eurekapd Chapter 237 Jinshan Annual Meeting Invitation
Chapter 237 Jinshan Annual Meeting Invitation
At 2:10 PM, Ling Yun had just finished a video conference with the hardware team. The screen showed the workshop of Xinghuo Electronics, then went dark, and Li Mo's slightly tired but excited face disappeared. The meeting lasted an hour and a half, discussing process improvements for the next-generation optical mouse and the mass production timeline for keyboard backlighting technology.
Ling Yun leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. The coffee on the table had gone cold, with a dark brown stain around the rim of the cup.
The landline phone rang.
Ling Yun glanced at the caller ID. A long string of numbers, starting with +86 10, the Beijing area code.
He picked up the receiver. "Hello, this is Ling Yun."
"Mr. Ling, sorry to bother you." The voice on the other end of the phone had a distinct southern accent, and although the speech was slow, each word was pronounced clearly. "This is Qiu Bojun."
Ling Yun sat up straight. Qiu Bojun, founder of Kingsoft Software, a landmark figure among China's first generation of programmers, and the father of WPS. At the end of last year, Xingchen Technology, through its subsidiary Xinghuo Capital, completed the acquisition of Kingsoft. Qiu Bojun retained a small stake and continued to serve as CEO, responsible for the company's daily operations and technical direction. After the acquisition, the two exchanged a few phone calls and emails, but rarely spoke directly.
"Hello, Mr. Qiu," Ling Yun said. "It should be around six in the morning in Beijing, right? Is it urgent calling so early?"
A soft yawn came from the other end of the phone, quickly suppressed. "Yes, 6:20. I'm getting old, can't sleep, so I got up to finish reviewing the code I didn't complete yesterday." Qiu Bojun paused for a moment. "Did I disturb your rest? It should be afternoon in Silicon Valley right now."
"It's a little past 2 PM, I'm in my office. I won't disturb you." Ling Yun glanced at the time in the lower right corner of his computer screen. "If President Qiu is calling personally, it must be something important."
Qiu Bojun laughed on the other end of the phone, his laughter a little hoarse, as if he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time. "Important... well, I guess it's important. Here's the thing, President Ling, Kingsoft is holding its annual meeting at the end of this month, on January 18th."
"I know about the annual meeting. The finance department submitted a budget, and it was approved," Ling Yun said. He remembered the document: a budget of 300,000 RMB for the venue, catering, raffle prizes, and employee year-end bonuses. Emily (the finance manager) had also added a note at the time: "Considering that Kingsoft has just completed an acquisition, and the employees' emotions need to be appeased, I recommend approval."
"The budget has been approved, thank you for your support, Mr. Ling," Qiu Bojun said. "However, I called today not about the budget. I wanted to... invite you to the annual meeting."
Ling Yun was slightly taken aback and did not answer immediately.
There were rustling sounds coming from the phone, like Qiu Bojun shifting his body or picking something up. In the background, there was a faint, continuous tapping sound of a keyboard.
"Mr. Qiu, my schedule is very tight." Ling Yun said calmly, "January is the delivery period for several key projects. The Xingchen Games platform has just been launched, Xingyu has to deal with the competition after Microsoft acquired ICQ, and there are also server projects, hardware production... I may not be able to find time to fly to Beijing."
"I know, I know you're busy." Qiu Bojun's voice became a little urgent. "I don't know much about things in Silicon Valley, but I can tell from the news that it's not easy. Microsoft spent over 400 million US dollars to buy ICQ, clearly indicating that they want to compete with you. You're under a lot of pressure."
He paused, and the keyboard clicks stopped.
"But Mr. Ling, Kingsoft's annual meeting... this year is different." Qiu Bojun's voice lowered. "At this time last year, Kingsoft was still struggling to survive. Microsoft's Word 97 Chinese version came in, and the price war made us breathless. We almost couldn't pay our employees' salaries, and several key personnel were poached. I suffered from insomnia every day back then, and my hair was falling out in clumps."
Ling Yun didn't speak, he just listened.
"Then you came," Qiu Bojun said. "The acquisition and investment allowed us to focus on WPS 97 for StarOS. At the end of last month, the StarOS version of WPS 97 was launched on the platform. Although its sales are not as good as the Windows version, user reviews are very good, especially its deep integration with the StarOS system, which many tech users like. The company has money in its account and even gave out year-end bonuses."
"That's only right," Ling Yun said.
"It's only right for you, but for those hundred-plus employees at Kingsoft, it's a lifeline." Qiu Bojun's voice was a little strained. "Many of them have been with me for seven or eight years, writing WPS since the DOS era, watching the rise and fall of domestic software. Last year, during the most difficult time, some people advised them to switch to foreign companies, where their salaries would double. But they didn't leave, saying, 'Qiu Gong is still holding on, we can't give up first.' Now that the company has recovered, they... they want to see you."
Qiu Bojun spoke the last few words very slowly.
Ling Yun's gaze fell on a corner of the desk. There was a photo frame there, containing a picture of him with his parents and grandfather taken when he returned to China last year. His grandfather was wearing an old Zhongshan suit, his back ramrod straight, and his eyes held that familiar stubbornness and expectation that only the older generation possessed.
"President Qiu," Ling Yun said, "my absence from the annual meeting won't affect the company's operations. You're the CEO, so you can host it. My role is that of a shareholder and strategic supporter; I don't need to step into the limelight."
"Yes, we need it." Qiu Bojun answered quickly this time, even decisively. "President Ling, I know you have advanced ideas and are doing something big with a global layout. For you, Kingsoft may just be a piece on a chessboard, a supporting software to improve the Starry Sky system's office ecosystem. But for us coders and product developers, WPS is not a piece, it's our life."
The sound of keyboards started again, this time faster and louder, as if venting some kind of emotion.
"I'm thirty-five this year," Qiu Bojun continued, his voice revealing a rare weariness. "From writing WPS 1.0 in 1988 to now, it's been a full ten years. In these ten years, I've witnessed the glory of domestic software, and I've also watched it being squeezed into a corner by foreign giants using capital, technology, and distribution channels. Many people say that domestic software has no future, and that we should just follow Microsoft. I don't believe in that."
He paused for a moment, seemingly trying to calm himself down.
"Last year you came to me and said you wanted to acquire Kingsoft and develop a Starry Sky system version of WPS. To be honest, I didn't believe it at the time. Could a company that makes operating systems, games, and hardware understand office software? Could it understand the obsession of our generation of programmers to create office software made by Chinese people? But I had no other choice but to take a gamble."
"And now?" Ling Yun asked.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. Then, Qiu Bojun laughed, this time the laughter seemed more genuine.
"Now... I made the right bet," he said. "I personally reviewed the code for the Starry Sky version of WPS 97. The technical team you sent, that young man named Zhao Xurui, has a deep understanding of operating systems. Several of his architectural improvement suggestions improved WPS's performance on the Starry Sky system by 30%. And you really provided the resources, didn't give us bad instructions, and let us develop the product at our own pace."
The keyboard noise finally stopped completely.
"So, Mr. Ling, you absolutely must come to this annual meeting." Qiu Bojun's tone became serious. "It's not for listening to reports, nor for inspection. It's to let the brothers at Kingsoft see what kind of boss he is, who is willing to invest in domestic software and believes we can make good products. It's to tell them that their ten years of perseverance have been recognized and valued."
He added, lowering his voice, "I'm also here so this old man can thank you in person."
The office was extremely quiet.
Lingyun thought of the future, of WPS's struggles and rebirth in the mobile internet era, and of the difficult but independent path that domestic office software ultimately forged. He also thought of Qiu Bojun, who, in later records, remained a technical idealist with the stubbornness unique to programmers, guarding his own territory, and trying to prove that "Chinese people can also make good software."
At that moment, this idealist was on the other end of the phone, in the cold of 6:30 a.m. in Beijing, saying "thank you in person" to invite him to an annual meeting.
Ling Yun picked up the cold coffee and took a sip. The bitter liquid slid down his throat.
"When exactly will the annual meeting be held?" he asked.
On the other end of the phone, Qiu Bojun seemed to pause for a moment, then his voice revealed undisguised joy: "January 18th, starting at 1 PM. The location is the banquet hall on the second floor of the New Century Hotel in Zhongguancun. If you can come, I'll arrange for someone to pick you up from the airport."
"No need to pick me up," Ling Yun said. "I'll arrange my own schedule. Six o'clock on the evening of the 18th, right? I'll be there."
"Great!" Qiu Bojun's voice lit up immediately. "I'll immediately notify the administration department to adjust the process and add your speech segment."
"No need for special arrangements," Ling Yun interrupted him. "I'll just sit down and listen; I don't need to give a speech. The annual meeting will proceed as usual; don't make an exception for me."
"How can that be? You're the boss..."
"President Qiu," Ling Yun emphasized, "you are the CEO of Kingsoft, and the core of the annual meeting is the employees. I'm going as a shareholder and colleague, not to give a speech."
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Qiu Bojun compromised, but his voice was tinged with amusement. "Just sit down and don't talk. But we should eat together, right? It's the annual banquet, so we should at least be given a chance to toast."
"That's fine," Ling Yun smiled. "I can have a little wine."
"Then it's settled!" Qiu Bojun sounded much more relaxed, as if he had accomplished a major task. "By the way, Mr. Ling, when are you arriving in Beijing? A day in advance? If needed, I can arrange for the technical team to give you a brief presentation about the plans for WPS 98 for StarOS..."
"We'll see when the time comes," Ling Yun said. "Once my schedule is finalized, I'll have my assistant contact you. Mr. Qiu, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now; I have a meeting."
"Alright, alright, you're busy. I won't bother you any longer." Qiu Bojun said repeatedly, "President Ling, really... thank you."
"You're welcome. Goodbye."
Ling Yun put down the receiver, leaned back in his chair, picked up the internal phone, and dialed his assistant Fiona's extension number.
"Fiona, could you check for flights from Silicon Valley to Beijing on January 17th? I need a direct flight or one with the shortest layover. Also, could you reschedule my schedule from the 17th to the 31st? Postpone what can be postponed, and arrange video conferences for what can't be postponed. I need to go to Beijing for two days, and I won't be returning to the US before Chinese New Year."
The sound of Fiona's rapid typing came from the other end of the phone: "Understood. Do you need to book a hotel in Beijing?"
"Find a place close to Zhongguancun. Also, contact Spark Capital's Beijing office and have them prepare a copy of Kingsoft's latest operations report; I need to review it before I leave."
"Okay. Is there anything else planned?"
"Not at the moment. Check the flights first, and give me a solution in half an hour."
"clear."