pjbooks Chapter 46 The Beginning of the Year
Chapter 46 The Beginning of the Year
On January 3, 2018, all members of 402 were present.
On the first day back to work after the New Year, Zuo Cheng didn't hold a meeting. Instead, he had Han Lu project the 2017 financial statements onto the conference room screen.
"Annual revenue was 1,268,000 yuan." Han Lu turned to the summary page. "Of this, the Sky Dome project accounted for 980,000 yuan, the Transportation Bureau project for 150,000 yuan, the IoT communication module for 80,000 yuan, and the Ruilian sensor protocol for 58,000 yuan. The annual net profit was 412,000 yuan, and after deducting year-end bonuses and social security contributions, the remaining balance was 356,000 yuan."
"One million two hundred and sixty thousand." Zhang Lei read the number aloud. "At this time last year, the four of us in the dorm pooled together three thousand two hundred thousand to buy a server, and now our revenue is one million two hundred and sixty thousand."
"Stop reminiscing." Zuo Cheng stood up, wiped the whiteboard clean, and wrote a new number—2018. "Last year's numbers are history. This year, there's only one goal—the second phase of the Sky Dome."
He turned around and looked at everyone.
"The bidding results will be released by the end of January at the latest. Until then, everyone should continue with their current work as usual and not get distracted by waiting for the results."
That's what they said, but the atmosphere in the office was still tense. Everyone knew that the results of the second phase of the Sky Dome bidding would determine the fate of 402 for the next two years—if they won, 402 would leap from a small micro-enterprise to a technology company with millions in revenue; if they didn't win, their 350,000 yuan balance would be depleted after supporting ten people for six months.
At 3 p.m. on January 18, Zuo Cheng's phone rang.
Han Zhe.
"Zuocheng, the results are in."
Zuo Cheng walked out of his office and stood in the hallway to answer the phone. His heart beat a beat faster than usual, but his voice remained unchanged.
"explain."
"The consortium of 402 and Dingxin Information won the bid, ranking first in both technical solution and overall score."
Zuo Cheng leaned against the wall in the corridor and closed his eyes for a second.
"What's the contract amount?"
"Seven million six hundred thousand. That's four hundred thousand less than the budget ceiling. Your pricing is well controlled. The purchasing department is very satisfied."
Seven million six hundred thousand. If split 50/50, 402 will get three million eight hundred thousand.
"Zuo Cheng, there's one more thing." Han Zhe's tone subtly shifted. "President Zhou asked me to tell you—he highly approves of 402's performance this year. He said the joint R&D launch meeting for the second phase of Sky Dome is scheduled for early February, and he will personally attend. He hopes you will give a presentation on the technical roadmap at the meeting."
Zhou Henian personally called on him to give a report.
"I understand," Zuo Cheng said. "Thank you, Brother Han."
After hanging up the phone, he stood in the corridor for half a minute.
Then he pushed open the office door, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and wrote a line below "2018"—
"Sky Dome Phase II, won. Seven million six hundred thousand."
The office was silent for about three seconds.
Then the loudest noise in the house ever erupted.
Zhang Lei jumped up from his chair. Liu Wei slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump. Chen Hao, unusually flustered, shouted "Bravo!" Fang Ze took off his glasses and wiped them, his hands trembling. The four new engineers exchanged glances for a couple of seconds, then joined in the cheers.
Tang Xu wasn't there; he was at school today. Zuo Cheng sent a message in the group chat, and Tang Xu replied instantly with three words: "Great!" Then he added, "Chengzi, this time it's not just a part-time job, you have to calculate my project profit share, right?"
Chengzi. This was the first time Tang Xu had called him that.
Zuo Cheng smiled and replied, "Let's talk about it after the project is finished."
Han Lu was the last to react—she paused for two seconds, then took out a calculator and started calculating the profit sharing and payment milestones. Zuo Cheng looked at her, recalling the "Contingency Plan for Responding to Qualification Questions" that she had stayed up all night writing before bidding last year, and the composure she displayed when she stood up to read the "or clause" at the qualification review meeting.
"Han Lu," he called her name.
"Um?"
"Starting next month, you will be transitioning to a full-time position. Position: Business Director (402)."
Han Lu paused for a moment, then looked up at him.
"I haven't graduated yet—"
"Have you finished your graduation thesis?"
"It's finished. The defense is in March."
"Then we'll pay you part-time salary until March, and you'll be a full-time employee after March." Zuo Cheng's tone left no room for negotiation. "402 will be managing multiple million-dollar projects simultaneously, and we need someone dedicated to overseeing the business and contracts full-time. You're the most suitable person."
Han Lu glanced down at the numbers on the calculator and then nodded.
"good."
At five o'clock in the afternoon, Zuo Cheng made a phone call home.
"Dad, my company got a big project."
How big?
"More than three million."
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then his father's voice came through, with a tone that Zuo Cheng had never heard before—not surprise, not pride, but more like a sense of relief at finally letting go.
Okay. Take care of yourself.
"Um."
"Your mom's right there, say a few words to her."
His mother answered the phone, and her first words were: "Son, are you coming home for the New Year?"
"Going back. I've already bought the tickets for the 28th of the lunar year."
"That's good. I'll make you some pork ribs when you get back."
"OK."
After hanging up the phone, Zuo Cheng leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a while.
Three million eight hundred thousand. This is the main source of revenue for 402 over the next two years. Adding the three million eight hundred thousand allocated to Dingxin and income from other projects, the entire consortium has ample operating funds. A team of ten people, two offices, and a student company that started in a dormitory are gradually becoming what he envisioned.
The light curtain appeared in my consciousness.
[Main Quest Chain - Sky Dome Deep Dive - Part 1: Winning the Bid for the Second Phase of the Sky Dome Joint R&D Project✓]
[Rating: Excellent (Top overall score)]
[Reward: 18 points, unlock blade "Spectrum Sensing and Management"]
[Main Quest Chain - Sky Dome Deep Dive - Stage Two Unlocked: Complete the Design of a Multi-Star Parallel Signal Processing Architecture (90 Days)]
Current points: 113
Current number of blades: 12 (including 1 fusion-class)
One hundred and thirteen points. Twelve leaves. One branch.
His points surpassed one hundred for the first time. According to the points redemption rules, one point equals ten thousand Chinese yuan—his points account held one million one hundred and thirty thousand yuan in "emergency funds." Although he didn't intend to use this money easily, its existence gave him more confidence when making decisions.
At eight o'clock in the evening, he picked up his phone and called Yu Ying.
"Empty."
"Hmm?" Yu Ying's voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying the hollow echo unique to a laboratory.
"You won."
"……How many?"
"Three million eight hundred thousand. A share of 402."
Yu Ying remained silent for five seconds.
"Brother," her voice trembled slightly, "you know, sometimes I feel like you're dreaming. But every time, you turn that dream into reality."
Zuo Cheng held his phone, a smile curving his lips.
"I'm not doing this alone."
"I know," Yu Ying said softly, "but the engine is you."
Outside the window, the winter night was lit up with the lights of thousands of homes. Zuo Cheng stood by the window, looking at the lights near and far, and suddenly remembered New Year's Eve a year ago—he sent a message to Yu Ying from the rooftop of his hometown, and Yu Ying said, "I envy you for being able to see the Milky Way."
At that time, they were not lovers yet, there were only four people in room 402, and Tianqiong was still a distant name. He only had two hundred and thirty-seven yuan in his pocket.
Everything is different now.
"Kongkong, are you going home for Chinese New Year?"
"Return. Tickets for the 29th of the lunar year."
"Then I'll get home on the 28th of the lunar year, a day earlier than you." Zuo Cheng thought for a moment, "How about you come to my house this year? I'll introduce you to my parents."
There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"……good."
It was just one word, but Zuo Cheng understood the weight it carried.
He smiled.
"Then it's a deal."