Lu Congzhi really liked whispering into people’s ears. His lips came close, sending out warm gusts of breath. He’d just brushed his teeth, so his mouth carried a fresh mint fragrance.
Wen Rui found his thoughts wandering beyond his control. Lu Congzhi was an oversized air freshener, perfectly suited to being carried around everywhere.
He was silent for several seconds before asking, “What idea?”
Lu Congzhi held up his Nokia and spoke slowly. “Do you think we could combine a mobile phone and a laptop, get rid of the keyboards and replace them with touchscreens, so it could be used both for internet entertainment and communication?”
It was a daring idea. If they could make it happen, a mobile phone would become indispensable, practically an external brain for humanity. The market could generate annual profits in the hundreds of billions or even trillions.
Of course, only if they could actually make it work.
Wen Rui was no ordinary man. His investment instincts were remarkably forward-looking.
His eyes flickered, and his voice deepened a little. “With the technology currently available in our country, it’d be very difficult to build such a product. But it’s definitely the future form of the mobile phone.”
Lu Congzhi asked, “What are the obstacles?”
Wen Rui was about to explain his view when Lu Congzhi suddenly shook his head with an air of mystery, glanced furtively around, and pressed a hand to Wen Rui’s knee.
He knew all too well how vast a market this idea could create. Every word Wen Rui was about to say would count as a top-level trade secret in the year 2000.
Lu Congzhi had been a professional manager in his previous life and took confidentiality seriously. Anyone walking along the aisle might be an expert in telecommunications. Even the bespectacled man eating instant noodles nearby could be an engineer at some high-tech firm.
He lay down sideways with his feet toward the aisle and head near the window, beckoning to Wen Rui in a mosquito-soft voice. “Let’s talk here.”
Wen Rui: …
When Wen Rui didn’t move, Lu Congzhi patted the other half of the pillow and urged him, “Come on over.”
A vein jumped at Wen Rui’s temple. Keeping his face composed, he lay down. He was tall and strongly built, taking up plenty of room, but fortunately Lu Congzhi was lean and wiry, with a thin layer of muscle that allowed him to fit snugly against Wen Rui’s body.
Even so, a single bed was an extremely cramped place for two men both over 180 centimeters tall.
Lu Congzhi rested his head on Wen Rui’s shoulder, gently pressed his palm against his pectoral muscle, and teased, “President Wen, you’re a male mom.”
Wen Rui couldn’t tell whether it was praise or mockery. He lowered his eyes to Lu Congzhi.
Lu Congzhi coughed and explained, “President Wen, I’m complimenting your big pecs.”
Wen Rui was used to Lu Congzhi’s occasional absurdity by now and returned to the subject. “There are many difficulties. First, if every mobile phone can access the internet, we’ll need an independent set of telecommunications standards. But the core patents behind globally unified standards are largely controlled by giants such as Nokia and Ericsson. To manufacture GSM phones, we’d have to pay them hefty patent licensing fees.”
“Second, much of the intellectual property around telecommunications protocols is held by the American company Qualcomm. That’s another barrier.”
“Third, combining a phone and laptop requires a high-end chip inside. That’s the most critical bottleneck.”
“Fourth, we’ll need to design our own mobile operating system and recruit a great deal of specialized talent. Even once the hardware exists, software development has only just begun. Building an ecosystem is the hardest part.”
“Fifth, capacitive touchscreen technology isn’t mature enough yet for mass-market use.”
“Sixth, today’s phone batteries can’t support such powerful features. We’d need batteries with higher energy density and better safety. That falls outside both our field and our capabilities.”
“Seventh, even if we manufactured the phone, the environment isn’t ready for it. Internet speeds are too slow. It couldn’t run properly.”
Wen Rui considered everything carefully and summed up, “It’s theoretically feasible, but with today’s technology it’s still only a concept.”
Lu Congzhi took his hand. “Want to hear what I think? I believe we could spend five years turning this concept into reality.”
Smartphones wouldn’t become widely popular until 2007. Five years would be plenty.
Wen Rui clasped his hand in return, feeling the warmth of his palm. “Tell me.”
Lu Congzhi spoke slowly. “First, once a phone like this launches, it’ll create a massive market with annual profits of several trillion. Do you agree?”
Wen Rui calculated quickly, then nodded. “I agree.”
Lu Congzhi continued, “The market’s too large for us to capture alone. But we could work with the state, use state-owned capital to establish an enormous industrial park, bring supporting manufacturers together, and conduct research and development across the entire supply chain and technology chain. That would substantially reduce the difficulties. If we can find the right connections and reach the relevant departments, our company could use this concept to secure priority government funding.”
Wen Rui nodded. “I have contacts in the Ministry of Communications. I can prepare the proposal and approach the relevant leaders. Using information technology to drive industrialization is part of our national strategy. The higher-ups will take notice. State investment in this area is on the scale of trillions, and the support is substantial.”
Lu Congzhi’s heart hammered, and an excited flush spread across his cheeks.
He knew exactly how high the waves of the coming era would rise. Each wave would topple a giant corporation and give birth to another. In another ten years, today’s Nokia and Motorola would be wreckage beneath the tide.
And Xinglian Century would stand at the summit of the world sooner than it had in his previous life. Even his current 2.5 percent stake alone could bring him several hundred million yuan a year.
But he was a professional manager of the highest caliber. He could not allow excitement to overrule his judgment.
He traced figures and sketches across Wen Rui’s broad chest with a fingertip: calculations, technical challenges, network data, and more.
Wen Rui silently closed his eyes, his expression peaceful, and edged his waist and abdomen backward. Greater distance would hide his body’s reaction. He knew Lu Congzhi was planning things out, not doing this deliberately.
Lu Congzhi stopped writing and raised his sharp eyes. “We shouldn’t approach the authorities yet. Someone could steal the fruits of our work. We’d better spend three years laying the groundwork so we hold the initiative and the power to negotiate.”
Wen Rui barely steadied himself before going straight to the point. “The best way to prepare is to secure as many of the crucial technology patents as possible.”
That was how he’d built his Xinlü Energy.
Lu Congzhi nodded. “You’re right. But we don’t have enough time to develop every patent ourselves. We could acquire several telecommunications technology companies with a foundation already in place. Going from zero to one is difficult; going from one to a hundred is much easier.”
Wen Rui nodded. “Agreed.” Then he added, “Wi-Fi and Bluetooth patents are critical. We need to invest heavily in research there.”
Lu Congzhi nodded. “Agreed.” He added, “We also need patents covering multitouch and capacitive-screen technology, not to mention icon-grid layouts and slide-to-unlock.”
The outline of a future phone had already taken shape in Wen Rui’s mind. He knew what Lu Congzhi meant.
He agreed. “You’re right. Hardware and chip patents are our lifeline. Power-consumption control and power management may seem less important, but obtaining those patents would put us in a strategically important position.”
Lu Congzhi considered it. “Operating systems and application ecosystems are the ultimate platforms. We should secure as many related patents as we possibly can.”
They gazed at each other, their eyes shining. Passion and dreams blended into their heated breaths, mingling between their noses. Their bodies were close; their hearts were closer.
Feeling they’d outlined enough, Lu Congzhi exhaled softly, sending mint and citrus scents across Wen Rui’s face.
Wen Rui held his hand. “We’ll need to recruit people. Our biggest shortage is research teams.”
Lu Congzhi already had a plan. “I know exactly whom we should recruit. There are several people at our university. I’ll talk to them when we get back and make sure I bring them over to your side. A few others are abroad, and I can fly out when I have time. From now on, I’ll handle personnel.”
Thanks to information he’d read online in his previous life, Lu Congzhi knew almost all the researchers who had worked at Xinglian Century. Many were fellow alumni. Finding them one by one would be simple. He was also skilled at persuading people to change jobs: he knew how their careers would develop and could identify exactly what they wanted or lacked.
“We’re expanding into so many areas that the company will need financing.” He sighed softly.
Wen Rui took the responsibility upon himself. “I’ll handle financing. If necessary, I’ll mortgage my properties and borrow some from my family.”
Lu Congzhi considered it. “I bought a plot of land over two thousand square meters in Longgang, Shen City, for fifty thousand yuan. There are rumors it’ll be requisitioned next year. I might receive several million in compensation. If that happens, I’ll give all of it to you. There’s no rush about financing. We’ll find a way together.”
Something stirred in Wen Rui’s heart. He gazed into Lu Congzhi’s eyes with unusual intensity. Enduring hardship together, overcoming difficulty together, building dreams together, creating a new world together. No bond could be truer or stronger.
He smiled gently. “All right. We’ll find a way together.”
Lu Congzhi smiled too. “President Wen, you’ll become the richest man in the world.”
Wen Rui said with complete seriousness, “President Lu, in this company, your word will carry more weight than the richest man’s.”
Lu Congzhi admitted he was delighted. Wen Rui in his early twenties was elegant and open-minded, a quick thinker with keen judgment and excellent communication skills. He was the ideal partner for starting a business. How had Lu Congzhi missed him in his previous life?
With a trace of regret he couldn’t quite explain, Lu Congzhi climbed out of Wen Rui’s arms and said softly, “It’s late. Let’s sleep.”
The sudden emptiness in his arms allowed cold air to seep in at once, and Wen Rui frowned.
He watched Lu Congzhi climb down and, afraid he might fall, kept a firm grip on one of his arms. When he let go, several crimson finger marks remained on the cool-white skin. He lowered his head and stared at them for a long while.
Lu Congzhi lay down on the lower berth and waved up at him. “Good night, President Wen.”
Wen Rui’s voice was low. “Good night, President Lu.”
Lying flat beneath his blanket, inhaling the powerful smell of feet and listening to the noisy card game, Wen Rui couldn’t sleep at all. Lu Congzhi’s brilliantly shining eyes kept appearing in his mind, along with his confident, high-spirited smile.
But Lu Congzhi was straight…
His brows drew tighter. Suddenly he felt two soft things being tucked into his ears, muffling the noise at once. He opened his eyes to see Lu Congzhi’s head peeking up, his lips curved in a smile.
“I packed earplugs for you. You like it quiet.”
Wen Rui answered softly, warmth filling his heart.
Lu Congzhi tossed him a plastic bag full of tangerine peels, then removed one of Wen Rui’s earplugs and whispered, “Leave the bag open and put it beside the inside edge of your pillow. Turn your head that way and you’ll smell the tangerines.”
“Okay.” Wen Rui put the bag in place and turned to breathe in the scent.
Lu Congzhi smiled. “Feeling any better?”
“Much better. But what about you?” Wen Rui asked anxiously.
Lu Congzhi waved a hand. “I lived in an orphanage before. I’m used to it.”
Wen Rui’s heart gave a faint ache. The orphanage held only cold, dark memories for Lu Congzhi. How could he be used to something like this?
Wen Rui took Lu Congzhi’s hand. “Our company is going to succeed. Your life will change.”
You mustn’t get used to it. You deserve the very best future.
Lu Congzhi squeezed his hand in return and said with certainty, “President Wen, I believe in you.”