Chapter 176: Announcement
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Sir, your dishes are ready,” the waiter at Quanjude said quietly to Zhou Chao.
Zhou Chao nodded in response and then turned his gaze to Jiang Li and the others who were chatting.
“Let’s eat! What are you still chatting about?”
“Jiang Li said you’re amazing!” Yin Tong blurted out without any restraint.
“I didn’t say that. You’re spouting nonsense. Brother Chao, don’t believe her!” Jiang Li denied it directly three times.
“Alright, let’s eat!” Zhou Chao casually spread out a piece of pancake, picked up two pieces of duck meat, dipped them in sauce, and finally added some cucumber strips. He devoured it all in one bite.
“Mmm, this roast duck is really good, the meat is tender and not greasy, crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside! The both of you should try it!”
Just as Zhou Chao and the others were enjoying their meal, there were several exclamations from nearby!
“Quick, look at the latest information online, it’s on all major platforms!”
“Wow, this is amazing!”
“The Chinese Academy of Sciences is amazing!”
“Is it true? Is this really our independent development? 1 can hardly believe it!” “Didn’t you see what it said up there? It’s all independent patents! Now we can hold our heads high! I wonder what those Westerners are thinking.” “What else can they think? It’s definitely unbelievable! This is a 511m lithography machine! The most advanced in the world! With all these independent patents, companies like Juwei won’t have to worry about chip blockades anymore!”
Upon hearing this news, Zhou Chao and his friends all put down their utensils and took out their phones to check.
“The Chinese Academy of Sciences has independently developed a 511m lithography machine, which is currently operating successfully and will soon enter large-scale production. Furthermore, this lithography machine is entirely based on independent patents,” Jiang Li read aloud the latest push notification on her phone.
“This is really amazing, Brother Chao, did you see this? Our domestic high technology is taking a step into a new era!”
Watching the two of them all excited, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but say, “While we’re happy, let’s finish our meal first! It’s getting cold!”
Zhou Chao was aware in advance that there would be news about the lithography machine today. However, when he saw the official announcement, his excitement was undeniable. This marked the initial stage in the advancement of technology.
Jiang Li and her friend put down their phones and started eating. For them, they knew this was a very important technology, but they didn’t know the specific significance of it.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, many people had just started their workday. When they saw this information, they all felt incredulous, because having such technology and successfully manufacturing it, other than ASML, there was no other company that could achieve it.
Naturally, none of this had any connection to Zhou Chao. After they had completed their meal of roast duck, they walked out of Quanjude.
“Yin Tong, Brother Chao and 1 are planning to go watch Deshe’s opening performance, do you want to come along?”
“I’m not going, I’m afraid I’ll be a third wheel and interrupt your lovey-dovey moment!” Jiang Li wanted to playfully hit Yin Tong, but Yin Tong was quick to run away.
“I’ll go ahead then and not disturb you. Bye!” Zhou Chao and Jiang Li watched as Yin Tong walked away, and they exchanged a smile.
“Let’s go, it’s getting late!” Zhou Chao checked the time and saw that it was already 6:4.5 PM, and the event was starting in less than an hour.
“Oh, by the way, Brother Chao, where are your tickets?”
“Here, for you!” Zhou Chao took out two tickets from his inner pocket and handed them to Jiang Li.
“When did you get these? I had no idea!”
“Yesterday afternoon, when you were sleeping upstairs!” Zhou Chao recalled that it was actually Xiaoyueyue who had delivered the tickets yesterday afternoon, and at that time, he had asked for a photo together.
“Oh-”
When the two of them arrived at the North Exhibition Theater, there was already a crowd outside.
“There are so many people!” Jiang Li exclaimed as she looked at the dense crowd.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you inside!” Zhou Chao took Jiang Li’s hand and led her towards the VIP entrance.
As soon as they entered the theater, they ran into Sun Yue, whose imposing figure stood out.
“Mr. Zhou, you’re here!” Sun Yue greeted Zhou Chao enthusiastically.
“What are you doing here?”
“Master Yu arranged for me to wait here, considering I’m strong and all!” Sun Yue’s words made Jiang Li burst into laughter.
“He’s really strong. Let’s go; I’ll follow your lead!” Zhou Chao said as he followed Sun Yue inside with Jiang Li.
It didn’t take long for Sun Yue to lead them to a private room. He opened the door and walked in.
“Hey, the man is here! Is this your girlfriend? She’s so beautiful, like a fresh flower blooming on…”
“A cow dung,” Jiang Li whispered quietly next to Zhou Chao.
Although she spoke softly, the private room wasn’t very big, so Lao Guo, Master Yu, Sun Yue, and everyone in the room heard her clearly.
“Hahaha, 1 didn’t say that, don’t blame it on me!” Yu Qian quickly chimed in, not letting the burden fall on him.
“You’ve got some wit!” Zhou Chao looked at Jiang Li, who was looking smug, and gently tapped her head.
They all took their seats and started chatting.
“Why haven’t we seen Wu Jing and the others recently?”
“They’re really busy. I heard the movie ‘Wandering Planet’, which was released during the Chinese New Year, is a big hit, and they’re currently promoting it. 1 heard they didn’t even spend Chinese New Year at home!”
“We should go watch it if we get a chance!”
They hadn’t been chatting for long when there was a knock on the door of the private room. The door was pushed open, and in walked none other than Xiaoyueyue.
“Master, it’s about time!” Lao Guo checked the time; it was already 7:20.
“Alright, we’ll be right there!” Everyone got up and left.
“I’ll wait for you in the audience seats. Good luck tonight!” Zhou Chao greeted them and then led Jiang Li to the audience seats. Their seats were in the front row, near the center.
Lao Guo watched Zhou Chao heading towards the audience seats and said to Sun Yue beside him, “Tell them to be careful during the smashing part, make sure nothing accidentally hits Mr. Zhou!”
“Okay, I’ll go tell them right away.” Sun Yue turned and walked towards the backstage.
Before long, the Deshe opening performance officially began. The host, who turned out to be Deshe’s mascot Hou Zhen, came on stage first.
“Dear friends, Happy Lantern Festival! Welcome to watch Deshe’s opening performance. First, please enjoy the cross-talk ‘Learning Songs’ by Zhang Helun and Lang Heyan!”
The program started quickly, and the atmosphere in the venue was quite lively. All the performers from Deshe took the stage and delivered some excellent comedy sketches.
Especially when Xiaoyue came on stage, Jiang Li, sitting next to Zhou Chao, was so delighted that she looked like a child. Zhou Chao thought it might be a good idea to invite Xiaoyueyue for a meal sometime.
Joyful times always pass quickly. Unbeknownst to them, the show was already coming to an end. During the final curtain call, all the Deshe staff stood on the stage.
As they were preparing to leave, Lao Guo was still considering inviting Zhou Chao and Jiang Li to dinner. However, seeing Jiang Li yawning beside Zhou Chao, he tactfully withdrew his proposal.
“Let’s go, you lazy little pig!” Perhaps she had gotten too excited in the evening, but not long after they got in the car, Jiang Li fell asleep!