Chapter 963: Invitation

“Just now when you interacted with Luo Yiren, what did you think of her?”

After leaving the office building, Xiong Qingchun asked Wang Yan, who was walking with his hands behind his back like a wealthy magnate.

“You should ask Zheng Qiudong how he feels. If I had feelings, wouldn’t that be terrible?”

“I’m being serious with you.”

“She’s excellent. Beautiful appearance, rich experience, former CEO of a company, knows countless people nationwide. Her abilities aren’t necessarily outstanding, but they’re certainly sufficient. For our company, the benefits are huge.”

“So you’re only paying attention to how pretty she is, right?”

“Don’t pick a fight—beauty is naturally a woman’s advantage. Otherwise, how did I fall for you at first sight? How did Luo Yiren end up with Xia Jiguo? Relatively speaking, Luo Yiren’s current abilities all stem from her face—slightly melancholic, evoking a sense of pity and charm.”

“If you’re going to say something blunt, what did Xia Jiguo, someone of his caliber, see in Luo Yiren? I remember she was working as a tour guide at some science museum back then—what abilities did she have?”

Xiong Qingchun smirked: “I just said it casually—why are you getting so worked up? Do you actually have designs on her?”

Wang Yan glanced at her, shook his head with a smile, and said nothing. This had already crossed into unreasonable behavior—ignoring her was best. Of course, for ordinary couples, ignoring each other would be a problem. But Wang Yan was different: although he was the one who pursued Xiong Qingchun, in this relationship, he held the dominant position.

Of course, Wang Yan wouldn’t be so dull as to say nothing at all. He struck straight at the core: “We’ve been together for a year now, our careers are going well. Though we still don’t have much money and can’t afford a house, we’ll definitely have enough in one or two years. Why don’t we take some time to get married?”

Xiong Qingchun paused, then laughed: “Sure, it’s just a matter of getting a marriage certificate—just have dinner with Qiudong and the others.”

“No wedding ceremony?”

“There’s no need. Between the two of us, we don’t even have ten friends. All those business contacts? Not worth it. Just get the certificate, take some wedding photos—according to you, that’s enough. We’re all free-spirited people—who cares about that stuff? Isn’t that right?”

Wang Yan turned to look her in the eye, confirmed she wasn’t pretending or being insincere, then nodded: “Free-spirited people are straightforward. Then it’s settled—we’ll register after the New Year. This year, let’s do it in Hangzhou. Since we’re each other’s only support, it doesn’t matter where.”

“You say that like we’re clinging to each other for survival—really…”

“Just understand the spirit.”

The two found a place to eat a simple meal, then went to look for a real estate agent and started browsing houses…

“How was your first meeting? Isn’t Yan Ge great?” Zheng Qiudong sat there, grinning as he tilted his head toward Luo Yiren.

Luo Yiren smiled gently and nodded: “He’s truly excellent. I’ve met many people, but I’ve never met anyone like Yan Ge. Some are humble and reserved, some are arrogant and flamboyant, some are confident, some seem wise. But Yan Ge gives me the impression that he has all these traits.”

“He speaks with absolute confidence, his every gesture carries the aura of commanding authority. He’s completely relaxed and natural, his speech has a distinctive rhythm, radiating an undeniable power of conviction. Overall, he’s a man of great charm—a natural leader. Had I not known he spent five years inside with you, I’d never have believed someone like him would do something like that.”

“But that’s also his carefree, spontaneous nature. Working under him—you’ve chosen well.”

Zheng Qiudong naturally agreed. If he’d still been able to get by in Beijing last year, he’d have stayed there. Since he couldn’t make it, he came here to follow this good elder brother—Wang Yan.

“My master also holds Yan Ge in very high regard. He’s met so many people, but never anyone quite like Yan Ge.”

“You haven’t visited him in a long time, have you?”

Zheng Qiudong smiled awkwardly: “I’ve been busy—no time.”

“Make time to go see him. I’ll go with you.”

“Alright.”

The two locked eyes—everything left unsaid…

In the afternoon, Wang Yan received a call from Zheng Qiudong: Lin Bai had arrived at the company, and they needed to further discuss the profit split for this deal and preliminary plans for the Beijing operation. Learning that Lin Bai and Xiong Qingchun had come to Hangzhou, Wang Yan suggested meeting up for dinner to get acquainted.

Zheng Qiudong couldn’t say Wang Yan planned to meet Lin Bai only after the Qu Minjing hunt was over, nor could he say the evening was already scheduled for team-building—so he called Wang Yan right in front of Lin Bai.

Wang Yan didn’t mind at all. He simply invited Lin Bai to join the team-building dinner that evening, where they could chat casually. After all, the team-building was already planned; Lin Bai was an afterthought, and Lin Bai didn’t yet warrant a special meeting from Wang Yan.

Renting a house went smoothly—they got a high-floor, spacious apartment by the river. The interior was beautifully decorated in a minimalist, light-luxury style, clean and tidy. They also shopped at IKEA and picked out some furniture.

In just one afternoon, they resolved their housing issue—only two more days and they could move in…

That evening, at a decent restaurant, all thirteen members of Yan Chunqiu’s Hangzhou branch—plus Lin Bai—sat at two tables for dinner.

Wang Yan stood up, raised his glass, and said: “Our company doesn’t have all those complicated rituals, and I don’t have a lot of empty words. Today is just about getting to know each other. In future work, look out for one another, and all make more money. Today’s main goal? Eat well. If you want to drink, drink well.”

“Since tomorrow is a workday and we’ve taken up your rest today, we’ll give you half a day off tomorrow. Of course, this doesn’t apply to anyone with business—keep working, just take your own time off later.”

“So don’t feel burdened—eat and drink freely. Also, I want to emphasize: we don’t have any ‘drinking table culture.’ No one needs to toast us. Just relax. Come on, I’ll drink to everyone—let’s start eating.”

The employees were thrilled. Though they’d already seen their boss’s directness that morning, this once again reshaped their view of him—he was refreshingly straightforward.

Immediately, everyone raised their glasses and drank heartily. Wang Yan sat back down at their table—with Xiong Qingchun, Zheng Qiudong, Luo Yiren, and the tag-along Lin Bai.

“Manager Wang is so straightforward—they must all think you’re a great boss.”

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow: “So you’re saying I’m not actually a good boss?”

Lin Bai laughed: “Actually, you’re an even better boss. Come on, Manager Wang, I’ll drink to you. Hey, I’m not your employee, though.”

Wang Yan smiled, raised his glass, and drank with Lin Bai.

After drinking, Lin Bai sighed: “I should’ve brought my wife. Look at you all—Manager Wang and Boss Xiong are a couple, Boss Zheng and Boss Luo are a couple, and here I am, breaking the harmony.”

Zheng Qiudong laughed: “Next time—plenty of chances. We’re all family. But honestly, after knowing you this long, I’ve never heard you mention your wife.”

“Oh, it’s not that we’re having problems. She’s a busy person—even busier than me. You’ll see for yourself when we meet.”

“Look at you—I didn’t even say anything!” Zheng Qiudong chuckled. “Come on, drink up.”

Everyone chatted and laughed, the conversation flowing easily. In truth, everyone at the table—except perhaps Xiong Qingchun, who was slightly less polished—were all skilled conversationalists; their words never fell flat, all highly professional. Wang Yan couldn’t even be described as “skilled”—it was innate.

After laughing and chatting, Lin Bai asked: “Manager Wang, this afternoon I told Qiudong that although this deal is large, it belongs to our company’s Yuan Kun—he personally outsourced it to you, so the success fee is only 100,000. About this…”

Wang Yan waved his hand: “Qiudong is a boss too. As long as he’s not offended and willing to put in the effort, it doesn’t matter. Besides, I just told him—if we land Qu Minjing, that resume alone will bring huge benefits to our company. Compared to that, the success fee is secondary. Of course, we can’t go without it—we need to cover expenses. This arrangement is fine.”

Honestly, he was slightly surprised by the 100,000 figure. After all, he knew Zheng Qiudong’s success fee for hunting Qu Minjing was only 20,000. Now Yuan Kun was offering 100,000—partly due to Lin Bai’s influence, but mostly because Zheng Qiudong’s current status was higher than his counterpart in the original timeline.

Before handing this deal to Zheng Qiudong, Yuan Kun must have researched Yan Chunqiu as a human resources company, learned its capabilities, and thus was willing to pay more.

“Good.” Lin Bai nodded. “I heard from Qiudong that you don’t think Qu Minjing will become district chief?”

“Luo Yiren is here—she has wide connections in Beijing. She can just make a couple calls to find out. Personally, I think the chances of success for this hunt are still high. As long as Nan Guo Shi Chuang is willing to spend money, it won’t be a problem.”

“There’s something you might not know: Nan Guo Shi Chuang’s CEO, Tu Fangzhi, is Qu’s classmate. But to avoid complicating things, he hasn’t told Qu. Oh, officially, Tu Fangzhi’s father still runs Nan Guo Shi Chuang, but in reality, Tu Fangzhi is in charge.”

Wang Yan nodded—he already knew. Tu Fangzhi was an old acquaintance; the time since they last met wasn’t long—he’d seen him in the previous world, and he’d been Wang Yan’s former superior…

“Then it’s even easier. If they’re old classmates, he’ll surely be more willing to spend. Qu Minjing is a man—even if he holds a high position, in Beijing, it’s not enough. If he’s not corrupt, his life will be fine, comfortable, but not wealthy. Solve his family burdens, and half the job is done. Then give him proper respect and treatment, and it’s done.”

“You make it sound so easy. Remember, Yuan Kun chased him for half a year and got nowhere.”

“Times change. He didn’t catch the current vacancy. Yuan Kun is incompetent. Three or four months is already long—half a year with no result? Just give up. Don’t make yourself annoying. Can’t advance, unwilling to retreat—now he’s stuck in the middle. That’s not wise.”

“I’ll keep that to myself, Manager Wang—you don’t know how petty Yuan Kun is.”

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: “I’m not speaking ill behind his back. If you bring Yuan Kun here, I’d say the same thing. Incompetent is incompetent, and with a narrow mind? Stay far away from him. Guo Degang said: when you chop him, you might get dragged down too.”

Lin Bai laughed, glancing at Wang Yan’s rolled-up shirt sleeve, where a mysterious ancient tattoo adorned his arm—perhaps wondering if he truly had been inside…

Wang Yan noticed his gaze but said nothing further.

Watching Wang Yan eat heartily, Lin Bai smiled: “I heard from Qiudong that you’re thinking of entering the internet industry?”

“That’s overstating it—I’m just dipping my toes in, testing the waters. Want to know what product we’re developing?”

Seeing him nod, Wang Yan said: “The internet industry is fiercely competitive—I wouldn’t go looking for trouble. Capital battles aren’t for us to join. But they’re not the whole internet world, and we’re not without a path. Even if we become a niche product, if we deliver excellent service, maintain quality, and stay true to serving users, profit is guaranteed—it’s just a matter of how much and how long.”

“Earlier, Qiudong invited you. I know your background—interested in joining? On top of headhunting, get involved in the internet side. I’ll tell you: if you join before the product is developed, you’ll have a stake. Afterward, you won’t. I’ll spin the product off into a separate operation—so if you want to get on board, act fast.”

Lin Bai smiled: “Manager Wang is very confident.”

“It’s not just confidence—I know you understand the internet industry, capital, and capitalists. Our product’s foundation is truly serving users, standing on the customer’s side—not just empty words from those big corporations. Users aren’t fools; they’ll eventually realize what they truly need. That’s when our spring comes.”

“Thank you for your confidence, Manager Wang, but I really need to think it over.” Lin Bai still spoke politely.

He came today to see for himself what this “Yan Ge” was like, the man Zheng Qiudong praised to the skies. He assumed Wang Yan understood his intent—but he never expected Wang Yan to be so direct, laying everything out plainly.

“Before this, Qiudong told me many good things about you. After meeting you today, I’m quite impressed. Since we’ve said this much, I’ll be frank: this morning, we signed a contract with Yiren. Yan Chunqiu’s valuation is 50 million. We gave her 5.5 million as investment for 9.93% equity. If you join, I’ll give you 5 million.”

“But note this: as our company’s performance improves daily, our valuation rises daily. It’s now 55.5 million; next month it’ll be 60 million. Also, I’ll remind you: our product will be completed next spring. Regardless of how the product turns out, regardless of future valuations…”

Wang Yan raised his glass with a smile: “The door of Yan Chunqiu will always be open to you.”

Lin Bai raised his glass, clinked it with Wang Yan’s: “Thank you, Manager Wang. I’ll drink it.”

Wang Yan, of course, didn’t mind the drink—he downed it with him…