Chapter 428: Two Years

The two of them found a casual restaurant near the supermarket, where Qi Tongwei ordered two dishes—one meat and one vegetable—and two bowls of rice.

"Senior Qi, you don't need to stand on ceremony with me."

"Not at all, I think this is enough; if we order too much, the two of us won't be able to finish it, and that would be a waste."

"Alright, Senior, where is your home?"

They mostly met in the Library and couldn't make loud noises there, so they didn't know much about each other.

"Oh, my home is in a rural village under Yantai City."

"Oh."

Chen Yang felt a bit disappointed; she usually thought Qi Tongwei's manner of speaking didn't seem like that of a rural person and had assumed he had some background, but she hadn't expected...

She didn't care too much about this, but if she had to consider the future, she wouldn't be able to get past her father's approval, so Chen Yang's interest in Qi Tongwei faded a little.

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm just from Jingzhou, my home isn't very far from the school."

"No wonder you came here to study, but why didn't you commute? If my home were near the school, I would definitely go home to live."

"I'm a girl, how could I commute at night?" Chen Yang rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, right, that's true." Qi Tongwei nodded awkwardly.

The two of them then ate in silence, but they didn't expect to run into a brat.

"Sis, is it really you?"

"Chen Hai? Did you sneak out to play again?"

"No, no, I didn't sneak out, the school is on break, I came out to look around with a few classmates. Who is he?"

"Oh, I am Qi Tongwei, Chen Yang's senior."

"Why are you eating with my sister?"

"Oh, your sister and I both needed to buy some things, we met at the school gate, so we went together."

Chen Hai stared at Qi Tongwei for a long time, and seeing his calm expression, he nodded suspiciously.

"Chen Hai, if you dare to talk nonsense when you go back, I'll beat you to death."

"I won't, I won't, Sis, I haven't seen you today," Chen Hai hurriedly fawned with a grin.

"Here, don't spend it recklessly." Chen Yang knew he was short on money again as soon as she saw him like this, so she gave him five yuan.

"Okay, okay, you guys keep eating, I'm leaving."

"Senior Qi, he is my younger brother Chen Hai, he's in his first year of high school this year."

"Mm."

Because of Chen Hai's intrusion, and their understanding of each other's backgrounds, their relationship was no longer as pure as it had been at the start; after seeing Chen Yang back, Qi Tongwei returned to the dormitory.

"Number Six, any harvest?"

"Yes, I brought you guys some food."

Qi Tongwei had also bought quite a few things, mostly study tools, but he also bought some snacks to feed his "good sons."

However, seeing the prices at the supermarket today, he finally realized how much the things Zhang Weijun had sent him were worth.

"Number Six, nothing else?" Wu Haifeng looked full of gossip.

"Third Brother, you're too picky, Number Six bought these two things, which is enough to eat, what else do you want to eat?" Yan Wei, who was tall and sturdy, spoke up for him.

"You blockhead, am I talking about food?"

"Hm? Oh... Number Six, aren't you going to confess?"

"Confess what? We bought the things we needed and came back after eating lunch."

"Number Six, you even treated Junior Chen to a meal?"

"No, she treated me; I helped her carry quite a few things along the way, and she was thanking me."

"..."

"Number Six, you're usually quite capable when handling things, how come you're acting like a fool in this kind of situation?"

"You guys are just bored and thinking too much; didn't Number Six say yesterday that he wouldn't date during university?"

"The Eldest understands me."

The other four had thought Qi Tongwei was just being stubborn yesterday, but his current straight-man behavior didn't look like it.

"Number Six, you're awesome."

If they were invited by a great beauty like Chen Yang, they would definitely dress up; as for carrying things for a beauty, wasn't that expected? Not to mention treating her to a meal.

"Your realms are still too low; Number Six is playing hard to get," Wu Haifeng said with the look of someone who had seen through it all.

Qi Tongwei couldn't be bothered to pay attention to these four clowns; he grabbed the History of Ming and his professional books and went to the Library.

"Look, look, see?" Wu Haifeng said triumphantly.

"..."

Not long after Qi Tongwei arrived at the Library, Chen Yang arrived right behind him; both were startled when they saw each other, nodded, and then went back to their own reading.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Day of 1987; the Oriental Group's mobile phone had already been launched in Xiangjiang. Supplies were limited, so they hadn't done any advertising, but it was still noticed by those with a keen eye.

"What is that?"

"Phone, sir."

"A phone? Like a Big Brother?"

"That's right, sir, but our phone has a better signal, is more stable, is drop-resistant and durable, and is small and lightweight."

Compared to the size of a Big Brother, the Oriental Mobile Phone was indeed small and lightweight.

"Wow, indeed, the feel is very good, how much is it?"

"Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars; currently, it can only be used in Xiangjiang and parts of China."

The Oriental Group has not yet signed relevant agreements with operators in other countries, and this is also a revolutionary advancement, so the 1G ones are not compatible either.

"Oh my god, are you all this cheap? It's just a pity it can't be used globally."

This merchant from the Beautiful Country looked slightly regretful, but this was also unintentionally publicized by him, and the home appliance section of the Oriental Supermarket in Xiangjiang immediately saw many people coming, all rushing for the mobile phones.

"I want to buy an Oriental Mobile Phone."

"I'll take two as well."

Most of these people were second-generation wealthy or second-generation officials; they naturally wanted to get their hands on novel things as soon as possible to play with them and then show off to their friends.

Meanwhile, domestically, with the heavy investment from the Oriental Group and the assistance of various parties, major cities have already completed the installation and coverage of Signal Towers.

As the gateway for trade with Xiangjiang, Pengcheng had Signal Tower coverage immediately, and Oriental Mobile Phones were also on sale at the supermarket.

Due to insufficient production capacity, the price is the same as in Xiangjiang; in any case, the ones being harvested in the early stage are the wealthy, and once production increases, the price will naturally come down.

Moreover, the Oriental Mobile Phone entered the domestic market ten months earlier than the Big Brother, and the price is lower; by the time the Big Brother wants to enter later, it can be said that there is almost no market left for it.

Sijiucheng and Modu, these two places, naturally also had Signal Towers erected, and they were fully covered; even in supermarkets, Oriental Mobile Phones were sold out the moment they hit the shelves, and the price on the Black Market rose again and again.

"Ping'an, don't play that Hunger Marketing game with this mobile phone; you can't mess around."

"No, Dad, it's really insufficient production capacity; Mobile Phone Factory Two and Three are already under construction in Pengcheng and can be put into use after the New Year."

"Hmm, you don't know that the price on the Black Market has been bid up to nearly twenty thousand now, and it's still rising."

Zhang Ping'an finally experienced the joy of the Big Brother; no wonder it could be speculated to thirty or fifty thousand back then—he still underestimated the wealthy people in the country.

"Don't worry, Dad, once production capacity increases, the price will naturally fall back."

"Hmm."

Zhong Laotou was also worried that this Black Market price would affect Zhang Ping'an; this is an exclusive cake, and many are eyeing it—it is only because they, a few old fellows, are holding the fort that no one dares to mess around.

Zhang Ping'an also knows the huge benefits of this piece of cake; once production increases, he will naturally share some profits with the major shareholder operators so that it can be more stable.

With the military and the Ministry of Public Security as his backing, it can be said that as long as Zhang Ping'an does not commit treason, it is difficult for anyone to target him.