Chapter 1404: Seeking Sponsorship

"Come on, Xiao Lu, tilt your head slightly to the side, don't frown, relax, and drop your shoulders a little..."

Wang Yan directed Lu Qianran, who was sitting on a stool, adjusting several lamps to find the right angle for lighting; after a while, he finally picked up the camera and took a few shots with a click-clack.

"Alright, it's a complete success; we have all the equipment here, so I'll develop these and give them to you later." Wang Yan put down the camera with satisfaction and removed the film roll.

"Oh my, it's finally done; you took way too long with these photos." Lu Qianran let out a long breath and relaxed.

"That's right, Wang Yan, you used to take photos so much faster." Xie Da Qiao also felt relieved now that it was finally over.

"How can those be the same? Before, it was natural light; capturing that light had to be fast since it vanishes in an instant. Now we're indoors, and I set up the lighting myself, so of course it needs to be more meticulous. Haven't you seen the photos of the top ten campus beauties from last year's national ranking? The photos we took of you today will look far better than theirs. You'll see for yourselves later; I guarantee they'll blind you with their brilliance."

Xiao Qianxi let out an "Ai": "Speaking of campus beauties, is Zhiwo Net holding the event again this year?"

"Of course; as long as no one orders us to stop, we'll hold it every year from now on." Wang Yan nodded with a smile.

"No way, could this actually get shut down?" Xie Da Qiao asked in surprise.

Wang Ying crossed her arms, maintaining that same tsundere demeanor: "It's an issue of social orientation; 'campus beauty' sounds nice, but isn't it just a beauty pageant? Many of those selected last year entered the entertainment industry..."

She shook her head, clearly holding a low opinion of those campus beauties who chose to mix in the entertainment circle. But then, thinking again that her own situation wasn't much better, she couldn't help but glare at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan returned her glance with a smile and raised an eyebrow.

"It's so complicated." Xu Lin shook his head and sighed, "Wang Yan, I see many guys on the forum clamoring for a 'campus hunk' selection; why don't you organize one?"

"Standards for men and women are different," Wang Yan said. "Not just for men; even the previous campus beauty votes were determined by a significant combination of factors, not solely looks and figure. Those are the basics; everything else is a bonus.

If women are like this, how can male handsomeness be standardized? What even counts as handsome? Is a fair-skinned, red-lipped, white-toothed 'cream boy' handsome? Is a burly, muscular man full of masculine strength handsome? Is an academic freak, a child prodigy, handsome? Come to think of it, am I handsome? It's too hard to choose, and the controversy would be huge.

Unlike voting for campus beauties, where you just put up a photo and it absolutely satisfies the public aesthetic, gaining broad acceptance. A woman's photo can basically win over half the men, so controversy is low. But a man's photo absolutely cannot win over half the women; the controversy would be too great."

"Then why hasn't the campus beauty vote started yet?" Xu Lin pressed.

"It's not the right time yet. Think about it; school just started, people haven't even gotten to know each other, and we don't even know who looks good or bad, so how can we vote? It'll be the same as last year: warm-up in September, starting at the end of October, and ending at the end of November." 【51】 "Wang Yan, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Xie Da Qiao asked with a hehe laugh.

"This event of yours is great; with university expansion, regardless of whether they used computers before, everyone enrolling in university has to register an account. That gives us a stable few million new registered users every year." Wang Ying said uncertainly, "Can this last ten years?"

"Not that long; we are developing very quickly. As computers become more widespread, the age at which people start using them will definitely get younger; in the future, kids might register accounts while still in elementary school. In fact, we don't even need to wait for the future; there are already quite a few elementary school alumni networks right now."

Lu Qianran raised her hand and said, "Wang Laoban, I suddenly thought of something."

"Go ahead."

"Registering a school on Zhiwo Net is very simple; don't you worry someone might impersonate a student, fill in random details, join a group, and scam people?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Of course there are; there are quite a few. But such people rarely manage to hide for long; unless they stay completely silent, they'll slip up within a few sentences. Moreover, class sizes have accurate headcounts; we are already improving our data in this regard. Generally, the alumni networks are completed very quickly; it doesn't take much time before an impostor is discovered. We will ban the account, trace the IP, and keep a record."

Zhiwo Net accounts, like QQ numbers, are generated randomly; there aren't such cumbersome registration steps, and binding a mobile number isn't necessary, since not many people have mobile phones at this time anyway. Only those redeeming coupons for consumption need to bind their ID cards, phone numbers, bank cards, and so on.

"Such people are just too boring." Lu Qianran pouted.

And so, the group began complaining about just how shameless, rogue, and absurd people could be; in the end, they actually concluded that Wang Yan was the typical example of shamelessness and roguery.

"I really didn't expect that this is the image I have in your eyes." Wang Yan shook his head sadly.

"You are the most shameless; I've never seen anyone more shameless than you." Wang Ying snorted delicately.

"Alright, I am shameless."

Seeing everyone nodding in agreement, Wang Yan shook his head helplessly, then said, "You all understand the magazine matter now; go ahead and start editing the content. If you need photography, just ask those classmates of mine; I've already spoken to them, and they are very willing to help me. We'll start with a digital version, publishing it on Zhiwo Net first; we can look into printing and publishing later."

"You're not optimistic about physical magazines?" Wang Ying grasped the implication.

"I'm in the internet business; of course I believe in the internet's potential. Which magazine has over ten million users nationwide? If even one percent subscribe, that's a hundred thousand people. Magazines with under a hundred thousand subscribers are too numerous to count, while those with over a hundred thousand can be counted on one's fingers; isn't that gap obvious?

However, there are still quite a few people who will prefer the tangible texture and sense of ritual that comes from holding and flipping through a physical copy. Considering user demand, once we've built up our reputation, we can open up print subscriptions; that way, the costs will be much lower."

Wang Yan said, "My requirements for you aren't high; just try your hand at it. Before the end of December, produce one edition. I've set several themes; you choose which one to do first, and you figure out how to do it. I'll just wait for your good news.

Tomorrow, the finance team will come to work; there are two million in the account, which should basically cover your losses for two years. Alright, that's all for now; we can communicate further if problems arise later. Now, Qianxi, do you see that car parked in front of mine down there?"

Xiao Qianxi came over, stood by the window, looked at the car below, and nodded: "Mm, what about it?"

"Go try it out." Wang Yan took out a string of keys, waved them in front of her, and said, "Buying you something too fancy isn't appropriate, and a color that's too flashy isn't good either; just make do with this for now."

"Are you really comfortable letting me drive?" Xiao Qianxi held the keys.

"You drive just fine, don't you? It's an automatic, fully insured; just don't go too fast, make sure you know how to hit the brakes, and there won't be any problems at all. Let's go; we'll grab a meal at that restaurant over there, ending a wonderful day, while you all begin your new journey. Let's set off."

The group chatted and laughed as they exited the shop; after locking the door, Wang Ying and the other ladies got into Xiao Qianxi's car.

It was a Passat; the space was larger, making it more comfortable to sit in. Of course, if judging solely by comfort level, it still wasn't as good as the Santana Wagon he drove.

After having such a late-afternoon meal and bidding farewell to everyone, Wang Yan sat in the passenger seat while Xiao Qianxi drove them to the hotel...

After school started, everyone became busy. Xiao Qianxi and the others developed a strong career ambition, gathering together all day for small meetings and research; Wang Ying even pulled some strings to invite an editor-in-chief from a magazine house to give them lessons, imparting knowledge on everything from positioning to content, from topic selection to compilation, and from costs to profitability.

Since they weren't over at the Science Park side, Wang Yan enjoyed much more peace, busy every day pushing forward various business operations and, most importantly, conducting interviews and hiring.

A significant portion of his time now was dedicated to expanding the workforce. Zhiwo Net was now a large company; the path to going public wasn't far off, and people were willing to submit resumes.

College students wanting to work part-time at Zhiwo Net now had to queue up; it wasn't like before where anyone who wanted to come could just show up. Of course, Wang Yan still reserved a large number of work-study positions for impoverished students, all involving ground promotion work. Having them sit in offices wasn't feasible yet, as their professional capabilities weren't sufficient.

On this day, Wang Yan was interviewing applicants at the company in the Science Park; just after finishing with one person, he saw Xie Da Qiao waving outside.

Seeing Wang Yan beckon, Xie Da Qiao brought a man and a woman inside.

"Wang Yan, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Xie Da Qiao asked with a chuckle.

"You only ask if you're disturbing me after you've already disturbed me; that's pretty disturbing."

"Uh... sor..."

Wang Yan waved his hand: "Get to the point; there's a crowd of people outside waiting for interviews."

"Oh, right." Xie Da Qiao quickly pulled the man beside her and said, "Wang Yan, this is my childhood friend..."

"Brother Xiaochuan'er?"

"That's me; my name is He Xiaozhou. I asked Qiaoqiao to bring us to meet you." He Xiaozhou tilted his head to gesture toward the woman beside him, "This is Li Nana, the president of the Drama Club."

"Hello, Wang Yan; I've finally met the real person today." Li Nana greeted him very enthusiastically.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile and asked, "You're here to seek sponsorship, right?"

"Yes, but this isn't Qiaoqiao's idea; it's just that you're too busy, and we couldn't reach you, so..."

"It's fine." Wang Yan said, "I recall you're from the English Club, right?"

"Yes, I didn't expect you to know these things."

"Xie Da Qiao used to mention it constantly; I just listened along." Seeing Xie Da Qiao so anxious she was glaring in embarrassed anger, Wang Yan laughed heartily, "How much do you need?"

"Wang Yan, does this mean you're sponsoring us?" He Xiaozhou asked in surprise.

"Look at how you put that. With Xie Da Qiao here, how could I not give her some face? Even if I weren't doing it for Xie Da Qiao, President Li is a beauty; how could I let a beauty make a trip for nothing?"

"You really know how to talk." Li Nana covered her mouth and laughed.

"I'm the kind of person who always speaks the truth."

"Then I suppose I should thank you for the compliment."

Wang Yan asked with a smile, "Name the figure."

"Two thousand will suffice for our English Society," He Xiaozhou said. "During new member recruitment and club activities, we will hang up advertisements for Zhiwo Net."

Li Nana added, "Our Drama Society needs four thousand. We need to rent some costumes, make some props, and print some flyers. Our new member recruitment, rehearsals, performances, and the flyers themselves will all feature advertisements for Zhiwo Net."

"Agreed." Wang Yan nodded, took a slip of paper from the briefcase beside him, wrote down the purpose, signed his name, and handed it to Xie Da Qiao. "Go to Finance to collect the money. For the slogans you put out, just use the one we've always used: 'Zhiwo Net, making life better'."

"Okay." He Xiaozhou and Li Nana nodded in unison.

Li Nana said, "Wang Yan, do you want to come watch when we perform?"

"We'll see if I have time."

"Alright then, we won't disturb you any longer. Goodbye," Li Nana said with a hint of regret.

Wang Yan watched them leave, then continued with the interviews.

With the company expanding, he would inevitably be conducting interviews for quite some time. After all, it wasn't just about operations in Jingcheng; the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta were all key areas for advancement, and the human resource allocation there needed to keep pace. He needed to recruit some management personnel here, then send them to other locations to hire people and build their teams.

Thus, half a month passed in a flash. That afternoon, Wang Yan drove to the Zhiwo Magazine Office located near the university.

As soon as he entered, he saw the five women busy at work, while Qin Li Chuan was spinning around, refilling tea for everyone.

"Oh my, Wang Laoban has arrived!" Qin Li Chuan greeted with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Quick, sit, sit! Have some tea, have some tea!"

Wang Yan lifted his chin toward the five women as a greeting, then sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking at Qin Li Chuan suspiciously. "You have a favor to ask of me?"

Qin Li Chuan clicked his tongue. "Look at what you're saying. If I had a favor to ask, wouldn't I be calling you 'brother-in-law'? I just admire you; you're truly generous. Good heavens, you just up and opened a magazine office, throwing in several million. Admirable, truly admirable."

"It was agreed upon long ago." Wang Yan sipped his tea, spat out a fragment of tea leaf, and said, "To continuously enrich the website's content, we really ought to have a magazine. Besides, I also want to launch a photography magazine and establish an authoritative photography award. It's not just about throwing money around for no reason."

"Several million is no small sum; without a reasonable plan, the investors would be banging on the table. The numbers sound huge during the investment phase, but when it comes to spending, there are many issues. Look at our Comrade Fang; although I pay her salary, she isn't my employee. She is the financier's accountant."

Upon hearing this, the female accountant surnamed Fang looked over, smiled and nodded at the astonished crowd, then immediately returned to playing on her computer. She liked working here: high salary, good benefits, little work, and no messy troubles...

Everyone exchanged glances, not expecting there to be an outsider present.

Wang Yan waved his hand with a smile. "Don't be so exclusionary; it's just normal financial supervision. She isn't here all the time; she only stays one day out of the five-day workweek. She's a proper veteran accountant; having her do bookkeeping for you here is like using a cannon to swat a mosquito."

"President Wang overpraises me," Accountant Fang replied with a smile.

"Don't you have work to do?" Wang Yan looked at Qin Li Chuan.

"Ah, it's the afternoon; not many people are around. Dalong can handle it on his own. Didn't I come over here to serve the people?"

"That kid Dalong is quite pitiful, and you're having a hard time too."

"Hey, what hard time am I having?" Qin Li Chuan pretended to be a simpleton.

"Unrequited love, of course."

"No... no, you're the big boss, don't talk nonsense..." Qin Li Chuan jumped up like a monkey, waving his hands repeatedly, while his eyes darted toward Xie Da Qiao.

"Only when the truth is hit does one react so strongly," Xu Lin said in a ghostly tone, though her gaze was fixed on Xie Da Qiao, who seemed unaffected...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who generously donate, cast monthly tickets, recommend tickets, and silently read the book for their strong support!

? (End of Chapter)