Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 223 Rejecting Microsoft

Lindeman arrived faster than expected.

At nine o'clock on Wednesday morning, three black Mercedes-Benz cars pulled up in front of the 402 headquarters building. Lindeman, a man in his early fifties, wearing a silver-gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses, stepped out of the middle car, followed by a six-person strategic team. Han Lu greeted him at the door, and Lindeman said "It's an honor to meet you" in fluent Chinese, shaking hands with just the right amount of force.

Inside the conference room, Zuo Cheng was already waiting. Chen Hao sat on the left, Shen Yiming on the right, and Han Lu opposite. Lindeman's team lined up opposite them, their laptops open, each with a bound proposal document in front of them.

Lindeman didn't engage in much small talk. He opened his slides, Microsoft's comprehensive assessment of 402. The 300-page proposal broke down the technical pathways of 402's eight branches. It included analysis of the topological qubit route in quantum computing, evaluation of signal decoding algorithms for brain-computer interfaces, calculation of the technological gap in reusable rockets for commercial spaceflight, and comparison of transmission efficiency curves for space photovoltaics. Each step was accompanied by technical white paper-level justification.

Zuo Cheng quietly flipped through the pages, spending no more than ten seconds on each one. These analyses were beyond the capabilities of any external organization; some of the technical parameters were so precise they made him uncomfortable.

After turning the last page, Zuo Cheng put down the document. "You've done a lot of homework."

"We never fight an unprepared battle." Lindemann smiled. Then he turned to the core section.

Microsoft proposed a strategic investment. They would invest $5 billion for a 15% stake, with an additional $10 billion in R&D cooperation budget over the next five years. Independent operation would be retained, and Zuo Cheng would continue as CEO. Chen Hao looked at the $30 billion figure and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. Shen Yiming stared at a line of small print in the intellectual property sharing agreement, his brow furrowing slightly.

Zuo Cheng closed the proposal and pushed it aside. "Mr. Lindeman, you've analyzed eight of our technical directions. Could you tell me which one you're least confident you can catch up in?"

Lindemann's smile remained unchanged, but his reply was delayed by half a second. "Quantum computing. Your topological qubit approach bypasses the coherence time bottleneck of the superconducting approach. Our team believes that the precision of this approach exceeds statistical probability."

Thank you. Zuo Cheng stood up. I need to discuss this with the team and will get back to you in three days.

Lindemann's expression changed for a moment. He was clearly used to immediate feedback, but Zuo Cheng hadn't given him that. Three days. He repeated it.

Over three days, Zuo Cheng read Microsoft's proposal three times. The first time, he looked at the funding; the second time, the terms; and the third time, the loopholes. After the third reading, only two words remained on the whiteboard: Not for sale.

On the morning of the fourth day, Zuo Cheng asked Han Lu to notify Lindeman to come to the office for a meeting. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Lindeman walked in alone, the sunlight reflecting off the river dividing the room into light and shadow.

I'll get straight to the point. Zuo Cheng's voice was calm. We do not accept investment.

Lindemann seemed unsurprised, but he was waiting for a reason.

"The terms you offered were very generous," Zuo Cheng said. "But I refused not because of the money, but for three reasons."

First, 402 is my dream, not a business. I've built this from a four-person incubator to where it is now, not to sell it. Quantum computing, brain-computer interfaces, aerospace—only my team and I know the cost of each step.

Second, China's core technologies cannot be handed over to foreigners. Quantum supremacy, brain-computer interfaces, commercial spaceflight—each one is related to national strategic security. You promised to retain independent operating rights, but equity equals control. Will you still keep this promise five years from now?

Third, our goal is the stars and the sea, not NASDAQ. Microsoft wants a high-growth business that adds luster to its financial statements; I want to take the next step in human civilization. These two goals are not on the same level.

Lindemann remained silent for a long time. Sunlight reflected off his gold-rimmed glasses, creating small patches of light.

Then he said something unexpected: "I expected you to refuse. I didn't expect your reason."

He stood up. "Mr. Zuo Cheng, since you've chosen independence, the atmosphere might not be the same next time we meet."

"I'll wait for you," Zuo Cheng said.

Half an hour after Lindeman left, Han Lu received a Bloomberg news flash: Microsoft's $30 billion acquisition offer to 402B was rejected.

Han Lu handed the phone to Zuo Cheng. The news came faster than you expected.

Lindeman released the offer himself. Zuo Cheng glanced at it. The news of the rejection spread faster than the acceptance. He wanted Wall Street to know that it wasn't that Microsoft wasn't big enough, but that 402 rejected everything. If they didn't release it, the other five companies would keep coming, giving everyone an answer all at once.

The news caused a complete uproar that afternoon.

The Bloomberg article, translated into Chinese, was titled "Young People in an Incubator Seven Years Ago Rejected $30 Billion from Microsoft." The People's Daily official Weibo account posted a comment: "This is the confidence of Chinese technology." The top trending topic on Weibo became "Zuo Cheng Rejects Microsoft," with the most popular comment being quite straightforward: $30 billion, equivalent to over 200 billion RMB, and he didn't even blink.

That evening, the financial channel did a special feature, inviting three economists to analyze the valuation logic of 402. Some said that 22 billion was an undervaluation, and Microsoft's willingness to pay 30 billion indicated that its true value was even higher. Some said that Zuo Cheng was too idealistic and missed the best window of opportunity for capitalization. Others said that Chinese technology companies finally had the confidence to say no to the world's largest tech giant.

Han Lu sat in her office scrolling through these comments. She recalled what Zuo Cheng had said seven years ago when Ginkgo Capital signed her: "One day, it won't be them choosing us, it will be us choosing them." At the time, she thought it was just youthful arrogance. Now, global media outlets are reporting that a young Chinese man said no to Microsoft.

Zuo Cheng didn't celebrate that night, nor did he work overtime. He erased all the notes on the whiteboard and rewrote a new line.

The road ahead is still long.

On the system panel, the Microsoft light in the Civilization Awareness interface was dimming, while several new ones were sprouting beside it. Google's light was on, Apple's was on, and Amazon's was on too. Rejecting Microsoft meant rejecting the world's thickest olive branch, but everyone wanted to see for themselves what lay behind that olive branch.

Zuo Cheng closed the control panel, picked up his phone, and sent Yu Ying a message: "Have you had dinner?"

not yet.

See you at the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was nearly empty. The two sat by the window, overlooking the night view of Hangzhou. Yu Ying picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks and glanced at Zuo Cheng. She had turned down Microsoft today.

The whole country knows now. Yu Ying put down her chopsticks. Are you scared?

What's there to be afraid of?

They won't let this go. By rejecting $30 billion, you're essentially saying in public that these technologies are worth more than $30 billion. Every company wanting to enter these fields will see 402 as their imaginary enemy.

Zuo Cheng put down his chopsticks. I didn't say I wasn't afraid. I meant that even if you're afraid, you have to say no.

Yu Ying glanced at him for a few seconds, then lowered her head and continued eating. What should she do next?

Zuo Cheng swallowed the last bite of rice. See next.