Chapter 40: 039 Add a Chicken Leg

Good news from Jingcheng still arrived.

Perhaps due to concerns over too immediate an impact, Jingcheng remained silent the next day; only on the third day did Market Deputy Manager Yan Qiuzhen report the good news: an intern team had been assembled, preliminary operations had begun in the university district, and twelve orders had been secured.

Yu Xing breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, the nascent progress in Lin’an would have been disrupted again, and the back-and-forth turmoil would have cost dearly.

As for whether anyone had embezzled funds or taken kickbacks—well, Guoai Network’s explicit policy stipulated that the maximum bonus of 200 per team was the standard, and once a new owner arrived, all such matters would be accurately transferred.

All five markets had now settled into routine, yet new trends in Jin Ling had revealed an ominous signal: employee turnover was rising, and order volume was declining.

Jin Ling’s best week had seen over seventy-five orders per day, but during the first week of July, order volume gradually dropped to around seventy.

Had schools already started summer break? Was the potential customer base shrinking? Or had the customers’ “fission effect” already weakened?

Or perhaps all these factors were at play.

Seventy orders a week meant roughly 2,100 a month; even accounting for decline, total volume should still reach 1,500, translating to 448,500 yuan in revenue.

This already exceeded Yu Xing’s earlier lower-bound target of 1,100 orders discussed with Zhong Zhiling and Lu Haiying.

Yet, given the similarity among university students, this decline signal would inevitably soon strike the other markets too.

Yu Xing could not help but worry.

Thus, he was willing to proactively seek out resources—and his target became the alternate shareholder Yin Baoyi.

On July 6, nearing noon, Yu Xing returned early from school, carrying two boxed meals with extra chicken wings and drumsticks, and a bag of chilled drinks, to share lunch with Yin Baoyi.

Along the way, he casually discussed performance with the alternate shareholder.

“Our company’s development is excellent—this month’s revenue will surely surpass a million, and by quite a bit,” Yu Xing said between bites. “In Jin Ling, some rose vendors have already come knocking, hoping we can help promote them; if we close the deal, it’s another income stream.”

“If roses can be promoted, why not wedding photography, wedding supplies, even wedding hotels? We can take on those ads too.”

“By September, when school resumes, we can expand our market further, leveraging accumulated experience to reach a broader audience.”

Yu Xing spoke with enthusiastic passion about the business’s future.

Yin Baoyi was equally delighted; as the company grew, so would her equity.

Yu Xing bit into a chicken wing, then hesitated. “It’s just…”

Yin Baoyi waited, but no follow-up came. She pressed: “Yu Zong, what is it?”

“It’s that the transition through August will be tricky—graduates are all on break, and there’s still time before school restarts,” Yu Xing lowered his head slightly. “We can’t just lay off interns because August is quiet. The company wants to use online promotion—campus networks, Tieba, Sina, NetEase… but we just don’t have the resources.”

Yin Baoyi turned her eyes, thinking: “Online promotion still requires investment—money buys resources.”

Yu Xing nodded seriously: “We’re not afraid of spending money—our company and business will earn it back. The problem is, we don’t even know how to spend it or where to put it.”

He then resumed eating, head bowed.

Yin Baoyi carefully considered the matter, calculating the potential profits in the process of investing and funneling money.

She glanced at Yu Xing eating his boxed meal and said: “Yu Zong, Song Yufeng works in media—he might be able to help you ask around.”

Yu Xing looked up, hesitant: “Would it be convenient to trouble Brother Feng? Last time, he seemed to have… some reservations about our company.”

“It’s all in the past—he sometimes struggles to accept new things,” Yin Baoyi smiled faintly, also hesitant. “But as you said, finding resources online… this ‘funneling money’…”

Yu Xing immediately said: “Here’s the plan, Yi Jie—I’ll write down two key points: promotion on Baidu Tieba and campus networks. Ask Brother Feng if he can find someone, then have him give us a quote. Between us, we can negotiate.”

Yin Baoyi nodded seriously: “Alright, I’ll ask for you when I get home.”

In her mind flashed her boss’s earlier casual remark: the company’s monthly revenue was about to break a million.

That evening, Yin Baoyi told her boyfriend everything, asking about online promotion resources like Tieba and campus networks.

“Oh, I’ll ask around—it shouldn’t be hard. Didn’t Yu Xing originally plan to promote via campus networks? He said it overlaps with the company’s customer base and would work well,” Song Yufeng agreed, then frowned. “Didn’t he already reach out to someone?”

“Not that I know of—he’s been busy from morning till night these days,” Yin Baoyi nudged her boyfriend. “But I’m not just asking about this—how much do you think it’d cost to run Tieba and campus network promotions?”

“Usually it’s bundled,” Song Yufeng admitted he had little direct experience, though he sometimes overheard colleagues. He thought carefully. “Ten thousand yuan should be enough—I’ll ask my colleagues tomorrow. If I know someone, maybe even cheaper.”

“Then ask your colleagues. I’ll tell Yu Xing first that it’s fifty thousand—I won’t lock it in,” Yin Baoyi’s eyes gleamed. “I’ll wait until you get home tomorrow to decide.”

Song Yufeng hesitated: “This… isn’t quite right.”

Yin Baoyi snapped: “I’m a shareholder too! Besides, this kind of thing always involves a red envelope. Just find someone reliable—if it works, that’s all that matters!”

She added: “The money must deliver results!”

Song Yufeng chuckled bitterly: “You really are a shareholder—worried about results too.”

“If there’s no result, will there be a next time?” Yin Baoyi smiled sweetly. “That’s how you build long-term trust. If needed, we can offer a discount next time.”

Song Yufeng frowned: “But you’re already working at the company—if Yu Xing finds out, it’ll be awkward. He’s not blind—he’ll ask others.”

“That’s why you need to find someone trustworthy,” Yin Baoyi had already thought this through thoroughly at home. “Besides, prices vary—that’s fine. The higher price is justified by better results. As long as revenue grows, promotion costs are just pocket change.”

She had personally witnessed the rapid expansion of the company’s operations in Songjiang University District—fifty thousand yuan was merely a few days’ revenue.

Yin Baoyi slapped the sofa decisively: “Consider it a bonus chicken leg for the shareholder!”

Song Yufeng said nothing—his silence was tacit approval.

After a moment, he said: “I checked at the company—the matchmaking team hasn’t moved. No word of new business—they really won’t be entering your space. I’ll confirm my report will be published on July 13.”

“Exactly,” Yin Baoyi recalled her boyfriend’s earlier story. “Besides, you already returned the transportation fee to the company. Since NetEase won’t join, this money’s just being reclaimed in another form.”

Song Yufeng shook his head. Fine—chicken leg it is. No next time.