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

Chapter 71 Homecoming: Warmth and Ambition

What did he take with him?

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"The code can't be taken away; access is controlled. But he has something in his head; he knows our product direction for the next three months."

"Xu Yang," Luo Xiyuan picked up her phone, "I'm asking you, why should our users stay in Happy Farm and not go to QQ Farm?"

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"————Relationship chain? Previous investments?"

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"Yes, this is one of the moats. But this alone won't hold out for long. What's truly stopping them?"

'

Xu Yang did not answer.

"It's about speed," Luo Xiyuan continued. "They caught up with Happy Farm, and we'd already launched Happy Ranch. Then they caught up with Ranch, and we'd make the next one. We'd keep them chasing forever, until they realized they couldn't catch up."

She heard someone take a deep breath on the other end.

"The matter of Chen Junming—"

"

"He's gone, and that's it. It's possible for people to be poached; you have to accept that. But the internal project confidentiality hierarchy will be changed starting today. Level 1 plans will only be known to the five core people. This will change today."

"it is good."

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

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"Starting tomorrow, you will have someone compile one of our user research reports every month. It should be anonymous, but written by someone whose skill level is evident. Then, send a copy to a mid-level manager's email address within Tencent."

Xu Yang was stunned for a full three seconds.

"Why?"

"Let them think we're more difficult to deal with than we actually are."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Xu Yang said in a peculiar tone, "President Luo, your move—"

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"Is it useful?"

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"----it works."

"That's fine then."

Luo Xiyuan hung up the phone, picked up the development plan for Happy Ranch on the table, flipped to the last page, moved the original launch date forward by two weeks, and wrote three words next to it: "Must be there."

The next day, Ye Yu attended a meeting and heard that the timeline had been pushed back again. He paused in front of the whiteboard for a moment, then turned to the entire product department and said, "Did you hear that? General Manager Luo has given us more work. Those of you who stayed behind tonight, get these three modules running."

Someone asked: "Overtime pay—"

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"Double the amount." Ye Yu capped the whiteboard marker. "But we have to get it done tonight."

Luo Xiyuan stood outside the conference room, listened to this conversation, and did not go in.

She went to the break room, poured herself a glass of water, and stood at the window looking out.

The weather in Shanghai was already overcast in November, with the lights of several tall buildings in the distance flickering on and off.

She recalled a time in her past life when Happy Farm was so popular that everyone in the company was stealing vegetables. At nine o'clock in the morning, the first thing her colleagues did when they entered the office was not to clock in, but to open the webpage and harvest their own vegetables.

In those days, this game became an integral part of the lives of tens of millions of people.

This time, what she wants to do is to embed it deeper and for longer.

She finished the glass of water, turned around, and went back to her office.

At the end of November, Luo Xiyuan returned to Luo Family Village.

The truck driver picked her up from the high-speed rail station. When she got out of the truck, the sun was setting, and the orange light shone on the white walls of the three-story building, making it look very warm.

Li Minxia stood at the door and saw her get out of the car. She took two steps, stopped, and just stared at her.

"mom."

"I'm back."

After saying those two sentences, Li Minxia turned and went inside.

Luo Xiyuan followed them in with her luggage and saw that six dishes were already laid out on the table, all covered with bowls.

There is hot and sour shredded potato.

This is her favorite.

Luo Wen came down from upstairs, paused on the last few steps, then walked down, reached out and took the luggage from her hand, weighing it in his hand.

"It's a bit light. Did you not buy anything in Shanghai?"

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"I brought it, it's in your suitcase. I bought you a book."

"What book?"

"Basic Accounting"

Luo Wen's expression fell.

"—I have this book."

"This is the thicker version, do you have it?"

'

Luo Wen didn't say anything more and carried his luggage upstairs.

Luo Xinde had just returned from the farm, wearing that dark blue jacket and with some mud on his feet. When he entered and saw Luo Xiyuan, he was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and hung his jacket up. He then washed his hands and sat down at the dining table.

"He's back. Is things stable in Shanghai now?"

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"It's safe."

"Nobody—" He paused for a moment, "I just wanted to ask, is that alright?"

"6

Luo Xiyuan looked at her father without saying a word.

Luo Xinde felt guilty under her gaze and lowered his head to eat a mouthful of rice.

"Just asking casually."

"6

During dinner, Luo Wen brought a book down from the table and put it on the table, saying that he didn't actually have this book, but he didn't want to learn about it; he wanted to learn about investing.

Li Minxia brought the soup out of the kitchen and put the bowl on the table.

"If you don't learn basic math before you start investing, what are you going to invest in?"

'

Luo Wen resignedly picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Luo Xiyuan took a sip of soup.

Winter melon and pork rib soup, the kind that's been simmered for a long time, so the pork ribs are tender, the winter melon is soft, and the soup is clear and sweet.

I didn't get to drink this during my 28 days in Shanghai.

After the meal, Luo Wen brought down the account books. There were four of them, from left to right: the farm, the food factory, the organic fertilizer factory, and the pork shop.

He took a pencil and showed it to her from beginning to end, marking each book with red for abnormalities, blue for balances, and green for those awaiting confirmation.

Luo Xiyuan spent about twenty minutes flipping through the documents and asked two questions, which Luo Wen answered correctly. He knew the data better than she did.

She closed the last book and looked at Rowan.

What was the closing price of Kweichow Moutai today?

"195.8." Luo Wen paused after saying that, "How much did we buy it for?"

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"109.23.

"6

The two remained silent for a few seconds.

Luo Wen picked up a pencil, did some calculations on the draft paper, and showed it to her.

With 100 shares, the unrealized profit is nearly 9,000 yuan. Adding the principal, the paper value is nearly 30,000 yuan.

"Sis, when are you going to sell it?"

yy

"Not for sale."

"It's gone up so much."

"6

"It will go up again." Luo Xiyuan folded the draft paper and put it in her pocket. "When you go to high school, take this and slap it on your classmates' desks."

Luo Wen thought for a moment and changed the subject: "What are your plans for QQ Farm?"

She put her legs on the armrest of the chair and rubbed her ankles. Her feet hadn't had a rest during the month she'd been in Shanghai.

Do you still have your Happy Ranch project proposal?

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"It's stored on the computer."

"6

"Take it out tomorrow, I'll see it."

Luo Wen neatly folded the account book, carried it back, and before going upstairs, turned back and asked, "Sister, have you eaten in Shanghai?"

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Luo Xiyuan was stunned for a moment.

"have eaten.

"6

"takeout?

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"takeout."

How much is a meal?

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"----expensive."

Luo Wen lowered his head, calculated for two seconds, and said, "How much more expensive is it than at home?"

"More than three times."

He nodded thoughtfully, then turned and went upstairs, as if seriously considering the economic implications of the matter.

Luo Xiyuan watched his back, pulled her legs back from the armrest, leaned against the back of the chair, and closed her eyes for a moment.

The lights at home are warm-colored, brighter than in a hotel and warmer than in the office.