Chapter 58: Single-Point Breakthrough
Building C, Xiaoshan Innovation Park.
Lu Liang found the contact number of Hu Weiwei’s assistant on Mobike’s website and arranged to meet at the café by the entrance.
By 11 a.m., Hu Weiwei arrived alone.
At 32, she exuded maturity and charm, much like Tang Caidie, but with a confidence Tang lacked.
“Mr. Lu, my apologies. I hope I’m not late,” she greeted warmly, her hearty laughter immediately making it clear she wasn’t just a decorative figure or, as rumors suggested, Li Bing’s mistress.
Lu Liang replied, “I just got here as well. Ms. Hu, what would you like to drink?”
“An Americano will do,” she said with a smile, all the while sizing him up.
She saw OFO as Mobike’s greatest competitor. In truth, Mobike wouldn’t exist if not for OFO. The news of OFO’s successful financing had reached her yesterday, prompting her to agree to this meeting. Otherwise, with Tianxing Investments’ mere six million yuan in registered capital, it wouldn’t have piqued her interest.
Lu Liang insisted on trying Hangzhou’s signature dish, West Lake Vinegar Fish.
It was then he realized that the lake, the vinegar, and the fish were three entirely separate entities—a baffling culinary trio.
No wonder the dish was considered authentic only when eaten by the lake, where you could throw the plate into the water afterward.
“West Lake Vinegar Fish has a way of humbling anyone who boasts,” Hu Weiwei said with a chuckle.
After their meal, she excused herself and left, leaving Lu Liang free to spend the rest of the day sightseeing around West Lake.
As he snapped some touristy photos, his assistant Chen Jinchun softly reminded him, “Mr. Lu, wasn’t the hotel room wasted?”
“Well, it’s already booked. If you want to stay, feel free. Just make sure to get an invoice for reimbursement,” Lu Liang joked.
“No way! I’m going back with you,” she declared.
By 4 p.m., they returned to Magic City.
“We’re not heading in the same direction. You’ll need to catch a cab home,” Lu Liang said, heading to the parking lot.
Chen fumed, watching him walk away. She wished she had a voodoo doll to poke with his name on it.
Leaving the station, Lu Liang stopped by a mall to buy a Mickey Mouse plushie before heading to Zhang Qian’s home to visit his goddaughter.
The little girl, having been tipped off in advance, eagerly awaited his arrival and threw herself into his arms when he arrived.
“Do you Mickey Mouse?” Lu Liang asked with a smile, pulling out the toy from behind his back.
“Thank you, Uncle! But the one with the bow is Minnie Mouse~” she corrected, hugging the plushie tightly.
“No wonder this mouse looks different from the one I remember,” he chuckled.
“Uncle, you used to watch cartoons too?”
“Of course! Classics like Black Cat Detective, Calabash Brothers, and Shuke and Beita.”
“My mom lied to me again! She said she never watched cartoons when she was little!”
Hearing this, the little girl gasped as her mother started to glare. She quickly made an excuse and ran to her room. “I still have homework to do!”
Zhang Qian smiled tenderly yet helplessly. “You’re going to spoil her rotten.”
“That’s what little girls are for,” Lu Liang said, grinning.
Noticing how stunning Zhang Qian looked in her blue knit dress—curvy and seductive—he thought her presence was akin to a ripe peach, impossible to overlook.
They nestled together on the couch as she shared updates about her life. Her mother had been discharged from the hospital but still needed rest. To avoid burdening them, her father had taken her mother back to their hometown.
Zhang Qian mentioned she’d been exploring entrepreneurial opportunities and asked, “Brother Liang, what do you think about urban fast food?”
Her current job at the beauty salon was relatively relaxed, but she doubted its longevity. Urban fast food, however, seemed more sustainable—something she could build a reputation for and run for decades.