Very Pure and Ambiguous: The Prequel

To be honest, I want to spend more time with Zhao Yanyan too, but as an adult, I knew that you can’t be impulsive, if we allow Zhao Yanyan’s parents notice our relationship too early because of a moment’s greediness, I’m sure normal parents would interfere, this would undoubtedly become a huge obstacle for Zhao Yanyan and my relationship.

Although I could be certain right now that Zhao Yanyan will not leave me, I was not willing to take a risk. It’s all over if her parents get agitated and make her transfer schools, this was something easily done for Zhao Yanyan’s grandpa who was a provisional official.

I got Geezer Xu’s call when I just got home, “Xiao Liu, why didn’t you pick up the phone?”

“What is it, Xu-laoshi, I just got home!” I asked weirdly.

“Do you have time in the afternoon?” Geezer Xu asked anxiously.

“Yeah, why?” I said.

“Come to the Tianheng Computers at Number 4 Fazhang Road , Director Zhao is very interested in your program, and wants to talk about the specifics with you,” Geezer Xu said.

“Okay, I’ll be right there!” I said excitedly! The results of my hard work has finally been recognized!

“En, directly find Director Zhao after coming here, Zhao Junsheng, I have to rush home, or else that chick Ruoyun would think that I ran out to drink again!” Geezer Xu said with a wry smile.

“Okay, then I’ll go over immediately,” I hung up the phone, and went downstairs.

The address that Geezer Xu gave me was really easy to find, I could see Tianheng Electronic Computer Technology Limited’s large signage.

I went into the company, the receptionist at the door stopped me,“Little student, who are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for Director Zhao,” I said.

“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked.

“No, but Director Zhao asked me to come,” I replied.

“Okay, let me ask,” the receptionist dialed a number on the phone, “Hello, Director Zhao, I’m Xiao Li, there is a student saying that you asked him to come?”

After hanging up the phone, the receptionist asked me, “Are you Xu-laoshi’s student?”

I nodded,

“Then there’s no problem, I’ll take you to Director Zhao’s office,” after that , the receptionist took me to the door to a room, and said to me, “You can go in now, Director Zhao is waiting for you inside.”

I knocked n the door, a middle-aged man’s voice came out from within, “Please come in!”

I opened the door and asked, “Is this Director Zhao’s office?”

The middle-aged man momentarily blanked when he saw me, then immediately returned to now. He looked at me then said, “Hello, my surname is Zhao, Zhao Junsheng, the general manager of Tianheng Computers, how should I address you?”

“Director Zhao, I’m called Liu Lei,” I said.

Zhao Junsheng nodded without a sound, then said to me, “Okay, Xiao Liu. Don’t call me Director Zhao, call me Uncle Zhao, it doesn’t count as me taking advantage of you with my age right!”

“How could it!” I said, “Then I’ll call you Uncle Zhao.”

Zhao Junsheng got a chair for me, then got me to sit with him beside the computer, and asked me, “Xiao Liu, did you really make this input method?”

I nodded, then asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No,” Zhao Junsheng shook his head, and said, “I just wanted to double check, if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would find it really difficult to believe that a high school student wrote an input method like this!”

“You flatter me Uncle Zhao, I just fooled around without anything to do,” I replied embarrassedly.

“Don’t be humble now, Xiao Liu, I have faith in your input method. Name a price, how much are you selling it for?” Zhao Junsheng asked.

“Then how much do you think it’s worth?” I questioned back. This was my natural reaction, I was already an old fox in business, obviously I would be natural during incidents like this.

“How about this, Xiao Liu. A buyout price, fifty thousand kuai. I will buy the entirety of the input method’s copyright, and want the rights to all the following versions,” Zhao Junsheng said confidently. Fifty-thousand kuai was already not a small sum in the software market of 1994, although this isn’t Zhao Junsheng’s limit, from his perspective, this money was already an astronomical figure in the eyes of a high school student.

“How about this, Uncle Zhao, I’ll calculate a sum for you,” I replied without any reaction. “My input method is currently the most convenient to use, and the easiest to learn Chinese input method, I believe Uncle Zhao is more familiar about this than me. If this input method was put onto the market, I believe that it would be able to take over the market really quickly, as long as advertisements are done properly. I’m sure Uncle Zhao understands what kind of people the majority of the WPS users are, asking these government officials to spend time to learn Wubi, do you think that’s possible? My input method is different, anyone who knows pinyin can use it, especially to those people whose pronunciation aren’t standard, this is definitely the most suitable input method for them. For example, let’s look at the word “chi rou”, I think a lot of people whose pronunciation aren’t standard would read it as “chi you”, and my input method is able to make a judgment on which character it actually is usually the characters before and after for these characters that are easily mispronounced. I believe this input method will completely replace any input method on the market once it is released.”

“I know about all this, this is why I have faith in this input method. But what is it that you’re trying to tell me?” Zhao Junsheng gazed at me.

“It’s nothing special, all I want to say is the value of the input method and the profit it will bring far surpasses this fifty-thousand kuai, perhaps even more than ten, a hundred, or a thousand fifty-thousand kuai if the following versions are included,” I replied slowly.

“Then how much do you want?” Zhao Junsheng started to test for my bottom line.

“Fifty percent of the net profit,” I said calmly.

“Fifty percent? What a daylight robbery! Speaking about conditions with me, Zhao Junsheng, and not thinking about your own ability. I will spend a hundred-thousand at most, not a penny more,” Zhao Junsheng said with indignation.

“I have no intention of forcing you to work with me, I believe that if I sell the software directly to Kingsoft, then they might be more interest,” I said in a reasonable manner, completely disregarding his attitude.

“Good! Good! Good!’ Zhao Junsheng said good three times in a row, “Heroes truly comes from youths!”

“Uncle Zhao is flattering me. I am only a maker that wants my creation to make the most profit,” I continued to say with a smile.

“Okay, then fifty-percent it is!” Zhao Junsheng decided.