"Boss, why aren't you selling the remaining stone and wood carvings?
Someone has already offered twenty-five thousand for them!"
The last six stone and wood carvings, each depicting birds and beasts, were about the size of a fist.
The carving was exquisite, and the animals' expressions were lifelike, comparable to those already sold.
If all six were sold, it would bring in 1.5 million.
That would leave only 3 million to reach the target of 12 million.
Jin Qiqi was puzzled. They were so close to the finish line; why did the boss stop?
Gao Fei's explanation was simple.
Although the remaining stone and wood carvings were well-carved, the raw materials had flaws, with natural small cracks in the grain.
If they were all sold at such a high price of 200,000, it would surely give malicious people an opportunity to exploit the weaknesses and make a fuss.
Not only would "Back View Pianist's" reputation be ruined, but he would also be subjected to public criticism online for "eating too greedily," just like last time.
With the assistance of "Yuan Fei Studio" and "Lang Yuan" as "promoters," "Back View Pianist's" current popularity had already surpassed ten million.
Gao Fei did not want his newly established identity to fall from grace immediately.
Moreover, he was confident that with the current popularity of "Back View Pianist" exceeding ten million,
collectors would quickly devise marketing strategies to resell the purchased items at double the price.
In the long run, Gao Fei's future carvings would only become more expensive.
He didn't need to sacrifice the future value of his sculptures for a meager profit of over a million.
As for the remaining 5.5 million deficit, he just needed to wait for Professor Wu's news.
Gao Fei already had a plan in mind on how to earn 5.5 million using antivirus software.
He spent the next period waiting for Professor Wu's call.
However, as afternoon approached, and even after Lang Yuan left, Gao Fei still had no news from Professor Wu.
After dinner,
Yang Lan and Jin Qiqi went out for a walk.
Gao Fei stayed alone in the empty room on the third floor of his house, writing three hundred Tang poems while patiently waiting for Professor Wu's message.
Today, some collectors had also offered large sums of money to purchase the poems he had written in his master-level calligraphy, but he had refused them all.
The reason was simple: apart from the three hundred Tang poems, the poems in his mind were limited to some Song Dynasty poems and classical prose.
The supply of poems was finite, but the patterns for carvings were infinite.
Unless he reached the pinnacle of fame in Dragon Country,
he would not sell the poems left by famous poets from his past life.
At nine in the evening,
a call came from a number originating from Kyoto.
It was not Professor Wu, but an unfamiliar number.
As soon as Gao Fei answered, the person on the other end directly stated their purpose: "Mr. Gao, I am Liao Yang, the technical director of Chuangwei Technology.
Teacher Wu mentioned that you wish to sell an antivirus software. Could you send it to me for testing before we discuss the price?"
"Certainly, just send me your email address."
After hanging up,
Gao Fei compressed the software he had prepared in advance and sent it to the technical director named Liao Yang.
He had also searched for a lot of information about Chuangwei Technology online.
It was a technology company that had already undergone two rounds of financing, primarily developing various software programs and mini-games.
The company's biggest project was an antivirus software named "Bawang Antivirus."
Currently, there were five major antivirus software in Dragon Country, with "Bawang Antivirus" ranking at the bottom.
The top-ranked "Qingke Antivirus Software" had a download volume six times higher than "Bawang Antivirus."
Liao Yang, the technical director, graduated from Tsinghua University ten years ago, was a favorite student of Professor Wu, and one of the founders of Chuangwei Technology.
The current "Bawang Antivirus" was also developed and operated under Director Liao's leadership.
However, Gao Fei learned from public information online that
due to the consistently low download volume of "Bawang Antivirus," the board of directors was very dissatisfied with Liao Yang, the technical director.
If "Bawang Antivirus" fell out of the top five rankings and failed to meet the board's expected profit, he would likely be removed from his position as technical director and might even have his shares acquired.
"So, I've become Director Liao's timely rain?"
Gao Fei's eyes lit up, and he was determined to secure the remaining 5.5 million.
...
Kyoto, Huamao Building, Block A, 16th Floor, Chuangwei Technology.
Upon receiving the compressed file of the antivirus software made by Gao Fei, Liao Yang immediately led his team to test it.
Initially, they used the antivirus software for ordinary virus scans.
However, the antivirus software made by Gao Fei was too aggressive, and the viruses hidden within the computer programs were also completely removed by the software automatically.
Compared to the top four antivirus software, "Bawang Antivirus" and the new software,
the latter's one-click scan function was incredibly convenient, whereas "Bawang Antivirus" and the top four required manual operation to scan for computer viruses.
Furthermore, if the computer had a pirated operating system, Gao Fei's antivirus software would help reinstall the system and preserve the files on the hard drive.
Compared to the top five antivirus software in Dragon Country,
Gao Fei's antivirus software not only had a clean and simple interface but also offered richer and more convenient functions than the five antivirus software.
Moreover, cleaning computer junk and removing computer viruses only required a one-click clean and scan.
These were features that the top five antivirus software lacked.
"Brother Liao, who is the master who made this software? Its functions are simply perfect. If I were a regular user, I would choose this antivirus software directly."
After testing, the deputy director praised the software enthusiastically.
He particularly liked the one-click scan function.
Liao Yang, only thirty-five years old, already had a receding hairline, and his bald head shone brightly under the lights.
He was also satisfied with the software made by Gao Fei, but the testing was not yet complete, and a price could not be set.
"Test the software's scanning function for file viruses, macro viruses, and worm viruses further."
"Okay!"
A moment later, the common viruses mentioned by Liao Yang were all successfully scanned.
He then led his team to test the ten most potent viruses currently on the internet.
Five frequently encountered viruses were removed.
However, the software did not successfully scan the remaining top five viruses such as 'burning incense.'
Viruses like 'burning incense' required highly skilled computer technicians to manually clean them.
Compared to all antivirus software on the market, the software made by Gao Fei was already a hundred percent superior.
Liao Yang tapped his bald head with his fingers and instructed, "Install the software on your computers and first test the virus scanning time, and the boot-up time after installation."
"Okay!"
The five programmers in the team immediately followed his instructions to install it.
After installation, the software automatically ran.
Before the five could even open "Bawang Antivirus" on their computers, a notification from the new software suddenly popped up on their screens.
"Virus software detected, automatic scanning enabled!"
As the notification appeared, in just twenty seconds, "Bawang Antivirus" vanished from everyone's computers without a trace.
Witnessing this scene, everyone's eyes widened.
This was… simply more aggressive than the "Bawang Antivirus" they developed.
As soon as they opened "Bawang Antivirus," the new software uninstalled it, leaving them no choice.
Even Liao Yang was astonished by the new software's dominance.
"Uninstall the new software and download and install all four top antivirus programs."
The five members of the team began operating as instructed.
After the top four antivirus software were downloaded, they ran the new software again.
The same scene as before replayed.
The top four antivirus software could not withstand the aggression of the new software and were completely deleted.
"My goodness, as expected of a master that even the teacher admires, this technology is divine!"
Liao Yang muttered in admiration.
He sat back down at his computer and opened the backend of the new antivirus software, intending to check the program code.
However, to his surprise, as soon as he opened it, the computer went black.
On the dark screen, a line of large characters appeared:
"Want the source code? That will cost extra!"
About ten seconds later, the computer returned to normal.
And the new antivirus software had self-destructed and deleted itself from the computer.
Liao Yang understood that since he hadn't paid yet, Gao Fei was being cautious, fearing that their team might copy the code.
This was a common practice among programmers.
"What are your thoughts on the new antivirus software?"
Liao Yang asked the team members who were working overtime testing the software.
Everyone nodded in agreement, very impressed with the software's functionality.
The deputy director even stated directly that compared to this new software, none of the antivirus software on the market could compete.
Seeing the team's approval of the software, Liao Yang immediately contacted Gao Fei.
"Mr. Gao, after testing, your software has passed.
May I ask what price you wish to sell it for?"
"A flat price, six million!"
"What? Six million?"
Liao Yang was stunned by the price Gao Fei was asking for the software.
After a few seconds, he frowned and said, "Mr. Gao, although the software you've made is excellent, far surpassing all antivirus software on the market,
your asking price is a bit too high, isn't it? For six million, I could buy an entire computer team."
The exorbitant price of six million exceeded Liao Yang's budget, and if he reported it to the board of directors, it would likely not be approved.
"Don't be too quick to refuse!"
At this moment, Gao Fei sat in his study, looking at a hastily written proposal. "Mr. Liao, the download volume of 'Bawang Antivirus' is already in sharp decline, and you know your situation within the company."
His words struck a sore spot for Liao Yang, whose position in the company was precarious.
"Mr. Gao, even so, the price of six million is simply too high!" he said with a wry smile.
"Brother Liao, I'll send you a proposal regarding antivirus software. Tomorrow, take the proposal and the software to the board of directors, and I'm sure they will agree to the six million price, and it will also help you keep your current position."
As he spoke, Gao Fei had already sent the proposal to the email.
After reading the proposal, Liao Yang was completely stunned.
Antivirus software could be played like this?
...
The next morning,
the five directors of Chuangwei Technology and Liao Yang gathered in the conference room.
Because the download volume of "Bawang Antivirus" had hit an all-time low,
none of the directors had a pleasant expression, and they urged Liao Yang to explain why the board meeting was called.
Liao Yang got straight to the point, showcasing the antivirus software made by Gao Fei and stating the price of six million.
The directors were very satisfied with the new software's various functions,
but upon hearing the price of six million, everyone couldn't help but frown.
Before they could speak, Liao Yang clicked on the proposal written by Gao Fei.
(Damn it, I didn't mean to break the update yesterday; it's just that my computer got a virus last night while I was writing the new chapter. Normal updates will resume tomorrow.)