Chapter 987: Whose Child

He Zheng had already lifted his foot to leave, his stride already taken, but he suddenly turned back and said, "Dad, you just got back, and I didn't want to bring this up with you, but this matter is too important to me; I have to tell you!"

"What matter!"

"The communication software you had me make, our user base has already reached over thirty million, and everything is going very smoothly, but there are people in the south making something exactly the same as ours. I suspect someone leaked our technology!"

Before his words had even landed, He Yuzhu followed up by asking, "Who is it? Is that person surnamed Ma?"

He Zheng was stunned, then immediately reacted, cursing in anger: "If Ma Rui isn't surnamed Ma, what else could he be surnamed? I told him not to get involved in this, but he ended up buying forty percent of the shares in this company."

After hearing this, He Yuzhu laughed instead, thinking to himself that in his previous life, it was those people who did it first, only that in this life, he had started doing it several years early.

"I just asked you if the founder of that communication software was also surnamed Ma?"

He Zheng nodded and said in a muffled voice, "Dad, yes."

He Yuzhu gave a wry smile. He had calculated everything, but he never expected that in this life, Ma Rui would actually invest in this company. He shook his head helplessly, "Ma Rui buying shares is actually quite good; it shows the kid has an eye for things."

"Eye for things, my ass!" He Zheng's voice suddenly rose, "He just saw you supporting me in doing this, so he found someone to steal my technology and get people to do it..."

He Yuzhu shook his head, "I don't believe it. Ma Rui isn't that kind of person. Actually, this kind of technology isn't exactly a technical challenge..."

He Zheng was silent for a few seconds, then muttered in a low voice, "Even if Ma Rui didn't steal my technology, we are both doing the same thing—isn't that a waste of money?"

He Yuzhu set down his teacup and shook his head, "Right now, internet speeds are too slow, so communication software is just a chat function... Only when 5G is rolled out in the future will it be the time when this kind of software makes the most money..."

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, He Zheng's eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice to ask, "Dad, give me the bottom line—what else can this software do in the future?"

"It can be a payment platform... and even replace the telephone..." He Yuzhu said it lightly and casually.

He Zheng immediately realized the business opportunity.

"Dad, how does this thing become a payment platform?"

"In the future, you embed a QR code in your software... someone scans it, and the money is transferred." He Yuzhu then told him everything from the future.

Ma Rui, who had been listening intently, waited until He Yuzhu finished speaking, then suddenly raised his head and asked, "Dad, I finally understand now. You didn't want me to do anything because you were saving this job for me."

He Yuzhu said very seriously, "In the future world, choosing the right track is more important than anything. Doing real estate now is, at the end of the day, just to make money; it's a trade. But communication software is different—this is a rice bowl you can hold onto for the next twenty years."

After listening, He Zheng was silent for a long while, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and finally he spoke: "Dad, don't worry. I'm over forty this year, and I've finally figured life out. A person only has so much energy; no matter how many trades you work in, it's better to hold onto one tightly and see it through to the end."

He Yuzhu reached out and patted his shoulder heavily, a rare look of gratification appearing in his eyes: "That's right."

After sending He Zheng away, He Yuzhu sat alone in the room for a long time.

The room was so quiet that one could hear the second hand of the wall clock ticking away, one tick at a time.

His mind was turning over and over with thoughts of the future.

He knew clearly in his heart—the next twenty years would be twenty years of human technological explosion.

The internet, semiconductors, artificial intelligence—which one of these wouldn't cause earth-shaking changes to the human world?

Sooner or later, there would be a showdown between Huaxia and M Country.

This matter could not be avoided, and he had no intention of avoiding it.

The only thing he could do was use the family fortune he had accumulated in this life to build up more confidence for Huaxia's technology industry so it wouldn't be held hostage by others.

The next morning, just as the sky was brightening and a layer of gray mist still covered the window, He Yuzhu went out and headed straight for Liu Siman's office.

After sitting down, he laid out his thoughts from beginning to end.

After listening, Liu Siman pondered for a good while, her brows knitting tighter and tighter, until she finally spoke: "Teacher, regarding the lithography machines... we are a bit behind. It's not purely technical; it's that our customers are still not as numerous as those in the Netherlands and Japan... With more customer feedback, we could make more progress."

He Yuzhu waved his hand, his tone carrying a streak of desperate ruthlessness: "It doesn't matter if there aren't many orders; we will produce and sell computers at a low price. Even if we lose money, we sell them, just to get the volume out there first. Once the market share goes up, the ecosystem will rise. When that time comes, anyone who wants to choke us will have to weigh whether they'll feel the pain themselves."

Liu Siman was stunned, looking up at him, her voice subconsciously lowering a few notches: "Teacher, do you really think... others will cut off our chip supply?"

He Yuzhu nodded, his face showing no major expression, but the light in his eyes was deep and heavy: "I hope that day never comes. But remember one thing—as long as our technology is on par with others, they will never dare to easily turn against us. But once they discover we are lagging behind and can't catch up, then the supply cut-off will be a certainty, with no room for negotiation."

Liu Siman immediately straightened her back, her tone resolute: "Teacher, don't worry. As long as we have money in our hands, I will never let us fall behind the Western countries."

He Yuzhu looked at her and suddenly smiled, that smile carrying a streak of desperate determination: "Go ahead and do it. Even if I have to put in all the family fortune I've saved over these years, I will ensure you don't lack money here."

Liu Siman nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly reddening: "Don't worry, Teacher. I have this confidence, and I will never bring shame upon you."

On the same day, at Ma Rui's house.

On the dining table, a plate of stir-fried greens and a bowl of Braised Pork were still steaming. Ma Rui picked up a phone call and left the dining table to answer it in the study.

Yang Jing sat at the table, listening quietly.

When Ma Rui hung up the phone and returned, she spoke thoughtfully: "Cousin... is a bit dissatisfied with you acquiring that communication company. He seems to think we found someone to steal his technology. Shouldn't you two brothers have a talk?"

Ma Rui waved his hand dismissively: "I haven't done such a thing, and I don't need to explain it to him. As long as Uncle doesn't say anything, I'm not afraid."

Yang Jing sighed: "But we are close relatives; we can't let a psychological barrier form because of this, can we?"

Ma Rui didn't even look up: "He's just narrow-minded, always feeling that I will replace him in the future and take over the He Family's business. Actually, even if you asked me to take it, I wouldn't."

Seeing that he wasn't listening to her, Yang Jing paused and changed the subject: "Whose call was that just now?"

Ma Rui's expression changed slightly, the tips of his ears turning red, and he stammered: "It was Liu Wei calling. Several artists signed by the company have filmed a few of our dramas and are now popular, so they want to set up their own shop; actually, they just want to defect to another company. They said that company has someone about to go public and is even offering shares... If these people all leave, this trend could ruin our company."

Yang Jing didn't pick up on that topic at all, her eyes staring straight at him: "Ma Rui, tell me the truth—is that child of Liu Wei's yours or not?"

Ma Rui was stunned, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, and he shook his head almost instinctively: "No, it really isn't."