Yi Shuihan naturally refused. Zhang Bo then left with an ambiguous remark: "Just you wait and see."
Sure enough, the company faced unprecedented pressure in the following period. First, the police came to inspect the premises repeatedly, and then the bank refused to lend him money, but Yi Shuihan withstood all of this. Moreover, he pulled a lot of strings to finally get the other party to stop.
But what I didn't expect was that Zhang Bo would play such a ruthless game this time!
The wind howls, the Yi River is cold!
Yi Shuihan really wanted to grab a knife and rush over there, killing that brat. He wanted to emulate the heroic deeds of Jing Ke of ancient times, to teach these princelings, these lawless bastards who relied on their parents' influence, a lesson in what it meant for a common man's anger to cause bloodshed!
But thinking of his fiancée… Yi Shuihan ultimately chose to endure. He was currently trying his best to reconstruct the general framework of the mathematical model from his memory, hoping to persuade Isaac Company to grant him some time. However, Yi Shuihan also knew that this approach was futile, because business is business. Regardless of the reason, if delivery could not be made on time, compensation would be required… especially for the meticulous Germans. They only wanted results and would never consider the reasons.
It was already 1:30 a.m. Yi Shuihan knew he hadn't slept for more than 36 hours, but his eyes were bloodshot and he felt no sleepiness at all. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he couldn't give up!
But at that moment, a text document suddenly opened automatically on the screen... Someone had hacked in!
Yi Shuihan immediately launched a counterattack. His tired brain was not dulled; Yi Shuihan's computer skills were quite good. However, his counterattacks seemed to sink without a trace. To put it simply, it was as if he could see a large ship in the distance, but the arrows he shot could not even touch the surface of it.
This feeling of awe and reverence... who is it? A hacker?
Upon seeing that line of text on the document, Yi Shuihan let out a loud "Awoo!"... He was so excited that he bit his tongue!
It's SMMH?!
If someone in the IT industry doesn't know this name, they've truly lived in vain! This resounding name signifies unparalleled technology, a level of expertise that commands awe and respect, and the existence of someone hailed as the world's number one programmer!
SMMH wants to help itself?
Even if SMMH had independently solved the Beacon Virus and brought Snake to justice, making its name known throughout the world, Yi Shuihan wouldn't have been so excited upon seeing this name before.
Because everyone has their own area of expertise, even the best programmer can't be proficient in everything. Well, even if they were, there's not much time left... One week, excluding the 24 hours that have already passed yesterday, there are still six days left.
Building a perfect CNC model in six days is absolutely wishful thinking!
But this time, Yi Shuihan felt that he could be saved.
Because of "The Martial Artist"!
Although he had been very busy and hadn't had much time to play games, Yi Shuihan had heard of and paid attention to this game before... Of course, he wasn't interested in how good the game was, but rather in the technical analyses of the game on some industry forums and in the media.
One of the comments mentioned that the CNC model of "Martial Artist" is simply amazing! It far surpasses the technology in the world and is even comparable to NASA's satellite and spacecraft simulation systems!
This means that just when he was struggling with a fifth-grade math problem, a math expert like Chen Jingrun suddenly appeared... How could Yi Shuihan not go crazy?!
"You really are...SMMH?" Yi Shuihan felt his fingers trembling. His previously drowsy brain suddenly became excited as if it had been injected with chicken blood, and he could no longer feel sleepy at all.
"Do you need some proof?" Chen Xu asked, because he was about to ask the other party for crucial data, which was highly confidential. If Yi Shuihan handed it over just because he said so, then he would be too stupid. So Chen Xu sent a file, which was also a data model. However, the technical content was not very high, it was just technology from the 2020s. The content was just a very simple story about a comet hitting Earth... well, actually, this content is not simple even now.
Input the comet's volume, mass composition, and the location of its impact on Earth, as well as the potential consequences.
This model completely dispelled Yi Shuihan's remaining doubts. Although his hacking skills weren't great, he had come into contact with quite a few talented people in this field. His standards were very high; the previous attack had already convinced him to be 70%, and now… he was 200% convinced!
A 24-year-old man finally couldn't hold back his tears in front of the computer screen. You can imagine that someone who was already on the verge of despair was suddenly and unexpectedly blessed with happiness, like a beggar who hadn't eaten for three days suddenly being taken to a magnificent five-star hotel. This huge contrast can bring tears to even the toughest man's eyes.
Looking at the several lines of thanks that appeared on the screen, Chen Xu really wanted to tell him, "Hmm, there are several typos in these."
Of course, Chen Xu knew the other person was just excited. Seeing their excitement secretly pleased him… First, his reputation was intimidating. Second, well, helping others is the source of happiness!
Chen Xu felt that he had always been a good person. That's right, not only him, but also Guan Yi and the other girls thought so.
In this materialistic society, the kind side of human nature is often used as a tool to swindle money.
Chen Xu remembers that when he was very young, he lived in a large courtyard house, not the high-rise buildings he sees now. Occasionally, people would knock on his door, begging for food, saying they were fleeing famine in a rural village.
The word "famine" is no longer used today, but it actually existed ten or fifteen years ago. Back then, beggars were called "food beggars," and all they asked for was a little rice to fill their stomachs.
Whenever this happened, if Chen Xu's parents were eating at home, they would give them a bowl of rice. Of course, if the people begging for food were young adults, they would never give them any, because young adults have hands and feet and they wouldn't starve to death even if they worked hard.
Nowadays, beggars, tsk tsk, will never come asking you for rice. Some "professional beggars" even earn more money than most white-collar workers and eat better than most people.
But that day, when Chen Xu went shopping with Guan Yi, Gao Xiaojie, and Zhan Jing—or more accurately, when Chen Xu was doing manual labor for the three girls—they encountered an old beggar.
The old man, looking weathered, spoke in a thick rural accent, saying he had come to the city from the countryside to find his son, but he was out of money and wanted to beg for some food.
So Chen Xu gave him ten yuan, and he left, thanking him profusely. Gao Xiaojie, standing nearby, said, "You shouldn't have given him the money. Most of these beggars are faking it; he might actually have more money than us."
Guan Yi nodded in agreement, but Chen Xu said, "What you said is just one possibility, but it's also possible that what he said is true. I never like to assume the worst about others. Anyway, I won't know whether it's true or not, and he won't come to thank me for ten yuan. I'll probably only see him once in my life. So I'd rather believe it's true. If it's false, I won't feel deceived since I don't know. But if it's true? Anyway, I have a clear conscience."
Chen Xu said these words casually, but the three women's eyes changed slightly. Of course, Chen Xu, being so careless, didn't notice. He always felt that if he could help others, he would, without asking for anything in return, only to be true to his conscience.
His reason for helping Yi Shuihan this time was the same. According to Xiaomin's analysis, this data model didn't need to be very advanced. There were ready-made templates on the computer, so it wouldn't cause any loss to Chen Xu. On the contrary, it could help him cover up.
So after receiving the crucial data from Yi Shuihan, Chen Xu immediately had Xiaomin fit it into the model. After running it once and finding no problems, he packaged the model and sent it back.
This action immediately took on a different meaning in Yi Shuihan's eyes.
It only took a dozen minutes from when the data was sent to him to when it was sent back. SMMH, is he even human?
Of course, although Yi Shuihan admired SMMH, he did not blindly follow him, even though the other party suddenly appeared like God when he needed help the most.
He knew that such a short time could only be used for data input and some minor modifications, which meant that SMMH already had the corresponding model in stock... But the fact that they were willing to help him and selflessly give him their stuff meant that the model was worth at least several million!
But since he had just said such a pointless thing to him, what else could Yi Shuihan say?
"Thank you so much, SMMH! Our company was able to get out of this predicament entirely thanks to your help! I know that a small company like ours is nothing to you, but as a man, I still have to say that if you ever need my help in the future, just say the word, and I will go through fire and water for you!"
"Heh, no need to be so polite. But as you just said, if that princeling doesn't succeed once, he'll try again. You need to be careful. I won't always be there to help you."
Mentioning Zhang Bo, Yi Shuihan couldn't help but grit his teeth. He knew that although he had escaped this time, it was only one escape. He still had no power to shake Zhang Bo. And if he failed once, given Zhang Bo's personality, there would be a next time. How would he deal with that then?
“Here’s what we’ll do,” Chen Xu said, “After this matter, you should mention my name in the media, saying that I’m helping you. If that princeling is smart enough, he probably won’t make things difficult for you anymore…”
Chapter 166 of the main text: The Crown Prince Party and the Second Generation of Wastes
The Shanghai First Financial Daily, homepage, headline… "SMMH Reappears, Violet Company Survives a Desperate Situation!" "Exclusive news from this newspaper: A week ago, Violet Company suffered a very serious malicious theft incident. An internal corporate spy sabotaged the software product that Violet Company had painstakingly developed over a year, aiming to prevent Violet Company from delivering the product within a week. But at this critical moment, the legendary SMMH appeared like an omnipotent god, helping Violet Company complete the project and enabling the company to fulfill the agreement on time. Below is an exclusive interview with Mr. Yi Shuihan, President of Violet Company, conducted by our reporter…"
"What's going on? What's going on?!" In an office on the top floor of the Shanghai Huatian Building, a young man was slamming his fist on the table in a fit of anger. In front of him was a copy of the First Financial Daily.
The young man appeared to be in his early twenties, looking quite young and handsome with well-maintained skin. Although he still had a slightly immature air about him, when he got angry, no one dared to breathe too loudly. These subordinates all knew their boss's temper; they knew never to provoke him when he was in a bad mood. For example, once, when he was eating at a Western restaurant, because the snails he ordered were a little slow to arrive, he smashed the waiter's head open with a wine bottle.
This young man is Zhang Bo, a notorious princeling in Shanghai... no, it's more accurate to call him a spoiled brat. Within Shanghai's princeling and princess circles, Zhang Bo isn't very popular. This is largely because, although his background is considerable, he's too stubborn and self-willed, very subjective, unwilling to listen to others' opinions, and also too arrogant, thus offending many people.
Many of the things Zhang Bo did involved using his family's connections to engage in business activities that bordered on extortion.
He often acquires promising but unremarkable companies at very low prices, usually under the guise of government acquisitions. He has done this many times through his and his father's network of connections and influence. Of course, he is not always successful. Occasionally, when he encounters a tough opponent, his powerful father's network of connections can help him resolve the situation.
"Who exactly is this SMMH?!" Zhang Bo slammed his fist on the table, his face grim. "How come I've never heard of him?"
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. This guy seemed to know very little about the IT industry, and had never even heard of SMMH... Actually, that's not surprising. You can't expect someone who spends all his time at parties and only cares about picking up girls to know who SMMH is. It's as absurd as expecting a pig that knows how to use the internet to know who Bill Gates is.
Immediately, a secretary handed over the documents related to SMMH. Zhang Bo casually flipped through them while listening to the secretary's reports on some key points, mainly the previous Beacon Virus, the battle with Snake, and the matter concerning this martial arts master... As for the connections between SMMH and the military, the X organization, etc., ordinary people would not know about them; these are highly classified information.
After listening for a few minutes, Zhang Bo showed a disdainful expression: "So he's just a guy with slightly better skills... Do you know who he is in real life?"
Upon hearing this, the subordinates knew what their master was thinking, and they all smiled bitterly to themselves.
Slightly better technically? Don't you know that right after SMMH solved the Firefly virus, major security companies around the world offered him an astronomical annual salary of tens of millions? And in US dollars!
Looking at Zhang Bo's nonchalant expression, everyone knew that this was actually a vicious cycle.
People like Zhang Bo, who are utterly unqualified princelings… or second-generation rich kids, look down on those in technical fields, believing they're just laborers and unworthy of high positions. Conversely, many technical people also look down on these second-generation rich kids, considering them good for nothing except for their privileged upbringing… even a pig could achieve his current success if they switched places with him!
So this is a vicious cycle. Naturally, the subordinates dared not voice any objections, but they also couldn't possibly know SMMH's true identity in reality. So they could only stand there like wooden stakes, motionless, eyes downcast, like statues in a Buddhist temple.
Seeing his subordinates remain silent, Zhang Bo flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the table and yelling, "What's wrong? You don't know? If you don't know, then investigate! I want to see who dares to mess with me!"
His subordinates could only manage a wry smile. Just then, the office phone rang. Zhang Bo answered it angrily, demanding, "Who is it?!"
"It's me, Huang Anping." A steady, magnetic voice came from the other end of the phone, a voice that Zhang Bo least wanted to hear.
Huang Anping was also a princeling, but he and Zhang Bo were never on the same page. To put it objectively, Huang Anping looked down on Zhang Bo. Within the Shanghai princeling circle, Huang Anping was a very influential figure, also relying on his father's connections. However, Huang Anping's business empire was far more extensive than Zhang Bo's. This infuriated Zhang Bo!
It's not that he didn't want to get into Huang Anping's circle. It's that he couldn't!
It wasn't because he lacked status; some people in that circle had backgrounds far inferior to his. This is what infuriated Zhang Bo!
Why do you look down on me? Why do you put on airs and exclude me from your circle? My old man is no worse than yours!
So when Zhang Bo received Huang Anping's call at this moment, his high spirits were instantly ignited.
"What, you messed up the Violet thing?" Huang Anping laughed. Zhang Bo's little tricks couldn't escape his notice. "SMMH has already intervened. What are you planning to do?" "What I do is none of your business!" Zhang Bo tried his best to keep his voice calm and maintain his gentlemanly demeanor, because he didn't want to lose face in front of Huang Anping. "A small company, a guy with a bit more technical skills, humph, you think you can go against me?"
Huang Anping's smile remained unchanged: "So what are your plans? With SMMH involved, this is no small matter. Oh, if you don't know who he is, I'll send you a fax in a bit. To be honest, I really don't have high hopes for you this time. You'd better play it safe."
Although these words sounded like sincere advice, in the given time and atmosphere, and especially since it was Huang Anping calling, Zhang Bo felt that the other party was clearly looking down on him. So he yelled into the phone, "Damn it! What I do is none of your business! It's just a small company; I can shut them down with one phone call! What SMMH? Don't fall into my hands, or I'll SM them!"
Huang Anping smiled. "Alright, since that's what you think, then I have nothing more to say. Good luck."
Then Huang Anping hung up the phone, turned to the others sitting in his office, and said, "Zhang Bo is in trouble, and maybe even his father will get caught. Hmm, Xiao Sun. Go talk to your father. This is an opportunity. Whether you can use this opportunity to bring Zhang Bo's father down depends on your uncle. If the time is right, I will talk to my father and secretly help you out."
The young man beside him nodded respectfully. Ever since he witnessed Huang Anping's methods, he had been completely devoted to this young man. Since he said so, it meant that there was at least a 70% chance that this matter would succeed! A minister of the XX department! If his father could really get promoted… then his whole family would be on a meteoric rise.
Huang Anping picked up the teacup on the table, gently blew on it, took a sip, and said with a smile, "There are too many ways to make money in this world. Please remember, although we have the advantage of being born into wealth and have a higher starting point than others, the higher we stand, the more dangerous it becomes. The princelings are different from spoiled brats; if they are watching you closely, you need to be even more cautious in your actions."
“Don’t tarnish the name of the princelings,” Huang Anping stood up, pointing to the skyscrapers in the distance outside the window. “From now on, everyone must be discreet in your actions. The connections and relationships left by our ancestors are not to be used casually. Our parents’ connections can give us a greater advantage than ordinary people. If we make good use of them, we won’t have to worry about not being able to achieve something great. But if we are too eager for quick success and abuse our power, we will inevitably give others a handle to use against us. It will be much more difficult to clear our name again. Also, most importantly, never offend people you cannot afford to offend. Remember this, everyone… that SMMH is not someone we can afford to offend.”
"Don't rely on your power and think you're superior to others. Don't make enemies unnecessarily, lest you offend people you shouldn't and can't afford to offend. Zhang Bo didn't know these two points, so I've always avoided dealing with him. Ah, what a pity... his father's network of connections!" (Guan's report).
As expected, reporters became incredibly excited whenever there was news about SMMH... even though some reporters knew perfectly well that the mastermind behind this was no ordinary person.
If Zhang Bo were smart, he would have understood from the overwhelming media coverage. His act of industrial espionage wasn't particularly secretive; a little investigation would naturally point the finger at him. However, the fact that many media owners were willing to risk offending him to publish these reports demonstrates, in a way, that SMMH's importance far outweighs his own.
Chen Xu has achieved his goal.
Actually, he just wanted to use Yi Shuihan's words to amplify the matter, letting more people know that he had intervened again, and this time to help a group completely unrelated to the students from Hexie University. If he intervened a few more times like this, the focus would naturally shift... And if SMMH intervened to help Chen Xu, Gao Xiaojie, and others in the future, well, the impression would be that he was just showing extra care to "old clients," and naturally, there wouldn't be any more problems.
However, one thing that gave Chen Xu a headache was that Yi Shuihan seemed to be stubborn as a turtle eating a weight, determined to thank him... After deducting the overtime pay and salaries for the employees, the total amount of the payment obtained from this cooperation with the German company was 6.7 million. How could Chen Xu accept all of this money?
Yi Shuihan meant that the company's survival this time was entirely due to SMMH's timely assistance. If Chen Xu hadn't been so bored that he decided to do good deeds online, Violet Company would have been completely finished. Therefore, he took out all this money to thank SMMH... because even if he didn't earn a single penny, he still actually made a profit.
The company can go bankrupt without paying penalties for breach of contract. And its reputation is preserved; at worst, it can start over from scratch! Furthermore, the deep cooperation with this German company has opened up overseas markets, ensuring the business will continue to grow.
Yi Shuihan emphasized that he would never accept favors for nothing, which put Chen Xu in a difficult position. In the end, Chen Xu could only say that he wouldn't reveal any real-world information, and Yi Shuihan reluctantly relented… because he naturally knew SMMH's real-world bank account details. That information alone was worth more than 6.7 million RMB!
More than ten times!
However, Yi Shuihan wasn't so easily swayed. He actually went to a lawyer and had a notarized document made, which, while not legally binding, was morally binding, transferring 30% of Violet Company's shares to SMMH… It lacked legal effect because SMMH wasn't a legally recognized natural person, and Chen Xu hadn't even signed it. But by doing so, he ensured that all future share dividends would go to this internet god, SMMH. This showed that Yi Shuihan was a true man, and made Chen Xu realize he hadn't helped the wrong person.
He suddenly owned 30 percent of a company, even though it was just a medium-sized company with an annual profit of just over ten million. This made Chen Xu feel that money was too easy to make, provided that he had enough technology.
However, he couldn't just take things for free; Chen Xu always valued reciprocity. So, he gave Yi Shuihan the source code and operational mechanism information of the data model he had given Violet… In Chen Xu's opinion, this document wasn't particularly advanced. Even by today's standards, in 2007, it wouldn't be considered high-tech; at best, it was comparable to top-tier civilian technology in Europe and America. It was far inferior to military-controlled space simulation systems like NASA's, but it was enough to elevate Violet's technological level by a notch!
Chen Xu's actions were simply driven by the idea that helping others brings happiness, but he never expected that he would unwittingly cultivate a future giant... Of course, that's a story for later. Let's leave that aside for now.
However, what Chen Xu hadn't expected was that SMMH's appearance hadn't deterred Zhang Bo's covetousness of Violet Company. When Yi Shuihan told him that he sensed some people were plotting against the company again, Chen Xu stood there dumbfounded for over a minute, thinking, "Good heavens, is this guy too awesome or am I too pathetic? How come my SMMH name doesn't even register with him?!"