Chapter 66: Sharing Profits – The Joy of Collaborative Ventures

Chen Xiao maintained a smile and didn't respond.

Zhou Quan understood the situation and refrained from pressing further.

Despite his age, this high school graduate's demeanor and maturity were far beyond his years.

Zhou Quan reached into his bag and pulled out a business card, handing it over. "Brother Chen, this is my business card. I run a computer company in Jiangzhou Computer City, primarily focused on computer assembly and maintenance services for internet cafes."

Brother Dao chimed in, "They specialize in providing technical maintenance for internet cafes, including software installation."

Chen Xiao examined the business card. "Jinquan Network Co., Ltd., Zhou Quan, General Manager."

Back in 2000, owning a personal computer was a luxury that only a few could afford.

Zhou Quan's target customers included small internet cafes, often referred to as "black internet cafes," that had recently mushroomed everywhere, as well as a few legitimate and popular internet cafes.

Chen Xiao replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Quan nodded and continued, "Knife is a friend of mine. The other day I discovered you were using hacks in an internet cafe. I'm also into Legends, and I've tried hacks before. They're quite impressive!"

"Now, Brother Chen, would you be interested in collaborating? I have partnerships with around thirty to forty internet cafes. I can directly negotiate with cafe owners to distribute the plug-in. You would manage the technical side, while I handle the business end of things."

The resources Zhou Quan possessed were indeed appealing.

It would be more convincing for Chen Xiao or Brother Dao to speak with cafe owners. Otherwise, they might be skeptical.

However, Zhou Quan could facilitate these discussions with ease.

Chen Xiao quickly thought about the situation. The plug-in's life cycle might only last one or two years.

After that period, plug-ins would continue to exist in the market, but they would be compromised and subject to stricter regulation by relevant authorities.

Moreover, Shengda would certainly address the issue of plug-ins and implement dedicated measures against them.

Generating revenue during that time wouldn't be meaningful.

Beyond that, what mattered wasn't solely the income but using this window of opportunity to promote 11181 and amass influence.

Chen Xiao inquired, "How do you envision this collaboration, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou Quan replied, "You don't need to call me Mr. Zhou. Just Brother Quan is fine. I'm proposing 30,000 yuan to purchase exclusive rights to your plug-in. I'd also provide you with 500 yuan per month for technical maintenance. What do you think?"

"30,000!" Brother Dao exclaimed. For him, 30,000 yuan was a substantial sum!

His cash holdings didn't exceed 1,000 yuan.

Deng Chao, Jiang Wei, and the others were equally taken aback. 30,000 yuan could cover tuition for four years of college.

"Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao, 30,000!" Deng Chao uttered anxiously, as if the money were about to evaporate.

[Influence +3, cumulative influence 216]

However, Chen Xiao declined the proposal, "Brother Quan, can you assure that the game's update won't disable the plug-in?"

"It's important because this trend could become widespread. You must ensure that your plug-in is always ahead, continuously updating and patching as the game evolves."

Zhou Quan contemplated for a while before nodding in agreement, acknowledging the wisdom in Chen Xiao's words.

Zhou Quan had been working in Computer City since his graduation from a computer-related major.

Though the plug-in wasn't illegal at present, it certainly wasn't welcomed by game companies. Shengda would inevitably address and patch the game to counter plug-ins. Without consistent technical maintenance, plug-ins wouldn't last long.

"What are your thoughts, Brother Chen?"

Chen Xiao continued, "I'll manage the backend, setting up a recharge gateway. Promoters can use your gateway for recharging, and we'll split the revenue fifty-fifty. We'd sell the plug-in to internet cafes for 20 yuan, providing 4,500 minutes. You and I would each earn ten yuan from each sale."

Chen Xiao could still make a profit for the sake of promoting the product sooner.

Chen Xiao added, "Currently, there are more than a hundred internet cafes across the twelve districts, cities, and counties in Jiangzhou. Brother Quan and I have an opportunity to collaborate, enabling you to capture more internet cafe business."

Cafes with plug-ins would be more attractive to gamers than those without. With plug-ins at his disposal, Zhou Quan could easily entice internet cafes to contract his installation services.

Zhou Quan deliberated and responded, "Sounds good. I'll prepare a contract."

For Zhou Quan, supporting the plug-in promotion was convenient, highly profitable, and acceptable in terms of revenue sharing.

Chen Xiao smiled and remarked, "We're friends after all; a contract isn't necessary."

The plug-in wasn't tangible, and Chen Xiao wasn't foolish enough to sign a contract over it.

"That settles it!" Zhou Quan and Chen Xiao exchanged QQ numbers to handle the subsequent communication.

Chen Xiao glanced at Brother Dao and suggested, "Brother Quan, Brother Dao is my friend too. If it's convenient for you, you could work with him. I trust he'd be reliable."

"Not a problem!"

In reality, all the data was under Chen Xiao's control. He had agreed with Zhou Quan to reconcile accounts on a weekly basis. Brother Dao's involvement was irrelevant.

Chen Xiao's remark was mainly to show goodwill toward Brother Dao.

Knife was immensely grateful.

After playing billiards together for an hour, they departed.

At the entrance, Zhou Quan got into a Fukang car and headed back to Jiangzhou. From this perspective, Zhou Quan was doing quite well financially. He was among the first wave of individuals who prospered in the 1990s.

"Xiaozi, you're incredible! You're capable of creating plug-ins! I should've picked a computer major instead of opting for civil engineering on my college entrance exam."

Chen Xiao patted Deng Chao's shoulder and quipped, "You should've gone for an architecture major instead!"

Deng Chao could graduate in four years, around 2004. That was when China's first real estate wave was taking place. With the right connections, he could become a contractor right out of school, a far more comfortable occupation than coding.

Upon returning home, Chen Qiang, who had specifically come from Jiangzhou, prepared a sumptuous dinner.

After all, the college entrance exam results were due to be released at midnight.

Following dinner, the family gathered around the television, watching a rebroadcast of the popular series "Huan Zhu Ge Ge," which had gained fame the previous year.

Erkang: You're ruthless, cruel, and unreasonable!

Ziwei: And you're not ruthless, cruel, or unreasonable?

Erkang: How am I ruthless? How am I cruel? Where have I been unreasonable?

...

Ziwei: Very well, if you say I'm ruthless, cruel, and unreasonable, then I'll show you just how ruthless, cruel, and unreasonable I can be!

Erkang: See, you're saying you're not ruthless, cruel, or unreasonable, but now you're displaying exactly those qualities.

Lin Hui was engrossed, her eyes slightly teary.

Chen Xiao contemplated, marveling at how Qiongyao was truly a master of emotional writing. He wondered if the lines were counted by word length. This endless banter was already several hundred words long.

Chen Qiang, however, was too anxious to watch television. He was waiting for midnight to arrive, anticipating the release of the exam scores.