Chapter 115: Waiting for Your Return

"I told you, Brother Xunfei told me just the other day that he wouldn't look at it," Qi Huanchang chuckled behind Jiang Xiwen.

Qi Huanchang patted his forehead and replied, "My mistake. I was just worried about Xunfei. Whether he looks at that software or not doesn't really affect us."

Their conversation was transmitted clearly to Wang Xunfei's ears through the phone.

"Xiwen, tell that fatty I appreciate his concern. Next time I'm in Yangjiang, I'm going to make him pay for a big meal. We'll go to that same river-fresh restaurant; I'm not going anywhere else," Wang Xunfei laughed.

"Haha, alright, it's a deal. Goodbye for now, Brother Xunfei."

"Yeah, Xiwen, I've got to get back to work." Wang Xunfei hung up. Jiang Xiwen's explanation had been perfectly reasonable; he couldn't find a reason to doubt him anymore. He only blamed his own paranoia. He knew Qi Huanchang's personality well enough; the man was certainly not the type to weave complex traps to achieve a goal, and Jiang Xiwen, being just a child, was even less likely to do so.

With a long sigh, Wang Xunfei began to refine the code for his instant messaging software. Naturally, he could not have imagined what was happening on Jiang Xiwen's end after he hung up.

"Xiwen, I feel bad about lying to Xunfei like that," Qi Huanchang pouted.

"Brother Fatty, I promise I won't hurt Xunfei. This is just to get him to join us. He's running a small startup now, which isn't much different from us. I suspect his company's cash flow is even worse than ours. Only by gathering top talent can we build something greater, don't you think?" Jiang Xiwen looked intently at Qi Huanchang, feeling the need to bring out the big picture.

Often, grand principles are harder to digest than simple ones; they require the right timing and context. Clearly, Jiang Xiwen had handled the timing well, and it had proven effective.

Qi Huanchang nodded firmly and said, "I trust you, Xiwen. I'm going back to my game." With that, he dove headfirst back into his gaming.

This fatty's endurance for playing games was beyond Jiang Xiwen's expectations. It had been days, and he still hadn't tired of it. It seemed this guy didn't just have potential for developing antivirus software; he might even be a hell of a game tester.

For everything, Jiang Xiwen only needed to tell Qi Huanchang the ultimate goal. There was no need for him to know the reasoning behind every individual step.

The phone call he had just made happened to come right when Wang Xunfei was feeling suspicious. It was truly a coincidence. Having gone several days without news from Wang Xunfei, Jiang Xiwen had worried that Wang's plans might have shifted, which was why he used the call to probe for any developments.

Jiang Xiwen knew that Wang Xunfei couldn't have failed to notice and fix those erroneous lines of code. Calling him at that moment to openly mention that the code had errors, while simultaneously teasing a new version, was the perfect timing. Regardless of how Wang responded on the phone, he would undoubtedly be even more restless and eager now.

The call had hit the mark, dispelling Wang Xunfei's doubts. Coupled with the appearance of Lei Jun, which had strengthened his resolve to acquire the software and plan for its future, he was now just waiting for Mr. Wu’s response before heading to Yangjiang again.

***

Three days later, Wang Xunfei received a call from Mr. Wu and successfully secured five hundred thousand in venture capital. On the fourth day, the two parties signed the contract. The purpose of venture capital was not to acquire ownership of the business, nor to control it, and certainly not to manage the company. Thus, Wang Xunfei still held absolute power over his own firm.

Upon receiving the funds, he didn't delay. After a quick phone call to Jiang Xiwen, he boarded the train to Yangjiang.

Lei Jun had seen the software, and if he wanted to recreate it, there would be no technical issues. The key lay in the concept behind the software—a concept that Lei Jun had recognized as having significant commercial value the moment he saw the code. After consulting with Qiu Bojun, there was no guarantee that network-based instant messaging wouldn't become a major project for Kingsoft in the future.

Compared to Kingsoft, Wang Xunfei’s weaknesses were capital and reputation. However, he also had an advantage: he could obtain Jiang Xiwen’s future roadmap for the instant messaging software. He believed that even if Lei Jun could conceive parts of it, he could never be as comprehensive as Jiang Xiwen.

Over this period, he had analyzed Jiang Xiwen’s roadmap very carefully. The deeper his analysis, the stronger his admiration for the boy became. This child’s brain was simply beyond the reach of ordinary people. Programming was secondary; the most important thing was his commercial foresight, which was fearfully powerful.

That was why Wang Xunfei wanted to own this software and all its blueprints as quickly as possible—not just because of Kingsoft, but because of Jiang Xiwen.

He did not want to see what would happen if Jiang Xiwen eventually acquired significant capital and operated the software independently.

He wanted this software to be exclusively his. Jiang Xiwen had no money now and was forced to sell, and Wang Xunfei also believed that Jiang lacked confidence in his own vision; otherwise, with such broad prospects, he should have held onto it regardless of his financial state.

Wang Xunfei believed that Jiang Xiwen would eventually regret selling the software, but he wouldn't let him regret it for long. He would surely recruit such a brilliant young genius into his own company, and by then, this software would become Wang Xunfei’s signature product.

The signing process was highly efficient. Jiang Xiwen once again engaged the lawyer who had helped him with the contract for Tian Weidong. As soon as the contract was signed, Wang Xunfei transferred the 500,000 RMB into Jiang Xiwen’s account via the bank.

Jiang Xiwen provided him with a rewritten version of the software. This time, he had put in his best effort to write a relatively perfect kernel for the current system, and the features had been significantly expanded, which shocked Wang Xunfei once again. Jiang Xiwen suggested naming the software "QQ," which Wang Xunfei happily accepted.

As for the roadmap, Jiang Xiwen provided an operational plan for the first three years after the network launch, detailing everything from necessary peripheral features to specific strategies for monetization. As for the later years, he held them back, waiting until Wang Xunfei voluntarily came to him before gradually revealing more.

To win over this highly intelligent and proud man, one had to earn his genuine respect, making him feel at every moment that his own learning could never compare to Jiang Xiwen.

From the moment Wang Xunfei arrived in Yangjiang this time, Qi Huanchang had felt uneasy. It wasn't until the contract was signed and Wang Xunfei had returned to Nanshen that he finally couldn't help but grab Jiang Xiwen and ask, "Xiwen, is this software really worth five hundred thousand? Didn't you say you wanted to bring Xunfei into the company? Why are we selling him the software and taking his money?"

"Fatty, this is just one step toward bringing him into our company. The reason I told you not to ask questions before he officially became our colleague was because I was afraid your friendship with him would make you anxious. There might be more things that make you anxious later on; I’m giving you a heads-up now."

"Hmm..." Qi Huanchang’s nod this time wasn't as firm as the last; he clearly still had doubts.

***

Seeing this, Jiang Xiwen added, "We won't touch a single cent of this five hundred thousand. We’re waiting for the moment Xunfei comes back to us for help, and then we’ll give it back."

"Come to us for help?" Qi Huanchang asked, startled. "And give it back?"

"You don't need to worry about that for now. It’s the same thing I’ve told you many times: you have to trust me. I won't hurt him."

"Oh."

Jiang Xiwen could see that Qi Huanchang was still somewhat unhappy, but he didn't want to say any more. He knew that the more Qi felt this way, the more it showed that the fatty truly cared for his friends. Once everything was over and Wang Xunfei volunteered to join the company, the fatty’s joy would surely make up for all the anxiety he felt now.

Having missed classes for many days, Zhang Ya would come to the office to find Jiang Xiwen from time to time, claiming she wanted to help him catch up on his studies. However, every time, she would be stumped by the problems Jiang Xiwen set for her. The young girl was persistent, though, and would always solve the previous problems by the time she returned.

Qi Huanchang had long since noticed Zhang Ya’s feelings for Jiang Xiwen. The first few times, he had teased them, but Jiang Xiwen let him ramble on, remaining as immovable as a seated Buddha.

Today was the same, though Qi Huanchang seemed to have grown weary of it; even after Zhang Ya left, he didn't say a word.

It was past seven in the evening when he left the school. Qi the Fatty’s unyielding desire for gaming still hadn't reached the point of making him sick; he continued to play with panda-like dark circles under his eyes, occasionally jotting down some thoughts.

"Hardcore gamer"—Jiang Xiwen recalled the term he had learned from "Game Camp," China’s earliest video game magazine. It would only be founded in June of this year. Perhaps there would be opportunities for cooperation in the future. Although he couldn't launch console games due to copyright issues, those editors, whom Jiang Xiwen knew so well, might agree to advertise his upcoming game studio for the sake of the "cause of Chinese gaming."

As he entered the dark alleyway leading home, Jiang Xiwen heard a clamor of noise. Turning the corner, he saw a man of about fifty and a young woman tugging at each other, both looking quite agitated.

The man shouted, "Are you not going to listen to me today?!"

"No! I will find a way to get the money for my sister, but I will not marry him, even if it kills me!" the young woman replied with an indignant voice.

It sounded familiar; it was quite a pleasant voice, actually. Jiang Xiwen thought with a touch of malice, "Is heaven giving me another chance to play the hero saving the beauty today?"