Chapter 21: Open Source?
Chapter 21: Open Source?
The company slowly got on track under Zhao Min’s management. After taking over from Chen Mo, she started calling back some of the skilled former employees.
In just ten days, with the help of new hires, the company barely managed to keep running.
Zhao Min sat in her office, carefully reading a document. Across from her was a well-dressed woman in professional attire.
“Xiao Li, please inform Director Li that we can recruit more people at the university job fairs, but they must meet the company’s hiring standards.”
Zhao Min handed the document back to the office lady. “Also, since we’re short-staffed, you’ll temporarily assist in the administration department.”
“Yes, President,” Xiao Li said, taking the document and leaving the office.
After Xiao Li left, Zhao Min rubbed her temples and took a sip of tea from the cup beside her.
The company was just starting up, so there were many problems to handle.
Chen Mo, the Chairman, didn’t manage things at all; he left everything to her.
Zhao Min felt both stressed and happy. There was a lot of work, but she was in charge now, without the old restrictions.
Knock, knock, knock!
Soon, there was a knock at the door, and Chen Mo walked in carrying a backpack and a file.
“Rare to see you here, Chairman.”
Zhao Min looked surprised to see Chen Mo.
Chen Mo had only come once when they rented the office space. Lately, he hadn’t shown up at all—they only contacted each other by phone. She hadn’t expected him to visit today.
“Is the company busy?”
As soon as he entered, Chen Mo placed the file in front of Zhao Min.
“Of course it’s busy. We just started, and we’re short on staff. We have the data center, servers, and hiring to handle. Not everyone is as free as you. We’re planning to recruit graduates from universities.” Zhao Min took the file and flipped through it.
“Honestly, I haven’t been idle. I’ve been working on a second product,” Chen Mo said.
As soon as he spoke, Zhao Min perked up.
“When will it be ready? We can’t release the phone system yet—the company isn’t big enough, and we lack talent. If we put it out now, we’d be an easy target. But if we have another product, we can release that first. Once the company stabilizes, the phone system can soar when it’s ready.”
“That’s what I was thinking too. So I’ve been rushing to finish the second product.”
“What is it?” Zhao Min asked.
“An office software,” Chen Mo said, placing a USB drive in front of her. “It’s fully done, similar to WPS and Office, but with a simple image editing feature. All the info is here.”
Lately, Chen Mo had been hiding away, coding the office software and designing the interface. Luckily, he was just copying things—designing it all from scratch would have been a hassle.
“Really?” Zhao Min asked, sounding doubtful.
“It’s my company. Why would I lie?”
Chen Mo laughed at her reaction, plugged the USB into her computer, and took her seat.
Soon, a software icon appeared on the desktop—a cartoon ant.
“Ant Office?”
Zhao Min looked at the icon, her eyes lighting up, and opened the software.
The office software was similar to WPS, but the interface was different, and it had more features. It could convert PDF and other formats, and it included a simplified version of Photoshop for image editing—more advanced than basic photo apps. The layout was clean and easy for anyone familiar with WPS or Office.
“You made this?” Zhao Min pointed at the screen.
“Yep, praise me now.”
Rustle, rustle…
Zhao Min opened a drawer and rummaged around, making Chen Mo blink.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for scissors.”
“Why?”
“To praise you.”
Chen Mo’s hair stood on end. “Calm down! No need to get so excited if you won’t praise me.”
“Did you really develop this?” Zhao Min still seemed skeptical.
“Don’t be so shocked. There will be more products in the future,” Chen Mo said.
“Let’s get serious. I need to update you on the company’s work and expenses,” Zhao Min said, sitting on the office sofa.
“No need, I trust you,” Chen Mo replied. “You’re in charge here.”
“That’s touching. Aren’t you afraid your girlfriend will find out you said that to another woman?” Zhao Min said with a teasing smile.
“She won’t mind. I came today not for a report, but to give you this product.”
Chen Mo pointed at the USB drive.
“This office software is ready. It has PC and mobile versions. The key is how you promote it. Use this time to stabilize the company and pave the way for the phone system’s release.”
“About the Army Ant System, I’ve already applied for an international patent through an agency. Do you want to license it, enter the phone market, or make it open source?”
“Not open source,” Chen Mo said.
Umbrella Company had opened Android’s source code, but due to open-source agreements, they were losing control over it. Domestic phone makers kept optimizing Android, and Umbrella Company had criticized systems like Xiaomi’s for harming the Android ecosystem.
Seeing how much Apple profited from its closed system, Umbrella Company was tightening control over Android with updates, integrating fragmented systems into strict modules to reclaim authority.
If the Army Ant System were open source, its unique structure would attract developers, possibly even leading to a computer operating system based on it. If the Army Ant ecosystem spread, reclaiming control later would be tough, even if they beat Android. So Chen Mo never considered open source.
“Then we’ll enter the phone market,” Zhao Min said. “Our phone system is a bit better than Apple’s. With high specs and low prices, we’d have an edge.”
“Okay,” Chen Mo thought for a moment. “Leave the phone design to me.”
“Can you handle it?” Zhao Min looked doubtful.
“Can a man say he can’t?”
“Well, it’s hard to say, since you’re just a little brother,” Zhao Min teased.
Chen Mo felt exasperated; he was sure she did it on purpose.
“Since you say you can, I’ll leave the phone design to you. I need to hire more people—the company is still too small and lacks talent.” Before Chen Mo could reply, Zhao Min went on.
After Zhao Min got busy with company matters, Chen Mo headed back to school alone.
He trusted Zhao Min completely. Since she was willing to manage the company, he gave her his full confidence.
He went straight to the library.
Xiaoyu was already there, sitting at a table. With the Accountant exam coming up soon, she spent all her free time there.
After browsing the shelves for a while, Chen Mo gathered a stack of telecom books and sat down beside Xiaoyu.
“You’re here.”
Xiaoyu looked up and gave him a sweet smile as he sat down.
“Here to be with my girlfriend,” Chen Mo said with a grin.
“Sorry, I have to study for the Accountant exam, so I don’t have much time for you,” Xiaoyu said, her eyes apologetic.
“Instead of apologizing, how about some real action?” Chen Mo whispered in her ear.
“Behave—this is the library,” Xiaoyu said, blushing and amused. “After this busy period, I’ll give you a surprise.”
“Really? What is it?”
“You’ll find out then,” Xiaoyu said, glancing at Chen Mo’s books. “Last time you were reading physics books, and now it’s telecom. Why?”
“Learning to fix your computer.”
At the mention of fixing computers, Xiaoyu chuckled softly. She remembered the big misunderstanding last time her computer had a virus—it was funny thinking back.
After chatting quietly for a bit, Chen Mo focused on his books. Xiaoyu watched his concentrated profile, her gaze growing tender.