Chapter 84

Zhuochuan had previously set two conditions for his plan to cultivate the soul in the modern world: one was to gain fame, and the seed for this had already sprouted, and it just needed time to grow.

The media, whether official or private, needed time to react, verify, and spread the news.

But there was one thing that couldn't wait, and that was money. In the modern world, many things required a significant investment upfront.

On Tuesday morning, as soon as he started work, Zhuochuan dialed the front desk of Starlight Company.

"Hello, please connect me to General Manager Xu Yan," Zhuochuan said, even though he had her personal number.

"You must be Mr. Zhuo, right? Sure, please hold on," the receptionist seemed to have been instructed to record Zhuochuan's phone number, and she recognized his call immediately.

"Mr. Zhuo, it's good to finally hear from you. I thought you were so busy with your research and becoming a scientist that you had forgotten about our company's collaboration," a sharp female voice complained right away.

It was clear that she knew about Zhuochuan's paper in the journal *Nature*. After the first instance, Zhuochuan was no longer surprised. First, it was the dean of the tumor specialty hospital, and now General Manager Xu Yan of Starlight Company. Both, who were not part of his circle, had received the news immediately without him informing them. Each had their own channels, and the efficiency of information exchange in the modern world was much higher than before.

But in this aspect, the new world was not inferior. Zhuochuan thought about his duel, which was instantly broadcast to trillions of people, demonstrating the speed of information exchange, a hallmark of advanced technology and a significant indicator of civilizational progress.

"I won't ask how you got the news. I'm calling to discuss formal matters. The software copyright and related patents are being applied for, and I want to talk about the future cloud service fee standards and authorization issues," Zhuochuan didn't waste time on small talk, a habit he had picked up from the new world.

"Even if you don't ask, I'll tell you. Since you launched that product, people have been calling our company every day to ask about the principles behind it. To avoid disturbing you, we've been telling them it's still in development and is a technical secret. There are many top experts in the industry, and to help you focus on your research, we've offended quite a few."

Xu Yan was shrewd. She bypassed the issue of fees and first talked about the past, using the same strategy as the dean to try to build a closer relationship. Indeed, her company had turned away many top experts, keeping Zhuochuan behind the scenes.

But Zhuochuan was low-key, and he had no reputation in the industry. No one could find out who first discovered the principle, and the doctors and directors only knew he was a researcher.

Zhuochuan had been so busy recently, and he appreciated the peaceful environment provided by Starlight Company. However, he quickly remembered the deputy engineer Xie and the hacker he had caught, and his gratitude vanished.

They weren't helping him; as the first commercial company to recognize the value of the product, Xu Yan had initially planned to buy the source code. Xie had even taken a huge risk to steal the source code, study the principles, and publish them, claiming the credit.

They were willing to hide his identity and not reveal him as the first inventor, but only because they still hoped to claim the original inventor's rights.

Fortunately, Zhuochuan was cautious and kept all the data in his head. The only program that was outside was compiled after code obfuscation, and he had added some techniques from the new world, making decryption much more difficult.

Reverse engineering his software was not impossible, but it would take a hundred years. In that time, humans could solve the problem on their own without stealing his source code.

But in Xu Yan's words, it seemed like they were helping Zhuochuan by keeping the flies away.

Zhuochuan, of course, wouldn't reveal this. Business was business, and he was used to it. Emotions and grudges would only ruin the deal.

But he wouldn't acknowledge their favor.

"Hehe, you won't have this trouble in the future. You can announce it openly," Zhuochuan blocked Xu Yan and brought the topic back. "From now on, it will be formal business cooperation. The specific details will be negotiated by Manager Chen Zhengqian from the Business Department."

After saying this, Zhuochuan didn't have much time to chat. This woman wasn't his type, and he had no time to waste.

...

Starlight Company.

"Men are all the same. This Zhuochuan, who seemed easy to talk to before, now claims to be too busy. He doesn't even want to waste a few minutes," Xu Yan complained to the others in the office after hanging up.

In the office were the two chief engineers, Liu and Xie, and a few salespeople. They were there to discuss how to propose subsequent charges to the hospital, as selling hardware alone was a one-time deal.

She couldn't help but complain. She knew better than anyone the power of the software combined with their product. In the past month, even without fame, Zhuochuan had doubled sales through ground promotions and the endorsement of the first hospital. Her efforts to build a relationship were to ensure exclusive sales in the future.

After all, Zhuochuan's service was open, and other equipment manufacturers could use it if they offered better terms. Without personal connections, it would be easy for them to switch partners.

The positions had suddenly reversed.

After her complaint, Xu Yan looked at the people in the room, but no one responded. Her gaze fell on Deputy Engineer Xie, and she was surprised by his change.

In the past, Xie would always say something to belittle Zhuochuan, but recently, he had been unusually quiet, and he often praised Zhuochuan.

Sure enough, this time was no different. "General Manager Zhuo might indeed be busy. I made a software to regularly search for related content online. When I found the paper, I knew he was going to be famous. He's probably preparing for various lectures and presentations," Xie said.

"Deputy Engineer Xie, you often speak well of General Manager Zhuo now, but you didn't used to. Has he given you any benefits?" Xu Yan decided to warn him. She had seen few people who betrayed their own, but her father had told her many stories.

...