Chapter 49: 048 Movement

The questions about Gui'ai Network on the internet appeared somewhat suddenly, but the content didn't exceed what Yu Xing had planned earlier.

Company, business, employees—either whether the company could support the final redemption, whether the love contract business was compliant, or the use of college student interns. Beyond that, there wouldn't be any sharp questions.

Of course, this also almost covered the key points of Gui'ai Network from top to bottom.

Yu Xing received the notification from Zhong Zhiling and rushed back to the office. After a quick browse of the situation, he discovered that this wave of public opinion attacks mainly came from Tieba, while Xiaonei Network, which had played an important role in the past few days, was only auxiliary.

If it were organized, the attacks from these two platforms would be the fastest. Portals like Sohu and Sina would generally be slower.

As for where this wave of attacks came from...

NetEase? Its new business was forced to stagnate, and it had fired a director. Its reputation was a bit tarnished, and perhaps they were feeling resentful.

Shiji Jiayuan, Zhenai, Baihe? Because of this wave from NetEase, they would probably notice the niche market of love contracts, and perhaps they just took the opportunity to mess with Gui'ai Network.

Or perhaps...

Yu Xing thought of the fired director. That Ying Jiadong also had a strong motive. Not only did he lose his job, but his reputation had also been blackened quite a bit. He must be feeling extremely resentful.

But regardless of where it came from, this actually saved him the trouble of taking action himself.

Yu Xing had previously chatted with his second and third-in-command about this matter: questions could be answered, and whether it was black or red, this traffic would inevitably increase orders for the online store.

Since the outbreak of public opinion, the revenue from online orders had shown potential, and this situation was exactly what Gui'ai Network wanted to see.

Moreover, online orders had an advantage that offline ones couldn't compare to: these orders didn't require commission splits.

Offline orders through employees only brought 99 to the company account, while online ones were all the company's. That meant 1 online order was equivalent to 3 offline orders. As long as it could be sustained for a period of time, it would surely greatly alleviate the pressure on Gui'ai Network's operations.

Yu Xing sat in front of the computer smoking, browsing the web while considering the relevant situation.

Overall, NetEase's reaction was still quite fast, and it was a positive reaction. If NetEase could ignore the negative voices and "NetEase Dating" could continue to operate, this marketing storm could be pushed even further.

Yu Xing had even considered that if "NetEase Dating" could enter campuses, he could find people to throw eggs or simply scold them to their faces, and then film it and post it online. This traffic would inevitably last for a longer time.

Unfortunately...

Things didn't go exactly as imagined.

But it could still be considered taking a small bite of meat.

Yu Xing smoked one cigarette after another. The things he was thinking about were no longer the smear posts, nor NetEase, but the company's next direction.

From what he could see, the three traditional matchmaking brands hadn't made any moves. Although he couldn't rule out that he simply had no way of knowing their internal movements, their "silence" wasn't good news, making it very hard to judge the situation.

Yu Xing put the cigarette butt into a mineral water bottle that still had some water in it, stood up, and left the office.

He still had to find a way to get those three most likely buyers to move.

Silence is not as good as action.

The next day, Yu Xing ignored the smear posts online, intending to let them ferment.

Third-in-command Zhong Zhong Zhiling had already set off for Shanghai, while second-in-command Lu Lu Haiying had returned to Jin Ling first.

Once it reached the end of July, offline orders dropped sharply. This actually had a considerable impact on Gui'ai Network. The original five major cities could contribute 550+ orders a week, but now that had plummeted to around 240.

At the same time, taking Jin Ling as an example, the team size before July 15th was around 110. As of July 30th, only 63 employees remained, a staggering reduction of 42%.

Yu Xing was mentally prepared for the rapid turnover of the college student intern team, but knowing this attrition rate still made him feel...

You guys really are something!

Some went out to play after getting one month's salary, some felt the weather was too hot, some felt the novelty had worn off, some felt communicating with clients was too difficult, some were...

In short, including the reason that the work difficulty had increased, various reasons combined to cause the sharp reduction in employees.

It was just that none of the five cities continued to recruit new people. This scale of reduction was actually beneficial to Gui'ai Network's current operations. After all, it was difficult to get offline traffic supplements for special businesses at this time.

According to the development plan, August was, on one hand, to continue seeking "mitosis" of clients, and on the other, to attempt to take the step of conquering social groups.

Looking at it this way, the product "Gui'ai Network" was only then complete.

The essence of the business was the extremely low marriage probability of the clients, the company brand was tempered by NetEase, the employee team had been streamlined, and the client group included both students and those moving into society. Only with such a combination and setup did "Gui'ai Network" have a chance to be sold.

It was just that the price was also something that needed to be considered next.

At one in the afternoon, the weather was hot, and third-in-command Zhong Zhong Zhiling arrived at the Gui'ai Network office.

"Tsk tsk, Brother Xing, your office here is bigger than mine." Zhong Zhong Zhiling met his senior brother, his mood still joyful.

Yu Xing was surprised: "It's already quite small here."

Zhong Zhong Zhiling gave a "hehe" smile: "Saving money, right? Offices aren't important to us anyway."

Yu Xing nodded and asked: "How do you feel about being in Lin'an?"

A complex expression that couldn't be described appeared on Zhong Zhong Zhiling's face. After a moment, he replied: "Working from dawn till dusk—this past month has been more tiring than any month in my past."

He sat down and said sincerely: "So, on the way here, sitting in the car, I thought: for Senior Brother to be able to pull the company up and spread out this whole operation, it really isn't easy!"

Previously in Jin Ling, Zhong Zhong Zhiling followed behind his senior brother, doing whatever he was told. This month in Lin'an, he had to take the lead on everything. Despite having the Jin Ling experience, he still felt it was exceptionally difficult.

Only by working from dawn till dusk could he be considered to have worked diligently until the end of the month.

Yu Xing smiled and nodded: "It's indeed not easy, but we've managed to do it step by step. Yesterday's online store volume was 131 orders, 5 more than the day before."

Hearing this, Zhong Zhong Zhiling stood up abruptly, a bit excited: "Brother Xing, I came here this time to talk about this too. 131 orders one day, 125 the next—that's over 70,000 in revenue, and no commission splits! If this momentum can be maintained, we can..."

They could fill the deficit!

And then, relying on Gui'ai Network's current operations, everything else would be profit.

"Traffic comes fast and goes fast," Yu Xing said indifferently. "In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, there's a line about Yuan Shao: 'He wants to do great things but cherishes his life; he sees small profits and forgets his own life.' How can you be sure this wave of traffic will be enough to fill our deficit?"

"Have you ever run an online store?"

"Do you have experience in internet operations?"

Yu Xing asked three questions in a row, and Zhong Zhong Zhiling couldn't answer.

"Of course, the most important point," Yu Xing said frankly. "Perhaps we can give it a shot and handle your 430,000, but I definitely can't handle it on my end."

Zhong Zhong Zhiling sat back down silently. *Fine, fine, fine, Senior Brother, you've completely convinced me. *

"This revenue from the internet indeed doesn't need to be split, but this money needs to be used to buy traffic and pay for operating costs. Once offline orders aren't enough to cover employee salaries, this is still money that needs to be filled in," Yu Xing clarified. "If we don't run away, there won't be much of this money left."

Offline orders were already starting to plummet, and the entire month of August would surely be even more difficult.

Zhong Zhong Zhiling frowned and said: "So, Brother Xing, that's why I said yesterday that Song Song Yufeng could be sold out."

Yu Xing said ambiguously: "This matter depends on the situation. Don't think that selling him out will solve everything. If he breaks the pot and exposes that we bribed him with travel fees or that we're manipulating operations, that won't look good either."

He added: "Besides, if he's really pushed to the edge, and one day he stabs you, that would truly reflect the intensity of business competition."

Zhong Zhong Zhiling thought about it left and right; he really had been a bit like someone who sees small profits and forgets his own life.

It was mainly because seeing a chance to solve the problem made people restless.

"In August, we still need to arrange for some employees to become permanent staff, which will further increase company costs." Yu Xing thought about next month's situation and shook his head slightly. "We've only initially polished the product; whether it can be sold is another matter."

He was about to talk more about next month's situation when an unfamiliar number appeared on his phone.

Yu Xing answered and discovered it was Director Zhuo Shiming, the one Vice President Cao mentioned yesterday who would handle subsequent matters.

"I am Yu Xing. I only have one demand now: since your project openly innovated by copying our stuff, I now demand an open and honest apology."

"Since you say NetEase is responsible, then be responsible properly. I don't ask for monetary compensation."

Yu Xing ended the call after saying just a few words.

"Brother Xing, did NetEase agree?" Zhong Zhong Zhiling asked with some excitement.

Yu Xing shook his head: "They didn't agree immediately, but it shouldn't be a big problem. This director seems to be the new person in charge of their 'NetEase Dating.' Anyway, the blame is on the predecessor; it's nothing more than showing his face."

He pondered for a moment and said: "Even if they agree, we'll drag the time out a bit. It's just right to use NetEase's apology to respond to the smear posts online."

Yu Xing thought for a while and felt that the current internet was a bit inconvenient; both Tieba and Xiaonei Network's dissemination were a bit poor.

If only there were TikTok, perhaps this small public opinion storm could bring in double the traffic.

The weather was still hot. Yu Xing acted as a temporary online store customer service while chatting with his third-in-command about the situation in different markets.

Just as the two were preparing to go out, a call from the "hard bone" Song Song Yufeng came in.

"President Yu!"

Song Song Yufeng's voice was loud enough for Zhong Zhong Zhiling, who was not far away, to hear.

"Speak, Brother Feng," Yu Xing greeted. "Did NetEase invite you back to work?"

"NetEase has already finished all my resignation procedures," Song Song Yufeng answered, his tone sorrowful. "My girlfriend broke up with me!"

Yu Xing said indifferently: "Oh, then you're really miserable."

Work is gone, girlfriend broke up.

He then asked: "Then does the equity our company gave your ex-girlfriend still need to be cashed out?"

"Wait..." Song Song Yufeng was getting used to Yu Xing's style, but he hadn't adapted to the identity of "ex-girlfriend." "You..."

"Brother Feng, this isn't an emotional hotline, and besides, I specifically serve couples," Yu Xing said. "You tell me, but I can't help you win her back. You'll have to digest emotional matters yourself. I have things to do."

Song Song Yufeng really had no one to talk to. He heard the intention to hang up on the other side and immediately said: "You said last time that if I was at the end of my rope and had no one to solve my difficulties, I should come to you..."

Yu Xing smiled: "I was joking."

Song Song Yufeng sighed on the phone: "Forget it, I'm coming to find you."

Yu Xing just wanted to refuse but stopped himself upon hearing the next sentence.

"Can't I help you sell products?" Song Song Yufeng felt empty inside. With no job and no girlfriend, he just wanted to find something to do, hoping to shift his attention.

Yu Xing ended the call with Song Song Yufeng, turned to tell his third-in-command about the matter, and added: "Look, I originally wanted to use his girlfriend's equity to keep him in check, but in just two days, the girlfriend is gone. If you sell him out now, it's not certain what might happen."

Zhong Zhong Zhiling agreed deeply; that spineless coward was probably already on the verge of a breakdown.

That was what he thought, but when he actually met Song Song Yufeng, he found that the man was indeed wilted, but he spent the whole afternoon filling out forms, registering, carrying water, and carrying bags without a single complaint.

Yu Xing was surprised: "Brother Feng, you don't really want to work for our company, do you?"

Song Song Yufeng just shook his head. He was just truly empty for a moment.

Yu Xing looked at him, and a bad idea welled up in his heart: "Brother Feng, in two days we might go to NetEase to accept a public apology. I'm going to get a busload of students to go and witness it. You come too."

Song Song Yufeng answered briefly: "Not going."

Yu Xing felt that there was still potential to be dug out of this guy, so he asked again: "I saw online that there's an internet conference in Jin Ling in September. It's the first time it's being held outside of Beijing. Can you help me find someone to get me in? I can find your former boss and talk face-to-face."

Song Song Yufeng was helpless: "I don't have that kind of resource, President Yu. I'm just a small fry, and besides, I've resigned."

Yu Xing put down the survey form in his hand: "Then what can you do? And what do you want to do?"

Song Song Yufeng said melancholically: "I don't know what else I can do. The resume I sent to Sina yesterday was quickly rejected. What do you think I can do?"

So it wasn't just work and his girlfriend; there was also the matter of his new job being rejected.

"You're so arrogant, you have so much backbone—someone must have greeted them on your behalf," Yu Xing teased with a smile. "You try bribing your peers with travel fees and see if it works."

"I have so much backbone—those are all unspoken rules. Who would dare take my money..." Song Song Yufeng also knew the situation. "Aren't they afraid I'll jump out and scold them in public?"

Yu Xing looked at him. Just as he was about to grab a bottle of mineral water, the three words "unspoken rules" flashed through his mind. His gaze turned back to the former big-tech employee, and he pondered: "That's right, you have so much backbone. I actually thought of a good idea. How about you start a community where people can vent about workplace unspoken rules?"

Song Song Yufeng said listlessly: "Who would vent about that? Don't they want their jobs anymore?"

Yu Xing smiled: "What if it could be anonymous?"

He remembered a "Maimai" he had used.

If the money from selling Gui'ai Network wasn't enough, besides planting grapes, perhaps he could prepare a few more paths.

Song Song Yufeng thought about it and shook his head: "That would definitely be sued constantly."

He couldn't help but say: "President Yu, I've noticed that your operations in business are all... this kind of assassin-style?"

Could a hard bone be afraid of being sued?

"We're nowhere near that yet," Yu Xing said with a smile. "But let's talk about that later. It was just a sudden idea. Brother Feng, for now, silence is better than action."

His tone and gaze became much gentler as he continued to ask: "Brother Feng, help me think of a way again. Is there really no one to find for the internet conference in Jin Ling in September?"

Song Song Yufeng was silent for a moment: "No one to find, but if it really comes to it, we can just sponge off the camera outside."

Yu Xing patted his shoulder and praised: "I knew you wouldn't be completely useless!" ===== CHAPTER 50 =====