FLBOTCP Chapter 95
Full Level Bigshot Only Takes the Career Path Chapter 95
S City truly lives up to its reputation as a big city, even the famous hotspots have such long queues. As soon as Feng Mu and his assistant entered the store, they were directed to sit in the second-floor hall. This time, they came on a business trip because of technical issues at Lemon Platform’s S City branch. Specifically, the technical side of the branch encountered some problems making Feng Mu, the Technical Director, to come over for guidance.
“Master, why do I feel like your mood isn’t too good today?” The assistant glanced at Feng Mu’s expression. Since leaving the branch in the morning, his master had been wearing a gloomy expression, even scolding the branch staff. But it was understandable. In such a large company like Lemon Platform, the technical department of the branch didn’t even have a decent programmer. They didn’t even conduct proper bug testing. Instead, they ran the program directly, causing such a huge mess and forcing his master to rush over from the headquarters.
“I’m so angry. I’m constantly thinking about expanding new content and trying out new styles. With so much money, they could easily hire other streamers to fill the stage, but when it comes to technology, they haven’t even thought about hiring competent programmers.” Feng Mu had been with Lemon Platform for so many years, and he had emphasized the technical issues multiple times. However, the company always brushed it aside. It wasn’t until last year that they started paying attention to this problem, thinking about updating the technology. But they soon realized that the old code was challenging to deal with, so they considered hiring an outsourcing company.
Feng Mu was angry after hearing this, but his authority was limited, and he couldn’t go against their leader.
In the department, there are quite a few capable junior colleagues who have developed numerous features for Lemon Platform over the years. But in the end, a few of them chose to leave for other companies directly because of this problem. Feng Mu endured with this mindset for another two years. He was still hopeful at first when he saw Lemon Platform finally making a decision to focus on technology. But he ended up abandoning the original plan because there were a lot of issues before him. He suggested just outsourcing to solve the problem.
When Feng Mu recalled this, frustration welled up within him. He had been working at Lemon Platform since graduation, and his current position was the result of several years of hard work.
However, looking at the current state of the platform, he couldn’t help but feel a bit tired.
“In the live streaming industry, our platform is quite stable. But if you look at the newly emerged ‘Zhajiang Mian’ from last year, their team is young but they can still develop such advanced technology. Our platform is not lacking, so why are we lagging behind in technology?” Feng Mu sighed, “If only they had put more effort into it earlier, we wouldn’t be only now thinking about technological innovation. If they had done it well, it would be fine, but look at what they’ve achieved from the planned innovations this year. It’s really embarrassing when you talk about it.”
The assistant could see that his master was very tired. He knows that his master was the happiest when they talked about innovation. But now it seemed like inexperienced individuals were guiding those who knew the trade. Instead of coming up with something creative, they were already talking about outsourcing, completely disregarding his master. “Master, what do you plan to do?”
After a moment of silence, Feng Mu said, “I might quit. Once this project is completed, I don’t plan on staying here.”
Originally, he had some hesitation, but seeing the current situation in the branch, the frustration in his heart couldn’t be contained. He had hoped that the higher-ups would have a long-term vision so that the platform wouldn’t be in its current state. But those people still proudly claimed their platform to be the best. While the platform was indeed good, with technology evolving so rapidly, without finding a solution, the user experience might decline in a few more years.
“Last time Xiao Ye asked if you were considering changing jobs, right? Master, isn’t your contract expiring soon?” the assistant asked. “So, Master, have you thought about your next move?”
Feng Mu felt a bit irritated, “I haven’t thought about it. I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
While the two were waiting for the waiter to bring their dishes, the door on the other side of the private room opened. In the bustling and limited space of S City, the second-floor hall of this popular internet-famous restaurant was not far from the private rooms and only a partition door separated them. With nothing particular to do, Feng Mu immediately noticed the person who stepped out first, and he was instantly stunned.
When the man just came out, he was still holding a mask and a hat in his hand. His unconcealed side face made Feng Mu suddenly remember who this man was.
It was Zhao Yao, one of the bosses behind the ‘Zhajiang Mian’ platform.
To be honest, he didn’t initially know Zhao Yao. It was purely curiosity about Zhao Yao as a person. The Zhajiang Mian platform was seen as a rising competitor in the eyes of the company’s higher-ups, but to him, it was a platform that particularly emphasized the technical aspects and user experience.
For a new platform like ‘Zhajiang Mian,’ breaking through in today’s competitive market is a very challenging task. However, ‘Zhajiang Mian’ took a different approach. Even though the diversity of its content might not surpass other platforms, its excellent user experience has garnered them a lot of users.
During the process of technological innovation, he paid particular attention to the ‘Zhajiang Mian’ platform. He even conducted investigations on some enthusiast websites to explore the technical team behind this platform. Their team was notably young and composed, as indicated by relevant survey data. The platform had been in preparation for several years, with the technical groundwork taking a considerable amount of time. Platforms that consider user experience from a technical perspective are rare, prompting him to investigate the management structure of ‘Zhajiang Mian.’
He discovered that their boss, Gu Sui, didn’t have a technical background, but he possessed a visionary outlook. Through conversations with some programmers at ‘Zhajiang Mian,’ Feng Mu learned that before the platform’s launch, the individuals responsible for the final risk assessment were Gu Sui and Zhao Yao.
The more he understood the technical team at ‘Zhajiang Mian,’ the more Feng Mu felt that this team was formidable. The individuals who could clearly and precisely identify issues within this team were outstanding, especially considering that neither of them had a technical background.
Feng Mu couldn’t hold back any longer. He told his assistant, then walked over to greet them.
Zhao Yao seemed to have just finished his meal, accompanied by another person. The latter, wearing a hat, had taken the lead and was already following the waiter to settle the bill.
Feng Mu approached and greeted Zhao Yao in a low voice, “Hello, Zhao Zong.”
When Zhao Yao turned around, he saw a man in a floral shirt. This man appeared somewhat frivolous, with even some unshaven stubble on his face. However, his gaze was filled with curiosity and admiration. Zhao Yao felt a bit skeptical but nodded slightly, “Hello.”
“I’m Feng Mu, the Technical Director from Lemon Platform,” Feng Mu said, handing his business card to Zhao Yao.
“Hello,” Zhao Yao accepted it, glancing at the name on the card. “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring my business cards today.”
“No problem, Zhao Zong. It’s really a coincidence to meet you here,” Feng Mu didn’t mind and was quite curious. He asked, “Zhao Zong, I’ve read an interview with Mr. Gu before, and it mentioned technical risks in live streaming platforms. I heard that you were the one who brought up this issue…”
Pei Mingzhan, who had finished settling the bill, turned around and noticed that Zhao Yao hadn’t caught up. He turned his head and saw a man standing beside Zhao Yao, talking to him excitedly.
He hesitated for a moment and then turned to the waiter, “How do you usually handle situations where customers are harassed in your establishment?”
It was only when settling the bill that the waiter noticed the customer was Pei Mingzhan. Now, hearing the question from Pei Mingzhan, the waiter slightly peeked in the direction of the corridor. Not far away, he saw Pei Mingzhan’s friend being intercepted by someone. With a serious expression, he replied, “I’m very sorry. I’ll inform our supervisor immediately.”
After saying that, he went to find someone.
Zhao Yao looked at the person in front of him, endlessly discussing various technical issues. Some of the questions he could understand, but when it delved into deeper topics, it was beyond his comprehension. However, it was evident that this person was very interested in the technology behind ‘Zhajiang Mian.’
Feng Mu spoke enthusiastically, trying hard to steer the conversation. It seemed like Zhao Yao was also considering having a deeper discussion when suddenly, several waiters came bustling down the corridor. The person at the forefront was dressed in formal attire, appearing to be the supervisor of the restaurant.
“Sir, I’m very sorry,” the supervisor slightly bowed to apologize to Zhao Yao. Then, he turned to Feng Mu standing beside him, “Sir, you are disturbing other customers during their meal.”
Feng Mu hadn’t finished speaking, “Wait a moment, I’m having a friendly discussion with Zhao Zong…”
He suddenly looked at the man behind the supervisor. The man with the black hat took Zhao Yao’s hand and promptly guided him out.
At this moment, someone in the hall suddenly spoke up, “Hey, wait a minute, isn’t that Pei Mingzhan?”
“A celebrity is here?”
“Is it for real?”
“What? Which Pei Mingzhan? The movie star?”
“Where, where?”
Pei Mingzhan’s popularity had slightly decreased recently, but because there were so many young people in the famous internet restaurant, a few comments quickly spread, and people started looking around to find him.
The restaurant suddenly became lively. Feng Mu was still being held back by the waiter when he realized that the man from earlier was none other than the Film Emperor Pei Mingzhan.
The restaurant patrons picked up their phones, wanting to take pictures of Pei Mingzhan. But Pei Mingzhan had already left the restaurant with Zhao Yao, leaving no trace behind.
Seeing this, Feng Mu’s assistant approached and asked, “Master, was that Pei Mingzhan just now? It seems like everyone in the restaurant is talking about it.”
“Seems like it,” Feng Mu, feeling a bit regretful, tapped his hand lightly and apologized to the nearby waiter, “Sorry for causing trouble with your work.”
The waiter originally expected a difficult customer, but was surprised to find the person quickly softening their attitude and apologizing.
Feng Mu realized he had acted too impulsively because of excitement. Reflecting on his behavior, he thought he should have chosen a better time to discuss things with General Zhao, rather than approaching him in such a situation.
The assistant looked somewhat helpless at his master. His master was great in many aspects, but when it came to pursuing expertise in his field, he could get a bit obsessive. These days, he had been busy cleaning up messes at the branch office, hadn’t taken care of himself, and seemed a bit unfocused. Seeing his master so excited after meeting General Zhao, he patiently said, “You were too impulsive. Zhao Zong is also the boss of ‘Zhajiang Mian,’ our competitor…”
-*
Pei Mingzhan quickly pulled Zhao Yao out when the restaurant started buzzing with excitement. By the time the place became lively, they had already stepped out of the door of the popular-internet restaurant. The sunlight outside was glaring, and Zhao Yao, pulled along in a hurry, took a moment to react. His hat was not secured properly and was blown off by the wind and fell to the ground.
The people waiting outside were still unaware of what was happening. When someone inside the restaurant shouted that Pei Mingzhan had come, the two men who were previously standing at the door were already out of sight.
“What? Huh?”
“Was Pei Mingzhan one of those two handsome guys who just ran by?”
“Wait, is it really Pei Mingzhan? Why didn’t I see him?”
“Damn, where did they go??”
The two finally stopped at a corner of the pedestrian street, where there were fewer people, and not many were moving around. Zhao Yao stopped and looked at Pei Mingzhan. They exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
Zhao Yao rarely moved around so energetically. Even though it was after a meal, while he initially wanted to criticize his boyfriend for such intense activity after eating, suddenly, he didn’t feel like saying much. They had gone out together many times, and they had been stopped by fans several times. Usually, when recognized, they would stop, take a photo, sign an autograph, and then leave. It was rare had they been called out like this by a group of people.
Just now, at the corner of the second floor, when he heard people in the restaurant asking where Pei Mingzhan was, Zhao Yao almost wanted to speak up and alert Pei Mingzhan. But Pei Mingzhan didn’t say anything. He just swaggered out of the restaurant with him.
“Why did you suddenly start running?” Zhao Yao looked at Pei Mingzhan. “Didn’t you say that if someone recognizes us, we will just say we’re here to eat?”
“I don’t know. I suddenly wanted to take you away,” Pei Mingzhan said, then noticed something was off. He paused slightly, “Where’s your hat?”
Zhao Yao suddenly realized, “I didn’t secure it properly, and it fell off.”
This style of hat was the first one Zhao Yao bought online for Pei Mingzhan before they were officially together. Although their wardrobe had many styles of hats, Zhao Yao couldn’t understand why Pei Mingzhan preferred this particular one. He even made a special request to bring this hat when someone went home to get clothes last time.
Later, Zhao Yao went online to ask and learned that there is always a special commemorative meaning for the first time. Since it was the first couple hat given, it must be very important for the boyfriend.
Zhao Yao furrowed his brows slightly. When he looked back, the two of them had already run to another unfamiliar street. “Should we go back and look for it? Maybe it fell somewhere on the way…”
He paused halfway. Going back now would surely mean running into the group of people from earlier. And since this area was a pedestrian street, it would be challenging to handle any problems quickly when there are more people.
“Sorry to bother you, but your hat fell…”
Suddenly, a timid voice sounded from the left of the two. Zhao Yao turned his head and saw two girls standing nearby. The one speaking held his hat.
Seeing the two turning around, the leading girl extended the hat a bit more.
Zhao Yao paused slightly, “Thank you.”
Mu Tingting was extremely nervous. When the person in front of her thanked her, she couldn’t help but tightly grip her companion’s sleeve. The two people in front were looking at her. The taller one wore a hat and a mask tightly, but from her perspective, it was unmistakably Pei Mingzhan. Pei Mingzhan’s eyes were too recognizable. In the eyes of Pei’s fans, the acting skills in Pei Mingzhan’s eyes were impressive. Even if those eyes turned into ashes, fans could still recognize them.
On the other hand, Xiao Zhao wasn’t wearing a hat, and his mask was pulled halfway. His expression remained as cold and distant as ever, but when he thanked them, his tone was unexpectedly serious.
Pei Mingzhan observed, “Thank you. Otherwise, we would have to go back.”
“No, no need to be polite,” Mu Tingting controlled her excitement, “I’m your fan!”
Her friend sensibly pulled her hand and whispered, “Calm down, Tingting, don’t get too excited.”
Zhao Yao noticed the girl in front seemed a bit timid yet had a lot to say. He glanced at Pei Mingzhan before saying, “The hat is important to me. Thank you for picking it up. As a token of gratitude, let me treat you to some bubble tea.”
Pei Mingzhan look around and spotted a nearby alley with a bubble tea shop. “Let’s go there.”
The bubble tea shop had only two or three people at this moment. Pei Mingzhan and Zhao Yao went to the front counter to place their order.
Zhao Yao scanned the menu and first ordered low-sugar bubble tea for the two girls. Then, he ordered a cup of hot cocoa for Pei Mingzhan. Pei Mingzhan was surprised when he saw Zhao Yao selecting the sugar level for the bubble tea. “I thought you weren’t into these things. Before, on the set, when I offered you something cold, you complained for a long time.”
“I just don’t like cold drinks,” Zhao Yao explained, “In my previous job, people in the team often ordered bubble tea.”
In his previous life, he actually enjoyed these things. Before he had any health issues, he would often drink cola and beer and ordered bubble tea with his colleagues. Later, with the change in leadership in the Zhao Group and his health issues, his diet and lifestyle gradually became more restrained.
Carrying over habits to this life, he found it hard to adapt to cola and beer, so he paid attention to various dietary habits.
He thought it was good this way. If given another chance at life, having a healthy body was the most important.
Pei Mingzhan then ordered a cup of fresh milk for Zhao Yao and asked, “So, are you starting to cut back on sugar at such a young age?”
This reminded Zhao Yao, and after a slight pause, he thought, “Pei Mingzhan, next time before your vacation, let me know in advance. We can go for a health checkup together. Also, pay attention to your habits, try to avoid working overtime and staying up late. The company employs so many staff so as not to have you overwork and catch a cold…”
He stopped midway in his sentence.
Pei Mingzhan smiled and asked him, “Why didn’t you finish your sentence? Is the next step going to be promoting the health tea you often drink to me?”
“No,” Zhao Yao frowned slightly, “I’m wondering when you’ll consider early retirement.”
Mu Tingting and her friend waited at the tea table in the bubble tea shop and from time to time would glance at the two people ordering at the counter. From her perspective, it was a profile view. She saw Xiao Zhao talking to Film Emperor Pei about something, and Film Emperor Pei had a slight smile on his face, appearing to happily discuss something.
She couldn’t help but feel happy. Why did she feel so uncontrollably happy when she saw the two of them talking?
Their relationship was just so good!!!
It was so difficult. She couldn’t control it at all! She really wanted to let out a long howl to the sky.
Soon, the bubble teas were ready. The two handsome guys behind the counter brought the drinks over. Mu Tingting pressed her lips together, hoping to control herself. But when she heard Zhao Yao asking her a question, she completely lost her composure.
“Here’s your bubble tea.” Zhao Yao placed the drinks on the table and then sat down with Pei Mingzhan on the other side.
Mu Tingting couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Zhao, why did you choose to eat there? Aren’t you afraid of being recognized by fans?”
In response, Pei Mingzhan smiled and said, “Well, aren’t we already recognized by you guys? It doesn’t make a difference wherever we go.”
Mu Tingting touched her head and said, “It was just a coincidence for us. The main reason is that you guys look too good. We were in line just now, and many people in the queue were asking if you were celebrities. But you covered up too well, and they didn’t recognize you at first. Later, someone shouted Pei Ge’s name, but by then, you guys had already run away.”
Zhao Yao explained, “Online reviews mentioned that this restaurant is good, so I wanted to give it a try with him.”
Pei Mingzhan nodded and added, “But still, thank you both. Thanks for not making a fuss. Otherwise, we might not have had the chance to have lunch.”
Mu Tingting suggested in a low voice, “I also recognized you guys because of the hat. Are you both wearing the same style? Last time, when fans posted pictures of you encountered on the street, Xiao Zhao was also wearing this hat.”
“Are you talking about this one?” Pei Mingzhan pointed to the hat on his head. “We were worried about being recognized by fans when we went out, so he bought hats for us to wear.”
Zhao Yao nodded, surprised that they were recognized because of the hat. “It’s the same style. Occasionally, he forgets to wear it.”
He paused and asked, “Is this hat very easy to recognize?”
They are both black hats with simple patterns on top. How come fans can easily recognize the hats of the two?
“It’s quite recognizable…” Mu Tingting didn’t have the heart to mention that the hat is a couple’s style, which had caused a stir on short video platforms and even led to many imitations online. “Can I take a photo with you guys?”
Pei Mingzhan nodded, “Of course.”
Mu Tingting took out her phone to prepare for a selfie. When the phone screen lit up, Zhao Yao noticed the wallpaper.
After taking the photo, he asked Mu Tingting, “Your phone wallpaper…”
“Oh, this?” Mu Tingting saw that her wallpaper was the kite-flying photo she had found online. At that time, she had chatted with friends in the group for a while because it was a distant view, and she didn’t have concrete evidence to prove that the people in the photo were Zhao Yao and Pei Mingzhan. She smiled apologetically, “This is a picture I found online. The blogger is quite famous and took a documentary-style photo of flying kites in the countryside. I used it as my wallpaper.”
“Can I take a look?” Zhao Yao asked.
“Of course,” Mu Tingting handed him the phone.
The image on the wallpaper was a photo of him and Pei Mingzhan flying kites in the countryside of H City. Although it was a distant view, Zhao Yao immediately recognized the figures as himself and Pei Mingzhan. He didn’t expect that their rural outing had been unexpectedly captured by a passerby.
Pei Mingzhan was a bit surprised too when he saw the picture. “Is there only one?”
Mu Tingting replied, “It’s a set of pictures. At that time, I only saved two of them.”
Zhao Yao and Pei Mingzhan rarely took photos, but after seeing this particular picture, Zhao Yao wanted to save it. He asked about the ID of the Weibo blogger from Mu Tingting and then searched for it on Weibo.
It had been a while since he last logged into Weibo, and there was a brief lag when he went online, but it quickly smoothed out. After finding the blogger, with Mu Tingting’s guidance, he searched for the keywords and swiftly found the set of kite-flying pictures.
“Can I ask a secret question?” Mu Tingting asked. “Are the people in these pictures you two?”
Seeing her cautious look, Pei Mingzhan couldn’t help but laugh. “Haven’t you already figured it out?”
Mu Tingting smiled, “I had some guesses, but I didn’t expect it to be true. These pictures are so beautiful.”
As she spoke, she suddenly noticed a notification popping up on her phone.
Especially noteworthy: @SmallAccount: Forwarded a Weibo post//@WindyWorld: Kite~ [Image]
Mu Tingting: ?????
She looked at Zhao Yao cautiously, only to find that he was frowning at his phone, as if confused by something.
Pei Mingzhan asked, “What’s wrong?”
After reposting the Weibo, Zhao Yao suddenly realized something was wrong. He wasn’t quite familiar with the operations of this version of Weibo. In his previous life, the functions on Weibo had become simpler in the future, unlike the current version with its numerous scattered features. So, his usual interaction with Weibo mainly involved reposting, commenting, and following. When he saw the image earlier, he instinctively clicked on repost and favorite, only now realizing that something might be off…
“I accidentally forwarded it,” Zhao Yao found the rarely used delete key. “Wait, let me delete the post.”
The author has something to say:
Mu Tingting reminded: Xiao Zhao, you can click on ‘favorite’ on Weibo… or just long-press to save.
Peipei: It’s okay, just delete it.
Brother Lao: Okay my ass!!!!
—
hhhh I don’t know if you still remember, Mu Tingting is the girl who discovered the kite picture before.
We’re almost close to the end ~
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10
Myr
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