Chapter 214 - 151: When Acquaintances Meet, It’s Extra Awkward

An acquaintance?

Zhang Liang wasn’t sure if you could call them that.

On the one hand, yes. But all in all, he could count the number of times they’d met on one hand.

On the other hand...

Since September of ’03, the other person’s name had been popping up around him constantly.

Then, Wang Chao spoke up, ducking his head awkwardly.

"Kinda."

Zhang Niu: ?

He paused, his mind tying itself in knots. He just couldn’t figure it out.

"What are you doing here?"

Zhang Liang ignored his comment and cut straight to the point.

"Group Leader Zhang, now that’s where you’re wrong. Why can’t I be here?"

Wang Chao decided to stand his ground for once. He stuck his neck out and spoke with great dissatisfaction.

"I am contributing to the economic development of the Eastern Country! I want to do my part for the government!"

"You shouldn’t be asking why I’m here. You should be asking why I’ve only just arrived."

Listening from the side, Zhang Niu chimed in with satisfaction.

"Indeed. It would be a waste if Xiao Wang didn’t get involved in something."

Hearing this, Zhang Liang instantly understood. His eye twitched as he stared directly at Wang Chao. "You’re starting another business!?"

"Heh, just a small one. A little startup,"

Wang Chao said in a low voice.

Then, feeling it still sounded a bit odd, he quickly added something.

"But this time I’m working for Brother Huo! It’s Brother Huo’s enterprise!"

"The two of you are together again!?"

Zhang Liang’s voice rose slightly, and his brows furrowed. He looked at Xu Huo and Wang Chao, his gaze darting back and forth between them.

Seeing this, Zhang Niu froze. He wondered if Xu Huo and the other guy had some kind of criminal record.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t recall anything.

After all, if they did have a record, Zhang Liang certainly wouldn’t have this attitude.

’Then what is it?’

"Ah, let’s eat first. Let’s eat."

Zhang Niu decided to stop thinking about it. He played the peacemaker, cheerfully inviting everyone to sit down.

Zhang Liang also suppressed whatever he was about to say and walked over.

As soon as he sat down, he seemed to remember something and turned his head to look at Xu Huo.

"The people Old Niu was talking about... it’s you two!?"

"If there’s no one else, then I suppose it is."

Xu Huo said casually, not seeming to care in the slightest.

The muscle in Zhang Liang’s cheek, which he had just calmed, began to twitch again.

He looked at Zhang Niu in disbelief.

"You want to do business with these two?"

Zhang Niu looked confused. "Is there a problem?"

"No... no problem."

In the end, Zhang Liang couldn’t find the words and reluctantly gave up.

"Take a look at the future plans Mr. Xu proposed."

"This is the part concerning government support."

Zhang Niu took out the notes he had just taken and handed them over.

With how far the internet had come, it wouldn’t be difficult to create the phone Xu Huo described using existing technology.

Take touchscreens, for example.

Using them on a phone was novel, but the technology had already appeared at the end of the last century, though it was used in other applications.

It was also very laggy and didn’t have much commercial value, so it remained relatively obscure.

The technical department would just need to develop the later generation’s capacitive touchscreen based on the existing technology.

Developing the software wouldn’t be hard either.

However...

"Food delivery? An online shopping platform? Virtual currency?"

In a daze, as if he’d discovered something, Zhang Liang was suddenly captivated, his brow furrowing in concentration.

He stared at the words in silence, then narrowed his eyes.

"What are you trying to do?"

’Virtual currency...’

This sort of thing already existed. The earliest traceable virtual currency used for transactions appeared in ’98.

But it vanished after its creator was imprisoned for fraud.

After that, various other virtual currencies appeared, until a famous one emerged.

Bitcoin!

It appeared in ’09, and when it first came out, its value was practically zero!

After a year of development, in 2010, how much was one Bitcoin worth?

Converted to the Eastern Country’s currency at the 2010 exchange rate, one Bitcoin was worth two cents!

Yes, something else happened that same year.

A programmer from the Bald Eagle nation used ten thousand Bitcoin to buy two pizzas.

And just fourteen years later, in a transaction in October of ’24, a single Bitcoin sold for over four hundred thousand Eastern Country dollars.

Ignoring the factor of human intervention, those Bitcoins used to buy two pizzas could be said to have sold for four billion Eastern Country dollars.

It was the most expensive pizza of the century—you couldn’t even find a runner-up!

Even those turban-wearing folks would see that and clutch their heads, shouting, "Oh my god!" They’d realize there are levels to being a spendthrift they never even imagined.

So, while this stuff was a novelty to ordinary people and even businessmen, it wasn’t to high-level officials.

But just because it wasn’t a novelty didn’t mean it wasn’t important!

"You want to print money?"

Zhang Liang narrowed his eyes, his gaze resting lightly on Xu Huo and Wang Chao.

As his words fell, a brief silence descended upon the room.

"Slander! This is blatant slander!"

"Brother Huo, he’s defaming me! He’s defaming me!!!"

Wang Chao was so scared he jolted as if struck by lightning, instinctively leaping to his feet.

’You want me to sit in an electric chair, trembling while saying I won’t talk? Heck, I’d spill everything!’

Print money?

He wouldn’t dare have such a thought even if he had ten heads!

The Eastern Country was vast, its foundations stable. Few things could shake it.

But printing money just so happened to be one of those few things...

Chao Zi knew he was hard-headed.

But he didn’t think his head was harder than a bullet.

"It’s not printing money. It’s the digitalization of physical currency. We just want to provide a platform."

Xu Huo’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm.

"The digitalization of currency is inevitable. The early practice of mailing money and the current bank card transfers both prove this trend."