52: Chapter 52 Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses to Start a New Journey

"Beep— Beep—"

The phone rang three times before being picked up. A noisy background filled the receiver, sounding like the hawking of a wet market mixed with the roar of motorcycle engines.

"Hello? Who is this?" Wang Chengsi's voice carried a hint of exhaustion and uncertainty.

"Brother Wang, it's me, Zhang Fan."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before the volume suddenly spiked, making Zhang Fan's eardrums tingle. "Xiao... CEO Zhang? Why are you..."

"I saw the resume you submitted." Zhang Fan walked to the window, avoiding the gazes of Gu Jingshen and Zhou Yurou. "Brother Wang, are you free right now? Our studio would like to invite you over to help out."

Another silence followed, but this time the sound of breathing was accompanied by an obvious sob. "Xiao Fan, I... you don't look down on me..."

"What are you saying?" Zhang Fan interrupted him, his tone firm. "Back then, if you hadn't helped me get familiar with the environment and taught me how to deal with the testing group's nitpicking, I would have been swallowed whole by Blue Whale's factional infighting. Come here, let's build Singularity together. Isn't that better than having to endure those people's attitudes over there?"

"Yes! Yes!" Wang Chengsi's voice suddenly brightened, like a dusty lightbulb being wiped clean. "I'm coming over right now! Thirty minutes! No, I'll be there in twenty!"

After hanging up, Zhang Fan turned around to find both Gu Jingshen and Zhou Yurou watching him.

"It's settled." He shrugged, not mentioning the sob in Wang Chengsi's voice—some sentiments didn't need to be spoken aloud.

Gu Jingshen gave him a thumbs up. "Not bad, Fan Zi. This is what you call returning evil with kindness."

"It's not returning evil with kindness." Zhang Fan shook his head, looking out at the darkening sky. "It's returning a favor with a favor, and kindness with kindness."

Twenty minutes later, Wang Chengsi indeed arrived out of breath. He wore a faded plaid shirt, carried a semi-worn canvas bag, and had messy hair, but his eyes were incredibly bright.

"Brother Wang." Zhang Fan rose to greet him.

"Xiao Fan!" Wang Chengsi gripped his hand so hard it felt like he might crush the bones. "I really didn't expect... after Blue Whale collapsed, I applied to over thirty companies and didn't even get a single interview..."

"Don't think about the past." Zhou Yurou handed him a glass of warm water. "First, tell us, which area do you want to be responsible for?"

Wang Chengsi took the glass, rubbing his fingers against the rim, looking a bit embarrassed. "My technical skills aren't top-tier, but I'm okay at project management and streamlining processes. If you don't mind, how about I look after the coding standards and version control for you?"

"That's exactly what we're missing." Zhang Fan smiled. "You'll be the Deputy Technical Director with a monthly salary of fifteen thousand. If you do well, we'll add more."

Wang Chengsi's eyes reddened as he placed his canvas bag on the table. "I have several resumes in this bag from my old buddies at Blue Whale. There are concept artists, modelers, and special effects artists. Their skills are solid and they're reliable people, it's just that finding work is hard right now..."

Gu Jingshen leaned in for a look and whistled. "Not bad, Brother Wang. You've kept these connections well-hidden."

Over the next three days, Wang Chengsi was like a wound-up top. He led his former colleagues in clearing workstations, setting up servers, and establishing development standards. Even Zhou Yurou couldn't help but remark, "He's not just a Deputy Technical Director; he's practically an all-purpose butler."

What was even more surprising was his eye for talent—during interviews, he didn't ask about flashy theories. Instead, he just threw a mess at the candidates to fix. Those who could settle down and untangle it bit by bit were the ones who stayed.

In less than a week, the Singularity Technology Studio sign was quietly replaced with 'Singularity Technology Co., Ltd.' The thirty-square-meter office was packed, and the sound of clicking keyboards was as dense as silkworms munching on mulberry leaves.

That afternoon, while Zhang Fan was discussing the art style of stardust leap with Wang Chengsi, his phone suddenly rang. It was Tang Wanqing.

"Xiao Fan, are you free tonight?" Tang Wanqing's voice was as gentle as ever. "I'd like to treat you and Jingshen to dinner and chat about the shares while we're at it."

Zhang Fan's heart stirred, and he replied with a "Sure."

The dinner was set at a private restaurant overlooking the river, where tour boats could be seen from the private room. As soon as Gu Jingshen entered, he wailed, "Mom, don't you dare arrange another blind date for me. I've been so exhausted at Singularity these past few days that I'm practically drained; I really can't handle it."

Tang Wanqing glared at him, though she wasn't truly angry. "You and your nonsense."

She turned to the door and beckoned, "Chenxi, bring the items in."

A young woman in a black business suit walked in, holding a gold-embossed folder. It was Tang Wanqing's assistant, Zhang Chenxi. She placed the folder on the table and bowed slightly. "CEO Tang, Young Master Gu, CEO Zhang, the contracts are ready."

"Sit down." Tang Wanqing gestured for her to join them before opening the folder. "Xiao Fan, when I first invested in Singularity, it was to repay the favor of you saving me; I didn't expect to make money. But looking at it now, you've managed the company very well."

She pushed over an equity transfer agreement. "I am transferring this 40% stake into Jingshen's name."

Gu Jingshen nearly spat out his tea. "Mom, you don't have a fever, do you? What do I know about running a company?"

"If you don't know, you can learn." Tang Wanqing looked at him with expectation in her eyes. "But I have conditions—you must stay at Singularity for a year to temper your character. Within that year, you must find a reliable partner, and in three years, you'll return to the group to take over."

"One year?" Gu Jingshen's eyes lit up, but then his face fell. "Return to Gu Corporation in three years... Mom, it's not like you don't know how difficult Gu Corporation's real estate projects have been these last two years."

He wasn't wrong. Housing prices in Jiangcheng had dropped significantly over the past two years, and several of Gu Corporation's developments had tied up their capital, affecting their other industries as well.

At the last family gathering, he had gotten up in the middle of the night for water and stumbled upon Tang Wanqing sighing over financial reports in the study. She had noticeably more white hair at her temples than the year before.

"It's because it's difficult that I need you back." Tang Wanqing's voice lowered. "I can't look after Gu Corporation forever."

The room fell silent, with only the occasional sound of a ship's whistle from outside. Looking at the fine lines at the corners of his mother's eyes, Gu Jingshen suddenly scratched his head. "Fine, one year it is. But the marriage thing depends on fate. Getting married within three years is fine, but for one year, I can only try my best."

Tang Wanqing smiled. "That's more like it." She handed the pen to Gu Jingshen. "Sign it. From now on, you're a shareholder of Singularity, so you'd better act like one."

After signing, Gu Jingshen suddenly raised his glass to Zhang Fan. "Fan Zi, you'll have to look out for me this year. Once I take Singularity public, I won't have to go back to Gu Corporation to sell houses."

"Stop dreaming." Zhang Fan clinked his glass. "Let's get the game modules for stardust leap finished first."

Zhang Chenxi added softly from the side, "CEO Tang, the technology park under Gu Corporation has a policy. Startup companies like Singularity can get three years of rent waived and apply for R&D subsidies if they move in."

"Now that's a real mother." Gu Jingshen winked at her, only to be swatted on the head by Tang Wanqing.

Halfway through the meal, Tang Wanqing used the excuse of discussing work to call Zhang Fan out to the hallway.

"Xiao Fan, Jingshen has been spoiled by me and has a bit of a temper, so please bear with him." She looked out at the lights on the river. "But he's not a bad person at heart; he's just afraid of being tied down."

"I know." Zhang Fan nodded. "He's quite dedicated to Singularity. He even stayed up late yesterday helping the art team adjust rendering parameters."

"That's good." Tang Wanqing turned around, her tone serious. "The Gu Corporation tree looks lush and leafy, but its roots are actually starting to rot. I'm having him go to Singularity not just to avoid blind dates, but because I want him to see if he can accomplish something on his own, without the halo of the Gu family."

Zhang Fan's heart was moved as he suddenly understood her well-intentioned plan—it wasn't about forcing Gu Jingshen back to take over a mess, but letting him first grow the backbone to handle things while out in the world.

When they returned to the room, Gu Jingshen was discussing the AI Conference with Zhang Chenxi. With his animated expression, he really did look like an entrepreneur.

"What are you talking about?" Zhang Fan sat down.

"I'm having Chenxi help me look up invitations for the AI Conference," Gu Jingshen's eyes were shining. "I heard some big shots are releasing the latest multimodal models this year. It'll be useful for our stardust leap!"

Tang Wanqing looked at her son, the smile at the corner of her mouth as gentle as the river water. "Go if you want to. You can still use the Gu Corporation name for that."

As they left the restaurant, Gu Jingshen suddenly patted Zhang Fan on the shoulder. "Fan Zi, thanks."

"Thanks for what?"

"Thanks for finding me a sanctuary." Gu Jingshen looked at the neon lights across the river, his voice softening. "And thanks... for making me feel like I can be something else besides 'Young Master Gu'."

Zhang Fan laughed and punched him playfully. "Enough with the sentimentality. Come to work early tomorrow. Brother Wang said the script you wrote yesterday had three bugs."

In the night, Gu Jingshen's laughter drifted in with the river breeze, sounding lighter than ever before.

Zhang Fan knew that from the moment the equity transfer agreement was signed, their battlefield had shifted from a thirty-square-meter studio to a much vaster world. And that gamble regarding the 'one-year promise' had only just begun.