You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 166 Zhou Mingzhe

Inside a villa in Shanghai.

Lu Ran had just hung up the phone with Shen Zhiwei.

After reading the script for "Hero," my father-in-law was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night. He sent more than a dozen 60-second voice messages, the main message of which was just one word: "Start filming now! Immediately! Right now!"

"Our dad's execution is as powerful as a rocket launch," Lu Ran said to Shen Yuege with a smile.

Shen Yuege was eating fruit when she heard this and turned around, saying, "You know how many years he's been waiting for this notebook. But..."

She walked up to Lu Ran and, like a wife, straightened his collar: "Are you really going to do so many things at once? The work of executive director, following up on the script of 'Hero,' the preparation of 'The Starry Night,' and now you have to work on this app of yours. Even an iron man couldn't handle it."

"Isn't there you?" Lu Ran took her hand. "Besides, if Zhou Mingzhe is reliable, I don't need to worry too much about the technical aspects of the app. I can just focus on the product and the concept."

Although Lu Ran seems to be responsible for a lot, there isn't much that he actually worries about.

Whether it's Xingyao or Shen Yuege, none of them are novices. Lu Ran mainly provides creative ideas.

To outsiders, he must have been exhausted. After all, no matter which project or what the content was, it was something that others would rack their brains to come up with. Lu Ran must have used up a lot of brain cells to do so many things at once.

What puzzles outsiders is why Lu Ran still has so much hair. Shouldn't his hairline be receding by doing so many things at the same time?

"You certainly know how to prioritize and let go of the small things." Shen Yuege let him hold her hand, her fingertips gently scratching his palm. "But as for Zhou Mingzhe, although I believe in his technology, he has a flaw: he's a bit stubborn. His previous startup failed because he was too fixated on technical perfection and neglected the market and users."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran thought, "Great! Is this a flaw? This is a talent! As long as we point him in the right direction, we won't have to worry about the rest."

"A common trait among tech geeks," Lu Ran grinned. "That's why we need product managers like me. By the way, is he married? What's his personality like? Is he easy to get along with?"

Lu Ran was already thinking that if he was really someone worth winning over, he could even consider introducing him to potential partners to further strengthen their relationship.

"Single, never been in a relationship, and as for his personality..." Shen Yuege thought for a moment, "You'll know when you meet him. All I can say is that if he gets along with you, he can treat you as a close friend; if he doesn't, he can go an entire day without saying a word."

Lu Ran chuckled: "A very typical image of a programmer."

In Lu Ran's previous life, if you threw a brick at someone like that, you could hit at least four or five of them.

"So when we meet tomorrow, tone it down a bit." Shen Yuege poked his chest. "Don't start off by saying 'they're all trash.' If you scare them away, I can't find another person with such good skills."

"Yes, sir." Lu Ran made a gesture to salute, but Shen Yuege pushed him away with a smile.

"Oh, right," Shen Yuege suddenly remembered something, "Starlight should have finished their meeting today, right? Do you think they'll postpone their 'Reign of Ascension'?"

"I heard they've been preparing this for a long time, and it was originally scheduled for release this week."

Lu Ran's lips curled into a smile:

I guess so.

Why?

"You're so stupid, I already said I could guess."

...

The next afternoon, at a tech-themed coffee shop in Shanghai.

When Lu Ran arrived, there was already someone sitting in the window seat.

The man was in his early thirties and was wearing a gray plaid shirt.

It's not a programmer joke, it's a real plaid shirt!

He was also wearing black-rimmed glasses, his hair was a little messy, and he was staring intently at the laptop in front of him, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

The screen displays lines of code scrolling by.

"Senior Zhou Mingzhe?" Lu Ran walked over and asked uncertainly.

Zhou Mingzhe looked up, his eyes somewhat blank, clearly still immersed in the world of code.

A few seconds later, he realized what was happening and quickly stood up: "Lu Ran? Hello, hello, Yue Ge told me."

The two shook hands.

Zhou Mingzhe's hands were a little cold, and there were thin calluses on his fingertips, which were obviously left from years of typing on a keyboard.

"Sit down, don't be shy." Lu Ran sat down opposite him, glanced at his computer, and asked, "What are you writing?"

"A small plugin." Zhou Mingzhe pushed up his glasses, and his tone instantly became lively when he mentioned this. "Social media apps these days are too clunky. Group chat files expire after seven days, there's a limit to how many emojis you can save, and backing up chat history is a huge hassle. I wanted to create a lightweight tool that can solve all these problems with one click."

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow: "Sounds good. But why not make it a standalone app?"

"I haven't figured out a business model yet," Zhou Mingzhe admitted honestly. "It's hard for utility apps to monetize. You either have to sell memberships or add Google Play, but users don't like either of those. That's what happened with the mobile office software I started before. No matter how good the features were, users weren't willing to pay, and it eventually died."

He spoke calmly about his failed business ventures, offering no complaints, only analysis.

Lu Ran liked this attitude.

"If I told you there was a model that could provide free, user-friendly services, generate revenue, and be readily accepted by users, would you be interested?"

Zhou Mingzhe's eyes lit up: "What mode?"

Lu Ran didn't answer directly, but instead took out his tablet and opened the mind map he had drawn last night.

"Let's get to the problem first." He tapped the screen. "Current social media apps are too limited in function. It's just chatting, posting pictures, and making phone calls. Besides these, what else connects people?"

Zhou Mingzhe pondered: "Sharing life? Showcasing oneself?"

"Exactly!" Lu Ran snapped his fingers, "But our social circles these days are too fragmented. Weibo is for strangers, WeChat is for acquaintances, there's a lack of a transitional zone in between. And..."

He switched to the next page: "People have a desire to share, but they don't want to bother everyone. For example, you cook a meal and want to show it to your friends who know about food, but you don't want your boss to see it and think you're not doing your job properly; or you go to a concert and want to connect with like-minded people, but you don't want your relatives to keep asking, 'Who is this?'"

Zhou Mingzhe nodded: "Indeed."

"So I want to make this." Lu Ran pulled up a simple prototype image. "A social app centered around 'interest circles.' You can create or join various circles. For example, 'Programmer's Rant Session,' 'Martial Arts Novel Lovers,' and 'New Moms' Exchange Group.' Content posted in a circle can only be seen by people within that circle."

"Similar to Baidu Tieba?"

"It's lighter and more focused than Baidu Tieba," Lu Ran said. "And what we're doing is 'light content.' Not long articles, but fragmented sharing: a picture, a fifteen-second video, a few words of rant. Quick in and quick out, it doesn't take up much time."

...