Barbara's Insight and ShowMe's Growth
A woman's intuition is terrifying.
Luke had only turned on the air conditioning, and from the function buttons on the display screen, Barbara immediately connected it to the black Lamborghini incident.
"It really was you!"
"It wasn't me!"
This was something he would deny to the death.
"Liar!"
Barbara snorted. "Don't think I won't recognize the car just because you dyed the Lamborghini white."
Saying that, she used her clothes to cover her chest and knelt in front of the screen, curiously examining it.
Under the silvery moonlight, the girl's spine was like a smooth, tight stream that suddenly fanned out at the hips, like blooming petals.
This woman is doing it on purpose!
What man could resist such a sight?
The saying, "A gentle embrace is the hero's tomb," was absolutely true.
After the long night, Luke couldn't remember how many unequal treaties he'd signed, only the look of triumph on Barbara's face when he dropped her off at home.
For the sake of his future happiness, he decided it was best to keep his distance.
The third Sunday in August was a sunny day.
It was a day to celebrate. At 3:00 PM, with the registration of a user nicknamed "Great White Shark," ShowMe's total user count officially broke ten million.
This was a milestone, signifying a new beginning.
Coinciding with this news, his lawyer confirmed that the contract dispute with the Central Bank had been filed with the court, with the hearing set for a week later. Given the current situation, ShowMe was guaranteed to win unless Luke withdrew the lawsuit. This meant that once the trial concluded, ShowMe would sever its equity relationship with Central Bank and revert to its original state.
The Gotham incident had dramatically changed ShowMe's public image.
Before, people saw ShowMe only as a chat and social networking platform. Now, it was different. The platform had played a crucial role in the citizens' "rights defense" movement.
It became the "mob's" preferred communication tool, used to publish information on corrupt officials, their hiding places, and to carry out systematic planning and deployment. These actions forged the scattered citizens of Gotham into a powerful, unified fist.
This fist crushed the government and reshaped Gotham in an unimaginably terrifying way.
After this event, ShowMe was no longer an obscure small company; it had become a new type of media that many people had to take seriously.
Consequently, overnight, many "similar" social networking platforms appeared on the market, such as Friendster and Mybook.
To distinguish themselves, these platforms loosened their requirements, dropping real-name registration and requiring only an email address.
Their emergence caused a significant impact on ShowMe, especially Friendster, which was backed by the Sequoia Group. Utilizing the group's immense influence, Friendster reached over half a million total users just one week after launch.
Zachs stormed into the office, furious.
"Boss, the people at Friendster are going too far! It's one thing for the functions to be the same, but they're even copying our code! Don't they have any shame?"
Luke replied without lifting his head, "Shame is a consumable item. Once it's used, it's gone."
"But we can't let them blatantly plagiarize our product!"
Luke agreed, then countered.
"What do you suggest?"
"We could sue them for infringement, sue them until they go bankrupt."
Cindy seconded the motion. "I also think we should take legal action. We can't let them copy us with impunity."
"Good idea, but useless. According to the constitution, different source code doesn't constitute infringement. I checked Friendster's source code, and it's quite different from ours. We can't win a lawsuit based on that."
"Then what are we going to do? We can't let them keep copying us forever!"
Luke looked up, his gaze resting on Zachs' agitated face for a few seconds, then said calmly,
"Anger doesn't solve problems; it only makes things worse. Zachs, you're the Technical Department Supervisor. You need to learn to be calm. Also, control your team. Don't let them do anything foolish. We're running a company now, not a spy organization."
Zachs paused, then nodded.
"I'll keep them in line." He hesitated, then added, "But we can't completely ignore the copying. They'll think we're an easy target."
Luke smiled and shook his head.
"Business competition isn't a street fight: you hit me, so I have to hit you back. Often, you need to learn patience, build up your strength little by little. When you do strike, you must take out your opponent completely. If you can't do that, don't strike at all. Understand?"
The two looked thoughtful.
Luke added, "I will handle the copying. Your job is to reassure your staff, work hard, and complete the update plan step by step. Don't worry about outside matters."
"Understood, Boss."
After discussing a few more work details, the two left.
Charlie's Engagement
At 7:00 PM, at Metropolis's most renowned French restaurant.
Luke, dressed in a suit, stepped out of his car and looked expressionlessly at Charlie, who was standing at the restaurant entrance.
"I remember giving you only a seven-day vacation. You took eight and a half days and still haven't accomplished the task."
"The $150,000 allowance for wooing the girl—how much do you have left?"
Charlie said awkwardly, "I have $148,000 left."
Aha!
Luke was instantly interested. He scrutinized Charlie from head to toe, as if he were looking at an alien.
"The flight from Metropolis to Coast City is $240. You stayed in a four-star luxury suite. Add in daily expenses... that means after eight days, not only did you not spend money, but you somehow made money."
"Charlie Willis, you really are something. Tell me, which rich older woman took a liking to you?"
Charlie said with a bitter smile, "Boss, please stop teasing me."
Luke glared at him. If there weren't so many people around, he would have kicked him a few times.
The only drawback of the French restaurant was the lack of private rooms. Charlie, aware of his boss's habits, found a secluded table.
There were two other people at the table.
One was Melissa Kajean, Charlie's target. The other was Linda Danvers, the girl from Krypton.
Luke slightly frowned, wondering what Charlie was up to.
His gaze quickly passed over Melissa and settled on the blonde, blue-eyed Linda Danvers. A flash of amazement crossed his eyes before he quickly regained his composure.
Charlie acted as the intermediary, introducing them.
"Lisa, this is Luke Shaw, my boss and a great friend I grew up with."
"Melissa is my girlfriend, and this is Miss Danvers next to her, Melissa's best friend."
Luke nodded in greeting. He wanted to see what kind of stunt Charlie had cooked up.
After the introductions, Charlie sat beside Melissa, took her hand, and the two looked at each other with deep affection. The air was thick with the scent of romance.
Charlie took a deep breath, his expression serious and solemn, as if he was about to make a monumental decision.
"Boss, I have something to tell you. We've decided: we're getting married on Christmas!"
Pfft!
Luke immediately spit out the water he was drinking. Linda Danvers across the table was no better, covering her mouth and coughing repeatedly.
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