Huang Man had considered that Zhao Mei might not give up and go to Q University to inquire about her.
After all, she really was studying abroad; even if Zhao Mei made a trip to the school, what could she do? She would just come back empty-handed.
As for this so-called mother, Huang Man genuinely had no affection for her whatsoever.
Such a person really didn’t deserve to be called a mother.
Zhao Lei had driven to the airport to pick her up, and didn’t forget to throw a lavish welcome banquet.
Looking at the sumptuous dinner, Huang Man felt that this meal might not be so easy to digest, mainly because given this guy’s temperament, who knows what kind of price she might have to pay for it.
"After we finish this meal, we’ll need to start working," Zhao Lei didn’t hide his intentions, since they were all old acquaintances, there was no need to be secretive.
The others, upon hearing Zhao Lei’s words, weren’t surprised and continued to eat seriously.
Huang Man was stunned. "No way, I just arrived today."
"Won’t you let me rest?" At the very least, she should adjust to the jet lag.
Huang Man was prepared to start working upon her arrival, but she didn’t expect to be rushed into it so quickly.
"Of course, of course. Oh, I’ve put your things on the second floor in your bedroom."
"Since you are the only female, you’ll stay in the master bedroom," Zhao Lei was quite generous with Huang Man.
In his heart, she was the person who had pulled him out of the mire and was also very forthright with her work.
The master bedroom? "You take it, a regular room will do for me," Huang Man didn’t dare take Zhao Lei’s master bedroom.
"I remember when you bought the place, you mentioned there was a room downstairs with an en suite bathroom. Is anyone staying there?"
"Nobody is staying there, but the room isn’t big," Zhao Lei hesitated.
"It’s enough, I don’t have many things," Huang Man was not fussy about her accommodations, "A wardrobe is all I need."
"Sure," knowing Huang Man had made up her mind, Zhao Lei readily agreed.
"Take some time in the next few days to take the driving test. We have two cars at home, so you can drive when you go out."
"From now on, for many external matters, we will rely on you," Zhao Lei finally took a long breath.
Otherwise, even just having meals was an issue, "I used to really like eating hamburgers and fried chicken, but since coming here, the sight of burgers just gives me a headache."
Zhao Lei felt there was a fried chicken taste even in his speech, and the others nodded in agreement, saying they really didn’t feel like eating fried chicken anymore.
"Alright." Well, in addition to being a writer, she would also have to shoulder the responsibility of cooking.
"Let me know if there are any foods you can’t eat." Huang Man indicated that meals would be simplistic.
"No problem, no problem," none of the others had any objections.
"The Chinese restaurants here, many have been adapted to cater to Western tastes,"
"Many are run by immigrants of two or three generations."
Huang Man laughed, "No problem. Oh, the Chinese supermarket, do you know where it is?"
"Vegetables are a bit expensive here." Zhao Lei also knew how to cook and had shopped at the Chinese supermarket before.
The prices made him exclaim their high cost, "I had no idea green onions were that expensive here."
"That’s normal. Many items are imported from back home."
"I remember the house you bought has a big yard, which is perfect for gardening."
"Loosening the soil and watering regularly is like exercise."
"When you guys have a break, you can also keep busy by planting vegetables you like."
Vegetables are expensive? No problem, just grow them yourself. Otherwise, the yard is just going to waste."
"You usually go to the gym to work out, so gardening is perfect for you," Huang Man decided on the matter directly.
A few people looked toward Zhao Lei, thinking that the rich young master would probably disagree, but to their surprise, he accepted the whole idea readily.
They exchanged glances, wondering if she was Zhao Lei’s girlfriend or perhaps someone he admired, considering how he was picking her up from the airport, treating her to a big meal, and even offering up the master bedroom.
As they got to know Zhao Lei better, they all realized that he was actually quite authoritarian, although he would listen if you made sense, but he would never have this kind of attitude.
But when they looked at Huang Man, they just could not see any signs that she was Zhao Lei’s type.
Don’t ask them why they thought this; Zhao Lei had girlfriends before, all of them pretty girls with good health and cheerful personalities.
In short, they were nothing like Huang Man, but that was their business, not something for them to discuss.
After Huang Man arrived in America, she began to run around, signing up for a driving test on her own and getting her license in the shortest time possible.
Meanwhile, the garden that had been idle was now being utilized by Huang Man, who built a vegetable pond to start gardening, and the plants were already sprouting.
Of course, she stayed on top of the logistical work, cooking all three meals every day.
As for the coding work, she never fell behind, always completing her assigned tasks swiftly every day.
This made everyone, who initially had various concerns about her arrival and thought she would just be doing logistic work, change their minds.
"I also studied computer science." Although China was lagging behind Europe and America in the field of computer science, the basics were taught very solidly.
What’s more important is that after going through many tasks, even without having worked in the IT industry, one would understand the development of the computer industry, at least to an extent, which of course allowed for better control.
Zhao Lei watched as his friends looked at Huang Man with admiration and laughed, "What do you think?"
"You’re deserving of being the leader. With Sister Man joining us, I believe our project will definitely succeed."
Zhao Lei had invested in the project, and everyone else, including Huang Man, had now joined the venture with their technical skills, all eager to complete the startup project in their hands.
Only then could they share in the profits and alleviate their financial pressures.
Zhao Lei was also eager to achieve results quickly because he didn’t have a lot of money at hand. If he couldn’t make progress, he would have to sell one or two of his properties in Capital City.
Huang Man knew that Zhao Lei didn’t have much money left, but no matter how urgent, there was nothing that could be done except to slowly make progress.
Fortunately, just as Zhao Lei was running low on funds, they managed to develop their first product.
It was a financial accounting software, and having worked as an accountant before, Huang Man knew it was better than the financial software currently available on the market.
However, selling this product, especially to financial software companies, would be difficult given their company’s limited strength.
Zhao Lei hadn’t expected the product to be better than their initial projections, "Actually, if we promote it ourselves, that would be best."
"But how can we promote it?" Huang Man knew that promotion was a problem, as it would require building up the entire team once the software was in use.
Building a team meant needing more funds, which in turn required attracting investments.
Huang Man was aware that as soon as the word got out, there would definitely be venture capitalists willing to invest.
"Let’s vote on it and explain why we each want to do it this way," Zhao Lei decided to see everyone’s opinions.