Chapter Ninety-Three: Talent Is Rare

On July 15th, Rongcheng was sweltering with temperatures soaring as high as 37 degrees Celsius, leaving the streets largely deserted.

At 7:00 PM, once the outdoor air had cooled down slightly, Zhou Xuan drove toward the venue of the evening gathering, the Celebrity Hotel.

Although it was already evening, the sun had not yet set, and the temperature remained somewhat high. Zhou Xuan had no choice but to turn on the car's air conditioning to feel a bit cooler.

The drive from the development zone to the Jingjiang riverside in the downtown area was quite smooth, taking just over half an hour. If it were a decade or two later, when car ownership exceeded several million, it wouldn't take just half an hour; during the evening rush hour, one couldn't even reach the destination in an hour.

In fact, through the twenty years following the reform and opening up up until 2015, driven by the growth of the national economy, many industries were extremely lucrative. It wasn't until after 2015, when the economy slowed down, that making money ceased to be so easy.

Ever since his rebirth, Zhou Xuan sometimes pondered: in his previous life, he simply lacked drive and never truly fought for his ambitions; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up achieving nothing.

Now that he had been reborn, he resolved to seize every opportunity so that he would have no regrets when he grew old.

Arriving at the hotel, Zhou Xuan parked his car in the lot and took the elevator directly to the banquet hall on the 11th floor. Since this was merely a private gathering and Deng Ting'an had not issued formal invitations, there were no ticket-checkers at the entrance, only two attendants standing by to serve the guests.

Zhou Xuan straightened his clothes and walked inside. Today, he was dressed quite simply in a T-shirt paired with jeans and casual leather shoes, giving him an exceptionally fresh and crisp appearance.

Upon entering the hall, he found the space to be remarkably expansive, covering no less than three hundred square meters. Food and drinks were casually arranged around the room, and a section of it was lined with numerous sofas for guests to rest.

Scanning the room briefly, Zhou Xuan estimated there were already twenty or thirty people present. Everyone was sitting or standing at ease, chatting in small groups within a very harmonious atmosphere.

"Zhou Xuan, why are you only just getting here? Brother Jiang and Brother Wang have been here for quite a while," came Deng Cheng's voice from nearby. Deng Cheng suddenly popped up from the entrance and pulled Zhou Xuan toward the interior of the hall.

"Brother Deng, it's just that I wasn't too familiar with the route. I took a bit of a detour on my way here," Zhou Xuan said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Back then, there were no map apps of various kinds. Although Zhou Xuan had been very familiar with Rongcheng in the past, that was after 2005.

Hearing this, Deng Cheng teased, "I told you I'd come pick you up, but you insisted on driving yourself. If you ask me, you brought this on yourself."

"If I bought a car, wouldn't it just sit at home as a decoration otherwise?" Zhou Xuan retorted.

In truth, he wasn't particularly interested in this cocktail party, which was why he had arrived late.

After walking a few steps, he saw Jiang Yun, Wang Ximing, and a middle-aged man sitting together on a sofa, chatting cheerfully about something.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Wang, you two sure arrived early," Zhou Xuan greeted with a smile as he approached.

"Haha, Zhou Xuan, you're here. Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Executive Vice President Shang of the Provincial Commercial Bank, Brother Shang," Jiang Yun introduced Shang Yunzhou to Zhou Xuan, and then introduced Zhou Xuan in return, "Brother Shang, this is the Zhou Xuan I told you about, my good buddy."

Shang Yunzhou was around forty years old, dressed in a sharp, professional manner, and exuded an affable demeanor.

Though he didn't know how close Shang's relationship with Jiang Yun was, Zhou Xuan still greeted him warmly, "Hello, Brother Shang! I'm Zhou Xuan, very nice to meet you."

"Haha, so you're Zhou Xuan. Truly young and promising—Jiang Yun has mentioned you several times already," Shang Yunzhou said with a smile, shaking hands with Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan responded modestly, "Brother Jiang is just being too kind. I'm merely quite interested in computers and the internet."

"Haha, Brother Shang, don't listen to Zhou Xuan's modesty. Have you ever met anyone who became a multi-millionaire before turning sixteen?" Jiang Yun bantered unhesitatingly about Zhou Xuan's humility.

Shang Yunzhou smiled faintly: "I actually know quite a bit about computers. We have an employee at our bank who is a master in this field. His programming skills are simply unmatched; back in his college days, he developed an electronic game called 'College Era', which you could say was the best domestic game of that time."

A thought stirred in Zhou Xuan's mind, and he asked, "Oh? Computers are only just beginning to rise in popularity now, yet he could develop his own game while still in college? That's what you call a true technical powerhouse. I definitely must find a chance to meet him."

"Haha, Zhou Xuan, I didn't take you for someone with a sense of humor. A 'technical powerhouse'—that phrasing is really quite apt," Deng Cheng laughed from the side.

Zhou Xuan couldn't help it; every now and then, terms that hadn't yet entered common usage would slip out, which sometimes left him speechless himself.

"Well, his technical skills certainly live up to the title of a technical powerhouse," Shang Yunzhou said with a smile.

Originally, he didn't understand computers very well, but ever since the bank began its digitization process, purchasing numerous expensive computers and servers that greatly improved operational efficiency and saved a vast amount of costs, he had become extremely optimistic about the prospects of computers and the internet.

"Brother Shang, do you mind telling me what this technical powerhouse is called? I really would love to meet him." Zhou Xuan was currently extremely hungry for talent. Now that he knew of such a genius, how could he possibly let the opportunity slip?

Shang Yunzhou looked at Zhou Xuan and smiled, "His name is Lu Daming, a graduate of the Provincial University. I'll introduce you two when the opportunity arises; I'm sure you'll have plenty of common language."

"Holy crap!" Zhou Xuan felt a jolt in his heart. "It's actually Master Lu!"

In his previous life, Zhou Xuan had used both "Windows Optimizer" and "Master Lu," the two system optimization software programs. How could he possibly not know their creator—Lu Daming, hailed as "China's Number One Optimization Expert"?

Lu Daming graduated from the Radio Department of Provincial University and became a software engineer after graduation. Possessing top-tier software development skills, he developed multiple systematic software programs, with his major project achievements being "Windows Optimizer" and "Master Lu."

Later on, he even joined 360 with Master Lu, bringing in revenues exceeding a hundred million. By 2016, it was revealed that Lion Roar Company, in which he held a 42% stake, was acquired by Xunyou Technology for 2.7 billion, netting Lu Daming over 1.1 billion from that single transaction alone.

Furthermore, the two other people who co-developed games with Lu Daming back in their college days were also exceptionally talented technical masterminds.

One was Kuang Yufei, who was currently still pursuing a Ph.D. in computer security, and the other was Feng Jing, who specialized in AS400 development.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan felt truly impatient. If he could secure the addition of these three men, the future technological development of his company would truly have no worries left.

Looking at Shang Yunzhou, Zhou Xuan felt a slight pang of embarrassment. If Shang knew that Zhou Xuan's motive for wanting to meet Lu Daming was to poach him, he probably wouldn't look quite so pleased.

"Then thank you in advance, Brother Shang. I will definitely thank you properly next time," Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

"We're all Jiang Yun's friends, think nothing of it," Shang Yunzhou replied.

"Hahahaha, I heard Chairman Deng is holding a banquet here. I wonder if my presence is welcome?"

Suddenly, an arrogant voice echoed from the entrance, causing everyone to turn their heads to see who it could possibly be.