Starting From the Chip in 1991

Chapter 37 Las Vegas, Here I Come

The boxy Mercedes 190 sped down the highway from New York to Philadelphia.

The driver was Chen Haoming, a Tsinghua graduate who had studied abroad and, although a year older than Xi Xiaoding, was in fact Xi's junior, having studied under the same advisor, George Zoe.

In the front passenger seat sat his girlfriend Qin Si, who had studied at F University's School of Economics and had just earned a master's degree from Wharton Business School, now working at an investment firm.

Su Yuanshan sat in the back seat by the window, with Xi Xiaoding in the middle and Yang Yiwen on the right.

"Is Xiaoshan carsick?" Qin Si turned to chat with Xi Xiaoding but noticed Su Yuanshan's slightly pale face.

"No..." Su Yuanshan said, forcing a smile. "I just get a little dizzy when the car is going too fast. It's better when it slows down."

Xi Xiaoding glanced at him and said lightly, "Haoming, slow down a bit. You're already doing a hundred miles."

"Alright." Chen Haoming eased off the gas.

Su Yuanshan let out a long breath, his face slowly returning to normal.

He knew this was a lingering psychological reaction—a shadow from past trauma—that might take some time to overcome. After all, a hundred miles an hour was just about 160 km/h, easily reached on a lightly trafficked highway.

Once Su Yuanshan felt better, he started chatting, and the atmosphere inside the car became much more lively.

As Qin Weimin had once said, compared to Xi Xiaoding, Su Yuanshan was much more down-to-earth.

While Xi appeared aloof, once familiar, it became clear he was just an introverted guy.

Originally, Yang Yiwen would have been a natural at livening up the mood, but facing two Ivy League graduates, she felt a bit reserved and behaved much more like a proper lady.

Upon reaching Philadelphia, they simply had a meal, then stopped by Xi Xiaoding's place to pack up his things.

Su Yuanshan and Yang Yiwen then checked into a hotel to rest, while Xi went to meet his former advisor.

...

"Is this what jet lag feels like?" Yang Yiwen yawned as she entered Su Yuanshan's hotel room, looking utterly drained.

She had dozed off intermittently during the flight, and now she was caught between exhaustion and an odd, restless alertness.

Su Yuanshan was reading a book. Hearing her, he looked up and smiled.

"Pretty much. Philadelphia is exactly twelve hours behind home. It's ten in the morning here."

"I feel so irritable," Yang Yiwen said, leaning against the doorframe. "Are we heading straight to Las Vegas tomorrow? Or are we going to New York to handle the patents first?"

"Neither," Su Yuanshan replied. "Tomorrow we rest and adjust to the time zone. The day after, we'll meet the patent lawyers. Then we'll head to Vegas."

"Alright... I'll go lie down then. This is so annoying."

Su Yuanshan watched her leave, then locked the door and walked to the window.

Philadelphia's prosperity was undeniable.

Located next to New York, it had even served as the nation's capital at one time and boasted the University of Pennsylvania—a true Ivy League giant.

Wharton Business School, where Qin Si had studied, was hailed as the birthplace of the modern MBA.

By any measure, it was a city where ambitious young people dreamed of succeeding.

Yet Xi Xiaoding had decisively given it up.

A naturally lazy person, he had even chosen to work at IBM's Philadelphia office rather than move.

Now he was back at Penn, scrounging up a small workstation to help Yuanxin prepare for the Las Vegas exhibition.

Thinking about his father's advice, Su Yuanshan shook his head and smiled.

He had never forgotten about preparing equity incentives for Yuanxin's core technical staff.

But right now, Yuanxin's various ventures were too scattered. He would only allocate shares after they restructured internally.

Starting next year, big investments would be necessary.

Su Yuanshan didn't want premature equity dilution causing unnecessary trouble.

Besides, when it came to playing with capital, he wasn't an expert.

He needed a professional to help him—and Qin Si seemed promising.

On the road earlier, Xi Xiaoding had even subtly hinted at it.

But from what Qin Si had said, she seemed to be enjoying her current investment job too much to switch.

After standing by the window for a while, Su Yuanshan lay back on the bed, read a few more pages, and soon drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Xi Xiaoding simply called—they didn't meet.

Su Yuanshan and Yang Yiwen strolled casually around downtown.

They visited the Chinatown area but found it disappointing:

aside from some yellow faces and Chinese signs, there was none of the authentic "home" feeling.

That night, Xi Xiaoding arrived at the hotel and announced that the workstation had been secured and was being air-freighted to Vegas.

He also told Su Yuanshan that Chen Haoming and Qin Si had agreed to join them on the Vegas trip.

On the third day, the five of them went to New York, handed the patents over to the lawyers, and flew directly from New York to Las Vegas.

**

Because Yuanxin was operating "solo," their arrival at the convention was chaotic.

Las Vegas, being a tourist city, was already overwhelming—getting a taxi was a nightmare.

Finally, Chen Haoming had a brainwave and rented a Volkswagen Golf from a car rental agency, saving them from disaster.

The event, known as COMDEX '91—the World Distributors Conference—was enormous.

There were six exhibition halls, over 1,700 participating companies and merchants, and nearly 200,000 square meters of exhibition space.

The main venue was the Las Vegas International Convention Center, where heavyweights like IBM, Apple, and Motorola gathered.

Yuanxin's booth was in the Sands Expo Center—neither too hidden nor too prominent.

The organizers had prepared standard booths, so participants only needed to bring their products, which was a small favor to companies from poorer countries.

After all, it was already 1991.

The U.S. had signed the second version of the Semiconductor Agreement with Japan and was proudly proclaiming the revival of its semiconductor industry.

If they didn't put on a grand show, it would be embarrassing.

"We don't seem to have much foot traffic here," Yang Yiwen said, glancing around.

She saw people of all races milling around at the surrounding booths.

"Better get used to it," Su Yuanshan said cheerfully as he connected the power and monitor, booting up the workstation.

"Tomorrow, we might have only one person here guarding the booth."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because tomorrow's the opening ceremony at the main venue," Chen Haoming answered, having kept a close eye on the event.

"And word is, Apple is planning a major show."

"What about us?" Yang Yiwen asked.

"We'll just quietly man our booth," Su Yuanshan said.

"After all, no one should miss out if they pass by."

Seeing the system boot successfully, Su Yuanshan exhaled in relief.

Then he turned to Yang Yiwen and said, "Sister-in-law, if I were you, I'd already be thinking about how we can set up a branch here with the lowest cost and tax burden—maybe even a joint venture."

He then looked at Qin Si.

"Sister Qin, want to help think about it too?"

Qin Si had been zoning out, not expecting to be pulled into anything serious.

Startled, she blinked. "Think about what?"

"How to set up a software sales and service company here without running afoul of local policies and tariffs," Su Yuanshan said, spreading his hands helplessly.

"I really have no clue about this stuff."

He wasn't lying.

In his memory, there hadn't been any precedent for Chinese software companies successfully exporting to the U.S. yet.

But there was one thing he was absolutely certain about:

News travels fast.

And far from being afraid, he welcomed it.

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