Chapter 69: 067 Human Nature Can Be Harnessed (5K)

“I don’t understand.”

The third-in-command of Guiai Network confronted the second-in-command, only to discover he was the one being confronted—then both plunged into a desert of silence.

They ate in silence, rode in silence, exchanged silent glances.

Long after, when they arrived at the exposition center, Zhong Zhiling stood by the roadside and finally broke the silence.

Lu Haiying heard her boyfriend’s words and asked softly, “What don’t you understand?”

“I feel like I understand nothing anymore,” Zhong Zhiling said mournfully. “Everything feels meaningless.”

Lu Haiying looked at him seriously and asked, “Do you mean your senior shouldn’t have pulled you into starting a business in the first place, or that he shouldn’t have given you the choice now? Or perhaps he shouldn’t have told me at all—should he have lied to me with you?”

Zhong Zhiling turned his head to look at his girlfriend and scoffed, “Did he really give me a choice?”

Lu Haiying gazed quietly at her boyfriend and said, “If you truly expect your senior to do everything perfectly, then shouldn’t I also ask you—did you ever give me a choice?”

Zhong Zhiling had no reply, deeply embarrassed.

“Zhiling, you asked me before, and I told you my thoughts—but I still respect your own.” Lu Haiying didn’t dwell on her own question, paused, then continued, “If you believe returning to graduate school to become a doctor is better, then I respect that.”

Zhong Zhiling’s throat moved slightly, his lips tightly pressed.

Lu Haiying finished: “Also, don’t worry about money. No matter how much Guiai Network sells for, I’ll put all the cash from my shares toward funding your education. You can explain everything clearly to your parents—they won’t worry, and you won’t carry any burden later. You can become an excellent doctor without hesitation.”

She smiled warmly and added, “No matter how you choose, I’ll respect it. Isn’t that what lovers are for—to want the best for each other?”

In reason, she respected his choice. In emotion, she was even willing to liquidate her shares to support him.

Zhong Zhiling stared at his girlfriend, his emotions tangled, yet sensing another layer beneath her words.

If the logic holds—that each hopes the other becomes better, and each respects the other’s choice—she respected his. What about him?

Shouldn’t he respect hers too?

What is this money? A breakup fee?

Zhong Zhiling looked at his girlfriend, at her sincere eyes, then immediately doubted his own petty thoughts—was he overthinking? Was he imagining things out of emotion?

Is this her sincerity? Or her strategy?

What about his senior?

He had promised me, yet somehow told Xiao Ying the truth—was he anticipating this moment, or was he truly sincere?

He concealed it from me! No, no, no—wasn’t concealing it for my own good?

Strategy or sincerity? Strategy within sincerity? Sincerity within strategy? Both?

A cascade of thoughts spun rapidly through his mind.

Zhong Zhiling rubbed his face, wanting only to scream to the heavens—strategy, sincerity, I can’t tell them apart! I really can’t!

Just as his emotions grew chaotic and he felt lost, a scene from two months ago suddenly surfaced in his mind—the senior in a white coat walking through the door, then calmly meeting his gaze.

Zhong Zhiling recalled the conversation after his senior had pulled him out of the police station.

—I think about how my ability score is only 8.6, while yours is a full 100…

—No poverty, no maturity; no setbacks, no wisdom.

Zhong Zhiling’s agitation suddenly subsided; he muttered, “The essence of man is the sum of social relations.”

Lu Haiying didn’t catch it. “What? What did you say?”

Zhong Zhiling didn’t answer immediately. He stared blankly for a moment, then his emotions calmed. He shook his head. “I just remembered some writings I’d read. Marx and Engels wrote in The German Ideology that the way people produce their means of subsistence depends first on the nature of the means they already possess and need to reproduce.”

Lu Haiying looked confused. “What? What does that mean?”

Zhong Zhiling pressed his lips together and said slowly, “This mode of production shouldn’t be examined merely as the reproduction of individual physical existence. It is, to a far greater extent, a certain form of activity, a specific way these individuals express their lives, their way of living.”

Lu Haiying still didn’t understand, watching her boyfriend.

“So…” Zhong Zhiling looked toward the evening guests and audience emerging at the internet conference, “a person’s nature aligns with his production—both what he produces and how he produces it. That’s determined by the material conditions of production.”

Lu Haiying frowned slightly. “So?”

“So, to become the kind of person I want to be, I must engage in the kind of production I want.” Zhong Zhiling smiled. “Understood?”

Lu Haiying didn’t fully understand, but she felt her boyfriend had drawn nourishment from The German Ideology—perhaps that’s what it was.

She furrowed her brow, shook her head, and gazed across the street. “I think I see my senior.”

Zhong Zhiling followed her gaze and saw his senior approaching, standing under the traffic light across the road. “I wonder if he’s spoken with those three buyers.”

Lu Haiying watched the red light’s numbers count down to green. For the first time, she began to grasp what her boyfriend had just said. “So a person’s nature is revealed by what he does—and how he does it?”

Zhong Zhiling smiled sideways. “Close. If I were to add something, a person’s behavior, activities, and social roles largely reveal his essential traits—many factors together shape his character.”

He gave an example: “Let’s simplify it. To evaluate Baidu’s Li Yanhong, you must examine what Baidu as a company has done.”

Yu Xing, walking over quickly, paused, startled. “Why are you evaluating him?”

Zhong Zhiling asked, “Xingge, did you see him at the conference today?”

Yu Xing nodded. “Saw him. Far away.”

He added casually, “Evaluating someone requires multiple dimensions. We’re all small fry—what’s there to evaluate? Let’s go, let’s go. Have dinner. Fengge and I couldn’t find Guiai Network’s team at lunch or just now, but I already asked the organizing committee.”

Yu Xing led the way; the other three followed behind.

“Will the organizing committee give us contact info?” Lu Haiying asked.

“Normally, no,” Yu Xing chuckled. “But I told them I’m speaking tomorrow, a college student entrepreneur lacking confidence, and I wanted to consult an industry veteran to refine my content. They agreed to help me find someone and will text me if they do.”

Lu Haiying and Zhong Zhiling both nodded. Their senior always found strange solutions.

The four didn’t care much—they found a roadside eatery.

But as Yu Xing sat down, he heard the second-in-command’s report.

“Senior, Zhiling and I talked about the future,” Lu Haiying said directly. “My decision is to keep working with you.”

Yu Xing glanced at the second-in-command’s expression, then at the third-in-command, guessing they’d cleared the air.

He nodded slightly, didn’t ask about the conversation, only asked about the decision: “Zhiling, what about you?”

Zhong Zhiling didn’t hesitate: “I’m staying too.”

“Come on,” Yu Xing raised his plastic cup filled with beer. “To the newly formed team that sold the company and is now re-entering the workforce—drink up!”

All three raised their cups and drank.

Zhong Zhiling finally asked: “Xingge, you don’t even ask how Xiao Ying and I talked? Or how I feel?”

“The past matters, but what matters more is the present and the future,” Yu Xing said calmly. “We’ve only run this company three months, and already so much has changed. What about the next three years? Ten? Thirty? What will it look like then?”

He looked at his junior, a faint smile on his lips: “Of course, I’m not saying we won’t discuss the past—but I don’t think I did anything wrong. If there’s an issue, first find the cause yourself, then we’ll talk.”

Song Yufeng, listening nearby, felt confused—but this statement struck him as… overly domineering.

Zhong Zhiling didn’t argue or show discontent. He just poured more beer, stood up, and said: “Xingge, from these past three months to this moment, my heart has been fried three times in hot oil. I toast you.”

Yu Xing clinked his cup, drank, then smiled at Lu Haiying: “Xiao Ying, don’t you think Zhiling seems different today?”

Lu Haiying thought for two seconds. “It’s like his heart rolled back from the other side.”

Yu Xing laughed.

The small restaurant served cold appetizers, then quickly brought hot dishes.

Yu Xing ate a bit, chatted about the day’s observations, then turned to equity in the new company: “We plan to allocate equity based on capital contribution, plus a 10% option pool. What do you think?”

Zhong Zhiling and Lu Haiying exchanged glances but said nothing. Song Yufeng spoke up: “This is a fair allocation. Not just me—every angel investor Yu Zong has spoken with thinks the same. You put in 500,000, I put in 120,000. We’ll raise angel funding after the company takes shape.”

The second- and third-in-command of Guiai Network exchanged another glance. This differed slightly from what their senior had said—at least, the 500,000 figure hadn’t been fixed, and now angel investors were mentioned…

Lu Haiying immediately placed her chopsticks on her bowl and strongly objected: “I disagree! This is unreasonable!”

Song Yufeng was stunned. “Why unreasonable?”

“Money is money—but what about people?” Lu Haiying declared firmly. “First, this setup ignores human value. Second, I believe your senior deserves additional equity beyond his capital contribution.”

Song Yufeng stared, shocked, looking at this devoted follower of Yu Zong, then at Yu Zong himself, who remained silent. He realized: “Ah! You two planned this to trick me!”

Lu Haiying had long practiced “sincerity toward others.” Now she demonstrated full honesty without hesitation: “If I colluded with my senior to trick you, may my son be born without skin!”

Song Yufeng: “...”

Zhong Zhiling coughed twice. “No need, no need!”

Yu Xing said simply: “We didn’t discuss this beforehand.”

Zhong Zhiling took over: “If equity doesn’t reflect Xingge’s value, what’s the point? Can anyone start a company? If I put in 100,000 and Xingge puts in 100,000, do I really have the face to take equal equity?”

“Does this mean Xingge should contribute both effort and capital, yet be paid only by capital?”

“I absolutely cannot accept that!”

Yu Xing hesitated: “This...”

He looked at Song Yufeng.

Song Yufeng’s face had darkened—but he hadn’t expected Yu Zong to shift blame away from him.

“It’s not that Fengge insists on this—it’s what the investors I’ve spoken with think,” Yu Xing redirected the blame to investors who weren’t present.

Lu Haiying’s expression softened slightly: “I thought Fengge wanted this. Senior, there are countless investors out there. Our company’s soul is only one. If this principle isn’t recognized, I’d rather find another investor—even if there’s no investor at all. Doesn’t that mean we still can’t build Guiai Network?”

The second-in-command of Guiai Network spoke with conviction.

Zhong Zhiling immediately added: “Yes! There are countless investors out there. If our project is good, won’t we find them? Guiai Network built itself from nothing—do you really think we can’t succeed now that we have money and people? If anyone disagrees, they’re not with us—and they shouldn’t be here!”

The third-in-command of Guiai Network spoke with force.

Even though Yu Xing was the project’s soul, he had to seriously consider their opinions.

Song Yufeng’s face was grim—he’d been cornered by these two…

At that moment, Yu Xing’s phone on the table vibrated—it was the organizing committee’s message.

“Nice,” Yu Xing saved the number to his contacts and immediately dialed Gong Haiyan of Jiayuan.com—she was the founder, once called “the internet’s first matchmaker,” and had come to the conference directly.

The table’s equity debate naturally faded; all three waited as Yu Xing made the call.

The call connected quickly.

“Director Gong, hello, I’m Yu Xing, speaking tomorrow at the Internet Community Development Forum.” Yu Xing didn’t mention Guiai Network, but emphasized their equal status as attendees, then warmly added, “I’d like to invite you to attend my session tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.”

Gong Haiyan was pleasantly surprised and laughed: “Is there such a thing as an invitation?”

Yu Xing finally spoke: “Ah, Boss Gong, I’m a student entrepreneur, and I’m terrified no guests will show up for my speech tomorrow, so I’ve boldly come to seek advice from industry veterans.”

Gong Haiyan was even more surprised: “You’re in online dating too?”

“I’m on the fringes—I focus on the ‘dating’ part. My startup is Guiai.com, mainly handling college love contracts,” Yu Xing formally introduced himself. “By the way, Century Love is still negotiating to acquire us.”

Gong Haiyan vaguely recalled reading about it in a report—there had been something like that.

She paused briefly, then smiled: “Tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.? Well, I’ve already promised a friend I’d attend the Digital Media Marketing Forum tomorrow afternoon.”

Yu Xing didn’t lose heart; he lowered his request but kept his enthusiasm like a pure college student: “Alright, alright, Boss Gong, if you can spare even a little time, please come help me refine my talk. I know you, Mr. Ma from Alibaba, Mr. Li from Baidu—they’re all incredibly busy, with back-to-back appointments, yet they still try to make time.”

Gong Haiyan thought for a moment and said: “Fine, I’ll try my best—it’ll depend on how interesting the Digital Media Marketing Forum turns out to be.”

“Great, great! Thank you so much! Thank you!” Yu Xing maintained his posture and ended the call.

The three observers, hearing Yu Zong’s invitation, could only think: seamless.

Song Yufeng couldn’t help asking: “Did you rehearse this whole thing in your head?”

Yu Xing glanced at Song Yufeng in surprise: “Rehearse what?”

He shook his head and immediately dialed Mu Yan from Baihe.com—this man was the company’s co-founder.

He used nearly the same script: first establishing his speaking role, then bonding over industry peers, mentioning Guiai.com’s acquisition talks, and finally lowering his request while name-dropping big names—but this time he added the real, contacted founder, Gong Haiyan.

Under the gaze of the three, Yu Xing swiftly contacted Li Song, founder of Zhenai.com, ending with Gong and Mu.

Just as Song Yufeng was about to speak, he heard Yu Zong muttering while scrolling through his contacts.

“Alright, I can call Mr. Ma at Alibaba now.”

He, Zhong Zhiling, and Lu Haiying simultaneously held their breath.

Yu Xing pressed the call button, held the phone to his ear for two seconds, then suddenly put it down and laughed: “Just kidding—you actually thought I had his number?”

All three exhaled at once—this guy…

Lu Haiying voiced the same thought: “Senior, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got anyone’s number.”

Zhong Zhiling promptly said: “Just for this whole networking routine, you deserve at least 1% equity.”

Yu Xing looked at his two junior teammates, feeling he couldn’t refuse their sincerity, then turned to Song Yufeng, whose expression was shifting between anger and resignation, and asked helplessly: “Brother Feng…”

Song Yufeng frowned deeply: “Yu Zong, you’re thinking the same thing, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t think that,” Yu Xing first denied, then became serious. “But hearing Xiao Ying and Zhiling say it, I realize I can accept it.”

Song Yufeng looked at the three—these three entrepreneurs who’d emerged from a medical university—and surrendered: “Fine, fine, fine—your whole routine? Worth 5% equity!”

Lu Haiying immediately opened a bottle of beer, and Zhong Zhiling rose to pour for Song Yufeng.

Yu Xing raised his cup: “Alright, since we’ve said it, and since we’re being gentlemen first, then dealing with the rest later, let’s be clear: voting rights and equity stakes are separated—I hold control, and initial equity is allocated based on combined capital and personal value.”

Voting rights followed the model of major corporations—allowing minimal equity to control the board, like Google’s A/B shares.

Unlike Guiai.com, Baixiaosheng’s control and equity structure must be crystal clear.

Lu Haiying agreed: “Good! Let’s drink! Senior, may your speech go well tomorrow!”

Zhong Zhiling smiled: “Drink! May your negotiations go well tomorrow!”

Song Yufeng knew “drink” meant agreement, but this new voting rights concept—though seemingly unrelated to him—made him uneasy.

He grimaced but had to agree: “Drink!”

Yu Xing tossed back his drink, then looked at the three beside him, feeling their hearts were truly with him.

Hearts truly with him.

(End of Chapter)