Chapter 35: A New Beginning

Currently, Dongling High-Tech is paying massive research and development costs every month for its mouse and digital cordless phone projects. The salaries for technical staff alone exceed one hundred thousand yuan per month.

The only revenue Dongling High-Tech currently receives comes from dividends from the satellite dish project, but given the current climate, that project will likely not last more than a few months longer.

However, no matter how anxious he feels, Li Dongling knows he must take it one step at a time. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; there is no such thing as becoming a heavyweight in one go.

This year is the first year since Dongling High-Tech was founded, so holding an annual meeting is necessary. However, Li Dongling has no intention of doing anything flashy—none of that forcing employees to perform on stage or making staff waste their energy preparing shows.

He simply invited the hundred-plus employees of Dongling High-Tech and their families to have a meal, followed by the distribution of some prizes and bonuses. He wanted to tell them that Dongling High-Tech is still alive and that the future might be better. This is crucial; people need hope to live, and that is just as true for a company's staff.

As for the idea of making employees treat the company like their home and forcing them to work themselves to death with overtime—that is complete nonsense. Unless the company takes responsibility for an employee's birth, aging, sickness, and death—even their children's marriages—then paying them a meager salary that barely covers food while expecting them to treat the company like a home is nothing but pure thuggery. It is like not feeding an ox but still expecting it to produce milk; even the notorious landlord Zhou Bapi wasn't that ruthless!

The venue for the Dongling High-Tech annual meeting was a rented restaurant. Gao Peng even brought over a sound system. As for hiring pop stars, Dongling High-Tech had not yet reached a level where they could afford such entertainment.

Chen Tao’s wife, Huang Xiaopei, arrived at the restaurant wearing a brand-new outfit while holding their child. These clothes were meant for the Lunar New Year, but she had decided to wear them early.

Before coming to Pingyang, Huang Xiaopei had been somewhat anxious, but now she had no doubts at all. Chen Tao’s salary of seven thousand yuan was enough for a family of three to live quite respectably in Pingyang—far better than the penny-pinching days they had endured in the provincial capital.

If Chen Tao were to say he wanted to quit or leave Dongling High-Tech now, Huang Xiaopei would likely be the first to panic. Even if Chen Tao wanted to leave, she wouldn't!

It wasn't just Huang Xiaopei; the families of the other Dongling High-Tech employees present today felt much the same. There are nearly 150 employees at Dongling High-Tech now, more than a hundred of whom are technical staff. Senior engineers who came with Chen Tao from the provincial capital earn over 3,000 yuan, while other technicians capable of independently conducting experiments earn around 1,500 yuan.

Even the newcomers in the technical department who are still learning earn over 600 yuan. Such salary levels are rare, not just in Pingyang, but even in the provincial capital.

As the employees arrived with their families, boyfriends, or girlfriends, the atmosphere grew lively.

Gao Peng, acting as the host for the annual meeting, cleared his throat and raised the microphone. "Let us welcome the founder of Dongling High-Tech!"

"I am very happy that everyone could come today. I hope to see all of you again next year, and every year thereafter!"

Li Dongling’s remarks on stage were brief; after all, the people here came to eat, not to listen to a long-winded lecture.

"Next year, the primary task for Dongling High-Tech is to launch new products and achieve profitability. This is the most important thing for us next year! I hope that in the future, none of you will regret joining Dongling High-Tech, and Dongling High-Tech will not let you down. We will build employee housing so everyone has a new home, provide medical insurance for your parents and children, and offer scholarships for your children to attend university..."

After laying out this grand vision, Li Dongling stepped down. The room erupted in applause; regardless of whether it could be achieved, the promise looked truly tempting.

Dish after dish was served—mostly "hard" courses like chicken, duck, fish, pork knuckles, and braised beef. In this day and age, there was no talk of health trends; the quality of a meal was measured by how many meat dishes were on the table.

"Ahem, I’m going to make a fool of myself, but here is 'Love Bird' for you all!"

With Gao Peng around, there was no fear of the annual meeting hitting a lull. Given his extroverted personality, he didn't need to drink to be the life of the party—he just needed to perform.

He really did make a fool of himself. It wasn't that he was completely tone-deaf, but it certainly wasn't pleasant to listen to. Yet, he sang with such dedication and raw emotion that he turned a deaf ear to the playful jeers from the crowd.

However, after Gao Peng’s song, the atmosphere truly warmed up. Several others, feeling the itch to perform, took to the stage. There were many people who enjoyed singing, but few places to do so. Their levels varied, but Li Dongling gave a red envelope to everyone who went up.

"Chairman Li, sing one!"

Someone shouted, and soon the request echoed throughout the room. Li Dongling, who had just finished talking to Hu Zhixian, laughed at the crowd and headed toward the stage.

Back at Hanxi Jiaotong University, Li Dongling had been in a rock band. Though they never made it big, he had performed in front of hundreds of people, so he was hardly nervous in a setting like this.

He took a guitar from Gao Peng, tuned it, and began to sing "Under a Vast Sky" by the band Beyond, which had been released by Rock Records that year.

Having played in a band, he at least knew how to hold a tune. Of course, when a person’s status changes, the perception of their singing changes too.

Like the tech moguls of the past—Zhang of Sohu, Ma of Alibaba, Wang of Wanda, or Lei of Xiaomi—when they sang, people always got the feeling that they were "wealthy and talented." No one ever suspected they were off-key; instead, people wondered if the original artist had been singing it wrong.

If these people were on a talent show, they would give the impression that after finishing a song, they would turn to the judges and say, "Tell me your dream, and I will help you achieve it!"

Li Dongling wasn't quite at that level yet, but one day, perhaps his singing would have that same effect—even if he sang off-key, people would feel like they had stumbled upon a gold mine.

After Li Dongling, Yao Luoying, with cheeks flushed from a few glasses of wine, also ran onto the stage and sang two songs, including one in English. She sang quite well, and the room erupted in applause.

"Chairman Li, after the New Year, at least one of those two new products must be finalized and launched. The research funding is burning up too quickly!"

Hu Zhixian, who managed the company’s finances, reminded Li Dongling. He was the most experienced person at Dongling High-Tech, and as the finance manager, he could sense even the slightest shift in the wind.

"I know," Li Dongling said, taking a sip of his drink. "After the New Year, no matter what, we will launch the first mouse product and begin promotion and production."

Once a product is developed, they still need to find a manufacturer for mass production. Dongling High-Tech didn't yet have its own factory, so they could only have other companies produce the parts for them to assemble. They also needed to register patents, promote, and market—all of which required money. They couldn't dump all their capital into R&D; if the funds ran dry, Dongling High-Tech would be in serious trouble.

Seeing Yao Luoying come off the stage, Hu Zhixian didn't press the matter further. After Li Dongling had some more bonuses distributed, the atmosphere at the annual meeting reached a fever pitch.

Feeling a bit stifled, Li Dongling stepped outside. The cold, sharp wind blew, clearing his slightly dazed head.

He pulled out a cigarette and flicked his lighter several times, but the flame kept blowing out. Just as it finally caught, a figure appeared before him. He looked up to see Yao Luoying unzipping her trench coat to shield him from the wind.

Looking at Yao Luoying, who wore light makeup and had rosy cheeks and a smile in her eyes, Li Dongling looked at the cigarette in his hand, then at her, and finally extinguished it.

Seeing his action, Yao Luoying looked up at the night sky and suddenly asked, "What is your New Year's wish?"

"Mine?"

Li Dongling hesitated. He didn't say anything, but Yao Luoying, seeing his reaction, knew he didn't believe in such things. Still, she insisted, "Trust me, it’s very accurate. Every New Year’s wish I’ve made since I was a child has come true!"

Looking into her bright eyes, Li Dongling thought for a moment and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw Yao Luoying leaning in close, looking at him with clear anticipation, obviously wanting to know what he had wished for.

"You'll know in the future!"

Hearing this, Yao Luoying pouted in dissatisfaction and turned her head away.

*Pop!*

A firework soared into the sky. For this annual meeting, Dongling High-Tech had prepared plenty of fireworks. Gao Peng was leading a group to set them off, and the people inside the party all ran out to watch.

As the fireworks lit up the sky, both Li Dongling and Yao Luoying tilted their heads to watch. Yao Luoying turned to Li Dongling and said, "Happy New Year!"

New Year, for the people of this land, is the most festive time—the time when the "flavor of the year" is thickest. Adults get a rest and a chance to reflect on the past year’s harvests; children get delicious snacks and new clothes, and, of course, look forward to growing up.

During this New Year, Li Dongling spent New Year's Eve and the following days at home with his family. After the holiday, the old Li family house would be torn down to build a new one.

After the New Year, when Chen Tao and the other technicians returned to the lab, Li Dongling joined them to oversee the final push. This subjected Chen Tao and the mouse project team to the "tyrant's" scrutiny once more—constant parameter adjustments, redesigns, and reworkings.

"Let’s go with this version of the mouse for our first generation product!"

Just as Chen Tao and the team were modifying the product for the umpteenth time, feeling absolutely miserable, they suddenly heard Li Dongling’s words. Chen Tao even doubted if he had heard correctly.