Reborn in America, I'm serious about making money.

After Zhang San finished working on the Office suite, he began to ponder deeply. At this time, Microsoft had become a darling of Wall Street, and no one wanted to see their interests harmed. On the other hand, one of his two patents had been granted. What should he do?

Reverse output!

If something like this would be targeted or maliciously acquired in North America, what about the reverse from mainland China?

That won't work either. It's not that it's impossible, but when you release your own operating system, there's a risk that the hardware won't support it.

After all, Microsoft and Intel have formed the Wintel alliance, and what if the other party's hardware doesn't support it?

This made him very embarrassed; in this place where he had no relatives or friends, making money was really difficult.

Let's release the Office suite first. Oh, and it needs to be encrypted, otherwise it would be troublesome if someone could crack it easily.

As for mainland China, well, it's up to you.

"I got the order wrong!" Zhang San sighed.

That evening, after dinner, Helen and the other two were still somewhat reluctant to leave.

"How's dinner?" Zhang San asked them expectantly.

Helen was much more talkative than when they first met. She said, "It's especially delicious today. I love this sweet and sour flavor."

Zhang San smiled, but in his heart he thought, "You guys are really unlucky; you actually like sweet and sour things."

"Yes, Stephen, your cooking is delicious."

"I didn't expect it to be so good."

"Since everyone seems to be doing well, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with." Zhang San sounded a little embarrassed, but he still said the same thing: "I want to start a company and I need some money, or you could invest in it."

The three men blinked at Zhang San, then silently left. Zhang San looked at the empty dining table and felt abandoned.

"Sigh, it was all for naught after all." Zhang San sighed and began to tidy up the table. Just as he was tidying up the table, the doors to the two rooms opened.

"Hey Stephen, I only have five thousand dollars left. I kept a thousand, so here's four thousand for you. Don't lose it all." Jessica placed an envelope on the table. Although she knew it would be better to put it in the bank, she would still have to pay the bank.

"Oh!" Zhang San was a little stunned.

"Stephen, I only have two thousand dollars, um..."

Alan looked a little embarrassed and scratched his head.

Helen placed the thicker paper-wrapped package on the table and said, "It's all here. I didn't spend any money. It's three thousand seven hundred dollars in total."

Zhang San returned her seven hundred dollars, his eyes slightly red. He simply nodded and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I will repay you tenfold or a hundredfold in the future, so you can enjoy a big villa and the beach."

"Hey, Stephen, don't be too sensitive... Ah~" Alan was pulled into the room by Jessica.

Zhang San put the money away and then washed the plates and dishes clean. That night, Zhang San worked very hard, and the next day, Helen said, "It's really different after I paid you, Stephen. I have money now, and I'll take care of you too."

"You won't have another chance, Helen. Your money isn't enough."

Zhang San has two things to do: first, register a company; second, start selling his office equipment.

Where did all the money he earned go?

Of course, he went to register the copyright for Office. Not only the software copyright, but also the interface copyright. He registered the copyright for every possible function, including tables, the functions in the tables, and so on. You could say he went to great lengths. So far, he has applied for the copyright for everything he could, including fonts. He has nearly a hundred design copyrights, which is no joke.

Nine thousand US dollars was a lot of money in those days. If you went to Beijing at that time, you could buy two smaller, ordinary courtyard houses.

The black market exchange rate is 1:10, which is 90,000 RMB.

The registered address was set up in the room where they were staying. After deducting various expenses, he still had more than seven thousand left.

"I'm going to Silicon Valley to look for collaborations with people there."

It was June 1989, and he was about to fly to APP in San Jose to negotiate with them and get them to invest some money. He wanted to see a return on his investment, which was already too much, amounting to more than $60,000, plus what he had borrowed.

Jim, the rookie patent attorney who had been running around helping him all along, also went with him.

"Stephen, you're the most amazing guy I've ever met," Jim said while waiting for his plane.

Zhang San smiled and accepted the praise. The clothes he was wearing were extremely ill-fitting to his body; they looked like someone else's, and a size too big.

Allen and the others have to go to work and can't come over.

When the two arrived at the location of the APP company, the already declining APP company did not cause them any trouble at the front desk. They arrived an hour earlier than their appointment time.

Why choose an app company? Of course, it's because they're currently in a period of decline. Companies that are doing well won't meet with them so easily, and they might not even cooperate with them. Moreover, app companies bundle software and hardware together, which gives them an opportunity.

In the meeting room, Zhang San didn't know who they were and didn't introduce himself much.

"I'm here today to showcase a software suite unlike any other—a visual Office suite. Could you provide me with a computer?"

The person sitting in the middle gestured, and someone next to them gave up a computer.

Zhang San started installing his Mac version of Office. After the installation was complete, two icons appeared: one for Word and one for Excel.

"Who would like to come up and operate it?"

The man sitting in the center gestured for the person next to him to come over and try it; the person came over and started clicking.

The man operated the device for a while, then asked, "Is this your company's product?"

"Great, we can customize it for you. How about calling it the APP OFFICE Suite? You just need to purchase a license."

The man in the center looked at the man who was experiencing the procedure with a questioning look, and the man nodded.

"Could you explain the details of your authorization?"

"Of course, sir, you can pay one million dollars for an exclusive license. I will not release any other versions within six months, and I will buy the installation fee of 98 dollars for each computer."

Zhang San gestured to Jim, who was acting as his temporary secretary. Jim understood what he meant, took out a thick stack of photocopies of patent certificates, and distributed them to them.

The man in the center position read it carefully. The thick patent certificate was so meticulously detailed that it was almost insane, down to the font.

"A very nice young man." The man in the center said with a smile, "My name is John, CEO of the APP company. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, isn't this the reception room?"

"No, a board meeting is being held here; however, I accept your offer, and based on your patent certificates alone, I think it's worth it." After saying that, he added, "You have a great team. Why don't you come to APP Company? I'll offer a good price to acquire your company and the entire team."

"Thank you, Mr. John. Let me introduce myself again, my name is Stephen Zhang."

An eerie silence fell over the conference room. CEO John broke the silence, saying, "Stephen, let's sign the contract. I'm willing to accept your exclusive license for six months. It's a good idea."