Chapter 94: Zhang Yang’s Scandal!

California, USA.

Edward of the Gugou search engine and Joe Roy, the head of Apple Technology, were discussing their future strategic layout.

Initially, the two were quite harmonious. These two American companies had reached a series of cooperation agreements, including using Apple Technology to refine the Gugou engine, and then leveraging Gugou’s massive global traffic to open up markets for Apple Technology’s upcoming ventures.

The two companies had been cooperating for over two months now. From the current perspective, they were still in their honeymoon period.

They shared many common views. Both felt that the future belonged to a smart era of technology. All their attention was fixed on the massive future market of Huaxia, while simultaneously keeping a close eye on the mobile giant Novia. They were sharpening their blades, thinking of how to topple it and carve up the Huaxia market for themselves.

However…

It was October 29th.

On the evening of that day.

As a hazy, cold drizzle fell over California…

The two broke into an argument. Their opinions diverged, and the disagreement seemed to be growing increasingly severe.

Joe Roy, a white-haired, middle-aged man, always appeared kind, elegant, and easy to talk to. However, once Edward actually engaged in deep discussions with him, he found that Joe Roy was as stubborn and unyielding as a jagged rock.

Edward, the head of Gugou, wanted Apple Technology to release the system’s source code. Then, under the banner of smartphones, they would storm the Huaxia market for free, defeating Novia with lightning speed. Ultimately, they would call upon Huaxia’s mobile manufacturers to cooperate and occupy the market. Once they had split the territory with Novia, or completely defeated them, the two companies would step forward to invite international mobile manufacturers, software and hardware vendors, and terminal groups to establish the rules together. They would expand the market pie and become the absolute overlords of the smart era, keeping the Huaxia market firmly under their control.

Edward felt this proposal was perfect. In his mind, it was the only path forward. He had even written out many details of the future in a formal proposal.

But…

Joe Roy of Apple Technology slammed the table and cursed Edward right then and there.

He felt this was throwing his research results away for nothing, calling it nothing short of robbery. Doing this was far too risky. Gugou wouldn’t lose anything and would always be the profiting party, while Apple Technology would be plunged into conflict and endless copyright troubles. Furthermore, to be honest, Joe Roy had never trusted Edward or the Gugou technology behind him. Their previous cooperation was only because he saw it as profitable…

Business cooperation!

It was inherently about profit. It was impossible for one party to bear all the responsibility while the other only reaped the benefits.

More importantly, Joe Roy’s iPhone 3 had already officially entered the testing phase. By the middle of next year at the latest, he could enter Huaxia. Given the current situation in Huaxia, he felt he was unstoppable and saw no need to cooperate with Edward on this front.

Inside the office.

After the cooperation ended on a sour note, Edward sat quietly smoking a cigar, his eyes filled with a trace of annoyance.

There was nothing he could do to Apple Technology. In fact, Apple Technology was also a giant in America. He could only find ways to cooperate; acquiring them was impossible, a dream that could never come true!

He suddenly thought of Android, and that young man named Andis…

He realized he had made a wrong move!

A very blunderous mistake.

Because of the partnership with Apple Technology, he had looked down on the flawed Android OS. More importantly, his nature as a businessman made him want to use the lowest cost to exchange for the highest profit.

Like most people, he hoped to keep everything under his own control. If Andis cooperated with him, the young man could only work for him in the future and could never become a shareholder!

But…

He never imagined in his wildest dreams that in just a few days, Andis would leave America with Android.

He suddenly recalled what Andis had once told him.

“I have already sold Android to a Huaxia mobile manufacturer. I hope you can see my value. I only need a few days!”

“…”

Edward immediately called his assistant.

Not long after, his blonde, blue-eyed assistant hurriedly brought over an incomplete set of sales data.

When he saw the figures…

His pupils constricted slightly.

The Phelps Phone, equipped with the Android OS, had sold thirty thousand units in less than half a month!

This was a terrifying figure.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Joe Roy held a Phelps Phone in his hand.

He operated it for a moment…

Then he closed his eyes.

The phone’s functions were powerful. However, in his view, the system’s operation definitely had flaws, and there was a certain amount of lag and bugs…

The craftsmanship was also very rough, giving off the feeling of something cheaply mass-produced on an assembly line.

But…

The phone’s appearance…

He turned off the phone and looked at the exterior repeatedly!

How was this possible!

This crudely made phone’s appearance and styling were infinitely close to his soon-to-be-released iPhone 3!

He had applied for patents, and the design patents were supposed to be confidential!

How could this be…

…………………………………………

To be recognized!

It was a common trait among all humans!

Andis walked down the streets of Huaxia, looking at the advertisements and the young men and women…

Although many people used Novia phones, he could still see several young people carrying Phelps Phones with their flashing marquee lights.

These people were generally dressed fashionably and looked like the darlings of the latest trends.

Andis felt very satisfied!

Of course!

For him, all of this was just the beginning!

Later, he walked toward the Universe Technology office building. Looking at the building, he nodded silently.

After reading about Zhang Yang’s entrepreneurial history, an inexplicable sense of admiration had risen within him. What he admired even more was Zhang Yang’s vision for the future…

No one would have expected it!

A game company that had just emerged in Huaxia was already laying out its plans for the future Huaxia mobile market.

Andis couldn’t even begin to imagine the future splendor of Huaxia!

In the parking lot downstairs, the rows of cars were exclusively BMWs.

The only difference was the color!

He walked into the company…

He saw that the first and second floors were currently under renovation…

The signs on the renovation doors read “Online Games” and “Customer Service Department!”

Everyone on the third and fourth floors was busy rushing in and out, the sound of clicking keyboards never ceasing.

The fifth floor was a large meeting room, and the entire space was filled.

The more you understood this company, the more you were shocked by its “unconventional” nature.

This was a magical company!

It was incredibly free, with no set clock-in or clock-out times, yet all the employees arrived at the office early.

Some were even eating breakfast while staying glued to their computer screens, typing out code…

In the elevators and at the stairwells, you could see various slogans everywhere…

“Employees must leave the company before midnight!”

“Welcome to the Global Hall of Fame for Single-player Games…”

“Welcome to one of the World’s Top Ten Most Popular Game Companies for Youth…”

“Welcome to the Favorite Home for Game Industry Professionals…”

“…”

When he clearly understood the content of these Chinese slogans, Andis felt an indescribable sensation.

Was everyone working toward these goals?

Afterward, he walked to his own office.

Though it was called an office, it was actually quite simple, containing only a few computers and several desks.

Not long after he sat down…

He heard a knock at the door.

There were only a few days left before November.

Zhang Yang’s company had once again fallen into an unprecedented state of busyness.

The mobile game department, led by Zhao Hang, still hadn’t made much progress. They continued to learn various advanced concepts from Andis, but many things simply couldn’t be achieved overnight. When Zhao Hang and Zhong Chongwen saw much of the content, they were in a state of total confusion, unable to understand. Especially when Andis spoke about future concepts and the current state of technology in the United States, they felt deeply like frogs at the bottom of a well!

It turned out that American technology was already so advanced. No wonder so many people were obsessed with foreign things; after going to America, they even felt the air there was sweeter¹!

Of course…

It wasn’t too late to start catching up now!

Give them a few years!

They were confident they could catch up.

While Zhong Chongwen and Zhao Hang studied hard, they also cheered themselves on.

…

There was a huge commotion in the mobile phone industry.

However, things were very quiet within Universe Technology.

Aside from announcing the game “Plants vs. Zombies,” no one had any idea what genre the game was or how it was played…

Just hearing the name, many people even felt it was somewhat illogical.

Plants vs. Zombies?

Could those immobile plants that just absorbed carbon dioxide to produce oxygen actually defeat zombies?

They couldn’t imagine it…

Aside from the name of the game, Universe Technology hadn’t released anything else.

There wasn’t even a single picture!

“Wait! Zhang Yang is a guy who loves marketing. Could it be, I’m saying, could this just be a gimmick?”

“In reality, did they just pick a random name to give the impression that their game development is amazing? Are they actually just blowing hot air?”

“It’s possible. Even if Zhang Yang is brilliant, he couldn’t possibly come up with a fun game in such a short amount of time, right? This is unprecedented in itself…”

“I think so too.”

“…”

On the internet, some netizens began to question the game.

Of course…

Faced with these doubts, Universe Technology never gave a direct response. Aside from the sales of “Road Rash” becoming increasingly terrifying, it was as if Universe Technology had vanished during this period.

Until…

October 31st.

The last day of October!

There was still no new news from Universe Technology, but another piece of news bombarded the Huaxia entertainment industry!

“Young Pop Queen Zhao Yiman’s suspected romance exposed; her lover is actually the CEO of a mainland tech company!”

“Zhao Yiman’s secret three-hour meeting with a mysterious young man in a private room; Zhao Yiman’s hair appeared disheveled upon leaving, and there seemed to be sweat stains in the photos…”

“Mysterious man suspected to be a mainland young heartthrob…”

“Shocking! Exposed! Identity of Zhao Yiman’s young boyfriend revealed, suspected to be a wealthy mainland heir?”

“Shocking! It’s actually him! Zhao Yiman’s young boyfriend is Zhang Yang, the Zhang Yang of Universe Technology!”

“Zhang Yang’s secret meeting with Zhao Yiman; have the two fallen in love?”

“…”

“…”

When netizens heard this news, they were instantly shocked!

Zhao Yiman!

Who was she?

The rising young queen of the music world. Before her debut, she was a literary goddess² famous for her intellectual beauty and talent. Before debuting as a singer, she had composed music for many big stars, and many of those songs remained highly popular classics to this day.

In fact!

In terms of timing, she debuted almost at the same time as Zhou Yang…

The only difference was that her starting point was much higher than Zhou Yang’s!

While Zhou Yang was still serving plates in a restaurant, she was already a sought-after composer in the entertainment industry.

Zhou Yang’s first album, “Dawn,” achieved decent results and made him known to fans…

But when Zhao Yiman debuted, she captured the hearts of all her fans with nothing more than a photo of her face!

Many people had only one word to describe her: she was gentle, breathtakingly beautiful, and talented, even giving off the vibe of an Eastern Athena.

What was even more precious…

In all the years since her debut, there had never been a single scandal involving her; she had always maintained a clean reputation.

It was only in the last two years that she seemed to have gone somewhere for further studies. She hadn’t released any songs or appeared in any public venues, and her popularity seemed to have dipped slightly. There were even rumors that Zhao Yiman had retired from the industry…

However…

On the last day of October…

Netizens and fans never dreamed they would see Zhao Yiman making a comeback under such a series of romance rumors!

Zhang Yang and Zhao Yiman!

What did Zhang Yang do!

What on earth did he do!

They had never heard of him having any connection with Zhao Yiman before, so how did it suddenly…

Generally speaking, when someone with no prior scandals is suddenly linked to a romance, it’s almost certainly the truth!

At this moment!

Many netizens declared they couldn’t accept it…

They really couldn’t accept it!

This was simply too sudden!

……………………

“Is this for real?”

“I don’t believe it!”

“This…”

“What’s with this guy? Is it just a rumor?”

Liu Ruohan’s eyes widened as she stared at the entertainment news.

She was completely stunned.

She hadn’t heard anything about a relationship between Zhang Yang and Zhao Yiman before!

No matter how vivid her imagination was, she couldn’t find a way to link Zhang Yang and Zhao Yiman together.

She shook her head.

She looked at the Prince Knight on the computer screen. After her hard work over the past few days, her status with the Prince Knight had progressed from “Friend” to “Ambiguous,” and she was only a few affection points away from a full-blown romance.

But at this moment…

For some reason, she felt that this knight wasn’t as noble as he used to be.

Did this game just become… dull?

Then…

Liu Ruohan looked at another news headline…

And then!

“Zhang Yang’s Secret Meeting with a Young Model: Is He Two-Timing?”

“…”

Liu Ruohan was dazed.

Wasn’t Zhang Yang just caught in a scandal with Zhao Yiman?

How was he already with a young model?

This…

What was the situation?

Could this guy really be such a scumbag?

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes