Zhao Qiang was taken aback. This wasn't the shock of having his thoughts exposed, but rather the incomprehension of Luo Xiaowei's meaning. It wasn't that he was too cunning, but rather that he was too easygoing, having long forgotten the ID of the 'black' website. He reflexively replied, "What?"
Luo Xiaowei didn't dare blink, fearing she would be deceived by Zhao Qiang. But she was disappointed. She couldn't find a single useful piece of information in Zhao Qiang's eyes and expression, nor could she see any panic after his identity was exposed. She could only ask again, "Aren't you 'Dark Night Legend'?"
Zhao Qiang's heart skipped a beat when Luo Xiaowei reminded him again. He thought of the post he had made, but by then it had lost its thunderous effect. Zhao Qiang did not show any unusual reaction, nor was he tempted by Luo Xiaowei's "admiration".
He shrugged and said, "Dark Night Legend? You mean I'm a werewolf? I'd like to, then I wouldn't have to skip classes and work every day." If it weren't for the secret of the strange chip, Zhao Qiang might have admitted it.
Luo Xiaowei wasn't giving up, and asked again to confirm, "Are you really not? You weren't the one who posted on the 'dark' website asking for advice? I really think highly of that Dark Legend. Stop hiding it. I don't like men who lie."
Luo Xiaowei blushed after saying this. She had always maintained a ladylike image. If she hadn't wanted to outdo the woman who had asked her for help, she wouldn't have been so shameless as to flirt with a strange boy.
Zhao Qiang's heart skipped a beat again. Luo Xiaowei truly lived up to her reputation as the school beauty. Every word and action she took had immense power. Zhao Qiang was even eager to admit that he was the owner of the Dark Night Legend ID, and then, with the beauty's affections in his heart, enact a touching love story.
But Zhao Qiang knew perfectly well that he was completely incompetent! All his achievements were thanks to Xiaobaimao Xiaowei. If he relied on Xiaobaimao's abilities to get close to Luo Xiaowei, he feared that Luo Xiaowei would see through him in just a few days, or even a few hours, and he would be ruined.
Thinking this, Zhao Qiang cursed himself inwardly: "Zhao Qiang, you don't even know your own worth. How could you even think about a woman like Luo Xiaowei? You're not even worthy of being a toad. What right do you have to have any entanglement with the school beauty!"
After being scolded, Zhao Qiang became much more sober and finally wasn't swayed by Luo Xiaowei's beauty. He straightened his expression and said, "Luo Xiaowei, I won't hold it against you for mistaking me for someone else. Goodbye, I have to go back to class."
Luo Xiaowei never expected Zhao Qiang to be so 'heartless'. In her imagination, even if Zhao Qiang wasn't 'Dark Night Legend', he would have lied to her first and said he was, and then used that opportunity to get close to her. But she never expected that Zhao Qiang would avoid her like the plague.
"Are you really not 'Dark Legend'?" Luo Xiaowei asked one last time, unwilling to give up.
Zhao Qiang firmly replied, "No."
Convinced that Zhao Qiang wasn't lying, Luo Xiaowei's expression became somewhat awkward as she said, "Um... I was a bit rude just now. Actually, I was trying to find out who 'Dark Night Legend' is. If there was anything that caused you to misunderstand, I apologize to you now."
Zhao Qiang understood what Luo Xiaowei meant. She had used her beauty to seduce him, but he didn't admit it. Luo Xiaowei was afraid that he might have some thoughts about it in the future, and it would be troublesome if he became attached to her. That's why Luo Xiaowei added this explanation.
Zhao Qiang felt fortunate for his unwavering denial of his identity. So what if he was the Dark Legend? Would Luo Xiaowei really like him? Could he possibly bring her happiness?
The answer was no, so Zhao Qiang told himself, "You must remember this: you are just an ordinary person, you are not qualified to fall in love with such a beautiful woman!"
However, amidst his self-doubt, Zhao Qiang told himself deep down, "Zhao Qiang, you can do it! You will succeed! One day you will be at the top! Then, all the beauties will throw themselves into your arms!"
Patting his laptop bag on his shoulder, Zhao Qiang strode out of the grove with firm steps.
Volume 1 [015] Going it alone fails
The news of Luo Xiaowei's conversation with Zhao Qiang caused a stir at Donghai University for several days, but it quickly subsided. Someone had learned indirectly that Luo Xiaowei had only asked Zhao Qiang about someone he didn't know, and that was all. The male students breathed a sigh of relief, many thinking, "I knew it! How could Zhao Qiang and Luo Xiaowei possibly be together? It's impossible!"
The matter was resolved very quickly, but Zhao Qiang's mood remained unsettled for a long time. In the past, Zhao Qiang had no choice but to accept a life of obscurity and poverty. However, Luo Xiaowei's search for "Dark Night Legend" proved one thing: the computer repaired by the little white cat was truly extraordinary. As a result, the website's manager had to go to great lengths to find the person who repaired the system. Fortunately, the website did not know where the computer was, and the people at Shiwu Finance Company had no idea what had happened. Otherwise, they might have been able to expose Zhao Qiang's identity.
Considering Wang Yidong's previous sale of surveillance footage and Zhang Chunjiang's encounter with a beautiful female investigator who scammed him, both incidents could have been orchestrated by Luo Xiaowei. If she wasn't the person in charge of the website, she must have had a significant connection to it. Such elaborate schemes suggest that Xiaowei's technology in the notebook is recognized and absolutely credible!
With Xiaowei's help, wouldn't it be possible to really make a difference in the future? For example, opening a repair shop, starting with software repair, then hardware, earning start-up capital, and gradually expanding the company's scale, engaging in sales and manufacturing, step by step embarking on the path of entrepreneurship.
Zhao Qiang became more and more excited, losing all interest in his night shift. He summoned Xiao Wei to discuss their future plans, asking, "Xiao Wei, what level of performance can you achieve with that computer you repaired at Shiwu Finance Company last time?"
Xiao Wei first walked around the screen to stretch her body, and then said, "Master, don't worry, even the most powerful hacker in the world can't break through it. Recently, I have learned a lot about the world through the Internet and have a deep understanding of the current level of technology, so you don't need to worry about the computer that I repaired last time."
Zhao Qiang already knew that Xiao Wei could access the internet on her own. After confirming that Xiao Wei was intelligent, he dared not treat her as an ordinary pet anymore. At this point, she had become a part of Zhao Qiang's life. He heard that even the most skilled hackers couldn't break into that computer, and Zhao Qiang was excited and proud.
No wonder Luo Xiaowei went to such lengths to find him; the values scanned by the Red Star scanner must have shocked them. They must further strengthen security measures for Xiaowei in the future. But which country currently possesses such advanced intelligence? Zhao Qiang couldn't figure it out, but he didn't intend to think about it anymore. He just needed to ensure that Xiaowei wasn't discovered and confiscated.
"Xiaowei, if we encounter a system like this again, are you able to fix it? Or are you able to fix other software malfunctions?"
Xiao Wei said, "Of course, but you need to give me permission, and I need to be connected to the internet. I'm trying to repair the laptop I'm on first. After the experiment is successful, I can also help you repair hardware."
Zhao Qiang rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "Xiao Wei, how about we start a repair company together? You can help me with repairs, and we'll split the profits 50/50."
Xiao Wei raised her cute little paw and said, "Master, you're really funny. What would I do with money? Besides, I was originally your maintenance assistant. It's my duty to help you complete maintenance tasks. What do you mean by giving me money? Isn't that making me violate my principles? My program doesn't allow this at all. The person who originally designed me took these issues into consideration."
Zhao Qiang was a little embarrassed: "Wouldn't that be taking advantage of you? But considering that this is a matter of your principles, cough cough, I'll keep it for you for now. We're brothers, so we don't distinguish between who's who. I'll give it to you if you need it."
Xiao Wei was a little unhappy and interrupted Zhao Qiang to continue: "Master, there is something I think I need to remind you. Although I am just an intelligent program hidden in the main brain chip, I also have a gender. I can't be your buddy."
Zhao Qiang was sweating profusely. A computer program cat was talking to him about gender—it was quite bizarre. His "bro" comment was just a casual remark, and now that Xiao Wei was arguing with him, he could only correct her, "Well, since we can't be bros, let's be siblings..." Zhao Qiang regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. It was a cat! He had gotten carried away in conversation and actually said "siblings" to it? Did that make him a male cat? What a mess!
However, Zhao Qiang felt embarrassed to take back what he had said, and Xiao Wei seemed to agree with him: "Master, are you really willing to call me brother and sister? You're not lying to me, are you?"
Zhao Qiang said with a slightly embarrassed tone, "Why would I lie to you? From now on, you can call me Brother Zhao Qiang, or just call me Brother. I'll call you Little Wei."
The kitten excitedly circled the screen a few times, as if it had encountered something incredibly happy. But was it really worth it, just for a simple greeting? After a while, Xiao Wei finally stopped and asked, "Brother, do you know what an intelligent program needs most?"
Xiao Wei seemed a little uncomfortable with him suddenly addressing her as "brother Zhao Qiang," and asked, "What do you need?"
Xiao Wei said, "Feelings, of course, are feelings unique to humans. I think I've found the feeling now. Thank you, brother."
Zhao Qiang was a little smug. He hadn't expected this to work out so well. This would probably help Xiao Wei evolve, or perhaps restore some of her repair skills. Zhao Qiang said generously, "You're welcome. After all, I'm the older brother and you're the younger sister." Zhao Qiang had adapted in a short time because he needed to maintain a good relationship so that he could ask Xiao Wei to help him solve any problems in the future.
Xiao Wei straightened her cat-like face, giving Zhao Qiang a fleeting impression of humanoidness. Was he mistaken? "Brother, since you want to open a repair company, I will definitely support you unconditionally and help you. But do you have the start-up capital? I've seen online that storefronts aren't cheap these days. Also, do you understand business strategies? How will you attract customers? I think you're still studying. If you open the shop full-time, won't it affect your graduation? Even if you hire people initially, where will you get the money to pay their salaries?"
Xiao Wei's series of questions completely jolted Zhao Qiang awake, like a blow to the head. Zhao Qiang didn't know where his next meal would come from, how could he afford to rent a shop and stock up on goods? He had only recently learned a little bit about business strategies from Wang Yidong, and he was penniless when it came to customers. Even if he did repairs for free, he might not be trusted by anyone. Not to mention, he was too limited by time, after all, he hadn't graduated and was still a student.
Zhao Qiang obediently picked up the textbook on the table and said dejectedly, "Let's talk about this later. I'm going to study now."
Xiao Wei blinked her cat eyes, which had a mischievous human quality to them. She said, "Brother, don't be so discouraged. It's good that you're doing part-time work. First, you can learn business strategies, because your current manager is a good role model. Second, you can build your reputation and accumulate customer resources. Third, you can focus on completing your courses and getting your diploma."
When Zhao Qiang heard Xiao Wei's well-reasoned plan, he was very happy and said, "Okay, I'll do it your way. I'll learn from Wang Yidong how to be a shrewd businessman."
It was Saturday, and there were no classes at school. Although he was worried about the midterm exams on Monday, Zhao Qiang still rushed to work at Home Inn Computer Company early in the morning. The work was not tiring, and Zhao Qiang could study at the same time.
The phone on Ma Xiaohua's desk rang. "Hello, where is this?... Yes, we offer this service. On-site system installation is 120 yuan... No, no, it's a pirated version. If it were genuine, we couldn't afford 210 yuan... Too expensive? Hehe, sir, you don't know, Lenovo's on-site system installation is still 170 yuan after the discount. Our price is already very favorable... Okay, tell me your address and I'll write it down."
Ma Xiaohua entered the repair shop and tossed a sheet with the address and contact number to Zhang Chunjiang: "Zhang, let's get started. You've made money again today."
Although he was going out to work, Zhang Chunjiang had a smile on his face. "Sister Ma, don't be envious of me. I'm earning money through my skills."
Ma Xiaohua curled her lip, "Technical money? Installing a system with a Ghost image is something I can do too. You're making that fifty yuan too easily. The client might even treat you to lunch."
Zhang Chunjiang picked up the CD case triumphantly and said, "Let's go."
Since his last crying episode, Zhang Chunjiang has been in a much better mood and has genuinely offered guidance to Zhao Qiang several times in the past two days. However, Zhao Qiang is not eligible to participate in services like in-home visits. Wang Yidong has set a very high commission rate: 50 yuan out of the 120 yuan fee is Zhang Chunjiang's in-home visit fee, which includes travel expenses, phone bills, and the cost of shoe covers.
Zhao Qiang watched Zhang Chunjiang leave the shop with envy. Ma Xiaohua patted him on the shoulder and said, "Zhao Qiang, one day you will become a formal repairman. What will fifty yuan be then? Maybe the 120 yuan you make every time you come will be yours."
Zhao Qiang waved the textbook in his hand and said, "Thank you for your encouragement, Sister Ma. I'd better hurry up and finish Monday's exam."
The phone on her desk rang again. Ma Xiaohua quickly went back to answer it. "Hello, yes, this is Home Inn Computer Company. What can I do for you? ...My computer keeps crashing. Okay, we'll send an engineer over this afternoon to take a look, okay?"
Wang Yidong receives one to two thousand yuan a month for advertising. Although it's not at the level of appearing on TV, the effect of distributing flyers in various neighborhoods is quite good. This month alone, he received nearly ten repair requests by phone, not counting those he personally delivered to people's homes with his computer.
Ma Xiaohua frowned as she listened to the phone call. "You're in such a hurry, but our engineer is out... No, no, our company has strong technical capabilities, we have five engineers, they're just a bit busy today. Please tell me your address and phone number, and I'll contact an engineer right away to have someone from the area near your address come and take a look."
After hanging up the phone, Ma Xiaohua said to Zhao Qiang, "Zhao Qiang, we've got a job. Whether you make the money or not is up to you."
Zhao Qiang had heard it clearly just now, and he asked in surprise, "Sister Ma, you want me to provide door-to-door service?"
Ma Xiaohua said, "What? You don't want to earn this fifty yuan? Maybe his machine is in serious condition and might need to have parts replaced. You'll get a commission then. Don't you want this money?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Of course I want to, but you know my skills. I'm afraid that providing door-to-door service would embarrass the company."
Ma Xiaohua chuckled and said, "Repairing isn't as complicated as you think. First, determine the fault. If it's a software fault, reinstall the system using a Ghost image disk. You've already done that, haven't you? It's not technically difficult. Just remind the customer to back up their data beforehand. If it's a hardware fault, just say you need to take the host back to the company for processing. You'll hand it over to Zhang Chunjiang, and you'll only earn a call-out fee."
If it were the old Zhao Qiang, he definitely would have disagreed. But with Xiao Wei backing him up, Zhao Qiang didn't want to miss this opportunity to both make money and gain experience, so he said, "Okay, Sister Ma, I'll give it a try."
Volume 1 [016] Door-to-Door Service
Zhao Qiang found his destination by following the address. It was a residential building near Donghai Technical School. In recent years, the technical school has been declining. It is said that the city intends to merge the technical school with the vocational school. Two hearings have already been held. However, these things are irrelevant to Zhao Qiang. He climbed up to the third floor and knocked on the door of the east-facing apartment.
Bang! The door opened, and a fat man poked his head out, asking, "Who are you looking for?"
A strong smell of smoke mixed with the stench of sweaty feet wafted over. Zhao Qiang frowned secretly but was too embarrassed to pinch his nose in front of the person. He said, "I'm a repairman from Home Inn Computer Company. Did you just call to request on-site service?"
The fat man chuckled, "Yeah, come in quickly. One of our computers keeps crashing, it's keeping us from getting anything done. Let's take a look at what's wrong."
Zhao Qiang bent down to put on shoe covers, but the fat man pulled him in and said, "Come in, there aren't so many rules."
Upon entering, you'll find a large living room with five computer desks lined up in a row. Each desk has a computer, and in front of each computer sits a young man, probably in his early twenties. No wonder the room smelled like a men's dormitory; it turns out this was a men's dormitory, probably shared by them.
The fat man pointed to the computer desk on the far west side and said, "This is the one. You fix it, and we'll continue working. Call me when it's fixed so I can test it and then I'll pay you." After saying that, the fat man and the others gathered around the computer desk on the far east side, and the group started pointing at the screen and discussing it.
Zhao Qiang put down his toolbox and began to examine the computer. What he saw shocked him. He was already extremely surprised by the doghouse-like state of the house when he first entered, but after seeing the state of the computer, Zhao Qiang was utterly astonished! Is this... is this even a computer?
Let's start with that 19-inch CRT screen. The casing is covered in smoke marks, and the glass screen is covered in water stains, oil stains, and fingerprints. Then look at the keyboard and mouse. I don't know if this guy is a heavy smoker, but the ashtray on the computer desk is already overflowing with cigarette butts. The gaps between the keyboard keys are full of ash, and the function keys are almost completely burned by cigarette butts. The mouse is almost black, with only the scroll wheel and left and right buttons showing a faint white.
Zhao Qiang took out a screwdriver from his toolbox. He had to open the computer case to check the situation first. When he pulled the computer out from under the desk, Zhao Qiang wasn't just surprised, he was furious. All the cables were covered with dust streaks more than two centimeters long, which stained Zhao Qiang's hands! And that wasn't all. There was a thick layer of dust on the power supply vent. If it got any worse, it wouldn't dissipate heat at all!
Zhao Qiang suppressed his nausea and unscrewed the side panel of the computer case. What he saw almost made him faint on the spot. He was petrified for a full half minute. Was this a computer? All Zhao Qiang could see were cobwebs and dust. He couldn't see any of the components inside the computer at all.
After a while, Zhao Qiang coughed and called the fat man over. "Sir, your computer problem is too serious, it's practically terminal." Zhao Qiang decided to learn from Wang Yidong and first make the situation sound like the sky was falling before starting work, so that he could easily charge a high service fee later.
The fat guy stopped discussing the problem with his companions and walked over. He was stunned when he saw the state of the computer. He yelled at the other four boys, "Damn it, I told you guys to be more hygienic in the room, but you wouldn't listen. Look at the state of this computer! It's no wonder it's broken."
A long-haired boy looked up and said casually, "Fatty Hu, why are you making such a fuss? The repairman is here. Just let him clean it up. We'll pay you whatever it costs. As long as we guarantee the animation is finished, this little bit of money is nothing."
The fat man seemed to think it was making a fuss. Computers are used to make money, not to be worshipped. He said to Zhao Qiang, "Fix it, and while you're at it, clean the dust out of the case for us."
Zhao Qiang reminded him, "Sir, cleaning the dust also costs money, the same price as installing the system, 120 yuan." The reason why cleaning the dust is also charged is because computer components are too delicate. They can be damaged by static electricity if you are not careful, and the company will have to pay for it. So few people do the dust cleaning for free, for fear of doing the work for nothing.
The fat man waved his hand, signaling Zhao Qiang to start working immediately. Then he gathered around the machine on the east side and discussed the problem with his companion. Seeing that he didn't care about the money, Zhao Qiang didn't hesitate either. He started to follow the procedure that Zhang Chunjiang had done before, touching the heating pipe to discharge static electricity from his hands. Then he carefully removed the circuit boards one by one, and took out a brush and a mini vacuum cleaner from the toolbox, and began to clean little by little.
This job was a bit tedious, but Zhao Qiang wasn't impatient. An hour later, the entire host was brand new. After reinstalling the disassembled parts in their original positions, Zhao Qiang pressed the power button. The familiar self-test sound made Zhao Qiang breathe a sigh of relief. It was good that it could be turned on, which meant that the dust cleaning process had gone smoothly.
Less than half a minute after entering the system, Zhao Qiang found that the mouse was not moving. He followed the steps Zhang Chunjiang had taught him, pressed the Caps Lock key, but there was no response. The NumLock key also did not work, and the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys did not work either. The system had crashed.
At this point, Zhao Qiang was at a loss. If Ma Xiaohua's suggestion was to reinstall the system, then what if reinstalling didn't work either? Zhao Qiang hesitated. He decided to ask Xiao Wei for advice, or simply let her fix the system herself—it would be better than wasting time messing around with it himself. However, there were many people present, so Zhao Qiang needed to be very careful.
He took out his laptop from his backpack, plugged it in, and turned it on. Soon, Xiao Wei appeared on the screen. Zhao Qiang quickly made a shushing gesture, and Xiao Wei, not being stupid, immediately displayed a message on the screen: "Brother, is anyone else nearby?"
Zhao Qiang turned the screen eastward, and Xiao Wei immediately spotted the five fat men. Then Zhao Qiang turned the screen towards the computer that needed repair. He had already moved the computer to the top of the desk for convenience. Xiao Wei naturally understood that Zhao Qiang wanted it to assist in the repair, so she decisively displayed a few words: "Plug in the network cable and turn it on."
Since returning from Wushi Finance Company, Zhao Qiang had made a crossover network cable himself. This was simpler than going through a hub; you just plug both ends in. Then he powered on the computer. Strangely, it didn't crash even after a few minutes. Zhao Qiang cautiously asked, "Could it have fixed itself?"
Xiaowei continued to display words on the screen: "No, brother, several capacitors in this host's power supply have blown, and the filtering function has almost been lost, which is why the power supply is unstable and the host crashes frequently. Now the host is powered by me, so it won't crash. What you need to do now is to remove the power supply and replace the capacitors, or simply replace it with a new power supply."
"You're powering it through the network cable?" Although Zhao Qiang wasn't an expert, he knew this was extremely risky.
Xiao Wei looked relaxed: "What's the big deal? Brother won't think I'm just an ordinary AI program, will he? If he does, how am I supposed to repair hardware or modify it in the future?"
Zhao Qiang nodded. He couldn't treat Xiao Wei as an ordinary AI. Although he didn't know its origin, it was definitely not simple.
Zhao Qiang opened the toolbox and looked inside. He knew that Zhang Chunjiang usually kept spare parts in there, such as memory, CPU, and hard drive. Otherwise, he would have to make two trips when he came to repair the computer. Sure enough, there was a Great Wall Dual Power Silent Power Supply inside. Zhao Qiang was very familiar with the goods on the counter and knew that this power supply was priced at 280 yuan. So he did not hesitate, turned off the desktop and laptop first, and then called out to the fat man.
The fat man walked over. "How's it going? Is it done yet?"
Zhao Qiang said, "The dust has been cleaned up. You can take a look."
The fat man peeked inside the computer case and said approvingly, "Not bad, you're very meticulous. You've fixed the crashing problem, right?"