Chapter 59: 058 Mismatch

Just calling without making an offer—come on, make an offer!

Yu Xing was frustrated by the communication attempts from Zhen'ai Network.

He figured Zhen'ai Network must have tried expanding its business and found it harder than expected, so now it wanted to invest in him.

The problem is, Gu'ai Network isn’t very successful either.

It’s hard to break into the social customer market, and we’ve already ceded most of the profits in the campus segment—if we take Zhen'ai Network’s investment, how do we clean up this mess later?

It’s already gotten completely out of hand!

Gu'ai Network has been operating for less than three months; it’s entirely driven by a high-split model, with a crude structure, sloppy management, not to mention several issues in the Beijing and Yangcheng markets…

To be fair, is it hard to assemble a makeshift team?

Yu Xing already felt it wasn’t easy.

And to keep that makeshift team going…

He recently felt it was even harder.

In short, the company never properly laid a foundation from the start; sure, you can try to sustain operations long-term, but… just don’t bother.

Yu Xing pondered Zhen'ai Network’s overtures for a long time, and firmly ruled out accepting investment in his heart—not just because of Gu'ai Network’s own problems, but because he was more interested in stirring up this era.

Of course, selling the company doesn’t mean the end of his connection to this industry; “those things” still need a good material.

On the evening of the 3rd, Yu Xing sat at his apartment desk organizing documents when the door suddenly knocked.

“Cui Jingwei, what’s up?”

The visitor was Cui Jingwei, the team leader who had followed Yu Xing from Jin Ling to Shen Cheng to expand business.

“Yu Zong, uh, this…” Cui Jingwei stammered.

Yu Xing recognized the tone immediately—it wasn’t good news. He said patiently, “Just say it straight. We’re both from Jin Ling, and you’ve been with the company since June—what’s there to hide?”

“Yu Zong, uh, I want to quit.” Cui Jingwei finally spoke out.

Yu Xing wasn’t overly surprised. He asked, “Did last month’s poor performance shake your confidence? The universities have reopened—you should feel our business momentum coming back.”

Cui Jingwei bit his lip, then told the truth: “Yu Zong, my mom thinks the company isn’t reliable—she’s called me multiple times.”

Yu Xing paused: “Hmm…”

Cui Jingwei, having started, continued: “She found out how long we’ve been around, thinks the company’s too small, and thinks our product… uh, basically, she absolutely won’t let me stay.”

Yu Xing thought for a moment, then said: “Cui Jingwei, your mom dislikes the short registration time and the company’s small size. Well, how about this—wait a bit longer…”

Cui Jingwei assumed the boss meant unpaid salary—last month’s pay still hadn’t been issued.

If it were up to him, he’d actually be willing to stay.

Cui Jingwei hesitated, then said: “Then I’ll wait until next week…”

“Next week? Oh no—Cui Jingwei, wait until the end of this month.” Yu Xing had noticed this team leader—he was solid and had grown quickly, but his school and major weren’t strong.

Cui Jingwei looked at his boss, confused.

“You’ve already come this far—what’s a little more time?” Yu Xing smiled. “Just tough it out.”

Cui Jingwei hesitated, then agreed.

After this team leader left, Yu Xing sighed, pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, then went back to organizing company documents and data alone.

…

On September 4, Zhen'ai Network continued its tentative expansion into new business, while also receiving word of similar moves from competitors.

But the new business clearly wasn’t as easy to crack as imagined.

That afternoon, Vice President Wei Jialan traveled to Shen Cheng, and after checking into her hotel, still pondered Gu'ai Network in her mind.

“Lao Xu, how should we handle this? Should we hire people specifically for campus business, or just use our current team to target social customers?” Wei Jialan brought it up again over dinner with a colleague.

Xu Zhaode was a company veteran, serving as Operations Deputy Director, known for his blunt style.

Seeing Wei Zong’s worried expression, he couldn’t help laughing: “It’s just a bunch of college students. You’ve mentioned this multiple times in meetings—why are you still obsessed now that you’re in Shen Cheng?”

“Gu'ai Network’s headquarters is right here,” Wei Jialan shook her head. “That’s exactly why I’m obsessed—it’s hard to crack. If we do it ourselves, costs rise too high; if we don’t, we’ll miss a great opportunity, especially since Century Love and Baihe Network are also eyeing this.”

Xu Zhaode asked: “Aren’t you here to negotiate a new partnership or investment?”

“I wanted to, but Gu'ai Network’s Yu Xing—that college student has too much pride,” Wei Jialan frowned. “He won’t accept investment—he’s dead set on building the company himself.”

Xu Zhaode thought for a few seconds, then judged: “Just offer too low. It’s a bunch of college students—how much pride can he have?”

Wei Jialan shook her head: “Price isn’t the main issue. It’s hard to value a brand-new company. Offer too much, and it’s cheaper to do it ourselves; offer too little, and it’s useless.”

Xu Zhaode asked casually: “What price are you thinking of for this company?”

“Eighty to a hundred thousand,” Wei Jialan said, sighing. “But he won’t even let me give a quote—I think Gu'ai Network won’t negotiate.”

Xu Zhaode wasn’t responsible for this business, but he said: “College kids running companies—if it were me, I’d just walk in with cash in hand. He’s probably never seen a million yuan in cash, right? You’re just talking numbers—what can you get from that?”

Wei Jialan scoffed: “This college kid’s different. His company’s monthly revenue is already close to that—do you think he’ll fall for your trick?”

Xu Zhaode objected: “Revenue is revenue—how much does he actually take home? Isn’t most of it distributed to employees? There are other shareholders—can he even split twenty thousand a year?”

He stood up, insisting: “It’s just a bunch of college kids. A million yuan weighs twenty or thirty pounds—just dump it on his desk. I don’t believe he won’t talk!”

“Hahaha, you think you’re him?” Wei Jialan shook her head, laughing. “He’s got serious ambition—he’s even run ads ahead of our company.”

Xu Zhaode looked at the vice president’s expression and sneered: “What ambition? You’re overthinking. Wei Zong, I’m telling you—take out the cash. I’ll take a bag tomorrow and go negotiate. I can’t guarantee success, but at least we’ll make progress!”

He added: “If you’re serious, push this fast—otherwise, won’t it get harder the longer we wait? If this company expands to more cities, it’ll be even worse.”

Wei Jialan was moved by this. Gu'ai Network currently operated in only five cities, but once they stabilized, they’d definitely expand further—then the cost would be even higher.

But she still said: “Yu Xing is no ordinary guy—he’s ambitious, he’s got heart. You’re underestimating him.”

Xu Zhaode didn’t want to argue further. He simply said: “Try it. Call him tomorrow and set up a meeting—I want to see what kind of guy he is.”

Wei Jialan hesitated, then agreed.

The next day, at ten a.m., Wei Jialan and Xu Zhaode’s group visited Gu'ai Network.

The office was small—but that wasn’t surprising.

Today, seven people came, but mostly to safeguard the cash.

Xu Zhaode carried a bag containing cash withdrawn from three banks; earlier, curious about the weight, he’d actually weighed it—one million yuan in cash weighed about twenty-three pounds.

“I’ll handle the negotiation first,” Xu Zhaode said, though he felt a bit uneasy. “If I mess it up, our leader can step in—there’ll still be room to maneuver.”

Wei Jialan nodded.

Xu Zhaode carried the bag and strode into the office, seeing only one young man inside.

“You’re Yu Zong, right?”

He asked without waiting for an answer, yanked open the bag’s zipper, and shoved the entire bag—cash and all—onto the desk.

“I represent Zhen'ai Network. This is one million yuan. Will you sell the company?”

Bundles of red bills spilled out from the tilted bag opening.

Wei Jialan had just stepped into the office.

Yu Xing stared in shock at the Zhen'ai Network executive throwing cash, then glanced at the people entering behind him.

“Uh.” He quickly stood up, politely saying, “Hello, may I ask your name? Please sit, please sit. This… uh, your…”

Xu Zhaode didn’t sit down, turning to look at his superior—this tone didn’t sound firm at all.

“I’m Xu Zhaode, Deputy Director of Operations at Zhen'ai Network. This is our Wei Zong. Yu Zong, no need for pleasantries—just give me a straight answer: will you sell the company?”

“Sell. The money’s yours.”

“Not sell? I walk out. We’re all men—don’t drag it out.”

Xu Zhaode introduced his superior but gave him no chance to speak, instead gripping the bag’s strap firmly, ready to leave at any moment.

Yu Xing looked at the man in front, then at the one behind, then down at the pile of cash on the desk, and hesitated: “This…”

Xu Zhaode didn’t give him time to breathe: “No more ‘this’ or ‘that,’ Yu Zong—just say yes or no. Can we negotiate?”

“This…” Yu Xing hesitated, “Our team consists of elite college students!”

Xu Zhaode reached for the bag.

Yu Xing continued: “We have many markets ahead!”

Xu Zhaode shoved the spilled cash back into the bag.

Yu Xing added: “This venture is our dream!”

Xu Zhaode zipped the bag shut, holding it in hand, fixing his gaze on the young entrepreneur.

Yu Xing braced one hand on the desk, took a breath, and finally said: “We can negotiate! One million is too low—raise the price!”

Xu Zhaode turned to look at the vice president—was that it?

Wei Jialan: →_→

She couldn’t help rubbing her forehead—what? Yu Zong, no, Yu student—where’s that decisive tone from your phone call? Where’s your ambition? Where’s your integrity? Is this how you repay my evaluation???

Wei Jialan’s emotions surged—she felt the past half-month had been wasted!

Seeing his superior silent, Xu Zhaode didn’t dare quote a price himself: “How much do you want?”

Yu Xing glanced around, bit his lip, and for the first time gave his price: “Five million!”

Wei Jialan sighed softly, adjusted her mindset, smiled, and took over the negotiation: “Yu Zong, your company hasn’t even reached three months—you’re bold to name that price. In fact, this one million is already the result of repeated internal approvals.”

Yu Xing said nothing.

Wei Jialan reshaped her perception of him, relaxed her demeanor, yet kept her expression serious: “Yu Zong, I came here in person precisely because I’m sincere—otherwise, why go through the trouble of withdrawing all this cash?”

She said earnestly: “I arrived in Shen Cheng yesterday afternoon. Today, I postponed all my scheduled meetings just to show our sincerity.”

Yu Xing frowned: “Wei Zong, I believe you—but our valuations of the company differ too much. How can we negotiate?”

“Ultimately, Gu'ai Network’s value lies in its breakthrough product concept—the idea itself is what’s priceless,” Wei Jialan spoke confidently. “Does your product have barriers? How much do you think an idea is worth? We know about your dispute with NetEase—our willingness to acquire is precisely because we want to act with legitimacy.”

She continued: “Your company’s revenue may look strong, but that foundation rests on profit-sharing. If you reduce the split, how will you sustain expansion?”

Yu Xing argued back: “Why shouldn’t we keep sharing? We can keep sharing and keep expanding!”

Wei Jialan pointed out the problem: “The larger the company, the more employees, the higher the operating costs. Since I’m standing here in front of you, don’t you think Zhen’ai.com could make this product? What about Jiayuan.com? What about Baihe.com? If your revenue drops, won’t you have to lay off staff again? Don’t layoffs cost money too?”

She sighed: “Yu Xing, Yu classmate, this is the best offer I’ve managed to secure. You must have your own sense of your company’s value.”

Yu Xing fell silent for a moment, then spoke with difficulty: “No, Wei Zong, I can’t accept it. We’re too far apart. You say you’re coming with sincerity, yet you’re devaluing my company. If that’s truly your attitude, why are Jiayuan.com and Baihe.com still calling me?”

“I’m not devaluing your company,” Wei Jialan said patiently. “I actually admire you and your team’s grasp of this niche market. I’m simply discussing the company’s value objectively—and compared to last time, this offer has already doubled.”

She pointed again to the money bag in Xu Zhaode’s hand: “Offering a company less than three months old one million yuan isn’t easy.”

Yu Xing pressed his lips together, looking at the vice president of Zhen’ai.com, and gave no firm answer: “Wei Zong, let me think about it.”

Wei Jialan wasn’t disappointed; she simply said: “Yu classmate, I hope you seize this opportunity. Once we fully launch our campus business, we won’t be able to offer this price again.”

Yu Xing repeated: “I need to think about it. The company isn’t mine alone.”

He stepped forward and shook hands with Xu Zhaode and Wei Jialan, signaling the end of the meeting.

Once the Zhen’ai.com group had boarded their business car, Xu Zhaode burst into laughter: “This Yu Zong really has high pride!”

Wei Jialan spread her hands, momentarily speechless.

“I told you all this back-and-forth nonsense,” Xu Zhaode said, smug. “These college kids don’t feel numbers—they need real cash laid out right in front of them. How many years would it take them to earn this?”

“If we can even talk, that’s a good sign,” Wei Jialan said with a self-deprecating shake of her head. “Online and offline, perceptions of the same person can be so easily inflated or diminished.”

She sighed, thinking of how this whole thing had turned out.

Xu Zhaode laughed loudly—sometimes blunt methods just work better!

…

Team leader Cui Jingwei arrived at the office at 1 p.m., unsure why his boss had called him.

“Cui Jingwei, you won’t be leading the team this afternoon,” Yu Xing instructed. “Call Jiayuan.com and set up a meeting. Tell them Zhen’ai.com has offered us one million yuan for the company—if I say yes, the money is immediately ours.”

Cui Jingwei was stunned—both by the company’s impending acquisition and by the task assigned to him.

He was at a loss: “Me? Uh, am I supposed to negotiate? I…”

“Yes, you’ll negotiate. Starting today, you’re our…” Yu Xing paused, recalling the Zhen’ai.com executive who had delivered such a major win, “Operations Vice Director. Think about how to phrase it—the core message is Zhen’ai.com’s one million yuan.”

Cui Jingwei swallowed hard, caught between sorrow and joy—was the company being sold? Had he just been promoted?

He walked out of the office in a daze, stunned for a long while—one million yuan…

Jiayuan.com’s headquarters were right in Shanghai, but would they even talk to him?

Cui Jingwei slung his bag over his shoulder and unconsciously glanced down at his T-shirt. Uh… would a company that big really talk to a college kid like him?

He rubbed his face. No—he wasn’t a college kid anymore. He was Operations Vice Director!

The kind of Operations Vice Director who’d get a raise!