Entertainment: Since 1990

Chapter 106 Investment, the Predecessor of Blizzard (Please Subscribe)

Because the internet was not widespread in the 1990s and information was not readily available, Cao Jian, who was in the United States, was unaware of these things happening in Hong Kong.

But he is very confident in his magazine and album, and a big hit is a certainty.

As for whether Cao Wei crippled Ni Zhen, he remained calm.

Because he trusted his cousin.

Even if you don't find an opportunity, there will be another time.

"Honey, is this a VCD player? A machine that can play videos?"

In the research lab of C-CUBE and Cao Jian Investment, Wang Fei looked curiously at the machine that resembled a video recorder but could play discs, feeling full of admiration for her boyfriend.

"How was it? Interesting, right?"

In Cao Jian's eyes, the huge black machine in front of him, the world's first VCD player, had become a money-printing machine.

He pressed the eject button on the "money printing machine" and then said to Sun Yansheng, the boss of C-CUBE, "Apply for a patent for this technology immediately. I'll arrange production at the factory and strive to launch it by the middle of the year."

"Apply for a patent?"

Sun Yansheng had never actually considered applying for a patent.

"What is the problem?"

When Cao Jian saw this strange look, he remembered that he and another inventor of VCDs had not only failed to make much money because they neglected the issue of patents, but also caused the "Wan Yan" brand they created to disappear from the market.

If a patent is applied for, even if a Japanese factory wants to copy it, it will have to pay patent fees.

“Okay, then let’s apply for the patent in the name of the factory.”

At this moment, Cao Jian's reminder made him realize that if such a machine were to be released, other companies that wanted to produce VCDs would have to buy his patent, and wouldn't they make a fortune?

I never expected this young man to have such a strong sense of intellectual property rights.

But then he said, "Xiao Cao, what should we call our machine brand?"

"It's a brand, you know."

Cao Jian's factory in Guangzhou is called Ruifeng Electronics, but the product brand doesn't necessarily have to be that.

He knew that the world's first VCD player was the "Wan Yan" brand, one of the characters of which was "Yan" from Sun Yansheng's name.

My name is Cao Jian. If I were called "Jian Yan" or "Yan Jian," it would sound terrible.

Suddenly, he turned to look at Wang Fei and said with a smile, "How about calling it the Flying Swallow brand?"

"Flying Swallow?"

Sun Yansheng thought the name was alright. There happens to be a national treasure in China called "Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow," and the brand name "Flying Swallow" sounds quite nice.

However, the "Yan" in the brand name is naturally her own name.

But what does "fly" mean?
But when he saw Wang Fei, the girl next to him, looking delighted and happy, he immediately realized: "This Xiao Cao really knows how to please a girl."

On the way back, as expected, Wang Fei hugged Cao Jian's arm and asked in a sweet voice, "Honey, is the 'Fei' in 'Feiyan' a homonym for my name?"

Cao Jian deliberately laughed and said, "No, I just said it casually."

"You're lying! It's obvious, why won't you admit it?"

Wang Fei knew her boyfriend was teasing her, and smiled brightly, saying, "Honey, I love you to death."

"I love you too."

Anyway, VCDs need a good name, and Cao Jian felt it was a worthwhile favor to do this.

Even if a chaotic situation erupts in the future, Wang Fei will remember how much she loves him when she sees the "Flying Swallow" brand.

"husband"

Wang Fei felt a sweet warmth in her heart and nestled her head on Cao Jian's shoulder: "When can I marry you? I want to have your children."

"what?"

Cao Jian never imagined getting married and having children so early.

Having just been reborn, and not yet having had enough fun, how could I possibly want to be bound by marriage?
He paused briefly before quickly saying, "We're still young. By the way, how's the game company I asked you to find going?"

Although Wang Fei was a little disappointed when her boyfriend changed the subject, she still said, "I found a few. The business cards are in the apartment where I live. I didn't give them to you these past few days because I saw you were busy with the VCD thing."

"Well done! You've worked hard, baby."

Cao Jian immediately gave Wang Fei a sweet kiss.

The kiss immediately brightened Wang Fei's mood, and she secretly blamed herself, saying, "He's only twenty years old. At that age, he should just be starting university. I was a little too hasty." Back in Wang Fei's rented apartment, Cao Jian looked at a stack of game company business cards, searching for familiar names.

In the 1990s, PC games had not yet taken off; the mainstream games were cartridge-based game consoles, hand-cranked arcade machines, and handheld game consoles.

The main companies behind these three types of games are in Japan; there aren't many American games, mainly because they can't compete with the Japanese.

However, after its boom in the 1990s, Japanese games became stagnant and were gradually replaced by American and Korean games.

However, computers are still a scarce commodity for ordinary people. Therefore, PC games are not mainstream, and most game companies develop cartridge games for consoles.

For Cao Jian, who is quite skilled at even mobile games, cartridge games are a bit low-end.

But in this era, it's actually quite high-end.

Suddenly, among several flat sheets, he finally spotted a company called Silicon & Neural Bonds, a strange name, and the owner's name was Mike Morhaime.

"Isn't this the predecessor of Blizzard?"

Cao Jian held the business card, secretly smiling to himself, and couldn't help but kiss Wang Fei on the cheek: "Baby, you're simply a lucky star."

"Honey, is there anything special about this company? I heard from my classmates that it was only established this year and is quite small."

As Wang Fei spoke, she turned the business card over, and sure enough, there was a "1" mark on the back.

"I didn't expect you to be so serious."

"Of course I have to take my husband's affairs seriously."

Faced with the praise, Wang Fei spread out the other business cards and found that the numbers on the back were mostly "2" or "3", with the most being "4".

Cao Jian smiled and said, "This is exactly the kind of new company I'm looking for, so I can invest in it."

"invest?"

Wang Fei thought her boyfriend was going to make games, like distributing game cartridges, and she felt that this was not doing anything productive.

I never expected my boyfriend to be even more ruthless; he actually wants to invest in games!

This is much more serious than neglecting one's duties.

Can American games compete with Japanese games?

There is no comparison at all.

"That's right, investing in the future."

Cao Jian smiled and nodded, casually tossing the other business cards into his bag, keeping only the one from Silicon & Neural Bonds: "I'll visit that company tomorrow. For now, I'll cuddle with my baby and get a good night's sleep."

The next morning, Cao Jian and Wang Fei, accompanied by bodyguards, arrived at the address of a very inconspicuous apartment.

Find the address on the business card, and you'll see a small sign hanging at the door that reads "Silicon & Synapse".

"This was the predecessor of the famous Blizzard Entertainment, and it was really small."

Looking at this makeshift company, Cao Jian wondered who would have thought that ten years later, the globally popular "World of Warcraft" would be created by this very company.

When he thinks of World of Warcraft, he recalls the days when he, as the homeroom teacher and guild leader, led his students through dungeons.

"I'm not a good teacher, but the students like me."

Lost in thought, Cao Jian knocked on the door.

Soon, a young man in his twenties peeked out and, seeing the two Chinese men with bodyguards at the door, asked in confusion, "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Mr. Mo Huaimi."

Cao Jian looked inside from the doorway and saw two young men sitting there, but the room was messy, as if these people were eating and sleeping there.

"I am."

The young man sized up Cao Jian and asked, "What can I do for you?"

"Here's the thing, I'm thinking of investing in you. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

Cao Jian didn't waste any words and directly stated his purpose.

However, his words not only startled the young man at the door, but also made the two men who were busy inside the house stand up.

Did the wishes I made at Christmas come true so quickly?

Is it possible for a huge windfall to fall into your lap while you're sitting at home?
"Please come in quickly!"

The young man hurriedly ushered Cao Jian and Wang Fei in, eagerly asking, "How much money can you invest?"

(End of this chapter)