Chapter 179 - 177: So This Is His Type
Cecilia Sterling put down her chopsticks and slowly turned to face Conrad Goodman directly. "The Goodman Group entered the field of artificial intelligence when it was just in its infancy. This shows the Group’s pioneering spirit and foresight. Now that the Goodman Group has become a domestic leader in this field, it must have been by being inclusive and highly receptive to new things that its AI division has been able to come this far."
In other words, clinging to the old ways will eventually leave you behind.
Cecilia Sterling didn’t need to state this explicitly; Conrad Goodman naturally understood.
But Cecilia Sterling hadn’t come to be Conrad Goodman’s "life coach." She needed to strike a deal with the Goodman Group. She said all this simply to make it clear that their project was something new—a fresh technology on the verge of entering the industry.
Conrad Goodman looked at Cecilia Sterling. For someone so young, she spoke with such calm composure. Estelle was the same age, yet she was still like a child who hadn’t grown up.
"You seem very confident in your project," Conrad Goodman said slowly. "Let me ask you something. Do you know how many people the Goodman Group’s AI department has in its data team alone?"
Cecilia Sterling shook her head. She didn’t know.
Conrad Goodman said, "Over 60 people. And in that one department, there are more than a dozen such teams."
Cecilia Sterling smiled. "Mr. Goodman, are you suggesting that a department of hundreds at the Goodman Group is necessarily better than my eight-person team? I don’t agree with that. Probability can prove the truth most of the time, but sometimes, the truth is held in the hands of the few."
"When Newton discovered universal gravitation, there were billions of people in the world. Every day since life first appeared on Earth, things have fallen from high places, but only Newton discovered gravity."
"Perhaps my example is a bit extreme, but history is filled with countless similar cases. As a successful entrepreneur, Mr. Goodman, you should also know that the very first lines of AI code were written by a small team of just a few people. You can’t look down on us just because our team is small."
Estelle Goodman pouted and muttered under her breath, "Exactly..."
Conrad Goodman glanced at his daughter, then chuckled and nodded. "Of course I understand that principle. I’m not looking down on you. I’m merely reserved about people and things I don’t know. That’s always been my style."
"Then, Mr. Goodman, can you give us one chance? After all, talk is cheap, and practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. We’ll know whether we can succeed or not once we try!" Cecilia Sterling pleaded earnestly.
Estelle Goodman couldn’t hold back any longer. "Dad, you kicked out Rowe and the others without even getting the full story. Now Cecilia is asking you again. Are you really going to reject them a second time?"
Even Mrs. Goodman couldn’t help but speak up for Cecilia Sterling. "Doesn’t the Goodman Group always encourage young people to think big and act boldly? The company even set up a special innovation fund for the youth. From what I see, Cecilia and her team are all recent graduates. Starting a business isn’t easy for young people. Why don’t you just give them a chance?"
Cecilia Sterling shot Mrs. Goodman a grateful look, then turned back to Conrad Goodman. "Mr. Goodman, if this succeeds, it’s a win-win. If it doesn’t, the Goodman Group loses nothing. But this opportunity is incredibly important to us. Please, just trust us this one time."
At this point, Conrad Goodman really had no room to refuse. He nodded. "Alright. I’ll make arrangements for your team to connect with our company’s professional department. But I want to make one thing clear: if your program is just barely passing, I won’t use it. It has to be exceptionally good and ahead of the curve."
Cecilia Sterling’s face lit up with joy, and she nodded excitedly. "Rest assured, Mr. Goodman. We won’t disappoint you."
The others subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Estelle Goodman happily raised her glass. "Dad, thank you on behalf of Cecilia."
Conrad Goodman smiled dotingly at his daughter. To be honest, a large part of the reason he’d agreed was because of her. If a stranger had approached him for a partnership in such an abrupt manner, he wouldn’t have even given them the time of day.
It didn’t matter how extravagantly they hyped up their product; the Goodman Group had the best teams, and deep down, Conrad Goodman was proud of that.
Cecilia Sterling also knew that without using her connection to Estelle, it would have been difficult to even get a foot in the Goodman Group’s door. That was why she had no choice but to be thick-skinned and ask. She wasn’t just doing it for herself, but for Rowe and the entire team.
Fortunately, the rest of the dinner was relatively pleasant, and Conrad Goodman showed no signs of displeasure.
After dinner, Blair even took the initiative to teach Mrs. Goodman a few simple tricks for aiding digestion, especially useful after a large evening meal to prevent indigestion overnight.
Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman stayed to chat idly with Conrad Goodman over tea. But just as it was approaching nine o’clock, someone else unexpectedly arrived at the door, gifts in hand.
It was none other than Kael Jennings—the "big brother" Estelle had harbored a crush on since childhood—and his fiancée.
"Kael, Tiana?"
Conrad Goodman and his wife were also quite surprised by their sudden arrival at this hour. Mrs. Goodman warmly went to greet them. "What brings you here so late?"
But when Estelle Goodman saw Kael Jennings, a flustered look came over her face. She didn’t get up, she didn’t speak. She just sat on the sofa, frozen as if her pressure points had been struck.
The man she had liked for so many years was suddenly engaged. That wasn’t something she could get over so easily. She had even skipped the engagement party because she was still too upset.
It was the same at this very moment. She lowered her head to hide the slight redness at the corners of her eyes.
Cecilia Sterling glanced subconsciously at Estelle and sighed softly. ’At least she didn’t flee in a panic like last time.’
"Mr. and Mrs. Goodman, we brought you some wild Ganoderma. They’re from Tiana’s hometown, wild-grown. They’re excellent," Kael Jennings said as he handed the gift to Mrs. Goodman. "We’ve moved in already. Since we’re so close now, we just came over without calling first."
Conrad Goodman was slightly surprised. "You’ve moved in? So soon? I thought you were planning to use this place as your marital home."
Kael Jennings smiled and shook his head. Just then, he noticed Estelle Goodman sitting on the sofa and proactively called out to her, "Estelle?"
Estelle Goodman’s body trembled visibly, but in the next second, she looked up with a smile, feigning nonchalance as she replied, "Kael, long time no see!"
"Why didn’t you come to my engagement party?" Kael Jennings asked.
"I had something on that day, I was out with friends. I’ll be there for your wedding," Estelle Goodman said.
Hearing this, Kael Jennings gave a warm, big-brotherly smile and turned to introduce his fiancée. "Tiana, this is Mr. and Mrs. Goodman’s daughter, Estelle."
Tiana Travis nodded and looked at Estelle with graceful composure, greeting her, "Hello, Estelle."
Estelle Goodman’s mouth moved, but the word "sister-in-law" just wouldn’t come out. She only managed to reply, "Hello."
’His fiancée is so gentle and quiet, the complete opposite of my personality. So this is the type he likes,’ Estelle Goodman thought.