Chapter 253 Wang Rui Returns
The sweltering August had quietly slipped away.
EM's number of registered users continued to climb, and its concurrent online users repeatedly set new records. The slogan "EM, making communication simple" was gradually becoming familiar to the public.
Compared to EM, YXEmail remained much more low-key — because current internet users were still more accustomed to using traditional email clients. Moreover, Ding Lei had grand ambitions: he aimed to build a large, comprehensive portal site based on online mail servers.
Thus, for now, the focus of YXEmail was still on enterprise users, providing internal mail servers and clients for companies.
Besides developments in the internet sector, Vidoo mobile phone sales were also climbing steadily, especially in the West, where more mature consumer mindsets, strong aesthetic tastes, and higher income levels, combined with Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement, had made Vidoo a trendy favorite among young people.
The popularity in the West also served as excellent promotional material for the domestic market—breaking into the international market meant Vidoo was a high-tier product.
At the same time, with a series of promotional videos and soft marketing strategies launched by the Brand Operations Department, Yuanxin's status and positioning gradually became clearer in the eyes of domestic users.
—Although it hadn't yet sparked a wave of national pride, it had at least established an important perception: Yuanxin wasn't just another domestic company producing cheap goods.
Yuanxin was a special domestic enterprise.
When the feedback from the Brand Operations Department came in, Su Yuanshan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In any industry, the greatest fear was setting off on the wrong foot.
If Yuanxin could lead by example, proving that domestic companies could succeed through heavy investment in materials and quality craftsmanship rather than just low prices, then others would surely follow the same "quality first" path instead of solely focusing on cost performance.
Of course, cost performance was still necessary — if no one else provided it, Yuanxin itself would — because cost-effective products truly benefited the masses and expanded the overall market size. That was an undeniable truth.
...
"School starts tomorrow. Have you figured out how you're going to continue your project?"
Su Yuanshan leaned against the doorframe of Ye Rudai's dormitory. Inside, Ye Rudai and Yu Shuyun were busy packing their luggage.
Yu Shuyun hadn't interned at Yuanxin during the summer, but she had arrived two days early in the provincial capital, spent some time visiting the tech park, and was now helping Ye Rudai prepare to return to campus.
"Professor Xi has contacted the Educational Technology Office. I can use the computer lab in the evenings," Ye Rudai said proudly, showing off the computer lab access card hanging around her neck. "Jealous? Unlimited internet access!"
"Jealous!" Su Yuanshan exaggeratedly pretended to be envious. "President Xi is so biased!"
"Tsk tsk... you two are so fake," Yu Shuyun said, rolling her eyes and looking constipated. "Can you two stop being so childish?"
Smack! Ye Rudai slapped her best friend's butt.
Yu Shuyun jumped forward, clutching her rear, and glared resentfully. "Damn it, what did I say wrong?"
"Everything you said was wrong," Ye Rudai gave her a sidelong glance and said lazily, "Don't bring that gold-digger attitude around here."
"Rudai's right," Su Yuanshan chuckled. "Old Yu, I've always treated you as a friend. If you try to slap an identity label on me, it ruins the whole point."
"Get lost, both of you..." Yu Shuyun grumbled while rubbing her backside. "You're the young master of Yuanxin, and it's not like I'm blind..."
"You see, the fact that you just told us to get lost proves you consider me a friend too."
Yu Shuyun: "…That's because I've already given up — I won't bow for three bowls of rice, you understand?"
"Hahaha!" Su Yuanshan burst into hearty laughter.
Yu Shuyun and Ye Rudai had been best friends for most of their lives, and her straightforward nature hadn't changed a bit.
At that moment, Ye Rudai nudged her and asked seriously, "Old Yu, what are your plans for the future?"
"Join Yuanxin, of course, to keep an eye on you two," Yu Shuyun glared at Ye Rudai. "And to help balance the male-to-female ratio at Yuanxin."
Su Yuanshan bowed playfully and said with a smile, "On behalf of all Yuanxin programmers, I thank you!"
While joking and chatting, the three of them finished packing up. Su Yuanshan then dragged Ye Rudai's suitcase downstairs.
Fu Zhenhua had already parked his car by the roadside.
After stuffing the luggage into the car, Su Yuanshan, mindful of the public setting, simply waved goodbye to the girls instead of doing anything too affectionate. He instructed Fu Zhenhua to drive them back to campus.
Watching the Mercedes drive out of the gate, Su Yuanshan checked the time, estimating that Wang Rui should be arriving soon. So, he stayed by the entrance, chatting with the security guards while waiting.
Before long, a black Audi slowly pulled up. When the driver saw Su Yuanshan, the car stopped right at the gate.
...
"Senior Brother, you've worked hard," Su Yuanshan personally brewed tea for Wang Rui. Seeing that Wang Rui's cheeks had visibly thinned, he said, somewhat embarrassed,
"How about staying here at Yuanxin for ten days or half a month to recuperate before heading home? Otherwise, your wife's going to blame me."
"Don't give me bad ideas — if I do that, she'll kill me," Wang Rui laughed.
Wang Rui had married young, tying the knot with his childhood sweetheart not long after graduation. His wife was a teacher at a prestigious elementary school. Fortunately, Wang Rui's income was enough to support the whole family. He had even bought an apartment downtown to make it convenient for his parents to help take care of the kids.
Thanks to Yuanxin's connections, his wife had managed to transfer her job as well. Now they enjoyed success both at home and at work.
It was precisely because his wife was a dedicated teacher that she could tolerate Wang Rui running all over the country all year long.
"Hehe, still, you must take better care of your health. Health is the foundation of the revolution, after all," Su Yuanshan said earnestly.
"I know. Mainly, the food up north didn't suit me, and mentally, it was exhausting," Wang Rui sighed, and then got serious. "Xiaoshan, my suggestion is that we should take a slow and steady approach up north."
Seeing that they were getting down to business, Su Yuanshan became serious too and sat closer.
"Go on, Senior Brother."
"Things up there are just like I mentioned over the phone—there's no way they'll improve quickly in the short term. So, after some discussion, we decided it's best to temporarily abandon the base station strategy and focus on the consumer market instead."
"Once we establish a foothold, we can then gradually expand our influence — sponsoring college computer competitions, olympiads, and the like. Once we have some recognition, we can set up R&D centers."
"We've also coordinated with the Foreign Affairs Department. Their suggestion is to organize friendly student exchanges, summer camps, and winter camps, bringing excellent students from the north to the mainland and into Yuanxin. Let them experience and be influenced directly..."
Wang Rui smiled at Su Yuanshan,
"I have to say, diplomats are truly old hands at this — every one of them is a slick operator."
Su Yuanshan exhaled, his mind racing. After a moment, he nodded.
"Yes, that's a good idea. Too bad summer is over; we'll have to wait for winter. Then we'll organize a winter camp and invite those young ones over to Yuanxin to really open their eyes..."
"And give them a good shock."
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