Chapter 440

You give me little raindrops, moistening my heart~

I give you, I give you a gentle breeze, a breeze that blooms your flowers~

The little flower of love belongs to you and me~

Our love is like a passionate desert, ooooh~~

With a diamond-quality voice singing a square-dance tune, Sun Yanzi, laughing at her own stumbling lyrics, curled her legs to keep from slumping off the sofa, her left index finger unconsciously twirling her hair in endless circles, clearly lost in deep self-indulgence.

If you ignored that the thing she was holding as a microphone was a barbecue skewer, the scene would still be quite beautiful.

Similarly, Watching Xiao Yaxuan, clearly drunk, was noticeably quieter—she sat on the living room floor tiles beside the coffee table, her right leg bent, leaning against the table for support, her right arm resting on her knee, head tilted with a smile as she gazed at everything in the room—

The glowing crystal chandelier, the noisy singer;

The slightly intoxicated Wan Ren Mi exuded charm in every gesture.

Only Zhou Yi, fully sober, after scanning the surroundings, sighed and spoke one sentence—

"You can get drunk on beer? You three are better off raising pigs at home."

"Go die, you're the one raising pigs!" Sun Yanzi, grabbing a pillow and hurling it straight at Zhou Yi, her eyes slightly glazed, loudly protested—

Then, as if remembering what day it was, she quickly turned her head and spat "Peh! Peh! Peh!" several times, lightly slapped her own cheek, and declared sternly: "I meant, screw you, I'm not raising pigs!"

Cheng Hao, the least drunk of the three, couldn't help but chuckle, staggered to her feet, and prepared to bend down and tidy the messy coffee table, but the next second Zhou Yi grabbed her wrist—

"?"

Cheng Hao turned her head, looking at him in confusion.

"Let me do it. It's already this late—go take a shower and get some sleep."

He glanced at the tipped-over beer bottles on the table and sighed helplessly: "The alcohol content isn't high, but it doesn't mean you can down that much."

Clearly, Sun Yanzi and Watching Xiao Yaxuan had been holding back for a year and planned to fully let loose tonight during the New Year—among them, their pile of empty bottles was by far the largest.

Cheng Hao, born in December 1979, was the youngest of the three, yet in terms of maturity and steadiness, she far surpassed Sun Yanzi, born in July 1978, and Watching Xiao Yaxuan, born in August 1979. If Sun and Xiao were already seven or eight parts drunk, Cheng Hao was at most four or five parts—still energetic enough to clean up.

Zhou Yi, having stopped Cheng Hao, turned to the other two women: "And you two—go shower and sleep. If you feel too drunk to shower, just sleep now and wash tomorrow."

"No way, I probably can't shower—I can't sleep at Cheng Hao's." Sun Yanzi pouted, weakly waved her hand to reject the suggestion, insisting she wanted to go home to sleep.

In her own doghouse, she could mess up however she liked—it didn't matter if it smelled bad. But messing up someone else's place? She just couldn't bear it.

"Well, I probably can't shower either—unless I call my assistant in the middle of the night to help me."

Watching Xiao Yaxuan straightened her chest, pushed herself up with both hands on the sofa corner, shook her head weakly, took a deep breath, then smiled up: "But I'm not your tenant."

"Elva can just sleep here. If you need to shower, I can help you."

Cheng Hao, as if genuinely concerned for her, smiled and added: "I'm not that drunk yet."

Watching Xiao Yaxuan turned to Cheng Hao, barely raising an eyebrow, then a faint smile curled her lips: "True. Thanks, Hao-jie."

"You're welcome, Elva."

The two women exchanged a smile.

The two, having interrupted each other's spells, held hands like sisters heading to the bathroom. On the sofa, unnoticed, Sun Yanzi, no longer singing but humming, still mumbled: "I want to go home, I want to go home…" as she wriggled on the sofa.

"Go home? Go to hell. Just rest. I'll take you back later."

Zhou Yi, still tidying, sighed helplessly.

Over twenty minutes later, Zhou Yi, having expanded his cleaning area, glanced at Sun Yanzi, whose eyelids drooped and whose head bobbed like a chick pecking grain on the sofa. He first picked up the trash and carried it out to the designated garbage area.

When he returned, Cheng Hao, having finished her shower, was drying her hair with a towel and had just draped a blanket over Sun Yanzi's stomach, who now lay on the sofa, eyes closed, dozing.

The Chinese traditional custom—no matter how warm the room, you always cover the belly when sleeping.

"You should've covered her up. What if she catches a cold tomorrow?" Cheng Hao looked up at Zhou Yi's return, her face still damp, unmadeup, radiant like a lotus emerging from water.

"Then I'll have to tease her properly. Sown the wind, reaped the whirlwind."

Zhou Yi washed his hands and chuckled: "Is Elva still showering?"

"Mm."

Cheng Hao nodded: "You take Yanzi home first. Elva can sleep here."

"Alright."

"Also, the investment reports should all be out after Lantern Festival—come to the company when you have time. We're starting to grow fast in the market; several heavily invested internet stocks are rebounding, and NetEase is practically resurrected thanks to Elva's endorsement of that game…"

Cheng Hao smiled and teased: "At this rate, if I sell my NetEase shares in a few months, I might finally pay you back."

"I'm not interested in money. Keep it for now."

Zhou Yi took a sip from the cup and smiled: "NetEase is taking off visibly now. Soon, 'small rich woman' won't even begin to describe you."

"Only you could say that. If anyone else said it, I'd think they were bluffing to save face."

Cheng Hao smiled, seemingly nostalgic for the old term "small rich woman": "Too bad, this little money can't afford you anymore."

Back in 1998 and 1999, when she could casually pull out 100,000 yuan, Zhou Yi would often call her that, and she'd joke about him keeping her.

"Not necessarily—if it's you, I'll give you a discount." Zhou Yi leaned against the marble countertop, setting down the cup with ease, teasing: "Though just for one day."

"Then forget it. Too short. Not worth it. I prefer long-term keeping."

Cheng Hao playfully brushed her wet hair aside, her left index finger idly tapping the marble countertop, the nail striking the texture with a soft "tap-tap-tap": "Back to business. As the company grows, I think we need a dedicated email program for internal communication between departments."

"We could also expand into email services. Any recommendations?"

"You're the CEO. You're asking me?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll lose money?"

"Hmm…"

Zhou Yi pursed his lips noncommittally, met her gaze for a moment, then chuckled and looked away: "I can afford to lose."

Cheng Hao quietly watched Zhou Yi, whose gaze had shifted, studying his profile, her eyebrows curving slightly, her mood unusually cheerful.

"Actually, I've already identified an email software—under Guangzhou Boda Internet Company."

"User numbers aren't high yet, but I think this FoxMail email program has real potential—it's growing fast, and many students at the Central Academy of Drama use it, including some young people inside the China National Theatre."

"I've had someone evaluate it. If we were to buy it and its development team, the price shouldn't exceed 35 million, after all, the email industry is still dominated by the Big Three, and having just weathered the Internet winter, all kinds of investments are very cautious."

"This software was originally bought by Broad Company in 2000 for 12 million, developers included. As a result, it got stuck in their hands during the winter. This is the perfect time to step in."

After a long period of study, she had formed some of her own ideas about the Internet industry.

Especially during this time, communicating through various emails, she had set her sights on the email business sector, where there were currently not many competitors.

This could be considered her first independent investment and acquisition plan; starting with a vertical niche field shouldn't be wrong.

Moreover, thanks to the lingering aftereffects of the Internet winter, many companies' asking prices have dropped again and again compared to the hot period in the past; this is a good opportunity for her to get her feet wet.

If it doesn't work out, at worst she can just resell it; she knows how to cut losses in time.

Of course, if Zhou Yi had rejected it from the start, she wouldn't have needed to insist on stating her plans.

Zhou Yi, who was using tea as wine, didn't say much. Instead, he raised his porcelain cup with an encouraging look and proactively clinked glasses with her: "Don't forget that the bulk of my income now is in US dollars."

In an era where the exchange rate between the US dollar and the RMB was still at 1:8. x, his income from singles, albums, and copyright distribution, if fully converted into RMB, was basically more than the net profit of many companies.

To give an example—

Tencent was the first Internet top company to start making a profit, and if I remember correctly, last year their net profit was just over 140 million RMB.

Even then, he hasn't counted the fixed annual income from several major endorsements.

"Yes, yes, yes, the famous Zhou Yi Yi."

Cheng Hao teased Zhou Yi about the nickname he had been given online before.

Sometimes it really isn't surprising that so many people in the entertainment industry are trying to break into the international market. Besides an upgrade in status, truly breaking into the international market can bring huge benefits to the artist themselves.

"Thirty-five million is just a drop in the bucket, no big deal."

Zhou Yi waved his hand, feigning modesty but actually showing off: "Oh, I can't say 'no big deal,' that would make me seem too arrogant. Let's say 'medium deal'."

Cheng Hao was amused and giggled: "Alright, then I'll contact Zhang Xiaolong, the Vice President of Broad Company, around the eighth day to discuss the acquisition."

"Hmm, I—hmm? Who did you say?"

Zhou Yi, who hadn't taken it seriously at first, was momentarily stunned upon hearing that familiar yet strange name: "Zhang Xiaolong?"

"Have you heard of him?"

Seeing this, Cheng Hao was initially a bit surprised, but then thought that Zhou Yi's investment in the Internet sector was indeed interesting, so she took it in stride: "Oh right, I almost forgot. Zhang Xiaolong was once a stormy figure in the Internet world."

This email software called Foxmail was developed by him. It cost over 100,000, and later, both the man and the software were bought by Broad Company for 12 million. This appreciation rate was a reflection of the tail end of the domestic Internet frenzy.

"I even have his and this Broad Company's files here."

Seeing that Zhou Yi seemed a bit interested, Cheng Hao, who inexplicably felt she had hit the jackpot, turned around, pulled a document from the cabinet under the bar, and handed it to Zhou Yi.

The latter opened it and saw that the Vice President Zhang Xiaolong was exactly the image in his memory. Oh, maybe just a bit younger.

Taking the opportunity of reading the files, Zhou Yi, who was carefully searching his memory for relevant information, raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise—

"Awesome, Cheng Hao, you managed to dig this person up. He's been silent for two years."

Zhang Xiaolong, the future father of "small and beautiful."

He had originally thought that among the four major portals, only Tencent probably had no significant connection with him, just a simple contractual transaction relationship.

He never expected there would be a way to take a stake indirectly—

In 2005, after going public, Tencent, to cope with the impact of MSN and its email system, spent a huge sum to acquire Foxmail, which had grown into the second-largest email service provider in the domestic industry. Zhang Xiaolong then immediately began to fiddle with Tencent's QQ Mail business.

If he owned Foxmail at that time, wouldn't he become a Tencent shareholder just by lying down after the acquisition and share swap were completed?

Damn it...

Although the father of "small and beautiful" would often be roasted for bloated and exaggerated software problems in the future, that was Zhang Xiaolong's own problem. What did it have to do with him, a pure lay-winner and cheater?

He, Zhou Yi, was just an ordinary investor.

Let the "small and beautiful" one suffer; he will take the blame.

Zhou Yi, who had long been accustomed to placing himself in the position of a white lotus, was very satisfied.

"Alright, you can study their files during the day. For now, let's send Sun Yanzi back first."

Cheng Hao, who had her elbow resting on the table, noticed Sun Yanzi moving on the sofa. She couldn't help but nudge the man's arm and reminded him: "It's almost two o'clock."

"Alright."

Zhou Yi nodded.

Sun Yanzi, with sleepy eyes, yawned, lifted the blanket covering her, and as she stood up, she stumbled. Before she could finish speaking, she fell straight down—

"I—ah!"

Boom!

Zhou Yi, who had just walked up to the sofa and hadn't had time to reach out and catch her, saw Sun Yanzi, whose legs had lost balance, kneel directly in front of him, her hair in disarray...

"Wishing you prosperity?" Zhou Yi, squatting down, asked tentatively.

"?"

During the New Year, suffering such a blow to the knees, Sun Yanzi's confused eyes gradually became clear, then filled with grievance...

Zhou Yi: "..."

"Stop teasing her. What time is it?"

Cheng Hao, who couldn't hold back her laughter, came over and pushed Zhou Yi, then squatted down to rub Sun Yanzi's knees: "How is it? You shouldn't be hurt, right? Can you still walk?"

"It hurts a bit."

Sun Yanzi, gritting her teeth from the pain, took a long breath: "It shouldn't be a big problem. I'll be fine after a night's sleep at home."

After standing up and walking, Sun Yanzi limped, causing Watching Xiao Yaxuan, who had just come out of the shower in her pajamas, to stare in disbelief: "Yanzi, what's wrong with your leg?"

"I accidentally bumped it when I got up just now. It's nothing."

Sun Yanzi, with one hand on Zhou Yi's shoulder, waved and smiled: "Then I'll head back first. Bye~"

"Bye~"

Sun Yanzi, limping, bid farewell to the two women and moved her steps with some difficulty, occasionally emitting a faint "hiss" sound. Zhou Yi, who hadn't taken it seriously at first, immediately frowned: "Does it hurt a lot?"

With such thin arms and legs, could she have broken a bone from the fall?

"It's fine, about the same as when I fell while filming MVs before. I have experience with this; there's Honghua Oil in my room, just rub it on and it'll be fine."

"... I'll carry you back."

"Huh?"

"What 'huh'? Hurry up and get on. If you're injured, it's best not to walk too much." As a fitness enthusiast, Zhou Yi was far more sensitive to muscle and knee injuries than ordinary people; he squatted down and patted his shoulder.

"Oh."

A mischievous grin immediately appeared on Sun Yanzi's face, then quickly vanished as if it had never happened. Lowering her head, she climbed onto his back, unable to suppress her secret delight.

"Why are you still so light?"

"I want to gain weight too! I'm already trying my best to eat, but I just don't get fat. What can I do..."

Sun Yanzi, whom Zhou Yi carried all the way back to her home via the elevator, showed not the slightest sign of being in excruciating pain; the strength in her voice grew even stronger.

(End of this chapter)