Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2538 Dream Investor (First Update, Please Subscribe)
In January, at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, a biting wind whipped up snowflakes that lashed against the glass facade of the terminal building, creating a muffled whistling sound.

Tang Zhiheng tightened his thick woolen coat and unconsciously gripped the strap of his shoulder bag—inside was a 3.5-inch floppy disk.

The floppy disk was invented nineteen years ago, in 1960, by a team at International Electronics Corporation. Initially, it was an 8-inch floppy disk with a capacity of only 80KB. Although such a capacity was negligible, in an era when computers were just entering civilian use, the advent of the floppy disk was undoubtedly a huge technological leap.

Subsequently, 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks were introduced, with the 3.5-inch floppy disk becoming the most popular data storage tool due to its portability and relatively large storage capacity.

Even on this side of the Iron Curtain, floppy disks remain the most widely used data storage tool.

As a foreign student studying at Moscow State University, Tang Zhiheng still has two years until graduation. Yet, he stood in front of the international departure customs channel with a simple suitcase, feeling almost instinctively nervous, as his behavior was unusual.

Behind the customs inspection counter, an official in a dark green uniform was examining his luggage piece by piece.

The wool sweater, professional books, and two boxes of Ukrainian alcoholic chocolates were all taken out and neatly arranged on the table.

The border guards were very meticulous, checking every item repeatedly and even flipping through the pages of books quickly.

Tang Zhiheng stood aside, trying his best to appear natural, but his heart was pounding. He knew that during the sensitive period of the Cold War, a SEA student who suddenly returned to China before the holiday was over was suspicious enough.

Although he had a good reason, he was still inevitably nervous.

"what is this?"

The border officer picked up the black floppy disk; a floppy disk is a type of storage device.

Unlike ordinary paper, this thing has a storage capacity equivalent to several thousand pages of paper, which is a very large capacity. Because of this, it has become something the border control is strictly guarding against.

The border officer held up the floppy disk, and while asking questions, his other hand had already grasped the walkie-talkie under the table.

Tang Zhiheng's heart suddenly raced. He forced a calm smile and explained in fluent Russian:
"Sir, this is a game. I found it in a computer lab in Moscow. It was developed by Soviet programmers and doesn't exist in SEA. I love it so much that I want to bring it back to SEA to continue playing."

He deliberately emphasized the words "game" and "like" in an attempt to make his reason sound more genuine.

The official's brow did not relax; instead, he winked at a colleague not far away.

A tall border guard officer walked over and looked Tang Zhiheng up and down with sharp eyes, as if trying to see through his disguise.

"It's not holiday time, and you haven't graduated yet, so why are you suddenly returning to China?"

The officer's Russian had a heavy Baltic accent, and his tone was full of scrutiny.

"There are only ten days left until our Spring Festival."

Tang Zhiheng had already prepared an excuse, and he explained:
“This is the most important holiday for us, and I want to go back early to spend more time with my family and friends.”

The officer nodded without denying it, clearly having some understanding of the Spring Festival. This wasn't because he knew about East Asia, but because in the past few days, quite a few SEA students had indeed returned home. There were about 100 students from Southeast Asian free trade zone countries studying at various universities in the Soviet Union. With the Spring Festival just a few days away, they were buying plane tickets to return home to reunite with their families. They were, of course, grateful to the Soviet Union, because the Soviet government not only funded their tuition and living expenses but also subsidized their airfare for visiting relatives twice a year.

In short, this concern for international students is extremely thoughtful and considerate.

However, the border officer gave Tang Zhiheng a scrutinizing look, the suspicion in his eyes not dissipating. He pointed to the floppy disk and said to the technician beside him:

"Check it out."

The technicians inserted the floppy disk into the nearby computer, and a simple pixelated interface quickly appeared on the screen. Soon they were playing the game.

As the cube began to slowly fall from the top of the screen, Tang Zhiheng subconsciously reached out to operate it, but was stopped by the officer raising his hand.

Technicians followed the program, using the arrow keys to rotate and move the blocks. Once a row was filled, the blocks disappeared, and the score on the screen increased. The entire process was simple and repetitive, without any complex code or classified information.

The officer stood to the side, staring intently at the screen as the blocks fell and piled up. The seriousness on his face gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression that was hard to describe.

A dozen minutes later, the technician turned around and shook his head at him:
"Captain, it's just a game, there's nothing wrong with it."

The officer paused for a moment, glanced at his watch, then at Tang Zhiheng's slightly embarrassed expression, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He waved his hand and said to the customs officer:
"Do not worry."

Tang Zhiheng breathed a sigh of relief, quickly packed up his floppy disks and luggage, and thanked them repeatedly. As he carried his suitcase through the inspection channel, he vaguely heard the officers and colleagues whispering behind him.

“Look, these are the SEA people,”

The officer's voice wasn't loud, but it reached Tang Zhiheng's ears clearly:

"Instead of studying properly, you spend all your time playing with these useless things. You're really wasting your time on trivial matters."

His colleague chuckled in agreement, "That's right. Such a simple game, yet it's worth him bringing it back. The SEA people's sense of humor is really strange."

"Therefore we will surely win the final victory in this competition and bury them completely."

The officer spoke with confidence, believing that a group of people so engrossed in games could never win in the future.

They're a bunch of frivolous fools. A country made up of such people has no hope whatsoever.

Tang Zhiheng didn't turn around, but quickened his pace. He didn't know what the Russian border guards were thinking, nor did he know what they would think because of his actions.

Of course, these Russians will never understand that what they see as "useless little games" are actually building blocks that change the world. It is those countless seemingly insignificant little things that ultimately change the world.

Boarding the flight to Chang'an, Tang Zhiheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. The plane slowly taxied to the runway, its engines roaring loudly, breaking through the winter gloom of Moscow. Through the window, he took one last look at the cold and mysterious city, his heart filled with anticipation.

He didn't know where the game called "Tetris" would go in the future, but he knew he needed such an opportunity.

The plane ascended into the sky, pierced through the clouds, and flew southeast. Tang Zhiheng leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and began to imagine the SEA people surrounding the computer, obsessively stacking blocks.

It was at this moment that the person sitting next to him asked:
"Hello."

Opening his eyes, Tang Zhiheng looked at the other person with some confusion.

He had European features, but also a touch of Eastern charm.

"Good morning sir."

Tang Zhiheng looked at him with suspicion. Did he have something to say?

"When you were going through customs just now, I think they stopped you. Was it because of the games you were carrying?"

Li Yitao asked, explaining that in order to conceal his identity, he didn't even fly first class. The reason he took the initiative to speak wasn't just out of curiosity.

Video games!

Actually, he quite liked it too.

"Yes, sir, it's a Russian game."

Tang Zhiheng didn't hide anything and directly introduced the game to the other party.

Listening to his description, Li Yitao initially didn't think the game was anything special, but after briefly replaying the scenes in his mind, he immediately realized something—this game seemed rather interesting.

After learning that he had already obtained authorization from the inventor, Li Yitao thought for a moment and then said:

"Are you planning to bring this game to SEA?"

The answer is yes, and it's not just about importing it. More importantly, Tang Zhiheng hopes to reap substantial rewards from it.

But Li Yitao had a different idea. This game was related to culture.

If I get this game, it means I'll have more opportunities to interact with Natasha.

After a moment's thought, Li Yitao made his decision and said to Tang Zhiheng:
"Yes, I am very interested in your game. If possible, I think you could give it to my company."

"what?"

Tang Zhiheng looked at the man in front of him, his eyes filled with doubt.

"You own a game company?"

"No."

Li Yitao said it bluntly.

"But I think now, I can start a game company."

His answer left Tang Zhiheng completely stunned.

Is it possible to start a game company now?
"It's not easy for Mr. to start a game company, after all, it's video games, and he needs a lot of capital."

As Tang Zhiheng sized up the other person, his heart was filled with suspicion.

Is this guy trying to get something for nothing?

Could it be that he wants to use his game to negotiate with other game companies and then profit from it?
As this thought crossed his mind, Tang Zhiheng naturally became wary, but at that moment he heard the other party say:
"Luckily, I still have some money."

Li Yitao said with a smile.

“You don’t need to make a decision right now. We’ll walk together after the plane lands, and then you can make your decision.”

After several more hours of flight, the plane finally landed at Chang'an International Airport. After clearing customs, seeing Tang Zhiheng's hesitation, Li Yitao said:
"You don't need to make a decision now. Do you want to go to the city center? My people are here to pick me up."

A moment later, as Tang Zhiheng sat in the Pullman BMW, he no longer doubted the other party's capabilities.

But he still had some doubts. If the other person was rich, why didn't he fly first class?

"I need your game. Well, I'll set up a company, and then I'll inject some capital into the company and hand it over to you to run."

Li Yitao looked at Tang Zhiheng and said:

"You can see this as the fulfillment of a dream, or you can see it as an opportunity. How about it? Interested?"

(End of this chapter)