Chapter 148: Chief Qiao’s Surprise

November 1, 1993, early morning, Los Angeles, United States.

The plane was still hovering in midair, but the outline of the city was already visible.

It was her first time flying. Over the past two days, Yun Qian had journeyed from novelty to boredom in her mind. Now, seeing the sprawling city bathed in dawn’s light, she couldn’t help but exclaim.

Pressing against the window, eyes wide: “Wow, what a beautiful big city.”

Zhang Tianfeng, sitting beside her, turned with a smile: “Do you like it? Later, we’ll charter a plane just to tour the city’s beautiful scenery.”

Yun Qian shook her head solemnly: “Sister said Big Brother has a mission here. Big Brother should finish his work first, then we can play.”

“You’re quite considerate,” Zhang Tianfeng chuckled. “Hold tight, we’re going to skydive soon.”

“Big Brother, what’s skydiving?” Yun Qian tilted her head, curious.

“The plane won’t land. After flying a bit further, we’ll jump out of the open window.”

“Once on the ground, whoever reaches the finish line first gets to ride this flight for free. The last one has to pay for the first.”

“Ah? What if I’m scared?” Yun Qian’s face filled with fright.

She had acrophobia and had only recently learned to enjoy the scenery by looking far ahead, not directly below.

Jumping out like that would be a death wish.

Seeing her panic, Gao Ran removed his blindfold and playfully smacked Zhang Tianfeng’s head.

Grumbling, he said, “All you do is scare Qian Qian. What good does it do you to make her cry?”

Zhang Tianfeng scratched his head and smiled. Kids at this age were the most interesting—full of endless curiosity yet unable to hide their feelings. A little trick and she’d be bawling.

The clever Yun Qian seemed to realize she was being teased, glaring at Zhang Tianfeng with puffed cheeks.

Gao Ran laughed, rubbing Yun Qian’s head: “Ignore this big bad guy. Let’s go freshen up; we’re about to land.”

“Sister, it’s not really skydiving, right?” Yun Qian still looked doubtful, keeping her eyes fixed on Gao Ran.

“Of course not. We’ll get off the plane the same way we got on.”

Seeing the sincerity in Gao Ran’s eyes, Yun Qian finally relaxed, grunted at Zhang Tianfeng, and followed Gao Ran to wash up.

Zhang Tianfeng glanced over and saw Xiang Chen watching eagerly.

“Brother Chen, take notes. Your daughter will be this age in a few years. Teasing her will be fun then.”

“Forget it. My daughter isn’t as smart as Qian Qian. As long as she studies quietly and grows up well, that’s enough.”

Xiang Chen was already in his thirties, beyond the age of grand dreams.

Now, he just wanted to earn money steadily with Zhang Tianfeng, enough to provide for his family’s lifetime and raise his daughter well.

All the heroic ambitions and grand dreams were long gone with the wind.

Half an hour later, after disembarking and exiting the airport, Yun Qian clung obediently to Zhang Tianfeng’s sleeve, surrounded by unfamiliar skin tones and strange scripts.

At the exit, a huge red sign with white characters was visible from afar, bearing a large character “Zhang.”

It was Tang Tianxiong, who had arrived early.

After the Canton Fair ended, Tang Tianxiong had left ahead for the U.S. Zhang Tianfeng felt uneasy, and so did Tang.

Seeing the group appear, he waved vigorously.

“Tianxiong, you finally came. I was waiting for you. Let me introduce you to my friend Lao Huang; he helped us get all this stuff.”

“Hello.” Zhang Tianfeng extended his hand to the somewhat well-off middle-aged man before him.

“Hello, Boss Zhang. Your reputation precedes you—I admire you greatly. I hope to learn from you in the future.”

“When there’s a chance. Let’s go to the company first.”

“Okay, the car is outside. Follow me.”

Huang Shixun, a friend of Tang Tianxiong, was 36 this year and married to an American.

As a child, he had come here with his business-traveling parents and had lived in this country for 21 years.

After meeting Tang Tianxiong, he often brought goods back to China for a profit.

His business was diverse, touching almost every industry. If it made money, he was involved.

During their chat, they arrived at the office building they rented here.

Nearby was the famous University of California, which had hosted many wealthy guests.

Driving about an hour down the road was DreamWorks Hollywood; the location was indeed very good.

Because the company had just been established a few days ago, no employees had been hired yet—only a receptionist.

The blonde, blue-eyed young woman, seeing the person who brought him in following behind, immediately understood this young boy’s identity must be significant.

She quickly stood and greeted them with a perfectly native English “Good morning.”

After nodding and smiling in response, Zhang Tianfeng led the group into the office.

“Boss Zhang, the company’s qualifications and the patent application serial numbers you need to claim ownership of those products are all here.”

“This is the receipt for the company’s establishment and rental expenses.”

“These are resumes from people interested in working here. You can contact the front desk outside if needed.”

After pulling out several file folders, Huang Shixun stood up: “Boss, everything’s basically here. Take a good look.”

“Thanks for your hard work, Lao Huang. Tang, take your friend out for a break. I’ll review these documents.”

Before arriving, Tang Tianxiong had mentioned that Zhang Tianfeng was different from other bosses. Huang Shixun was well prepared and smiled, nodding before stepping out.

Once the door closed, Gao Ran flopped onto the sofa without any decorum, sprawling out.

Yun Qian beside him exclaimed, “So embarrassing!”

To avoid setting a bad example, Gao Ran gave up his comfortable posture and sat upright on the sofa.

“Crazy guy, what’s on the agenda next?”

Zhang Tianfeng’s eyes didn’t leave the documents: “We’ll be busy with company things during the day. At night, I’ll take you to meet a friend, then you’ll embark on your long-anticipated journey through the American West wilderness.”

“Wow, you’re so nice! I’ll work hard. First, I’ll check the itinerary.”

Gao Ran came along just to play, and Zhang Tianfeng thought, since he was bringing one, he might as well bring two, so he took Yun Qian along.

This young girl was different now—under provincial focus, naturally intelligent and beautiful. Her future would surely be smooth and bright.

Zhang Tianfeng genuinely liked this little girl, treating her like a sister and wanting her to receive the best education.

Bringing her out to broaden her horizons and see the bigger world would help her face such situations confidently in the future.

From morning till dusk, they were busy nonstop, even eating lunch in the office.

Gao Ran and Yun Qian went from excitement to numbness and had slept twice before Zhang Tianfeng finally finished.

After reviewing the last expense receipt and confirming no issues, Zhang Tianfeng stood and stretched.

“Big Brother, are you done?”

“Yes, done. Let me contact someone.”

The last time in Little Japan Island, when he was imprisoned by Hui Tian’s second son, he accidentally stumbled into a gathering of big shots.

Though they didn’t talk much, Zhang Tianfeng got their private contacts.

Another reason for coming to the U.S. was to check the progress of the internet here.

To find out the truth, he naturally had to contact these big shots.

After emailing Boss Qiao, Zhang Tianfeng called in Huang Shixun and Tang Tianxiong, explained the company’s next steps, then looked at the computer to find a reply from Boss Qiao—he would arrive in ten minutes.

“I’m going to meet a friend now. You two rest and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Okay, contact us if anything comes up.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble.”

Saying that, Zhang Tianfeng led them out.

Xiang Chen and the others hadn’t been idle all day; they booked a hotel and rented vehicles for Zhang Tianfeng.

“Boss, where are we going?”

“Waiting for someone. Once I get in his car, you follow right behind.”

Xiang Chen nodded and took his group back.

Soon, a classic Chrysler Fifth Avenue pulled up in front of them.

The window rolled down, revealing the youthful face of Boss Qiao, waving to Zhang Tianfeng.

“3D.”

This was their agreed-upon greeting.

Seeing this young man, even Steve Jobs himself was stunned.

An Oriental who had resurrected his company, and he was just a boy?

From the balcony upstairs, watching Zhang Tianfeng and his group board the car famously called “Sofa,” Huang Shixun’s face grew serious.

“Old Tang, your boss is powerful.”

“What do you see?”

“Do you know who owns that car? The most prominent figure in the U.S. right now—Steve Jobs, the CEO who once controlled Apple Computer, worth hundreds of billions of dollars.”

Hundreds of billions... Hearing that, a trace of shock appeared in Tang Tianxiong’s eyes.

This young boss was becoming more and more mysterious.