Reborn in 08, Public Enemy of Competitors

Although bank branches are not densely distributed, you can always find an ATM every few hundred meters.

Du Manqing inserted the card, entered the password, carefully checked the balance, and then handed over the receipt.

Shen Mo agreed, "Let's go buy an air conditioner, or Gome will close soon."

The two then went to Gome, where there were basketball shooting machines, racing game machines, and two claw machines at the entrance.

Colorful lights flashed, and inside lay dolls such as Fuwa, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Patrick Star.

Du Manqing's gaze was immediately drawn to it, and her steps unconsciously slowed down.

"You want to play this?"

"A little bit."

"Buy the air conditioner first, then play."

Shen Mo, with her help, quickly ordered an AUX air conditioner just like the one he was using.

Then, turning back, Du Manqing manipulated the joystick, pressed the button, and the iron claw wobbled down, grabbing nothing.

"Just a little bit off."

The beautiful girl pouted, her eyes sparkling as if she had rediscovered a long-lost joy.

Shen Mo grabbed a handful of loose change, couldn't help but chuckle, then leaned his shoulder against the machine beside him, staring at her intently.

The second time, the third time, the fourth time...

Every time after that, it was "just a hair's breadth away".

"Give."

Shen Mo handed her a coin.

"This is really a headache, can you catch it for me?"

Du Manqing pouted and stepped aside to make way for the joystick.

"I?"

Shen Mo said "I don't want to play, I don't want to play," but his hand involuntarily reached out.

One claw, two claws, three claws, damn it, all gone!

This thing is seriously addictive! And the more you can't catch it, the more you want to catch one to prove yourself!

Just like drawing cards, you lose money but gain happiness!

"come on!"

Du Manqing glanced at the "Number of rounds played" on the machine without making a sound.

Damn it, my insatiable competitive spirit!

Shen Mo tossed the last two coins in at once.

Joystick, aim, press.

Finally, this time, the iron claw successfully grabbed "Beibei," the giant panda mascot, and steadily dragged her to the exit.

Du Manqing bent down, took out the Fuwa doll, and hugged it to her arms. "You're amazing!"

Shen Mo raised his chin. "I've figured out the trick. I'll catch a few more for you another day."

"Okay! Then I want Patrick Star or SpongeBob SquarePants."

Du Manqing smiled faintly as she saw the machine's safety mechanism reset to zero.

The two walked out of Gome side by side. The clerk's eyes were filled with resentment, and she muttered something under her breath.

"What are you pretending for? It's just a product made using a safety mechanism, what does it have to do with your technology?"

"If I were to make a move, I could grab whatever I wanted!"

Looking at myself all alone, a sense of defeat welled up inside me.

So here's the question: where can I find a girlfriend who's willing to play claw machines with me?

………………

Fortunately, the school was on summer vacation, and Shen Mo didn't encounter many people on the way to Du Manqing's dormitory.

Normally, if the most beautiful girl in the fashion design department were to be seen with a guy late at night, it would be the talk of the town in no time.

"Remember to hang that floral dress on Ahri's mom."

Shen Mo said in a friendly tone, "I can offer a higher commission. As long as the money is right, there will be plenty of Taobao affiliates eager to promote your product."

"it is good."

Du Manqing nodded.

"Go back and design a few more clothes to launch the brand."

As Shen Mo walked, he said, "Once my shopping guide platform goes live, I'll give you a massive boost in traffic."

Du Manqing hummed in agreement, stood downstairs at the girls' dormitory, and unconsciously pinched the "Beibei" Fuwa doll with her fingers.

"I have arrived."

"Okay, I'll be going now."

Shen Mo stopped and waved.

"Wait a moment!"

Du Manqing called out, "My birthday is the day after tomorrow, are you... coming?"

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Is your roommate coming?"

Du Manqing said calmly, "Everyone's coming, Liu... Liu Xin will be here too."

Shen Mo refused without hesitation, "Then I won't go and join in the fun, so as not to cause any unpleasantness and ruin the atmosphere of your birthday."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Du Manqing's eyes. She pursed her lips and remained silent.

Shen Mo suddenly said, "But I will still send the gift."

Du Manqing raised her head, a glimmer of light returning to her eyes.

Shen Mo shrugged. "After all, you're my creditor, and you didn't ask for interest. I should at least repay you."

"You said it, pinky promise!"

A smile instantly spread across Du Manqing's eyes as she extended her slender little finger.

Shen Mo shook his head and chuckled, then helplessly reached out and hooked his fingertip with hers.

"Pinky promise, never lie to me for a hundred years!"

"It's a promise, only a dog would lie."

Du Manqing's silvery voice was especially beautiful in the quiet night.

After letting go, her steps were as light as a deer's. She had only gone up a few steps when she secretly turned her head back.

Under the dim streetlights, Shen Mo remained standing quietly in the same spot.

Only after Du Manqing's figure completely disappeared into the corridor did Shen Mo put his hands in his pockets, turn around, and leave.

The most deadly kind of allure is the subtle kind.

It felt like the cement that had sealed my heart and locked away my love had been forcibly chiseled open, creating a crack.

Damn it, is my project a shoddy construction project?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Shen Mo gritted his teeth. Love and romance are all meaningless; making money is the most important thing!

However, his long shadow swayed even more erratically under the streetlights as he walked.

………………

The next day, as noon approached, Shen Mo was still nowhere to be seen in the office.

"That's strange, it's so late, why hasn't the boss come to work yet?"

Zhong Xue pushed up her glasses, her face full of confusion.

Zhuang Bifan asked, "Yeah, Wenbin, you and Mo-ge are in the same dorm, do you know where he went?"

Lu Wenbin shrugged: "I don't know, they disappeared early this morning, acting all mysterious."

"They're probably busy with something important!"

"Alright, stop guessing."

"Brother Mo, where are you? We can't do without you!"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, a cough suddenly came from the doorway.

"What are you doing? Get to work!"

Shen Mo put his hands on his hips, glanced around, and everyone quickly returned to their workstations, soon the clattering of keyboards resumed.

Meanwhile, the sound of a sewing machine echoed from next door.

Ye Xiao and the others were doing secondary processing on the one-size-fits-all dresses when Du Manqing walked in, carrying Patrick Star and SpongeBob SquarePants in her arms.

Huang Jiajia was the first to come over, "Manqing, who gave you this?"

Ye Xiao joked, "Could it be your boyfriend?"

Huang Jiajia's eyes lit up. "Tell me quickly, tell me the truth!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Du Manqing hugged the doll closer to her chest, then suddenly had a bright idea and said, "This...this is a birthday present my family sent me."

Ye Xiao narrowed his eyes. "These two were sent to you by your family?"

"Yes, I just went to pick up a package."

Du Manqing, without batting an eye, asked, "How was it? Not bad, right?"

As long as it wasn't given by Shen Mo, it's fine...

Huang Jiajia's gossip-loving fire was immediately extinguished.

Du Manqing carefully placed Patrick Star and SpongeBob SquarePants on her workstation and said something seemingly casually.

"By the way, I'm thinking of changing the karaoke place. I'm not going to Grammy anymore, I'm going to Haogedi instead."

"Why did you suddenly change it all of a sudden?"

Huang Jiajia was very puzzled.

Du Manqing said casually, "My friend recommended Haogedi to me, saying it has a good environment and is good value for money..."

A meaningful glint flashed in Ye Xiao's eyes. "Okay, remember to tell Liu Xin."

Huang Jiajia sighed, "We need to keep a close eye on Liu Xin. If she finds out Shen Mo isn't coming, I wonder how drunk she'll get."

Du Manqing looked absent-minded, her gaze drifting towards the wall almost imperceptibly.

In the days that followed, Shen Mo and Du Manqing seemed to devote their energy and time to their careers.

It's like one person is playing the piano in the music room, while the other is playing the guitar next door. If they occasionally bump into each other in the hallway, they'll just nod and smile.

On June 27, the user login system went live, supporting verification via email or mobile phone number.

On July 1st, the Zhifubao API interface was successfully integrated, and functions such as rebates and withdrawals were launched.

On July 10, the order synchronization system was launched for testing. It was connected to the Taobao API and can capture users' Taobao transaction data in real time.

On July 25th, the product library module was launched, with the data source directly connected to Ali's product pool. It also supports backend users to modify the main image and title, and enables one-click push functionality.

On August 2nd, the price comparison system went online. Based on web crawler technology, the system can automatically compare and calculate price differences...

In the following days, the entire office entered the final sprint stage.

Shen Mo and his team repeatedly conducted full-link functional tests in both local and online environments, monitoring every piece of data in the backend to ensure that links and jumps were smooth, transaction records were not lost, and rebate calculations were accurate to the last detail.

After checking and fixing each bug, the website was officially deployed to a dedicated server.

With this, the first phase of Shenmo's development work was completed, while the core merchant management system and data analysis system were reserved for the second phase.

Everything is ready; the only thing missing before the website goes live is a suitable name.