Chapter 71: Submission

"Here is the file on Zhou Xuan. Take a look." Liu Teng handed a few pages to Liu Ze.

These few simple pages made Liu Teng feel quite heavy-hearted. In his eyes, Zhou Xuan's achievements were child's play, something he could wipe out with a wave of his hand. The trouble, however, was that Zhou Xuan actually knew Wang Ximing, the son of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department Minister, and was rumored to have saved a scion of the mysterious Jiang family from the Imperial Capital.

Although few ordinary people knew about the incident at Heizhugou, it had sent shockwaves through the province's upper echelons. Fortunately, the individuals were rescued; otherwise, some people would have faced a bleak future. Consequently, those with inside information knew that someone had saved a member of a prominent Imperial Capital family and had subsequently become close with Wang Ximing and Deng Cheng.

Liu Ze had initially investigated Zhou Xuan, but he had only seen the surface; he lacked Liu Teng’s network. He hadn't known about the connection between Zhou Xuan, Deng Cheng, Wang Ximing, and Jiang Yun until he was rebuked by Wang Ximing at the hotel, which first sparked his suspicions.

"Damn! So that’s why Wang Ximing was protecting Zhou Xuan," Liu Ze finally understood how they were connected.

Realizing that Zhou Xuan had earned the gratitude of Wang Ximing and Deng Cheng by saving a member of a powerful family, Liu Ze couldn't help but marvel at Zhou Xuan's incredible luck. A simple trip had secured such powerful connections. It was likely this backing that gave Zhou Xuan the confidence to humiliate him at the Qiushui Hotel.

Now, Zhou Xuan had dug a pit that caused him heavy losses in the internet cafe management system business and even triggered a public disturbance. Liu Ze now had a deep appreciation for Zhou Xuan’s methods and began to take the man he had previously dismissed much more seriously.

Liu Teng looked at Liu Ze and sighed: "Zhou Xuan is indeed a genius. To develop such software at his age and have the foresight to bring Deng Cheng on board as a shareholder—given current trends, Huanyu Software is worth at least a hundred million. By digging this trap, he has pushed your network company to the brink of bankruptcy and implicated the Tengfei Group. Compared to this, you are far behind, Liu Ze."

Liu Ze, knowing he had been nearly ruined by Zhou Xuan, said bitterly, "Dad, what should we do now? Are we really going to cave in to those internet cafe owners and compensate them for their losses?"

"Do you think this is still the era of brute force? Remember, we are a legitimate enterprise now; we must follow the rules. This incident has blown up, and national media are reporting on it. You saw the situation today—even though the mayor suppressed the provincial media, what about the national press? They reported it anyway. The situation is against us; we have no choice but to swallow this loss." Liu Teng patted Liu Ze on the shoulder and sneered, "Don't worry, son. Once you provoke us, you have to pay the price. Once this storm blows over, I will make him regret crossing us."

Hearing this, Liu Ze brightened instantly. "Father, you're always so thoughtful. We'll throw those few millions at them for now. Once we deal with Zhou Xuan later, we'll get it all back with interest."

"Haha, exactly! Anyone who dares to cross us will pay the price, sooner or later. Remember, son: patience is not a sign of weakness. The one who laughs last is the true victor." Liu Teng thought of the many rivals he had faced over the last decade—none of them were inferior to him, yet he had crushed them all into the dirt.

On March 23rd, Liu Ze took Liu Ming to the hospital to offer condolences to the injured. He brought gifts and personally apologized, promising to cover all medical expenses. Upon returning to the company, he compensated over forty internet cafe owners with 5,000 yuan each. Once paid, they left, leaving the people Deng Cheng had planted with no choice but to watch them go.

At the same time, Liu Ming actively contacted internet cafes, offering to refund the 3,000 yuan paid for the offline version of their management system and providing a new version for free. This move won over many cafes that still relied on offline computers, leading Zhou Xuan to admire the effectiveness of the "free" strategy in attracting customers.

For those who refused to continue using the Tengfei system, all previous fees were refunded. By this trend, Liu Ze would not only lose the millions he had earned but also incur an additional loss of over a million. Still, following Liu Teng's advice, he paid out readily.

On March 24th, Liu Ze announced the development of a new management system, modeled after Zhou Xuan's Huanyu system. They intended to finish it within five days and offer it as a free trial to those who had previously paid. Many cafe owners, having received their 3,000-yuan compensation and anticipating the new free software, decided to wait for Tengfei’s April 1st release.

Hearing this, Zhou Xuan was impressed by Liu Ze’s decisiveness. He hadn't expected Liu Ze to be able to swallow his pride and give up millions, though he suspected pressure from Liu Teng and external forces played a role. With these measures and the previous news coverage, the disgruntled owners were pacified, effectively extinguishing the crisis.

However, it was rumored that the Tengfei Group incident had been explicitly named at a Provincial Party Committee meeting. A high-ranking official had pointed out the incompetence of the new Mayor of Rongcheng in managing the situation, causing S Province to lose face nationally. This was why the Tengfei Group had spent so much money to resolve the issue so quickly.

Zhou Xuan wasn't worried about Liu Ze developing a "real" Tengfei management system. By April 1st, the Huanyu system would have already seized a significant market share.

When Tengfei finally launched their version, Huanyu would release its second version, featuring new capabilities like intelligent game installation, automatic game updates, and membership services. It would blow the Tengfei system out of the water. After a few such cycles, with Tengfei constantly choking on Huanyu's dust, Liu Ze would likely be driven to madness.

However, Zhou Xuan wasn't certain if Liu Ze would even make it that long, as Yu Xiangyang and the others were expected to finalize their plans within a month. When that time came, Liu Teng’s Tengfei Group and the new mayor behind him would be uprooted and turned to ash.

And that would be the moment Zhou Xuan's Huanyu system would dominate the nation.