This statement is not an exaggeration, because if the new network architecture is successful, then there will be a significant leap forward in technologies such as real-time communication between police cars, command systems, and alarm processing systems. This leap will also be reflected in other aspects of government office work and processing.
Such a project, especially one practically sold at a discounted price, had no reason for the Shanghai municipal government to refuse. Moreover, Cisco already had a strong business relationship with Shanghai, so the company's prestige rose accordingly. Suddenly, countless people invited Yi Shuihan to banquets… After all, everyone wanted a piece of such a large pie, and even if they didn't get one, cultivating a good relationship with this young man destined to become a rising star was essential.
What happened next shocked the entire Shanghai, or rather, the entire industry.
Cisco and Violet will reunite to form a completely new company. The company's name will consist of only one letter... "S"!
In New World S Company, Cisco holds 45 percent of the shares, while Violet Company holds the remaining 55 percent.
In other words, Violet Company is in charge!
It's quite obvious that economists have already predicted that this new S company will become a rising star in the industry, with its annual net profit soon exceeding 100 million yuan... After all, just looking at the company's assets, Cisco has 30 million US dollars, and there's also an unknown foundation providing 50 million US dollars... Of course, this is something Chen Xu came up with.
A company with initial assets of $80 million. Annual profits exceeding $100 million are just a blink of an eye... not to mention the top-notch advanced technology provided by SMMH and Cisco's powerful influence and market expansion capabilities.
More importantly, there's such a powerful market as China!
Of course, in this brand-new S Company, Yi Shuihan only actually owns four percent of the shares, while Chen Xu holds the remaining fifty-one percent. However, Chen Xu only holds the shares and does nothing; all decisions are made by Yi Shuihan himself.
Being able to become the CEO of a company worth hundreds of millions, Yi Shuihan was naturally so grateful to SMMH that he wanted to repay them with his life... Of course, even if he did that, Chen Xu would not agree!
At this point, Yi Shuihan no longer needed to consider Zhang Bo's problem as a spoiled brat. Even if it was his father, he would have to be polite to him now!
But what about Zhang Bo? Zhang Bo was completely dumbfounded at this point.
He never expected that things would turn out this way in just one week.
The Yi Shuihan who used to be someone he could trample on at will, like clay that he could mold however he wanted, has suddenly transformed from a frog into a prince?!
"Dad, say something! Investigate them! Even if you have to force them out, get them out of Shanghai! He's swaggering around there, I've lost all face!"
Zhang Bo's father, Zhang Hong, was so angry his hands were trembling. He couldn't help but slap him hard and yell, "You still have any face to save? I've lost all face, what the hell do you have to save?! Do you know that you've made me lose all face today?!"
How could Zhang Hong not be angry? How could he not be furious?
The mayor hosted a banquet today, and he went there eagerly. There, he naturally saw the main character of the evening's banquet, namely Yi Shuihan.
At this time, Zhang Hong was completely unaware of the feud between his son and Violet Lily! He knew his son didn't do anything productive all day, and often used his father's name to make a big fuss. But those were just small companies; what kind of trouble could they possibly cause? Besides, Zhang Hong himself was very optimistic about this approach… it was very similar to Cisco's strategy, and he even planned to try and get on good terms with the people from Cisco and Violet Lily tonight.
Cisco's CEO, John Chambers, believed that the best way to acquire inventions was to buy them. He thought the ideal approach was to buy up technology companies that were developing new products and bring them under his control, thus acquiring a large number of high-potential companies. This was both cost-effective and yielded high returns.
Therefore, he was quite satisfied with his son's actions... Zhang Bo was like that; when he saw a company with great potential, he would try every means to make it his own, even though the methods he used were extremely dishonest. However, Zhang Bo's Hualan Company grew bigger and bigger through these means, which brought him, as the father, some prestige.
Of course, this Hualan Company is no match for the newly established S Company, so Zhang Hong thought he would take this opportunity to get to know this rising star and strengthen cooperation and connections between the two parties.
Little did he know, the establishment of Company S was entirely orchestrated by his own son!
He never imagined that his precious son's childish actions would anger someone he should never have messed with. This person, with just a few casual words and a small portion of his Swiss bank account, created this almost mythical mega-corporation, propelling Yi Shuihan, a young man from the middle class, to the top!
What kind of nice things could Yi Shuihan say when he met Zhang Hong?
Don't let Zhang Hong's position as a minister fool you; Yi Shuihan is currently a favorite of the mayor. This collaboration with the municipal government is a significant boost to the mayor's record, which will greatly benefit his future career in the central government.
Moreover, the mayor has extensive information channels and naturally already knows that behind Yi Shuihan is the world's number one hacker, someone even central leaders value. Because of that influence, very few people in Shanghai have the right to show Yi Shuihan any disrespect!
So when Yi Shuihan saw Zhang Hong at the banquet, he was so sarcastic and mocking, making Zhang Hong lose face in front of all the high-ranking officials. If the mayor hadn't intervened, Zhang Hong would have wanted to grab a knife and stab the guy to death!
However, Zhang Hong also knew that he had no way to deal with Yi Shuihan.
That's how realistic politics is! Don't be fooled by your high-ranking position. Yi Shuihan was just a businessman; in China, officials always have more power than businessmen!
However, it is clear that most of the city's senior officials, including the mayor, have sided with Yi Shuihan. They may have the guts to mess with a businessman, but they don't have the guts to provoke the forces behind him.
The thought that his own son was responsible for this made Zhang Hong even want to kill the little bastard!
Upon hearing that his father had been publicly humiliated, Zhang Bo's first thought wasn't how to avenge his father. The saying goes, "A subject dies for his ruler's honor, a son avenges his father's," but Zhang Bo was completely bewildered. He hadn't even considered his father's humiliation, only muttering helplessly, "What should I do? What should I do? He'll definitely seek revenge!"
Seeing Zhang Bo like this, Zhang Hong felt completely drained.
I thought my son was capable, but I never expected him to be such a good-for-nothing. He's far inferior to that kid Huang Anping!
Just then, Zhang Bo's phone rang. He quickly answered it and heard Huang Anping's voice on the other end: "Heh, Zhang Bo, wasn't I right?"
"Huang Anping!" Zhang Bo gritted his teeth. "Did you come here to laugh at me?"
Huang Anping's voice remained calm and methodical: "Don't you know that you've already become a joke? Don't be angry, I'm just telling the truth. You know why I've always been unwilling to get close to you? It's because I know that your arrogant and domineering temper will drag you down sooner or later! In order to avoid getting burned, I've rationally kept my distance from you... Tsk tsk, you didn't expect that just because of one sentence from you, SMMH has built such a large company."
"Wait a minute," Zhang Bo suddenly said, his anger flaring, "You mean SMMH? The company he founded?"
Huang Anping was stunned for a moment, then laughed helplessly, "My God, I realize I overestimated your intelligence. You don't even know why this happened, or who you offended?! Yes, Yi Shuihan is someone you can easily step on, but the SMMH that suddenly appeared behind him is definitely someone neither of us can afford to mess with! You think this commotion is his full strength? Hmph, far from it! The establishment of S Company this time was just a snap of the fingers of that elusive internet god. God, you idiot, you still don't know why you lost. I'm truly impressed!"
These weren't insults, but they were more powerful than a good scolding. Zhang Bo, his face flushed red, roared into the microphone, "Damn it! So what if it's SMMH? What's so great about him? He's just a piece of trash who hides online and is too ashamed to show his face! What right does he have to point fingers at me! So what if I offended him? Let him come out and kill me if he dares!"
Huang Anping clicked his tongue and sighed twice. But at this moment, Zhang Hong's face had turned completely ashen, and he slapped him across the face: "You dare to offend SMMH? You actually offended this person?!"
Zhang Hong wasn't a computer expert; in fact, you could say he couldn't even operate a computer. So, during the Cisco-Violet merger, no one reported to him on any technical aspects or anything related to SMMH. To him, it was just a simple collaboration. Or perhaps Violet had powerful connections, but he never imagined that those connections would come from this legendary figure!
Do you remember the Luxor massacre that happened during last year's Chinese New Year?
It is an event in which subconscious music causes residents to kill each other, turning the entire city into a hellish place.
At the time, one of the founders of the "Satan" organization was in Shanghai. Zhang Hong happened to know about the subsequent arrest, as well as SMMH's provision of the subconscious music "The Great Compassion Mantra" to the military, since he was one of the officials responsible for security in Shanghai at the time!
So he naturally knew the power of SMMH. Putting aside everything else, just this one thing alone made both China and the United States owe him a huge favor!
And yet his own son had the audacity to provoke such a person? Does he really have a death wish?!
Zhang Hong grew increasingly angry, but unfortunately, he had a weak heart, and in his rage, the pain caused him to immediately lose consciousness. While Zhang Hong was being rushed to the hospital, Huang Anping told Zhang Bo, "I can tell you with absolute certainty, you're finished. However, out of consideration for our past acquaintance, I'll give you some advice: your only option now is to personally apologize to Yi Shuihan. If Yi Shuihan forgives you, then SMMH behind him probably won't bother with someone as insignificant as you. From now on, keep a low profile and behave yourself; that will ensure your safety."
These words only made things worse. Upon hearing this, Zhang Bo immediately started yelling in the hospital: "Bullshit! You want me to apologize to that migrant worker Yi Shuihan?! Dream on! Huang Anping, let me tell you, I don't even care about a mere SMMH. Yi Shuihan is so smug? Hmph, let's see how long he can be so smug!"
How could Zhang Bo stand this insult? He had once declared that Yi Shuihan would kneel before him, serve him tea, and apologize. Now that the other party had turned from a sparrow into a phoenix, how could he possibly apologize? If word got out, how would he ever face anyone again?
Hearing the phone slam down heavily on the other end, Huang Anping smiled faintly: "So, he still refuses to apologize. What do you plan to do with him, Chairman Yi?"
Sitting next to Huang Anping was none other than Yi Shuihan, who was currently at the height of his power in Shanghai!
Yi Shuihan looked at Huang Anping with a cold smile: "Were your words just now meant to persuade him to back down?"
"Heh," Huang Anping laughed, "Of course not. I know that even if he comes to apologize, you won't let him off easily. So why give him a way out? If word gets out, won't people say you're petty?"
Yi Shuihan frowned: "So I should thank you?"
"It's not really a matter of choice, it's just a mutually beneficial arrangement," Huang Anping said with a faint smile. "Now that the old man is gone, I also benefit. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't that right? I admit I'm a petty person, but a true petty person is often much more trustworthy than a hypocrite. At least you're at the height of your power right now, so you don't have to worry about me biting you."
"What about later? What if I fall back down again?"
"How could that be?" Huang Anping gently toyed with the teacup in his hand. "You must have heard of my reputation. How many times have I abused my power and connections like this? I admit I'm opportunistic, but I'm unwilling to offend people easily. Besides, you are like the rising sun right now, and the prospects of Company S are viewed very favorably by everyone in the industry."
"Heh, it's possible that it's like PetroChina, whose stock price has never gone up since it went public."
Huang Anping chuckled: "How could that be? Don't forget the person behind you. As long as he's there, S will never fall."
Mentioning SMMH, a look of gratitude appeared in Yi Shuihan's eyes. If it weren't for that person, he might already be heavily in debt and washing dishes to pay it off.
“SMMH is very busy and probably doesn’t have much time to manage the company. Since he’s too busy, and the company is his property, I have to fulfill my responsibilities and help him manage it well. I believe that although SMMH is not short of money, he will need it someday. And since he helped me and brought me back from the brink of death, I need to help him earn more wealth. That’s the only way I can repay him.”
When he said these words, Yi Shuihan's expression was incredibly resolute.
Indeed, this was the case. As S Company grew larger and larger, its assets increased, and eventually, the company went public, requiring the issuance of new shares. However, Yi Shuihan refused to easily touch the 51% of SMMH's shares. Someone then encouraged him to convert all that money into his own, and the consequences… well, needless to say.
Yi Shuihan only knew that he was a man, and a small act of kindness deserved a great return, let alone such a life-saving act that would ultimately lead him to achieve his dreams.
This was something he would give his life to repay!
That's what he thought. That's what he said, and that's what he did. Of course, that's a story for another time, so let's leave it at that.
Yi Shuihan didn't particularly like Huang Anping because the man was too cunning, but he had to admit that Huang was very intelligent, had a keen eye for opportunity, and possessed a powerful and deeply entrenched network of influence. Now, if Yi Shuihan wanted to truly establish himself in Shanghai, he needed such an ally.
Moreover, he had heard about Huang Anping's deeds. Huang was a prominent figure among the princelings, and he had never heard of Huang bullying the weak.
With such a guarantee of character, Yi Shuihan could feel at ease cooperating with him.
As for Zhang Bo, Yi Shuihan originally wanted to humiliate him severely to vent his resentment, but now that he had risen to his current position, he suddenly felt that if he did so, wouldn't he be just like Zhang Bo? A dog relying on its master's power?
The difference is that Zhang Bo relied on his father, while I relied on some SMMH.
Thinking of this, Yi Shuihan felt somewhat disheartened and had Huang Anping say that as long as Zhang Bo didn't provoke him in the future, he would let it go.
But while he might agree to it, Zhang Bo might not.
After the last banquet, whether the higher-ups knew the whole story and the grudge between Yi Shuihan and the Zhang family father and son, or someone was pushing this matter behind the scenes, just the next day, Zhang Hong received a transfer notice in the hospital, transferring him from that lucrative position to a low-paying one.
This move signifies that Zhang Hong and his son Zhang Bo have completely lost power!
This matter spread like wildfire within Shanghai's princeling circles, and now almost everyone knows the saying: "Never get involved in anything related to SMMH. Let me tell you, you can't afford to mess with them!"
Chapter 171 Password Cracking
"Tell me, what are you planning to do by secretly inviting me to dinner?" Zhan Jing blinked her bright eyes, looking at Chen Xu with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, her expression as calm as ever.
The girl gently stirred her coffee with a spoon, looked at Chen Xu sitting across from her who only ordered expensive items and never the right ones, and had a fawning smile on his face. She took a small sip of her coffee and said, "Don't order so much, I can't eat it."
Chen Xu chuckled: "No problem, no problem. I heard this steakhouse is pretty good. Hmm, add another order of chicken wings. By the way, what's your drink? Blue Enchantress? Pink Lady... Damn, waiter, it's just juice! Why such ambiguous names? Never mind, I'll have red wine, Dynasty dry red, hmm, that's it. By the way, what kind of snail is this? You didn't catch it on the street, did you? It just rained, I want it fresh!"
Zhan Jing rolled her eyes helplessly. She really wanted to tell Chen Xu that the snails at the Western restaurant were specially made, not the kind that you could grab a bunch of on the roadside after it rained... but then she thought better of it and decided not to discourage him.
This guy came to see me mysteriously last night, and then sneaked around like a thief, saying he'd treat me to dinner today. Okay, dinner it is, but did he have to act like a member of the underground Communist Party? And he wouldn't even let me tell Guan Yi and Gao Xiaojie.
However, Zhan Jing was certain that this guy didn't have any feelings for her... She was absolutely certain of this because she was sure that someone with Chen Xu's personality would never dare to confess to a girl easily... especially not to her.
So this guy is acting so suspiciously, he must have some other intention. Hmm, she vaguely guessed what it was.
Chen Xu ordered a whole bunch of things... Well, it was the first time in his life he'd ever eaten with a knife and fork in a Western restaurant. Even though the prices looked ridiculously high, at least he had a little money. A little splurge now and then is fine, hahaha.
Zhan Jing sipped her coffee quietly without saying a word, but Chen Xu could sense that the girl's eyes were like a kitten looking at a ball of yarn—lively, curious, and smiling.
The atmosphere was a bit stiff. Actually, Chen Xu had always been rather afraid of being alone with Zhan Jing because the girl was too quiet; he rarely saw her deliberately try to start a conversation. However, over time, Chen Xu had come to realize that her quietness wasn't a deliberate attempt to keep people at arm's length; it was simply her personality. Therefore, when he was with her, Chen Xu sometimes felt awkward when he didn't get a response to his words.
Chen Xu coughed twice, secretly glancing at Zhan Jing's expression before saying, "Um, Zhan Jing, are you very good at hacking?"
Zhan Jing smiled slightly: "It's alright."
Normally, someone would follow up with a question, like, "Why are you asking this?" But Zhan Jing, whether intentionally or not, continued drinking her coffee after saying that, leaving Chen Xu hanging in the air, feeling quite annoyed. So Chen Xu could only awkwardly ask, "Um, how good is it? Compared to Zhong Ziyu?"
Zhan Jing smiled without saying a word. At this moment, she was even more certain of what Chen Xu wanted to do, but she just wouldn't speak. Heh, it was a rare opportunity for her to be mischievous for a while... Actually, she wasn't refusing to respond to Chen Xu because she was quiet; it was intentional.
Seeing Chen Xu's pained expression, as if he wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to speak, Zhan Jing felt she couldn't keep playing with him like this. She chuckled, put down her cup, and said, "Alright, do you want me to teach you?"
"I..." Chen Xu gritted his teeth. "Um, could you teach me?"
How embarrassing!
Chen Xu has always had a rather serious sense of male chauvinism. Well, while this chauvinism isn't quite exaggerated, it's still deeply ingrained in him. He's supposed to be the world's future number one programmer, and now he's being taught hacking techniques by a girl… how pathetic! And this is something he actively requested.