Creating a Tech Empire

“Chen Fan! Why haven’t you finished work yet?” Li Chenggang’s voice came through the phone.

“Ah,, I’m working overtime tonight,” Chen Fan replied while assembling 3D puzzles.

“Damn! You’re just an intern, and yet you’re already working overtime. Is there no one left in the company?”

Chen Fan had no response to that. It was really embarrassing. He couldn’t even respect himself, let alone talk with pride.

“Hurry up and finish work. The overtime pay you get won’t even buy a pack of cigarettes. What’s the point? Tonight, in our dorm, a few of us are planning to have a drink, and we’re all calling you to join us!”

“Okay, I’ll come over as soon as I’m done here.”

“Great, hurry up!”

After hanging up the phone, Chen Fan continued to work diligently. He had decided that he would finish the product tonight and then send an email directly to the general manager. If there was no reply within a day, he would go out and find investors himself.

Shenglin Technology’s design department had an incentive policy set by the new general manager. If you had a good idea, you could design a completely new product and send it to the general manager. If the company decided to invest in your product, then after the product was launched in the market, the profit would be split 80-20, with the company taking 80% and the individual taking 20%.

As for the 80-20 profit-sharing, if Shenglin Technology could really do it, it would be considered conscientious in the industry. After all, in the early stages, all the investment was borne by the company. Therefore, according to market risk valuation, one party bore 100% of the risk, while the other party bore zero risk. For the designer, it was just a matter of putting in their effort, so giving them 20% of the profit was actually quite fair.

Most companies, on the other hand, either bought out all the rights to your product in one go or provided a feedback based on sales percentages. Don’t underestimate these percentages; for an ordinary worker, it was a huge sum.

Of course, Chen Fan would not agree to the 80-20 or buyout methods because he was a reincarnator who knew the market share of assembled toys. So, a profit-sharing model like 80-20 was something he would never accept.

Sometimes, a good idea, a good product, could make a new company rise rapidly, and it could also help a medium-sized enterprise like Shenglin Technology take another step up the economic ladder.

So, if Shenglin Technology is stubborn and lacks strategic vision for the future, Chen Fan will only leave with his product to find new investors. If that doesn’t work, he’ll go directly to the LEGO Group.

It’s better for him to jump ship rather than selling his product cheaply.

Yes, Chen Fan has already privatized the assembled toy—it’s his own!

The idea may not be his own, but the actual product is something Chen Fan designed bit by bit all by himself.

As the clock pointed to one o’clock in the morning, the quiet design department office was filled only with the sound of Chen Fan’s continuous keyboard typing and the faint noise of machines in the production workshop.

“Done!” Chen Fan’s eyes lit up, and the previous exhaustion vanished, replaced by an unmistakable look of joy.

All the work was done, and now he just needed to create a 3D simulation report and a PowerPoint presentation.

Real 3D data couldn’t be sent out casually, so a 3D simulation report would give the investors an intuitive understanding of the product’s characteristics, along with the PowerPoint presentation for further explanation.

After completing all the work, Chen Fan looked at the 3D simulation image playing repeatedly on the computer screen and felt a sense of pride.

On the computer screen, a Mercedes-Benz Elf sports car with bright yellow as the primary color and black-gray as the secondary color was rapidly disassembling into 888 bricks in a dynamic manner. Once all the disassembly was complete, it would then reassemble in the same dynamic manner. If compared, it was like the 3D special effects of a Transformers during its transformation—a dazzling display, not inferior to movie special effects in any way.

Of course, UG software’s 3D simulation and simulation functionality couldn’t be compared to 3D special effects production software for movies. Moreover, UG 1.0 version’s simulation and simulation couldn’t achieve high-fidelity rapid disassembly and reassembly of 888 bricks like Chen Fan’s.

After all, UG software is industrial software, and with the current 1.0 version, it’s far from being able to simulate the assembly of hundreds or thousands of modules. The various parameters and commands involved are beyond what the technology of 2002 could achieve.

Chen Fan overlooked this because he was a reincarnator and had seen this level of simulation countless times. Therefore, he didn’t pay attention to the reasons behind all this, which were all due to the simulation demo provided by the high-tech store’s CD.

Human habits are not something that can be changed overnight.

The simulation report was complete, the PowerPoint presentation was done, and Chen Fan logged into the company’s internal email, entered the email address for the new product launch, and sent the email!

Everything was sorted!

After rubbing his slightly sore neck, Chen Fan shut down the computer, tossed the CD into the system repository, and headed back to his dorm room to sleep.

The next morning, Xiao Lingshan was still jogging in the industrial park in the harbor district while listening to music. It was her good habit, and she couldn’t remember when it started, but it had been several years.

Early to bed and early to rise could keep your skin looking its healthiest, and morning runs could keep your body at its most energetic state.

Most importantly, if you stuck to your morning run, you could eat whatever you wanted without worrying about your figure!

That’s why Xiao Lingshan could stick to her morning runs.

After completing her usual distance, a sweaty Xiao Lingshan couldn’t help but wonder on her way back to the company apartment. That guy named Chen Fan seemed to lack the patience that Lin Zikai had.

From the first day she accidentally encountered Chen Fan during her morning run, Xiao Lingshan thought he might be another one of her pursuers who tried to gain her attention just like Lin Zikai.

Honestly, she still remembered how she used to run into Lin Zikai during his morning jogs. However, this kind of accidental meeting continued for a month and then stopped. It seemed that the other person couldn’t maintain the habit of morning runs.

Little did she know, this guy named Chen Fan was even worse, giving up on chasing after her after just four days of trying to follow her jogging route. It was really amusing!

Thinking about all these trivial matters, she returned to her upscale apartment, took a shower, changed her clothes, and then headed directly to the company.

If Li Chenggang saw her dormitory, he would definitely let out a curse and call her a spoiled rich girl.

The dormitory room where she lives has three bedrooms, two living rooms, and many luxurious decorations, all placed just for one person. Compared to her room, the eight guys living in their place don’t even have a bathroom as big as her apartment!

Xiao Lingshan’s office was inside the general manager’s office, slightly smaller than the general manager’s desk, but it was her own choice.

“Sister Lin, you’re here so early, where’s my breakfast?” Upon entering the office and seeing Lin Zixun sitting confidently in the general manager’s chair, Xiao Lingshan greeted her with a playful smile.

“I had Chen run out to buy it; he should be back soon.” Lin Zixun glanced up at Xiao Lingshan and then lowered her head to continue reviewing the documents that needed approval.

“Sister Lin, I’ve been here for five days already, I think that’s long enough. Could you sign for me so I can go back?” Xiao Lingshan walked over to stand behind Lin Zixun, placing her small hand on her shoulder while speaking and giving a soothing massage.

“No, Aunt Du said you have to stay with me for at least a month. What’s the hurry?” Lin Zixun, Shenglin Technology’s new general manager, age 28, with long white hair. Unlike Xiao Lingshan’s cute type, she exuded the mature charm of a career woman. Her standard black professional suit couldn’t hide her mature and charming figure.

“Hmph! I won’t give you a massage anymore then! I curse that you won’t find a boyfriend!” Xiao Lingshan pretended to be angry and sat back at her own desk, opening her Apple PowerBook G4 laptop.

Lin Zixun chuckled softly but didn’t say anything, continuing to review the documents.

The company was her father’s lifelong effort, and no matter what, she had to find a way to save it.

Xiao Lingshan opened her computer. Her daily workload was not heavy; occasionally, she helped the general manager check matters in the workshop and recorded the minutes of the general manager’s meetings. She also assisted in reviewing dozens of new product application emails each day.

Incentive policies were effective, as money moves hearts. Therefore, most of the product proposals submitted daily were not numerous, but they were mostly mediocre. She didn’t even know where they downloaded the images from, but they dared to send a hastily made PowerPoint presentation. They all just really wanted some quick money.

That was Xiao Lingshan’s kind of thought whenever she saw these kinds of documents.

Today, she logged into her email again, but this time, one email caught her attention because it was from someone she knew.

Chen Fan.