I am not Ximen Qing.

The company's core values ​​of innovation, entrepreneurship, freedom, and openness, rooted in quantum theory, were generously shared by Zhang Chao with Wei Hua, the project leader of the software development division, resulting in excellent teamwork. Zhang Chao is the company's innovative soul; he embodies the Faustian spirit described by his mentor—frank, honest, and possessing an open and innovative spirit. While he admires Jobs and Gates, Zhang Chao lacks some of the realistic and rational business culture genes, appearing somewhat superficial and impatient.

The initial projects went too smoothly, leading to an overconfidence. With just a glance, Wei Hua understood that the project wasn't the main focus; the team was practically perfect. The core programmers were almost all Wei Hua's university classmates, with several younger students joining the company's software programming team. For two consecutive years, Wei Hua selected the best talents from his alma mater's computer science department to join the company team.

The giant theory in practice, Wei Hua's inner ambition and passion surged, yet undercurrents were swirling. Wei Hua seemed to sense a crisis brewing within the company; its development and expansion had lost their rationality. As a programmer by training, Wei Hua still believed in the methodology of quantum theory, a scientific methodology. He felt that physical thinking was definitely ahead of its time. Running an industrial company wasn't about wild fantasies; it required substantial financial reserves and cash flow. Wei Hua's concerns weren't unfounded. The company was awash with hippies, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan's Homeric ballads and melancholic folk songs—folk. This was a passionate era, a specific time that created the open spirit of the emerging technological revolution. PCs allowed for free choices; different companies and brands competed according to common scientific and technological standards. This open and free competition in science and technology contrasted sharply with the near-monopolistic control of standards and patented technologies in the semiconductor chip field, where the US held a near-monopoly.

Japan is the most powerful country adept at using rules to develop its own computer chip and semiconductor technology. The strength of Japanese culture lies not in simple borrowing, but in humbly becoming part of something it lacks. From the Tang Dynasty onwards, Japan has consistently acted this way, to the point that Tang tri-color pottery seems to be Japan's ancestor; the Tang tri-color pottery maidens depicted show how humbly Japan became part of the Tang Dynasty. Time will obscure the roots of all this; this is how Japan became part of the Tang Dynasty.

Throughout its development, the company has consistently had a high demand for PCs. If Zhang Chao had decided to plunge into the branded PC market, he might have created something extraordinary. However, his focus was on software development and applications for the education sector, a revolution in quantum-based learning. Zhang Chao led all the company's key personnel to various electronics markets in Zhongguancun to source goods—essentially scouting market trends and finding the best quality at the best prices. In fact, he enjoyed the vibrant energy and excitement, because the education and information technology sectors were currently experiencing a significant market vacuum, with massive demand. A single spark can start a prairie fire; the timing was crucial, and they also had the strong support of the electronics market vendors. The sheer volume of PC sales meant their crucial role in supporting the company's operations and cash flow was undeniable.

With the birth of Apollo, a question arose: what is the company's nature? Is it a hardware sales and manufacturing company? Or a system integration or software development company? Clearly, the company is a software development company cultivating the education sector. Is it a hybrid of two extremes? A company cannot develop a hybrid culture. The advanced quantum theory is more of a raw, emotional, black-golden age of money fueled by the fervor of a market gap, a storm metal band's style, an early Wall Street money rock phenomenon. It's not an innovative revolution in quantum theory, but merely the exorbitant profits generated during a market gap, sacks upon sacks of cash.

The company's corporate culture is vague and unclear, somewhat resembling the outward appearance of an American direct selling company. The sales team is genuinely driven by fanatical passion, as excited as if they were on steroids, with naked money worship, exaggerating and boasting about the performance and functions of the products, all for the sake of sales, sales, and everything serving the purpose of selling money.

Wei Hua and Jiang Tao privately discussed the company's rapid expansion, which had a hint of a Ponzi scheme. Their vision for the company's future was overly exaggerated, but if the company faced a cash flow crisis, everything would be for naught. Success during a period of uncertainty and exorbitant profits during that period weren't the result of wisdom, but simply opportune moments. However, Zhang Chao, a CEO who loved holding annual parties, planned a wild, unrestrained party at Beijing's best hotel. The party style was wild and uninhibited, with mountains of gleaming, fragrant RMB banknotes. This was Zhang Chao's tried-and-true method of encouragement—a very Western approach. Nothing stimulated sales more than directly handing out money; in the end, the sales team would go crazy—the feeling of money was too exhilarating.

"A company that doesn't even understand the 4Ps has hit the jackpot and made hundreds of millions in profit all at once. This is because parents who want their children to get into good universities are all passionate parents. Beijing has a geographical advantage in the field of education. Its quantum theory is outdated. It should study new cutting-edge theories, such as string theory."

"Sooner or later they'll think our stuff was developed by scammers, and I won't stand for that. All the elites in our team are from top universities, and their salaries have been delayed for two months."

"How about I ask my mom for 50?"

“I will also contribute 50 yuan, all of my savings.”

Jiang Tao and Wei Hua had long harbored entrepreneurial ideas, but they always felt Zhang Chao was a bit like a gambler, lacking the innovative business spirit of Buffett, Gates, and Jobs. Buffett's approach was still very insightful, and Gates was a maverick with an exceptional business acumen; IBM gave him many opportunities, including the DOS operating system. Zhang Chao constantly mentioned Jobs, but at least Jobs founded Apple, then Next, then Pixar, and finally returned to Apple. Products were the core; products that led global innovation and changed lives were the hope. Focusing on product innovation and creation to change the world embodied a true pursuit of perfection and a free spirit.

Helen Pony is far removed from all of this. Is the company a software company, an advertising company, a film planning company, a direct selling company, or just a Ponzi scheme based on mere imagination? Why not learn from Kingdee and Yonyou and develop excellent industry software? The company clearly has the capability to execute, develop, and do it.

"Doing it this way will cause problems."

"Don't worry, it won't happen. The company is about to go public."

"Why go public? The company doesn't need the money."

"Because going public will bring in more money."

"But our software development department hasn't received any salaries for three months."

"Just bear with it, it'll be fine once it goes public."

"But the company clearly has hundreds of millions in funds."

"So everyone can rest assured, the company's strength is beyond doubt, we must go public and enter the internet industry to become a unicorn."

"We don't have any core products. If something goes wrong, we'll go bankrupt."

"I've said it before, we will go public, believe in my quantum theory."

"Why do we need a listed company with plenty of money and large enough profits to cultivate the market step by step and focus on developing a flagship product? We should cut Apollo Computer and concentrate on the industry software field. Right now, all industries are virgin territory. The education market, for example, has space, time, and capital. We should never go public. Capital is not our forte. If something goes wrong, everything will be knocked out."

"The role of Apollo computers will play an important part in the company's IPO process."

"Mr. Zhang, when I joined the company, you said you wanted to create the world's greatest product and change the world. Back then, you were radiating brilliance. But now you're selling software like a health supplement. Are you planning to build a giant skyscraper? End all these unrelated businesses now. Software can't be sold like a health supplement. Our company has the money; we don't need Hongshan or Lvshan, we don't need venture capital. Our existing funds can develop a leading industry software. Even if we can't become Microsoft, Apple, or Google, becoming Kingdee or Yonyou will do. Our current financial strength is in no way inferior to these industry software companies. I'm optimistic about a tobacco software company, White Shark Software. The person in charge is Wang Kun. The company only has one car, two salesmen, and the three of them live and work in the Beijing tobacco industry. We can acquire this company for a few million, and abandon all other non-core businesses. Within five years, our company will definitely develop into an industry-leading software company."

"I have already decided to go public through a backdoor listing in front of more than 1000 employees in the company. The company's own funds are sufficient to meet the listing needs."

"You know the Titanic, right? Our company is that Titanic. You have no idea about the risks of a backdoor listing. These risks are enough to destroy our Titanic luxury cruise ship. You may only see the tip of the iceberg; the real iceberg lies beneath. What's the use of options if it all amounts to nothing? Just another empty shell? Should everyone remain silent? You should find a more professional auditing firm. We can't just go public for the sake of going public. We are a software development company in a high-tech industrial base. We can develop step by step. There's no need to finish everything at once; that doesn't conform to the laws of development, much less Newton's laws. Quantum theory is too advanced for software development. We need to be grounded. In just five years, we will definitely become the industry leader and benchmark. An IPO should be done smoothly. We don't need to go public by using the shell of a bankrupt steel company. We can't afford the risk."

Zhang Chao had visited Jinqiu International more than ten times; he simply couldn't swallow this insult. He never imagined that the obstacle preventing his comeback would be Wei Hua. However, he now understood that he was like a down-on-his-luck Steve Jobs; even Gates' Windows system wasn't entirely from Apple, but rather an innovation from Xerox. Innovation is never clean; artistic inspiration can be borrowed. If Zhang Chao could get some financial support from former employees, he could overcome this difficulty.

Wei Hua adopted a distant attitude. He had tried his best to persuade this leader, but it was no use. Overconfidence would ruin the company, especially the fate of over a thousand employees. Gamblers weren't worth pitying; any path could lead to becoming a model in Shangdi's information industry. He had secretly discussed it with Jiang Tao and was going on a business trip to Hong Kong—that was the truth. Wei Hua was working on listing a Hong Kong company, giving stock options to key employees. Yang Wanli was somewhat complacent, under too much pressure, and knew many inside stories about his old classmate Wei Hua. After developing software at the Guangzhou branch for six months, Wei Hua gave him special treatment, allowing him to travel and fish whenever he wanted—but that's another story.

Two things happened simultaneously at the company: Zhang Chao caused a scene in the morning, and Jiang Tao's wife caused a scene in the afternoon. The once loving couple are now preparing for divorce, and the entire company is quite tense. The deposed CEO walks down the street, unrecognized, just a drop in the ocean. SARS was the final blow to Zhang Chao's company. The education system can no longer be opened up, and housing prices are plummeting. Zhang Chao, with his double degree, lost his base in Zhongguancun. A company can grow from growth to bankruptcy in just a few years. He was indeed a prominent figure, but he still failed because of greed. If he had just implemented and executed step by step, it would have been fine; there would have been no need for a backdoor listing. He looked at the Jinqiu International Building, thinking of Microsoft, Apple, Google, IBM, HP, Dell, Combi, Motorola, Nokia, Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic, and Sony. His initial dream was to develop into one of these international giants.

"Wake up! You don't even understand the 4Ps. The core of a company is its products, not health supplements."

Wei Hua and Jiang Tao had been searching for a breakthrough in the company's development strategy. Where should they go from there? They both believed that portal websites like Yahoo were finished; this crude approach to internet development was no longer suitable for today's rapidly evolving internet model. The company had been investing heavily in mobile payments, partnering with numerous banks. The rapid development of e-commerce websites, coupled with the massive strategic investments from international giants and venture capital funds, all pointed to the emergence of a Chinese Amazon, a Chinese version of Sofitel, and the opportunity for Amazon unicorn companies—all within the internet.

Internet cafes are springing up all over the country like mushrooms after rain. These cafes don't directly provide content; they simply use hundreds of computers to surf the internet and play games—is this a strategic investment in online gaming? Our company lacks this kind of DNA, but it has advantages in industry software and database development. Remembering the mistakes our previous company made, and knowing that the internet bubble is no less than the real estate bubble, we decided to leverage our strengths in industry software and database development. The most profitable industries in the world cater to women: Hermes, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. Yes, there are far more men than women in the world; finding a woman in reality is too difficult, something you can only dream of.

If all the beautiful women are online, chatting with them online can, most importantly, quickly generate revenue and solve the company's cash flow problems. For example, transforming a rocket into a missile is just a matter of a thin veil. For the company, developing chat software is much easier than developing a mobile payment system. This allows the company to retain the development team for short-term projects that generate immediate cash flow. Long-term strategic projects are riskier, but the returns are higher, and the opportunity is fleeting—the hype will pass quickly.

Before any stricter policies are introduced, we should make money quickly. If stricter policies are introduced, we should immediately exit the internet industry. We must choose the right time to enter the internet industry. However, we cannot find a suitable management talent in our company team. We need someone with the ability to establish branches across the country.