Chapter 260 - 258: We Will Not Be Ungrateful

"Cecilia, do you come here often?" someone asked, unable to contain their curiosity.

A playful smile touched Cecilia Sterling’s lips as her gaze swept over the group. "Perhaps we’ll all be coming here often in the future."

"What do you mean?" Gavin Garrett asked, his eyes wide and bright. "Don’t tell me we’re going to have all our team-building events here from now on?"

"Wouldn’t that be a little too extravagant?"

"And Cecilia would be treating us every time. That’s a bit much."

"Exactly. If we split the bill, it’d be fine. We’ve all made a good amount of money, after all."

Everyone chimed in, but Cecilia Sterling just listened with a smile, saying nothing.

Timothy Rowe, who seemed uninterested in the topic, suddenly turned to Cecilia Sterling. "Cecilia, we’re getting ready to develop our next project."

His words silenced the room instantly.

Cecilia Sterling was a little surprised. "So soon? Do you already have a clear goal?"

"Yes. We’ve actually been discussing it since the New Year holiday. The final consensus is to build on our previous project and create a version 2.0—a new program that’s faster, more precise, and more efficient."

Paige continued, "Our thinking is that technology is always advancing. Since our current program will eventually be replaced by a new one, why not be the ones to replace it ourselves? With the experience from our previous success, we’ll have a unique advantage with the new project, and our base success rate will be higher!"

Hearing this, Cecilia Sterling nodded lightly. "That’s certainly a safe and sound decision."

Cecilia then glanced at everyone and added, "So this is what you’ve all decided? Most of you are graduating this year. Does this mean you’re not planning to send out resumes and find jobs, but to stick together and continue with the startup?"

After all, with the success of their current project on their resumes, they could easily find very stable, high-paying jobs.

But Timothy Rowe looked at Cecilia Sterling seriously and said, "Cecilia, it’s not ’you guys.’ It’s ’us’!"

"Us?"

Cecilia Sterling was slightly taken aback, but she noticed the meaningful smiles on everyone else’s faces.

Then she smiled too. "You still need me? You’re still willing to let a capitalist like me suck you dry?"

After all, they had all made money. And this was just the initial income; the current project would continue to generate a steady stream of revenue, which was more than enough for them to fund a new venture on their own.

Honestly, Cecilia Sterling hadn’t expected them to be willing to let her in on a second round of investment.

While a second round of her investment would reduce their potential losses to zero, it would also significantly dilute their profits if they succeeded. Everyone surely understood that.

"Are you still willing to invest in us?" Timothy Rowe asked, looking at her.

"Of course!" Cecilia Sterling blurted out without hesitation. "As long as you need me, of course I’m willing!"

"But the thing is..." Cecilia Sterling hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak her mind. "The money you’ve earned from this project is enough for you to strike out on your own. Even if the next project is risky, you can completely afford to lose. So why are you still willing to let me invest?"

Cecilia asked with great seriousness.

Hearing her question, the smiles on everyone’s faces only deepened.

Timothy Rowe explained, "While our success wasn’t a fluke, we have to admit there was a lot of luck involved in succeeding with our very first startup. But even that luck only seemed to kick in after you showed up. Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, all of us feel from the bottom of our hearts that we wouldn’t be where we are today without you."

The others all nodded in agreement.

Then Timothy Rowe continued, "We want you to continue being our investor, and our reasons are both rational and personal. Rationally, one success doesn’t guarantee anything. We all know our team isn’t mature yet, and things won’t always go this smoothly. We’re thrilled to have earned our first pot of gold, but we still need someone to provide a safety net!"

"As for the personal reasons, everyone has their own, so I won’t go into detail. But we all agree on one thing: we can’t be ungrateful. We’re not the kind of people who’d kick our benefactor to the curb the moment we get a taste of success!"

The others voiced their agreement. "Exactly! Cecilia has been so good to us, trusting and supporting us unconditionally. We would never be so ungrateful!"

"That’s right, we all feel the same way."

"Since you’re willing too, Cecilia, then it’s settled. For the next project, you’ll provide the capital, and we’ll provide the labor!"

Cecilia Sterling looked at the sincere faces before her, deeply moved. She truly had never imagined this scene. She genuinely thought her work would be done after helping them earn their first pot of gold, and she could bow out gracefully.

’I never thought they...’

At a loss for words, Cecilia Sterling nodded. She then raised her glass, and seeing this, the others quickly raised theirs as well. They heard Cecilia say, "Thank you, everyone. To all of you!"

Cecilia Sterling drank the toast in one go, not leaving a single drop.

After putting down her glass, Cecilia Sterling looked at the group and added magnanimously, "Do what you want to do. When it comes to funding, I won’t hold back!"

"That’s what we were waiting to hear, Cecilia!"

"Then it’s a deal!"

"We only feel secure with Cecilia on our side!"

"That’s right!"

The atmosphere reached a crescendo. Everyone started taking turns toasting Cecilia Sterling, who was genuinely happy today. More than ever, she truly felt she had become a part of the team.

Before long, a tipsy blush crept onto Cecilia Sterling’s porcelain-white cheeks, but her mind remained clear.

"Rowe, my suggestion is, how about you all form a studio?"

"A studio?" Timothy Rowe paused, taken aback. He had never really considered that.

Cecilia Sterling nodded. "Yes, a studio. With a studio, you’ll be legitimate professionals in the field, no longer just a makeshift team. It makes things more official!"

"Plus, in the future, you can recruit talented people, hire employees to expand, and having staff can save you all a lot of time and energy on basic, miscellaneous tasks."

"Most importantly, once the studio builds a reputation, it will be very beneficial for future business development."

Cecilia Sterling’s proposal was a revelation for Timothy Rowe. "Cecilia, you’re right. We really should set up a professional studio."

Seeing his reaction, Cecilia smiled slightly. "Anyway, there’s no rush. You can go back and discuss the details with the team first. If you need my help with anything later, just let me know."

Timothy Rowe nodded. "Okay. You’re always so thorough."

"One more thing." Cecilia Sterling looked Timothy Rowe in the eye and said in a serious tone, "Since we’re going to continue working together, we should renegotiate the profit-sharing ratio. The success of the first project is your bargaining chip. You have the right to ask for a higher percentage!"