"Old Qian, that's not fair of you. My wife is really going to kill me now." It was a friend from the fire department.
Qian Gang chuckled and said, "Hehe, what do you mean? What does it have to do with your brother if your wife scolds you?"
“If you had told me that District Chief Xu’s daughter was involved in Shunfeng Technology Company, I would have guaranteed not to lift a finger. You know, my wife just got in touch with District Chief Xu’s daughter and was thinking of buying her some slimming tea. Now you’ve ruined my wife’s plans.”
Qian Gang cursed under his breath, but still carefully explained aloud, "Boss, look, there are slimming teas everywhere. What brand does your sister-in-law want? I'll send it to you right away. What kind of relationship do we have? Is it worth ruining our friendly relationship for the sake of District Chief Xu's little girl?"
"The brand doesn't matter, but the effect must be to eliminate all the excess fat in the body within a few hours. Okay, I'm waiting for you at home. Your sister-in-law is furious right now, so you need to come and save the day. If you can't, our friendship is over."
After saying that, the other party hung up the phone. Qian Gang was dumbfounded and thought to himself, "Are you kidding me? Expelling body fat in a few hours is no more effective than the ginseng fruit in Journey to the West. Where the hell am I supposed to buy that for you?"
After thinking for a moment, Qian Gang ripped the phone battery off. "To hell with it! Do whatever you want! You can die if you want, I've got my uncle to protect me! This is called 'better to die than lose!'"
Qian Gang probably never imagined that he would soon lose both his fellow Daoist and himself. If he could have foreseen that day, he probably wouldn't have continued to argue with Zhao Qiang.
Volume 1 [088] Fast Charger
The noise at Shunfeng Technology Company gradually subsided. Zhao Qiang watched with satisfaction as the warehouse was quickly emptied. Xu Xiaoya had said that the goods they had brought in would be sold out in two days after the opening, but her estimate was conservative. Now, they were almost completely sold out! Apart from a few expensive color laser printers, only a few high-end laptops remained.
Zhao Qiang was very fortunate. He was just an ordinary person who came from the countryside to study at a university in the city. He knew absolutely nothing about doing business or building relationships. This was evident from his previous short-sightedness. If he had followed his original plan and started from the very basics, starting with a small shop, it would probably have taken him a year or more to make his business successful. But after Xu Xiaoya took over, she achieved such results in just over ten days. Although she relied on external forces, knowing how to use external forces is also a talent! At least Zhao Qiang was not good at that, which made him seem like a clueless guy to outsiders.
Zhao Qiang was grateful to have such a 'wise wife,' which fundamentally made up for his temporary lack of business acumen! Of course, he himself was also learning to be worldly and cunning every day, and sooner or later he would also have the manners of a sophisticated urban lady. However, Zhao Qiang did not want to develop in this direction. While watching the customers pick up their goods and leave, he considered his future development direction.
Doing business could make one a shrewd businessman, but Zhao Qiang disliked being hypocritical and insincere. Furthermore, he felt that devoting all his energy to business would betray Xiao Wei's expectations and waste the unique opportunity God had given him! Zhao Qiang shook his head, rejecting the idea. If his class monitor was willing to help him long-term, the company would thrive even without his involvement. She had already proven her abilities to Zhao Qiang and completely earned his trust.
Doing scientific research and being a good student of Professor Gu will be a priority for the foreseeable future. However, after creating substance 'A', Zhao Qiang doesn't want to be constantly under Professor Gu's watchful eye. He's afraid that Professor Gu will see through his half-baked knowledge. Although he has reviewed his university courses and started studying the materials Professor Gu lent him, he's still a long way from truly reaching Professor Gu's level.
However, following Professor Gu to do research is a great convenience for turning Xiao Wei's high-tech products into reality. However, she can't stay with Professor Gu every day, otherwise he will see through her. It's best to find an excuse to do research at home and attribute the results to Professor Gu. In this way, no one will doubt Xiao Wei's existence. They will only think that Professor Gu is good at teaching her, and the high-tech products can be launched in a respectable way.
But which piece of equipment could be used for production? Zhao Qiang thought for a moment. It seemed that none of the equipment Xiao Wei said he possessed could be produced with the current manufacturing capabilities of Earth. What should he do? Zhao Qiang was in a dilemma. If he didn't produce some results, he would appear too incompetent. Xu Xiaoya wanted to surpass him, and in fact, he also wanted to surpass her. It was just that Zhao Qiang's starting point was a bit low. He did have some advanced equipment, but he couldn't bring it out into the open. Apart from that, it seemed he had no other strengths.
Beep, beep, Zhao Qiang's phone in his pocket sounded a low battery alarm. At this moment, Liu Dazhuang and Wang Xiaonian were keeping an eye on things in the warehouse, Luo Xiaowei and Hu Le were looking after things at the business hall, and Xu Xiaoya was settling accounts and collecting money in the finance department. Seeing that he couldn't help for the time being, Zhao Qiang went back to the finance department to get a charger to charge his phone.
There were three or four other people waiting to pay and pick up their goods. Zhao Qiang had left his laptop and charger in the inner bedroom of the department. It was too messy outside, so he didn't dare leave his personal belongings there. He quietly opened the door and slipped inside. Xiao Wei was idly strolling around on the table. Zhao Qiang searched everywhere for the charger, but because there was a pile of smashed computer cases in the inner bedroom, he didn't know where he had put the charger.
It wouldn't look good to leave the damaged computer case outside, so Zhao Qiang moved it to the bedroom to hide it while cleaning up early in the morning. He planned to remove the intact parts after the business reopened, which would minimize the damage.
"Brother, what are you looking for?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Where's the phone charger? It's out of power."
Xiao Wei said, "Here you go, take a look. I've improved your charger a bit..."
Zhao Qiang was startled: "Ah, wasn't your chip damaged? Why did you modify the equipment again? You naughty kid, why don't you listen to me?"
Xiao Wei giggled: "Brother, I can't modify it, but that doesn't mean I can't assemble it. Besides, the chip repair speed is quite fast, and I'm not afraid of using a little energy. Don't make a fuss. I reassembled your phone charger using the electronic components in these broken main units. Now the charging time can be shortened to one-twentieth of the original. It's much more convenient, right? Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to use my phone for a long time."
Zhao Qiang was taken aback, then a thought struck him. "Xiao Wei, you mean you modified my phone charger using only the electronic components from these broken machines? And reduced the charging time to one-twentieth of the original?"
Xiao Wei said, "Yes, brother, all the components in this charger can be found in reality. I didn't make them myself, so you don't need to worry about my chip."
Charging time reduced to one-twentieth of its original length! Zhao Qiang used to need three hours (180 minutes) to fully charge his Doov mobile phone battery; one-twentieth of that is nine minutes! If this charger only improves the charging circuitry, rather than changing the battery's manufacturing materials, then this would be the first high-tech product developed and utilized by Zhao Qiang!
Zhao Qiang needed to test the effect first. He plugged his phone into the charger and looked at the time on the digital watch. The voices of people paying outside gradually thinned out, and cars loaded with computers and office supplies drove away. Swish, the red light on the charger turned green, indicating that the charging process was complete. Zhao Qiang checked the timer; it had been less than eight minutes. He guessed that firstly, the phone battery was aging normally; secondly, the original residual power hadn't been completely discharged; and thirdly, and most importantly, Zhao Qiang hadn't recorded the exact charging time.
Zhao Qiang unplugged the charger and carefully checked the battery capacity—full! He turned on the music on his phone and turned up the volume; the battery capacity was still full, indicating it was truly fully charged and not just a false charge!
"How did you do that?" Zhao Qiang asked Xiao Wei.
"Brother, do you know why lithium batteries charge slowly? It's because the lithium ions responsible for carrying the charge move too slowly through the battery material. If you change the speed at which lithium ions move through the battery material, you can instantly charge and discharge the battery. However, that would require modifying the battery itself. I only made improvements to the charger. First, I made a small energy compression. Originally, it could transfer five units of energy per second, but now it's equivalent to transferring fifty units of energy. Second, I added lithium ion acceleration stimulation, making the lithium ion movement speed ten times faster than before. With these two improvements, the charging time has been shortened by twenty times."
Zhao Qiang happily disassembled the charger. Sure enough, there was no complicated structure inside. It seemed to be made using manufacturing technology available on Earth. Zhao Qiang excitedly praised, "Great! Xiao Wei, you've found a guiding light for your brother. We'll produce it in the future!"
Xiao Wei was a little surprised. "Oh, brother wants to mass-produce it? Actually, I can further shorten the charging time, but the requirements for battery quality will be higher, because the compressed energy will be released on its own. If the battery quality is too poor, the compressed energy may explode when it is released."
Zhao Qiang said, "There's no need for further improvements. That's something for the future. If we can reduce the charging time to one-twentieth without changing the battery materials, that would already be a remarkable achievement."
Xiao Wei said, "I didn't expect to unintentionally help my brother find a suitable product. I'm very happy."
Zhao Qiang said somewhat embarrassedly, "However, your achievements may be attributed to me, because when I said there was a mysterious group behind me, they didn't seem to take it seriously. I guess most of them don't believe me."
Xiao Wei said, "Brother, I exist solely for you. You don't need to think that way at all. Also, I'm working on something else, but I'm not confident about it yet, so I won't tell you. However, it would be best if you could help me find some microbial culture medium; I need it."
Without a second thought, Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, I'll go back to the school's biology lab and look for it."
Zhao Qiang is now full of confidence. Although Xiao Wei hopes that he will become a repair genius, he can't even repair computers right now. The company has just opened and no one knows that it repairs computers. So the repair business can wait. Developing the real business is the most important thing. This is the most important protective shield against others bullying him!
Volume 1 [089] Performance
In the finance department, Xu Xiaoya stretched her aching back and shoulders wearily. She hadn't stopped writing all afternoon and had forgotten to bring a money counting machine. Just counting cash made her sweat profusely, but she wouldn't let anyone else help. Sigh, that's how it is with women who like to be in control; they enjoy the thrill of being the only one in the world, but they also get tired.
Zhao Qiang stood at the bedroom door, watching Xu Xiaoya's graceful movements. At this moment, she was extremely alluring, especially when she thrust her waist forward, her breasts rising as if they were about to explode. The two buttons barely held them back; any more force and they would be exposed. Even so, through the gaps in her shirt, one could see the fleshy cleavage being pressed together. Xu Xiaoya was a sexy woman, and at this moment, Zhao Qiang's heart pounded.
Zhao Qiang clearly saw the fatigue on Xu Xiaoya's face, and he suddenly felt a pang of heartache. He knew his squad leader had done all this for him! Thinking of her courage in climbing out of the window, Zhao Qiang felt a surge of emotion and guilt. He poured a glass of water and handed it to Xu Xiaoya, saying apologetically, "Squad leader, you've worked so hard. Have some water."
Looking at Zhao Qiang's apologetic smile, Xu Xiaoya said, "It's alright, I'm afraid you won't pay me at the end of the month if I don't work hard."
Zhao Qiang said earnestly, "How could that be? Not only should we open more, but we should open even more. These days, you've been the one supporting the company. Actually, I haven't done anything. I even misunderstood you before, blaming you for tying up all the funds in inventory. Practice has proven you were right. Your vision is more far-sighted than mine. I formally apologize for my previous misunderstanding of you."
Xu Xiaoya didn't want to talk about these unpleasant things. She casually pushed the things on the table and said, "I'm not a stingy person. Let's not talk about these things. Let's calculate how much we made today. Seeing each and every penny coming in makes me so happy. It's all worth it, no matter how tired I am, because we succeeded."
Whoosh! The drawer containing cash was pulled open, revealing stacks of hundred-yuan bills. Xu Xiaoya counted the total amount of the bundles of banknotes: 350,000 yuan. There were also about 6,000 yuan in smaller bills. The total cost of the goods had been recovered. There were still a few laptops and color laser printers in the warehouse, worth at least 20,000 yuan. If the damaged mainframes were also included, the net profit from this afternoon's sales should be over 80,000 yuan!
After counting the money, both of them were excited. Xu Xiaoya raised her hand, and Zhao Qiang, in perfect unison, clapped his hands in the air: "Success!" The frustration of having their shop smashed earlier vanished. They had succeeded! All the hardship and exhaustion had been worth it! Zhao Qiang had taken the most important step in his life, and this step was deeply imprinted with the shadow of a girl. Without her, with Zhao Qiang's current mindset and vision, achieving today's success would have been impossible.
After the initial excitement, Xu Xiaoya noticed the injury on Zhao Qiang's hand and said with some concern, "Is it serious? Go to the hospital for an X-ray. I'm so sorry, Zhao Qiang, I messed up Qian Gang's business at the tire factory because of my meddling." This incident put immense pressure on Xu Xiaoya, to the point that she, who never thought she was wrong, took the initiative to apologize. The memory of seeing Zhao Qiang's lonely and helpless figure in the business hall at dawn, and how she had uncontrollably hugged him from behind, flooded her mind. In that instant, a sweet happiness welled up in Xu Xiaoya's heart. She had once cried on his shoulder; no boy had ever treated her like that before.
Zhao Qiang had no idea what Xu Xiaoya was thinking at that moment. He shook his head and said, "The injury is nothing. Men are tough. Qian Gang's matter has nothing to do with you. Where there is business, there is competition. They were just too despicable. But don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing."
Surprisingly, Xu Xiaoya didn't refute, but simply said, "Just don't do anything reckless. Like you said before, if we make the company stronger and bigger, we'll naturally have plenty of ways to deal with him!"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "This model alone is not enough to make Shunfeng Technology stronger and bigger. By the way, we will split the sales revenue and profits in half."
Xu Xiaoya immediately objected, "No, I'm just working for you, how can we split the profits 50/50? You're in charge of the entire investment, I'm just running errands."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's not talk about that. You've put more effort into the company than I have, and I probably won't be able to devote much energy to the company in the future except for maintenance, so it's only right that you take the lion's share."
Xu Xiaoya laughed and said, "We've only been open for one day and we're already busy dividing up the profits. No rush. We need to continue investing these funds in purchasing more goods. The more goods we purchase, the bigger the discounts the suppliers will give us, and the greater our competitive advantage will be."
The fact that we were able to sell so many goods today is certainly due to the influence of Secretary Shan, District Chief Xu, and Minister Sun, but the prices set by Xu Xiaoya were definitely lower than those elsewhere! At least 10% lower! Nobody's a fool; only a fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal, especially those shrewd business owners who would calculate this carefully.
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, you can decide all of this. By the way, is your father alright? It seems like he's restricting your freedom. What are you going to do in the future? Maybe you should go home early and not make him angry."
Xu Xiaoya said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, he doesn't have time to deal with me. I won't let go of the company. It's just that my dad didn't help with the shop smashing incident. You won't have any objections, will you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "He had no choice in the matter. Besides, I was the one who made the first move. We didn't have the initiative, so your father couldn't have a reason to speak up. Senior Brother Dan also noticed this. So let's not talk about this for now. Let me show you something."
Xu Xiaoya examined the object in Zhao Qiang's hand: "A charger?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, but this is not an ordinary charger."
Xu Xiaoya took it and looked at it: "It's just a regular charger."
Yes, it looks the same. Zhao Qiang explained, "This is a fast charger, which reduces the charging time of the original charger by twenty times!"
Xu Xiaoya said, "No way. As far as I know, the United States has this technology. They can fully charge a lithium battery in ten to twenty seconds, but it requires modifications to the battery. This technology is currently not applicable."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "Unfortunately, my phone is already fully charged, so I can't demonstrate it for you. But my technology is different from the American one. This charger is not an ordinary charger. It can compress five units of electrical energy into one unit and then charge it into the battery for restoration. In addition, it will accelerate the movement of lithium ions, so the charging time of ordinary batteries can also be shortened."
Xu Xiaoya was skeptical: "Is it really that amazing?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You don't believe me?"
Xu Xiaoya tilted her head and said, "I didn't believe you at first, uh... but since you almost got beaten into a pig's head, I'll believe you this time. You're not just trying to tell me how fast this charger charges, are you?"
Zhao Qiang's appearance was indeed not good due to his injuries, but he didn't mind Xu Xiaoya joking with him. In the past, he might have argued with the squad leader, but now Zhao Qiang felt guilty towards Xu Xiaoya. "Squad leader, let's manufacture it and sell it all over the country, and even the world!"
Xu Xiaoya put away her joking expression and carefully examined the small charger, but her mind was still on Zhao Qiang's words. After a while, she said, "Since it's a new product, there are a lot of things that need to be done."
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, it's very troublesome. The first step is to register a patent, otherwise this little thing will soon be flooded with counterfeit products."
Xu Xiaoya said, "You can't stop counterfeit goods, so don't worry too much about it. If we register a patent, the patent fees from legitimate manufacturers all over the world will be astronomical!"
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "That's true. We Chinese are very good at making knockoffs. If we were to operate it, we could only protect the big market and lose the small market. However, there is another problem. We don't have a production line. Even if the circuitry inside is very simple, we still need an automated production line instead of manual assembly. Otherwise, we can't increase production at all, and it will give customers the impression that the product is not up to standard, which is not good for the image of this high-tech product."
Xu Xiaoya patted Zhao Qiang's head and praised him, "Zhao Qiang, you're very good at analyzing problems now. It's like you've matured overnight. As your class monitor, I'm very pleased."
Zhao Qiang glanced at Xu Xiaoya's ample breasts, which were now exposed to him as she raised her arm. He really wanted to bite or touch them. Damn it, how could his thoughts be so filthy? Zhao Qiang shook his head to dispel the lewd idea. "Squad leader, so you mean I wasn't familiar with you before today?"
Xu Xiaoya chuckled: "Pretty much. You're a conservative, stubborn old man, a blockhead. All you know is how to compete with me. You can't understand my brilliant business strategies. We've been classmates for over three years. Do you think I would harm you? I just think you have a lot of potential, so as the class monitor, I'm focusing on developing you. You'd better behave yourself from now on, understand?"
Volume 1 [090] is completely free.
Zhao Qiang thought to himself, "They really dare to open a business after being given a little leeway. If I don't beat them for three days, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles." Just as he was about to retaliate against Xu Xiaoya, someone entered the finance department. It was Liu Dazhuang, Hu Le, and the other two. "Xiao Qiang, wow, you and the squad leader are hiding here having a love affair? We're out here working for you."
Xu Xiaoya straightened her face and said, "What nonsense are you three talking about? Zhao Qiang and I are doing the accounting. Today our sales performance broke 300,000, which is a great start. So tonight we'll continue to celebrate with a big meal!"
Before Liu Dazhuang and the other two could even laugh, they first asked Zhao Qiang, "Xiao Qiang, is this company yours or the class monitor's? Or have you two become one entity, inseparable? Why is the class monitor giving orders?"
Zhao Qiang blushed a little when asked the question, while Xu Xiaoya went straight to chase after Liu Dazhuang. The finance department was in chaos for a moment. Zhao Qiang looked up and saw Liu Yiyi and Luo Xiaowei standing at the door laughing. He hurriedly went out to greet them.
Liu Yiyi said, "President Zhao, I should go back to the company now. It's really great that your company achieved such great sales results today."
Zhao Qiang said, "It was all the business that our class monitor brought in for me. Actually, I didn't do anything myself, haha. I think the business will be slow after the opening. These customers took so many consumables at once, so I guess we won't need to restock for the next two months."
Liu Yiyi said, "We still have new customers. As long as we develop them, business won't be slow. Goodbye."
Zhao Qiang escorted Liu Yiyi to the door: "President Liu, thank you so much for your help today. Please feel free to ask me for anything in the future."
Liu Yiyi smiled and said, "Yes, you haven't let me down. I'm actually making a profit by helping you greet the guests."
Liu Yiyi's words had a hidden meaning, so Zhao Qiang just smiled and didn't reply, watching Liu Yiyi leave.
In the finance department, Xu Xiaoya announced the good news to Liu Dazhuang and the other two, "Given your commendable performance today, each of you will receive a reward of two hundred yuan. If you continue to help tomorrow, you will receive an additional one hundred yuan."
Wang Xiaonian laughed and said, "I made a profit! Come on, come on, of course I'll come again."
I need to buy new stock tomorrow, and I'll probably be busy all morning. I really can't manage without help.
Xu Xiaoya then announced, "Let's go eat."
Zhao Qiang gestured to Luo Xiaowei, "Junior Sister Luo, thank you for your help. You won't refuse to have dinner with us, will you?"
Xu Xiaoya, carrying a bag, happened to pass by Luo Xiaowei. She grabbed Luo Xiaowei's arm and said, "Junior sister, come on, don't be fooled by Zhao Qiang's appearance. I just said he looks more mature today, and look at him arguing with you about words...hehe..."
The two girls laughed as they left the company and started their cars. People who own cars are so carefree. Liu Dazhuang, Hu Le, and Wang Xiaonian all got into Xu Xiaoya's car. To be honest, the three of them were closer to Xu Xiaoya. After all, she had been their class monitor for more than three years, so they could talk to her more freely.