Chapter 1408: Career Ambition

The room was filled with an intimate scent; Li Nana's body still glistened with beads of sweat, her face bearing an expression of satisfaction and lingering delight.

Looking up at the hero who was smoking, she sincerely praised, "You are very strong."

"Don't say things that invite misunderstanding, as if you've experienced many weak ones."

Li Nana said, "I've only had two boyfriends; the last one broke up with me just during the summer break."

Wang Yan did not dwell on such talk; he was merely flirting, not intending to ask how many boyfriends she had dated, which would be quite boring.

Toying with his great treasure, he said, "You're a junior this year, graduating the year after next; what is your plan for the future?"

"To be honest, I hadn't really thought about this problem before. Just find a job to earn money, find a man to marry, and smoothly live out this life. After all, we aren't protagonists; within the campus of Beiqing we are children of heaven, but once outside the campus, we are just part of the multitude. Perhaps our initial advantage is slightly greater, so this life shouldn't be too bad overall."

This was the most basic understanding; Wang Yan knew it, and Xu Lin shared the same mindset. Graduates from a top-tier university like Beiqing naturally have a higher starting point and foundation than those from ordinary universities, which stabilizes their lower limit to a certain extent and widens their range of choices significantly.

Of course, there were occasional extreme cases, such as famous university graduates delivering food. It wasn't that delivering food was bad, but relative to their academic credentials, relative to their classmates, and relative to their alumni who wielded influence with a wave of their hand, delivering food appeared unfavorable.

Wang Yan cooperatively played the supporting role: "And now?"

"Didn't you say earlier that we should buy houses, buy even more houses? As long as we buy a few sets, I'll be set for life with food and clothing. So after graduation, I'll work hard, strive to earn money; if there's money, buy a house; if there's money, buy a house!"

Li Nana pressed herself even tighter against Wang Yan, reaching her hand under the covers, "Asking these things, don't tell me you're planning to arrange a job for me?"

"It's too early to talk about this; for an internet company, two years can determine many things. Perhaps by then, I'll be penniless and unable to save myself, let alone arrange anything for you."

Wang Yan extinguished his cigarette, hugged her legs and rested them on his waist, "For now, it's mainly you arranging things for me."

Li Nana exhaled softly, actively seeking a kiss, leading to another fierce battle of entwined intestines...

Time flowed like a winding stream; after turning a few bends, several months had passed.

It had already transitioned from the colorful autumn to the depths of winter.

On December 1st, during the New Year's holiday, early in the morning, Wang Yan drove to the magazine company.

Once the car was parked steadily, Wang Yan got out, opened the trunk, took out a large pile of items, and then pushed the door open to walk in.

"Come, come, comrades, breakfast has arrived. Put down whatever you're holding in your hands; only when you're full will you have the strength to fight."

Qin Li Chuan hurriedly scurried over: "Aiyo-wei, bought so much? Ho, seafood congee? Wang Laoban is truly generous."

"Authentic, right?"

"Extremely authentic."

"If you want to do good work, logistical support is indispensable." Wang Yan laughed heartily, then set the items down, "Why are you here?"

"Didn't I hear that today marks the online release of the fashion magazine? I came to ensure logistical support." Qin Li Chuan helped unwrap various packages, "Originally I wanted to buy breakfast, but then I heard Big Wang Laoban had bought it, so I stayed here to clean up and serve tea and water. Such a major event, I must participate; actively aligning with the organization, tightly hugging Wang Laoban's thigh."

"You, comrade, still have some future prospects."

Seeing that everyone remained motionless, Wang Yan called out again, "Quick, quick, get moving, get moving; you've stayed up all night, eat something at least."

Xiao Qianxi and the others sat before their computers, their faces haggard yet their spirits exhilarated, conducting the final proofreading. They hadn't attended classes for a week, devoting all their attention to this place.

Urged by Wang Yan, everyone finally stepped away from their computers and sat at a large long table nearby. This had been specially purchased for meetings; although piled with various materials, it also conveniently served for eating.

Seeing their appearance, Wang Yan smiled and said, "Why is everyone both spiritually exhilarated and wearing such worried expressions?"

Xiao Qianxi accepted the congee and sighed to Wang Yan, "We feel we might have chosen the wrong theme."

Wang Yan asked with a smile, "Then what do you think you should have chosen?"

"Art..." Wang Ying said while drinking congee, "We should have chosen art back then."

"Yes, that way we could have utilized resources from our school and also the fine arts academy at your school." Lu Qianran pouted while eating a bun, "Unlike the fashion theme we chose; it feels like we don't really understand fashion."

Xie Da Qiao let out an "Aiyo," "I used to think it was quite simple, never expecting it to be this difficult."

"Sigh..." Xu Lin let out a long sigh, taking large bites of his bun, transforming his lament into appetite.

Xiao Qianxi looked at Wang Yan with a distant gaze: "We might lose money..."

"You're just nervous." Wang Yan said with a smile, "The content and layout were proofread long ago; every character was checked individually, yet you keep busying yourselves, having lost several jin of weight these past few days."

"I've reviewed the content; it's barely passing grade. Although not particularly brilliant, it's acceptable for you. After all, this is your first time doing this; even before this, you didn't have a clear concept of what a magazine was, let alone various computer editing tasks and tool applications, all of which you learned through exploration as you went, creating a magazine from nothing."

"Even for you, the magazine you produced is already excellent; ask yourself, how many people could achieve the results you have now? So have some confidence in yourselves; don't put so much pressure on your shoulders."

"As for losing money, I stated when we established this that losses were certain; the funds I gave you are sufficient to cover two years of losses. Zhishi Net and Youxiang Net have not earned a single cent of profit to this day; what does this small amount matter? Losing money now is for making money later; sooner or later, we will earn it back. I, the one providing the funds, am not afraid of losses; what are you afraid of?"

"Exactly, you must embody the spirit of Big Wang Laoban, comrades; losing money now is for earning more later, so cheer up!"

Qin Li Chuan chimed in from the side, playing the supporting role.

Obviously, his actions did not exceed Wang Yan's expectations; he was still loitering at school making pancakes, yet occasionally coming over to join the fun. Just as he said, he intended to tightly hug Wang Yan's thigh...

"Easy for you to say; it's not your money being lost." Xie Da Qiao rolled her eyes.

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "It doesn't matter; these are all minor issues. My net worth is approaching three billion; two million is just sprinkling water. Besides, these two million lost aren't my money; they're the company's money. Doing business involves both profits and losses; isn't this a normal situation?"

"As for what you mentioned about doing art and utilizing school resources, that matter is simple enough. On one hand, you follow your previous plan, moving from fashion to entertainment; on the other hand, launch an art magazine simultaneously. Anyway, you have many people; each person can produce one book, covering different types."

Xu Lin wore an expression of wanting to die: "Losing money is our fault, but that doesn't mean you should truly treat us like beasts, right? The five of us working on one book took four months; if each person makes one book, when will that ever be completed?"

"Sigh..." Wang Yan looked at Xu Lin, giving an expression of 'hopelessly stupid', "Eat your meal; after eating, take a nap, and it'll be ten o'clock."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Xu Lin exclaimed loudly, "What kind of look is that?"

"The look one gives to an imbecile, obviously." Wang Ying shook her head and said, "Big Boss didn't say we each have to do everything from start to finish."

"Mm, I understand now; his meaning is for us to recruit people, while we serve as editors-in-chief to oversee the overall direction." Lu Qianran looked at Wang Yan, "Big Boss, can I also be an editor-in-chief?"

"What does that remark imply?"

"I just feel a bit embarrassed..."

"Understood." Wang Yan suddenly realized, "How about you warm my bed in your spare time, letting me, this big boss, also enjoy the happiness that those scum experience?"

"Get lost!" Before Lu Qianran, whose face had instantly turned completely red, could speak, Wang Ying cursed first, "You shameless rogue, don't act like a hooligan; Qianxi is still here, and you dare to act like this?"

Wang Yan laughed heartily, glanced at the smiling Xiao Qianxi, then raised an eyebrow at the blushing Lu Qianran, completely ignoring Wang Ying, which made the little rich girl itch with anger in her teeth, deciding to let someone taste her power next time...

After everyone ate breakfast while chatting and laughing, Xiao Qianxi and the others returned to their seats, working on their computers, reviewing the magazine they had created over and over again.

Wang Yan went outside to smoke a cigarette and returned; seeing this scene, he couldn't help but say amusingly, "Wait a while longer; stop fiddling with it. Even if you discover problems now, there's no time to modify them. In your current state, fixing one small error might accidentally create a huge mistake elsewhere. Just stay calm; wait until ten o'clock and directly check the data."

"Easy for you to say; why don't you try it?" Xu Lin retorted.

"Do you still need to swap me out? When you all knew about the early days of Zhwo Network, you know I slept quite soundly. When facing major events, one must maintain composure, comrades."

"Oh, just don't worry about us." Xiao Qianxi let out a long breath. "If we don't check, we won't feel at ease."

"But wouldn't checking make us even more anxious?" Qin Li Chuan felt helpless.

Wang Yan fell silent, quietly sipping his tea.

Qin Li Chuan leaned over: "Big Boss, do you think it will work?"

"Didn't I just say? The magazine they produced is barely passable, and that is sufficient."

"How so?"

"We currently have over twenty-five million users, with three million daily active users and over ten million monthly active users, distributed across the country. We possess rich content and an ever-improving recommendation mechanism. We can identify the subset of users interested in fashion and push this magazine directly before their eyes. When there are many people, tastes vary; no matter what form it takes, someone will read it."

Wang Yan said with a smile, "The difference lies in whether we hit the tastes of more readers. If we can get a small portion of users who like fashion to subscribe, say ten or twenty thousand, that is success. If we get the majority of fashion-oriented users to subscribe, that is a huge success. If we can even get users who previously paid little attention to fashion to subscribe, then you will be the rising new stars of the magazine and media world."

He did not lower his voice; Xiao Qianxi and the others were pricking up their ears to listen.

Lu Qianran asked, "Then how many subscriptions do you think we'll get today?"

"Ten to twenty thousand is the guaranteed minimum." Wang Yan gave them a reassurance pill.

"Really?" Wang Ying looked over skeptically.

"Why would I lie to you?"

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement, "However, this is just the beginning; it doesn't really signify anything. You must always make readers enjoy reading and read carefully and thoroughly. This requires you to constantly work on the content; there is still a long road ahead."

He did his best to soothe the restless hearts of this group, making them feel slightly more relaxed.

It had some effect, but not much; they remained worried regardless. Ultimately, this was their first time doing something on their own, and since they were spending Wang Yan's money, their pressure was immense and their expectations high.

Before things succeed, people tend to think of the best outcomes; before anything has even happened, they are already imagining huge success and rolling in wealth...

Amidst their anxiety, the time finally reached ten o'clock. Zhwo Network's magazine channel opened, and 'Zhwo Fashion' went live. A backend push was sent to all users of Zhwo Network; the homepage carousel displayed the magazine cover, and advertisements for some users were specifically changed to feature the magazine, ensuring that every user browsing the site could see it—there was no way to avoid seeing it.

Xiao Qianxi and the others huddled in front of their computers, watching the backend data, constantly clicking the refresh button. With every refresh, the click count changed; with every refresh, the read count grew; with every refresh, the trend charts for various statistical data shifted in real-time. Those curves tugged at their heartstrings.

After a full day had passed like this, subscriptions exceeded ten thousand; within a week, subscriptions reached thirty thousand.

But just as Wang Yan had said, this data was not actually that important, because it was not representative; it needed to settle over time.

Nevertheless, Xiao Qianxi and the others were very happy. Especially Xiao Qianxi; she strenuously thanked Wang Yan for his support, help, trust, and encouragement.

She was a strong-willed person; coming from a poor family, she certainly liked money, but compared to money, she preferred having a career of her own.

Or to put it another way, she did not want to be a burden, did not want to be a kept vase; she wanted to have some utility, wanted to help Wang Yan, wanted to add bricks and tiles to Wang Yan's career, and help it reach higher levels.

At the same time, this gave her a greater sense of security...

In contrast to her, Wang Ying, this little rich girl, was secretly seething with jealousy, even though she knew she had no standing to be jealous or envious, and even owed Xiao Qianxi an apology.

But so what? As long as she attributed all the fault to Wang Yan, she could feel at ease, and her whole being became clear and untroubled.

Regarding her little temper tantrums, Wang Yan's tolerance was very high.

Unlike Ren Siyu, who had known long ago that Wang Yan was setting up a company and launching a magazine for Xiao Qianxi, yet Wang Yan never spent a single cent on her; she paid for meals, and she paid for hotel rooms. Wang Yan had grasped her psychology—unwilling to let go, unwilling to cut ties, yet daring not to make it public—and controlled her completely.

To be precise, Ren Siyu was not his woman, merely a running partner. After all, from start to finish, Ren Siyu had never cut off contact with Yangcheng. To expand on it, it was Yangcheng who treated Wang Yan to dinner and treated Wang Yan to sleeping with Ren Siyu...

Wang Ying despised Wang Yan and pitied Yangcheng, but she had never made it public...

Seeing Nana was very proper; she had not taken a single cent from Wang Yan. It was not that Wang Yan refused to give, but that she firmly stated she would not take any, always chatting with Wang Yan about romance and poetry, displaying gentleness and thoughtfulness...

?? 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)