Chapter 350: This Is a Humble Dwelling

Sohu's chief operating officer, chief executive officer, vice president, marketing director, chief editor, copyright director, director of the news center, and various other executives all left Sohu in succession.

After leaving Sohu, they became founders or CEOs of a wave of internet companies including Youku, iQiyi, Financial Street, TOM Online, eLong, Ku6, iLove, and others.

Not to mention Jinshan—didn't Jinshan treat Lei Lei Busi well? Qiu Qiu Bojun and Jinshan's management handed the entire company over to Lei Lei Busi.

But when he felt he had hit a ceiling at Jinshan, even lost his passion and drive, Lei Lei Busi resolutely left Jinshan and launched the Xiaomi era.

This was an era of grassroots chaos, when countless people plunged into the market; after tech giants reached the top of their career ladder in one company, some chose to lie back, but many opted to strike out on their own.

Within Li Dongling High-Tech, this same scene would inevitably unfold in the future, especially at Tianya Company—when a large group of tech elites or top-tier management talents gather in one company, that company begins to grow at an astonishing pace.

But once the company goes public or hits industry saturation, when management becomes entrenched and internal competition intensifies, many tech elites will inevitably leave to find another pond to grow—this is unavoidable.

It's better to channel than to block; trying to tie all these talents permanently to Li Dongling High-Tech and Tianya Network is unrealistic—better to establish rules early and set clear terms.

For Wang Wang Jiangmin, who was striking out on his own today, Li Li Dongling's requirement was simple: as long as he didn't compete with Tianya Network for the same business, Li Li Dongling would support him—even invest in his company.

Hearing Li Li Dongling's words, Wang Wang Jiangmin's face lit up—he had no competitive overlap with Tianya Network in the antivirus software industry.

Wang Wang Jiangmin was highly confident in his technical skills, but starting a company was different from developing software alone—he needed an office, staff, advertising, and sales channels—all of which required money.

Over the years, Wang Wang Jiangmin had won many honors at the bearing instrument factory in Shandong Province, but while his salary at the state-owned factory was decent, it wasn't high; his savings over several years were less than what he earned at Tianya Network in just one year.

With support from Li Dongling High-Tech and Tianya Network, all these initial hurdles could be resolved, sparing Wang Wang Jiangmin any worry.

"Thank you, Boss Li. Wang Jiangmin Antivirus Software Company is willing to accept Tianya Network's investment!"

Wang Wang Jiangmin said outright—he had no clear idea yet how much profit Wang Jiangmin Antivirus Software Company could make, or even whether anyone would buy his antivirus software; he simply wanted to fulfill his ambition in the antivirus software field.

Li Li Dongling glanced at Wang Wang Jiangmin. "How much investment does Wang Jiangmin Antivirus Software Company need?"

"Tianya Network can decide the amount—just lend me an office and give me one computer!" Wang Wang Jiangmin smiled.

Wang Wang Jiangmin's words gave Li Li Dongling a slight headache—give a grain of rice and you're thanked; give a bushel and you're resented. Li Li Dongling turned his gaze to Guo Guo Jingyun, who had dealt with Wang Wang Jiangmin for years and knew him best.

Guo Guo Jingyun understood Li Li Dongling's look at once. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Tianya Network will invest one million yuan, provide Wang Jiangmin Antivirus Software Company with an office capable of housing fifty people, along with corresponding computers, telephones, printers, and other equipment, and take a 35% equity stake in Wang Jiangmin Antivirus Software Company."

Guo Guo Jingyun offered these terms because he highly valued Wang Wang Jiangmin's technical ability; though nearly fifty, Wang Wang Jiangmin's development skills were top-tier, especially in antivirus software—few in Zhongguancun could match him. Guo Guo Jingyun felt Wang Jiangmin Antivirus Software could make a name for itself.

"I have no objections!" Wang Wang Jiangmin said immediately—these terms were more than he had hoped for.

"Congratulations, Wang Jiangmin!"

"Wang Jiangmin, if your company ever goes public, don't forget us old comrades!"

Zhu Zhu Chongjun, Wu Wu Xiaojun, and others laughed as they spoke to Wang Wang Jiangmin—though teasing slightly, they genuinely hoped his decision at this age would come true.

"I'm just acting on impulse—who knows how my path will turn out? I can't compare with you guys. If I don't take this chance now, I may never get another!"

Wang Wang Jiangmin told Zhu Zhu Chongjun and the others. Though Zhu Zhu Chongjun now seemed detached and uninterested, he had long since achieved fame and fortune—equal in stature to Qiu Qiu Bojun—only now, having seen too much of the industry's turmoil, he had lost his hunger for power.

He himself, as well as Wu Wu Xiaojun beside him, served as consultants at Tianya Network—helping solve development problems when busy, otherwise doing charity work and activities they enjoyed.

But Zhu Zhu Chongjun and Wu Wu Xiaojun's reputations and status in the industry were undeniable; even as consultants, they were invaluable to Tianya Network—just as Lei Lei Busi joined Jinshan because of Qiu Qiu Bojun, having these veteran programmers at Tianya Network attracted countless tech elites.

Not to mention Zhu Zhu Chongjun held numerous titles and maintained close ties with the Science and Technology Commission; he had developed software for Beijing's official computer exams, including the Beijing Computer Application Fundamentals Exam and the National Advanced Computer Technology Exam.

Hiring Zhu Zhu Chongjun as Tianya Network's technical consultant was absolutely worthwhile—his connections with Beijing and the Science and Technology Commission could secure valuable resources for Tianya Network.

"We can't compare with you—we're too old to push forward now. We just help Zhi Nong with development and earn a little to support our families!"

Zhu Zhu Chongjun laughed, but watching Wang Wang Jiangmin, still full of drive at over forty, he couldn't help but admire his resilience. Wang Wang Jiangmin's physical condition was certainly inferior to theirs, but his stubborn determination and willingness to take risks were unmatched.

In the afternoon, Li Li Dongling made several phone calls, then boarded several cars with Guo Guo Jingyun, Zhou Zhou Jiaozhu, Wang Wang Jizhi, Zhou ZhiNong, and others, heading en masse to a hotpot restaurant in Beijing.

At this time, Beijing's hotpot restaurants had no concept of "old-established brands"—people simply went wherever the food tasted best; after eating a few times and finding the flavor poor, they switched to another place, relying entirely on word-of-mouth reputation.

"This place is our usual spot. Don't be fooled by the unassuming sign—the flavor is truly excellent, no worse than those so-called Laozihao restaurants!"

The car arrived in Xicheng District, winding through several narrow streets before stopping in front of a hotpot restaurant with an old-style gatehouse, like those seen in TV dramas.

After getting out, Zhu Zhu Chongjun told everyone—it was his recommendation, and Zhou Zhou Hongyi, Guo Guo Jingyun, Zhou ZhiNong, and others all nodded in agreement, clearly having been here before.

Inside, Li Li Dongling saw the space was small but already packed with patrons, many with families—anyone bringing their own family here couldn't possibly serve bad food.

Guo Guo Jingyun, Zhou Zhou Hongyi, and others pushed several tables together, placed three copper hotpots in the center, and called the staff to start serving meat—this was an era that didn't promote health diets; if you could eat meat, no one wanted to chew vegetables.

Just as they sat down, Li Li Dongling's phone rang. After answering, he was surprised to hear the voice on the other end—he hadn't expected this call. "Boss Zhang?"

The caller was Zhang Zhang Yufeng, head of Fang Zheng. Hearing the urgency in Zhang's voice, Li Li Dongling gave him the location, and immediately the line went silent—Zhang was clearly rushing over.

Li Li Dongling hung up and shook his head. Though he didn't know what Zhang Zhang Yufeng wanted, given Zhang's obsession with fame and profit, anything that made him rush over like this must be either fame or profit.

"A few more friends will be joining us soon—let's all raise a glass together!" Li Li Dongling told the group.

As the copper pot's broth began to boil, a tall man with long hair and a long face entered, peering around the restaurant. Seeing him, Li Li Dongling waved him over.

"Boss Li really knows how to pick a place—this area's hotpot is the best in Beijing!"

The man pulled up a chair and sat down. Li Li Dongling introduced him to the group: "This is Iron Duke… no, the founder of New Oriental Education, Boss Yu!"

Looking at Yu Yu Minhong, Li Li Dongling nearly blurted out the joke Luo Ren had made about him, but quickly corrected himself: "New Oriental is now the best English training institution in China!"

Then Li Li Dongling introduced Guo Guo Jingyun, Zhou Zhou Hongyi, and others to Yu Yu Minhong.

"Boss Yu, let's drink!"

Guo Guo Jingyun, Zhou Zhou Hongyi, and the others weren't familiar with English training, but since Li Li Dongling had invited him, they wouldn't ignore him—Zhou Zhou Jiaozhu, raising his beer bottle now, wouldn't treat him like a used-car dealer.

After Yu Yu Minhong arrived, several more people came together.

"Boss Li, you made me search all over—this place is so hard to find!"

Zhang Zhang Yufeng had intended to complain about the location, but he bit back the words—he usually dined at star-rated hotels now.

But with Li Li Dongling, especially after seeing the recent news about his earnings in America, even this humble restaurant was a stroke of fortune if Li Li Dongling chose to come.

Li Li Dongling's gaze turned to the man who had come with Zhang Zhang Yufeng—compared to twenty years later, his hair was thicker and he looked much younger.

Seeing Li Li Dongling look at the man beside him, Zhang Zhang Yufeng pulled his companion over and sat him down: "Lei Jun, currently general manager of Jinshan's Beijing office—we met on the way and came together."

(End of Chapter)