Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

Chapter 64 Who exactly is this girl?

Xu Yang leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed, adopting a posture of listening attentively.

He wanted to see what kind of "brilliant insights" this ignorant little girl could come up with.

In his view, this was nothing but a farce. A pig farmer, with his daughter, came to Shanghai to criticize an internet product.

If this gets out, it will probably become the laughing stock of the entire Caohejing Development Zone.

Luo Xinde and Li Minxia watched their daughter nervously, their palms sweating. They were afraid that their daughter would say the wrong thing and offend the seemingly unapproachable "General Manager Xu".

Only Luo Wen sat calmly beside his sister. He believed that his sister could definitely handle it.

Luo Xiyuan was completely unaffected by Xu Yang's scrutinizing gaze. She spoke calmly, her voice not loud, but every word clearly reached Xu Yang's ears.

"The first problem is that your target user group is too narrow."

"Our current users are mainly concentrated in white-collar circles in first-tier cities. They come into contact with our game through invitations from friends or recommendations from forums. This circle is too small. Your game has the potential to become a national-level application, but your promotion methods have limited it to a niche audience."

Xu Yang raised his eyebrows slightly.

The term "national level" stirred something within him. It truly was his dream.

"So, according to your brilliant idea, how should we promote it?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's very simple," Luo Xiyuan said. "Abandon your current word-of-mouth model. Find a platform with huge traffic and partner with them."

"platform?"

"Yes. For example, Renren and Kaixin." Luo Xiyuan directly pointed out the names of the two largest social networking sites in China at the time. "These sites have tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of registered users. Your game is essentially a social game. Its core is the relationship between people. Imagine grafting it onto a mature social platform, allowing users to play this game using their real friend relationships. What kind of scene would that be?"

Xu Yang's expression froze.

He had considered partnering with social networking sites, but he hesitated. He worried that putting his product on someone else's platform would mean losing control.

But now, this little girl has directly revealed the root cause of his hesitation.

Social games must rely on social platforms.

"The second question," Luo Xiyuan continued, not giving him much time to think, "is that your profit model is too simplistic and too foolish."

madness?

This word made Xu Yang's expression instantly turn somewhat ugly.

"Our current profit comes from selling decorative items. For example, changing the color of a fence or buying a nice scarecrow." Luo Xiyuan shook her head. "These things are insignificant. Whether users buy them or not has no impact on the core experience of the game. This is called working for love; it doesn't make any big money at all."

"Then tell me, how should we make money?" Xu Yang's voice already carried a hint of anger.

"We sell time, we sell efficiency, we sell the desire to keep up with the Joneses," Luo Xiyuan said.

"What do you mean?"

"For example, ordinary wheat takes ten hours to mature. But if you spend one dollar to buy a bag of our super fertilizer, it will mature in just one hour. Would you buy it?"

"For example, you've painstakingly planted a field of watermelons, and they're almost ripe. But your friend's dog keeps coming and eating them. At this point, the system prompts you that you can buy a bear trap for just five yuan, guaranteeing no dog will dare come near again. Would you buy it?"

"For example, everyone's land is yellow soil. But if you recharge to VIP3, you can own unique Northeast black soil, with a yield 20% higher than others, and your farm name will turn gold. When your friends see your gleaming gold name and fertile black soil, what will they think? Won't they want it too?"

With each point Luo Xiyuan made, Xu Yang's eyes widened a little more.

He felt that his established way of thinking had been forcibly disrupted by a force.

His initial thought was how to make the game more fun and interesting.

But this young girl in front of me was thinking about how to exploit human weaknesses to empty users' pockets!

Selling time, selling efficiency, selling the desire to keep up with the Joneses —

This line of reasoning sent a chill down his spine.

But he knew perfectly well that this logic held true! And once implemented, it would unleash unimaginable money-making power!

"The third problem," Luo Xiyuan said, looking at the stunned Xu Yang, "is also a very serious problem. Your skills are terrible."

"What did you say?!" Xu Yang jumped up from the sofa like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Technology is what he and his team are most proud of!

"What's wrong with our technology? Our server architecture is the most advanced in the country! Our code is the most optimized!" he retorted.

"Really?" Luo Xiyuan's tone remained calm. "Then why does your game experience noticeable lag whenever the number of concurrent online players exceeds ten thousand? Why can't your database even create a simple anti-cheat script?"

"I can even assert that if you follow the model I just described and partner with Renren.com, your game will completely crash on its first day of launch due to the overwhelming influx of users. At that point, you won't just fail to make money, you'll become a laughing stock in the entire industry."

"You—" Xu Yang opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Because everything Luo Xiyuan said was true.

Server issues and cheating problems have always been his biggest headaches, yet he has been unable to solve them for a long time.

He looked at the eloquent young girl in front of him and was deeply moved.

Who exactly is she?

How could she know so much about our products and technology?

Her analysis of promotion, profitability, and technological bottlenecks accurately pinpointed their company's core secrets and vulnerabilities.

This is definitely not the kind of insight and perspective a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl should have!

Let alone her, even those investment gurus who have been immersed in the industry for many years might not be able to see things so clearly!

Luo Xinde and Li Minxia, ​​who were standing nearby, were completely dumbfounded.

Although they didn't quite understand what their daughter meant by "traffic," "platform," and "profit model," they could see that the arrogant "President Xu" in front of them was now turning red and white, and breaking out in a cold sweat, thanks to his daughter's words.

They suddenly felt that their daughter seemed—somewhat unfamiliar.

"Who—who are you?" Xu Yang looked at Luo Xiyuan, his voice trembling slightly.

"Who I am is not important," Luo Xiyuan said calmly. "What is important is, Mr. Xu, you can't achieve your dreams on your own. You need money, and you need a partner who truly understands you and can guide you in the right direction."

She paused for a moment, then revealed her ultimate goal.

"And we are your best choice."

Xu Yang slumped back onto the sofa.

He knew he had lost.

A crushing defeat.

Faced with this cognitive gap, his pitiful pride was shattered.

He remained silent for a long time, then raised his head, looked at Luo Xiyuan, and his eyes became incredibly complicated.

"How do you want to cooperate?"

"We don't want to cooperate." Luo Xiyuan shook her head.

"So what do you want?"

"We want to acquire your company. 100% of the shares." Luo Xiyuan's tone left no room for argument.

Xu Yang's pupils suddenly contracted.

"That's impossible!" he instinctively refused.

"Nothing is impossible," Luo Xiyuan said. "We will offer you and your team a price you can't refuse. Moreover, I promise you that after the acquisition, you will still manage the company, and your team will decide the direction of product development. We will only be responsible for providing the funds and strategic advice."

How can I trust you?

"Because I know better than you how to make this game a success." Luo Xiyuan looked at him, her eyes confident and determined. "President Xu, I'll give you one day to consider. I expect to hear from you by this time tomorrow."

After saying that, she stood up and said to her parents, who were still in a daze, "Dad, Mom, let's go."

The family turned and left, right before Xu Yang's and the dozens of employees in the office's eyes.

Even after the elevator doors closed, Xu Yang remained rooted to the spot, the little girl's last words echoing repeatedly in his mind.

"I know better than you how to make this game a success."

Where does this strong sense of self-confidence come from?

Stepping out of the science building, the sunlight outside was a bit dazzling.

Luo Xinde and Li Minxia felt like they had just woken up from a dream; their minds were still reeling.

"Xi Yuan—what were you talking about with that General Manager Xu just now?" Li Minxia couldn't help but ask. "What platform, what profit? I didn't understand a word!"

"Yes, daughter," Luo Xinde said, looking equally puzzled. "I saw that kid surnamed Xu's face turn pale. Did you offend him?"

In his view, his daughter's words were aggressive and showed no respect for others. How could one conduct business like that?

"Dad, Mom, you don't need to understand." Luo Xiyuan smiled. "You just need to know that we took the initiative just now."

is

"The initiative?"

"That's right. Doing business is a game of strategy. Whoever sees through the other's cards first has already won half the battle. Now, I've completely seen through that Mr. Xu. He's probably more panicked than we are right now."

Luo Xiyuan knew very well that what a tech geek like Xu Yang feared most was encountering someone who was even more knowledgeable than him and could see through all his weaknesses at a glance.

Her words had completely shattered his psychological defenses.

Now, it's up to him to choose. Will he cling to his pitiful pride and watch the company go bankrupt, or will he accept reality, take the money, and leave to pursue his technological dreams?

Luo Xiyuan believes he will make a wise choice.

"Then—what should we do now? Just wait for news in the hotel?" Luo Xinde asked.

"No need to wait." Luo Xiyuan shook her head. "We rarely come to Shanghai, so of course we should have a good time. Come on, I'll take you to the Bund to see the Oriental Pearl Tower!"

For the rest of the day, Luo Xiyuan really acted like an ordinary tourist, taking her family to visit several famous attractions in Shanghai.

On the Bund, they saw the magnificent collection of international buildings and the towering Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

On Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, they experienced the prosperity and fashion of the metropolis.

Luo Xinde and Li Minxia were initially preoccupied, but they were quickly drawn in by the novel sights before them. Like any tourist visiting the city for the first time, they took countless photos and bought various souvenirs.

In the evening, Luo Xiyuan specially booked a restaurant with a view of the Huangpu River at night.

As the family sat by the window, gazing at the dazzling, fairytale-like night view outside, Li Minxia couldn't help but exclaim, "Shanghai is truly beautiful. It's exactly the same as on TV."

"Mom, if you like it, we can buy a house in Shanghai later," Luo Xiyuan said with a smile.

"Buy a house? Here?" Li Minxia was startled. "How much would that cost? At least a million?"

"One million might only be enough to buy a toilet," Luo Wen suddenly added from the side.

The whole family laughed.

The tense atmosphere gradually dissipated amidst the laughter and cheerful chatter.

The next morning, Luo Xiyuan's phone rang right on time.

It was Xu Yang calling.

"Ms. Luo—" Xu Yang's voice sounded hoarse and tired on the other end of the phone, clearly indicating he hadn't slept all night. "Our team has discussed it. We—agree to your acquisition proposal."

"Very good." Luo Xiyuan's tone was calm and composed, as if everything was within her expectations. "Then, we can talk about the price now."

"Our company's registered capital is one million. We hope you can acquire it at a five-fold premium, that is, five million," Xu Yang quoted a price.

Five million!

The call was on speakerphone, and Luo Xinde and Li Minxia's hearts skipped a beat when they heard the number.

Five million to buy a game company that you can't see or touch?

This is absolutely insane!

Luo Xinde was about to object when Luo Xiyuan stopped him with a look.

"Five million?" Luo Xiyuan's tone sounded somewhat playful. "President Xu, isn't your price a bit too high?"

"It's not that high!" Xu Yang hurriedly explained, "Our company's product has huge potential, you know that better than I do! Moreover, our team of over a dozen people are all top-notch programmers in the country! Their value alone is more than that!"

"Mr. Xu, let's be frank," Luo Xiyuan's voice turned serious. "How much money does your company have left in its accounts? Are you even struggling to pay next month's salaries?"

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long pause, Xu Yang said in an almost pleading tone, "Miss Luo, four and a half million, that's the lowest I can go. This is the culmination of our entire team's hard work, we—"

"Okay, five million, I agree." Luo Xiyuan suddenly spoke, interrupting him.

"What?" Xu Yang thought he had misheard.

"I said, five million, deal." Luo Xiyuan repeated, "However, I also have two conditions."

"Please speak!"

"First, this five million is the cost of acquiring 100% of your company's shares, as well as all the intellectual property rights of the 'Happy Farm' product. However, I will not pay this amount in one lump sum."

"I will pay two million upfront as the acquisition price. The remaining three million will be your team's performance-based bonus."

"A bet?"

"Yes. I will set three phased goals for you. For example, within three months, the game's concurrent online users will exceed 100,000. Within six months, monthly revenue will exceed five million. Within one year, we will become the number one social game in China. For each goal achieved, I will pay a bonus of one million. If we fail to achieve them, then the remaining money will be gone."

Xu Yang gasped after hearing this.

This young girl is very shrewd; she's using money to force her team to work themselves to the bone.

However, upon further reflection, Xu Yang felt that this plan was actually a good thing for him.

He has confidence in his product and team. With sufficient funding, he believes these goals are not out of reach.

This, on the contrary, was an encouragement to him.

"Okay! I agree!" he said through gritted teeth.

"The second condition," Luo Xiyuan continued, "is that after the acquisition is completed, your entire core team must serve the company for at least another three years. During these three years, no one may leave the company. This must be written into the contract."

"

This is to prevent them from taking the money and running away.

"No problem!" Xu Yang agreed readily.

"Great. It's settled then. We'll bring our lawyer to your company at 2 PM to sign the contract."

After hanging up the phone, Luo Xinde could no longer hold back.

"Xi Yuan! You—you really want to spend five million to buy that lousy company? Are you crazy?" He stood up. "That's five million! Not five hundred! Our family works so hard, raising pigs and running factories, how much money have we made? And you just throw five million away like that?"

"Dad, please don't get agitated." Luo Xiyuan looked at him. "Do you think five million is a lot?"

"Nonsense! Isn't that enough?"

"So, how much do you think our building in the county town is worth now?"

"That's worth at least a million or eight million."

"Yes. Do you know how much money that game company can make back for us within a year after we buy it?"

"How many?"

Luo Xiyuan held up one finger.

"One hundred million."

"What?!" Luo Xinde and Li Minxia's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"You don't believe me?" Luo Xiyuan smiled. "Then let's make another bet. If this company doesn't earn 100 million within a year, then you'll have the final say on everything in the family. If it does, then you can't object to any decision I make afterward. Are you willing to bet?"

Another bet.

Looking at the confident look in the girl's eyes, Luo Xinde suddenly remembered the bet about stocks from last time.

He hesitated.

"Dad, please trust Xiyuan," Luo Wen, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "When has my sister ever let you down?"

Looking at his son and daughter, Luo Xinde found one frighteningly calm and the other incredibly intelligent.

He suddenly felt that he was really getting old.

This world is no longer something he can understand.

He let out a long sigh and slumped back onto the sofa.

"Fine—I don't care anymore. This house will be yours sooner or later. Do whatever you want with it."

In the afternoon, witnessed by a lawyer, Luo Xinde, as the legal representative of "Luo's Farm", and Xu Yang officially signed the acquisition contract.

When Luo Xinde signed his name on the contract, he felt his hands trembling.

When he signed his name, he felt that this was not just a contract, but a decision that would lead his entire family in an unknown direction.

Once the contract was signed, Luo Xiyuan's style of doing things was fully revealed.

That afternoon, the first payment of two million yuan was transferred directly from Luo's Farm's corporate account to Xu Yang's company account.

When Xu Yang and his team saw the long string of zeros in the text message on their phones, everyone cheered loudly.

The entire office instantly erupted in excitement.

"Holy crap! I'm rich! I'm rich!"

"Brother Xu is awesome! We're rich now!"

Several programmers were so excited that they threw down their keyboards and jumped and bounced around together.

They were too poor.

To keep the company running, they've been living on only basic living expenses for several months. Many of them are barely surviving on instant noodles and their dreams.

Now that a big spender has fallen from the sky, they can finally hold their heads high.

Xu Yang looked at the cheering team and felt a mix of emotions.

He walked up to Luo Xiyuan and bowed deeply.

"Mr. Luo, thank you."

From that moment on, his address to Luo Xiyuan changed from "Miss Luo" to "President Luo".

"No need to thank me." Luo Xiyuan's expression remained calm. "I've already paid the money. Now it's up to you."

She paused, looked at Xu Yang, and her eyes sharpened.

"I hope that the speed at which you spend money matches your ability to earn it. I don't want to see my investment become capital for you to squander."

Xu Yang felt a chill run down his spine and immediately understood what she meant.

"Don't worry, Mr. Luo! We won't waste a single penny of this money! All of it will be used for product development and company operations!" he immediately assured him.

"Very good." Luo Xiyuan nodded, then took a document out of her bag and handed it to Xu Yang.

"This is the first phase of the development plan I've drawn up for you. I require you to provide me with a detailed implementation plan within three days."

Xu Yang took the document, glanced at it, and his pupils contracted again.

The document was titled "A Plan for Integrating and Viral Marketing with the 'Happy Farm' Social Platform".