Cutting-Edge Technology R&D Center

Chapter 47: The Allure of Profit

After chatting with Chu Tian for a while, Wang Hao went home, while Chu Tian left with a hint of excitement. “Dad, how much money do we have left?” Upon returning home, Chu Tian said excitedly to a man in his fifties who looked somewhat despondent. “Not much left—at most, maybe two or three hundred thousand.” Chu Xun, Chu Tian’s father, sighed softly. He had chosen the path of competing for the family headship, but unfortunately, he had ultimately failed. He harbored no resentment, only a sense of disappointment. “What are you planning to do?” Chu Xun slowly regained his composure and asked Chu Tian. He knew his son well enough to realize that he wouldn’t ask this question without a specific purpose. “Dad, do you remember that app I showed you earlier? The developer is willing to partner with me, and I’d like to register another Company,” Chu Tian said, his voice brimming with excitement. “That ‘Dear Sanitation Worker’ app?” Chu Xun’s expression froze for a moment. He had already seen the app Chu Tian had mentioned; from a market perspective, it looked very promising. “That’s right.” Chu Jin, however, stood before a middle-aged man, a hint of regret crossing his face. “Are you satisfied now?” The middle-aged man shook his head and said flatly. After a moment’s thought, he softened his tone and continued, “You, you’re just too competitive.” “Dad, I know I was wrong, but that app really is great,” Chu Jin said, still not quite ready to give up. “I know you want to make a name for yourself, but that doesn’t mean you should do it at the expense of your own cousin. Why was Chu Tian’s father willing to hand over the family business he managed? It’s because he entered the competition to become the family head. That’s why, after losing, he handed it over without hesitation—that’s the rule. If I had lost the competition, I would have handed over the Companies I managed just as readily,” Chu Ye said with a soft sigh. “But you—you actually skirted the rules to meddle with your cousin’s Company. This is a matter of character. If you want to build a big business, you can’t rely solely on speculation,” Chu Ye said, disappointed in his daughter, having only just learned she’d done such a thing. “Well… Dad, should I just give the Company back?” Chu Jin froze for a moment after hearing his father’s words, then spoke hesitantly. “Give it back? Would Chu Tian take it back? Would your uncle let Chu Tian take it back? If he would, your uncle wouldn’t have handed over management of the business so readily,” Chu Ye said calmly. “Never mind. I’ll have a word with your uncle to make amends for this mistake. From now on, think things through before you act. Don’t assume that just because I’ve become the head of the family conglomerate, you can do whatever you please.” Over the next few days, Wang Hao shut out the outside world, quietly working on optimizing “Xiao Long,” hoping to advance it to the next stage as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Lan Wei was enjoying life to the fullest, spending every moment with his girlfriend from Yan’da University. Fang Bing, meanwhile, frequently ventured into the mountains and forests or went to the outskirts to livestream; his viewership had grown considerably by now. “That’s about it,” Wang Hao said with a hint of excitement as he watched a loading bar appear on his computer screen. He had already transferred the original three million back, leaving him once again in dire straits. Fortunately, he still had a substantial amount left over from his previous drone dividends; otherwise, he wouldn’t even have enough to eat. Thanks to Fang Bing’s increasingly popular livestreams, the drone business had made new progress, and profits from cross-border e-commerce were steadily improving. Knock, knock, knock... Wang Hao had just finished loading the file and was about to test the optimized Longnao when he heard a knock at the door. It took him by surprise—Fang Bing had only gone out to stream a short while ago and wouldn’t be back that soon. “Hao Ge…” As soon as Wang Hao opened the door, he saw Lan Wei standing there with a young, attractive woman. “Is this your girlfriend?” Wang Hao glanced at Lan Wei and smiled as he greeted the attractive young woman. “Yes, this is my girlfriend, Guo Yu. This is my teacher—just call her Hao Ge.” Although Lan Wei was older than Wang Hao, after being strictly told not to call her “teacher,” he had started calling her “Hao Ge” and didn’t feel awkward about it at all. “Hao Ge, hello,” Guo Yu said confidently, addressing him as “Hao Ge.” “Hi, come in and have a seat. What brings you here?” Wang Hao felt a bit down, thinking about how Lan Wei had unfaithfully left him all alone. “I was just worried you’d be bored, Hao Ge, so I thought I’d drag you out for a walk.” Lan Wei gave a light chuckle, earning a glare from Wang Hao. “Sure. Where are we headed?” Wang Hao asked. After thinking it over, he realized he didn’t really have anything else to do, so going out for some fun wouldn’t hurt. The interview with Sun Yan had been wrapped up the day after he returned from BlackBerry, and Chu Tian—along with a group of former BlackBerry employees who’d resigned—had registered a new Company, with the main product being the software Wang Hao had developed. Wang Hao still held a significant stake in the Company—nominally 80 percent—but he had already allocated those shares: once the Company was up and running, a portion would be set aside for employee benefits, while the vast majority would be invested in his research. “It’s settled, then. Let’s meet at the entrance to Yan’da University tomorrow,” Lan Wei said with a smile. “Okay, let’s grab a bite to eat before you go—I bought quite a lot of groceries this morning,” Wang Hao said, watching Lan Wei as she started to leave. Guo Yu looked at Wang Hao. Ever since she’d become Lan Wei’s girlfriend, she’d often heard Lan Wei mention Wang Hao. At first, like everyone else, she didn’t believe it; she’d even accused Lan Wei of deceiving her over the matter, leading to several heated arguments. But with this year’s college entrance exams, seeing that Gan City No. 1 High School in Xijiang Province had once again produced a top-scoring student, it finally dawned on her that Lan Wei hadn’t been lying to her. “By the way, which one of you was chasing the other?” Wang Hao was quick at preparing the meal; in no time, a table full of sumptuous dishes was set out. He said with a smile, his tone tinged with teasing. He knew Lan Wei well—she was a total enigma. Asking him to pursue a girlfriend was like expecting the Sun to rise in the west. Hearing Wang Hao’s words, both Lan Wei and Guo Yu blushed slightly. “Hao Ge, let’s skip this topic,” Lan Wei said with a smile tinged with a touch of embarrassment. “All right, I know even without you saying it,” Wang Hao chuckled. Wang Hao’s words instantly made both of their faces flush again, but he didn’t tease Lan Wei any further—he’d only been getting back at her a little, not really trying to embarrass them. “Now I finally understand how you went from being the bottom of the class with poor grades to becoming the top student,” Guo Yu said to Lantian with a look of admiration after they left Wang Hao’s place. “Yeah, Hao Ge knows so much—it’s as if there’s nothing he doesn’t know,” Lan Wei said with a smile. Guo Yu thought about Wang Hao, who seemed to know everything, then glanced at Lan Wei’s face and suddenly burst out laughing. “What’s wrong with my face?” Lan Wei said, feeling a bit uncomfortable as his girlfriend stared at him like that. “Why didn’t you mention earlier that I was the one who pursued you?” Guo Yu looked at Lan Wei with an amused expression. “I was just trying to save face,” Lan Wei said, blushing slightly as she scratched her head. Shortly after Lan Wei and Guo Yu left, Wang Hao received a call from Chu Tian. “Mr. Chu, you’re not calling again just to update me on the new Company, are you? If you keep this up, I’m going to block you,” Wang Hao said teasingly after answering Chu Tian’s call. “Um, the software release date has been set—it’s coming out next Monday.” “Just handle it. I’ll stop by if I have time then,” Wang Hao said after a moment’s thought. After chatting with Wang Hao for a few moments, Chu Tian heard the dial tone on the other end and let out a wry smile. This was the first time he’d encountered a major shareholder like this—not only was he completely uninterested in the Company’s affairs, but he’d even forbidden Chu Tian from proactively reporting to him. “Dad, I’ve been notified, but whether I can make it or not is up to fate.” Chu Tian held the phone to his ear with a wry smile as he spoke to his father. Chu Xun had been standing nearby the whole time and heard every word of Chu Tian’s conversation with that major shareholder, Wang Hao. As he listened in, his wrinkled face grew increasingly stunned—he never would have imagined that the other party could be so indifferent to a software project that, in his eyes, had such a bright future.