Phi-Fic Chapter 304 Split Operations
Chapter 304 Split Operations
May 10, 1998, 9:00 AM.
In the Starry Sky Technology office building, Ling Yun pushed open the office door, where Carly was already waiting.
She held a dark blue folder with three different colored sticky notes on the cover—red for urgent, yellow for to-do, and green for completed. Only one red sticky note remained today, resting on top of the folder.
"The data is in." Carly handed over the folder. "As of 8 a.m. this morning, Star Language's global active users have exceeded 10 million, the exact number is 10.27 million."
Ling Yun took the folder and opened the first page. A colorful line graph occupied most of the page. The curve slowly climbed from the beginning of March, then suddenly steepened after April 11th, almost vertically plunging to the upper right corner of the chart. Below the graph, in bold, was the caption: New users in thirty days: 3.4 million.
He closed the folder and handed it back to Carly.
How's the server doing?
"The servers have already been expanded four times and are still holding up," Carly said. "Eric didn't get home until 3 a.m. last night. Before he left, he said that if the server size doubles again, we'll need a new architecture."
"Any news from ICQ?"
Carly's lips curled into a slight smile. "They've quieted down now. They haven't launched any new features in the past week, only posting a blog on their website saying 'the future will focus on the core communication experience,' which the major media outlets interpreted as abandoning the feature war."
Ling Yun instructed, "Have David come over here."
Five minutes later, David pushed the door open and came in. He was wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, his hair was messy, and he had clearly stayed up late again last night. He was holding a laptop, the screen still lit up.
"Sit down," Ling Yun said, pointing to the sofa.
David sat down and placed his laptop on the coffee table. Carly also came over and sat down on another sofa.
Ling Yun didn't sit down. "Let's split up and act separately," he said.
David and Carly looked up at the same time.
"Carly is going to Europe," Lingyun said.
Carly opened her notebook and began taking notes.
"Durand from the French National Investment Bank sent an invitation, hoping we would start building the European data center as soon as possible," Lingyun said. "You should fly to Paris first and finalize three things with him in person: First, the data center location; they recommended Lyon and Marseille, so you should go and take a look at them in person. Second, the local team setup; we need to recruit an operations manager in France, Germany, and the UK. The headhunting firm has given us several recommendations, so you should go and interview them. Third, the compliance plan for the EU Data Protection Directive; Durand said he can arrange someone in Brussels to handle it, so you should go and talk to them."
"How long will it take approximately?"
"Two weeks," Ling Yun said. "When I come back, I'll bring a complete European market entry plan, including the budget, timeline, staffing, and risk analysis."
Carly scribbled quickly in her notebook, the pen tip scratching across the paper.
"David is going to the Middle East."
David sat up straight.
"Dr. Leila from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has already coordinated local resources," Ling Yun said. "You'll go there and do a few things: First, select a data center location. They recommended Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so you'll visit both. Second, localize the version. Leila said it needs to conform to Arab culture and religious customs, so you'll take the product manager there and work with the local team to develop a solution. Third, payment channels. Middle Eastern users are used to using local payment methods, so you'll negotiate the integration."
"How long will it take?"
"It will also take two weeks," Lingyun said. "When I come back, I'll bring a plan for the Middle East market, just like Carly's, a complete plan."
David nodded.
Ling Yun walked over from the window and sat down opposite the two of them. "There's one more thing," he said.
The two of them looked at him.
"This trip isn't just about visiting data centers," Ling Yun said. "You're going to build the framework. Europe and the Middle East are Xingyu's main battleground for the next two years. The US market is already taking off, but it's not enough. We need to capture all the world's largest markets before others can react."
"What about the competitors?" Carly asked.
"ICQ has temporarily stopped, but that doesn't mean it will stop forever," Ling Yun said. "Microsoft is brewing a big surprise. We don't know what the plan is, but they will definitely find a way. So we need to be quick. Before they come up with it, we need to retain our users."
"Understood." Carly closed her notebook.
Ling Yun nodded. "Call me anytime if you encounter any problems."
10:30 a.m.
Carly's office.
She was facing her computer screen, with a pile of printed materials spread out in front of her—a data center plan from the French National Investment Bank, a translated copy of the draft EU data protection directive, and introductory materials for the cities of Lyon and Marseille.
There was a knock on the door, and David poked his head in.
Are you busy?
"Come in."
David walked in and sat down opposite her. He was also holding a stack of documents with the Abu Dhabi desert skyline printed on the cover.
"Are you nervous?" he asked.
Carly looked up at him. "What?"
"To Europe," David said. "This is the first time I've been in charge of such a large project on my own."
Carly was silent for two seconds.
"A little," she said, "but there must be a reason behind what President Ling arranged."
"You believe him?"
You don't believe me?
"I believe you," he said. "From the first time I met him until now, he has always been right."
"Then why are you so nervous?"
David turned to look at her.
"I'm afraid I won't do a good job," he said. "The situation in the Middle East is more complicated than in Europe. Culture, religion, language, payment methods—it's all new stuff. What if I mess it up..."
"You'll mess it up," Carly interrupted him.
David looked at her.
"Mr. Ling chose us not because of luck," Carly said, "but because he knew we could do it."
David was silent for a few seconds. Then he nodded.
"you're right."
He stood up and walked to the door. He put his hand on the doorknob, then stopped.
"Carly."
"Um?"
"I'll treat you to dinner when I get back."
Carly smiled. "Okay."
The door closed.
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
Ling Yun walked out of the office building, where Zhao Hu was already waiting by the car. Seeing him come out, Zhao Hu opened the car door.
"To the airport?" Zhao Hu asked.
"Let's go back to the apartment first."
The car drove out of the parking lot and merged into the streets of Palo Alto.
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
In Carly's office, a suitcase stood in the corner. She was still looking at documents, highlighting important points on the printouts with a highlighter.
My phone rang. It was a text message from Lingyun: "Off you go?"
She replied, "My flight is at seven. I'm heading to the airport now."
"Be careful on the road."
"it is good."
6 p.m., San Francisco International Airport.
Carly stood in front of the check-in counter and handed her passport and ticket to the ground staff.
"Ms. Carly, your flight CA985, Paris. Have a pleasant journey."
She took the boarding pass and glanced at the information: departure at 19:00, arrival in Paris at 14:35 the next afternoon.
She pulled her suitcase toward the security checkpoint. There weren't many people in line, and she got through in just a few minutes.
The waiting area was bustling with people. She found a seat by the window, took out her phone, and sent Ling Yun a text message: "Arrived at the airport, everything went smoothly."
She remembered the question David had asked her that afternoon: "Are you nervous?"
Nervous? Of course I was. Building a market from scratch in Europe in fourteen days. Any normal person would be nervous.
But she knew that Ling Yun had his reasons for choosing her.
It wasn't because of luck.
It's because she can do it.
An announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Boarding for CA985 to Paris is now open..."
She stood up, picked up her suitcase, and walked towards the boarding gate.