Zhao Qiang nearly fainted. He tried to escape, but several classmates pulled him back before he could even leave the lobby. Forced to go to the front desk, he stood with Su Su and Liu Wei. Su Su was eventually pushed up as well, and the two sisters stood together. The younger sister was prettier; Su Su had a certain worldly air about her that Zhao Qiang didn't like.
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Volume 2 [155] I thank you
"Hey, look at you, let me go back. We were just having a classmate get-together, it's really messy..." Su Su pleaded with her sister.
Su Su was annoyed. She said, "No, let Zhao Qiang sing by himself. You go sit over there."
Su Su didn't dare to argue with her sister. She actually sat down in the corner, leaving the singing task entirely to Zhao Qiang. A classmate in the audience immediately laughed and said, "Su Su, you didn't keep an eye on Zhao Qiang back then, but who would have thought that he'd still be under your command after all this time? How about it, Zhao Qiang, call her 'sister-in-law' for everyone to hear." The playful people were already linking Zhao Qiang and Su Su together.
Su Su was so angry she was about to explode. Suppressing her rage, she explained to everyone, "Don't joke around. My sister can't possibly date. Besides, even if she did, she'd have to find someone suitable, someone from a similar background, right? If she wanted to pursue someone from our Su family without any qualifications, wouldn't the world be in chaos?" Since her sister's future happiness was at stake, Su Su didn't hold back in her words.
Someone below asked, "Zhao Qiang, how much do you earn a month now? Is that enough to woo Su Su's sister?"
Zhao Qiang had already noticed Su Su's annoyance, but it was none of his business. He scratched his head and said, "I do part-time jobs outside of school, and I can earn seven or eight hundred yuan a day. Luckily, I've made some money recently, otherwise I wouldn't even have enough for the trip home for New Year's Day."
Some classmates laughed below: "Zhao Qiang, look, your sister-in-law is angry. You'd better give up on Su Su."
Hearing the laughter from the students below, which was the biggest mockery, Su Su stood next to Zhao Qiang, gritted her teeth, and whispered, "Zhao Qiang, why did you show up! I won't allow you to touch my sister! Because you don't deserve it!"
Zhao Qiang was a little annoyed. Taking advantage of the chaos, he whispered to Su Su, "Sorry, we slept together. She even made me instant noodles. She treated me to fried dough sticks and steamed buns this morning. She was so sweet."
Bang! Su Su threw the singing pen she had been holding onto the ground. The sound was so loud it hurt everyone's eardrums! Liu Wei also broke his silence and stood up straight in front of Zhao Qiang. He looked like he wanted to fight; he was quite protective of his girlfriend.
What was initially thought to be a joke quickly became apparent to the students below the stage. Since Su Su and Liu Wei were the main speakers, their silence created an extremely awkward atmosphere. Finally, Su Su shouted sharply, "Zhao Qiang, please leave! You are not welcome here, and please stay away from my sister in the future, or Liu Wei and I will not let you off the hook."
Before Zhao Qiang could say anything, Sun Gang stepped forward and said, "What's going on? What's going on? The classmates are all fine, why are they arguing? The joke just now was a bit too much. But Su Su, don't chase people away. Everyone was just having fun. There was no other meaning."
Su Su pointed at Sun Gang in the audience and said, "Shut up! I'm treating today, so I'm in charge here. I can kick out whoever I want!"
No one spoke up. It was indeed Su Su and Liu Wei who paid for it, and everyone felt obligated to do so, so they all kept quiet. After all, Liu Wei worked for the Finance Bureau, and they might need to ask him for favors in the future. As for Zhao Qiang, who earned a few hundred yuan a month through part-time jobs, they decided to let it go and not risk offending Su Su because of him. That was the general consensus among most people.
Su Su suddenly stood up, stomped her foot, and pointed loudly at Su Su on the stage, saying, "Sister, you've disappointed me so much! What do you know? You don't know anything, you don't understand anything! That 80,000 yuan of yours!"
Zhao Qiang interrupted her sharply: "Su, stop talking. Actually, I'm already full. Classmates, you guys have fun, I'm leaving first." Without giving Su Su a time to explain, Zhao Qiang stepped off the front desk and left the banquet hall. His decisiveness left Su Su speechless. Su Su, however, glared at her sister with tears in her eyes, then followed Zhao Qiang out. Su Su called after him, but to no avail.
Seeing the extremely cold atmosphere in the banquet hall, Liu Wei hurriedly said, "Everyone, please continue eating and drinking. My sister-in-law and her sister are arguing, it's nothing, they'll be fine in a minute, don't pay any attention to it. It's all because of that guy Zhao Qiang. He's clinging to Su, he has no self-awareness at all. His family's situation, sigh, never mind." Liu Wei was lucky today, if he weren't in a bad mood. This tirade against Zhao Qiang would have taken at least ten minutes. He and Su Su together are truly a perfect match.
Zhao Hai nudged Sun Gang from below the stage and asked, "Is Zhao Qiang really in love with Su Su's sister?"
Sun Gang said, "How would I know? But Zhao Qiang has no chance of succeeding. With Su Su around, Zhao Qiang can't even get close to her family."
Zhao Qiang hadn't walked far down the street when Su Su caught up with him. She wasn't wearing a coat, but her face was flushed, and her eyes were filled with tears. She started sobbing as soon as she saw Zhao Qiang, clinging tightly to his arm, "I'm sorry, Zhao Qiang."
Zhao Qiang took off his winter coat and put it on Su Su, then lit a cigarette and said, "You really are a child."
Su Su tightened her clothes, sniffed twice, and said, "Aren't you angry? My sister is clearly so poor she has to sell her possessions, yet she still flaunts it. If it weren't for the 80,000 yuan you lent her, it would be questionable whether she could even stand in the lobby and speak today. And yet she still treats you like this. It's so unfair! Why didn't you let me talk to her earlier? I absolutely hate her. She's so arrogant, just like my brother-in-law. She's always trying to make sure everyone knows how capable and rich she is, but in reality, she knows her own situation best. She takes your money to treat us but won't even let you eat there. She's so despicable."
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "Is it necessary to be so angry? I don't need your sister to thank me."
Su Su grabbed Zhao Qiang's arm and said, "Zhao Qiang, I'm so grateful to you. Please be my classmate. I think you're capable. You can even fight. It would be so wonderful to have a classmate like you."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, I'm glad you're grateful. But if we keep hanging out together, you might have trouble getting home."
Su Su also looked very troubled. But then she gritted her teeth and said, "Never mind, my sister is too busy to take care of me. Anyway, she won't be able to control me tonight. Let's hurry up and leave before she catches us and sees us."
The two ran along the street for a while, stopping only when they were sure Su Su couldn't catch them. Zhao Qiang asked, "Are we planning to walk the streets all night in this cold weather? I'm afraid there will be two more icicles on the street tomorrow morning."
Su Su smiled and said, "Of course not, we're not stupid. Are you still hungry?"
Zhao Qiang patted his belly: "A little."
Su Su said, "Then let's go back to the pharmacy and I'll make you some instant noodles."
Zhao Qiang asked with a smile, "Have you eaten instant noodles?"
Su Su blushed: "Go to sleep, we have class tomorrow."
Zhao Qiang said, "There's plenty under the bed."
Su Su lowered her head: "You have to be as obedient as last time, otherwise I won't let you go up."
Zhao Qiang laughed and took Su Su's hand. Su Su blushed for a moment, then relaxed. The two laughed and chatted as they entered a pharmacy. Zhao Qiang bought several large bags of snacks and beer before returning to the pharmacy. Of course, it was another night of indiscriminate debauchery. But Zhao Qiang was content, genuinely content. He enjoyed this pure and innocent relationship with Su Su.
A week later, while repairing a bedroom at Shunfeng Technology Company in Donghai City, Zhao Qiang was startled awake from his sweet dream by a cell phone ringing.
"Hello, who is this?" Zhao Qiang had slept poorly last night because final exams were approaching, and he had to reread all his textbooks. Although Wei was no longer helping him cheat, with the help of the advanced biochip, Zhao Qiang only needed to input the textbooks into his brain for later use, and everything would be fine. Because he didn't want to delay Hu Le's study materials, Zhao Qiang borrowed all the university textbooks at once and spent the entire night going through them.
"Are you Mr. Zhao from Shunfeng Technology?" The other person's tone was very formal, not like that of an ordinary customer.
Zhao Qiang perked up: "Yes, what can I do for you?"
"Last time you left your contact number at the power bureau, saying you were planning to buy our used computers. Could you please come to the general affairs department of the power bureau at nine o'clock this morning? If the price is reasonable, we will dispose of all the used computers in our warehouse at once."
Zhao Qiang hesitated for a moment but finally agreed, "Okay. I'll be there on time." Actually, it didn't matter whether he needed the old computer or not. Without the universal enhancer, it would be useless no matter how much metal he collected. Besides, with Zhao Qiang's current achievements, he didn't care about that little bit of junk. He could just buy whatever materials he needed.
The phone call completely woke Zhao Qiang up. He got dressed and got up. Liu Dazhuang, Hu Le, and Wang Nian had already arrived at work. In the past two days, Zhao Qiang had also hired two new senior female students from Donghai University, one named Liu Meihua and the other Zhou Junjun. After all, sales is more suitable for women. The three of them switched to repairs. Now they can install systems, optimize, and remove viruses. They can easily fix any broken part. However, they are not good at repairing more delicate laptops or other electronic devices. Zhao Qiang is still needed for those kinds of jobs.
Upon entering the office, formerly the finance department, Xu Xiaoya and Luo Wei were already working diligently. Seeing Zhao Qiang, Xu Xiaoya put down the documents in her hand and stood up, saying, "Aren't you going to sleep? Haven't you had breakfast yet?"
Zhao Qiang casually strolled into Xu Xiaoya and Luo Wei's bedroom. He knew there was bread and sausages inside. Holding bread in one hand and sausages in the other, he walked out and said to Xu Xiaoya, "Pour me a glass of hot water."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Hot water? Haven't you recently taken a liking to milk tea? Wei, hurry up and make him some hot water with six walnuts. Don't wait for the big boss to tell us, or we'll both get a beating today."
Luo Wei chuckled and took two bottles of walnut juice from under the coffee table, tossing them to Zhao Qiang. "I've already warmed them with a hot water bottle. Drink up." At the same time, Xu Xiaoya also made milk tea and brought it to Zhao Qiang's desk. Zhao Qiang felt incredibly pleased, not only because he was being waited on, but more importantly, because beautiful women were serving him. Who knew what had happened to these two lately? They were incredibly kind to Zhao Qiang, making him feel like a king. At first, he felt uncomfortable, but now all he felt was enjoyment.
While eating his bread, Zhao Qiang asked, "By the way, there's a construction site near the entrance that's making so much noise at night that I can't sleep. What's going on? Is it going to be a commercial area or a factory?"
Luo Wei was taken aback: "You don't know?"
Zhao Qiang was also taken aback: "No one reported to me. Did your dad, squad leader, say that I was to take over the management of the development zone?"
Xu Xiaoya rolled her eyes at Zhao Qiang: "You want to seize power, huh?"
Zhao Qiang smiled at Luo Wei and said, "Look, I'm not District Chief Xu, so it's normal that no one reports to me. You should ask what's wrong with you."
Luo Wei said, "It's land that my cousin Hu Qianxin bought, and she's currently working hard to build the new Rednet company building."
After returning to Beijing from Hedian District, Hu Qian's first action was to rename the "Black Network" to "Red Network." Zhao Qiang had sent her a congratulatory telegram, saying it sounded much better. Unexpectedly, Hu Qian's announcement in Hedian District that she wanted to move the company to Donghai City was not an impulsive decision or a joke. She had already bought the land and was working day and night to build it!
“Your cousin is going all in this time,” Zhao Qiang said to Luo Wei.
Luo Wei's tone was pleading: "Yes, she's had a tough time too. Don't make things difficult for her with the antivirus software issue. It seems that her family was very disappointed in her last time for some reason, which was a big blow to my cousin."
Xu Xiaoya tapped the table: "Wei, let's keep business and personal matters separate. I think absolute control of Red Lie is essential, even if it means investing ourselves. Otherwise, we'll be at the mercy of others, and you don't want the company to become like your parents', do you?"
Luo Wei sighed and didn't continue. After Hu Qian returned to Beijing, she immediately discussed browser cooperation with Xu Xiaoya. After inquiring about Zhao Qiang's bottom line, Xu Xiaoya immediately drafted a detailed negotiation plan. As a result, Hu Qian was dumbfounded when she saw the plan. Shunfeng Technology would no longer be willing to stay behind the scenes. The red browser and the optimization software must be operated separately, and Shunfeng Technology must hold no less than 51% of the shares.
Zhao Qiang finished his bread and started drinking his milk tea. He then asked Luo Wei, "Any progress on Yang Shiqi's side?"
Luo Wei put aside her cousin's matter and said, "Five million has already been received. The new site for Qimingdeng Electronics has also been selected, just one kilometer away from us. Construction has begun, but because of the cold weather, we are only doing earthwork now. Other work will have to wait until next spring."
Zhao Qiang said, "This five million is just Yang Shiqi's personal idea. If she can produce battery samples, I think the five hundred million will arrive in the account soon. However, I can't do anything if she can't get the universal enhancer. Let's leave this matter aside for now. The sales of fast chargers are going well."
Luo Wei's face immediately lit up with excitement: "The sales trend is getting better and better. We keep getting inquiries from foreign manufacturers, and we've also reached agreements with three authorized manufacturers in China. Hehe, our net profit in January should be over ten million!"
Zhao Qiang nodded. Technology was his greatest asset, and he completely believed it. Ten million a month was nothing. If the battery project he was working on with Yang Shiqi succeeded, what did it matter if monthly revenue exceeded one hundred million? High-tech products, frankly speaking, have high research and development costs. But for Zhao Qiang, all those costs were profit!
"Since we already have a large number of authorized manufacturers, Qimingdeng Electronics doesn't need to expand its own production capacity too quickly, Wei. In the next stage, you should mainly focus on management personnel, haha. Once Yang Shiqi's funds and raw materials are in place, we will have a very large expansion, and at that time we will be seriously short of manpower. It's better to have more reserves now than not."
Luo Wei nodded: "We might not be able to recruit enough people before the Spring Festival. I'll go to the job market to look for people right after the holiday."
Zhao Qiang quickly calculated that there was nothing else to arrange for the time being. He stood up and said, "You guys are busy. I'll go to the power bureau. They called this morning to say that the old computers in the warehouse are finally going to be sold. I'll see if I can get a bargain."
Xu Xiaoya rolled her eyes: "You, now that you're so rich, why do you still care about those old computers? You've been holding a grudge ever since you didn't buy a batch of old computers."
The information about this batch of old computers came from Luo Wei, who smiled but said nothing. Zhao Qiang left Shunfeng Technology and hailed a taxi, heading straight for the power bureau.
Thank you to Jianke for the generous donation! Thank you to the online moderator, Bingyuan Qiutian, and fellow readers. Fourthly, thank you to Qiangyue Bi for the donation! I'm desperately begging for monthly votes. We've already fallen to seventh place, but the others will catch up quickly and we'll have to fight back fiercely. Everyone, please give us your support! I bow deeply in gratitude!
Volume 2 [156] Making His Former Boss Work for Him
After the gatekeeper explained his purpose, Zhao Qiang was allowed to pass. There were only two people waiting in the office of the security department. One of them stood up enthusiastically when he saw Zhao Qiang, "Zhao, you're here too. Come, come, sit with me."
Of course, only Wang Yidong addressed Zhao Qiang as "uncle." He hadn't been out much lately because of an arm injury—an injury sustained while helping Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang had even visited Wang Yidong again after returning from Dongyang City. Now, he was still going out to do business with his arm in a sling, which Zhao Qiang greatly admired.
"Mr. Wang, you also received a call from the power bureau to come and look at the used computers?" There must be too many people eyeing this batch of goods, so the power bureau had no choice but to invite everyone—a common bidding method. Of course, there are bound to be some shady dealings involved.
Wang Yidong smiled and said, "Business has been slow at the company lately. So I just came to take a look around, hoping to find something cheap."
Actually, Ban Ding, computer companies in Donghai City haven't had much business lately. It's not that Donghai City doesn't need office supplies anymore, but rather that most of their procurement has shifted to Shunfeng Technology. Other computer companies are naturally affected. Shunfeng Technology even assaulted the Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee. This incident has generated considerable buzz. Those who wanted to cause trouble and engage in cutthroat competition have had to abandon their plans.
"Actually, computers and consumables aren't a long-term solution," Zhao Qiang told Wang Yidong, expressing his concerns. He believed that simply doing sales for others would never build a large company; real manufacturing was the right path. Zhao Qiang was currently undergoing a transformation. Wang Yidong replied, "I don't have your ambition. I'll just do some casual business to make a living." He continued, "Recently, computer optimization business has been declining. Firstly, there's the emergence of network optimization software. Secondly, most people are unwilling to spend the money. And since the customers who needed optimization have already done so, it's normal that there's no business to be done later."
Seeing that most of the people had arrived, the head of the general affairs department came out of his office and said to everyone, "Welcome everyone! Let's not waste any more time. Let's go. If it's suitable, you can buy it. The price is definitely not expensive."
The warehouse was filled with a jumble of old, broken computer towers and monitors, covered in a thick layer of dust. Unlike the others, Zhao Qiang didn't open the side panels to inspect the main components; he simply scanned them with his X-ray glasses and immediately understood. These old computers were useless. The one or two with decent configurations were broken, and even if a component hadn't been faulty initially, it had already been replaced. The rest were all broken parts. So Zhao Qiang shook his head. He didn't even consider buying them as raw materials; it would be a hassle to transport them back. And transporting them back would take up a lot of space.
Wang Yidong asked, "Not worth buying?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Buying them as scrap circuit boards is fine. But it won't help your business, Mr. Wang, since you don't do dismantling business."
Wang Yidong didn't press the matter after hearing this, and simply led the way out of the warehouse, which was too dark and had a musty smell. "Since that's the case, we won't wait any longer. Come on, Uncle will treat you to lunch. Let's go eat hot pot and have a good chat while we eat."
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "President Wang, you got your arm broken last time. I could treat you ten times and still not make up for it, so how can I let you treat me?"
Wang Yidong said, "It's just a meal. It doesn't matter who's paying. It's right outside the power bureau. Let's go there when it's almost time."
Shunfeng Technology Company. Xu Xiaoya and Luo Wei were about to leave when two cars, number 6, blocked the entrance. Xu Xiaoya didn't hold back. She went up and kicked one of them, and the driver got out angrily. "Are you tired of living! You dare to kick Young Master Zhang's car."
*Slap.* The man who got out of the back of the car slapped the driver on the back of the head. "Get out!" The driver, startled, immediately scrambled back into the car. Then the man forced a smile and said, "Mr. Xu, Mr. Luo. Where are we going?"
Xu Xiaoya said irritably, "Zhang Lingfeng, what are you doing here again? I've already told you, you're not welcome here. Get out of the way right now. A good dog doesn't block the way."
Zhang Lingfeng wasn't angry at being scolded by Xu Xiaoya, which really surprised the group of spoiled young men following him. Zhang Lingfeng smiled and waved to the two cars behind him: "Make way. Make way, let President Xu pass."
The car blocking the way immediately moved to the side of the door. Xu Xiaoya went to get her car, and Zhang Lingfeng said to Luo Wei, "President Luo, where's my master?"
Luo Wei smiled secretly, "President Xu told me not to tell you."
Zhang Lingfeng lowered his voice and said, "Tell me secretly."
Xu Xiaoya leaned out of the driver's seat and shouted, "Wei, don't tell him where Zhao Qiang went. Letting that bastard stay with Zhao Qiang will only bring trouble! You don't want him to corrupt Zhao Qiang, do you?"
Luo Wei nodded to Xu Xiaoya, while Zhang Lingfeng grew anxious: "No, Ms. Luo! Am I as bad as you all think? If you don't tell me where my master went, I'll go to your doorstep every day and whine and throw a tantrum! I'll also tell everyone that you seduced me and then abandoned me!"
Luo Wei laughed and scolded, "So you, Young Master Zhang, are such a shameless scoundrel! He went to the power bureau, probably to buy a batch of used computers. Don't tell anyone I told you."
Zhang Lingfeng made a "ding" gesture, then stuck the sticker on and left in a flash. Ever since Zhao Qiang's daring jump at the Holiday Inn, Zhang Lingfeng had been completely captivated. After Zhao Qiang returned from Dongyang City, he'd been pestered by him, insisting on becoming his apprentice. Not only was Zhao Qiang unskilled at teaching him, but even if he had...