Chapter 160: News Dissemination

“Working overtime during the New Year, I hope it didn’t affect your reunion with family,” Li Ran said, looking at Zhou Jie’s head from behind.
“It’s fine, my parents are back in my hometown and I didn’t return this year. What’s the difference in spending the New Year alone? It’s pretty boring at home anyway, so finding something to do is quite good.”
“Really? Then I just happen to have something that needs your help; why don't you come back to Jicheng City with us?” Li Ran chuckled and said happily.
Zhou Jie also smiled, but her smile was somewhat helpless: “Who just said they weren't a black-hearted capitalist? Now they're starting to exploit people.”
“This is not exploitation; this is just the capable doing more work.”
Anyone can hear that this is a mix of coaxing and deception from Li Ran, even the driver Zhao Qianjun couldn't help but laugh.
Facing a crowd of reporters, although he didn't know how they would report on this matter when they returned, Li Ran felt it probably wouldn’t be too bad, and his mood improved a bit as a result.
Anyway, it's definitely wrong to hit someone; if you’ve made a mistake, you must admit it. If you’re getting hit, you should stand tall; you need to maintain the proper posture. Later, a formal apology article will also need to be published on the official website to express LeXiang's attitude towards this matter.
Zhou Jie did not refuse Li Ran's request, so the car headed directly towards Jicheng. On the way, Li Ran briefly explained the tasks Zhou Jie needed to handle, which could be summarized into three main things: buying a car, selecting a restaurant location, and hiring people. Zhou Jie was most adept at handling these tasks, which is why Li Ran asked her to take charge.
Lai Zhiwei has started to choose locations for the restaurant on his own, which shows that the old couple is quite invested in the restaurant business. He thinks it's better to settle the restaurant matters as soon as possible to avoid prolonged uncertainties.
After all, his ideas were completely different from his parents', and he needed to settle the restaurant matters before them.
......
The reporters were quick; before Liran and the others returned to Jicheng, the news had already been published online. Originally, Liran thought the internet wasn't very developed today, but the two phone calls that followed completely changed his perspective.
The first call came from an unfamiliar number. At present, Li Ran's phone number is still kept relatively secret; apart from a few people he frequently contacts, not many outsiders know his number. Moreover, personal privacy nowadays is not as easily leaked as it would be in the future.
The phone kept ringing, and although it was a call from an unknown number, he finally answered it.
As soon as the call connected, a familiar voice came from the other end: "Hello, Liran, is that you?"
Li Ranzai carefully distinguished the sound and thought it sounded somewhat familiar. He asked uncertainly, “Fan Minglu?”
“Oh, it really is you! I asked my classmate for your number, and he easily agreed. At first, I thought he was joking with me,” Fan Minglu said happily from the other end of the line.
“Hmm, is there something you want to discuss over the phone?” Li Ran asked, somewhat puzzled.
“I was just at home browsing the internet and saw the news online. I really didn't realize that you are now the boss of the company. No wonder there's a certain charm about you that’s particularly captivating. Also, I watched the video of you hitting someone; I didn’t expect you to look so cool when you’re throwing punches.”
Li Ran listened to her words with a face full of black lines; this girl really has a different perspective on things compared to others.
“Didn’t expect you to be an internet surfing pioneer, seeing the news report right after it was published,” Li Ran replied.
However, this has given him a deeper understanding of the current internet dissemination speed and strengthened his determination to continue vigorously developing the internet.
“That's right. Usually, I either attend training or go online. Sometimes I find surfing the internet quite fun. I will support any new business your company launches in the future. After all, we're classmates, right?” Fan Minglu said with a smile.
```htmlLiran also couldn't figure out what she really wanted to do, only coping with it head-on.
“Alright, I guess you have a lot to take care of, so I won't disturb you. Here's my number, make sure to save it.”```
After receiving a positive response from Li Ran, Fan Mingru happily hung up the phone.
However, Li Ran did not do as she suggested, but instead casually threw the phone onto the seat.
Before long, the phone rang again, this time it was his close friend Qi Chenglin calling.
Li Ran picked up the phone and said, "What's your problem?"
"Why are you so angry? Besides, I didn't write the report," Qi Chenglin shouted, dissatisfied.
“Did I mention anything about the report? Why did you casually give my number to others?” Li Ran, although too lazy to argue with him, couldn't help but say a word to him.
```htmlQi Chenglin chuckled and said, "How do you know it's me? Maybe it was someone else who did it."
"Nonsense, the only male classmate who knows my number besides you is no one else. I think you're a traitor and could easily sell out the organization."```
“It's not as exaggerated as you say; the beauty wants your phone number, and I'm just being kind, no need to thank me.”
“Stop talking nonsense; has Wang Ying not tidied you up in a long time? Are you getting naughty again?”
After being teased by Li Ran for a while, Qi Chenglin finally came to his senses and shouted into the phone: "I called to question you, how did it turn into you interrogating me? Let me ask you, is it true what’s being said online about you being the company boss?"
This time it was Li Ran who took a hit. He didn't expect that just after sending off one surfing pioneer, another Internet trendsetter had arrived. So he quickly said, "What about me? I haven't done anything embarrassing."
“Lao Li, you’ve deceived me so badly! Back when I was in the capital, I was wondering how you managed to have friends in the capital, and how they would lend you their house for free. Now I finally understand—it turns out you are the boss of the company! Now it all makes sense. How clever am I?” Qi Chenglin said smugly.
Li Ran chuckled and thought he finally had his wits about him, but it turned out there were still many things he didn't understand.
Li Ran said with some helplessness, "Alright, alright, no one is as smart as you; you're the smartest in our class, okay?"
“That’s more like it. Treat me to a meal another day to make up for my emotional trauma.” Qi Chenglin said quickly.
“By the way, have you talked to Sun Yi about your situation?”
“I haven’t gone into too much detail, but I did take her to the company to have a look, so I suppose that counts as being honest.” Li Ran thought for a moment and replied.
“I really admire both of you; you two have one hundred percent trust in each other. Alright, I won't keep you any longer. Guests are coming over, so I need to get busy. Don't forget to treat me to a meal another day.”
After chatting with Li Ran for a bit, Qi Chenglin hung up the phone.
Zhou Jie looked at him and asked, "Has the news been released? Are they all calling to confirm?"
"Yeah, I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly. Luckily, I chose not to lie and admitted to the assault; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. The speed of information dissemination on the internet is truly astonishing."
“I estimate there will be another wave of excitement.” Zhou Jie continued.
“What excitement?”
“Internet news with images and text spreads quicker, and the primary form of dissemination online is still in graphic form. However, once the TV station's news coverage goes out a little later, you can forget about any peace.”
“No way? Is it really that exaggerated?” Li Ran said, somewhat incredulous.
“If you don't believe it, let's just wait and see.” Zhou Jie replied with a smile.