Chapter 882
Acquisition of Netac, Flash Memory Technology in Hand
In November, the air in Shenzhen was damp and chilly, but outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the CEO's office on the top floor of the Century Tower, the sunlight still struggled to pierce through the clouds and shine on the bustling city skyline.
The room was kept at a constant temperature, like springtime. Behind the expensive mahogany desk, Lu Yang leaned back in a large leather chair, calmly watching the two middle-aged men sitting opposite him.
Deng Guoshun and Cheng Xiaohua.
The two co-founders of Netac Technology.
They are completely different from the passionate, bright-eyed young entrepreneurs that Lu Yang usually sees, driven by the obsession to "change the world".
The two people in front of me had calm faces and eyes that revealed the prudence and pragmatism unique to middle-aged people.
They are not greenhorns, but rather master's degree holders with educational backgrounds from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and technical backbones with many years of experience in large enterprises.
Choosing to leave his job and found Netac was less a sacrifice for idealism and more a precise move toward the more realistic goal of "financial freedom," seeking to maximize the realization of personal value through the sparks ignited by the collision of technological accumulation and market acumen.
At this moment, an olive branch, gleaming gold and substantial in weight, has been tossed before me.
They couldn't help but be tempted, and they couldn't easily refuse.
Just a few days ago, Wei Shu, the female president of Century Group known for her iron-fisted approach and efficiency, presented them with a price that left them almost breathless:
"1000 million RMB. Our boss has his eye on Langke Company. Can we sell it?"
1000 million!
This number struck Deng Guoshun and Cheng Xiaohua like a heavy hammer blow.
They started with 30 yuan raised by themselves. The company has been established for less than half a year. All their assets are a rented office, a few pieces of equipment, and ideas in their minds that have not yet been fully transformed into products.
1000 million means a premium of more than 33 times!
This means that as long as they nod, each person will instantly receive a huge fortune of 500 million.
In China in 1999, 500 million yuan was enough for them and their families to achieve true financial freedom and live a worry-free life.
They are not without ideals and ambitions.
They possess a new breakthrough in flash memory technology, which they consider to be at an internationally advanced level.
They instinctively yearn to incubate and nurture it themselves, watch it change the world, and enjoy the glory of creation.
However, the allure of 1000 million yuan in cash, and the readily available material security that followed, acted like the sweetest poison, eroding the courage and determination on the entrepreneurial path.
Wei Shu keenly observed the struggle and weighing of options in their eyes, and timely offered a more compelling condition:
“What our boss wants is the essence of a stable and growing startup, not an empty shell that has been drained of its soul and is left with only a bunch of data and patents.”
She said in a clear and calm voice, "So, this 10 million is for the purchase of 80% absolute control of Langke Company. President Deng and President Cheng, you two can each retain 1000% of the shares and remain the heads of the new Langke Company. Moreover, I believe that with the support of our boss and Century Group, the new Langke will definitely develop faster than before and expand rapidly. Any dreams you have in your hearts will be realized more quickly."
She paused, her sharp gaze sweeping over the two of them: "Of course, such favorable conditions come with limitations. The above promises are conditional upon the fact that neither of you may leave Langke or cash out your shares within ten years. After ten years, or after the company successfully goes public and the three-year lock-up period expires, you may leave at any time and cash out your shares."
This condition, like a rope, firmly binds the fate of the two founders to the future of Netac.
It preserved their technical identity and some of their interests, ensuring the stability of the company's core team, while also eliminating the possibility of them cashing out in the short term and starting anew.
It is not a pure buyout, but a strategic binding with a strong desire for control.
The fact that each of them can retain 10% of Langke's shares as compensation for staying and continuing to lead Langke's development and growth is already quite substantial. With the support of the enormous financial resources of the Fangshiji Group, Langke has unlimited potential to become a large listed company in the future.
Deng Guoshun and Cheng Xiaohua exchanged a glance. Without a word, their years of tacit understanding allowed them to instantly comprehend each other's thoughts.
Struggles, resentment, the desire for wealth, the constraints of being bound... all sorts of emotions surged within him, but in the end, the scales inevitably tipped towards reality.
"Deal." Deng Guoshun's voice was slightly dry, but his tone was firm.
"Deal." Cheng Xiaohua nodded in agreement.
However, as the dust settled, a thought became increasingly clear in their minds.
On behalf of the two, Cheng Xiaohua made a request: "President Wei, we have another request. We hope to meet with your company's President Lu in person."
They were so curious.
How could this little-known company, established only six months ago, with a technology that is still in the laboratory stage and has not yet been made public, catch the eye of the legendary, sharp-eyed, and far-sighted CEO Lu?
Is it simply a case of "being foolish and having too much money"?
Or... does the other party possess some unknown channels that have already revealed the core of their closely guarded flash memory technology?
If it's the latter, then this Mr. Lu's power and information network are simply too terrifying.
They need to meet this "buyer" in person, assess his worth, uncover the truth behind him, and find a reassuring reason to tie themselves to this ship for the next ten years.
Thus, the meeting at the top of the Century Tower took place.
Looking at the two middle-aged technical experts in front of him, who were filled with curiosity and a hint of trepidation, Lu Yang smiled knowingly.
He certainly understood their thoughts.
"Dr. Deng, Dr. Cheng, welcome to Century Group." Lu Yang's voice was calm, with a sense of composure as if he had the whole situation under control. "Although Langke is young, I have long admired your reputation and technical background."
He didn't engage in much small talk and went straight to the technical aspects. He didn't directly mention the term "USB flash drive," nor did he claim to know that they possessed the "world's most advanced" flash memory technology—that would be too sensational and easily arouse unnecessary suspicion.
But his conversation revolved precisely around the future he "foresaw".
“Flash memory technology.” Lu Yang’s fingers tapped unconsciously on the smooth desktop, his gaze fixed on the window as if looking towards the future. “It solves more than just the capacity problem of mobile storage; the key is the revolutionary combination of speed, stability, and portability. Future electronic devices will become increasingly miniaturized and intelligent, and the demand for data storage will grow exponentially. Traditional hard disks and floppy disks are destined to be transitional products.” He spoke eloquently, from the urgent need for portable storage in mobile offices to the reliance of future personal electronic consumer products on high-speed read/write, shock-resistant, and durable storage media, even subtly touching upon the potential optimization directions of flash memory architecture for future operating systems and software applications…
His words, though devoid of complex technical jargon, are full of profound insights into technological development trends and market application prospects.
Every judgment is like light projected back from the future—clear, certain, and convincing.
His vision extends beyond a small mobile storage device; it places flash memory technology at the cornerstone of the future information society.
As Deng Guoshun and Cheng Xiaohua listened, their initial doubts and tension were gradually replaced by another emotion.
Shock and excitement.
They originally thought they would be facing a nouveau riche who only knew how to operate capital, or a mysterious figure who was well-versed in intelligence.
Unexpectedly, this young tycoon's understanding of technological development trends, grasp of market pain points, and perception of the future technological landscape of flash memory technology were so advanced and accurate!
This feeling is wonderful.
It was as if they had been groping alone in the dark for a long time, when suddenly someone held up a torch, clearly pointing out the right path ahead, and telling them what a magnificent view lay at the end of the road.
Although Lu Yang did not directly reveal the secrets of their laboratory, the future he described was exactly the scenario that their researched technology was striving to achieve!
Following such a person, even if you lose absolute control of the company in the short term, and even if the realization of financial freedom is delayed by ten years, the door to the future seems to open more clearly.
Financial freedom may just be a milestone on this path, not the end.
What names will appear on the future Fortune Rich List?
Such a grand blueprint does not seem so far out of reach.
The scales in their hearts had completely tipped.
That reflects a firm belief in the future of technology, an admiration for the vision of the leader, and an expectation that one's own value will shine on a larger stage.
They exchanged a glance, a look that held relief, excitement, and a sense of peace that came from finding kindred spirits.
Deng Guoshun took a deep breath and solemnly and carefully took out a small black square, slightly larger than a thumb, wrapped in an anti-static bag from the inside pocket of his suit.
His movements carried an almost reverent solemnity as he gently placed it on Lu Yang's large desk.
"President Lu," Deng Guoshun's voice trembled slightly, a barely perceptible tremor from the excitement of his technological achievement being recognized, "this is the core culmination of our team's research. Internally, we call it a 'USB flash drive,' employing our proprietary flash memory controller chip and USB interface technology. It boasts significant advantages such as hot-swappability, driverless operation, compact size, and strong shock resistance. Its storage capacity currently reaches 8MB, and its read/write speeds far surpass those of traditional floppy disks. We believe..."
He paused, his voice filled with pride, "It is currently the world's first truly universal serial bus (USB) flash drive."
The two originally planned to bring the USB drive to the China International High-Tech Achievements Fair held in Shenzhen this year to promote the company and pave the way for its Series A financing in the first quarter of next year, hoping to gain recognition from industry investors and a higher valuation offer.
Now that the company is ready to be sold to this wealthy new owner, all those previous petty preparations are naturally unnecessary.
It's a good opportunity to show this to the new boss and gain his approval.
After all, we have to make sure that the 1000 million is well spent, right?
Lu Yang's gaze fell on the small black cube, his eyes deep.
He didn't show excessive surprise, but his focused, scrutinizing gaze and the meaningful curve of his lips revealed that he knew the weight of what he held.
He picked up the USB drive, feeling its smooth and sturdy casing with his fingertips. Beneath that cold touch lay a core that was about to ignite a revolution in mobile storage.
“Good stuff.” Lu Yang’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable certainty.
He didn't offer lengthy praise, but those three words were more inspiring and satisfying to Deng Guoshun and Cheng Xiaohua than any effusive compliment.
Lu Yang put down the USB drive, looked up at the two men, his eyes sharp and full of expectation: "Dr. Deng, Dr. Cheng, this is just the beginning. What I want is not a 'good thing' that stays in the lab or has a small-scale application. What I want is a flagship product that can change the data storage habits of hundreds of millions of people, define industry standards, and dominate the global market! Your next task is to continue to conduct in-depth research, optimize performance, increase capacity, and reduce costs! I need you to get it from prototype to mass production as quickly as possible, from the lab to the world!"
His words were resolute, issuing a clear instruction: "Century Group will fully support you with money, resources, and market channels! I want you to focus wholeheartedly on technological iteration and product refinement! Make Netac a flagship company in the field of flash memory technology!"
"Yes, President Lu!" Deng Guoshun and Cheng Xiaohua said in unison, their voices filled with excitement at being trusted and entrusted with such an important task.
At this moment, they willingly boarded the Century Group's chariot.
Just as the technical blueprint and business ambitions collided fiercely and reached a high degree of consensus inside the office, the heavy door to the president's office was gently knocked on.
Lu Nini pushed open the door, poked her body in, and said with a capable expression, "Brother, President Wei just called. Director Wang Jin sent word that the 'buying spree' plan for digital music copyrights has achieved its first major results! Director Wang hopes to report the progress to you in person as soon as possible. He has already prepared the materials. President Wei asked when would be a convenient time for you?"
A glint flashed in Lu Yang's eyes, like stars suddenly illuminating.
Copyright empire and hardware hegemony – both fronts are victorious!
He gestured to Lu Nini: "Report to President Wei that the documents are ready. I will go over shortly to hear her detailed report."
His gaze returned to the small USB drive on the table, and the corners of his mouth widened, revealing a calm composure in control of the situation and a hint of barely perceptible ambition.
"Also," Lu Yang's voice clearly reached Lu Nini's ears, "tell President Wei to prepare to receive some good news."
He pointed to the black cube that would change the future. "On our side, we've also got the 'hard stuff.'" (End of Chapter)