Chapter 900: I am optimistic about him

The news that Sohu was valued at 380 million US dollars and raised 68.4 million in financing became the most eye-catching news in the domestic Internet industry and financial circles before the Spring Festival in 1999. Zhang Chaoyang became famous again and was very proud of himself.

And at this time, another piece of news about domestic Internet companies also came out.

Sina.com received US$15 million in overseas venture capital. Although this number is not as shocking as Sohu's US$68.4 million, it is still an achievement that cannot be underestimated in China's Internet industry.

Unfortunately, due to the precedent of Sohu's fourth round of financing, Sina's 15 million US dollars in financing did not create any waves in China. It only triggered some discussions in the industry, but soon died down.

In the future, Sina's round of financing should have been 25 million US dollars, but because of the changes in Sohu in this life, Sina's financing amount this time was greatly reduced, which to some extent affected Sina's development process.

Bonuses and benefits were distributed in the last two days before the New Year. This was the first time since the establishment of Guowen Group, and the employees were all looking forward to it.

This year's bonus is one month longer than last year, and the New Year's goods are also much richer than last year. The employees were smiling happily after receiving the money and things. It seems that the reform is still beneficial.

On New Year's Eve, the building at No. 166 Chaonei Street was empty since the morning as in previous years. Except for some leaders who set an example, most people showed up in the morning, checked in, and left when they were supposed to.

According to the plan, Lin Weimin would stay in the building until the end of the get off work day and then go home.

But he received a phone call at noon and left the Chinese Literature Society early.

On New Year's Eve in Yanjing, not many shops were open, but the restaurants and lounges of five-star hotels were always open. Lin Weimin and Lei Jun met in the lounge of Yanjing Hotel.

Lei Jun had a somewhat sad and confused look on his face. He drank two glasses of wine when they met and his face was flushed.

"You asked me, your uncle, out on New Year's Day. You didn't ask me to come out just to have a drink with you?" Lin Weimin teased.

Lei Jun was holding up his glass and preparing to drink the third glass of wine. Upon hearing this, he put the glass down with a lonely look on his face.

"Uncle Lin, I've been reading the news about Sohu's financing recently."

"Why, are you jealous?"

"Is there anyone who doesn't envy Sohu and Zhang Chaoyang? 68.4 million US dollars, let alone financing, all Chinese Internet companies combined may not be worth that much money."

Lin Weimin said: "This is exaggerated. There are hundreds of Internet companies in China, how can you be inferior to one company? Besides, you are a software company, and you are not in the same field as Sohu. Why are you so sad?"

"Of course I'm not sad because of Sohu." Lei Jun played with his wine glass in his hand, hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Do you know? Before this year, I always thought that the most painful time in my life was 1996 and 1997. Pangu failed, WPS collapsed, and the things I was proud of became a joke."

"After a lot of effort, I recovered. I pulled myself together, returned to Kingsoft, and re-entered the market with WPS. But..."

When Lei Jun said this, a look of pain flashed in his eyes.

"But I found that I had no ability to change anything. I thought I could fight back with WPS. This time I learned from my experience and learned how to fight Microsoft. We will fight Microsoft to the end.

But Microsoft is like a mountain standing in front of me. It is like a fully armed strong man, and I am like an elementary school student who has just learned to walk. Even if it stands there and does nothing and allows me to attack it, I can't do anything to it.

In front of such a behemoth, Jinshan and I are nothing."

Lin Weimin probably understood Lei Jun's distress and the source of his frustration.

The loser who had suffered setbacks chose to start over again. He returned to the battlefield with full health to pick up his sword, thinking he could stage a king's return, but he found that his old opponent had replaced his weapons with spears and cannons.

The former pride seems ridiculous in the face of the huge disparity in power, and all the efforts have become sad and desolate.

The gap between Microsoft and Kingsoft today is indeed too huge. Even in Microsoft's eyes, Kingsoft cannot be called a rival at all.

After all, Microsoft's former rivals were Apple and Netscape, and Kingsoft's annual revenue was less than 100 million yuan. The only software it could offer to compete with Microsoft was WPS, a niche product.

“You have to understand that Microsoft has now grown into a world-class Internet giant. Not only Kingsoft has been defeated by them, but Apple and Netscape have also been defeated by them.

Have you forgotten that Netscape was merged with MI Online some time ago? Didn’t the browser giant, which was once worth tens of billions of dollars, have to bow down and admit defeat in the face of Microsoft’s absolute strength? "

Lin Weimin's comfort had some effect. When Lei Jun heard him compare Kingsoft with Apple and Netscape, the pain in his heart was alleviated a little.

Yes, even a former giant like Netscape couldn’t do anything about Microsoft. Isn’t it natural that Kingsoft has no good way to deal with Microsoft?

"And you have to understand that China's national conditions are different from those of the United States. We are destined not to produce software industry giants like Microsoft and Cisco. It is a victory for Kingsoft to survive well.

You set your goal too high. You still want to beat Microsoft? If you beat Microsoft, wouldn't you be the world's number one? What's Kingsoft's ranking in the world now?"

Lin Weimin's question made Lei Jun laugh at himself, "Maybe he is the 10,000th in the world."

"So, it's just a waste of time!"

Lin Weimin gave Lei Jun an evaluation that was completely merciless, but it made him feel suddenly enlightened.

"We Chinese often say that man can conquer nature, but you have to understand that most of those who can do such things are recorded in history books. The reason they are passed down is because the difficulty of their success is comparable to ascending to heaven. Do you have the awareness and qualifications to ascend to heaven?"

Lin Weimin's question made Lei Jun fall into silence. He is hard-working and diligent enough, and he is not afraid to face strong opponents, but he is indeed not ready to "ascend to the sky".

"Don't always think about defeating your opponent. Think more about how to keep improving and constantly defeat your past self. If you set up a strong opponent for yourself without knowing how to defeat it, you may end up destroying yourself in internal friction. In life, you need to know how to face challenges head-on, but more often you still have to go with the flow."

"Go with the flow." Lei Jun murmured these four words.

After a long time, he nodded heavily.

He accepted everything Lin Weimin had just said. These words were very realistic, but they were all valuable advice.

Lei Jun looked at Lin Weimin, his expression still somewhat confused. He had given up his obsession with defeating Microsoft, but he had also lost the motivation to move forward.

Lin Weimin understood his look and said earnestly: "In the field of computer software, Kingsoft's future is limited. It is better to change the track."

"Change track?" Lei Jun asked instinctively.

“Sometimes, the achievements a person can make are not created by his own talents, but also have a lot to do with the stage he is on.”

Lei Jun thought of the four words "go with the flow" again, and was silent.

In fact, he has always had an obsession in his heart. He always believes that Kingsoft is a software company and should succeed by relying on software. He is the general manager and leader of Kingsoft. If even he loses confidence, will Kingsoft still have a chance of success?

Lin Weimin observed Lei Jun's expression, guessed his thoughts, and said thoughtfully, "Then let's change the goal and take Kingsoft public?"

Lei Jun remained silent again. You call this a small goal?

"Didn't you mention Sohu just now? Sohu plans to go public next year."

Lei Jun smiled bitterly and said: "It's not as easy for Kingsoft to go public as it is for Sohu."

"You are the leader of China's software industry. Although we cannot produce industry giants like Microsoft and Cisco, we can still accommodate a listed company."

After thinking for a moment, Lei Jun felt that this was a very realistic goal.

"Okay! Then bring Jinshan to the market."

With a goal in mind, Lei Jun's gaze became firm again. He poured a glass of wine for Lin Weimin, and the two clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

Acting as a life mentor, Lin Weimin asked, "Why are you depressed during the Chinese New Year?"

Lei Jun blushed and said, "It was stimulated by the news of Sohu and Sina's financing. In addition, although WPS has regained its foothold in the market, Microsoft's position is more stable than ours. For a while..."

Lin Weimin nodded, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The worst that can happen is that you can just change direction. If that day comes, Uncle Lin will be the first to invest in you!"

Lei Jun laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid of losing money?"

“There are several ways to invest. One is to invest in industries and tracks, which is called strategic investment. Another is financial investment, which is aimed at short-term returns. But no matter which investment method is used, the ultimate investment is in people.

The thoughts and actions of the person at the helm or the leader create the structure of the enterprise. You are a person who can do great things. I will not make a mistake in your judgment. "

Faced with Lin Weimin's praise, Lei Jun couldn't help feeling a little elated. After he went to college, he had never lacked praise, but Lin Weimin's praise made him particularly moved.

Because this was not recognition based on his achievements, and his achievements were nothing in Lin Weimin's eyes.

Uncle Lin is optimistic about him!

"Okay, if that day really comes, I will be the first one to come to you for help." Lei Jun said casually.

The two of them drank another glass of wine. While everyone was busy preparing for the grand festival, the two men were in the leisurely lounge, toasting each other, talking about everything, and feeling relaxed and happy.

After drinking, Lin Weimin was a little drunk.

When they got home, seeing him reeking of alcohol, Tao Huimin, who was busy at work, couldn't help but complain: "It's New Year's Day, everyone is busy, but you are so cool!"

Lin Weimin was sober by now and started chopping the dumpling stuffing obediently.

"Dumplings go well with wine. The more you drink, the more you have. I was wondering what I was missing when I was drinking, but it turned out that I didn't have dumplings."

Tao Huimin said sarcastically: "Wine is enough, why do we need dumplings!"

Lin Weimin stopped talking. The more he spoke, the more he got scolded. He decided to just work hard.

While the family was making dumplings, Lin Weimin sat on the sofa and said to Xiao Doubao, who was playing with toys, "Daughter, go make a cup of tea for Dad."

Xiaodoubao looked at him and said, "Dad, the teacher said that you have to do your own things."

Oh, the little cotton jacket is leaking.

Sister Qian, the nanny who was making dumplings, quickly made a cup of tea for Lin Weimin. After taking a few sips of the tea, the alcohol in his body dissipated and he fell asleep on the sofa.

When he woke up again, it was dark and he was covered with a blanket.

"You are amazing. You just go to sleep after drinking, as if this year has nothing to do with you."

The more carefree he is when drinking, the more embarrassed he is when being scolded.

This kid Lei Jun misled me!

Teacher Lin took advantage of the fact that no one was around and said a few sweet words to Ms. Tao, and the resentment in her heart disappeared.

"Go wash your face quickly, it's time to eat."

"Okay!"

Lin Weimin got up and tidied up, then returned to the house. The table was already filled with delicious food and everyone was there.

The TV was tuned to CCTV, with familiar pictures and familiar melodies.

The year 1998 passed like this.

(End of this chapter)