Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

188: Chapter 188 Lijiang Ancient Town Folk Music BarFebruary 19th

9 PM, the stone roads of Lijiang Ancient Town were bathed in the warm yellow glow of red lanterns.

Su Chen and Lin Wan walked hand in hand, wandering aimlessly. Passing a bar, guitar music and singing drifted out.

“Want to go in and sit for a bit?” Lin Wan asked.

“Sure.”

The bar was small, seating about thirty people. On stage, a long-haired man was singing “Chengdu” with a raspy, magnetic voice.

The two found a corner seat and ordered two juices—Su Chen didn’t drink alcohol, and Lin Wan didn’t like it either.

When the singer finished, the audience applauded. A girl shouted: “Boss, can we request a song?”

The boss, who was also the singer, smiled and nodded: “What do you want to hear?”

“‘A Life of Love’!”

The guitar intro began, and Su Chen tapped his fingers on the table to the beat.

Lin Wan whispered: “Every time I hear this song, I want to cry.”

“Why?”

“Because Zixia Fairy never gets to wait for her peerless hero.” Lin Wan looked at the stage. “In reality, many people never get to wait for theirs either.”

Halfway through the song, the singer suddenly started coughing, and the guitar music stopped.

“Sorry, my throat isn’t feeling too well.” The singer smiled bitterly. “I’ve been singing for too long today.”

Kind laughter rippled through the audience.

Su Chen suddenly stood up: “Boss, can I sing one?”

All eyes in the room focused on him.

Lin Wan widened her eyes: “You can sing?”

“Learned it in secret.” Su Chen winked at her.

He walked onto the stage and took the guitar. He tuned the strings and tested a few notes.

Offstage, several security personnel disguised as “tourists” instinctively placed their hands on their earpieces—this was the boss’s first time singing in public, and the risk factor had increased. The team leader whispered an order: “Watch the surroundings, increase vigilance.”

Su Chen began to sing, again “A Life of Love”.

His voice wasn’t professional, even a bit rough. But when he sang, “The bitter sea churns with love and hate, in this world fate is hard to escape,” he looked at Lin Wan offstage, his eyes so gentle they seemed like they could melt.

Lin Wan covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

She remembered the first time she met Su Chen, in the Spark Technology laboratory. He was wearing a lab coat, staring at a microscope, focused like a child. At that time, she only thought: This young boss is so earnest.

Later, he took over Spark Technology, and she followed as his secretary. She watched him stay up late, watched him get suppressed, watched him stand back up, watched him build Spark up bit by bit.

He rarely said sweet nothings, rarely was romantic. He was always busy, always solving problems.

But today, in this strange little bar, he was singing for her.

When the song ended, the bar was silent for a few seconds, then erupted into applause.

“Great singing, brother!” someone shouted.

Su Chen put down the guitar and walked back to their seat. Lin Wan threw herself into his arms, and the tears finally fell.

“When did you learn this?” she asked, choked up.

“For the past few months, I’ve been secretly practicing for half an hour every day.” Su Chen wiped away her tears. “Just wanted to give you a surprise.”

“Dummy...” Lin Wan laughed and cried at the same time. “Do you know you were off-key?”

“I know.” Su Chen also smiled. “But it’s the thought that counts.”

When leaving the bar, the boss chased after them: “Brother, leave a name? You really sang with feeling.”

Su Chen thought for a moment and wrote two characters: Xing Chen.

“Xing Chen...” the boss murmured. “Good name. Next time you come to Lijiang, I’ll treat you to a drink.”

“Sure.”

After walking away, Lin Wan asked: “Why did you write ‘Xing Chen’?”

“Because Spark is like the stars, illuminating the night sky.” Su Chen looked at the starry sky. “Also because your name is Lin Wan, and the character ‘Wan’ carries the meaning of ‘as beautiful as the stars’.”

Lin Wan was stunned, then smiled: “When did you become so good with words?”

Su Chen didn’t speak, just hugged Lin Wan tightly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

Chengdu · Kuanzhai Alley · February 21st

3 PM, Kuanzhai Alley was packed with people.

Lin Wan saw a sugar-oil fruit stall, her eyes lit up: “I want to eat that!”

“The line is so long.” Su Chen looked at the queue, at least thirty people.

“Let’s wait.” Lin Wan pulled him to the end of the line.

During the Spring Festival in Chengdu, there were so many tourists it was almost impossible to move. The two waited for twenty minutes, finally nearing the stall.

Suddenly, the crowd behind them surged forward. Lin Wan stumbled and almost fell.

The next second, two tall figures silently separated the crowd, guarding her on both sides—they were security personnel from the Dark Group, wearing plain clothes and sunglasses.

“Careful.” One of them said in a low voice.

Lin Wan stood steady, still shaken: “Thank you.”

Su Chen pulled her in front of him, blocking behind her: “Hold onto me tight.”

Finally buying the sugar-oil fruit, Lin Wan took a bite, squinting in satisfaction: “Delicious!”

“Eat slowly, don’t burn yourself.” Su Chen smiled.

In the evening, they went to a small bistro on Yulin Road.

Just after sitting down, a few university students at the next table kept looking over.

“That person... is he Spark’s Su Chen?” a bespectacled boy whispered.

“It really seems like him!” Another girl took out her phone to compare. “Oh my god, it really is him!”

The group hesitated for a while, then gathered the courage to walk over.

“Excuse me... are you Boss Su?” the bespectacled boy asked cautiously.

Su Chen nodded: “It’s me.”

“Ah!” The students were excited. “Can we take a picture with you?”

The security team leader’s earpiece crackled: “Target identified, suggest evacuation.”

Su Chen glanced at Lin Wan, and Lin Wan smiled and nodded.

“Sure,” he said.

After the photo, the students didn’t leave yet. The bespectacled boy gathered his courage and asked: “Boss Su, we are from the University of Electronic Science and Technology, graduating next year. Can we ask you a few questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“What do you think we should study now to get into a company like Spark?”

Su Chen thought for a moment: “Three things. First, build a solid foundation—math, physics, programming, don’t just learn the surface level. Second, do more projects, don’t be afraid of failure. Third, maintain curiosity; technology develops too fast, today’s hot topic might be obsolete tomorrow.”

He paused: “Also, don’t just focus on money. Money is important, but if you only do it for money, you won’t last long. You have to do what you are truly interested in.”

The students took notes seriously.

“Boss Su, let us buy you a drink!” the girl said.

Su Chen smiled: “I’ll treat you all. Boss, add a round to this table, on me.”

The whole room cheered.

When leaving, Su Chen left a business card on the table: “If you want to do hard tech after graduation, you can submit your resume. But let me be clear—Spark doesn’t keep idlers, you have to give it your all once you’re in.”

“We aren’t afraid!” the students said in unison.

Walking out of the bistro, Lin Wan smiled and said: “You’re doing ‘on-site recruiting’ now.”

“Good talent needs to be spotted early,” Su Chen said. “Students from the University of Electronic Science and Technology have a good foundation and drive. Spark needs people like that.”

“Learned that from you.”

After leaving the bar, Su Chen and Lin Wan went to Taikoo Li and some other ancient buildings to appreciate the cultural landscape of Chengdu.