Chapter 309 That's the End
"Mr. Xu, they asked us if we are free at noon today and they want to treat us to a meal."
"…Then let's eat it. It doesn't cost us any money anyway, so it's a waste if we don't eat it."
"Then I'll make an appointment with them for noon. Are you going to have breakfast today?"
"No, I'm going to take a nap."
"Okay, go to sleep, we'll go eat something first."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Cheng turned over on the big bed in the hotel, and the mattress made a creaking sound.
For several days, the choice of cooperation plan has not been finalized.
Penguin tried to test Xu Cheng's attitude several times, but his answers were always ambiguous and he didn't seem very positive.
I soon fell asleep again, and in my fragmented dreams were the scattered words of Lin Wanzhou.
[Although I just wanted to write something casually every time, how come I end up writing a long list for no apparent reason? Really. ]
[I didn't expect that you would get the first place in the grade again this time. Don't let your guard down. I will definitely not lose to you in the next exam...]
[Today I saw a passage that said love is like a staircase. No matter if he goes up or you go down, as long as you stay together, it's fine. I think it makes sense. What do you think? ]
【My period is here, it hurts so much. 】
【……】
“Bang, bang, bang.”
A knock on the door woke Xu Cheng up. The boy rubbed his sleepy eyes, got out of bed and opened the door.
Outside the door were Li Changqing and a few others, all of them wearing suits and standing at attention, looking quite serious.
"Mr. Xu, you haven't washed your face yet?" Seeing Xu Cheng's hair like a chicken coop, several people felt like they were living in Bengbu.
"What time is it?" Xu Cheng asked.
Several people outside the door started chattering.
"It's already eleven o'clock."
"You...didn't sleep well last night?"
"Could it be that you rewarded yourself too much by staying up late last night?"
Because they are all young, the boundaries between leaders and subordinates are not that clear, and they talk to each other in a casual manner.
It was Xu Cheng who first told them the word "reward". After he explained its meaning, they realized that such an ordinary literary word could have such a wonderful interpretation, so they also learned to say it.
"Don't talk nonsense. I was just a little tired after working late last night."
"Mr. Xu, thank you for your hard work!"
"Mr. Xu, are you feeling any pain? Would you like me to give you a massage?"
"Roll the calf paper, roll the calf paper."
The young man slapped away the flattering hands in disdain, then stretched himself and said, "Wait for me for a moment, I'll just pack up and leave."
As the saying goes, there are no stinky men, only lazy men. For most boys, washing your face well is equivalent to plastic surgery.
And it doesn’t take too long. Even if you just wash your face and hair, it won’t take more than ten minutes.
The facial cleanser he used was the same one that Lin Wanzhou used. Every time he rubbed the foam on his face, he would close his eyes and feel as if his cheeks were sticking close to Lin Wanzhou.
I washed the water droplets off my face with a soft towel and looked at myself in the mirror.
So like most boys, he looked in front of the mirror and put on an expression that he thought was cool.
Most boys are very introverted. Rather than asking others "Am I handsome?", they would rather others take the initiative to say "Wow, you are so handsome" through a side gesture, and then ask a light "Oh, really?"
He's both pretentious and deserves a beating.
The same goes for trying to look cool in front of a mirror. Usually, only one person would try to do it in private. If someone finds out, they will be socially embarrassed for a long time.
Xu Cheng imitated Daniel Wu in Police Story, imitating that bad yet mature smile.
Well, he looks quite like Yanzu.
His skin is also in good condition. He doesn't have the acne that people of his age would have. Even when facing the sun, his skin doesn't look greasy. He looks like a fresh and sunny boy.
However, in the eyes of the project manager at Penguin, Xu Cheng is more like a hard stone to chew.
They thought they could get it done quickly and with minimal cost, like getting rid of a poor beggar.
I didn't expect that Hapi.com would drag it out for so long.
It is said in military books: Clumsiness and speed are the most important in war, rather than cleverness and slowness. Speed allows one to seize opportunities, while delay leads to changes.
Delay will lead to changes.
The contact with Hapi Farm naturally attracted the attention of many peers, including their current biggest competitors: Shengda and Wangyi.
The public beta test of the "toxic milk powder" not long ago has aroused the vigilance of these two online gaming giants.
Now that they can see the value of Hapi Farm, the two companies will certainly not ignore it and let Penguin dominate the market.
"Everyone, please come this way."
As soon as Xu Cheng and his group walked over, the Penguin people pulled Li Changqing and the others away, leaving Xu Cheng alone.
Seeing his puzzled look, Manager Liu, who was in charge of the liaison between Penguin and Hapi.com, came over and whispered.
"There is a special leader here today who wants to have something to eat with you alone."
"...Okay, who is it?"
"You'll find out when you go there."
Manager Liu pushed open the door of the private room with a smile. Xu Cheng felt like he was being lured into a trap, so he walked in uncomfortably.
The private room was not big. In front of the window stood an inconspicuous thin man wearing a suit that looked expensive. He did not have any unique aura, but rather had the feeling of a well-mannered, poor scholar.
When he saw Xu Cheng, there seemed to be some social anxiety and embarrassment on his face. He didn't know how to greet him, so he could only smile and nod awkwardly.
So it was Xu Cheng who spoke first, "...I thought of several people, but I didn't expect it to be you."
"Sit... sit down."
Xiao Ma pointed at the seat, then scratched his head as if embarrassed, "I don't really like crowded places, no other meaning."
Xu Cheng reluctantly believed this. After all, this guy seemed to be a bit socially anxious. He couldn't find anything to talk about while sitting in his seat. He just lowered his head and looked around, then smiled and asked Xu Cheng to eat the food.
His introverted personality was well known in the circle. He could not chat with others even in forums full of bigwigs. Xu Cheng remembered that when the five Penguin Tigers went out to discuss business together, he was always treated as a secretary accompanying them, not the boss.
Seeing that he couldn't utter a word for a long time, Xu Cheng had to cough twice to find a topic to talk about.
"Today is Chinese Valentine's Day, aren't you going to spend it with the one at home?"
"In the evening, haha, take care of the business at noon, and spend the evening with her. You... Oh, Mr. Xu is still young, is he still in school?"
"right."
"…Now?"
"High school, I'll be a sophomore soon."
This is what people who don't know how to chat are like. Once they start chatting, they start chatting like they're checking their household register. However, Xu Cheng and Xiao Ma Ge were talking about business, not relationships, so it didn't matter if they just found some topics like this.
Gradually, I learned that Xu Cheng started learning programming at a very young age. The topic of their conversation turned to a question that would make all programmers blush and gasp for air -
What is the best programming language.
"Right? C is definitely the best programming language. I told them that Penguin will rely on C to conquer the world in the future."
Xiao Ma slammed the table loudly, and Xu Cheng nodded.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, the flexibility of C language definitely outweighs its shortcomings."
" I should have called Zhidong as well. The three of us will definitely have a lot in common."
"Actually, I'm very interested in your father..." After taking a sip of wine, Xiao Ma Ge said quietly.
"Well...my dad has a pretty healthy sexual orientation."
"Ahem, Mr. Xu, you're kidding. I meant that Penguin wants to cooperate with Jing'an."
“I hope there will be a chance in the future.”
Xu Cheng probably guessed that the cooperation he wanted to achieve should be the installation of the mobile QQ that comes with the mobile phone.
Although the operating experience of Mobile QQ in this era was extremely poor, it did provide great help for Mobile QQ to quickly capture the market in the later era of smartphones.
This shows that Pony Ma is a guy with a lot of ideas. His algorithms and techniques are not the best, but he is very talented in application.
For example, when the early Internet bubble burst, he proposed a business model of using mobile phones to register QQ, connecting computers and mobile phones, and finally sharing profits with operators.
In the following years, this market called Mobile Dream Network expanded rapidly, and the penguins who first joined Mobile Dream Network because of this idea enjoyed one of the biggest dividends.
The two of them chatted back and forth, and their relationship seemed to have become much closer, but mature men naturally would not forget that there was still an uncertain business relationship between them, or even competition.
Although we have always opposed monopoly, the trend of monopoly is unstoppable. The current Hapi.com is definitely a small nail in the way of Penguin's dominance.
"How about another five million? No matter which plan you choose, we will be in charge of running Hapi Farm. I heard that your servers are often overwhelmed. If you hand it over to us, Penguin will have more servers to support it. I guarantee that everyone's gaming experience will be improved by more than double."
Xiao Ma Ge handed over a contract that Xu Cheng had not seen in the past few days. It clearly stated a buyout of 5 million. From then on, Penguin would have the right to freely control Hapi Farm in the Penguin channel, including updating games, renaming games and removing games, and Hapi.com would not have any objection.
"The financial crisis has come. I can ask my friends for help. I guarantee that more than 700,000 US dollars will be transferred to your account within ten days. Penguin is very sincere. Would you consider it?"
After saying that, Xiao Ma Ge leaned back on the chair sleepily. The meal lasted until about three o'clock in the afternoon. As a middle-aged man, he looked sleepy, so he took off his glasses and wiped them.
“It’s very exciting.”
"Yes, in fact, if I were you, I would have no reason to hesitate..."
"I heard that you wanted to sell the penguin before, but unfortunately no one bought it ."
“That was the most difficult time.”
Xiao Ma put his glasses back on, his eyes flashing with memories of the past. "The situation of Penguin at that time was very similar to yours now. We were desperate and the money was about to run out. The Internet bubble was about to come. Then a miracle happened. We got the money before the Internet bubble burst."
"You think Penguin is our best chance."
"Absolutely! We are too similar to Xiao Xu. We both have a wealthy family and a father with a very high status. However, in this field, on the newly emerging Internet, I at that time, and you now, it is difficult for your and my fathers to provide us with any help. Do you understand what I mean?"
Xu Cheng rubbed his fingers.
This second can be said to be one of the most tense moments in his life.
To be honest, he hadn't slept well these past few days. Whenever he was alone in the room, he would get so nervous that his muscles would tremble when he thought about his next decision.
After all, any choice he makes will determine where the butterfly will fly in the future. If he takes a wrong step, all the hard work of Hapi.com will be wasted.
The original Happy Farm in history disappeared forever due to some mistakes.
So Xu Cheng didn’t know how to succeed. The only way he knew was to end up with a huge loss - choosing the third option.
In the past, he always comforted himself that even if he failed, there were still many ideas that could be called miracles. But there is a saying that is quite true: he must consider whether this is his only chance.
Before the future BAT structure is fully formed, relying on Hapi Farm to break out seems to be his best chance.
After the dinner, the two said goodbye and Xu Cheng returned to his hotel room.
He didn't talk to anyone. His cell phone had been turned off since morning and he didn't want to answer any calls.
After thinking for a long time in his seat, the young man opened his briefcase and took out a letter wrapped in brown paper. Only when he read these letters from Lin Wanzhou every day would his brain get some relaxation, and this was the last letter the girl stuffed into his hand.
[…Sometimes I want to ride a Ferris wheel.]
[It's strange, isn't it, that someone who is afraid of heights would want to ride something like this. ]
【But do you know what the Ferris wheel represents? 】
【It is happiness. 】
[Lovers who ride the Ferris wheel together will end up breaking up, but if you kiss your lover when the Ferris wheel reaches the highest point, they will keep going forever.]
[Sound familiar? ]
[Huh, I remember it was a fool who told me this. Maybe he has forgotten it himself, but I still remember it.]
[If that fool wants to have an ending with me...]
[It must be on the Ferris wheel. ]
For a moment, Xu Cheng felt that his heart was truly hit.
How could I forget?
It was the weekend he took her on the run, and they were sitting together in front of the Ferris wheel when he said those words to her.
I thought she had forgotten it long ago.
But didn’t you expect that the seed had been planted in the girl’s heart since then?
This is the charm of memory. When you remember something, that person also remembers it firmly. Then the memory will be sublimated into an exceptionally profound beauty.
I took out my cell phone and saw the text messages sent by Lin Wanzhou, including that one.
【We will have an ending.】
【Is it right?】
So at that moment, Xu Cheng made two decisions.
The first was to hand over a plan he had prepared to Li Changqing and ask him to hand it over to Penguin.
As for the second one...
I wonder if you have heard of the legend of the Chinese Valentine's Day.
I heard that day every year.
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl will meet each other across the entire Milky Way.
