Chapter 58: 057 Ambition (10,000 Words Requesting Monthly Votes)

Zhong Zhiling and Lu Haiying switched positions quickly.

On the 19th, the two of them left Shanghai one after the other, heading north and south respectively to take over the company’s order optimization tasks.

As for the four market directors transferred from Beijing and Yangcheng, two went to Jinling and two to Lin’an, none summoned to headquarters—out of sight, out of mind.

Whether out of guilt or something else, these four resisted the transfer slightly but carried out the order promptly.

Yu Xing returned to Jinling on the 22nd to complete his school leave procedures.

Unlike before, his teacher Liu Jingrong’s attitude was much gentler this time.

“Director Yu, I heard your company is doing well,” Liu Jingrong called his student, “you even competed with NetEase and won. Hmm, perhaps you really are better suited for business.”

“Teacher, if you don’t call me by my name, I feel utterly uncomfortable,” Yu Xing laughed. “It was pure luck. NetEase still cares about its reputation, so our business kept going. If they’d crushed us, I’d be back in the lab today.”

Liu Jingrong knew his senior student was being polite; he could only shake his head and finally said, “You’ve lost weight since last time, and you’ve matured. Since you’ve truly achieved something, then… keep going. Aim higher, and take good care of your junior.”

Yu Xing couldn’t help saying, “Uh, Teacher, Zhong Zhiling hasn’t decided yet whether to take a leave of absence.”

Liu Jingrong said calmly, “I’ve already decided for him.”

Yu Xing: “Hmm…”

It seemed he’d have to help his junior make the decision—otherwise, the situation might become awkward.

After finishing his school matters, Yu Xing didn’t linger long in Jinling and returned to Shanghai.

Yet, during the train ride, a previously ignored concern surfaced in his mind: September 15 was not far off. If a global financial crisis erupted, would Century Love and Zhen’ai Network also face funding problems?

The Internet Conference was scheduled after the crisis—better if it came before.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, Yu Xing buried the worry again. Nothing in this world was perfect; all he could do now was give his best.

The final days of August passed quickly, and before September even began, the quiet campus suddenly came alive, giving Gu’ai Network’s business a clear new boost.

Gu’ai Network adjusted internally for the semester start: increasing part-time opportunities and adding subsidies to order commissions.

Instead of the original three-tier commission structure, it was now simplified to two tiers: 190 and 200, with team bonuses unchanged. Additionally, the company added a “Brother Bonus” of five yuan per order.

As the name suggests, it was meant for brothers and friends to buy drinks.

The name was a bit flashy, but internal staff responded well.

Even before students fully returned, Gu’ai Network was already sharpening its tools, ready to conquer their love lives.

Yu Xing held two meetings and keenly noticed that many employees, after enduring August’s slump, were excited about restarting campus operations.

One employee even privately voiced his thoughts.

“Director Yu, if we can’t perform well after the semester starts, I’m quitting—not just because of the salary, but failing to close deals is crushing!”

Yu Xing could only offer encouragement: “Once school starts, it’s our home turf. Let’s all push hard in September—you push, I push.”

September must be the month we sell the company—let’s all work hard together.

Similar to Gu’ai Network’s momentum, the semester start also stirred Century Love, Zhen’ai Network, and other matchmaking companies, eager to test their new business assessments immediately.

Zhen’ai Network’s vice president Wei Jialan spent half of August confirming her clients’ acceptance of the “Dating Contract.”

Suitable—this contract arrangement was perfect!

The only issue: Zhen’ai’s clients were older and more desperate for marriage. The common feedback was—could the two-year period be shortened?

Clients wanted to meet in week one, get to know in week two, get engaged in week three, and marry in week four.

Two years…

Too long!

Wei Jialan considered this from the client’s perspective and realized it was a very real problem.

Zhen’ai aimed to help clients find partners quickly, but the Dating Contract encouraged delaying marriage—this fundamental conflict severely limited potential customer conversion.

Couldn’t they focus more on existing clients?

Either keep expanding in society, or follow Gu’ai Network’s path into campuses?

How exactly had Gu’ai Network moved from campus to society?

Wei Jialan quietly monitored Yu Xing’s movements, especially after discovering he shared work updates on campus networks—she checked daily.

—Today we set up a stall, met a big brother who said he trusted me just by looking—so funny!

—Oh no, Shanghai market performance was bad today, but Lin’an had great results.

—Wow, taking turns—Lin’an did poorly, but Beijing turned out well.

Wei Jialan paid special attention to Yu Xing’s descriptions of social client expansion and found Gu’ai Network’s efforts weren’t stellar, but they seemed to be showing initial results.

Or was it simply the communication power of the student team?

Wei Jialan recalled information from her calls with Yu Xing and realized clients treated mature professionals and inexperienced students differently.

Inexperienced… inexperienced…

Wei Jialan didn’t know if this inexperience seemed more sincere, but she knew her own company well: frontline sales and matchmakers at internet matchmaking firms often used tricks and sometimes told small lies—this was undeniable.

On September 1, Zhen’ai Network still decided to follow Gu’ai Network’s path and deployed teams to university campuses across multiple cities.

Wei Jialan personally traveled to Yangcheng to observe the competitor’s situation firsthand.

Yet, in Yangcheng’s universities, she saw no Gu’ai Network stalls—only welcome banners for new students hung prominently.

Wei Jialan ordered her staff to investigate, refusing to believe Gu’ai Network would abandon such an opportunity.

That evening, she learned what had happened.

“Director Wei, we can’t enter dorms. Gu’ai Network has many students—they have student IDs, alumni connections, friends—they’ve already dispersed into dorms to promote.”

Universities tightened dorm management during the semester start. Zhen’ai’s staff clearly didn’t match students, and their purely commercial behavior made it impossible to match Gu’ai Network’s frequency.

Wei Jialan hung up, frowning deeply. Should the company start hiring students too?

Hire too few, and it won’t work; hire too many, and the cost for this single-purpose workforce will skyrocket…

Wei Jialan thought and thought, concluding the company’s campus moves were all half-baked.

On September 2, Zhen’ai Network’s vice president called Gu’ai Network’s founder again.

This time, Wei Jialan respected Yu Xing’s choice and confidently proposed a new collaboration: “Director Yu, since you’re confident in your company’s future and we’re also bullish on your business, how about Zhen’ai Network invests as a shareholder? What do you think?”

Investment and equity?

No! Absolutely not!

If you’re going to sell, sell everything!

Yu Xing flatly refused: “Our company is doing great—we don’t need funding. Why should we take your money?”

Wei Jialan knew the man across the line was a first-time student entrepreneur and said patiently, “Director Yu, with funding, you can enter more cities, scale up faster, and your company’s valuation will rise quickly. Your shares may shrink, but their value will still increase.”

A student probably doesn’t grasp the meaning of leveraging capital—understandable.

Yu Xing still refused without hesitation: “No, impossible. We won’t sell the company or any shares. Director Wei, I thought we made ourselves clear last time. Also, tell Century Love and Baihe Network the same—don’t ask me again. I’m sticking to this stance.”

Wei Jialan frowned. Were competitors reaching out too?

The call ended on the other end.

Wei Jialan put down her phone, genuinely unable to find a clean solution: do it ourselves, it’s half-baked; invest, he refuses; buy the company, he refuses…

Honestly, this Yu fellow has real ambition!