Huang Xuan’s parents had left early in the morning. He was worried, so when his homework was half done, he couldn’t help asking, “Rolin, do you think something bad is going to happen to my family?”
“There isn’t enough information to judge.”
Huang Xuan wasn’t really looking for an answer. Shaking his head, he took a family bucket out of the fridge and started eating.
Rolin didn’t disappear at this point as usual but continued, “Huang Xuan, I am able to travel to the years before T1600 now. Are you interested?”
Huang Xuan had to admit that Rolin had become more humanlike since the upgrade. This time his tone wasn’t as flat as before, and the expression was clearer. Huang Xuan heard the rising tone and asked with a smile, “Where are you going to take me to? Is there enough energy?”
“It’s beneficial for you to elevate your authority.”
“I have enough food and clothes, and I haven’t finished my homework, so I can’t go now.” Huang Xuan declined. He didn’t do well at school. Although his mom couldn’t monitor him in class, she was strict with him about his homework. One phone call from his teacher would bring him a big surprise, which sometimes was a new mode of punishment.
Rolin was troubled and said in a deep voice, “The base can’t imitate handwriting, but it can do the arithmetic for you.”
“Arithmetic homework is easy to copy.” Huang Xuan shook his head. “Who would need a machine to copy arithmetic homework, which can be easily done during a KFC meal?” Then he said, eating a popsicle, “Rolin, since my family has been so busy these days, I can’t leave now. Besides, the school is going to start soon.”
“You can recharge the base ahead.”
Speaking of this, Huang Xuan jumped and started cursing, pointing to the ceiling, “Shame on you! Last time when I asked you for ¥500,000, you gave me a program and asked me to sell it for you. Later, you demanded over 20 million kWh of electricity, which almost made me bankrupt. Now we are even. Don’t come to me anymore, and I won’t ask you for help either.”
“When the base’s level is 21, it can make things—”
“Stop it!” Huang Xuan waved his hand. To be honest, he was eager to know what else Rolin was and would be capable of, but not now. Using generators for electricity wasn’t a good idea in the long run, which cost nearly one million a day. He wasn’t a bank and was unwilling to spend all his money on Rolin. The factory could help Rolin to recharge, but Huang Xuan wasn’t going to promise anything in case Rolin came up with some new ideas.
Rolin disappeared again after Huang Xuan had turned him down. Sitting by the window alone, Huang Xuan suddenly felt sorry for him, although he was just a machine (luckily so), he was out of touch with his own world and with no one he knew being around.
Huang Xuan picked up the phone on the table and put it down again after some thoughts. The generators would be disassembled one after another in two days, which had been settled long ago. New approaches should be found to recharge the base instead of using the generators, each of which cost ¥6,800 per day.
Rolin had been much more cordial since Huang Xuan’s talk with his mom, and Huang Xuan hadn’t been worried as he had just met him. Now, although he had refused Rolin’s offer, he wouldn’t face a threat. “Maybe it’s because of the authority,” Huang Xuan thought. Early after lunch, Huang Xuan was considering whether to eat some snacks or to continue with the computer game when Rolin said, “Huang Xuan, you have an appointment at noon.”
“You are acting like a secretary.” Huang Xuan remembered Gan Lizheng, who was persistent.
“As an owner of the 23rd level authority, you are allowed to apply for a secretary to the base.”
“Oh?” Huang Xuan laughed and said, “That means applying to you, right?”
Rolin didn’t answer it directly, “The 22nd level base can process the data of two secretaries. Usually, the holder of the highest authority of the base decides whose applications to grant among the applicants. At present, the guardian possesses the highest level of authority, which is 22, so I am the one to decide.”
Huang Xuan couldn’t help laughing harder. “There are only the two of us on the base. What’s there to decide?”
“As a guardian, I must take account of the data process capacity of the base.” When Huang Xuan stopped laughing, Rolin continued, “A full-time secretary can assist with a lot of matters, such as calculation and records.”
“What’s the difference from what you do?” Huang Xuan had always seen Rolin as a secretary and was wondering why he was trying to pitch this new idea.”
“Being a secretary used to be part of my responsibilities,” Rolin’s tone remained the same. “but to get information in the future, you must apply for a full-time secretary.”
“Will I still associate with you?”
“Of course. In essence, applying for a full-time secretary is applying for the materials for data processing.”
“Whatever,” Huang Xuan said sluggishly, thinking that nothing seemed different from before.
“50 million kWh of electricity,” Rolin said in the same tone while Huang Xuan froze. “What the hell is this?! This is totally extortion!”
“Then never mind.” Huang Xuan wasn’t going to give in.
“40 million kWh,” Rolin lowered the price.
Huang Xuan still didn’t respond anything. “30 million,” Rolin said.
Thinking about the convenience of Rolin in the past two weeks, Huang Xuan felt it was wrong not to provide Rolin with energy. The newly-bought factory wouldn’t be idle anyway. But he was angry about Rolin’s despicable act. After a long moment, he clenched his teeth and said, “20 million kWh.”
“Deal,” Rolin agreed readily as if he had been waiting for Huang Xuan to agree.
Huang Xuan had known that it wouldn’t be easy to get rid of Rolin who had failed in the morning and come up with this new trick in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it was Huang Xuan’s weakness to be used to Rolin’s convenience, for which, he had been in a lot of troubles.
Huang Xuan was still regretful when he met Gan Lizheng again. Nothing had changed. Rolin was still the one giving stupid answers when asked, but his money was likely to be gone anytime.
Huang Xuan didn’t think himself greedy, as long as he could own a sports car; or maybe three or four... and a yacht, about 50 meters long, just like his fourth uncle. He would be satisfied with his transportation if he could have a private jet in two years; as to others, he just hoped he could afford tens of servers and some jewelry for his future wife. However, all these hopes had been ruined by Rolin.
Thinking this, Huang Xuan drank up the coffee in the cup.
Gan Lizheng was terrified. Sensing something wrong, he waved to the waiter and asked for a refill. Then he said to Huang Xuan, forcing a smile, “Glad to meet you, Mr. Huang. We have heard a lot about your programs. Hahaha...” Gan Lizheng started laughing stupidly with the person beside him. Huang Xuan raised his eyelids to look at them and lowered them again. After drinking up a second cup of coffee, he said, “Get to business. I’m busy.”
“OK. OK.” Gan Lizheng wiped the sweat on his face and thought that he had just met a weirdo.
However, on the surface, he said, “Our company is thinking about spending six million buying the patents of your programs, mainly the rights to use the internal cores of them, of course, excluding the patents you have sold.”
Huang Xuan had known a lot about this company. He said calmly, “Has Lianyou company been bought out by your company?” Lianyou company was the one who had bought Huang Xuan’s programs. The contract had just been signed several days before. Gan Lizheng was extremely embarrassed, yet composed himself quickly. He answered, smiling, “I didn’t expect Mr. Huang to be so well informed.”
Such a negotiation between a teenager and a middle-aged man in a coffee shop was very strange. Not only Gan Lizheng but his companion felt uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Huang Xuan drank up another cup of coffee and said, “I’ve heard that your company bought out Lianyou company in cash. Do you even have six million now?”
“No need to worry, Mr. Huang,” seeing that Huang Xuan had relented, Gan Lizheng stretched his body quickly like a spring and said. “Our company’s financing channel is smooth. Six million won’t affect our cash flow.”
“The capital of your company is around 70 million, isn’t it?”
Although Huang Xuan’s words were off the point, Gan Lizheng didn’t mind. He replied seriously, “It seems that Mr. Huang has investigated us thoroughly. What you just said is true, but our capital has been increasing.”
Huang Xuan nodded his head and said with a smile, “I’m not interested in your purchasing plan, but I have another plan.”
“Oh?” Gan Lizheng kept his smile and pretended to be listening carefully.
“I will trade the programs and 12 million of cash for 30% of your company’s shares.”
The smile froze on Gan Lizheng’s face.