Inside the "development room". A small, air-conditioned guest bedroom in the Guan residence that Xavier and Leo had claimed for their study group, the air was crisp and the energy was electric.
Leo Guan sat hunched over the brand-new laptop, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen. The machine was a beast for 2007, a silver-cased powerhouse that felt like a spaceship compared to the bulky beige desktops at his university.
"Xavi, this isn't possible" Leo whispered, his voice cracking. "The sponsorship offer for Dungeon Architect just came in. Armor Games wants to pay eighteen hundred dollars for the exclusive rights for six months. Eighteen hundred!"
Xavier, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a notebook, didn't even look up. "Tell them we want two thousand, plus a twenty percent share of the ad revenue for the first year. Abyss... I mean, my research says they're desperate for a high-retention title before the summer rush in the US."
Leo looked at his seven-year-old cousin with a mixture of fear and reverence. He had spent the last few days retyping the logic blocks Xavier had provided. Blocks of code that were so elegant and efficient they made his university professors' lectures look like nursery rhymes.
"They'll never agree to that," Leo said, even as his fingers began to type the counteroffer.
"They will" Xavier said simply.
"Because they know that if they don't, Newgrounds will. And Newgrounds has a larger user base in Europe"
Leo shook his head, hit send and then leaned back in his chair. "You're not a kid, Xavi. I don't know what you are, but you're definitely not a normal seven-year-old."
Xavier finally looked up, his dark eyes reflecting the cool blue light of the room. "I'm just a Guan, Kuya Leo. I'm just working hard for our dream. Remember? We're going to build a fortress"
The fortress was already taking shape. The $800 withdrawal had been the first brick. It had gone into the initial setup of "Guan Desserts" and Leo's initial pay. The remaining $450 had bought the laptop, a tool that was now generating a return on investment of over four hundred percent in less than a week.
---------------
The success of the first Guan Desserts stall wasn't just about the recipe, though the Abyss-optimized balance of sweet, creamy, and chilled was addictive to the children. It was about the standard.
Xavier had insisted on stainless steel surfaces, a uniform for Aris's brother, and a level of hygiene that was unheard of for street food in 2007.
The parents of the Saint Augustine students, usually wary of their children buying food outside the gates, had started to approve.
Some even stopped their cars to buy a tub of the mango graham cake for themselves.
"We need more, Xavi" Aris said during their lunch break. He was no longer the hunched, terrified boy. He carried a small clipboard, his handwriting tracking the daily sales.
"The kids from the public school are coming over here to buy. We're running out of stock by 4:00 PM"
Xavier nodded, finishing his own small cup of the dessert. "We're not just adding more stock, Aris. We're adding more locations. Leo is looking at two spots. One near the Public Elementary School and another in a nearby private school. We'll hire more of your neighbors. People who need the work."
"My Ma wants to work" Aris said, his voice dropping.
"She saw how much my brother is earning. She says it's more than she makes"
"Hire her" Xavier said. "But she doesn't work the stall. I want her to manage the Prep Kitchen. We need a central place to make the graham cakes to keep the quality the same everywhere. I'll give her a salary of twenty-five thousand pesos a month"
Aris's eyes welled up. Twenty-five thousand pesos was a fortune for his mother. It was more than enough to slowly pay off their debts and keep him in school without the constant fear of being kicked out.
"Thank you, Xavi" Aris whispered.
"Don't thank me" Xavier said, his voice turning cold for a moment. "Work for me."
---------------
While Xavier's empire was expanding, the family's public legacy was also reaching new heights.
Arthur Guan had spent the last few days in a whirlwind of activity. The previous win had sent a small ripple through the local industrial sector. Aguila Construction, the dominant player, had initially dismissed it as a fluke, a suicide bid that would ruin Guan-Tech.
However, the victory was followed by a sudden, frustrating announcement.
Right of Way issues, Arthur grumbled at the dinner table on June 28th.
"The DPWH says two families are fighting over the land where the north approach is supposed to sit. The project is delayed indefinitely. Could be six months, could be a year."
Clara looked at him with concern. "Does that mean we don't get the contract?"
"No, we will have the contract," Arthur said, rubbing his temples.
"But the price of steel is climbing. If I don't buy the now, I'll be paying double by the time the ground breaks. But where do I store thirty million pesos worth of steel for a year? The insurance alone would kill our margins."
In his past life, Xavier remembered his father panicking. He had taken a massive bank loan to hoard steel, thinking he was being smart. But the delay lasted too long, the interest ate their profits, and then the 2008 crash turned that expensive steel into worthless rust.
Xavier put down his spoon.
"Pa" he said, his voice small and innocent. "Is the bridge sleeping?"
Arthur looked at him, amused despite himself.
"Yes, A-Ba. The bridge is sleeping."
"Then maybe the steel should sleep too" Xavier suggested. "In my science book, it says that metal in the rain gets old and weak. If the bridge changes size when it wakes up, the steel won't fit anymore, right?"
Arthur paused. It was a child's logic, but it touched on a real fear: a design change during a long delay.
"Maybe it's better to keep the money in the bank" Xavier added. "Money doesn't get rusty."
Arthur looked at Clara, then back at Xavier. He had been planning to go to the bank tomorrow for a material loan. But the thought of millions in steel sitting in a warehouse for a year, potentially becoming the wrong size if the redesign happened, made him hesitate.
"That's right, Arthur" Clara said softly. "Why rush into debt? We have other projects. Let the government sort out their mess first."
Arthur leaned back, the weight leaving his face. "You're right. We'll wait. We'll fulfill the local orders and keep our cash. We'll be the only ones not bleeding interest while the bridge sleeps"
[ABYSS: CRITICAL PIVOT ACHIEVED. GUAN-TECH LIQUIDITY RATING: INCREASING. PROBABILITY OF SURVIVING THE COMING CRASH: 99.2%.]
---------------
June 29, 2007.
Xavier sat in front of the TV in the living room, watching the international news. The headlines were filled with images of long lines outside Apple stores in New York. The iPhone 1 was finally on sale.
To the world, it was a sleek, expensive toy. To Xavier, it was the opening bell of the most profitable era in human history.
"What's that, A-Ba?" Clara asked, sitting down beside him.
"It's the future, Ma" Xavier said, his eyes fixed on the screen. "One day, everyone will have one. And I'm going to be the one who makes the things inside it."
Clara laughed, ruffling his hair. "Such big dreams. But first, you have to finish your study first, okay?"
Xavier smiled, leaning against her. For a moment, he let the boy in him take over. He enjoyed the warmth of his mother and the temporary peace of a home that was no longer under the shadow of a fire.
But as soon as Clara went back to the kitchen, the calculating adult returned.
[ABYSS: IPHONE SDK ANALYSIS COMPLETE. COMMENCING CODING OF GUAN-HEALTH TRACKER PROTOTYPE. NOTE: MOBILE CONTENT CONSUMPTION WILL RISE 4,000% BY 2010.]
"Leo" Xavier called out, standing up.
"We're done with Flash games. We're moving to Objective-C."
"Objective-what?" Leo's voice came from the guest room.
"Just retype what I give you," Xavier said, his feet already moving toward the laptop. "We're about to make our first million"
By the end of the night, the digital revenue had jumped again. Armor Games had accepted the $2,000 counteroffer. The Guan Desserts stalls were netting thousands of pesos a day in pure profit. And in the dark of his room, Xavier Guan watched the glowing infinity symbol on his 2031 phone.
The first wave was nearing its peak. And the boy from the future was ready to jump.