Chapter 3 Get on Board
At three o'clock in the morning, Su Yuanshan saved his project, turned off the computer and monitor. In ten hours, excluding framework code, he had written nearly 800 lines of original code. Of course, he chuckled to himself — code wasn't just about burning the midnight oil; a lot was thanks to good old copy-paste.
Taking advantage of his still-clear mind, he picked up pen and paper and began organizing his report.
When Su Yuanshan woke up again, it was almost noon. His uncle had originally planned to go to Shancheng in the morning to meet the legendary man who made a fortune reselling planes, but because Su Yuanshan had insisted he stay, Zhang Ke wasn't in a hurry and had decided to stick around a bit longer.
Su Xinghe sat on the sofa, looking at his son with a very complicated expression. Last night, he had stayed up until 1 a.m. with Su Yuanshan, personally witnessing him flipping through books while simultaneously writing code — and doing so at a speed even faster than his own. At that moment, Su Xinghe finally, truly accepted that his son was a genius.
However, upon receiving the "project report" his son had handed in, Su Xinghe couldn't help but laugh and cry at once: "You call this a report? One piece of paper? How am I supposed to take this to the school leaders?"
Su Yuanshan looked puzzled: "I wrote this for you to see. Who said anything about going to the school leaders?"
Su Xinghe was equally puzzled: "Such a major, promising software project — it could easily qualify as a national-level initiative! You really think you're going to tinker with it alone?"
"Dad, if you had even a little bit of commercial awareness, you'd understand. Since we're developing a world-leading EDA software, our sights can't be limited to just China. Once it becomes a national project, it would lose its competitiveness by nature. Uncle understands this best."
Zhang Ke nodded vigorously: "Xiaoshan's right. Brother-in-law, even though I don't understand software, I do know that when the government steps in to do business, unless you're dealing exclusively with other government units, it's almost impossible to break into the free market. Especially considering our unique national conditions."
Su Xinghe fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, acknowledging the two men's points. Then he frowned and said: "So what then? You're thinking about starting a collective enterprise or a private company?"
Hearing this, Zhang Ke's eyes suddenly lit up. He finally realized why his nephew had insisted he stay. "Cough! Brother-in-law," Zhang Ke leaned forward enthusiastically. "Why don't we set up a company together?"
"You?" Su Xinghe was stunned. "Setting up a software development company is expensive."
Zhang Ke thought for a moment and said: "Would three million be enough?"
Su Xinghe was even more stunned. He knew his brother-in-law had made money flipping goods these past few years, but he hadn't expected he could throw out such a big number so casually.
Su Yuanshan immediately jumped in: "Three million is more than enough! But Uncle, how much equity were you thinking of taking?"
Zhang Ke scratched his head; the question caught him off guard. After thinking for a moment, he tested the waters: "Fifty-fifty?"
Su Yuanshan almost burst out laughing: "Uncle, your appetite's too big! You want a 50-50 split during the angel investment phase for a future market worth tens or even hundreds of billions? You really think we programmers and a professor should just work for you?"
Zhang Ke grinned sheepishly: "Well, it's risky, you know? What if you build the thing and nobody wants to buy it?"
"Angel investment... sigh, you wouldn't understand even if I explained. Fine — let's do a bet. A wager."
"A wager? What kind of wager?"
Su Yuanshan thought for a moment: "At the start, the company valuation is set at 20 million. You invest 3 million, which gets you 15% of the company. That's the premise."
"The bet is: if within three years, our company's valuation reaches 100 million, your equity drops to 5%."
"But if we don't reach 100 million — even if we get close, like 90 million — your equity will automatically rise to 30%."
"As for losing money... we'll sign a capital preservation agreement. Plus, I'll promise 20% annual interest. Worst case, I'll sell myself to you to pay off the debt."
"No matter what, you won't lose money."
Su Yuanshan finished in one breath, looking at Zhang Ke with a half-smile: "Uncle, think it over carefully. This is a fast train to the future — to the age of technology and information. It's already waiting at your platform, whistle blowing. The only question is: are you getting on or not?"
The living room fell into silence.
After a long moment, Su Xinghe looked at his brother-in-law and slowly said: "Zhang Ke, if I put aside my identity and Xiaoshan's... I would advise you to invest."
Zhang Ke looked at his brother-in-law in shock.
Su Xinghe smiled faintly: "From what I know, Huada's Panda EDA project — the one the state is backing — they casually threw tens of millions at it."
Then Su Xinghe looked at his son, his eyes flickering: "Xiaoshan, what would you do?"
"Of course, I would lead the project."
Su Xinghe frowned: "And your schooling?"
"I would... take a leave of absence!"
Given a second chance at life, if he had to waste three years stuck in high school and sit for the college entrance exam, what a waste that would be.
Zhang Xiuyun entered the living room, having only caught the last part of the conversation. Her voice immediately rose an octave: "Su Yuanshan! What nonsense are you talking about? You want to drop out of school?"
Dropping out? Over her dead body.
Even Su Xinghe wouldn't be able to save him from her fury this time.
But since Su Yuanshan had dared bring it up, he clearly had a plan.
He hurriedly explained: "Mom, Mom... calm down. I didn't mean dropping out. What I meant is: I don't want to sit for the college entrance exam."
Zhang Xiuyun glared: "And if you don't take the entrance exam, what are you going to do? Go peddle goods with your uncle?"
Zhang Ke immediately slid out of the way: "Hey now, Sister, don't drag me into this."
Su Yuanshan pressed on: "No, listen: Dad's university can host a national high school programming competition, and the winner can be admitted directly."
He revealed his plan. In future years, countless universities would recruit outstanding talents early through competitions. The best would be plucked straight from high school into elite programs without needing to take the college entrance exam.
It might seem early now, but a decade ago, the University of Science and Technology of China had already launched its "Young Talent Class." If UESTC organized a national programming contest for high schoolers, it would make perfect sense.
Hearing this, Su Xinghe's eyes lit up — then immediately darkened with doubt: "Nowadays, high schoolers can barely program in BASIC. What kind of competition are you expecting?"
"Expand the scope," Su Yuanshan said calmly. "Make it a combined competition for electronic circuits and programming."
Su Xinghe slapped his thigh: "That could work! It fits the slogan 'Science and technology must be cultivated from youth,' and it aligns perfectly with our university's strengths. I'll propose it at tomorrow's meeting!"
Zhang Xiuyun stared dumbfounded: "You're just setting up an official backdoor for your son, aren't you?"
Su Xinghe smiled meaningfully: "Honestly? I kind of hope Tsinghua or Peking University sets up something like this, too. Then my kid could skip the exam and get into one of those."
Su Yuanshan laughed: "Dad, you don't have any confidence in your own university?"
"It's not that," Su Xinghe shook his head, "but those schools have more resources and stronger policies."
"Then just fight for it! If it were me, I'd fight to get a full professorship this year, then aim for dean next year, and maybe even academician later on!"
Zhang Ke clapped his hands: "Xiaoshan is right! Brother-in-law, I support you!"
Su Xinghe hesitated: "Academician?"
"Er... I meant member of the Academic Division," Su Yuanshan quickly corrected himself. (The title "Academician" would only officially appear two years later.)
Su Xinghe took a deep breath. His face flickered between light and shadow under the afternoon sun. Finally, he slapped his hand on the table and said: "Alright! I'll listen to you!"
Zhang Xiuyun looked from her husband to her son, then to her brother, utterly confused: "What on earth are you all planning?"
Zhang Ke laughed heartily: "Big plans!" He turned to Su Yuanshan: "I'll go tell Grandpa right away — I'm boarding this train with you!"
"And what about the wager?"
"Family doesn't need to bet!"
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