Water and Flames

Chapter

WAF CH70

by DewdropTL — In the two weeks that followed, Weilai’s executive suite underwent further upheaval. Li Zhiyong officially resigned, leaving the CTO to pick up the pieces—a man who had essentially served as acting chairman and acting CEO for the preceding two months. He had previously been the CEO of a star startup acquired by Weilai, after which he joined the tech giant. Word had it that he was personally deeply grateful to Li Zhiyong and harbored a strong dislike for Zhou Buqun. Back then, Qinghui had torn up an…
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Chapter

WAF CH71

by DewdropTL — Another week later, just before the Spring Festival, Jing Hong and Zhou Chang were scheduled to attend a high-spec IT summit. Within that very week, the President of the United States signed yet another executive order targeting Chinese enterprises, adding eight more software applications to the "blacklist"—including office suites, document scanning tools, photo editing software, video downloaders, video editing tools, and more. Overnight, a shroud of pessimism spread across the industry once…
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Chapter

WAF CH72: Extra

by DewdropTL — During the first year Jing Hong and Zhou Chang took charge of Fanhai and Qinghui respectively—before the Kunpeng and Huawei merger—the two had run into each other several times at various IT summits. At a summit in the United States, they heard each other give a full keynote speech for the first time. On that occasion, only three entrepreneurs present had come from Mainland China. At the summit that day, Jing Hong wore a white dress shirt and a grey suit. His voice was steady, unhurried, and…
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Chapter

WAF CH73: Extra

by DewdropTL — On a certain day in July 2022, a financial journalist who knew Jing Hong reached out to him and his father. He mentioned that he wanted to write a book—a biography—about the 25-year history of Fanhai Group's development. His plan was to spend several years writing a series titled The Rise and Fall of Chinese Internet Companies, with Fanhai as the first volume, covering its history from 1997 to 2022. He added that if both he and Fanhai were still around in 2047, he would write about the next 25…
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Chapter

WAF CH74: Extra

by DewdropTL — After that night in the Maldives, which was also following the "Qinghui Network Security Incident" and before they were shorted by Wall Street, Jing Hong and Zhou Chang actually crossed paths several times. One of those occasions was shortly after the Spring Festival, when both attended a charity gala in Guangzhou. By then, through the home visit to express gratitude over the "Qinghui Network Security Incident," the two red envelopes and blessings on Lunar New Year's Eve, the conversation at the…
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Chapter

WAF CH75: Extra

by DewdropTL — Mid-2023, four years into their relationship. This time, Jing Hong and Zhou Chang hadn’t seen each other for an entire month. First, Jing Hong went on a business trip, but before he returned, Zhou Chang left on one. Then, before Zhou Chang returned, Jing Hong went on another business trip... Thus, a whole month went by without a single face-to-face meeting. By the time Jing Hong returned, their longing for each other had reached its peak. They had been "together" for four years, yet to the two…
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Chapter

WAF CH64

by DewdropTL — For a period of time after this, Jing Hong and Zhou Chang continued to live a rather split life between day and night. Once, the two of them attended a roundtable discussion at a forum together. Jing Hong was accompanied by several people, including Zhao Hanqing, and Zhou Chang's side was much the same. Before the session began, Jing Hong waited in the lounge. Seeing that there was still a bit of time left, he wanted to place a brief call to a certain Fanhai executive. Zhao Hanqing happened to…
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Chapter

WAF CH65

by DewdropTL — A few days later, Fanhai's annual gala arrived quietly. Early in the morning, Fanhai Group distributed New Year gift boxes one by one to its employees. The contents inside were nothing short of luxurious—a plush doll, a monthly calendar, a neck massager, a smart jump rope, an air fryer, and a healthy snack gift pack, covering every imaginable aspect. In addition, inside the gift box was a handwritten "family letter" from Jing Hong—expressing gratitude to Fanhai's employees and their family…
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Chapter

WAF CH66

by DewdropTL — A few days after the annual gala, the external landscape suddenly underwent a dramatic shift. The trade war between China and the United States escalated once again, plunging tariff negotiations into a complete deadlock. At the same time, the President of the United States signed an executive order, declaring that several Chinese mobile applications—by virtue of possessing vast quantities of data—posed an absolute threat to U.S. national security. Effective after 45 days, any U.S. individual or…
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Chapter

WAF CH67

by DewdropTL — That evening, when Jing Hong returned "home," Zhou Chang was already waiting for him. For some inexplicable reason, the moment Jing Hong laid eyes on Zhou Chang, his heart settled a fraction more. Perhaps it was because the man was his lover; perhaps it was because, amidst the storm of recent events, they found themselves allies once again. When Zhou Chang opened the door, Jing Hong did not enter right away. He simply stood at the threshold, looking up at Zhou Chang. Zhou Chang was in no rush…
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