Chapter 209 - 149: Let Me Warm Your Hands~

Zhang Liang felt that something was off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it...

"What are their names!?"

He suddenly asked, his tone turning cold.

"Why are you asking that?"

Zhang Niu paused, a hint of confusion on his face.

’Right, why am I even asking?’

Zhang Liang started to say something, but then thought better of it. He realized there was no way to explain his reasoning without making a normal person look at him like he was a complete idiot.

"It’s nothing, just asking."

"Their names... I can’t tell you. At least, I can’t tell you over the phone."

Zhang Niu paused for a moment before shutting him down completely.

Zhang Liang’s brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"We just signed an NDA."

Zhang Niu sounded exasperated. "If you’d called me before three-thirty this afternoon, I might have told you."

"But a little while ago, everyone involved—myself included—signed an unconventional commercial contract with a strict non-disclosure clause."

"Yep, and that includes the names of those two geniuses!"

Business is war.

This was no game, especially at a time like this!

To put it bluntly, back in the early days of a startup, the environment—aside from catching the right trends—was nothing short of chaotic, savage, and bloody.

You think you can start a business in an environment like that by being some refined, pretty boy?

You’d have to be insane!

Forget being refined; the moment you show the slightest weakness, you’ll be torn to shreds!

You can’t even reveal the names of your business partners!

It concerned the fundamental interests of both parties.

For example, if someone found out about Xu Huo and Wang Chao, and Xu Huo posed a threat to them, they would very likely resort to violence against him.

Kill him?

No, no, no, killing is the crudest method.

They could dig up dirt on him, kidnap his family for leverage, backstab Zhang Niu at a critical moment, or even just steal the ideas and technology for themselves.

So, forget about their identities; not even a single name could be revealed!

"Not even for me?" Zhang Liang’s eye twitched.

"Your identity has nothing to do with it."

Zhang Niu shook his head.

"Now that the contract is signed, the rules have to be followed."

"And my only two choices are to ’comply’ or ’betray.’ It has nothing to do with who you are."

"Tsk, you and your bull-headedness."

Zhang Liang clicked his tongue in amazement. "Old Niu, it’s a good thing you became an entrepreneur."

"Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t have made it working with me. You’d have been ’promoted’ and transferred out to some regional post."

Zhang Niu chuckled.

He paid no mind to the other man’s words.

"Quite the opposite."

"If it weren’t for this personality of mine, those people would have eaten me alive long ago."

The Capital City was full of opportunities and talented people. From its high vantage point, one could see far, allowing anyone to dig for gold in society.

But...

There was also a great deal of danger.

Opportunity often walks hand-in-hand with danger!

The Capital City was a chaotic mix of the great and the lowly.

You could be standing on the street, look up, and see a soaring dragon. You might think that dragon is the most incredible thing you’ve ever seen...

But in reality, that dragon would soon vanish, swallowed by a behemoth lurking in the abyss.

Take this for example.

In the world of Xu Huo’s past life, a famous residential building once appeared in a developed area.

That would be Tang Jun. With prices in the hundreds of thousands per square meter, people once thought it was the most exclusive property available.

But in reality, it didn’t even rank in the top five locally.

With all that publicity, would its price soar to number one?

No. Not only would it not, but the moment it became widely known to ordinary people, its price began to fall.

The wealthy residents inside moved out one after another, disappearing from the public eye.

Then, in some unknown place, they would resurface in a brand-new luxury residential area that very few people knew about.

And that was nothing compared to the Capital City.

When you see one behemoth in front of you, you can be sure there are many larger ones lurking in the shadows.

To survive, you have to walk on thin ice, ever cautious and meticulous!

Or...

"Heh, you either become a loach that no one ever sees, or you become a prickly hedgehog that can’t be swallowed."

"Isn’t that how we’ve gotten by all these years?"

"Besides, if I get my ass in a sling, are you gonna have my back or not?"

Zhang Niu laughed heartily, not giving the matter a second thought.

"You old bastard..."

Zhang Liang was speechless. In all these years, besides his superiors, only Zhang Niu dared to speak to him like that.

But he didn’t argue.

If Zhang Niu were really taken out by illicit means... he would have to investigate, both out of professional duty and personal loyalty.

After all, the Special Fifth Bureau was responsible for handling exactly these kinds of special incidents.

As for his relationship with Zhang Niu...

First of all, let’s rule out them being a couple or husband and wife.

The two were childhood friends. They had joined the army twenty-three years ago and were discharged after earning distinction.

Due to his capabilities, Zhang Liang was transferred to the Capital Special Fifth Bureau. Zhang Niu, on the other hand, took a hefty discharge payment, seized the opportunity, and started his own business.

At the time, the government was encouraging entrepreneurship with many incentives, and Zhang Niu rode that wave to success.

"How much do you need this time?"

"As much as you can possibly get!"

As they returned to business, both men grew serious.

"That much? Did you use up the last round of funding?" Zhang Liang asked, surprised.

"No," Zhang Niu said dismissively. "As I said before, this is of the utmost importance. If we do this right, the future of global internet development will bend in our direction!"

"This isn’t about performance; it’s about authority. It holds immense strategic significance, for me and for the government."

"And it’s not just for research funds."

"Technical production, factory equipment, marketing—it all costs money. I don’t plan to take this slow, one step at a time."

A flash of ambition crossed Zhang Niu’s eyes.

"A soaring debut that stuns the world—that’s the kind of treatment this thing deserves!"

"Otherwise... it will just be eaten away, piece by piece."

Hearing this, Zhang Liang’s expression instantly turned grave.