King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

"What do you mean? Do you mean Zhang Wei wouldn't give up on Shu Nan, or that Shu Nan wouldn't not say a word to try and keep him?" Zhan Yiling continued to ask.

"I think..." He Fan swallowed again, "it's not that bad."

Zhan Yiling rolled her eyes at He Fan, then asked, "Zhang Wei, what are you really thinking now?"

Zhang Wei unconsciously folded the letter in his hand, then unfolded it, and then folded it again…

He Fan's eyes suddenly lit up: "It seems there's a trick to how girls fold letters. Yi Ling, take a look, does Shu Nan give any hints, like an ultimatum or something?"

Zhan Yiling glanced at Zhang Wei's hand dismissively.

Qin Shunan's letter was just an ordinary two-fold fold.

She snorted coldly, "You think Shu Nan is the kind of girl who likes to play those kinds of tricks? You don't know her at all."

He Fan forced a smile and said, "Why should I understand her? That's Zhang Wei's obligation. It's enough that I understand you."

Zhan Yiling was both amused and exasperated, too lazy to pay him any attention, and turned to Zhang Wei again, urging, "Zhang Wei, say something..."

Zhang Wei paused for a moment: "I was thinking that life and relationships shouldn't be like a binary computer, where there are only two options: 0 or 1."

"Should I go to the UK, or break up with Shu Nan? Aren't there any other possibilities?"

"For example, I can develop my career in the motherland, and Shu Nan can return to the motherland in a few years. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation? What do you think?"

"Zhang Wei, you're daydreaming! You're talking nonsense!"

He Fan bluntly rebuked her: "Shu Nan finally got out, what's the point of coming back? Are you going to just laze around like me?"

"What's the use of us saying anything? The key is what Shu Nan says. Zhang Wei, let me ask you, do you think Shu Nan will come back? How many years do you think Shu Nan will wait for you?"

Zhan Yiling pressed further, "Are you really planning to reply to Shu Nan like this? Are you really planning to have her return to China after graduation?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Wei stood up as if he had made up his mind: "I will tell Shu Nan that I will not be considering studying in the UK anytime soon."

"I have to stay here and try to make something of myself."

"It would be wonderful if she could come back after finishing her PhD, but if..."

"What if? What if Shu Nan has other ideas? Would you persuade her to come back?"

"You tell me!" Zhan Yiling asked anxiously, then added, "Just tell me!"

Zhang Wei turned his face to the window and murmured, "I will respect her wishes."

"Sigh...it's over!" Zhan Yiling sighed deeply. "You and Shu Nan are just too alike."

No one knows what painful weighing and choices Zhang Wei went through that night.

The next morning, with bloodshot eyes, he handed a letter to He Fan: "Could you take some time today to go to the post office and mail this for me? I'll pay you back for the stamps later."

He Fan was brushing his teeth, both hands occupied, when he quickly spat out a mouthful of foam and said, "It's just a stamp, why are you talking about money? Zhang Wei, you're so boring!"

"International flights, that costs several dollars."

He Fan paused for a moment, glanced at the envelope, and seeing that the recipient was Qinshunan, he laughed and said, "Oh, it's for Shu Nan, it's probably overweight."

As he spoke, he put down his toothbrush cup and used one hand to take the envelope.

The moment he took the letter, his smile froze!

Contrary to his expectations, Zhang Wei stayed up all night, but what he wrote was not a thick letter of ten thousand words, but a light piece of paper.

He Fan stared blankly at Zhang Wei, only to see him turn and walk towards the door.

He Fan's hand immediately fell limply to his side.

He suddenly felt that the thin letter in his hand was getting heavier and heavier...

Upon arriving at the company, Zhang Wei immediately called Zhan Yiling: "Yiling, do you have any business trip plans recently?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Shanghai next week, and then I'm going to Shenyang after I get back. What? What are you planning to do now?"

"Have you decided when you're going to Shenyang? How many days are you planning to stay? Where are you going to stay? I'll try to arrive in Shenyang at the same time as you."

Zhan Yiling laughed: "You want me to book a hotel for you under IBM's name?"

"No, I can't afford it."

Zhan Yiling laughed again: "Really?! You're now the sales director for Tiangong's northern region, and your business trip accommodation standard is still 50 yuan a day?"

"You can't use IBM's standards to judge us. How many years has IBM been around? How many years have we been around?"

"So, you're just trying to freeload on breakfast again?"

Zhang Wei laughed and said, "I won't freeload on breakfast, I'll freeload on something else."

...

Before her business trip, Zhan Yiling made a special trip to the Xidan Audio-Visual and Electrical Appliance Store.

She stood in the imported television section, and a male salesman immediately approached her.

Zhan Yiling casually waved her hand and asked, "What's the largest TV you have here?"

"It's mainly 25, but there are also a few 27 sizes."

Zhan Yiling immediately looked disappointed: "The 29-inch model isn't on the market yet?"

The salesperson was taken aback and couldn't help but take a second look at the woman in front of him...

He then said humbly and warmly, "What a coincidence! In a couple of days, we will have 29-inch tins arriving here, the first batch in the entire capital."

Zhan Yiling scoffed, "You're bragging! The Friendship Store already sells them, and the Service Center for Personnel Going Abroad also has them. What kind of first batch do you think you're?"

"Those places don't count."

The salesperson immediately retorted, "The Friendship Store requires foreign exchange certificates, and the Overseas Personnel Service Department only accepts customers who have returned from abroad and need to show their passports. Besides, there aren't many items to choose from."

"What brand are the 29-inch models you received?" Zhan Yiling then asked.

"It's Panasonic."

"Can you confirm?" Zhan Yiling stared at the salesperson.

"That's right, it's Panasonic."

Still unsure, Zhan Yiling asked again, "Is it National? Or Panasonic?"

"It's Panasonic."

Does it have a picture-in-picture function?

"Yes, yes, I'll take it." The salesperson nodded repeatedly.

Zhan Yiling asked with some concern, "You just said it would arrive in two days, how many are in this batch?"

"Not many, only thirty in total."

Zhan Yiling pondered for a moment, then pulled out five 100-yuan bills from her wallet: "Here's a 500-yuan deposit. I'll give you a receipt. You must guarantee I'm the first person in the entire capital to buy this!"

The salesperson quickly replied, "Don't worry! We'll notify you as soon as it arrives."

Pushing open the door, Zhan Yiling shouted into the house, "Dad, Mom! I bought a 29-inch color TV!"

Mrs. Zhan, who was in the kitchen, quickly came out to greet them, waving her hand as she hurriedly closed the door.

He scolded in a low voice, "What are you babbling about, kid? Are you afraid the neighbors won't hear you? Don't you know what it means to keep your wealth hidden?"

Zhan Yiling pouted: "Tch! Look at you, sneaking around like a thief. Do you think people can't see you even if they can't hear you?"

"You think you can bring such a big TV up in the middle of the night? People will think you stole it."

"Besides, everyone's seen the brand new, huge refrigerator, hasn't that? Oh, by the way, has the refrigerator been delivered yet?"

Mother Zhan patted the back of Zhan Yiling's head: "It was just delivered recently, your dad is studying it now."