Reverse Reference from Penguins

Chapter 215

In the dead of night, only the crisp sound of keyboard tapping remained in Dorm 404.

Gu Ran sat in front of the computer, the screen's fluorescence reflecting on his focused profile.

He was doing something monumental enough to change the social networking landscape of the next decade.

Adding an epoch-making feature to the V1.1 version of "MicroChat."

Moments.

This feature, which would become a part of people's lives and even define social interactions in the future.

In this era, it was still an unheard-of concept.

Although Qzone already existed, its experience was fragmented.

You had to open QQ first and wait through a long loading process.

Only then could you enter a page cluttered with various paid decorations.

What Gu Ran wanted to do was to integrate that future lightweight, concise platform.

A social sharing platform for acquaintances, mainly featuring pictures and short texts, integrated directly into the main program.

Simplifying the complex.

No flashy decorations, no "leave a footprint" features.

Only the purest feed of images and texts, likes, and comments.

When he typed the last line of code and clicked compile.

A red dot appeared on the "Discover" page in the bottom bar of the beta version of MicroChat.

Clicking into it revealed a simple camera icon.

He nodded in satisfaction.

He posted the very first Moments update on the entire network for Ye Zhenzhen.

The accompanying picture was a tender pink kitten paw pressing on a boy's knuckles.

The caption was just one line, domineering and straightforward.

[Stamped. You are mine from now on.]

...

Early the next morning.

Ye Zhenzhen was woken up by her alarm clock.

Groggy, she reached for her phone and habitually opened MicroChat.

At a glance, she saw the striking red dot on the bottom bar.

Her obsessive-compulsive tendencies drove her to click on it.

The next second, the young girl's sleepiness instantly vanished.

Gu Ran's Moments post strikingly caught her eye.

"Ah..."

Ye Zhenzhen's cheeks suddenly burned, and she hugged her quilt, rolling around on the bed twice.

This bad guy!

Teasing her bright and early in the morning!

Although she complained outwardly, her heart felt like it was filled with honey.

She bit her lip, tried opening the comments, and carefully typed a single word.

[Okay.]

Feeling it wasn't enough after sending, she tapped Gu Ran's avatar and sent a private message.

[Dr. Ye: Um... I saw the new feature.]

[Silly Bear: Yeah, do you like it?]

[Dr. Ye: I love it! It feels much better to use than Qzone! The interface is so clean!]

[Silly Bear: The fun stuff is yet to come.]

Gu Ran looked at his phone screen, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

[In the future, this will become the place where we record our lives.]

[I want to see what you eat every day, where you go, and what fun things you encounter.]

[I want to be a part of your entire life.]

Ye Zhenzhen looked at these words, her heart beating wildly.

Did this guy take a crash course in sweet talk?

How did every single sentence land perfectly on the tip of her heart?

The girl buried her face in her pillow.

It was over. She was doomed to fall for this big silly bear for the rest of her life.

...

There were no classes in the morning.

Gu Ran took Zhang Qi and Li Ming and started handing out flyers downstairs at various dormitories.

"Computer repair, door-to-door service! Classmate, care to take a look?"

"System reinstallation, virus removal! Fair prices, attentive service!"

With the mass foundation laid previously by the "iced mung bean soup."

Their flyers were almost never rejected.

Especially when Li Ming and Zhang Qi shouted the slogan, "20% off for girls' dorms, beautiful girls get priority service."

It attracted a crowd of girls to gather around.

"Really? Free if you can't fix it?"

"My computer has been freezing up lately, can you guys come take a look?"

"Handsome, leave a number?"

Surrounded by a flock of chattering girls, Li Ming and Zhang Qi flushed red with excitement.

Only then did they understand.

What Gu Ran meant by "building connections in the girls' dorms."

This wasn't fixing computers; this was clearly creating opportunities for themselves to get a girlfriend!

The youth didn't join the bustle. He sat on a bench under the shade of a tree.

He was currently engaged in a psychological game with someone whose ID was "VC Queen".

[VC Queen: President Gu, I've looked at your 'MicroChat'. It has a lot of potential.]

[Gu Ran: So, when will Sequoia Capital's money be in place?]

[VC Queen: President Gu is as direct as always. Series A funding is no small matter; we need to do a more detailed assessment of your business model and profit prospects.]

[Gu Ran: My time is precious. I'll give you three days. If I don't see the money, I'm going to IDG.]

After sending this message, Gu Ran put his phone away.

He knew that for these bloodthirsty capitalists.

The more eager you appear, the more they will suppress your valuation.

Only by showing enough confidence and disdain could he take the initiative at the negotiation table.

What he wanted wasn't just money.

It was the resources and connections represented behind these top-tier capitals.

As well as their backing and endorsement when arm-wrestling with Penguin in the future.

...

Meanwhile, in Shenzhen, at the Penguin Headquarters Building.

Top floor, the CEO's office.

Pony was standing in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

Overlooking the internet empire he had built single-handedly.

Behind him, Tony, the head of the QQ business group, looked solemn.

"Pony, our people have returned from Qinglin."

Tony's tone was somewhat grave.

"Mhm."

Pony didn't turn around, just replying indifferently.

"That young man named Gu Ran rejected our acquisition offer."

"As expected."

Pony pushed up his glasses.

"What conditions did he propose?"

"He didn't propose any conditions."

Tony's expression was a bit strange.

"He just asked us one question."

"What question?"

"He asked, what if he doesn't sell?"

Pony finally turned around, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes, which was immediately replaced by intense interest.

"Interesting."

He smiled.

"It's been a long time since anyone dared to challenge me like this."

"Pony, we must take this 'MicroChat' seriously."

Tony's expression turned serious.

"I've experienced their product. Whether it's the UI design or the LBS-based social features like 'Shake', they are at least half a year ahead of us."

"I saw the data you brought back."

Pony glanced at the data charts.

Zero promotion, relying solely on campus word-of-mouth, 70% daily active user rate in half a month.

This retention rate was absolutely terrifying.

"Since we can't buy it..."

Tony asked tentatively.

"Since we can't buy it, then let's... 'borrow' it."

Pony's tone carried a suffocating sense of pressure.

"Tell the Guangzhou R&D Center to immediately set up a project team and do a pixel-perfect replica of all of 'MicroChat's' features."

He looked up, his gaze sharp.

"As for the name... let's call it 'WeChat'."

"In one month, I want to see our product go live."

"One month?!"

Tony was shocked.

"Pony, that's too rushed! Our manpower and resources..."

"There is nothing we cannot do."

Pony interrupted him, his voice leaving no room for doubt.

"Tell the team, for this project, only success is allowed, no failure."

"Money, manpower, and resources—I am giving you the green light on all of them. However, if I don't see a product that can rival 'MicroChat' in a month, your entire business division can pack up and head to Africa to expand our operations."

Tony's back was instantly drenched in a cold sweat.

He knew Pony was dead serious.

A war over the gateway to mobile social networking had quietly broken out.

On a bench at Qinglin University.

Gu Ran looked at the new message on his phone, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

[VC Queen: Mr. Gu, we have agreed to your terms. My team will fly to Qinglin tomorrow, and we can discuss things face to face.]

[Gu Ran: Alright.]

The young man stood up and stretched toward the clear blue sky.

The fish had taken the bait.

He wondered how that penguin over in Shencheng would react.

......