Chapter 36: The Experts Depart

“A trillion? Kid, you sure know how to brag for someone so young. You think this is worth a trillion?” An elderly scientist laughed as he questioned Lin Feng.

Lin Feng smiled, “Heh, you all have been cooped up in your labs and might not be aware—do you know how much Microsoft is worth now? Maybe you don’t know how much the state has invested in you, but I know you haven’t developed anything like this yet. Microsoft makes tens of billions of dollars in profit every year from their operating system alone. Converted to our currency, that’s hundreds of billions. Now, my operating system is used by many people. I don’t dare make sweeping statements, but at the very least, everyone who’s used it says it’s good. Would you say my company’s system is valuable or not? Furthermore, my company has only been selling computers for a few days, and already we have sold over two million units—sales are still rising rapidly. I think it’s no problem to surpass three million units sold before the New Year. That’s all in just a few months. Our sales have already exceeded thirty billion, and people online are saying our profit margins are extremely high. Even if it’s only half, I can still net fifteen billion. Agreed? And that’s only in a few months, and only in the domestic market. The world is vast, with so many countries—think about how many people would be interested in my company, in my source code.”

Lin Feng used these examples to further explain to those in the conference room.

At this, the room quieted down. Previously, they had only considered the matter of security and wanted to see the source code for that reason. But now, hearing Lin Feng’s claim that his code was worth a trillion, and seeing his examples, they gradually began to believe him. It dawned on them that this young man before them was certainly as valuable as that American company.

“Truly, heroes are born young! So, what do you suggest? The state has tasked us with evaluating the security of your system. We have to assess it somehow,” Director Wang said, looking at Lin Feng.

“I can provide you with a dedicated server, managed solely by your personnel. All data from the computers will be gathered on that server. We won’t touch anything else; you’ll manage it yourselves,” Lin Feng replied. This was actually the best solution he and Mo Tian had discussed the day before, as Mo Tian had anticipated this meeting would go this way.

“Can you guarantee absolute security, then?” Director Wang immediately asked.

“Absolute security? As long as a network product is connected to the internet, there’s no such thing as absolute security! You’re computer experts—you should know that!” Lin Feng retorted, a little exasperated.

“Oh, right. At the very least, the data won’t be sent to other servers, correct?” Director Wang nodded, asking once more.

“That, I can’t say. If your own people cause issues, the whole world will know, so I can’t guarantee that. What I can guarantee is that all data will be aggregated on this server and won’t appear elsewhere. If you have problems on your end, that’s not my responsibility,” Lin Feng emphasized.

“How about this: let us check your server’s backend and see what data is transmitted. Is that alright?” Director Wang suggested after thinking it over.

“Lin Feng, if it’s just that, agree to it. But there are too many people here. Let only a few core members take a look,” Mo Tian advised quietly to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng considered Mo Tian’s suggestion, glanced at the dozens of people in the room, and said, “So many people won’t do. Just a few will suffice.”

“Alright. Let’s go now. I’ll pick a few people. Wait here a moment,” Director Wang responded, nodding to Lin Feng, who in turn nodded and waited.

Soon, Director Wang returned with five people. Lin Feng led them to the third floor, swiped his access card to open the security door, and brought them into the server room. He allowed them to bring their own computers to connect to the server and examine the data. Lin Feng kept a close watch on the computers—they were all top experts in the industry, and any tampering could spell trouble. After half an hour of scrutiny, they finally disconnected from the server.

“You’re not bad, kid. No classified material in there, just regular data,” said one of the inspecting experts.

“Heh, I don’t stoop to such things. I’m just a businessman; I don’t want to complicate matters,” Lin Feng replied with a nod.

“Alright, let’s talk outside. It’s too hot and stuffy in here,” Director Wang suggested, and Lin Feng led them out of the server floor, back to the conference room.

Once everyone was seated, Director Wang sat next to Lin Feng and said, “Since you’re unwilling to show us the source code, we can’t directly recommend your computers for official use, but the cooperation plan you mentioned just now isn’t bad. We’ll report it to our superiors.”

“Fine, do as you see fit. I have no objections. If you want to use them, go ahead—whether it’s my computers or foreign ones, it’s up to you. Anyway, we can’t keep up with demand as it is,” Lin Feng replied indifferently.

“Alright, we’ll leave it at that for now. Lin Feng, we won’t trouble you any further. There’s nothing more to see here, so we’ll take our leave. Goodbye,” Director Wang said, rising to bid farewell.

For these experts, there was a sense of disappointment. They had hoped to see the source code here, but ended up seeing nothing of the sort—coming full of anticipation, leaving disheartened.

Lin Feng was quite pleased to see them go. Sending these big shots off was a relief; he couldn’t afford to offend any of them.

After seeing them off and putting them in their cars, Lin Feng let out a long sigh and muttered, “We’re still too weak.”

When Lin Feng returned to the company, Xia Ruoxi, who had been anxiously awaiting news, immediately came over to ask how things had gone. She hadn’t been present during the meeting with the experts and was keenly interested in the outcome, especially since she was the company’s general manager and deeply concerned about this potential government contract.

Seeing Xia Ruoxi’s anxious expression, Lin Feng told her to discuss it in her office and led the way.

Once inside, as soon as Xia Ruoxi closed the door, she coquettishly demanded, “So, what happened? Tell me! You’re killing me with suspense!”

“Don’t be so impatient! Let me have a drink first. Dealing with those experts in the conference room left my mouth parched—I didn’t get a single sip of water,” Lin Feng teased, deliberately dragging things out. He then picked up the cup on her desk and gulped down some water.

“Hey, that’s my cup! You’re disgusting,” Xia Ruoxi scolded, annoyed at seeing Lin Feng drink from her cup.

“Oh, your cup? I just realized. Sorry, but the water’s pretty good!” Lin Feng replied mischievously, licking his lips.

Xia Ruoxi, unable to stand his antics, snatched her cup back, but somehow still went to refill it and drank from it herself.

Seeing her drink from the same cup, Lin Feng couldn’t help but joke, “Ruoxi, does this count as an indirect kiss?”

“You’re hopeless,” Xia Ruoxi replied, casting him a flirtatious glance.

“Alright, enough joking. Let me tell you the outcome of the meeting with those experts,” Lin Feng said seriously.

Sensing his change in mood, Xia Ruoxi composed herself as well. Over time, she’d come to understand Lin Feng’s character; though he could be frivolous, when he became serious, it meant he was about to discuss important matters.

“We’re still not strong enough. After all that, we couldn’t seal the deal,” Lin Feng said, a little disappointed. His earlier nonchalance in the meeting had been just a negotiation tactic—if the company had state support, many future plans would become much easier to realize.

“How could that be? It doesn’t make sense! We’re a domestic company—why would they distrust their own and prefer foreign products?” Xia Ruoxi said, unable to hide her disappointment.

“The first thing they wanted was to see the source code. I don’t know if they genuinely wanted to cooperate or if they had other motives. The source code is our only core asset; I can’t just let them see it. Maybe that’s why things didn’t go their way,” Lin Feng explained.

“I understand how you feel. We’re a commercial enterprise—we can’t just hand over our core value to someone else, especially when they’re all top experts in the field. If it didn’t work out, so be it—though it’s a pity, it’s not the only opportunity,” Xia Ruoxi consoled him.

“In the end, it’s because our strength is lacking. If our company were as big as Microsoft—not even all the way, just half as strong—they wouldn’t dare to be so cavalier,” Lin Feng said helplessly. He stood up and looked out the window, a little lost.

Seeing his dejected figure, Xia Ruoxi couldn’t help but walk over and gently embrace him from behind, comforting him softly, “You can’t rush things. You’re already doing very well—truly the leader of your generation. Look at what you’ve built with Future Technology in such a short time. The road ahead is still long, and you are still young.”