Cutting-Edge Technology R&D Center

Chapter 48: Wang Hao’s Dilemma

After clearing away the dishes, Wang Hao retreated to his room to mull over the issues with Xiao Long. His focus wasn’t on optimizing Xiao Long itself, but rather on the server array—specifically, how to configure the array to maximize Xiao Long’s computational capabilities on the servers. Although the three million had already been repaid, profits from drone sales remained high. After the first batch of buyers received their drones, another wave of purchases followed, keeping Tianbing Drones’ sales steady. If he wanted to purchase a batch of servers, there would be no problem at all in setting aside a portion of the revenue from Tianbing Drones. However, he hadn’t done so yet, preferring to wait until the server array was fully optimized. The next day, Wang Hao got up early for a run, then freshened up and headed out. Naturally, he was carrying a large laptop bag on his back—the mobile graphics workstation that had never left his side since he bought it. He had made plans with Lantian for today, and being extremely punctual, he naturally arrived at the agreed-upon location a little early. “Your best friend’s boyfriend—he’s not trying to show off again, is he?” Lan Wei looked at Guo Yu with a mix of exasperation and amusement. Originally, he’d only planned to meet one of Guo Yu’s roommates, but he hadn’t expected the other roommate to have returned to Yanjing as well—and to bring her boyfriend along, no less. This wasn’t the first time Lan Wei had interacted with Guo Yu’s roommate’s boyfriend. That overwhelming sense of superiority left him utterly speechless. Although the other guy meant no harm, anyone with a weak heart would surely feel the urge to punch him. “It’s not my fault. Liu Dan just can’t keep her mouth shut, and it just so happened that He Qin was back in Yanjing.” Guo Yu’s face also showed a hint of helplessness as she looked at Lan Wei with a touch of apology; her roommate’s boyfriend had certainly caused Lan Wei quite a bit of trouble. “Let’s go. Hao Ge’s probably already here—he’s very punctual,” Lan Wei urged, speaking up. “Mm-hmm,” Guo Yu nodded slightly. “Viewers, your ‘Soldier’ has moved from Gancheng to Beihe Province—his conquest begins here.” Wang Hao watched Fang Bing’s livestream, surprised to see that he had actually made his way to Beihe Province. Beihe Province borders Yanjing; from here, it’s only about a two-hour drive on the highway. “Hao Ge…” Wang Hao was watching Fang Bing’s livestream with great interest when he suddenly heard Lan Wei’s voice. He looked up. “You’re here. Are we ready to go?” “Yeah, but there might be a few of us—though these few people…” Lan Wei suddenly looked a bit embarrassed to speak. “What’s wrong?” Wang Hao glanced at Lan Wei in surprise. Lan Wei clenched her teeth and explained the situation regarding Guo Yu’s roommate’s boyfriend. “Don’t worry, I’m definitely not as sensitive as you are,” Wang Hao said with a soft smile. “By the way, you guys mentioned a road trip yesterday but never said where—where are you planning to go?” Yesterday, Wang Hao had heard they were planning a road trip to explore the area around Yanjing, but no specific destination had been mentioned. “Beihe Province。” Upon hearing Lan Wei’s reply, Wang Hao smiled slightly and nodded. “There’s an antique market here where you can also gamble on jade stones...” In front of Wang Hao, a young man was talking nonstop about the origins of jade stone gambling. Wang Hao listened with a look of exasperation. After glancing at Lan Wei, he was at a loss for words—this was what they called “showing off.” If this had been genuine showboating, Wang Hao wouldn’t have been so torn. But this young man named Qi Yu had been flaunting his knowledge in front of him the entire way. If Lan Wei hadn’t warned him beforehand—and if he hadn’t managed to suppress the urge—his teacherly instincts would surely have taken over, and he would have corrected every single mistake the other man made. But holding it in like this was truly unbearable. After a moment’s thought, he turned to Lan Wei and the others and said “Sorry, my stomach’s acting up a bit. I’m going to find a place to rest for a while.” Wang Hao simply couldn’t stand having someone ramble on in front of him, showing off knowledge riddled with holes—knowledge that was clearly just made up—so he made up a random excuse and separated himself from the group. Lan Wei watched Wang Hao, who looked as if he were fleeing, with an amused expression; it was the first time she’d seen him act this way. “I’m speechless—he actually has the nerve to show off like that.” After Wang Hao left, he breathed a sigh of relief. With a look of resignation, he scanned his surroundings and settled into a random coffee shop. The air quality in Beihe Province also left Wang Hao unimpressed. He’d been there for two days now, and it was hardly any better than Yanjing—in fact, it was even worse—which gave him the idea of building an air purifier. “You put up with it for two days, but finally couldn’t take it anymore, huh? Haha.” A crisp voice rang out behind Wang Hao. “You’re out here too?” Wang Hao turned to look. A woman in a light purple butterfly-print skirt stood before him, her face adorned with light makeup that made her already delicate features even more beautiful. This was Guo Yu’s other roommate, Liu Dan, a native of Yanjing. “If even you, Mr. Cool, can’t take it anymore, how could I possibly hold out? I just made up an excuse to get out of there. By the way, why aren’t you checking out the jade stone auctions? I can’t believe you’re just sitting here.” Liu Dan smiled faintly. She was at a loss for words when it came to her roommate’s boyfriend. You might call him foolish, but he wasn’t actually stupid—he just loved to show off. Whether it was his appearance, his wealth, or his knowledge, anything and everything became a subject for Qi Yu to show off. “I don’t like gambling. Let me buy you a drink,” Wang Hao said with a slight nod. He had absolutely no interest in gambling. He preferred to keep his feet on the ground and take things one step at a time. Even though he’d read some books on jade gambling and developed some gambling skills, he had no intention of actually gambling—he simply treated those books as reading material. “Milk tea, please,” Liu Dan said to the waitress, then turned to Wang Hao and added, “Since you’re treating us—which is a rare occasion—maybe I should order a few more cups.” Over the past few days, she’d become quite curious about Wang Hao. He was always so calm and composed—and what stood out most to her was just how stingy he was. “Do I really seem that stingy to you?” Wang Hao looked at Liu Dan with a helpless expression. “Of course you are—how could you not be? Let me list what you’ve done these past two days: when we went out to eat, you filled your water bottle to the brim before leaving; at the hotel, you took home every single-use toothpaste tube that wasn’t finished. If that isn’t being stingy, what is?” Liu Dan listed them one by one, raising her hand as she spoke, all the while watching Wang Hao’s expression. When she saw a look of embarrassment cross his face, she immediately changed the subject: “Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. At least I think it’s great. As for that guy Qi Yu, don’t pay him any mind.” Wang Hao knew she meant no harm—she was just teasing him. These were habits he’d picked up in high school. Just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out and saw it was Fang Bing. “Hao Ge..。” Wang Hao could hear that Fang Bing’s voice on the other end sounded very heavy—he even seemed to have been crying—so he hurriedly asked “What’s wrong?” Wang Hao furrowed his brow, a rare look of seriousness flashing across his face as he spoke.