Chapter Ninety: Half a Year of Progress

Zhou Xuan had no idea that just last night, someone had thoroughly investigated his background, nor did he know what decision Liu Yixue ultimately made. Of course, he was also oblivious to the fact that Liu Yixue was quietly concerned about their future together. All he noticed during their parting was that she seemed to be in a rather gloomy mood.

Even if Zhou Xuan had known, he would likely have been vocally supportive. Originally, he had planned to persuade Liu Yixue’s parents to allow her to attend high school in Rong City. If she agreed to further her studies or study abroad, he wondered what kind of feelings they would have when they met on the campus there next year.

After four hours, Zhou Xuan drove from the county town to the provincial capital, parking beneath the building housing Universal Software. The company’s office was located in the High-Tech Development Zone, near the southern third ring road of the city. This area had been designated as Rong City’s High-Tech Zone and was now home to many renowned domestic companies, including two or three dozen Fortune 500 enterprises.

Zhou Xuan parked his car and strode up to the eighteenth floor, entering Universal Software’s office.

“Sir, may I ask who you are here to see?” A beautiful receptionist asked him crisply and pleasantly just a few steps inside.

Zhou Xuan smiled inwardly upon seeing her. He hadn’t been to the company for months and hadn’t expected such a transformation — even a beautiful receptionist had been hired. The programmers must be thrilled.

“I’m here to see President Wei,” Zhou Xuan replied with a smile.

Judging by Zhou Xuan’s youthful appearance, the receptionist wondered if he had come to the wrong place. Still, she asked politely, “May I have your surname, sir? I’ll check with President Wei first.”

Zhou Xuan had expected her to ask if he had an appointment with President Wei, and if not, that he wouldn’t be allowed in. The reality was a bit different from what he’d seen online.

“By the way, what’s your name? Are you new here?” Zhou Xuan asked.

The receptionist was startled. “You’re…?”

“Oh, President Zhou, you’re here!” An older employee appeared at that moment, surprised to see Zhou Xuan. “This is Han Qiulu, and President Zhou is our company’s chairman,” he introduced.

Han Qiulu widened her eyes, astonished. “Ah… hello, President Zhou. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you before.”

Zhou Xuan waved it off. “No problem.” He then followed the older employee into the office, leaving Han Qiulu stunned in place.

“The chairman is really this young!” Han Qiulu muttered to herself.

As Zhou Xuan passed through the office, many veteran employees stood up and greeted him warmly as President Zhou. This surprised the newer staff, who soon followed suit. Many rookies had thought the stories about President Zhou’s youth were just rumors.

Zhou Xuan noticed there were dozens more people in the office than before, mostly young people in their twenties. The entire atmosphere was vibrant and full of youthful energy, signaling a bright future and promising prospects for Universal.

Before reaching the office, Wei Lian, Zhou Changxing, and several other senior executives came out to greet him. Together, they proceeded to the conference room. Once everyone was assembled, Wei Lian chaired the meeting.

Zhou Xuan had called Wei Lian the previous night to inform him he would be in Rong City today and requested a mid-year summary meeting. Since the promotion of the Universal Internet Cafe Management Software had slowed, Zhou Changxing had returned from Huhai and was preparing to gather the sales team to promote the next product.

Wei Lian addressed the group, “Since our company’s founding in February, we’ve sold over 14,000 sets of the Internet cafe management system, generating sales revenue exceeding 30 million yuan. We have captured eighty percent of the national market, unquestionably making us the leading internet cafe management system.

“Other systems are merely surviving in the margins and cannot compare. However, we must acknowledge that although new internet cafes are opening in cities, our sales have gradually slowed. For example, in July and August combined, we sold fewer than a thousand units.

“As a result, most of our nationwide promoters have been recalled to headquarters to begin a new round of training. In the next phase, our promoters will transition into software salespeople who will travel across the country to sell our products.”

Of the more than 14,000 systems sold, not all were to networked internet cafes; about forty percent were purchased by standalone computer rooms that could not connect to a network.

Listening to Wei Lian, Zhou Xuan reflected that in less than a year since his return, he had become a multimillionaire. Besides the income from Universal’s software, his earnings from the publishing house had also reached several million.

As of June 30, the first volume of “The Ming Dynasty” had sold 2.55 million copies, earning royalties exceeding six million yuan.

The second volume, released in April, sold nearly 1.67 million copies in three months, generating over three million yuan.

“Ten Miles of Spring Breeze Are Not as Good as You” sold 380,000 copies in several months, earning 960,000 yuan.

The combined income from these three publications was close to 11 million yuan.

Adding the more than 30 million from the internet cafe management system, Zhou Xuan’s assets had surged to over 40 million yuan.

Oh, no, taking into account Universal Software’s shares in Dengcheng’s three branches, Zhou Xuan’s income from the internet cafe management system should be closer to 20 million. Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that he had made tens of millions!

The third volume of “The Ming Dynasty” was scheduled for nationwide release on August 1, promising another wave of strong sales and income.

Thinking of his savings surpassing 30 million yuan, Zhou Xuan felt a hint of pride. If he were content, earning a modest fortune like this would allow him to live a stable and comfortable life.

In his previous life, Zhou Xuan had dreamed of having a few million yuan, free from worries. He imagined finding an easy job, traveling in leisure, and retiring to his hometown to farm—a truly pleasant existence.

But now, having earned tens of millions, Zhou Xuan desired even more wealth and fame. He longed to reach the pinnacle and enjoy the view from the summit, just as those internet celebrities once did.

Lost in thought, Zhou Xuan listened as Wei Lian continued outlining the next steps:

“The Universal Cash Register System has completed development. Under President Zhou’s instructions, testing will conclude by the end of August. More importantly, the Universal ERP system is halfway finished, and we aim to complete testing by the end of October. These two systems will be our focus for promotion, with our sales staff receiving specialized training before launching sales campaigns.

“Additionally, the company plans to invest 10 million yuan to establish a nationwide chain of large-scale internet cafes. Our goal is to open at least twenty cafes by year-end in Rong City and Yudu, each equipped with no fewer than fifty computers.”

The next decade was poised to be the golden era for internet cafes, and Zhou Xuan was determined not to miss this opportunity. He intended to integrate internet cafes, supermarkets, and fast-food chains into a synchronized development, ultimately forming an organic whole.

Of course, if finances permitted, Zhou Xuan hoped to purchase the storefronts for these cafes, supermarkets, and fast-food outlets, so that even selling the properties ten years later would yield a substantial profit.