Chapter 31: Time to Stretch My Legs

"Chairman, Mr. Huang has already left!" Let us turn back the clock a little. After Huang He departed, the secretary whose wife was pregnant went straight to the chairman’s office, found Brother Ma, and reported to him.

"Alright," Brother Ma nodded. After a moment, noticing his secretary had not left, he smiled and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Mr. Huang asked me to pass on a message," she replied.

"What message?"

"He said, if you let him invest and become a shareholder, he could lead us to become the world’s number one internet company," the secretary said.

"Oh!" Brother Ma’s expression shifted slightly. He wants to invest, to lead Tengda to become the world’s top internet company—so what would happen to me? Would my position have to be handed over to this Mr. Huang?

"Just another nouveau riche," Brother Ma shook his head indifferently and said, "From now on, if anyone like him—someone with no connection to the internet industry and no real ability—shows up, don’t bring them to me. Make a note, and politely decline them."

"Yes," the secretary nodded and quietly left the office.

Within a few hours, Brother Ma had completely forgotten this conversation and the story. Such nouveau riche had no intersection with Tengda, and indeed, it wasn’t worth Brother Ma’s time. Better to spend that effort browsing the internet, looking at interesting websites, functions, or software, and making notes for his subordinates to learn from—far more important.

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Night gradually deepened. Since his venture in Shenzhen had proven fruitless, Huang He decided not to linger any longer. He planned to take the train back to Wenzhou the next day—after all, a heap of matters awaited him there.

But that night, something unexpected happened.

The surprise began with a phone call. After checking into his hotel, Huang He watched some television, then prepared for bed.

Don’t misunderstand—Huang He hadn’t lost his mind to the point of sharing a room with his sister-in-law. Leng Zhimeng had her own separate room, and naturally, so did Huang He. The hotel took note of this important detail. Not long after, the phone in Huang He’s hotel room rang, and a charming voice said, “Boss, do you require any special services?”

“Special services!” Huang He sat up straight, quickly asking, “What kind of special services?”

“Hehe, Boss, whatever special service you desire, we have it. Shall I come to your room and explain it to you in person?” the voice replied with a flirtatious laugh.

“Uh…” At that moment, Huang He’s heart was pounding fiercely. Since his rebirth, he had not experienced anything with a woman, yet beside him was the stunningly beautiful Leng Zhiruo. Every day Huang He felt like a boiling volcano, and over time, it was becoming unbearable.

He hadn’t originally entertained such thoughts, but the phone call, the seductive voice, and the words “special service” set his imagination racing. Turning his gaze to the white lace curtains, he suddenly saw not fabric but a gleaming white lace-clad leg, radiating a luminous allure—who could resist such temptation?

“Alright!” Huang He almost agreed on the spot, but on second thought, he realized he couldn’t. Leng Zhimeng was nearby; if she suspected anything, that would be disastrous.

So Huang He painfully declined, but the fire ignited in his heart only burned hotter, clawing at him like a hundred cats.

“Wait—in my own room, Leng Zhimeng might notice, but if I go elsewhere, there’s no issue. Why must I act only in my hotel room?” he thought.

Besides, wasn’t Shenzhen only a few dozen kilometers from DW? In the future, Dongguan would be gone, but now—this was Dongguan’s most glorious era. How could he not experience it for himself?

At that thought, Huang He could hardly restrain himself. He slipped quietly out of his room, found the driver, and asked, “Master, do you know DW?”

“Oh, Mr. Huang, it’s you!” To his surprise, the driver recognized him—it was the same man who had suggested the third ending before.

“Ahem, you know what I’m looking for, right?”

“Of course, I know. I guarantee I’ll take you to the safest place, with the most comprehensive services!” The driver thumped his chest and promised, then immediately headed onto the highway. In less than thirty minutes, they arrived at the entrance of a small, unremarkable, even somewhat shabby hotel in DW.

But at the entrance, the driver suddenly grew alert and said, “This is bad—a police inspection is underway.”

“How do you know?” Huang He asked, startled.

“I just saw my brother-in-law—he’s with the police!”

“Damn!” Huang He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. If he’d gone in, he’d have been caught red-handed.

As the saying goes, the strongest bonds are forged by those who have shared danger, suffered wounds, or experienced certain things together. Though they hadn’t succeeded in their venture, the driver had just saved him, so Huang He felt a natural affinity with the man, and the two began to chat.

“Brother, what’s your surname?”

“My surname is Luo—Luo Sheng. My main job is taxi driving.”

“And your side job?”

“Hehe, my side job is actually selling mobile phones.”

“Mobile phones—that’s high-tech. You can sell those?”

“It’s not really high-tech. I have a friend with a small factory; he made his own phones, set up a booth at Huaqiangbei, and I help him deliver goods. But his business isn’t doing well—he’s lost tens of thousands already, and won’t last more than a few months before quitting,” the driver shook his head.

“Huaqiangbei? Selling phones?” Huang He’s eyes lit up instantly. Right—this was 2001, the very year when the wave of knockoff phones was just beginning.