Chapter 75: 073 Knowing the Law

On September 25, the seventh China Internet Conference ended after three days.

Notably, Yu Xing received a call from the organizing committee in the afternoon, indicating that media outlets wished to conduct further interviews with him.

This was undoubtedly due to his remarks yesterday and his conversation with Ma Zhuan.

Yu Xing hesitated slightly but ultimately declined the interview—money hadn’t been received yet, so why stir up unnecessary trouble? There would be other chances to deal with the media later.

Although he declined new interviews, his earlier remarks still circulated in limited circles, just as Ma Zhuan had acknowledged them on-site and Liu Qiangdong had privately endorsed them—this line of reasoning clearly had strong logic.

Yet theory is theory; real-world twists and traps easily dampen one’s lofty ambitions.

Yu Xing didn’t think discussing these ideas was problematic—if anyone actually acted on them and succeeded, he’d be delighted and congratulate them wholeheartedly.

That very evening, Wei Jialan, vice president of Zhen’ai Network, called to arrange the next steps.

The actual acquisition process of Gu’ai Network by Zhen’ai Network wasn’t complicated—after all, Gu’ai Network had operated for a short time, its business was clear, all orders and contracts were preserved, and taxes had been paid legally.

“Alright, I’ll treat Wei Zong to lunch tomorrow. Will Li Zong come?” Yu Xing asked.

“Li Zong’s flight back to Pengcheng is tonight—he’ll have plenty of time later. You can treat him next time,” Wei Jialan replied, adding a hint of Shitan .

Yu Xing smiled and said, “Then see you tomorrow.”

“Yu Zong, you’ve had a big win this time—how do you plan to spend the money?” Wei Jialan didn’t rush to end the call.

Yu Xing answered without hesitation: “I’m buying a new electric scooter. The one I had in Shanghai was secondhand—the battery was already bad, and I’ve had to pedal home several times.”

Wei Jialan burst out laughing and suggested, “Yu Zong, hold off on buying one—your company will provide a car.”

Yu Xing frowned—he’d made it clear: he’d sell his skills, not himself.

He immediately asked in surprise: “Really? You’ll provide a car? Uh… fine, we’ll talk about it later.”

We’ll decide once the money arrives.

Wei Jialan ended the call, thinking Yu Xing still had a distinctly student-like air.

Her perception of this Gu’ai Network founder had changed three times: first, through phone conversations, she thought he was highly ambitious; second, after her subordinate dumped cash on the table in front of her, she realized she’d overestimated him…

Now it seemed she shouldn’t overestimate him, nor underestimate him—he was a thoughtful, capable talent, and his student-like nature didn’t conflict with his ambition; everyone passed through this stage.

So when Yu Xing had proposed the three-month condition, Wei Jialan’s quiet reply to her boss Li Song had been: “Bring him in first, then see.”

First, don’t let competitors get a bargain; second, everything is negotiable.

Couldn’t the prospect of the company going public and the warmth of their relationship soften his heart?

Hearts are made of flesh, not cold, unfeeling stones.

Wei Jialan still felt confident about extending the three-month deadline further.

Based on this, their meeting the next day went extremely smoothly: Gu’ai Network needed to cooperate with Zhen’ai Network on due diligence, providing financial documents and contracts, and the acquisition agreement, equity transfer agreement, and other legal documents posed no issues.

Wei Jialan had already learned part of Gu’ai Network’s situation; this meeting mainly involved her enthusiastically helping to formalize the terms into the contract—Yu Xing would become a director at Zhen’ai Network with a base salary of 15,000 yuan plus bonus, along with benefits like a company car and housing allowance.

Yu Xing waited patiently as Wei Jialan finished, then smiled: “You’re really giving me a car? Isn’t that a bit wasteful?”

“Zhen’ai Network treats talent this way. As for your case—well, our bonuses are usually the main part,” Wei Jialan hinted, “Besides, with our company’s resources behind this dating contract business, performance will pick up quickly.”

Yu Xing nodded slightly, then paused: “Wei Zong, I have another question—how should we handle Gu’ai Network’s current employees and freelancers during the transition?”

Wei Jialan answered without hesitation: “Leave everything unchanged—if Gu’ai Network’s operations are fine, why disturb them?”

Yu Xing thought it over—everything was fine for him.

He looked at this long-time vice president, wondering if she had any concerns.

Wei Jialan met his gaze for a few seconds, then smiled: “Yu Zong, let’s end here. I’ll return to Shanghai this afternoon to begin the formal process—we’ll aim to be working together in Pengcheng this week.”

Yu Xing blinked: “We’re going to Pengcheng? I thought I could stay in Shanghai.”

“Pengcheng is headquarters. You’re our director—you need to be there to truly understand the company and see our future,” Wei Jialan’s meaning was no longer subtle.

Yu Xing hesitated, forced to reveal his true stance: “Wei Zong, I told Li Zong before—joining for three months was just a formality; I won’t do any actual work.”

Wei Jialan clarified: “Yu Zong, you don’t understand Zhen’ai Network—sometimes, once you’re willing to dive deeper, your thinking naturally changes.”

Yu Xing hesitated—Bai Xiaosheng needed a sacrificial lamb; if he delved deeper, he might get himself buried alive…

He hesitated: “Diving deeper—is that really a good idea?”

Wei Jialan enthusiastically replied: “What’s wrong with it? The headquarters atmosphere is great. Yu Zong, you’ve just graduated—give it a try.”

Seeing her insistence, Yu Xing said: “Alright, I’ll go to Pengcheng for these three months.”

Wei Jialan happily extended her right hand—college students’ hearts were easy to warm!

As Yu Xing shook her hand, a thought surfaced: Pengcheng was surely a key market for Fen Zhong Media’s screen placements—he could go there and count exactly how many screens the city had.

Use the most basic, primitive method to measure the true value of Fen Zhong Media screen by screen.

After ending his meeting with Wei Jialan, Yu Xing prepared to return to Shanghai with Zhong Zhiling and Song Yufeng, informing everyone of the latest update: the three-month term required relocation to Zhen’ai Network’s Pengcheng headquarters.

Zhong Zhiling raised a small question over the phone: “Xing Ge, is this requirement only for you?”

Yu Xing suddenly realized—was it only him?

Zhong Zhiling added: “Xing Ge, I think Xiao Ying and I don’t need to join Zhen’ai Network—we’re shareholders, but we only need to sign a non-compete agreement, right? They’re only interested in you.”

Yu Xing thought it over and agreed: “That’s why they say one mind is short, two minds are long.”

Zhong Zhiling replied: “It’s obvious—I’m only 8.6% as capable as you.”

Over the past two days, Yu Xing’s thoughts had been consumed by successfully selling the company, setting up Guoshanfeng, and preparing Bai Xiaosheng—he hadn’t carefully considered the handover details.

These matters would be confirmed further once they returned to Shanghai; if true, Bai Xiaosheng would proceed as originally planned.

Song Yufeng was the first to meet up with his boss, but he hesitated before mentioning something.

“Xing Ge, uh… that…”

Yu Xing cut in: “Just say it. It’s about the website?”

“No, it’s just…” Song Yufeng stammered, speaking softly: “That Yin Baoyi… she…”

Yu Xing understood: “You mean the shares I promised her? Don’t worry—I won’t renege. Once Zhen’ai Network’s payment arrives, you’ll give her 1.5%—39,000 yuan.”

This was a private agreement outside the company’s equity structure—Yin Baoyi, Song Yufeng’s ex-girlfriend, still held 1.5% of shares.

Song Yufeng exhaled in relief: “I just remembered—it’s not that she still has a contract, but I’m afraid she’ll cause trouble and make things ugly.”

“Don’t worry—this sale of Gu’ai Network has been fully compliant,” Yu Xing said seriously. “My agreement with her will be honored per contract.”

He smiled: “For this small amount, I got you—worth every penny.”

Song Yufeng, hearing this insincere admission, still felt a pang of comfort.

He walked a few steps further, then worriedly added: “Xing Ge, Yin Baoyi knows some of our conversations—if she keeps pressing, what then?”

Yu Xing understood his meaning and answered without hesitation: “It’s just money—if she keeps asking, give it to her. Give her more.”

Song Yufeng froze: “Huh?”

Yu Xing explained: “Make the amount clearly enormous.”

Song Yufeng realized—his heart turned cold: “Extortion…?”

“If she tries to use this to demand money, isn’t that classic extortion?” Yu Xing said calmly. “I’m following the contract—that’s the end of it. If she doesn’t, then we follow the law.”

Song Yufeng’s chill deepened—compared to Yu Zong, he felt like the one who’d just graduated.

He forced a smile: “I’ll handle this—I’ll take care of it.”

Yu Xing nodded slightly and assessed himself: “Most people would just try to dodge paying that 1.5%.”

Song Yufeng thought to himself: Most people wouldn’t even think of sending someone to jail…

Regardless, even though they’d broken up, he couldn’t bear the thought of her ending up like that.

“Let’s head straight to the station. Call Zhiling and meet there,” Yu Xing said casually, confirming no further issues with the hard problem.

When the two arrived at the station and bought tickets, there was still time before departure and before Zhong Zhiling arrived. Yu Xing noticed a nearby law firm and, seeing he had free time, told Song Yufeng to wait for the third man while he consulted on something.

Song Yufeng watched his boss walk toward the law firm, unable to avoid imagining—was Yu Zong going to ask how many years he’d get for extortion involving an enormous sum?

Yu Xing truly didn’t care about the shadow shareholder’s small amount—he asked the lawyer about preventing equity piercing.

For the soon-to-be-sold mainland Gu’ai Network, it was easy to trace back to its parent company, Xiangjiang Gu’ai Network; since Hong Kong regulations required shareholder disclosure, Bai Xiaosheng had no issue—but Guoshanfeng needed multiple layers.

In Yu Xing’s understanding, Guoshanfeng was nominally a research firm, publishing only reports on specific companies; the actual short-selling capital didn’t need to be linked to Guoshanfeng and could flow through various channels. Whether in the U.S. or Hong Kong markets, such channels were numerous and relatively secure.

Similarly, what mattered most about Guoshanfeng wasn’t who stood in front, but whether its reports were truthful. As for institutional influence—if it succeeded repeatedly, it would naturally attract more capital circulating in the financial markets.

Still, despite this, Yu Xing preferred to be more cautious.

The lawyer, paid to perform, offered a suggestion Yu Xing hadn’t considered.

Yu Xing’s previous idea had been to use companies in different regions to form a holding chain—for example, setting up Company A in the Cayman Islands, then having A hold Company B in Luxembourg, and so on, exploiting varying regional requirements to avoid equity piercing.

Besides tax benefits, the high confidentiality of shareholder information in places like the Cayman Islands and Seychelles was surely another major reason companies chose them.

The lawyer affirmed Yu Xing’s thinking and offered another setup he’d never imagined.

“You can use a trust structure to hold company equity—it adds complexity to the holding chain.”

“For instance, establish a trust in a certain jurisdiction, with the trust acting as shareholder of the Cayman Islands company. Legal instruments like shareholder agreements and trust documents can further prevent information leaks.”

“Because of the complex legal structure, many billionaires set up family trusts to protect privacy.”

The lawyer was enthusiastic: “If you consider this setup, consult professional legal and tax advisors. Trusts can use multi-layered structures to further increase the difficulty of external penetration.”

He handed his business card to the young man, sensing his seriousness—even though the young man had immediately haggled down his consultation fee.

“Alright, I’ll call you if I need you.”

Yu Xing politely took his leave.

The lawyer reminded him: “Let’s exchange contact information.”

Yu Xing smiled, flicked the card, and didn’t leave his own number.

After leaving the law firm, he took two steps and casually tossed the card into a trash bin.

Knowing the idea was enough—he’d find someone else later to handle it.

“Xing Ge, how was it?” Song Yufeng noticed his boss’s relaxed expression.

“Good. The lawyer was professional—worth every penny,” Yu Xing approved the consultation.

Zhong Zhiling, who had just arrived, asked, “I heard consultation fees are pretty high—how much is this one?”

“This lawyer seems to have some reputation—I’m not sure if it’s real or not. His business card had more titles, but he asked for five hundred, and I haggled him down to two hundred,” Yu Xing chuckled. “Not bad. We must understand and abide by the law, and follow regional regulations too.”

Song Yufeng pursed his lips. How could Yu Zong, who didn’t understand the law, be so bold? If he kept learning and understanding it, what would he become?

Zhong Zhiling couldn’t help laughing. “You can haggle over this too?”

Yu Xing nodded, giving his reason: “I’m a college student.”

His proud status as a college student wouldn’t last much longer—use it while you still can.