allonlinenovel Chapter 167 Culinary Skills Still in the Development Stage
Chapter 167 Culinary Skills Still in the Development Stage
Zhou Mingzhe stared at the prototype drawing, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table, a habit he had when he was thinking.
"What about the profit model?" he asked, as the profit model is fundamental to whether an app can survive.
"In the first phase, we won't focus on profit; we'll just focus on users," Lu Ran said. "Once we have a large user base, we can target specific groups. For example, we can promote cosmetics products in the 'beauty and skincare' community and new mobile phones in the 'tech enthusiast' community. Users won't object because the products are relevant to their interests."
"In the second stage, we can create paid communities. For example, a 'writing training camp' run by a popular influencer, charging for entry and providing exclusive content."
"The third stage..." Lu Ran smiled, "Once we reach a large enough scale, we can integrate e-commerce, local services, and even create a knowledge-sharing platform. But that's a story for another time."
Zhou Mingzhe remained silent for a long time.
Lu Ran assumed he wasn't interested in this and was about to change the subject, since this was a hybrid app he had proposed, combining elements from both his two lives, and it was a trial product of his.
Just then, Zhou Mingzhe suddenly spoke:
Have you considered the technical architecture?
As soon as Zhou Mingzhe asked the question, Lu Ran immediately perked up: "I've thought about it. For the front-end, we'll use React Native, a single codebase compatible with both iOS and Android; for the back-end, we'll use Go, with its strong high-concurrency capabilities; for the database, we'll use MySQL with Redis caching; and for image and video storage, we'll use object storage services..."
He spoke for ten minutes straight, covering everything from technology selection and server deployment to security and performance optimization.
As Zhou Mingzhe listened to Lu Ran's words, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
In fact, sometimes, the leadership is crucial to whether a company can continue to operate.
If he delegates authority, that would be fine; the problem is that an outsider is leading an expert.
It was obvious that Lu Ran was at least not an outsider; in fact, he was more knowledgeable than himself.
As soon as Lu Ran finished speaking, he closed his laptop: "I'll do it."
"Huh?" Lu Ran was taken aback.
So... you agreed? I haven't even discussed salary and benefits yet.
"What about salary..." Lu Ran asked, wanting to know Zhou Mingzhe's expectations.
"That's not important," Zhou Mingzhe waved his hand. "After my startup failed last year, I still have some money left, enough to live on for a year. I just want to know, when can we start making this product?"
So all programmers have to put on an act? Lu Ran still remembered that when he first agreed to Shen Yuege's fake marriage, he was very nonchalant and told Shen Yuege to just pay the year-end bonus. In the end, he almost starved to death.
However, Lu Ran was indeed touched by his enthusiasm: "If you're free now, anytime is fine."
"Okay." Zhou Mingzhe turned on his computer and created a new document. "I'll write the technical proposal first. You'll need to assign me a UI designer and a tester. I can handle the backend development myself, but I might need to find another frontend developer."
"I'll take care of the personnel," Lu Ran said. "Xingyao has a technical department, and I can allocate staff from there; Shen Yuege's studio also has newly signed designers. However..."
He looked at Zhou Mingzhe earnestly: "I want to do this project independently, not under Xingyao's name. So the initial conditions might be a bit tough. I'll provide office space; forget about today, I'll contact a nearby office building tomorrow and rent one. Your salary will be 20% of the market rate, but I'll give you 20% of the technical stock. Is that okay?"
Zhou Mingzhe smiled—his first smile since we met, and a genuine one: "When I started my business, we didn't get paid for three consecutive months, and our team of six squeezed into a 30-square-meter apartment to write code. Do you think I'd be afraid of tough conditions?"
He extended his hand: "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Lu."
"Just call me Lu Ran." Lu Ran shook his hand firmly. "It's a pleasure working with you."
The two talked for another two hours, discussing everything from product details to technical challenges, from marketing to future plans.
The cafe waiters came to refill our water three times, and they all looked at us with a strange expression.
After all, the two handsome guys had been sitting here for the entire morning.
At noon, Shen Yuege called.
"How did the talks go?" she asked.
Lu Ran glanced at Zhou Mingzhe, who was frantically taking notes across from him, and smiled:
"I've struck gold!"
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Mingzhe looked up: "Yuege?"
"Yes, she asked me about the progress," Lu Ran said. "She was also worried that I might scare you away."
"Scared away?" Zhou Mingzhe pushed up his glasses. "No, I haven't been this excited in a long time. That 'short video' concept you just mentioned. Fifteen seconds, vertical screen, music and visuals, swipe up and down to switch... I think it could work."
"We'll have to take it one step at a time." Lu Ran checked the time. "Let's call it a day? We can discuss the details tomorrow. By the way, shall we go back for lunch? Yuege said she's going to cook."
Zhou Mingzhe hesitated for a moment: "Won't this disturb your time together?"
"No, she specifically asked me to treat you." Lu Ran stood up. "Let's go, let you try Empress Shen's cooking. But let me make it clear beforehand, her cooking skills are still developing, so if it's a disaster, we'll just order takeout."
Zhou Mingzhe smiled and said, "Okay."
On the way to the parking lot, Zhou Mingzhe suddenly asked:
"Lu Ran, why do you want to do these things? With your current achievements, being the executive director at Xingyao, writing scripts and songs, is already successful enough."
Lu Ran opened the car door, thought for a moment, and replied:
"Maybe it's because... I don't want the world to be too boring."
The car drove into the traffic.
...
At lunchtime, Shen Yuege's braised pork dish indeed turned out to be a bit of a disaster.
Too much salt was added.
Although Shen Yuege's cooking skills have improved recently, they are still inconsistent.
However, Zhou Mingzhe finished eating without changing his expression and even praised it as "appetizing".
I don't know if they're praising Shen Yuege's cooking as being appetizing, or if it's actually appetizing.
While Shen Yuege went to serve the soup, he whispered to Lu Ran:
"I take back what I said before. Yuege's cooking skills are indeed still in the developmental stage."
Lu Ran suppressed a laugh: "You'll get used to it. But she's been making pretty good soup lately, so drink some later."
"Oh, right," Zhou Mingzhe suddenly remembered something, "I'll write a demo of that 'Jump Jump' game you mentioned this morning. This kind of casual game is perfect for embedding in social apps to attract users."
"So efficient?"
"It's rare to meet a boss who understands the product," Zhou Mingzhe said earnestly. "I have to seize this opportunity."
"Okay, I'll write out our social app concept first."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
In the kitchen, Shen Yuege listened to the laughter coming from the living room, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.
She glanced at the bubbling mushroom soup in the pot and began to hum a song softly.
If you listen carefully, you can still hear the tune of "Today You're Going to Marry Me".
...