei quickly interjected, "Logically, we should go back, but I doubt we'll see many of our classmates."

"Everyone's only been working for a few years, so we're all busy with our own things. Of course, there are also those like me who aren't doing so well and are too ashamed to go back..."

"Ugh! Why is it that all you guys think in such complicated ways..."

"It's just going back to join in the fun! It's such a simple thing, like going to a temple fair during Chinese New Year!" Zhan Yiling exclaimed in frustration.

"You're now a marketing representative for IBM, earning more than everyone else, so of course you'd love to go back and show off."

After He Fan finished speaking, he turned his face to the side.

Zhan Yiling immediately turned around and blocked He Fan's path, looking him straight in the eye.

He Fan turned his face away again.

Zhan Yiling suppressed her anger: "For the sake of Zhang Wei's birthday today, I don't want to argue with you."

"I'm not going back to school either. But He Fan, you need to understand, don't assume that I have to accept your likes and dislikes as my own!"

...