Chapter 124: The Frustrated Wang Xunfei

"Old D, you'll have to ask him about that." Fatty Qi felt quite proud. The way the people in front of him were looking at him was as if he were a god, yet Qi Huanchang knew very well that this was all thanks to the knowledge Jiang Xiwen had taught him just a few days prior.

As Qi Huanchang basked in their admiring gazes, the oldest man in the room, wearing glasses, spoke up: "Huanchang, as for the investment you mentioned, none of us have any objections. However, we must consult our superiors; after all, to run a magazine, we must be affiliated with a public institution."

"Understood, Editor-in-Chief Liu, I don't know much about these things. I'll leave it to you. In any case, if we become the major shareholders of the magazine, we will certainly not interfere with your editorial content," Qi Huanchang replied. "Of course, even if your superior unit does not agree, my friend and I will still provide you with a certain amount of funding through sponsorship, so you won't need to worry about the magazine's operating expenses for the next few years."

No sooner had Qi Huanchang finished speaking than the two guys sitting in front of the television playing Nintendo turned their heads simultaneously and said in unison, "Editor-in-Chief, let's change bosses. Look at how great this fatty is."

From the time Qi Huanchang first met these young editors until now, less than a day had passed. These two obsessed gamers had been sitting there playing non-stop from the beginning, never having said a word. Qi Huanchang had noticed them long ago but hadn't felt comfortable asking about them.

"Haha, excuse them, Huanchang. These are the two 'living treasures' of our editorial department. One is called Brother Long, and the other is A-King. They have the longest gaming experience among us and know the gameplay of eighty percent of the games on the market by heart; they are practically two walking strategy guides," Editor-in-Chief Liu adjusted his glasses and said with a chuckle.

Qi Huanchang let out an "uh," and said admiringly, "You truly have hidden talents here. I consider myself quite proficient in computer games, yet I don't have such skills."

Part of the reason he could get along so well with Qi Huanchang was his manner of speaking. Phrases like "quite proficient" were things they often said to each other. If one weren't a hardcore gamer, they probably wouldn't understand their way of talking.

"Huanchang, can you hold your liquor? Later, we'll invite you to the Xijing Barbecue Street. We'll eat and drink together and enjoy some good food," Old D said, getting excited. As he spoke, he chuckled; judging by his expression, he seemed quite confident in his drinking capacity.

Editor-in-Chief Liu quickly said, "Huanchang, don't listen to Old D. This guy likes to challenge people to drinking contests whenever he meets someone he gets along with, but his own tolerance isn't high. He just loves to act like a god of liquor."

"It's fine, I'm also someone who can't enjoy a meal without a drink," Qi Huanchang laughed heartily.

A few hours later, Qi Huanchang and Old D were carried back to their lodging from the barbecue street by a group of editors. Along the way, the two men’s snoring rose and fell, even more vigorous than their spirit for drinking earlier.

At the same time, in Yangjiang.

Zhang Yong, worried that things would become more troublesome if he waited too long, went directly to the No. 2 Middle School after work to find Jiang Xiwen. After explaining his intentions, Jiang Xiwen’s non-committal attitude reminded him of their first conversation at his home. This child was not simple; perhaps he had known about these things all along.

"Xiwen, I know your character well—you are mature and sensible, not like an average child. So, I won't beat around the bush. I hope you will temporarily stop your interactions with Xiaoya. I know there is no such thing as 'puppy love' between you, but there are people with ulterior motives. On the surface, these photos don't affect me much, but since someone took them, they must have some follow-up plan, so we must be on guard."

Jiang Xiwen responded with a blank expression, "Uncle Zhang, I'm going home. Before that, I only want to remind you: being an official this way is too tiring. And it doesn't get to the heart of the problem. Whether Zhang Ya comes to see me or not is her freedom; there is no need for you to restrict your family's normal life because of your own messy affairs." Having said this, Jiang Xiwen stood up, walked around Zhang Yong, and threw back a line before leaving: "Vice Mayor, don't forget to close the door."

Although he had been given the cold shoulder by Jiang Xiwen, Zhang Yong could hear the implication in his words: as long as Zhang Ya didn't come to look for him, he wouldn't bother with her. With this result, Zhang Yong felt relieved. Now, he could only take things as they came.

It wasn't that Jiang Xiwen hadn't thought about the intentions of the person who took the photos. He had received a warning from Principal Li Changtian days ago, and now Zhang Yong had also received the photos. If this person wanted to target them, they should understand that both Li Changtian and Zhang Yong would destroy the photos. If this person wasn't a fool, the purpose of giving the photos to Li Changtian and Zhang Yong was to warn them that this was just the beginning—there would be more ways to deal with them in the future.

The reason he didn't pay much attention to Zhang Yong, besides his distaste for Zhang Yong’s actions for the sake of his career, was that he simply didn't have the time to deal with it.

He was certain that he was merely a pawn for the person who took the photos, and that those people were aiming at the Vice Mayor. If it weren't for the fact that Zhang Ya was his friend, he probably wouldn't have said half a word to Zhang Yong.

A week later, Qi Huanchang returned to Yangjiang from Xijing. Just as he arrived at the office, he received a call from Wang Xunfei. They chatted briefly, and then the other party hung up.

Qi Huanchang found it strange and said, "Xiwen, what's wrong with Xunfei? He was stuttering on the phone, as if he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to start."

He was quick, wasn't he? Jiang Xiwen was slightly surprised. He smiled and said, "Fatty, this guy will call again very soon. I'll take the call then. It won't be long before our studio adds another expert."

Qi Huanchang frowned and muttered, "Xiwen, what on earth are you..." Before he finished, he changed his tone: "Fine, I won't ask. I'll find out sooner or later anyway."

"Haha, Fatty, your awareness is improving." Jiang Xiwen smiled and then asked with concern, "You haven't rested all night, aren't you tired? Go to sleep..."

"Alright, alright. Here with you, I'm just a sidekick," Fatty Qi grumbled as he went into the back room.

While they were chatting and laughing, Wang Xunfei, far away in Nanshen, was burning with anxiety. He had already released a relatively polished new version of QQ. In the first few days, he tried using his connections to find several major investors in Nanshen. At first, they were interested upon hearing it was in the IT industry, but after seeing the QQ software, they all showed expressions of disappointment. In their eyes, this thing couldn't assist with work, and it didn't have the characteristics of a game to be considered entertainment.

Wang Xunfei hadn't worried at first, but after more than a week, he had exhausted his eloquence, traveling from the south of China to the north, meeting several of China's largest investors. The result was that everyone believed such a chat software would not be able to generate any profit in the future.

Jiang Xiwen had long anticipated this. It was much like mobile text messages in the beginning; they only became widely used in the hands of the Chinese people, and before the market developed, no one could foresee that outcome.

That was why, knowing Wang Xunfei's financial situation, Jiang Xiwen had enticed him to go all-in. He was just waiting for the moment when Wang Xunfei had nothing left, so he could then take in this young man, because only he, the person who had designed QQ, knew the future potential of this software.

He would, when Wang Xunfei called again, remind him appropriately that he had already closed the deal with the Tianxing Computer School and possessed over a million in funds.

As for when Wang Xunfei would make that call, Jiang Xiwen wasn't sure. If Wang Xunfei could remain patient, he could completely put the development plan for QQ on hold for a while and focus on managing his current small company. That way, he could sustain himself until the era of internet penetration, and by then, operating QQ would certainly not be a problem.

However, Jiang Xiwen had accurately gauged Wang Xunfei's personality. Wang Xunfei, filled with hope for the future of QQ, would inevitably continue to pour his energy and the little money his company earned into it. No matter how brilliant Wang Xunfei was, he wasn't a "reborn" person; he couldn't foresee when the internet would become widespread, nor when QQ would start making money after that!

Because he couldn't foresee it, he would always be looking forward to the possibility of success the next second he put in the next cent. Therefore, after failing to secure venture capital and stubbornly pouring his company’s money into it, he would inevitably go bankrupt.

In a sense, Wang Xunfei's personality, his hope for the future of QQ, and the investors' lack of interest combined to make the software QQ, in this specific era, a money-devouring drug for him.

Wang Xunfei took a sip of coffee. He hadn't slept well for several days and had to rely on coffee to stay alert during the day.

Fatty Qi didn't have any money either; even if he went to them, it would be of no use. That five hundred thousand had already been spent, and there was no reason to ask them to cooperate again. Forget it, I, Wang Xunfei, don't believe it. I'll just use the company's business to support QQ; I'll surely be able to hold out until I can convince those short-sighted investors.

Having made up his mind, Wang Xunfei let out a deep breath and began adding new features to QQ once again. He wanted to see, without considering the limitations of the network, how many of the functionalities Jiang Xiwen had written in the plan could be realized on an internal network.

After work, Li Changtian received a call from Fang Sixiang in the office next door, saying he had an urgent matter to discuss in his office.

Li Changtian couldn't very well refuse. He waited for half an hour in his office before Fang Sixiang knocked and entered, then, with a mysterious air, tightly locked the office door.