Sister-in-Law

Chapter 291

Qinglin City, GR Company.

The air conditioning was blasting in the spacious reception room.

Li Sinan sank into the large leather executive chair.

She crossed her legs, casually inspecting her freshly done French manicure.

Sitting opposite her were several bigwigs from the top domestic mobile phone manufacturers.

These big shots, who usually called the shots in the tech circle, all seemed somewhat constrained at this moment.

The reason was simple: everyone thought they had come here secretly, avoiding the others, only to all run into each other right here.

Li Sinan raised her eyelids and gave them a faint glance.

"Gentlemen, please don't blame our GR for being unreasonable."

She shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, her tone lazy, yet her words carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

"I'm just an employee, and I have to follow Boss Gu's rules. The exclusivity agreement is right here; you can't make things difficult for me."

The manufacturer bigwigs looked at each other. They had wanted to exchange glances, but upon making eye contact, they just felt even more awkward.

While cursing GR Company in their hearts, they also greeted the ancestors of everyone else sitting beside them.

Didn't we agree to stick together through thick and thin?

Is this how you stick together?!

Sneaking around one by one to meet with GR Company's people. If they hadn't come today, who knows how long they would have been kept in the dark.

These bastards are too wicked!

But in the next second, they looked at Li Sinan again.

MicroChat's terrifying monopoly-level data report was laid out right on the table.

These old foxes, who had waded through countless muddy waters in the business world, couldn't give up the benefits right in front of them.

But the terms GR offered today were even worse than the previous "Treaty of Shimonoseki" from the ZTE-Huawei-Coolpad-Lenovo alliance.

Before, it was cut in half, now it was cut in half of a half!

But that wasn't the main point. The main point was that GR was even more ruthless this time.

Not only did they ban WeChat from being pre-installed at the factory, but the manufacturers' built-in app stores also had to take down WeChat.

Wasn't this offending Penguin to the death!

The chubby executive sitting at the very edge wiped the sweat from his forehead and squeezed out a flattering smile.

"Boss Li, look, we are actively cooperating here."

He rubbed his hands together.

"Can we be a little flexible with the terms in this agreement?"

"Penguin's sheer size is there, after all. If we do things too ruthlessly, it might be easy for them to make things difficult for us in the circle in the future."

"Smack!"

Li Sinan slammed the folder in her hand onto the table, interrupting him.

"What are you saying, Boss Gao?"

She looked around at the people present, the corner of her mouth curling up.

"Our Boss Gu has already shown enough sincerity."

"If you feel troubled, you can just turn left out the door and go cooperate with Penguin. We won't stop you."

"But let me put the ugly words up front: once you pass this village, there won't be this shop anymore."

"When MicroChat's massive user base flows to competing mobile phones, gentlemen, don't slap your thighs in regret."

These words completely pinched the lifelines of these bigwigs.

As the saying goes, when you wander in the martial arts world, how can you avoid getting slashed.

Boss Gao sighed heavily, shook his head, and picked up the signature pen on the table.

He was the first to sign his name on the "PRO" version of the exclusivity agreement.

With someone taking the lead, the remaining executives looked at each other and could only hold their noses and follow suit, signing this alliance under the city walls.

Meanwhile, at the Penguin headquarters building in Shenzhen, WeChat Business Group.

Liang Dong was holding a cup of freshly ground coffee, leaning back in his leather swivel chair, plotting his next strangulation plan.

He firmly believed that as long as Penguin's traffic pool was still there, a grassroots software like MicroChat would sooner or later be worn to death.

"Bang."

The glass door of the office was pushed open by an assistant trembling with fear.

The assistant clutched a fresh industry report in his hand, his voice shaking.

"Boss... Boss Liang, something terrible has happened."

The assistant swallowed hard and braced himself to report.

"The mainstream domestic mobile phone manufacturers have all signed exclusivity agreements with MicroChat."

"Our WeChat... has been completely kicked out of the factory pre-installation list."

"Crash!"

The high-end bone china coffee cup in Liang Dong's hand smashed fiercely onto the floor, shattering into pieces.

Scalding coffee splashed all over the floor, ruining his custom-made suit.

He stood up abruptly from his chair, pointing at the assistant's nose and cursing loudly.

"These fence-sitters who bend with the wind! For a bit of traffic, they don't even want their faces anymore?!"

"It really is pulling out the radish and bringing out the mud!"

Liang Dong completely lost his defense, burning with anger.

"I threw so much real gold and silver in, and they actually dare to turn against me at this critical juncture?!"

His roar echoed in the spacious office.

The assistant was so scared he shrank his neck, not daring to make a sound, for fear of touching this new head's bad luck.

......

Qinglin University, Boys' Dormitory Room 404.

Gu Ran was playing games madly with Zhang Qi and Li Ming in front of their computers.

The crisp sound of keyboard tapping echoed endlessly in the dorm, accompanied by the energetic shouts of the youths.

"Push, push!"

Gu Ran stared at the screen and shouted, "My ultimate is ready, just force the kill!"

"Zhang Qi, you camper, hurry up and use your skills! Are you saving them to give birth?!"

"Coming, coming!"

Zhang Qi responded, sweating profusely, his hands moving non-stop.

"Li Ming, I'm not talking about you, right? Go in, we're waiting for the noob!"

Li Ming, who was innocently cued on the side, had just reaped a wave of kills and frowned, fighting back.

"You're getting carried away! Was Brother Gu talking about me? If you're a noob, you need to practice more. Have a clear understanding of yourself, young man!"

Hearing their words, Gu Ran was about to interject.

Just then, the phone on the desk vibrated twice.

He took a moment to glance at the screen and saw it was a text message from Li Sinan.

There was only one short sentence on it, but it announced a complete victory in this channel battle.

The corner of Gu Ran's mouth curled up. Just as this game ended, he casually exited the game settlement screen, grabbed the T-shirt draped over the back of his chair, and pulled it on.

"Brothers, it's my treat tonight. Let's hit the barbecue stall outside the school gates!"

Zhang Qi and Li Ming froze for a moment, then immediately cheered, the depression of losing the game instantly swept away.

Gu Ran turned his head and looked at Qin Zhaoyang, who was shrinking in the corner, pretending to flip through a book.

He revealed a mouthful of white teeth, his tone carrying a bit of teasing.

"Old Qin, stop pretending."

Gu Ran walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're holding the book upside down. Hurry up and pack up, let's go get some skewers together."

Qin Zhaoyang sat blankly in his chair, his face instantly turning beet red.

He originally thought that since Gu Ran was now a multi-millionaire boss, he would definitely trample his former arch-enemy underfoot and humiliate him ruthlessly.

Unexpectedly, the other party actually disregarded their past grievances and was willing to give him a chance.

Watching the backs of Gu Ran and the other two putting their arms around each other's shoulders and preparing to go out, Qin Zhaoyang finally woke up as if from a dream.

He hurriedly threw the book onto the desk, coughed dryly twice, then quickly stood up, scratched his hair, and eagerly followed the pace of the main group.

At the barbecue stall outside the school gates, the charcoal fire was burning vigorously.

The sizzling, oily grilled lamb kidneys emitted an enticing aroma, and the smell of cumin and chili powder wildly stimulated their taste buds.

The first time the four dorm roommates had a meal together, after a few bottles of cheap beer, the originally somewhat distant atmosphere completely loosened up.

Qin Chaoyang stood up with a bit of liquid courage, holding a plastic cup full of beer, and looked at Gu Ran with a flushed face.

"Gu Ran, I was ignorant before."

He burped, his eyes showing a bit of relief.

"I was just a snob looking down on people. I toast you with this cup as an apology."

He was truly convinced.

After all, Gu Ran's ability to make money and his demeanor far exceeded young people of their age.

Gu Ran picked up his cup and clinked it with him, tilting his head back to down the beer in one gulp.

"Alright, let's get along well from now on."

He waved his hand, signaling Qin Chaoyang to sit down.

The reason he was willing to give Qin Chaoyang a chance was, first, although he was mean, he wasn't truly evil, at most a spoiled child.

Second, they were in the same dorm after all. He himself didn't care much, but reliving his life and studying hard was to get into a good university and experience higher education.

A good relationship with roommates determines how comfortable you are at school.

So he couldn't be bothered to hold grudges against Qin Chaoyang for those trivial matters from the past.

"With this cup of beer, the past is behind us. From now on, in Room 404, we are all brothers."

Zhang Qi and Li Ming nodded repeatedly from the side, raising their cups and joining in the cheers.

They were utterly impressed by Gu Ran's broad-mindedness and lack of arrogance.

After rounds of drinking and eating.

Gu Ran held a bamboo skewer with mutton, describing a grand blueprint for social media to his roommates.

"Brothers, listen to me."

He took a bite of mutton as he spoke.

"Our WeChat is about to launch a killer feature—Official Accounts."

"This thing focuses on one concept: no matter how small an individual is, they have their own brand."

Gu Ran took a sip of beer to moisten his throat and continued to pitch his business concept.

"As the saying goes, even a pig can fly if it stands in the center of a whirlwind."

"Think about it. Right now, people go to web portals or forums to read news and gossip."

"With Official Accounts, the situation will be completely different. Everyone can become a content creator."

"WeChat will definitely not just be a chat tool in the future; it'll be a hen that lays golden eggs."

"As long as you have content and talent, everyone can stand tall and make money on this platform!"

Zhang Qi and Li Ming listened with surging emotions, their eyes shining with excitement.

They seemed to already see handfuls of cash waving at them.

Qin Chaoyang was also very tempted.

He usually liked surfing the internet and had a keen sense for these new things.

He rubbed his hands, looking at Gu Ran with full expectation, and swallowed.

"Gu Ran, do you think someone like me can write too?"

"I usually just like to post fluff on forums, but I'm not very good at writing proper articles..."

Gu Ran was amused by his cautious appearance and slapped Qin Chaoyang on the shoulder.

"Why couldn't you write!"

"Where is that energy you had when you were making up gossip posts on the school forum?"

"People look at their phones for fun. Who reads long academic articles every day?"

"With your writing skills, writing a funny gossip Official Account will be a piece of cake."

"I have high hopes for you, Old Qin. When the time comes, you'll be the biggest influencer at Qinglin University, a guaranteed top-tier star!"

Hearing this, Zhang Qi and Li Ming immediately recalled the previous incidents and couldn't help but laugh, then started raising their glasses, urging Qin Chaoyang to drink as an apology.

Gu Ran watched them fool around, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of beer by himself.

Then he stood up, walked to a large tree nearby, took out his phone, and opened WeChat.

He skillfully found the pinned chat box with the remark "Dr. Ye".

"Is sister asleep?"

Not long after the message was sent, the other side replied instantly.

"What's up?"

"I drank a bit too much. I need my girlfriend to ride a colorful cloud to come pick me up and take me home."

"Cut the crap. If you drank too much, go sleep on the street!"

Looking at the text on the screen, Gu Ran could already picture the young girl's cute, puffed-up cheeks in his mind.

"That won't do. It's so cold on the street. If this delicate flower gets frozen, who will bloom for Dr. Ye in the future?"

In the girls' dormitory.

Ye Zhenzhen, wearing a conservative pure cotton pajama set, was sitting cross-legged on her bed.

Seeing this message, a smile appeared in her clear eyes. Her fingers moved slightly, typing words that didn't match her heart on the keyboard.

"Bah! You're a fresh flower? At best, you're cow dung!"

Gu Ran immediately sent an eye-rolling sticker and added.

"By the way, sister, I just ate a lot of roasted kidneys, and now I feel full of energy all over."

"If this energy has nowhere to vent, will I explode from holding it in?"

"I need a scientific answer from a medical student."

"???"

This dog...

The girl pursed her lips, the tips of her ears turning a bit red.

Biting her lip, she poked the keyboard heavily.

"You hooligan! What on earth is in your head every day?!"

A reply quickly came from the other side, "It's all you, my sister."

"???"

"Gu 'Dog' Ran!!!"

The shy girl was obviously angry. No matter what Gu Ran sent next, she didn't reply anymore.

The certain someone with alcohol going to his head rubbed his nose, then sent a goodnight sticker and walked back to the table.

Seeing him return, Zhang Qi leaned over with a glass in hand, winking and teasing.

"Brother Gu, reporting your itinerary to sister-in-law?"

Gu Ran raised his eyebrows calmly, picked up the beer bottle on the table, and clinked it with him.

"Of course. This is the new era's code of male virtue, making sure the boss is at ease anytime, anywhere."

The others gave him a thumbs up.

After reporting, they drank openly. After finishing a whole case of beer, the few of them stood up unsteadily, supporting each other by the shoulders.

Zhang Qi had a better alcohol tolerance. He tremblingly supported the dazed Gu Ran. Just as he was about to walk in a straight line, he narrowed his eyes.

"Brother Gu, look, isn't that sister-in-law?"

Sister-in-law?

The kind that makes dumplings?

Gu Ran blinked and looked in the direction he pointed. A tall figure, like a white moonlight, leaped into his eyes.

Ye Zhenzhen walked toward them, frowned, and took the giggling guy from Zhang Qi's hands, then asked: "Why did you all drink so much? Wait a minute, I'll call a car for you."

Li Ming and the others waved their hands repeatedly, "No need, no need. You're too polite, sister-in-law! We can walk by ourselves."

Qin Chaoyang also slurred his words, bracing himself and saying: "Y-yes, we can walk by ourselves, s-sister-in-law."

Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen looked at him in surprise.

But she didn't say much, just nodded gently, and walked back supporting Gu Ran.

Along the way, the young girl could be seen occasionally twisting the young man's ear.

And the thick-skinned young man kept nuzzling into her neck.

The two walked further and further away, their shadows stretching longer and longer.

From a distance, they seemed to merge into one...