Chapter 12: 011 The Greater the Debt

The sun rose as usual, another new day.

Yu Xing got up, washed up, and walked downstairs feeling refreshed; the second-in-command was already waiting below.

“Why didn’t you come up?” he asked his junior casually.

“It’s the same anywhere I wait; the air’s better down here,” Zhong Zhiling smiled. “Big Brother Xing, let’s go out again today and register the company first.”

Yu Xing had taken only two steps when he finally understood, then turned his head and said, “We don’t have enough money yet.”

“Auntie Lu placed a big order, and Auntie gave us some cash too,” Zhong Zhiling said seriously. “Last night I thought it over, and this morning I borrowed fifteen thousand from relatives and friends. Add that to what we already pooled, it should be enough.”

Yu Xing was surprised—not that his junior could scrape together money, but that he was taking such the initiative.

He pointed toward the cafeteria, signaling they should eat breakfast first. “Why did you think of borrowing from relatives and friends?”

“Big Brother Xing, you said before we don’t have much time. Last night I couldn’t sleep, thinking about this—we really need to race against the clock,” Zhong Zhiling said carefully. “If we’re going to do this, and it’s not just me doing it, then we need to stand united and do our best.”

Yu Xing found it hard not to be even more surprised.

He walked as he asked, “I told you that exact thing two days ago. Why did it only change after Lu Haiying showed up? Is love really that powerful?”

“I don’t know,” Zhong Zhiling shook his head. “Either the project kills me, or I kill the project.”

“Killing the project isn’t ‘doing work,’” Yu Xing corrected him, yet felt a flicker of satisfaction. “Good. You should’ve called your girlfriend over right away.”

Zhong Zhiling fell silent for a few seconds, then made a request: “Big Brother Xing, at the very least, even if you’re going to bring Xiao Ying over, you should’ve warned me first, consulted me. In the future, if any decision involves family, don’t keep it from me.”

“Alright,” Yu Xing agreed immediately. “I didn’t hide it from you—I didn’t expect her to say yes right over the phone. And she insisted on telling you herself.”

Zhong Zhiling didn’t press the point, but cautiously raised another request: “Big Brother Xing, you once said: first be a petty person, then a gentleman.”

“Yes, I said that,” Yu Xing admitted.

“Then about the company’s operations and finances…” Zhong Zhiling paused, then finished, “Can they be transparent?”

Yu Xing glanced at his junior and chuckled. “You really plan to make Lu Haiying handle finance? When’s she even going to pass her certification?”

“We talked it over last night,” Zhong Zhiling said seriously. “Starting a business is harder for us than taking the postgraduate exam across three fields—different major, different school, different region. But since we’ve started, we need to try what we can do well. She’s slow at studying—last night she spent ages trying to understand ‘every debit has a credit, and debits must equal credits.’ I understood it right away, but I had to explain it to her. Still, I believe she’ll get there.”

Yu Xing walked thoughtfully for a moment, then asked: “Lu Haiying seems cheerful. Why not let her handle sales, and you take finance and funding? That way, you’ll see the money with your own eyes—you’ll feel more secure.”

Zhong Zhiling was stunned. Did his senior really trust him that much?

The two entered the cafeteria, ordered two simple breakfasts, and sat down at a quiet table.

“Me handling finance—is that okay?” Zhong Zhiling finally voiced it.

Yu Xing gave a vague answer: “I think the cost-benefit ratio is high.”

He smiled again. “For now, you manage it. Watch how Lu Haiying does with sales and her certification progress. Once we’re truly formalized, you won’t be allowed to handle this section under the rules anyway.”

Zhong Zhiling thought it over, then nodded.

Yu Xing bit into a bun and mumbled, “Alright, junior. Since you borrowed the money, let’s see when it hits the account.”

Zhong Zhiling set down his backpack and pulled out a black plastic bag, handing it to his senior.

Yu Xing weighed it in his hand. His junior had improved drastically since yesterday—just preparing the money this early took effort, and the attitude behind it was completely different.

He stuffed the cash into his pants pocket; it bulged, giving him a strong sense of security.

“Alright, thank you, junior,” Yu Xing said sincerely.

Zhong Zhiling looked at him and reminded him: “Then let’s go register this afternoon.”

Yu Xing spat out two words: “Not urgent.”

Zhong Zhiling nearly panicked: “What?”

“Didn’t you hear me talking with Sister Ying? She thinks registering a company in Xiangjiang is better—not just because of location,” Yu Xing said calmly. “What’s the advantage? We can get a company registered with millions in capital for just a few thousand. When dealing with clients, if they don’t know the difference between mainland and Xiangjiang companies, they’ll assume we’re solid.”

He sipped his porridge and continued: “Mainland companies need registration, but we can start operating first. No one will care if we register later, once money comes in.”

Zhong Zhiling stared, dumbfounded. After a long pause, he asked: “Then why did you take my money?!”

Yu Xing looked innocent. “Didn’t you hand it to me?”

Zhong Zhiling truly panicked, jumped up, and went for the money in Yu Xing’s pocket.

Yu Xing blocked his hand, pleading: “You said we’re united! We’re going to kill the project! We’re going to do this right! All of that needs investment!”

Zhong Zhiling gritted his teeth: “Why did you wait until I handed you the money before telling me about the difference between Xiangjiang and mainland companies?!”

Yu Xing gripped his junior’s arm tightly. “You didn’t ask! And I didn’t hide anything!”

Zhong Zhiling still refused.

Yu Xing had to emphasize: “You’re managing the money anyway! What are you afraid of? This money is the company borrowing from you! Its use must be approved by the board!”

The second-in-command paused his hand-retrieving motion at those words.

“You’ve already borrowed it—what’s there to fear?” Yu Xing, seeing the pause, pulled out the cash and placed it on the table. “Lice don’t itch when there are too many; debts don’t worry you when they pile up. You’re overthinking again!”

Zhong Zhiling stared at the money, tempted again. “Don’t hide things from me! Don’t hide things from me!”

“I didn’t hide anything,” Yu Xing shook his head. “I was just about to call Sister Ying after breakfast—she hasn’t responded yet. I need to nudge her.”

Zhong Zhiling calmed down, returned to his seat, and resumed eating, though his eyes kept flicking to the black bag.

He felt he’d improved since his girlfriend joined and after last night’s thinking.

But he hadn’t expected that changing attitude alone wasn’t enough—some things you don’t understand, and the more active you are, the more you get taken advantage of!

Fuck, every step is a trap.

Yu Xing quickly finished his bun and said: “Still, Sister Ying gave us advice and placed a big order. If the money hasn’t arrived and we haven’t even started, calling her now would be rude.”

Zhong Zhiling thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, that would be rude.”

She’s already been so supportive—how could we complain about slowness?

“Fortunately…” Yu Xing smiled, “I promised to take Shan Shan to the amusement park. Let Sister Ying come along. We’ll bring all the registration documents then—it won’t seem sudden.”

Zhong Zhiling drank two sips of porridge, tasting both the food and the words, then looked up in shock: “Big Brother Xing, when you promised to take Shan Shan out, you didn’t already plan this, did you?”

What a perfect little excuse to invite her!

Yu Xing shook his head. “We’re all ordinary people—who thinks that far ahead? It’s just luck.”

Zhong Zhiling lowered his head and drank his porridge, wondering whether ordinary people could manipulate others like that, or whether they could sketch out an entire project’s outline in just a few days.

A moment later, Yu Xing pulled out his phone and walked outside to call and set a time.

About five minutes later, Zhong Zhiling watched his senior return with a smile.

“Alright, Sister Ying’s fine,” Yu Xing said cheerfully. “Call Lu Haiying and get those two friends to confirm their orders. We’ve lowered the price to 299—they should accept it.”

Zhong Zhiling nodded.

Yu Xing paused, then added: “We shouldn’t sit idle today. Split up. Visit nearby universities, find the counselors, and pretend it’s a campus social survey—look into the dating situation on campus.”

“Why…?” Zhong Zhiling was confused.

“I want to know what percentage of the 115,000 graduating students in Jin Ling are couples,” Yu Xing said. “They’re our potential customers—we need a rough idea.”

Zhong Zhiling was stunned. “Big Brother Xing, how do you know there are 115,000 graduating students this year?”

Yu Xing made a phone gesture. “I called the city office. Used the same excuse—campus social survey. Besides, it’s not secret data.”

Zhong Zhiling said sincerely: “Big Brother Xing, I really mean it—every time we part and meet again, you always pull out something new!”

“Don’t be surprised,” Yu Xing grinned. “Your ability is only 8.6% of mine.”

Zhong Zhiling frowned. “8.6%? That’s too precise.”

Yu Xing held up his hands: five hundred and forty-three.

Zhong Zhiling blinked, then understood—it was the debt: 430,000 versus 5 million… the greater the debt, the greater the ability…