Chapter 415: Thousands of People Listening
In the waiting hall of Baiyun Airport.
Half a year later, Lu Yiming met Zhou Zhiming again. He had just come from Hong Kong today upon invitation.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
"I hope you are well."
Lu Yiming smiled and walked forward to put his arm around Zhou Zhiming's shoulders: "In this competition, with a genius like you helping me, I can say that half of the championship trophy is already in my pocket."
With strong foreign aid like Zhou Zhiming, Lu Yiming was in a good mood.
Even though he has only learned programming for a few months, Zhou Zhiming's IQ is higher than others.
Especially his amazing talent in mathematics has enabled him to make rapid progress in this area, and his strength should not be underestimated.
Zhou Zhiming, who was totally unaware of this, didn't think too much about it. He just smiled shyly and said modestly: "It's such an interesting thing, I should thank you. If it weren't for your strong recommendation, I'm afraid I wouldn't have the opportunity to participate in the competition."
When Bill Gates called to invite Lu Yiming to participate in the competition, Lu Yiming agreed with the mentality of looking for a computer expert. Later, he suddenly remembered that if we were to talk about computer talents, wasn't there one when he was studying in Hong Kong?
In his opinion, if he could take Zhou Zhiming out to gain some experience, it would probably come in handy after he returns home.
So when Bill Gates called him to confirm the itinerary, he asked to add Zhou Zhiming.
As one of the sponsors, Microsoft only increases the number of entries and does not interfere with the competition itself, so it still has this small right.
After boarding the plane, sitting in the first class cabin, Lu Yiming and Zhou Zhiming talked about the rules of the competition.
"There is a group stage in this competition, and the minimum number of participants is three, so we need one more teammate now."
Zhou Zhiming looked around and asked, "Who is it? Where is he?"
"I haven't started looking yet. Let's talk about it when we get to the beautiful country."
Zhou Zhiming: “…”
My goodness, can this be done at the last minute?
Seeing Zhou Zhiming speechless, Lu Yiming smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry. It won't be useful to find someone to fill the gap for the time being. When we get to our destination, there will be computer geniuses from all over the world. What we need is a reliable partner, not a teammate who will only hold us back. It will be the same if we find someone else later."
But Zhou Zhiming was a little hesitant after listening to it: "What if you find someone you think is suitable, but the other party refuses your invitation?"
However, Lu Yiming showed full confidence: "No."
"Why?"
“Because I have the ability to make money.”
After saying that, Lu Yiming put on his blindfold and adjusted the seat to the lowest position.
"Take a break first. This flight will fly to Zhonghai first, then to Edo, and after two transfers, it will fly to the United States. The total journey will take at least ten hours. Take a nap to refresh yourself and get rid of the jet lag."
Zhou Zhiming shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not sleepy. I'd better practice my hand feeling first."
As he spoke, he took out a NEC VERSASX notebook from his backpack. This was a thin and light notebook that used an Intel Pentium II processor and had a very large 14.1-inch TFT display, a Pentium II 266 processor, 256MB of SDRAM memory, and a built-in 24X CD-ROM. The price was as high as 40,000 yuan.
Seeing Zhou Zhiming sharpening his knife, Lu Yiming felt deeply moved. For someone as talented and gifted as him who works so hard, how could he not succeed?
During this period of time, he has been busy running around to solve the crisis of Mingyuan Technology. Coupled with the high-intensity tests and reviews of the senior class, even Lu Yiming feels a little exhausted. He plans to take advantage of this opportunity to "travel" abroad to relax.
He called the flight attendant, asked for a glass of warm water, and then lay down on the seat. The first-class cabin was still very comfortable. At least he didn't have to squeeze with others like in the economy class and had plenty of personal space.
Lu Yiming put on the eye mask, gave a few instructions to Zhao Tiezhu who was sitting next to him, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.
A few hours later, as the plane was slightly bumpy during landing, Lu Yiming, who had just taken a short nap, woke up from his sleep, stretched himself, and asked, "What time is it?"
Zhao Tiezhu looked at the Citizen watch on his wrist and said, "It's eleven o'clock, and it's time for lunch soon. I just saw the plane notice saying lunch will be served at half past eleven."
Lu Yiming looked at Zhou Zhiming, who was still typing furiously on the computer, with sleepy eyes, and asked, "What do you want to eat? Is there anything you shouldn't eat?"
Zhou Zhiming said: "No."
Lu Yiming said to Zhao Tiezhu: "Then you can do it."
The plane stopped at Zhonghai International Airport to refuel and passengers boarded.
Lu Yiming noticed that two middle-aged men in their fifties and sixties walked in wearing navy blue coats. Their coats were embroidered with the school emblem of Magic City Fu Ri University.
Behind the two men, five young men followed, and their clothes also had the school emblem of Fu Ri University on them.
Lu Yiming was somewhat tempted, remembering what Bill Gates said about inviting universities to participate in the competition, and thought that this should be the participating team from Fu Ri University.
Lu Yiming just glanced at it for a few seconds and was about to go back to sleep when he suddenly heard a sturdy student following closely behind the two middle-aged men shout, "Zheng Nanling, you are responsible for putting the luggage up there."
I saw a boy who was as thin as a stick nodded timidly and said, "Okay."
The other people all found their seats and sat down, while the boy named Zheng Nanling was alone and laboriously moving everyone's luggage in one by one.
It can be seen that he has the lowest status in this team.
Zheng Nanling grabbed a bulging backpack with difficulty, growled, grabbed it with both hands, raised it above his head, and tried to stuff it into the luggage rack.
Zheng Nanling clenched his teeth, his face flushed red, as if he had used up all his strength.
His classmates, however, turned a blind eye to this and instead excitedly started talking about going to Seattle to participate in the Microsoft competition.
Lu Yiming had just come back from the toilet and helped Zheng Nanling put all the luggage up there.
Zheng Nanling hurriedly said, "Thank you."
Lu Yiming asked with some curiosity: "Are you also going to participate in the ACM International College Programming Competition?"
Before Zheng Nanling could speak, the tall boy looked towards Lu Yiming.
He seemed to be the leader of the team, and there was a bit of arrogance and scrutiny in his eyes as he looked at Lu Yiming.
"So you are one too?"
His name is Bai Zihao. He is a genius in the Computer Science Department of Fu Ri University and has won many championships in various competitions in school.
Lu Yiming smiled slightly and began to introduce himself: "Yes, I am a senior student at Baiyun No. 1 Middle School. I was invited to participate because I like computers."
Unexpectedly, Bai Zihao felt even more disdainful when he heard this. He looked at Lu Yiming and said in a teasing tone, "Why are you here to join in the fun instead of studying for the college entrance examination?"
The other boys in the team obviously didn't take Lu Yiming seriously and started to complain instead.
"How come Microsoft's competition even invites high school students? Isn't this too informal?"
"Yeah, didn't they say that only college students can participate? Hey, kid, are you lying to us?"
Lu Yiming didn't take it seriously and explained casually: "Why would I lie to you? Bill Gates called me personally."
It would have been better if he didn't explain. As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Zihao and the others all burst into laughter.
"Fuck, where did this idiot come from? Bill Gates called personally? Why don't you just say that Bill Gates directly selected you as the champion?"
"Do you know who Bill Gates is? He called you? He asked you to go to St. Elizabeth's Hospital to make an appointment?"
"Ha ha."
There is no doubt that Lu Yiming was treated as a joke by them. He was the kind of person who would brag without thinking.
Being able to receive a request from the organizer is already a treatment that belongs to the top domestic universities, not to mention a call from the world's richest man himself?
Do you know what you are talking about?
Listening to the unbridled and arrogant smiles of several people, Lu Yiming originally planned to chat with them, but now he wisely did not continue talking. After all, summer insects cannot talk about ice.
A few minutes later, the plane took off again and flew to its next destination.
After a while, the flight attendant pushed the food cart past Bai Zihao and others, pushed it into the first class cabin, and then stopped next to Lu Yiming's seat.
The stewardess was very graceful and her service was very thoughtful. She smiled gently, revealing two shallow dimples, and asked softly, "Mr. Lu, the baked lobster with cheese you ordered is ready. Do you want me to open the champagne for you?"
"OK, thanks."
Lu Yiming replied politely, his attitude seeming a bit lazy and nonchalant.
Then, the flight attendant placed a medium-rare Tomahawk steak in front of Zhou Zhiming and said, "This is your Tomahawk steak."
Zhao Tiezhu ordered a crispy chicken fillet rice.
Seeing this scene, Bai Zihao, who was sitting at the front seat in the economy class, couldn't help drooling. He was really envious.
Everyone exclaimed in their hearts - is the food in this first-class cabin so good?
Although they are not unsophisticated people who have never seen the world, how can they afford to fly first class? In economy class, they can only get two small cookies and a small bottle of mineral water, and at most a bowl of white rice with a lot of oil and salt but little meat and vegetables.
After serving meals to the three people, the flight attendant turned to Zheng Nanling and others.
Their airplane meals come in boxes wrapped in tin foil and they all seem to be pretty much the same.
When they opened it, they found that in addition to a small ball of rice, there were also a few slices of vegetables boiled in boiling water, some fried corn kernels and green beans, and a small piece of luncheon meat.
So simple that it brings tears to your eyes.
Bai Zihao was very dissatisfied with his meal and yelled at the flight attendant: "What's going on? They have lobsters, steaks, and champagne! Why are they only giving us these? Are you discriminating?"
Although Bai Zihao's behavior was a bit unreasonable, the flight attendant still responded very politely: "Hello sir, their meals are extra. If you are willing to pay, we can also provide you with service."
"Excuse me, do you need anything? We have packages for 388, 688, and 988. We provide full service."
When Bai Zihao heard the offer, he was speechless and dared not say anything else.
After the stewardess left, he couldn't help but mutter, "Isn't it just being rich? What's so great about that? When we win the championship, we'll also eat lobster and drink champagne when we return..."
In the team, someone looked down at the bland food in front of him, and then stole a glance at Lu Yiming and others who were feasting on the food, and couldn't help but sigh: "When can we become rich too?"
"I'd better do well in this competition. If I can get an offer from Microsoft, I won't have to worry about my next life."
"Yes, the salary in the United States is very high, especially now that the Internet is so popular, programmers are paid very well."
On the other side, Lu Yiming was eating lobster and drinking champagne, but a name kept appearing in his mind.
"Zheng Nanling, Zheng Nanling, why does this name sound so familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."
"Wait, it can't be him!"
Suddenly, Lu Yiming had a flash of inspiration in his mind, and he immediately remembered the weight of the three words "Zheng Nanling".
Zheng Nanling, the Nanling hero? The founder of Qianqian Jingting?
The identity of this little-known early Internet tycoon quickly came to mind.
It’s not that Lu Yiming has a bad memory, it’s just that Zheng Nanling is too low-key. Compared with Er Ma, Zhou Hongyi, Li Robin and other famous bosses, Zheng Nanling seems too simple and unpretentious. Many people have never even heard of his name.
If Lu Yiming himself wasn't a programmer, he might not have known about the existence of this big boss.
Zheng Nanling is really like a programmer of this era. He has solid theoretical knowledge, strong technical skills, does not like to show off, and just wants to quietly do what he likes to do.
Seeing that Lu Yiming looked strange, Zhou Zhiming asked him, "What's wrong with you?"
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "We have found our new teammate."
In terms of basic skills, Zheng Nanling's technical strength is absolutely solid, otherwise he would not have been able to successively create software such as Qianqian Jingting, Qianqian Browsing and Kuaitu Browsing that are well-loved by users.
It is absolutely suitable to have him as a teammate!
As for the fact that he is now a member of the Fu Ri University team...
That doesn't matter!
After a long flight, the plane finally landed at the Seattle airport.
Seattle is located on the Pacific coast, between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, with the Olympic Mountains to the west, and has beautiful natural scenery.
But what is even more amazing is not the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains here, but the comprehensive strength of the city.
You know, even in the technologically advanced United States, Seattle's status is extraordinary. It is at the forefront of the industry and has an extraordinary position in aerospace, computer software, bioinformatics, genetic science, electronic equipment, medical equipment, environmental engineering and other fields.
After getting off the plane, Bai Zihao and others were very excited and shouted loudly, attracting many people's attention.
"It really is a beacon of civilization. I feel like the air here is sweet!"
"Oh my god, this place is so beautiful. I wish I could stay here and become a citizen of the beautiful country."
Some people saw that when Lu Yiming walked down the landing gear, he was followed by several bodyguards in suits and sunglasses, especially the tall and strong Zhao Tiezhu, who held a suitcase in each hand and looked like a moving iron tower.
Suddenly, the way Bai Zihao and others looked at Lu Yiming changed, as if they were looking at aliens.
"This kid actually brought a bodyguard with him when he went out!"
"Fuck, he brings bodyguards with him? And there's more than one! Who is he? Is he the second generation of a wealthy family?"
Although families who could afford computers in the 1990s were generally not poor, whether they were poor or not depended on who they were compared with. At least Bai Zihao and his friends could not possibly go out with bodyguards. They could not afford the extra money for air tickets alone.
However, what surprised Bai Zihao and others even more was yet to come. They took the shuttle bus to the exit and were queuing up to check their tickets.
Someone in the team suddenly pointed in a direction and exclaimed: "Look, that's Bill Gates! I've seen him in a magazine!"
"What? Bill Gates? Ah, it really is Bill Gates!"
"Come on, let's go up and ask for an autograph! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If we can take a photo with you, we can brag about it for three years when we go back!"
Bill Gates's fame in Xia Country is now as high as that of a god.
Bai Zihao and his friends immediately ignored everything and ran directly towards Bill Gates, turning into fanatical fans.
