Chapter 99

"How could you wake up so early!" Hao Meng opened his eyes, looked at Xiao Yuyun who was sitting up and tying her hair, and asked with a grin. They had only gone to bed at three in the morning last night, and it had been quite a night.

Xiao Yuyun rolled her eyes and said, "It's almost eight, and you still think it's early. Wait a moment, I'm going to take a shower. I still don't know how to explain this to Mom!"

"Tell her you're with me, everything will be fine!" Hao Meng said with a carefree smile.

"What if she asks you to marry me, will you or won't you?" Xiao Yuyun left this question hanging as she got up to go to the bathroom.

Hao Meng touched his nose and chuckled. Given his mother Zhang Fang's personality, this wasn't something she wouldn't do. If Xiao Yuyun didn't object, it would be a done deal. In fact, Zhang Fang and Hao Fuli had had this idea when they were young, but back then Hao Meng and Xiao Yuyun didn't get along and often fought, so the idea was eventually dropped.

After checking out of the hotel at 8:30, the sky was overcast, and it felt like it was going to rain, making the air stiflingly hot. Hao Meng first accompanied Xiao Yuyun to the company to complete her resignation procedures.

Xiao Yuyun came out of the company and, on the way home, leaned her head against the car window, silent and lost in thought. The events of last night had been unexpected. She hadn't planned to quit her job or send Manager Sun to prison. Now, even if she didn't resign, the company probably wouldn't dare to keep her.

"Don't tell Mom and the others about the clothing company yet. Let's keep it to ourselves for now!" Xiao Yuyun suddenly said.

"Sure, whatever you say!" Hao Meng replied with a smile.

When they arrived at the door, Xiao Yuyun got out of the car with a cold face and said, "You'd better not come up. I'll call you later to avoid all the questions. It's too much trouble." She then closed the car door and walked away.

Hao Meng sat in the car, feeling both amused and frustrated. Damn, she's so domineering. This is your home, it's mine too. It's almost noon, and we're at the doorstep, and she won't even let me come in for a meal?

Fine, if she doesn't want me to, I won't. Who asked me to be so 'comfortable' last night.

He turned the car around and headed to the company. If he went now, he might still be able to get a free meal. If he went any later, he'd have to find something to eat on his own.

"Expensive car, isn't it?" Chen Yuqing stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the Audi R8 in the parking lot with a stern face.

Hao Meng chuckled and took out the car keys. "This car is for the company. You can use it if you have any urgent matters. After all, you're the CEO of Lan Mei Technology, and you can't be too low-key when you go out!"

The car dealership had already delivered the cars Hao Meng had bought. There were nine of them, and the cheapest was a high-end Audi A6, definitely not low-key.

Chen Yuqing sighed inwardly. Since the cars were already bought, what could she say? He was the big boss, but the company needed money everywhere, and there was no need to be extravagant in this area. Once the company went public and had more money, even if he wanted to buy tanks, she wouldn't say anything.

"I have something to tell you. The 'Lan Mei Technology website' was hacked last night," Chen Yuqing said, sitting down in a chair with a serious tone.

Hao Meng's expression changed, and he frowned. "What happened? Was there any damage?"

Chen Yuqing shook her head. "I'm not sure of the specifics, but the hackers were from abroad. However, all the attacks were blocked by Lan Lan, and there wasn't much damage. They came and went quickly."

After turning on the computer, Lan Lan appeared on the screen, wearing orange-rimmed glasses and holding a tablet, still looking cute.

"Who did it?" Hao Meng got straight to the point.

"I can't be sure who the mastermind is, but I can confirm that the attacks came from Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The attack was very short, and they retreated quickly after failing. Even if I found their addresses, without a network of contacts in those three countries, we can't do much in the short term," Lan Lan shrugged.

Hao Meng frowned. "So, last night's attack was just a test?"

Lan Lan tilted her head, thought for a moment, and nodded. "That's a fair assumption." She paused and continued, "Actually, you don't need to worry too much. Even if the website is attacked, they won't get any data. I manage and store all the important data for Lan Mei Technology. I'll get the news immediately if the website is attacked. Those hackers aren't that strong; I can handle them."

"Encrypt the website further and keep an eye on those hackers. Try to get solid evidence to bring them to justice!" Hao Meng said firmly. He didn't hate hackers or the hacker community. If they didn't provoke him, he wouldn't bother them. Everything has a cause and effect, as the saying goes, there's no love or hate without a reason.

Hao Meng turned to Chen Yuqing and said, "The company needs to build its own technical team. Whether it's daily maintenance of the website, product design, or updates, we need a strong team. I don't care if you poach talent or buy out companies, but I need to see results in the short term."

"Okay," Chen Yuqing nodded calmly.

Both of them knew that relying solely on Lan Lan wasn't a long-term solution. Lan Mei Technology was a company and couldn't always depend on Lan Lan, but she was the last line of defense. When it came to design concepts and product manufacturing, Earthlings knew best what suited them.

With this issue resolved, Hao Meng felt relieved. He thought for a moment and asked, "How is the Smart Lan operating after 24 hours?"

"Very well!" Lan Lan replied with a smile. "After the official launch of Smart Lan, the number of registered users increased by three million within 24 hours, and the number of concurrent users exceeded 20 million. Eighty-six percent of users turn on Smart Lan after starting their phones. It's estimated that within three to six months, the number of concurrent users will reach 60 million, covering the entire domestic market and forming our own instant messaging network."

Sixty million? That was a huge number. With such a user base, even if Lan Mei Technology stopped growing, its market value wouldn't be less than 30 billion US dollars. This didn't include the other industries under Lan Mei Technology, just the value of 'Smart Lan' alone.

"Because of Smart Lan's excellent performance, almost everyone who downloads and uses it will accept and like it. Moreover, its spread is very wide. Within a year, over 80% of domestic smartphone users will install Smart Lan!" Chen Yuqing said with a smile.