Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!

Chapter 354 - 352: Extra 2

"The ’Galaxy’ Internet-based operating system by Jiuzhou Technology is officially released." Jiang Zhou pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked onto the podium, facing the blinding magnesium lights.

Jiang Zhou adjusted his dark blue tie and pushed open the heavy wooden door behind the podium.

The blinding magnesium lights merged into a white waterfall of light, and the sound of camera shutters was like a dense rainstorm. Below the stage sat over two hundred tech journalists from more than thirty countries, all cameras trained on the young Chinese man in his thirties on the stage.

"The ’Galaxy’ Internet-based operating system by Jiuzhou Technology is officially released." Jiang Zhou placed his hands on the edge of the podium, and his voice spread throughout the venue via the microphone.

There was no superfluous chitchat; instead, a dense architectural diagram directly lit up on the huge projection screen behind him.

In the front row, a blond-haired, blue-eyed foreign journalist raised his hand, not even waiting for a microphone from the staff, and asked directly in English: "Mr. Jiang, it’s well known that your country started very late in the field of Internet basic protocols. Is this so-called ’Galaxy’ system just a poor imitation of Tech Valley’s open-source code? How do you prove its security?"

The venue immediately fell silent. A few Chinese staff members changed their expressions.

Jiang Zhou picked up the laser pointer by his side. He didn’t refute, but pressed the page-turn button instead.

The screen switched to display two segments of comparative code.

"On the left is a section of core transmission code from the currently internationally common Transmission Control Protocol suite," Jiang Zhou switched to a fluent British accent, speaking at a rapid pace, "On the right is the proprietary routing algorithm of ’Galaxy’. We minimized the data packet queuing mechanism, reducing transmission delay by thirty-four percent. As for security."

He tapped on the keyboard, and a run box popped up on the big screen.

"Ten hours before the launch event, we opened a test port to the top ten hacker organizations worldwide, offering a one million US dollar bounty for finding vulnerabilities," Jiang Zhou looked at the journalist, "So far, there have been over seven million attack attempts, and the system’s defense layer remains intact. If you’re interested, you can try it now on your computer, Mr. Journalist."

The foreign journalist’s mouth opened, and the ballpoint pen in his hand fell onto his notebook, unable to utter a single word.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

In the VIP room on the second floor of the conference center, Gu Lan quietly watched the scene outside through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, holding a cup of black coffee.

She wore a simply tailored black business suit, and her neatly trimmed short hair hung to her ears. Time had stripped away the naiveté of her girlhood, endowing her with a sharp edge.

"Director Gu, Mr. Jiang’s speech was very impressive." Sitting across from her was Smith, the Deputy Minister of Commerce from a certain country. He leaned back on the sofa, fingers interlocked, "But you know, excellent technology requires a broad market. If your country does not make concessions on these tariff clauses, the ’Galaxy’ system might find it difficult to gain entry into the North Continent market."

This was a blatant threat.

Gu Lan put down the coffee cup. The clinking of porcelain on the glass coffee table made a crisp sound.

She pulled out a memo from her briefcase, written entirely in English, and slid it to Smith.

"Mr. Smith, cooperation requires equality," Gu Lan leaned back in her seat, folding her hands on her knees, "This list details fifteen high-tech companies in your country heavily reliant on Chinese rare earth materials and precision manufacturing. If the ’Galaxy’ system faces unreasonable market barriers, this countermeasure list will take effect within forty-eight hours."

Smith looked at the company names on the paper, and a layer of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead. His movements were stiff as he reached for a water glass.

"Of course, we are always open to cooperation." Gu Lan stood up, straightening the hem of her suit, "The choice is in your hands. Excuse me, I need to witness my friend’s moment of glory."

She opened the door, her high heels clicking rapidly on the marble floor in the corridor.

Outside the conference center, three military Humvee SUVs were parked in a secluded spot.

Zhao Tiezhu, dressed in a combat uniform, had the epaulet of two bars and four stars gleaming coldly in the sunlight. He was now the commander of a special operations brigade in the Beijing Military Region.

"Report One, two foreign individuals without badges have been found attempting to forcibly enter through the east side’s third entrance. They have been detained," a low voice reported through the walkie-talkie.

"Verify their identity, transfer to national security," Zhao Tiezhu pressed the communication button, speaking quickly, "Attention all teams, the press conference enters the final ten minutes, shrink the perimeter defenses by five meters, don’t let even a fly go in."

"Understood!"

Zhao Tiezhu lowered his walkie-talkie, glancing up at the massive glass facade of the conference center. He rubbed the newly sprouted stubble on his chin, recalling his embarrassing moment years ago in Hongxing Village when he was so scared by a police dog that he sprayed water. Now, his soldiers were capable of carrying out top-level national security tasks.

The press conference had reached its conclusion.

Jiang Zhou stood at the center of the stage, his laser pointer hanging still in his hand. He turned around, looking at the vast crowd below.

"Today, the ’Galaxy’ system goes global," Jiang Zhou’s voice came through the speakers, quivering slightly, "At this moment belonging to Jiuzhou Technology, I want to take two minutes of your time to tell a story."

The venue quieted down.

Jiang Zhou pressed the remote control. The futuristic codes and data on the big screen disappeared, replaced by a photograph.

The photograph showed a yellowed, frayed-edged hand-drawn sketch. In one corner of the sketch, there was a black oil stain that couldn’t be washed away.

"Fifteen years ago, in a basement of a tube-shaped building near Beijing City University of Technology, there was a poor student on the brink of starvation," Jiang Zhou looked at the drawing, "He had his ribs broken and the CRT monitor he had scrimped and saved for smashed for refusing to help thugs with illegal modifications."

The journalists below stopped typing on their keyboards.

"That student thought his life was over, that his dreams of technology were a joke," Jiang Zhou gripped the microphone tightly in his hand, "Until someone pushed open the basement door."

"She drove away the hooligans for him, provided enough funding for three years of development. Most importantly, she gave him this drawing," Jiang Zhou pointed to the giant screen, "This is the conceptual sketch for the improvement of the country’s first-generation color CRT flyback transformer. It laid the hardware foundation for Jiuzhou Technology today."

Jiang Zhou left the podium, standing at the edge of the spotlight.

"She told me not to bow my head, because our sea of stars was just beginning," Jiang Zhou looked toward the VIP seats in the front row, his gaze fixed on a corner at the far left of the venue.

The spotlight followed his movement, suddenly illuminating that direction.

Lin Wan Yi was sitting there. She wore a moon-white silk blouse with a light gray cashmere shawl. Time had been especially kind to her. Apart from being more composed and reserved, she remained as stunning as ever.

Beside her sat Gu Yanshen, clad in a neatly pressed suit. Even at forty, he maintained a posture as upright as a pine tree. His broad hand tightly enveloped Lin Wan Yi’s hand.

"Sister Lin," Jiang Zhou stood on stage and bowed deeply, "Thank you."

For a second, the room was silent, and then a thunderous round of applause surged like a tide. All cameras pointed to that corner.

Lin Wan Yi did not stand up; she simply sat there, watching the boy who had once been covered in wounds, now grown into a towering figure capable of shaking the world’s technological landscape.

Gu Yanshen turned his head, leaned toward her ear, and said in a deep voice, "Mrs. Gu, your investment acumen is as sharp as ever."

Lin Wan Yi turned her head, smiling at her husband, clasping his fingers in return.

"Naturally," she replied softly.

Outside the doors, Zhao Tiezhu’s walkie-talkie received the command to stand down. In the second floor VIP room, Gu Lan watched the fervent venue below, downing her now-cold coffee.

The tides of the era rolled forward, and each person who had struggled and strived within this story found their place in this vast world.

After the press conference, Lin Wan Yi and Gu Yanshen avoided the media, exiting the conference center through a side door.

The autumn sunlight bathed the wide asphalt roads of Beijing, where skyscrapers were rising in the distance.

"Gu An called from overseas yesterday; his aircraft propulsion tests have passed," Gu Yanshen opened the car door for her, shielding the car roof with his hand.

"Ningning’s plant gene engineering laboratory will also be officially listed next month," Lin Wan Yi said as she got into the front passenger seat.

Gu Yanshen walked around to the driver’s seat, starting the car. The engine made a low rumbling sound as the jeep smoothly merged into traffic.

Just then, Gu Yanshen’s onboard phone rang urgently, displaying an encrypted overseas number.