Wu Wangfei and Liang Pi came together with Gao Sheng. The young men were clearly unaccustomed to such formal occasions, but they still tried hard to be more relaxed than they had been before the last time. To show that they were treating this matter seriously, they took special care of their appearance and even put on proper business suits. It looked a little awkward when coupled with their youthful features, but Lin Jingzhe was quite satisfied as it proved the lads were trying their best to show sincerity.

In business, sincerity was fundamental. No matter how successful a project was likely to be, no one would agree to anything if they didn’t first believe their partner was reliable.

Lin Jingzhe drew a firm line between friendship and business, and he was also well aware of the key players in this project. Deng Mai interpreted the meaning behind his glance and promptly found a pretext to take Gao Sheng out.

With this, three people were left alone in the room. None spoke. Lin Jingzhe unhurriedly rinsed the teacups with hot water, seemingly giving this task his whole attention. In reality, he used the action to disguise his covert observation of Wu Wangfei and Liang Pi.

They both seemed to be in their early twenties and looked somewhat scrawny, perhaps due to inactivity. Although in name, he was just the vice-leader, it was obvious that Liang Pi actually held the more dominant position between the two. Wu Wangfei, on the other hand, exuded a special kind of energy and enthusiasm, which shone through despite his apparent tiredness.

Lin Jingzhe had them more or less figured out: Wu Wangfei was probably the most talented programmer and the central figure of the group, but when it came to more pragmatic issues, it was Liang Pi that Lin Jingzhe should rather be talking with.

As expected, the long, ambiguous silence made the two young people, who had relatively little negotiation experience, become anxious. Wu Wangfei fidgeted in his seat as if a sticking-out nail was poking him in the butt. He looked like he really wanted to speak but was stopping himself, probably because Liang Pi seemed to be pressing his leg under the table to restrain him. This lasted for a while, but as Lin Jingzhe continued to unhurriedly prepare the tea, Liang Pi finally failed to endure.

“Lin…” Liang Pi hesitated, unsure how to address Lin Jingzhe; using “Mr.” felt too embarrassing since the other party was younger than him.

“Just call me what Gao Sheng calls me,” Lin Jingzhe said with a smile.

“Jing… Jingzhe,” Liang Pi hesitantly gave it a try. To be honest, he felt quite unconfident—despite Lin Jingzhe’s tender age, facing this young man actually felt more intimidating than facing Liang Pi’s parents. Seeing that Lin Jingze really didn’t seem to take offense by being called by name, he relaxed a little and got down to business proper. “I believe that Gao Sheng should’ve already explained our project to you, right?”

“He did, but he was rather vague. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to give me a more detailed explanation,” Lin Jingzhe replied. He pushed the cup towards the other side of the table. “You really don’t need to be so nervous. Here, have some tea.”

In fact, he got a general understanding from Gao Sheng’s description, but since they were about to discuss business cooperation, he should adopt a stricter attitude. Liang Pi and Wu Wangfei were still students, and they were undoubtedly outstanding among their peers. Their potential was limitless, but when this kind of young people took their first steps into the real world, they tended to be starry-eyed and idealistic. They believed in human feelings and as such, it was hard for them to understand that in business, it was profit that came first, not friendship. The two sides got to know each other through Gao Sheng, and Lin Jingzhe and Gao Sheng were close friends, but he didn’t want Wu Wangfei and Liang Pi to think that because of this relationship, they didn’t need to take matters seriously.

Liang Pi picked up on this and became even more nervous, but this anxiety was counterbalanced by the gratitude that welled in his heart. No matter what, at least Lin Jingzhe was not the same as the other potential investors they talked with. After hearing what the project was about, those other businessmen had acted dismissively or laughed at them, but Lin Jingzhe’s attitude was still serious and attentive.

In the early 1990s, the web industry was still akin to an uncharted wilderness. The internet as the later generations knew it didn’t exist yet and there was no such thing as web portals; it was basically impossible for contemporary computer users to easily communicate with one another.

In fact, China had begun developing its computer technology in the 1950s, and it wasn’t doing badly—the first domestic computer appeared only about 10 years after the first computer was invented. However, personal computers were a whole different matter. They only became common during the 1980s, after IBM’s first personal computer, the IBM PC, was released in 1981 and became an instant commercial success. Even after ten years, personal computers were still quite expensive for ordinary people, though. How common they were in the country was directly linked to the average income level in the area, so it wasn’t hard to imagine how small the customer base was.

In the view of the people in this era, investing in the computer industry was a huge gamble. This attitude wasn’t surprising—after all, the future was forever elusive. Who could’ve guessed how fast science and technology would develop in the next decades? Had Lin Jingzhe not experienced it himself, his opinion would’ve been the same as his contemporaries, which would only be natural; at this time in his last life, he didn’t even know what a computer was.

Taking all this into consideration, it was really impressive that Wu Wangfei and Liang Pi began developing their computer program as early as two years ago, and even set up a programming team under the label of a school club. There was not the slightest doubt that they were outstanding young men.

However, though Lin Jingzhe combed through his memory, he couldn’t find their names. In his last life, like the majority of the people who didn’t engage in this field, he first came into contact with computers around ‘96 and was very impressed. That year, China officially entered the Internet era as the nationwide “backbone” network was officially put into operation and began to provide internet services. Back then, he didn’t know anything about computers and had no idea what to do after turning on the computer. It was one of his hang-out-buddies that taught him how to use the most popular BBS.