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After no longer spending entire days monitoring gold prices, Lin BaoCheng turned back to his work.
He needed to guide the Tank Battle development team. Fortunately, the overall direction was already set, so he didn't need to participate in coding alongside the staff. He only had to check progress daily to ensure nothing went wrong.
This meant progress was slower without his direct involvement, but it couldn't be helped. New Century Software also required his leadership.
The development of office software absolutely could not proceed without Lin BaoCheng at the helm.
Although Apple had launched the personal computer era, it had only been half a year, and PCs were not yet widespread. Computers, however, had existed for years. IBM machines were selling well to government offices, banks, schools, and hospitals, where they were already used for office work.
Despite computers being around for some time, no company had yet developed office software. Beyond limited vision, technical barriers also played a role.
Thus, if office software was to appear within a year or two, Lin BaoCheng had to lead the effort himself, guiding his developers to create it.
So most of his time was spent at New Century Software, directing development.
One morning, just after arriving at the company, Isabella came to his office.
"What is it, Isabella?" Lin asked, knowing she must have something important.
"Boss, Atari's president, Mr. Nolan Bushnell, wants to visit and meet you," she said.
"Still about licensing?" Lin frowned. "Didn't I already tell you to refuse Atari? Twice, in fact. He should know my stance. There's no way I'll authorize Hong Kong Blocks to Atari."
Back after Christmas, Atari had contacted Galaxy Games' U.S. branch, seeking rights to port Hong Kong Blocks to the Atari VCS. Lin had refused.
Clearly, Atari saw that the arcade hit was perfect for consoles and wanted to license it. It could have been mutually profitable. But Galaxy Games had flatly refused, without even naming a high licensing fee — showing no interest in negotiation.
A month later, as Hong Kong Blocks grew even hotter, Atari returned with higher fees and better terms. Isabella herself was tempted, but Lin rejected them again.
His reasoning was simple: Galaxy Games was developing its own console. How could he give a blockbuster title to a rival, strengthening their position?
Moreover, Lin knew Atari would collapse within a few years. The more money they made now, the longer they might survive — perhaps even stabilize. That was not what Lin wanted.
Only if Atari collapsed on schedule could Galaxy Games' console dominate the U.S. and Western markets, seizing the space Atari left behind. Compared to that, Atari's licensing fees were trivial.
So despite Atari's generous offer, Lin refused again, without hesitation.
Isabella speculated: "Boss, I think Mr. Bushnell is unwilling to give up. He wants to meet you personally, to persuade you to authorize the game."
"That seems likely," Lin nodded. He thought the same.
Atari's VCS currently had no real competitors. But a console without games was useless. Atari alone couldn't produce enough titles, so they had to license from other companies. Hong Kong Blocks was wildly popular, appealing to all ages. Naturally, Atari didn't want to miss it.
"Isabella, do you think I should meet him? You know we're developing our own console. We absolutely cannot license our games to others."
"I think you should meet him," Isabella replied. "Bushnell is Atari's president. If he comes personally and we refuse to meet, it could look bad. And if you don't meet him, he may keep pestering the company about licensing."
"You're right. Fine, I'll meet him," Lin agreed. "Arrange it here at the company. Confirm the time with him and let me know."
"Yes, Boss!" Isabella said.
"Oh, one more thing," Lin added as she turned to leave. "How's the search for a Chinese tour guide?"
"Professional guides are rare, since you said it might be for several months. So I've been looking for Hong Kong graduates or Chinese Americans. We should find someone within a few days," Isabella replied.
"My parents are coming soon. Make sure we have a guide before they arrive," Lin reminded her. After much persuasion, his parents had agreed to visit the U.S. for a while. How long they stayed would be up to them.
"Don't worry, Boss. I won't delay," Isabella promised.
"I trust you," Lin said. He had confidence in her abilities.
Later, Isabella returned to report she had spoken with Nolan Bushnell by phone. They arranged to meet at 2:30 that afternoon at the company.
Lin nodded. He didn't know how Bushnell planned to persuade him, but whatever was said, his decision wouldn't change — unless Atari offered an unimaginably high price.
Such a "sky‑high" offer was the only thing that could sway him. But Lin knew Atari would never pay that much. If they did, he wouldn't mind authorizing them — take the money now, and let the future be decided by competition.