He was, however, a shrewd businessman.
"We don't do profit sharing, only outright purchases. If you want to take this for company shares, that's impossible. It's a fixed price. Tell me, if I sign, how much do you want?"
While developing the software, Chen Dongyang had also conducted market research and product value assessments.
Once the app was launched, he estimated he would earn at least one to two million yuan in design fees.
However, since he had done it all himself, his labor costs were lower than a professional design company's. Moreover, without a team to share profits with, and not being from a professional gaming background himself, he knew the other party wouldn't offer that price.
"800,000. A fixed price. I'll sell it to you outright for 800,000."
Mr. Wang began to haggle, following the usual office rules, neither stating a higher nor a lower price, delaying the final decision.
They weren't in a hurry, but Chen Dongyang was.
It wasn't just about time; he also disliked the back-and-forth. If it worked, it worked; if not, he'd drop it. Endless pointless arguments were tiresome.
"To be frank, Mr. Wang, I'm in urgent need of funds. We're both straightforward people. With your professional eye and keen insight, you should know that my price isn't high."
"But this is our first collaboration, and you don't fully trust me. I also admit I have shortcomings, so let's not make it too complicated. 500,000. If we can close the deal, we sign now, and you pay me immediately. Otherwise, forget it."
Mr. Wang saw that Chen Dongyang had reduced the price by 300,000 yuan in just a few minutes, meaning there was likely more room for savings. He wanted to negotiate further, but Chen Dongyang lost patience.
"500,000 wouldn't even cover the initial expenses for a professional design team. If you have no sincere intention of cooperating, then we won't discuss it further. I'll take out a loan. If opportunities arise in the future, I'll launch on other platforms. You might regret it then."
He left, still hoping Mr. Wang would call him back. However, the old man knew he was desperate for money and likely had room to drive the price down further, so he stubbornly held back.
Chen Dongyang returned to his car, angrily slamming his fists on the steering wheel, and then called his boss, Old Huang.
Old Huang was well aware of his personal situation and had advanced him money several times before. When he picked up this time, he guessed Chen Dongyang was going to ask for money again, and Chen Dongyang started complaining about his financial straits before he even spoke.
The material costs he had covered were still not being settled, while they kept finding excuses to demand rework. The industry was in a downturn, business was tough, the company's lease was due soon, the rent had increased again, he still had a mortgage to pay, and the mortgage payment date was approaching... He rambled on about a string of problems.
Chen Dongyang wasn't foolish. After listening to his complaints for a while, he said calmly.
"I'm not calling to borrow money, don't worry. I'm just letting you know I'm back. Do you have any orders for me? However much you have, I'll take it all."
Old Huang genuinely didn't have many orders.
His complaints were half true, half exaggerated.
The real estate industry was indeed nearing saturation, and business had become increasingly difficult in recent years.
Their renovation work, being a downstream derivative of the real estate industry, was also affected, naturally making things tough.
Moreover, his company was small and lacked competitiveness, so most of the time he personally handled business development.
He kept the profitable deals for himself.
The less profitable ones he had given to Chen Dongyang this year, and with Chen Dongyang working overtime, they were almost finished.
"Ah, I've been swamped lately and haven't landed any new business. I was just worrying about it. How about this, Dongyang? You're handsome and highly skilled. Why don't you come run business development with me?"
"I don't care about my reputation, and you don't risk your life. We'll be a formidable duo and surely achieve great success next month."
Chen Dongyang wasn't afraid to run business development, but he couldn't wait until next month.
Even without a suitable heart, he had to prepare the surgery fees first, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
When one is down on their luck, even drinking cold water can get stuck in their throat, and they won't find any true friends.
Since he couldn't raise money anywhere, he had no choice but to take out a loan.
He returned to the hospital, physically and mentally exhausted. Fortunately, Doubao had been moved out of the intensive care unit.
Zeng Hui saw him and quickly went to meet him.
"Where have you been for so long? Doubao just woke up once and asked for you as soon as he opened his eyes."
"Have you eaten? Why are your lips so dry? Haven't you had any water all day?"
Chen Dongyang couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd had water. He was just living mechanically, feeling neither thirsty nor hungry.
Looking at Doubao's sleeping, serene, and adorable face, he walked over and touched him.
"Was he fussy?"
Hui Hui followed his gaze to their son, her face filled with affection. "No, he's always been good since he was little, you know that."
Chen Dongyang knew that, which was why he couldn't bear for anything to happen to him.
"You must be tired too. Rest for a while, I'll watch him."
Zeng Hui shook her head. "I'm not tired. My sister took me to the hospital yesterday and I had a good long sleep..."
She said this with a hint of embarrassment.
"I'll go buy you some food. You must not have eaten yet."
Chen Dongyang stopped her. "I've eaten. If you're not sleepy, I'll go to sleep. My eyes hurt."
His usually bright and piercing eyes were now bloodshot, and a faint stubble covered his chin.
He had only been back by her side for a day and a night, yet how had he become so haggard?
Zeng Hui felt heartbroken and wanted to touch his face, but Chen Dongyang stood up and moved to the side of Doubao's bed.
"I'll just rest here for a bit. Call me if you need anything."
Zeng Hui said worriedly, "You're so tall, how can you sleep like this? Your legs will go numb quickly."
"Director Gao arranged a special care ward for us. There's a small room inside with a bed. You should sleep in there."
Chen Dongyang didn't refuse. His sister was right.
He needed to take care of his health to look after them, his mother and son, and not be a burden to his sister. No matter what, he had to take care of himself.
He slept restlessly, filled with muddled dreams.
In his dreams, he was running and smiling with Tiantian one moment, and arguing with her the next.
Tiantian was crying heartbrokenly, and he didn't know what to do.
In his anxiety, he woke up. It turned out his phone by his ear was vibrating.
Without even checking who was calling, he casually answered.
A man's voice came from the other end.
"Chen Dongyang, is that you? I'm Zhang Baofeng, the organizer of the Youth Design Competition."
The competition had just ended, so why was he calling so soon?
Chen Dongyang had a premonition that something good was about to happen, and he quickly sat up.
"Director Zhang, hello. I am Chen Dongyang. May I ask what this is about?"
"It's like this, Dongyang, congratulations. Our entire judging team has reviewed your submitted design drafts. They are the highest in quality and the most creative among all contestants in this year's competition."
"Normally, the results would be announced in half a month, but we can't wait any longer. We don't want to lose such a talented individual to the design institute, so we want to pre-emptively recruit you."
"Are you interested in working at our design institute? As the first-place winner of this competition, we would like to invite you with a sincere offer of a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan. Would you be willing to join us?"