Chapter 112: Mini Programs Always Tempt the Giants

In the software industry of Nanshen, Wang Xunfei’s technical prowess ranks within the top ten, with even the renowned Kingsoft president, Qiu Bojun, considering him an acquaintance.

If the young man before him were truly a senior programmer from a Nanshen firm, he would surely have heard the name Wang Xunfei.

Setting aside his reputation, Wang Xunfei was also incredibly confident in his technical skills. Three projects and three software suites were being developed simultaneously at the company, all with architectures designed by Wang himself. He was certain that if President Wu were to conduct a thorough inspection, this young man would find no flaws in the technical implementation.

"Hello, Mr. Lei Jun."

"What’s with all the ‘Mr.’ business? You’re both young men; just call each other by your names. You might even become friends later on," President Wu chuckled.

His words helped Wang Xunfei gauge his personality. His friend was right—President Wu was a straightforward man.

"My apologies for being overly formal. Ha, let’s be friends from now on. Please, come in." Wang Xunfei offered a sincere, natural smile; he had mastered the art of tailoring his expressions to the person in front of him.

Lei Jun seemed swayed by his sincerity, his expression relaxing as he smiled back. The three entered the office. President Wu looked around and nodded slightly. The layout was to his liking: a large open office with only simple partitions, allowing the team to sit together without barriers. Opposite the desks stood a long table and a sofa set, clearly intended for receiving guests.

The three employees were already deep into their day’s work. They were "code junkies" carefully handpicked by Wang; this was exactly the kind of staff he needed. Upon hearing footsteps, they didn't react much, each glued to their screen, occasionally pausing to think or tapping away at their keyboards.

From the very first day, Wang had granted them this privilege. He took responsibility for everything non-technical, including opening the door and greeting guests. He defined his own role as the architectural designer, eschewing actual coding to focus his energy on finding projects, business negotiations, and company operations.

Clearly, neither Lei Jun nor President Wu minded this display. Lei Jun seemed accustomed to it, while President Wu’s expression revealed appreciation.

"Please, have a seat. Would you like tea or plain water?" Based on their brief interaction, Wang had already judged Lei Jun’s character—he was unpretentious, much like President Wu, so Wang dropped the flowery formalities.

"No need for that. I’ll just sit here for a bit. Why don't you take young Lei and show him the progress on the three projects you mentioned over the phone?" President Wu said with a beaming smile.

Wang nodded. "Certainly. That will save us some time. I come from a programming background myself, so I'm more at home with technology than with pleasantries. I can give Lei a general overview, but I'm afraid I cannot disclose the specific code or business details, President Wu. You understand..." Had he been speaking to someone other than President Wu, Wang would have phrased it differently or omitted it entirely. As long as he kept the sensitive material hidden from Lei Jun during the inspection, it would be fine.

Wang’s candidness earned him President Wu’s approval—though it was only internal, Wang could read it in the man’s smile.

Often, tiny details can alter someone’s perception of you. Of course, maintaining this level of scrutiny at all times would be exhausting, but mastering it during business negotiations and paying attention to every level of detail allowed one to perform better. The young Wang Xunfei was beginning to grasp this, applying it gradually and achieving satisfying results each time.

He poured a glass of water for President Wu and handed him the day’s newspaper before stepping away with Lei Jun to his computer.

Although President Wu had said he didn't need anything, Wang still felt it necessary to prepare the water. A glass of hot water sitting there provided a subconscious signal: *you are not being neglected*. Leaving a guest sitting there alone without anything could create a sense of being ignored. Thus, the water wasn't just for thirst; it was about providing psychological care.

Wang brought up the code for the three projects, showing the progress made as of yesterday. Naturally, he did not show Lei Jun the architectural blueprints; he merely described the required functions and the clients for whom they were being developed.

As Lei Jun listened and examined the snippets of code, he nodded repeatedly. He could see that the coding level was exceptional, with the three programmers’ work integrated almost seamlessly—they were clearly seasoned experts.

The process took about an hour. Wang kept an eye on President Wu, who remained seated, reading the newspaper. He knew Wu was the key to the investment. With the programs open, Wang let Lei Jun look through them on his own. All sensitive commercial secrets were password-protected, so Lei Jun couldn't easily access them, and in such a short window, there was little mischief he could cause.

"President Wu, once Lei Jun is finished, how about we grab a casual meal at the Guanji Flavor shop nearby? The food there is quite good."

"We haven't closed the deal yet; no need for such trouble," President Wu replied with a smile, though his tone was slightly displeased.

Wang knew exactly why: President Wu disliked extravagance, and the mention of a "meal" likely sounded like an expensive banquet.

"President Wu, you've misunderstood. Since we've met, we are friends regardless of whether this deal goes through. You’ve come all this way to visit us; I can’t let you go hungry. That shop is just a local spot; our staff eats there often. It’s not expensive, but it’s delicious. That’s the only reason I’m recommending it." Wang’s response was watertight—it sounded like a courtesy, but it felt genuine.

President Wu nodded. "Young man, I like your straightforwardness. In the early stages of a startup, the three most important things are diligence, competence, and..."

"President Wu, you hit the nail on the head." Wang wore the expression of someone who had found a kindred spirit. This was far more effective than just fawning and agreeing with everything the man said.

This was the height of flattery. President Wu was pleased and about to respond when Lei Jun called out from the side, "What kind of program is this? It's very interesting," his voice filled with surprise.

The exclamation caused both Wu and Wang to turn. President Wu chuckled, "Let’s go see what’s gotten young Lei so excited."

Wang gestured for President Wu to go first, following slightly behind. He was dying to rush over and see what Lei Jun had found, but he restrained himself. He needed to leave a good impression; an entrepreneur must possess a steady temperament, or else one setback could ruin them.

Reaching the computer, Wang saw a document containing a fragment of Jiang Xinwen’s incomplete code. He realized with a start that he had carelessly left it open next to the company’s files. Thankfully, the documents regarding future planning were hidden, so Lei Jun couldn't see them.

"Just a little program, half-written. I hit a wall, so I’m just practicing with it," Wang said dismissively. Once he acquired the full set of plans, he wouldn't be looking for an investor at President Wu’s level, so he didn't want him to know.

He intended to persuade a much larger investor. Based on the planning documents he had already seen, Wang estimated that a sustainable investment of over ten million would be needed within three to five years—something clearly beyond President Wu’s reach.

"It's a brilliant concept. I see this could potentially enable real-time communication between two computers," Lei Jun’s expression shifted from surprise to delight. "If we wait until the internet becomes widespread in the future, this thing could..."

Wang chuckled. "It’s just a random concept. Who knows how long until the internet age arrives?" He then steered the conversation back. "Lei Jun, what do you think of the projects our company is working on?"

President Wu, having heard Wang’s comment, didn't pay much attention to the little program Lei Jun was praising; he had no interest in the "internet age" or future money.

He interjected, "Young Lei, we can talk about the rest later. Let’s focus on the task at hand today. Do you think Wang Xunfei’s company has the technical strength?"

Lei Jun looked pensively at the incomplete code on the screen, a flash of regret crossing his eyes before he replied, "No problem at all, President Wu. I believe the technical side is excellent. The rest is up to you to decide."