184: Chapter 184 Gao Qiqiang: I like Qin Yumo

Inside 3502, Zhao Yang looked at the newly installed wechat on his phone; the interface was exactly the same as in later generations.

He tested a few functions, and they basically reached a level usable by a mature version. Of course, it didn't have things like mini-programs yet—the current objective environment wasn't ready for that, so it would have to wait for the future.

"Brother Yang, this Moments feature is so cool," Lu Zhanbo said with an expression of admiration. "Posting daily updates, sharing thoughts, it's so much fun, way more interesting than the status updates on Penguin. It's just a shame it only works on smartphones."

Zhao Yang laughed. "In the future, all phones will be smartphones, and there will be more and more things you can do on them. By the way, how is the interface testing for shanfutong going?"

"Absolutely no problem," Lu Zhanbo said with a smile. "I tested it out. I used wechat to place an order on my phone for a Red Bean electric skateboard, and it arrived yesterday. It was no different from operating it on a computer. But... Brother Yang, how are we going to promote wechat?"

Zhao Yang smiled slightly. "Don't worry about that. You should start expanding the team into two groups: one for the operation and maintenance of wechat, and the other to prepare for the development of two new pieces of software."

Lu Zhanbo's eyes lit up. "That's great! What are we developing?"

"One is called Weibo, and the other is a game," Zhao Yang said, patting him on the shoulder. "Your studio is about to enter a phase of large-scale expansion; the size will increase at least tenfold."

Lu Zhanbo was stunned. "Brother Yang, so fast? I... can I do it?"

Zhao Yang patted his shoulder. "You definitely can."

Lu Zhanbo felt full of energy and clenched his fists tightly. "If Brother Yang says I can, I definitely can!"

Zhao Yang looked at Haizao and asked, "How is Manager Chen Sifu's company doing now?"

Haizao sighed. "Manager Chen Sifu was arrested, and the company was acquired by a firm called Wanda. We old employees are all quite anxious."

"Why don't you just be Lu Zhanbo's assistant? Look at how hard he works; he can't go on without someone looking after him. Once the studio upgrades to a formal company, Lu Zhanbo will need more trusted hands," Zhao Yang said with a smile.

Haizao thought about it and nodded. "Okay, I'll resign next week."

Lu Zhanbo laughed. "That's great."

Just as they were talking, Hu Yifei came down with Qin Yumo. "Brother Yang, Qin Yumo has something she wants to ask."

Zhao Yang smiled. "Qin Yumo, we're all friends. You can just come over and ask; no need to be so polite."

Hu Yifei laughed and patted Qin Yumo on the shoulder. "See? I told you Brother Yang would say that. Go ahead and say what you need to say."

Qin Yumo smiled slightly at Zhao Yang. "Brother Yang, my boyfriend Richard is coming over to the apartment to visit tonight, and I wanted to invite you to join us."

"Oh, come on." Hu Yifei rolled her eyes from the side and gave Qin Yumo a nudge. "Don't beat around the bush in front of Brother Yang. Isn't it just that you want to find a big client for your boyfriend? Just say it directly; that's all you need to do."

Qin Yumo blushed deeply and looked at Zhao Yang with embarrassment.

Zhao Yang couldn't help but laugh. "Qin Yumo, you really are a supportive partner. How about this: I have to meet a friend this afternoon, but if I have time, I'll come over. By the way, could you let me see the ring on your finger? The diamond's quality looks quite good."

"Sure!" Qin Yumo said with excitement. She quickly took it off and handed it to Zhao Yang.

Looking at the dazzling diamond, Zhao Yang couldn't help but sigh inwardly. In less than twenty years, the price of diamonds would plummet—even be cut in half—due to lab-grown diamonds from Henan Province, unless it was something like Qin Yumo's, which was over three carats and had collectible value. For Richard to give this away so casually, he really went all out.

Holding the diamond ring, Zhao Yang suddenly made a few tapping motions.

"Brother Yang, what are you doing?" Hu Yifei laughed.

"Qin Yumo's diamond is really quite large," Zhao Yang laughed. "It could be used to crack ice cubes. I was just thinking if I didn't have a proper tool for making shaved ice, I could just use this diamond."

"Oh!" Qin Yumo suddenly widened her eyes and tapped her head hard. "I remember where the ring I lost before is."

Hu Yifei looked confused. "Why are you so jumpy? Where is it?"

"I used it to crack ice cubes before, and I think I just put it in the fridge. I'll go look." After saying that, Qin Yumo immediately turned and ran off.

Hu Yifei rolled her eyes and said to Zhao Yang, "Brother Yang, don't make fun of her. She's just like that; she's lost everything, even her college entrance exam admission ticket."

Zhao Yang nodded in deep agreement and handed the ring to Hu Yifei. "Give this back to her."

Hu Yifei looked completely speechless as she took the diamond ring. "Do you believe me? If I don't tell her, she'll forget where this one is too."

Watching her turn to chase after Qin Yumo, Zhao Yang couldn't stop chuckling. Haizao was laughing so hard she held her stomach and whispered, "Actually, Qin Yumo has been to my place three times, and she left her phone here twice."

Lu Zhanbo covered his face with his hand. "In the future, we must never give the keys to Qin Yumo for safekeeping."

...

A little past 4:00 PM, Gao Qiqiang rushed over to Wenhua Jiayuan in a hurry. Zhao Yang let him into the room. "If you want a drink, help yourself; don't be a stranger."

Gao Qiqiang pulled a paper package out of his bag. "Boss, look at this—Mother Tree Da Hong Pao tea."

Zhao Yang's eyes lit up. "Is it real or fake?"

"I swiped it from Old Wang at Wanda's house; it should be real," Gao Qiqiang said with a smile.

Zhao Yang gave a thumbs up. "Your connections now are something even I can't keep up with. Wait here; I'll go get some porcelain cups. You can't use glass cups for this tea."

Before long, the two of them were each holding a porcelain bowl, blowing on the steam, and sipping the tea. Gao Qiqiang spoke first. "Boss, I've fallen in love with Qin Yumo."

Pfft! Zhao Yang spat out a mouthful of tea. He wiped the table with a tissue, feeling pained. "Old Gao, you aren't joking, are you? When did you meet her?"

"Three months ago."

Zhao Yang didn't waste words and asked directly, "Did you confess?"

Gao Qiqiang shook his head. "No, we just barely know each other, the kind where we can say hello when we meet."

Zhao Yang's expression was strange. "Three months, and you're only at the 'say hello' stage? You are the big boss Gao Qiqiang, not some pure-hearted young lad."

Gao Qiqiang rubbed his hands. "Brother Yang, you might not understand. I've been through too much in these few years, and I've become numb. Let's put it this way—before I met Qin Yumo, I never thought about getting married; but after meeting her, I know that if I'm to marry, it has to be her."

Looking at his affectionate gaze, Zhao Yang confirmed that Old Gao had truly fallen in love. He smacked his lips. "After all the sails have passed, none are the one, the slanting sunlight is affectionate and the water is leisurely. Old Gao, what do you mean by asking me to help you find her? You don't want me to pass a message for you, do you?"

"It seems she had a falling out with her boyfriend and is hiding; she's not living in her original place anymore, so that's why I'm looking for her."

Zhao Yang frowned. "So, you know she has a boyfriend?"

"To be precise, it should be a fiancé; that's what she said herself," Gao Qiqiang said. "But regardless, he's just a fiancé. Even if she were already married, it's not like I don't have a chance, right?"

Zhao Yang couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "As expected of Brother Qiang, that's bold. But haven't you asked at the place she used to live? Like the property management or the landlord."

"That property manager said Qin Yumo's new address is listed for sale online and told me to bid on it myself. How could I believe such a thing?" Gao Qiqiang said bitterly. "That guy looked shifty-eyed; I could tell at a glance he wasn't a good person."

Zhao Yang was speechless for a moment. He remembered that in the original story, the address the property manager listed online was real.

After being stunned for a moment, Zhao Yang said, "You should go online and bid on one; see where that address is. At least it's a clue..."