Chen Shuxian was extremely agitated, drinking one glass of wine after another, her breathing becoming increasingly heavy. Finally, she even managed to get a cigarette from Zhao Qiang, and her practiced smoking posture terrified Chen Xinxin. "Mom, what's wrong with you? You weren't like this before. Brother Guang and the others won't dare to do anything to us, don't worry."
Chen Shuxian gave a bitter smile: "How would your child know what Mom was like before?" The surprised look in Li Zhongyuan's eyes when he stared at her today made her realize that something was wrong.
Remembering what Zhao Qiang had secretly told her earlier, Chen Xinxin asked her mother, "Mom, do you know Li Zhongyuan, who appeared today?"
Chen Shuxian shook her head: "I don't know him." When Shuxian left the Chen family, Li Zhongyuan was still a kid, so it was true that she didn't know him. But Li Zhongyuan had seen Chen Shuxian's photo. Adults don't change so drastically, but children do.
Fueled by alcohol, Chen Xinxin jumped to her feet: "Mom, don't lie to me. I'm not a child anymore. You rarely drank and never smoked. What's going on? You have to tell me the truth. I'm not a child. I need the truth, not to be kept in the dark. It was fine before when no one bothered us, but now they've come to our door. How long are you going to keep lying to me?"
Chen Shuxian glanced at Zhao Qiang, who said, "Auntie, don't keep it to yourself. Since the other party has recognized you, you can't hide from them no matter what. Why not tell them what happened? That way, everyone can think of a way to deal with it. It's better than being completely clueless later."
Chen Shuxian took a deep drag on her cigarette and asked Zhao Qiang slowly, "Will you protect Xinxin?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Of course, I won't allow anyone to bully her. You may doubt my abilities, but I will absolutely protect her with my life."
Chen Xinxin gratefully and happily grasped Zhao Qiang's hand, and Zhao Qiang held Chen Xinxin's hand firmly in return, which made Chen Xinxin feel much more at ease. Without Zhao Qiang, she didn't know what her life would be like.
Chen Shuxian said, "I don't doubt your abilities, I just doubt that many girls will like you, and that you will overlook Xin Xin's feelings for you. As a mother, I don't want my daughter to be unhappy."
Zhao Qiang said, "Auntie, you think too highly of me. I'm not a heartthrob, and no other girl would like me."
Chen Shuxian glared at Zhao Ling beside her and said, "Did I say I wronged you?"
Chen Xinxin said to her mother with dissatisfaction, "Mom, don't meddle in our affairs, okay? Just tell us what's going on."
Chen Shuxian remained silent for a while, and only after she had completely finished smoking her cigarette did she throw away the cigarette butt and make her next decision: "Okay, Mom will tell you, if I'm not mistaken, that Li Zhongyuan just now should be your cousin, that is, your aunt's son."
Chen Xinxin was dumbfounded. How could this be? She didn't know what to say and suddenly let go of Zhao Qiang's hand. Zhao Ling asked, "Auntie, do you mean Xinxin is Chen Kezong's granddaughter?" Everyone knew that Chen Kezong was the head of the Chen family in the south.
Chen Shuxian sighed: "Just an unacknowledged bastard child. Chen Guangwei paid a heavy price for this, and I can only wander the world with you, living a precarious life. Let's not talk about this granddaughter's identity."
Chen Xinxin plopped down on the stool. If Zhao Qiang hadn't pulled the stool over to cushion her fall, she would have fallen to the ground. Chen Xinxin was completely unaware of this, only muttering, "Impossible, impossible, my dad is dead."
Chen Shuxian said, "Mom lied to you. Your father's name is Chen Guangwei, and he is Chen Kezong's eldest son. Now that you know your identity, you can decide what to do from now on. Mom is old and there are some things I can't do anymore. Li Zhongyuan probably recognized me today, and I guess Chen Kezong will soon send people to deal with my mother and me. Zhao Qiang, I don't care if I die. I just hope that you can protect Xinxin for the sake of her deep affection for you."
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Don't worry, Auntie, I would have done this even if you hadn't asked. But I don't understand why Chen Kezong sent people to deal with you instead of letting you go home and acknowledge your ancestors."
Chen Shuxian smiled bitterly: "Because I am not recognized by them, Guangwei is willing to fall out with his family for my sake, and even give up his right to inherit the eldest son's title. Chen Kezong was furious and sent people to get rid of me to eliminate Guangwei's future troubles. Who knew that I was lucky enough to escape with Xinxin. In recent years, Guangwei's relationship with his father has just improved. If we appear, it will definitely destroy all of Chen Kezong's efforts. So Xinxin and I have once again become thorns in his side. How could Chen Kezong, with his character, let my mother and me go?"
Zhao Qiang chuckled coldly: "Then let him come."
Chen Xinxin threw herself into Zhao Qiang's arms: "Zhao Qiang, protect my mom. I don't want to lose her. I don't care who my dad is, I just want my mom to be safe and happy. You have to promise me."
Zhao Qiang hugged Chen Xinxin and said, "I promise you, don't worry, I'll stay here tonight, and no one will be able to lay a finger on you."
Chen Shuxian shook her head: "Nothing will happen tonight. I guess Chen Kezong will have to weigh whether Xin Xin and I live or die, but after tonight, who knows what fate will bring."
What was supposed to be a joyous banquet ended on a sour note. Chen Shuxian went to her room, while Zhao Qiang stayed in the large room, since only the large room could accommodate three people. Chen Shuxian's meaning was clear: as long as Zhao Qiang could protect Chen Xinxin, she would no longer object to Zhao Qiang and Zhao Ling's relationship.
Fortunately, Zhao Qiang comforted her; otherwise, Chen Xinxin would definitely have had insomnia tonight. After Zhao Ling teased her a couple of times, she smiled through her tears and fell asleep. Zhao Qiang held her in his arms, while he held Zhao Ling in his arms on the other side. The three of them did nothing and simply drifted off to sleep. In the middle of the night, Chen Xinxin talked in her sleep several times. Sometimes she was shouting for her mother to run away from the vicious dog, and sometimes she was cursing her father. Hearing this, Zhao Qiang felt a pang of heartache and became even more determined to protect Chen Xinxin's safety.
(Thanks to Dragon Coin for the reward, and thanks to Sasha's Lover, Mustard, Winter Melon Dad, and x1j for the monthly ticket support)
Volume 2 [451] Major Business Continues
[451] Major business continues
The next morning, everything was fine. Chen Shuxian woke up the earliest and was bustling around in the kitchen cooking. The first thing Zhao Ling did upon waking was to tickle Chen Xinxin over Zhao Qiang's body. "Xinxin, your mother knows everything. What are we going to do?"
Chen Xinxin pulled Zhao Ling's hand onto Zhao Qiang and said, "This is even better. It saves us from having to explain to her. We'll do whatever we think is best, and my mom will understand."
Zhao Qiang also felt that Chen Shuxian wasn't so heartless. At least in this matter, she didn't insist on her own opinion, otherwise she would have had to sleep in the small room by herself last night.
After breakfast, Chen Shuxian was pulled by two girls to the universal repair shop. The four of them could not be separated during this time, otherwise there might be danger. Guang Ge had been humiliated several times and would not let it go, not to mention the threat from Li Zhongyuan's family.
Several customers of Ma Shiduo came to the repair shop today, and Zhao Qiang quickly took care of them. Then another motorcycle broke down. After checking it, Zhao Qiang found that it was an engine problem, which required disassembling the engine and repairing it, which would be very troublesome. There was no other way, so Zhao Qiang had to use his energy to repair the engine from the inside. Although the 200 yuan repair fee he received was not worth the energy fee at all, Zhao Qiang didn't care since he was already in business.
Zheng Nan didn't wait for Zhao Qiang to go online last night, and only sent the software over this morning. After looking at it, Zhao Qiang spent half an hour working on it and then sent it back to Zheng Nan. He had received the 10,000 yuan reward. For a super biochip, creating an operating system is a piece of cake, let alone making a few small software programs. It's just that Zhao Qiang had to type slowly, otherwise he could have finished everything in a few seconds.
Around 9:30, two more customers came in for car repairs, one in a Vios and the other in a Chery A1. Neither had any major problems. They were charged a total of 300 yuan. Half an hour later, they drove away satisfied. Chen Shuxian witnessed the entire morning's work process and gained a deeper understanding of Zhao Qiang. He was simply a money-making machine.
The four of them sat around the desk discussing how to increase customer traffic in the next phase. Someone knocked on the door, and Zhao Qiang went out to greet them. "Sister Zheng, what brings you here?" The software had already been sent back to Zheng Nan, so why did she come all the way here in person?
Zheng Nan said, "I'm bringing you the money, and secondly, I want to check out how your repair shop is doing."
Zhao Qiang gestured for the room to go inside: "It's very simple, Sister Zheng, please don't laugh at it."
Zheng Nan greeted everyone as she entered the house, then looked around and said, "It's really quite rudimentary, and you don't have many repair tools. How's business?"
"It's so-so," Zhao Qiang didn't dare to go into too much detail, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain some issues clearly. Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling might not ask him how he repaired it, but Zheng Nan wouldn't trust him so much.
Zheng Nan took out a bundle of RMB from her bag, which she must have just withdrawn from the bank, and handed it to Zhao Qiang. "Here, this is your payment for the software you made this morning."
Zhao Qiang didn't refuse and handed the money to Chen Xinxin, saying with a smile, "Sister Zheng, you don't need to settle every transaction so promptly. We can talk about it whenever it's convenient."
Zheng Nan said, "Timely settlement is good for both of us. With money, your life can be more stable, right? I heard that someone caused you trouble last night. Is that alright?"
Zhao Qiang said, "There's nothing going on for now."
Zheng Nan said, "It's best if nothing's wrong. I can't help you with this, so please don't mind."
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "No, we can handle it."
Zheng Nan said, "Actually, I came here today for another matter. Last night, a friend introduced me to a big job, but I'm not sure whether to take it or not, so I came to discuss it with you."
Zhao Ling had already brewed tea for everyone and even offered Zheng Nan a seat. Zhao Qiang said, "You can have one."
"Redesigning a control program for an automated steelmaking furnace would cost three million, but it must meet the client's requirements, otherwise we won't get the money."
Zhao Qiang pondered for a while: "Sister Zheng, I don't know much about this industry, and I also need to go to the site to measure and observe, so I can't answer you about this right now."
Zheng Nan said, "The other party has considered this issue in great detail. I have a lot of information here. You can check it first. If it works, I will give my friend an answer. If it doesn't work, I will reject him and let him think of other ways."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, let me look at the information first."
Zheng Nan took out a portable hard drive from his bag, and Zhao Qiang went into the repair room and plugged it in. The data on the hard drive included text, pictures, and videos, providing a very detailed overview of the steelmaking furnace. Zhao Qiang believed that there was room for improvement in both the quality and output of the steelmaking furnace, provided that the computer control program was improved. He also needed to personally go to the site to make improvements to some of the components. After all, data is static; a comprehensive judgment could only be made by seeing the actual site.
Zhao Qiang hadn't finished reviewing the materials when a message notification came through QQ. He didn't have any real friends on this QQ account. The only useful ones were a few people who had previously discussed cracked versions of the China Red operating system and CAPTCHA generators with him. They had also discussed a few other business deals with Zhao Qiang recently, but all of them ended because Zhao Qiang was unwilling to sell at such low prices.
Zhao Qiang opened the message and saw it was from the person who had bought his key generator last time. "Are you there? Let's chat."
Having already had a successful collaboration, Zhao Qiang naturally lowered his guard against this person, and replied, "What do you want to talk about?"
The other party sent an extremely cute icon, saying, "Let's chat for a bit and see if there's any possibility of further cooperation."
Zhao Qiang needed to cooperate, and the other party's offer was good, so he didn't refuse. "Okay." As he spoke, Zhao Qiang opened the other party's QQ space because he saw that the space had been updated and contained several nice photos. This was an opportunity to get to know the other party, and Zhao Qiang naturally wouldn't miss it.
"You were very successful in cracking the key generator last time, but things have been very tense lately, so we don't dare to start manufacturing pirated discs right away. However, to be on the safe side, we plan to continue cracking Rednet Technology's software. I wonder if you would be interested?"
Zhao Qiang did not reply directly because he knew about Rednet Technology's background and its close ties with the government and military. If he continued to crack the code, would he anger them? He didn't want to cause even more trouble.
"Are you afraid you can't crack it yourself?" The other party was probably trying to provoke Zhao Qiang, but Zhao Qiang wasn't fooled at all and continued to look at the photos in the other party's space without replying to any messages.
"Are you worried that continuing to crack the code might jeopardize your safety?" The other party quickly considered Zhao Qiang's concerns. "Don't worry about that. I will absolutely guarantee your safety."
The first photo in the other person's profile was of an extremely voluptuous girl, even larger than Chen Xinxin. Seeing her happy and lovely smile, Zhao Qiang was also infected by her charm, and he had a good impression of this girl.
The second girl didn't have the same sweet smile as the first one; instead, she had a very serious air about her, which made Zhao Qiang feel a little pressured. However, she gave Zhao Qiang a sense of familiarity, and based on that familiarity, Zhao Qiang paid extra attention to her.
The third girl was somewhat masculine, but her military uniform made her look heroic and had a unique charm.
The fourth girl was very shy; you could tell from her appearance that she was usually a quiet and reserved girl.
The fifth woman was dressed in business attire, probably around thirty years old. Her mature charm caught Zhao Qiang's eye.
As Zhao Qiang looked at the photos of these girls, Hu Qian, who was chatting with him on the other end, also received a message from Xiao Wei: "Sister Qian, he's looking at the photos on your profile, and he's been looking at each one for a long time."
Hu Qian asked Xiao Wei, "So, are you sure he is Zhao Qiang?"
Xiao Wei said, "It's still uncertain. Just keep talking. Let's build a closer relationship through our second business meeting and try to meet him in the future."
Hu Qian typed on the keyboard: "I sincerely hope that we can have the opportunity to continue our cooperation."
Zhao Qiang finally replied, "The photos on your profile are beautiful, which one is yours?"
Hu Qian sent a smiley face and said, "First one, can I see you? Are you male or female?"
Zhao Qiang didn't reply, and after waiting for a while, Hu Qian had to speak first, "It seems that it's impossible for me to see you."
Zhao Qiang said, "There's no need for that between us. It's just a normal business relationship. Don't overcomplicate things."
Hu Qian said, "I'm getting close to you for the sake of future business. Otherwise, do you think I'd bother you for no reason? I have a boyfriend. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"
Zhao Qiang was not going to fall for it, so he remained silent. Hu Qian could only get down to business: "I want the antivirus software embedded in the China Red operating system. I'll hire you to extract it for a million."
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't you think this price is a bit low?"
Hu Qian said, "Is it low? You have to understand that almost all antivirus software in China is free now. If we spend a million to separate it and sell pirated discs, how many discs can we sell? We can't be expected to lose money to serve the people, can we?"
Zhao Qiang said, "If we solve the first step of separation, then we're not far from cracking the source code, so its value is more than one million."
If someone could crack the source code of the antivirus software embedded in China Red, the value of the antivirus engine alone should be more than tens of millions, which is why Zhao Qiang said that.
Hu Qian said, "If it's just a separation, its value won't exceed five million, but if you can crack its source code, I'm willing to offer you fifty million. Think about it and leave me a message." After saying that, Hu Qian decisively went offline. This was to whet Zhao Qiang's appetite. Who knew if continuing to pester him would arouse his suspicion?
After careful consideration, Zhao Qiang concluded that his actions were flawless. The only problem was that the other party had tracked his movements several times during their initial contact, but Zhao Qiang had discovered it in time. As a result, she had only been able to detect his movements in the Yihai area. However, with such a large population in Yihai, there was no reason why she would know his location.
As for Zheng Nan, Zhao Qiang knew that she hadn't found any evidence that he had cracked the software. It was all just her speculation. Even if she reported him, the police wouldn't have any evidence to arrest him. So, continuing to cooperate with her shouldn't be dangerous. As for her investigating him, that was normal, because he had investigated her as well. Zhao Qiang didn't pay much attention to a city in the north called Donghai. Anyway, he wanted money, and it didn't matter who bought the cracked version.
After glancing at the photos in the other party's profile, Zhao Qiang typed a message: "We can trade. I'll give you the source code directly. The time is tonight."
Volume 2 [452] There are plenty of opportunities to make money
[452] There are plenty of opportunities to make money.
Hu Qian, who hadn't actually logged off, immediately received a message. She said to Xiao Wei, "Are you sure this is real? Can he really crack the source code of the super antivirus software? You know, those experts abroad haven't succeeded yet."
Xiao Wei said, "Judging from his ability to crack the key generator, I think it's true. There's no benefit for him to lie to us."
Hu Qian said, "I've been talking to him for so long, and you still can't be sure of his identity?"
Xiao Wei said, "If he's not my brother, then there's another person in this world with a super biochip."
Hu Qian said, "What if we rule out the possibility you mentioned?"
Xiao Wei said, "Then he must be the older brother. Judging from your conversation, I think he might not have been coerced."
Hu Qian asked, "If Zhao Qiang hadn't been in danger and coerced into not daring to admit his identity, what would your analysis be?"
Xiao Wei said, "Based on what I know so far, the most likely scenario is that when my brother encountered danger, his body underwent a mutation. This mutation may be related to the damage caused by the super biochip I transplanted into his brain. I judge that the super biochip in my brother's brain has probably been rebooted, because only a reboot can repair the hidden dangers in my brother's body. However, rebooting the super biochip will erase all memories in the brain, just like performing a low-level format on a hard drive."