Chapter 72
Chapter 72 Don’t Call Me Zhang Xiaolong
“Are you —” Hao Ning asked tentatively, “Zhang Xiaolong, the founder of WeChat?”
After shooting that question, Hao Ning fiercely shook his head and denied the possibility. When this person came in, Hao Ning felt that he looked very similar to the photos of Zhang Xiaolong in the reports that he had read online, but he did not think much of it. Until this person introduced him to have produced some communication products and said that his surname was Zhang, Hao Ning could not help but ask if this person was Zhang Xiaolong.
What kind of status does the founder of WeChat have? The people outside of the industry might not know about it, but the people within the industry had very high opinions of this person. This person was rarely seen, but there would still be some reports of him on the internet, which was why Hao Ning felt that he looks so familiar.
However, when he thought about it carefully, it was impossible. None of them had ever known Zhang Xiaolong. Furthermore, with Zhang Xiaolong’s current status, it was difficult for them to meet him even if they wanted to do so. Besides, how could such a prominent figure of the Internet come over in person? Moreover, even to such an unknown place. Zhou Yuan treating Hao Ning and Liu Shuai to a meal was told in private. Other than the three of them, no one else would know about it. However, then again, who exactly was this homely and extremely mysterious person?
However, when the man heard Hao Ning’s words, he smiled modestly, nodded his head, and shook it, “I dare not be the founder of WeChat.”
Not to mention Hao Ning, even Liu Shuai, and Zhou Yuan were surprised. To be able to say “I dare not to be,” wasn’t that equivalent to admitting his identity? Hao Ning was extremely suspicious in his heart. He looked at Liu Shuai and Zhou Yuan, while the two had expressions that said “I have no clue,” so he was aware that the other two didn’t know what was going on either. For a moment, the three of them didn’t know what to say. The private room was so quiet that only the voices of the customers outside could be heard.
“Sir, you have already paid through WeChat.” The waiter did not know who Zhang Xiaolong was, nor did he know what the founder of WeChat was. Seeing these people kept saying “founder of WeChat,” he mistakenly thought that they wanted to pay through WeChat, so he reminded them with a smile.
It was no wonder that the waiter didn’t know about him. Although ordinary people use Internet products a lot, especially WeChat or Alipay; not many of them cared about who made those products, as people outside the industry almost didn’t know about them. Since Hao Ning, Liu Shuai, and Zhou Yuan worked in this industry, they knew about Zhang Xiaolong as the soul of WeChat.
“Ha-ha-ha,”The waiter’s unintentionally interruption made the surprised and nervous atmosphere relaxed. The man was stunned for a moment, but then he realized that the waiter had misunderstood him. He laughed and said to the waiter, “Could you please let us talk in private for a while?”
The waiter immediately replied professionally, “Sure.” Just as he was about to close the door, a young man walked in and stopped the waiter’s hand. After the waiter went out, he said to the man, “Mr. Zhang, here …”
The man said politely to the young man, “Don’t worry, Jienan. I’ll have a chat with these guys. You can take a stroll outside or have some fun with your friends.”
“I’m OK. I’ll wait for you outside.” The man called Jienan nodded and walked out straightly. Hao Ning could not help but take a few more glances at the man. He was tall, with determined eyes, and looked very energetic.
After Jienan left, there were only four people left in the room. Liu Shuai, Hao Ning, and Zhou Yuan all had their thoughts. They stared at the man without speaking, while the man felt awkward and immediately said, “My name is Zhang. How may I address the three of you?”
Hao Ning could not help but say, “Are you the Zhang Xiao — —”
Without waiting for him to finish, the man waved his hand and interrupted him, “That’s the name I use outside, but I think it would be better for me to talk to you guys with another identity, considering the matter we’re going to talk about.”
Hao Ning and Liu Shuai were a little confused. This man was weird. They did not know why he came to them, nor did they have any idea what he was going to talk about, but he suggested to change his identity before the conversation, which was strange. If not for the fact that this man paid for them, the two would probably leave right away.
Seeing that Hao Ning did not speak while Liu Shuai played with his cellphone, the man seemed not to be surprised. Therefore, he got up, took out a teacup from the drawer, poured a cup of tea, and leisurely drank two sips, then said, “I still prefer Chrysanthemum. It’s nice and warm to the stomach.” Saying this, the man looked at Zhou Yuan who was currently smiling. He seemed to be asking, but also talking about normal things, “Do you think so, the spirit of WeChat?”
Hearing this, the smile on Zhou Yuan’s face froze. Liu Shuai stopped playing with his phone to look at the man in front of him, and then nervously at the other two. Hao Ning’s entire being felt numb like a soundless thunder had exploded on top of his head. Thought it was silence, it was like his whole body was stunned.
Saving Zhou Yuan was an extremely secretive matter, and conferring the new god as the god of WeChat moment was also a coincidence. What Hao Ning was sure of was that the three of them would not reveal this matter to others. As for Zhang Quan, he was probably whispering sweet nothings to Li Xiaohua right now, and had no time to gossip, so how would this person know? If he knew, would it mean that others knew as well? What was his purpose? Zhou Yuan’s condition had just improved a little, so would there be any new problems?
In a split-second, Hao Ning thought of many questions, but none of them could be answered. Seeing that Zhou Yuan did not know what to say, he carefully asked, “Mr. Zhang -”
“As I said, when we talk,” The man smiled and turned to look at Hao Ning, “I better use another name, right?”
“Got it,” Hao Ning understood that this person did not want to use his real name here naturally because of various inconveniences it would lead, and this inconvenience was not for the man himself, but instead for Hao Ning and the others. Since Zhou Yuan’s current identity somewhat derived from the WeChat moment, he would feel inferior in front of the founder of WeChat. So the man was considerate when he suggested using another identity, which might make the crowd relaxed.
“Right,” Liu Shuai had also thought of this point. Although the situation was unclear yet, he still agreed to what the man said, so he told Hao Ning, “How about we use another name to address Mr. Zhang?” Then he looked at the man and asked, “What should we call you?”
“My surname is Zhang,” The man smiled. “you are my users. You can call me whatever you want.”
“Err …” Liu Shuai scratched his head and looked at Zhou Yuan, whereas the latter shook his head, indicating that he did not know either.
“Shit!” Hao Ning secretly cursed, and thought to himself. However, he could not produce a name after a while, so he probed to the man, “What about we call you Zhang Dalong?”
“…” The man was just about to drink his water and choked when he heard the name. Liu Shuai and Zhou Yuan also rolled their eyes as the man stroked his chest and said with a bitter smile, “Your skill at naming is really …”
“We should use another one.” Hao Ning was also embarrassed and quickly suggested.