Chapter 35: 034 Communication

“It doesn’t seem any different here.”

“Uh, how far is it to the Oriental Pearl Tower? How long does it take?”

“When are we going to see the Oriental Pearl Tower?”

“Yu Zong, where are we staying?”

Feng Zongze had an outgoing personality; as soon as they got out of the car, he fully displayed his curiosity and excitement, while Cui Jingwei, by contrast, was reserved and spent the entire journey silently observing and thinking.

Even so, despite Cui Jingwei’s reserved nature, seeing his senior lead them both with luggage straight toward the university district, he couldn’t help asking: “Yu Zong, are we starting business today?”

It was already evening; the afterglow painted the sky, not an ideal time to begin business operations.

“No, we’re staying right here. Tomorrow we’ll get new materials and recruit some people,” Yu Xing replied.

Feng Zongze asked in surprise: “Staying inside the campus? Didn’t you say we rented an apartment?”

Yu Xing nodded and pointed to the building right beside them: “There, we rented this place. Our first week’s business in Shen Cheng will revolve around Songjiang University City.”

He added briefly: “This is Phase Six of the apartments, mainly rented by students preparing for the judicial exam, postgraduate entrance exam, or job hunting—but some tenants stay too long, find other places to live, and sublet their rooms.”

Feng Zongze scratched his head. Okay, it was a bit different from what he’d imagined.

“Once we have money, we can rent by the Huangpu River, or even stay in a five-star hotel—with the river view right outside the window,” Yu Xing said with a smile. “But until then, welcome to Phase Six Apartments.”

Feng Zongze and Cui Jingwei looked at their senior. That dream was pure fantasy.

“Oh right, it’s about an hour and a half from here to the Oriental Pearl Tower,” Yu Xing answered Feng Zongze’s earlier question.

Feng Zongze now had a sense of distance: “Uh, a round trip is almost enough to get me back to Jin Ling…”

“If you want to go, you can go on weekends,” Yu Xing said casually. “Tonight, just rest well.”

“Then let’s go! Up we go!” Feng Zongze patted his suitcase.

“Wait for someone to bring the keys,” Yu Xing said succinctly.

Feng Zongze: “Hmm…”

Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long. About fifteen minutes later, Yu Xing met the second-hand landlord, who arrived with two group leaders and entered the apartment complex.

All the apartment units here had identical layouts: 38 square meters, with private bathrooms and air conditioning, each equipped with two sets of beds, desks, and chairs.

Feng Zongze set down his suitcase, walked around the room, and muttered: “Back in Jin Ling I lived in the dorm; now in Shen Cheng I’m still living in a dorm…”

He scratched his head and asked his senior: “Yu Zong, how much is the rent here?”

“One room is 1,200 yuan, plus a 300-yuan subletting fee, and utilities are extra,” Yu Xing smiled. “I think this place is fine—clean, tidy, and convenient for our operations.”

Cui Jingwei agreed: “Yes, we’ll stay here. That way, if clients have questions at night, we can communicate easily.”

Yu Xing glanced at this group leader—he hadn’t expected him to proactively think about overtime. Truly… very driven.

“Alright, wander around the neighborhood tonight, stay safe. You can eat at Wenhui Road,” Yu Xing picked up his phone and warned. “There’s fried chicken, stir-fried beef, spicy lotus root slices, corn cakes, and more.”

Feng Zongze asked in surprise: “Yu Zong, how do you know all this so well?”

“I asked the landlord—he used to be a student here,” Yu Xing smiled. “I’m going to meet a media contact. I won’t know what time I’ll be back. Eat well, drink well—everything’s reimbursable.”

He had already promised that meals and lodging were covered; naturally, he wouldn’t break his word.

Feng Zongze asked curiously: “Media contact? Male or female?”

Yu Xing replied irritably: “Male. It’s serious business.”

He gave a few more instructions, handed over the keys, and turned to leave.

Yu Xing had media contacts in Shen Cheng. Even while en route, he’d contacted Song Yufeng, a journalist stationed in Shen Cheng, and strongly invited him to dinner; after much persuasion, the man finally agreed.

“I bet the friend Yu Zong’s meeting is a woman!” Feng Zongze whispered gossip after their senior left. “Lao Cui, what do you think?”

Cui Jingwei shook his head: “Brother Xing isn’t that type of person. He’s the most dedicated to work—I saw how he worked nonstop back in Jin Ling.”

Feng Zongze agreed, but added: “What if the friend is a woman—and she helps with work?”

Cui Jingwei hesitated for a few seconds: “I don’t know if Brother Xing would mind sacrificing himself for work.”

Yu Xing didn’t know his two group leaders were discussing his character behind his back. Outside the door, he was already pondering how to communicate with Song Yufeng, the NetEase employee.

He’d heard that one quick way to build rapport was to drink together and complain about the company and bosses.

But he wasn’t from the same company—would that even work?

Yu Xing thought about this all the way, and by the time he met Song Yufeng, he still hadn’t figured out how to strengthen their bond.

Still, upon meeting, he warmly thanked Brother Feng for his help and clearly stated his purpose: asking when the report could be published.

“Probably next week,” Song Yufeng wasn’t certain. “Either next week or the week after—don’t worry, it’ll happen.”

“Oh come on, Brother Feng, I’m just not reassured. When you called me last time, I thought long and hard: what if Tencent sees us doing this, or another company copies our model? What then?” Yu Xing feigned concern.

Song Yufeng grunted, forced to agree: “Yeah, it really is tough.”

“But nothing’s easy,” Yu Xing said something familiar to Song Yufeng, then reassured him: “We’ve already built the business. Everyone can see it now—no one can stop it.”

Hearing the founder think this way, Song Yufeng felt considerably better.

“Come on, Brother Feng, let’s just have a few drinks tonight,” Yu Xing pulled his media contact along. He didn’t pick a fancy restaurant—just a small, clean-looking street-side eatery.

Late June was lobster season. They ordered a large portion, added some grilled skewers from the neighboring stall, poured chilled beer, and brought out stir-fried dishes.

Yu Xing filled a glass to the brim, raised it with a smile: “Brother Feng, I’ll drink to you first—thank you, thank you for not looking down on our grassroots team. I’m downing this!”

Song Yufeng watched the college student drain his glass in one go and thought… maybe he’d been better off when he’d looked down on this grassroots team.

Or maybe he shouldn’t have spoken up after returning to the company—he wouldn’t have stirred up this trouble.

He drank the beer with complicated emotions.

Yu Xing enthusiastically explained the company’s business for a while, shared some amusing stories from the process, then raised his glass again: “Brother Feng, I truly respect NetEase. Unlike Tencent—it sees anything profitable and jumps on it. I’m downing this!”

Song Yufeng: “…”

He drank the beer, then carefully said: “Actually, big companies always have their internal conflicts.”

“Exactly!” Yu Xing slapped his thigh. “I know that—but here’s an example: I fear companies like Tencent copying me, but I’m not afraid of NetEase!”

Song Yufeng opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“Brother Feng, no more words—this toast is to NetEase!” Yu Xing raised his glass again with a smile.

Song Yufeng suddenly felt his scalp tingle. He sighed involuntarily: “I’d rather not toast to that.”

Yu Xing looked puzzled: “What?”

“Ahem,” Song Yufeng rubbed his face. “I mean, my alcohol tolerance is low—I should drink slowly. Let’s save this one for later.”

Yu Xing smiled: “Alright, Brother Feng, take your time! I’ll raise mine and drink it now!”

Seeing this, Song Yufeng still drank half his glass, then shook his head: “I really can’t drink much—I get too drunk and start cursing the company.”

Yu Xing laughed heartily: “Brother Feng, you’re joking! If you say that, I’ll have to force-feed you!”

Song Yufeng pursed his lips: “Yu Xing, is there anything else you wanted today?”

“Nothing much—just wanted to thank you, Brother Feng. Oh, by the way, our core probability has more data now, so we need to adjust it—it’s probably around 15% now.” Yu Xing mentioned a small detail.

Song Yufeng thought for two seconds before understanding: “What? The probability went down? So you’re actually making money now?”

Yu Xing beamed: “Yes!”

Song Yufeng: “…”

He looked at the enthusiastic, sincere college student in front of him, silently poured himself another glass: “Ah, I’ll toast to you instead.”

Dammit, if you’re really making money now… you’ll never make any again…