My dream connects to three thousand years later.

Chapter 98 Trust
One in twenty! Zhao Shao chewed on this phrase repeatedly.

He closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, made a decision, and asked, "Ah Zhu, let's be frank, how many shares do you want?"

"How many shares are you willing to give up?" Chu Zhu countered.

Zhao Shao got up and went to the window, looking at the bustling street outside. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and he opened his mouth several times, only to close it again. Finally, with a hint of dejection, he said, "I don't know."

"?"

"If it were any other person, the maximum number of shares I could allow to give would be 20%! Giving someone too many shares would be too dangerous for me!" Zhao Shao said very sincerely. "After all, my company has only been open for a short time."

In the early stages of starting a business, being cautious about retaining shares is an essential lesson for any entrepreneur!
Even someone as powerful as the founder of Apple can be ousted from the company and lose control in a bad situation!
Zhao Shao sighed heavily, "But you are different!"

Even if Chu Zhu's algorithm is only one-twentieth of the value, it may already exceed the total value of Company Z.

"So, you should name your price..." Zhao Shao said softly. "If I really can't accept it, then let's part ways amicably... Of course, since you've already shown me the algorithm, even if you don't invest in the future, even if we part ways, I will still give you 10% of the shares, provided you don't ask me to stop using the experience derived from those algorithms!"

Zhao Shao was truly honest. In reality, even if he had actually used these structural optimizations derived from the algorithm, and denied it, what could Chu Zhu do to him?
"...You're very smart!" Chu Zhu exclaimed.

"That's how it is!" Zhao Shao knew that Chu Zhu understood his implication. Ten percent for just the right to use something—that seemed far beyond his wildest imagination?

However, if Zhao Shao really turns hostile here, Chu Zhu can easily use the remaining nineteen data points to create a company that surpasses Z! At that point, considering the old grudges, Z Company, being targeted, will likely go bankrupt in the end.

This 10% is not essentially a toll, but a "friendship fee" paid to get in touch with Chu Zhu!
"I won't make things difficult for you. Whether your company goes public or not in the future, I must guarantee that my shareholding will remain at 31%!" Chu Zhu stated calmly. This was the number of shares he would own in the future!
He didn't actually intend to make things difficult for Zhao Shao. To put it bluntly, Zhao Shao was feeling guilty because of the algorithm, but wasn't that algorithm essentially created by the future Zhao Shao?

Although he plagiarized, he wouldn't stoop to plagiarizing while simultaneously driving the original author to their death... Chu Zhu had a very clear understanding of himself; he plagiarized for the sake of human civilization surviving the apocalypse, not simply for the purpose of seizing profits!

"You're so certain! Does this company even have a chance to go public?" Zhao Shao was both amused and exasperated, but inwardly relieved, gratitude welling in his eyes. It was too little! He had initially thought the other party would demand at least fifty percent of the shares!

He had already figured out how to argue and, if possible, reduce the percentage to 49%!
This was his bottom line. After all, it was only the early stages of starting a business, and he couldn't allow a single shareholder's stock ownership to surpass his own—if he really did that, he might as well start a new company himself and just leave Company Z to Chu Zhu.

But he never expected that the other side would be so generous!
"I'll give you the rest of the algorithm later!"

"Understood! I'll let you know when the time comes." Zhao Shaocheng said sincerely, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "Um, when can you transfer some money? And when can we sign the contract and formally confirm the shareholding? I'm a little short on funds here!"

"Saying this at this time! I really don't know if you're sincere or something else..." Chu Zhu nodded expressionlessly. He was now genuinely starting to doubt how he, in that timeline, had been swindled out of all his money by Zhao Shao. The scam of returning to China next week shouldn't have been this lame, right? Or was it that Zhao Shao had some misunderstanding about his current self? So he used a completely different persuasive tactic than in that timeline?

After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "I will consider it!"

Then, he hung up the phone. Chu Zhu ran his fingers through his hair. He was actually a little suspicious; could Zhao Shao be short of money and unable to pay next month's salaries? Surely… not!
"You need money?" Lin Xia didn't hesitate at all. "I can spare 300,000..."

"It's not that bad!" Chu Zhu shook her head. Even if they couldn't make it to next month's salary, they could at least wait until next month before asking Lin Xia for money again. By then, through stock trading, they could multiply their wealth and at least scrape together a million!
"Lin Xia, what you said before makes some sense!" Chu Zhu waved her hand and stood up. "My account will be yours to manage from now on!"

“Um…” Lin Xia looked at Chu Zhu’s departing figure, hesitated for a moment, and then said again, “I’m actually not quite sure why you want to invest in a company? But, if you can really keep coming up with new patents and achievements, wouldn’t it be more suitable to start your own company?”

Chu Zhu paused for a moment, turned her head, and stared at Lin Xia with a puzzled expression.

“I know you don’t have time! But if you want, I can study now! I can find senior students in the law department and the business administration department to see if I can set up a scheme for you! To start a company.” Lin Xia spoke more and more smoothly. He looked directly into Chu Zhu’s eyes, earnest and sincere: “I don’t know what your relationship with that person is! But that person is definitely not as trustworthy as me! You and he may have conflicts of interest, but in the future, you just need to give me a good reason, and no matter how much money I make, I can give it to you without hesitation!”

"Because I may be the person who knows you best in this world! And besides you, I am the only one who firmly believes that...that thing might happen in the future."

Chu Zhu crossed her arms, her mind racing, and finally said, "You're already under a lot of pressure... If you have some free time, you can do some preparation in this area! But I might not start a company in the future... Even if you really give up, I can understand! That's all!"

Chu Zhu stepped forward and patted Lin Xia's shoulder forcefully. Then she turned around...

Lin Xia clenched his fist after seeing Chu Zhu leave, his face showing excitement. But just as he exclaimed "Yay!", he saw Chu Zhu return: "..."

"You!" Lin Xia froze, her mind racing, before finally managing to force a bright smile. "What a coincidence! Hahahaha... What am I saying?"

"I forgot about this!" Chu Zhu picked up the plate she had just finished eating.

"Oh, this!" Lin Xia breathed a sigh of relief, then seemed speechless. "Put it here, I can help you..."

“You’re wrong.” Chu Zhu interrupted Lin Xia, now looking directly into her eyes. “You’re not working for me, and you’re not my subordinate! You’re doing this because you, like me, want to resolve that matter in the future…”

"So, we're friends! And allies! I'm dumping all the things I can do myself onto you. What do you think I'm treating you like? An employee? Or a slave?"

Chu Zhu smiled noncommittally and turned to leave. Even after Lin Xia had said so much to him, in his eyes, the two were simply different in their roles, not in terms of status!

Lin Xia was stunned for a while, then rubbed her face hard, her voice choked, "Ha Jizhu, you bastard!"

After staring at her finished meal for a while, Lin Xia smiled. She stood up, stretched, and picked up her plate.

……

Chu Zhu was on his way to find his counselor, but as he walked, he suddenly stopped and realized something.

"So that's it!"

He got it!

In the previous timeline, Lin Xia may have made the same suggestion to him at the same time.

However, Chu Zhu at that time couldn't travel to the future to acquire the patent! Therefore, the company ultimately failed to succeed, but in the main timeline, he wasn't subject to this limitation…

"Yes, once we find the cause, we can proceed! However... well, if things go smoothly with Lin Xia, then we can open it! If not, then we won't open it."

Chu Zhu put the matter out of his mind and continued walking briskly. The real-world company was a lever he could use to influence his future without aligning himself with the government!

From this perspective, it doesn't matter to Chu Zhu how many shares Z Intelligent Co., Ltd., or any other company—how much money these companies can get or how much money they can make!
What matters is the butterfly effect they create, and what kind of butterfly effect they can create!

(End of this chapter)