Chapter 78: 076 A Thousand Fathoms of Precipice

One person walked out the door, and three people chased after him.

One person walked in front, and three people followed behind.

One person riding an electric scooter, three people... eventually stopped.

"Are we still chasing?" Qin Shaohong asked his colleagues bitterly.

Sun Jingshi said irritably, "Do you want to catch up just to get scolded again?"

Zou Jiafen looked in the direction where Yu Xing had disappeared, her face still livid.

Qin Shaohong and Sun Jingshi exchanged a glance, both feeling frustrated and humiliated.

They had chased out instinctively; if they didn't chase, they would surely be backstabbed by the employees, but if they did chase, they would just get scolded again upon catching up...

Now that they had stopped in their tracks for a moment, they couldn't catch up even if they wanted to.

"Damn it, damn it!" Qin Shaohong stood stunned for a moment, then said with regret, "If I had known, I would have gone up and punched him!"

Sun Jingshi sighed, "You're so weak; isn't getting scolded enough? Do you have to get beaten up to feel at ease?"

The more Qin Shaohong thought about it, the more he beat his chest and stamped his feet, feeling deeply frustrated inside.

"This Yu Xing, I'm afraid he can't stay in the company anymore." Sun Jingshi shook his head, "He's just that kind of, that kind of..."

Zou Jiafen added coldly, "Completely unscrupulous!"

Sun Jingshi suddenly realized, "Yes, yes, yes! Damn it, he is just completely unscrupulous!"

But once these words were said, the three of them looked at each other. The young man was wealthy, didn't intend to stay at the company, and had job opportunities from e-commerce giants waiting for him outside—what exactly did he have to be scrupulous about?

He could be scrupulous, but he chose not to be, so there was really no need to be scrupulous at all.

"He will suffer sooner or later!"

Zou Jiafen could only say this with hatred.

As for how soon or how late, the three directors really had no heart left to discuss it.

"What are you doing now?"

"Counting screens. Thirty-five... wait, no, how many was it? Forget it, let's just say thirty-five!"

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Yu Xing received a call from Liu Wan Ying on the 15th floor of the Coast Building. He had shared the good news of his first day at work with his good friend immediately, and listening to the voice on the phone, Liu Wan Ying was also quite excited.

She threw out two questions: "Did you really tear it up? Hey, are you really counting?"

"Could I be counting falsely? Xiangjiang is quite close; you can just drive to the Coast Building and see if I'm counting." Yu Xing said while counting silently in his heart, "I had a falling out with my colleagues today; they insisted on making me work."

Liu Wan Ying really found it funny, "Your description is truly so niche..."

"It was just an agreement. They started pointing fingers on the very first day, so I couldn't be bothered to say much." Yu Xing asked again, "Are you coming or not? I'll treat you to a meal."

"Another day. I'll hitch a ride with a colleague another time; it's much more convenient from the Pengcheng Bay Bridge now." Liu Wan Ying said casually, "I'm still more interested in the scene you caused on your first day of work."

"Then wait a moment, I'm putting on my earphones; I have to go to the next floor." Yu Xing took out his earphones and continued his journey of verification.

Although there had been an accident in his working life today, his mood was unaffected; he still needed to carry out his own business according to plan.

Wearing his earphones, he chatted about today's situation with Liu Wan Ying, who was about 50 kilometers away, while continuing to use the most primitive method to verify the strength of Focus Media.

Liu Wan Ying listened with great interest and finally couldn't help but sigh, "A thousand fathoms of precipice, without desire, one is strong. Hey, you are... hey, I even want to learn from you and cause such a scene."

Yu Xing thought for a moment and said very honestly, "It's not entirely without desire. If they had acted completely according to the contract, I would have been embarrassed to take action, but now it can be considered a mutual fulfillment."

Liu Wan Ying asked, "Would you really be embarrassed?"

"I would." Yu Xing gave the answer without hesitation, then added without hesitation, "But that's a private matter. Embarrassment is one thing, but exposing industry secrets is a public matter. What must be done must be done; how can one sacrifice public interest for private reasons?"

Liu Wan Ying clicked her tongue in wonder, "Fine, with you like this, my confidence in investing in Baixiaosheng has increased a bit. Oh my, your encounter with them was a wrong beginning."

Yu Xing laughed, "I ask this beautiful lady to recall carefully: wasn't this encounter a conspiracy you participated in? What do you have to be surprised about? Aren't you the initiator?"

"Proposing a goal is simple; achieving it is too difficult." Liu Wan Ying didn't take the credit, "You are a rich man now; your confidence in doing things is different."

"If even money can't increase one's confidence, then why would I struggle so hard to earn it, right?" After saying this, Yu Xing gave the final tally, "There are 79 LCD screens from Focus in the Coast Building."

Liu Wan Ying's attention returned to what Yu Xing was doing, "79, 79... are you really going to count all of Focus Media's hundred thousand screens one by one... I'm truly impressed. What wouldn't you succeed at? If you were still studying medicine, perhaps you would be a great master of pathology in the future."

Yu Xing answered with a smile, "It's not like I'm counting them one by one myself; I'm hiring people. Just as you said, this money really boosts my confidence. Without this money, I really couldn't afford a budget of over a hundred thousand to verify other companies' data like this."

Three months ago, he even had to scrape together the money to register a company and find ways to make ends meet; now, a budget of around 150,000 was no longer something to feel much pain over.

Liu Wan Ying pondered for a moment and said thoughtfully, "Boss Yu, fine, since you've already started, let me give you a small suggestion."

Yu Xing immediately replied, "Go ahead, partner, tell me."

"..." Liu Wan Ying still gave the suggestion, "Since you want to count and verify the underlying data supporting this company, don't just count the quantity. What you need to pay attention to is not just the quantity, but also the locations where these screens are placed."

"For example, there must be a huge difference in commercial value between office buildings and residential areas. If a company is faking it, just because the foundation seems fine doesn't mean there isn't water mixed in the more detailed locations, and this is the focus you need to count."

"For example, the distribution of LCD screens in first-tier, second-tier, and third-tier cities is obviously different, but this data can be compared when finally aggregated."

"Also, I suspect that even if there are certain problems with the basic data, whether it can effectively suppress the stock price in the end remains a question mark."

Liu Wan Ying spoke eloquently and gave her own thoughts.

"Sister Ying, I can't do this alone; you still have to participate. This is the important application of your ability!" Yu Xing was very happy to have the problem pointed out, "Liu Wan Ying, this is the value of raising questions!"

He continued to persuade, "Can you have such value in your company now? Not only do they not give you a raise, but they also cut your salary. Not only do they not promote you, but you also face the risk of being laid off!"

Liu Wan Ying was a bit happy when she heard the first part, but when she heard the latter part, she immediately said helplessly, "I don't think I've told you this. Do you have to rub salt into other people's wounds?"

"I don't need you to tell me; I can think of it easily. Besides, wasn't your previous merger case called off?" Yu Xing said earnestly, "Why must you limit yourself to the workplace? You can completely have one more choice. Look at me; my Baixiaosheng is about to take off."

Liu Wan Ying sighed, "If it really doesn't work out, I'll go to Baixiaosheng, right?"

Yu Xing refused flatly, "Oh, Baixiaosheng won't do."

He continued, "The only offer suitable for you here is from the research institution; this is the best place for you to shine."

"The more I listen, the lower my mood gets." Liu Wan Ying said helplessly, "Do you have to keep your eyes on the money I've worked so hard to save in my pocket, is that it?"

Yu Xing heard that there was indeed some depression in this tone, and his own voice lowered and softened slightly, "Sister Ying, just as we agreed before, if the basic data verification shows problems, there is a high probability that Focus will have other problems. Logically, if they even tamper with the basic data, they must be tampering with other aspects."

"I'm not trying to force you to do anything; I just feel that if you are willing, if you are unhappy, you can try changing directions and do something that makes you happy."

Liu Wan Ying found it funny, "Is shorting others happy?"

"If shorting others isn't happy, then what else is?" Yu Xing asked in surprise, "Besides, we are shorting for justice. If they aren't faking it, there won't be any loopholes. We are helping the industry and investors point out problems, and earning money along the way. Isn't this worth being happy about?"

Liu Wan Ying said faintly, "I highly doubt how long this justice of yours can last."

"The research company only issues reports. If you think a certain shorting doesn't meet your wishes, your funds can completely choose not to invest." Yu Xing said seriously, "We can spend half a year or a year researching the potential problems of a company, and one action can earn a lot of returns. Your life will have more choices."

Liu Wan Ying was silent for a moment, "Continue counting your screens."

Yu Xing ended the call with Liu Wan Ying, but he could clearly feel that the elite from the consulting firm fifty kilometers away was already tempted.

This likely meant that the agreement between the two could be advanced a bit.

For example, after counting the number of screens in the city of Pengcheng.

The second day of working life.

Yu Xing got up even earlier than yesterday and even went for a short run, feeling more and more energetic.

So, working has its benefits; his schedule is even relatively more regular than before.

At 8:30 in the morning, Yu Xing walked into the company openly. As soon as he appeared, he felt the surroundings go quiet.

"Morning, everyone, morning." Yu Xing noticed the various complex gazes, smiled friendly at everyone, and greeted them.

No response.

Yesterday's argument had been very satisfying for everyone to watch, but satisfying as it was, that kind of alien behavior naturally created a distance.

Yu Xing had no emotional fluctuations; he still went to his workstation and then began to ponder and think about the suggestion from Liu Wan Ying yesterday. Data statistics should indeed be more refined and targeted.

Since he wanted to short, he must provide enough shocking negative news.

Otherwise, the market should gradually digest it, right?

Yu Xing estimated and guessed the situation, feeling that he should still go and sign up for a class or consult more professionals.

No, professionals don't have that much time either.

How about going to Pengcheng University on the weekend to audit finance courses? Hmm, I don't know if there are classes there on the weekend.

There must be on weekdays, but he can't go; he still has to work.

Yu Xing had some troubles about sticking to his post.

"Brother, you're still coming today." Tong Xingjian, a colleague at the adjacent workstation, arrived at his post and was surprised to find that the new director was already sitting there.

Yu Xing asked back strangely, "Why wouldn't I come?"

Tong Xingjian had nothing to say, only feeling that this person had a strong heart.

Now, the origin of this person was completely clear. He was originally a medical graduate student who suddenly decided to start a business to do niche content in the matchmaking industry, and as a result... he really achieved results.

Moreover, what he said yesterday had also been verified. Colleagues were all enthusiastically using the internet or real-world connections to research this person, but there was no need to research much; there were reports about him online.

Regarding his level...

From the current information, there were no problems, and things like Liu Qiangdong's private phone call were probably not lies.

Thus, one could completely understand the young director's reliance. He was just going to leave after collecting three months of salary, and he had an agreement beforehand, so he didn't have to care about other people's thoughts at all.

Everyone, besides envy, wisely didn't have too many thoughts. Director Yu didn't need to make a living at Zhenai. com, but they couldn't afford to.

Therefore, although they didn't dislike and even secretly supported his confrontation, they couldn't have any communication in words or attitudes.

At 9:20 in the morning, Vice Wei Zong Jialan hurriedly called Director Yu into the office in the sight of everyone, which made everyone feel regretful. If there was anything, just say it face to face!

"Director Yu, aren't you going too far?" Wei Jialan had received a call last night and knew the situation, but decided to handle it only when she came to work today.

"Clock in and out according to the contract, do no work according to the agreement." Yu Xing sat down, "So, what should I do that isn't going too far?"

Wei Jialan frowned, "Then why did you come?"

Yu Xing laughed, "I've discovered that you leaders are all forgetful. Wasn't it you who required me to come? Why do you and the three directors from yesterday speak in the same tone? I didn't even want to come to Pengcheng; wasn't it you who insisted on me coming?"

"And then, you came here to be a thorn in the side?" Wei Jialan said with dissatisfaction.

"It's starting again." Yu Xing said helplessly, "How many times do I have to say this to how many people?"

Wei Jialan raised her eyebrows, "Director Yu, do you mean you can't do any work at all?" Yu Xing said decisively, "Yes, I am allergic to work."

Wei Jialan sighed, thought for a moment, and said, "Director Yu, before yesterday, I thought we were quite happy with each other. Zhenai. com recognizes the value of your entrepreneurship, and you also chose Zhenai. com as the final buyer, willing to hand over your team to us to carry forward. Even if you don't want to do any work, in that kind of situation yesterday, couldn't you have had a little human touch and given everyone a little face?"

"Contract, agreement." Yu Xing calmly raised an index finger, gave two words, and then continued, "Without infringing on my personal interests, we can talk. Asking me to talk about human touch while violating the agreement, I can't accept it."

Wei Jialan fell into a long silence.

She never expected that the conditions Yu Xing proposed from the beginning had no room for retreat.

But on second thought, Zhenai. com swallowing up Gui'ai. com's business was not a loss in itself. Having one more Yu Xing was indeed very good, and he was indeed a talent, but looking at it now, I'm afraid it couldn't be forced.

Wei Jialan spoke again, shaking her head, "Director Yu, you are really strange."

"I also think it's strange. Didn't we agree on it? Why does the agreement spoken by everyone seem like it doesn't count at all?" Yu Xing spread his hands, "Director Wei, explain it to me."

Wei Jialan said helplessly, "The workplace is like this, Director Yu. Sometimes, being too sharp is not a good thing."

Yu Xing said bluntly, "So, I was aiming for entrepreneurship. It was you who forced me into the workplace."

Wei Jialan felt the toughness of the man in front of her and retreated, "Fine, fine, fine, it's all our fault. We shouldn't have hoped that a talent like you would work for Zhenai. com, and we shouldn't have bought your business with money."

"Zhenai. com could have chosen not to buy it at the time. There were also Baihe. com and Century Jiayuan." Yu Xing reminded, "Do I need to make this clear too? This is a commercial transaction. Do I still need to be grateful for this?"

He said bluntly, "Are you not awake, or am I not awake?"

The words were too direct!

Wei Jialan was instantly angry, but after a few seconds, she put it away and said slowly, "Director Yu, as a member of Zhenai. com, I certainly hope that more talents will work for the company, but if you are unwilling, I won't force you. I just have some heartfelt words."

Yu Xing reached out to see how heartfelt they were.

"In our society, in this business environment, more friends mean more paths." Wei Jialan said sincerely, "From entrepreneurship to the workplace, even if these three months are just a formality, can't you accumulate some experience? Many things are interconnected. I give you a suggestion: you are young after all, and you have crossed from medicine to business. Do some things, deal with interpersonal relationships. If you want to leave after three months, you can leave. There's no harm in it."

Yu Xing nodded, "Okay, I don't accept your suggestion."

Without waiting for the other party to react, he also gave a suggestion, "You keep this for the next young person. This is also my suggestion to you."

Wei Jialan understood that there was nothing left to say.

She raised her hand helplessly, signaling that the other party could go back to work... go back to slacking off.

Yu Xing stood up and asked, "Director Wei, do I still have my office and company car?"

Wei Jialan looked at the young man in front of her in astonishment and said with a laugh, "What do you think?"

Yu Xing sighed, "This is what you agreed with me."

"The final interpretation right belongs to me, is that okay?" Wei Jialan was finally able to express her emotions a little, "If you want an explanation, I can tell you that the company is short of cars now. It is expected that a Mercedes-Benz E can be spared for you in three months."

She looked at Yu Xing and smiled, "As for the office, I don't want to give it to you, is that okay?"

Yu Xing shrugged, "I just feel that sitting outside easily affects colleagues."

Wei Jialan waved her hand, having no interest in continuing the communication.

Yu Xing left the office indifferently and continued to sit at his workstation, pondering his own affairs.

Wei Jialan was a bit irritable. She didn't expect Yu Xing's thoughts to be so firm. She always felt that as long as the person came in, everything would be easy to talk about.

She thought about it left and right, but still felt that this matter needed to be reported again. However, she had to find a good opportunity. After all, when Director Li asked at the beginning, it was she who gave the biased opinion.

Wei Jialan found an opportunity at dinner in the evening. Taking advantage of Director Li's good mood, she briefly mentioned the matter, talking about the immaturity of college students and his conflict with his fellow directors.

"Oh, that Yu Xing." Li Song frowned upon hearing this, "Forget it, let him be. Society is not as easy to mix in as he imagines."

Only then did Wei Jialan feel relieved.

Li Song added, "Get the love contract business up and running. This is more important than one person's stay or departure. This is truly beneficial to the company."

Wei Jialan nodded immediately, expressing confidence.

Li Song didn't say anything more.

Wei Jialan's anxiety about Yu Xing was completely eliminated. Except for paying attention to that person's movements in the company, all her attention turned to the development of new businesses, and Yu Xing really didn't make any more trouble, just kept quiet.

Working life is very boring.

Counting the number of screens is also very boring.

Throughout the first half of October, Yu Xing's daily life was the superposition of two kinds of boredom. The only thing that made him feel interesting was that Liu Wan Ying's concern for the number of LCD screens had obviously increased.

According to Yu Xing's routine of going to count after work, Liu Wan Ying also made a call almost every day at six or seven o'clock. The time was long or short, and the content involved the real-time number of LCDs, as well as the operation of the shorting institution.

Because of such frequent phone contact, Yu Xing even had the illusion that she liked him.

"What are you doing?"

"Counting screens."

"What are you doing?"

"Counting screens."

"What are you doing?"

"Playing basketball."

On October 15th, Liu Wan Ying heard a different answer on the phone, which she was gradually getting used to keeping in communication.

She asked in surprise, "Why aren't you counting today?"

"It's so boring, and I'm not a robot." Yu Xing laughed, "I'm relaxing my nerves. Besides, there's a basketball team-building next weekend, and I signed up."

Liu Wan Ying was stunned first and then laughed, laughing for a full half minute, "Hey, you, what's going on? You don't do your work, but you're so active in signing up for team-building? How did they sign you up?"

"I don't have any conflict with my colleagues, and they are eager to watch the fun." Yu Xing complained, "I sit there all day, and now I find that being a slacker like this too much is also empty."

Liu Wan Ying found it very interesting, "Exactly, they just want you to work."

"No, I just found a new job yesterday, and now I'm changing to supervise the work of Zhong Zhiling and the others." Yu Xing couldn't possibly work at this time, "Come to Pengcheng next weekend, cheer for me. Exactly, my research for more than a week, I feel, there are indeed problems."

Liu Wan Ying became more serious, "Tell me."

Yu Xing pondered, "I don't know if it's an isolated case. The total amount in Pengcheng hasn't come out yet, but the office buildings and residential areas I've visited these days make me feel that the proportion of Focus's screens in office buildings doesn't seem to be as high as they claim."

According to Focus's statement, most of their screens are in bustling commercial buildings and office buildings.

However, with the accumulation of Yu Xing's field visits, what he truly felt didn't seem right. There were many more screens in residential areas than in office buildings.

"The commercial value of residential areas is much lower, and passing off inferior as superior is a common tactic." Liu Wan Ying's mood was both heavy and inexplicably excited, "Then see you next weekend."

"OK, I'll continue to visit and see in the next few days." Yu Xing ended the call and continued to practice basketball, intending to show off in the team-building activity.

Unfortunately... when the weekend basketball team-building really arrived, no one passed the ball to Yu Xing on the basketball court.

"Yu Xing, come on, Yu Xing, come on!" Liu Wan Ying, who was off the court, watched Yu Xing running back and forth and felt the scene was quite miserable. Moreover, the players didn't pass him the ball, and the coach didn't substitute him out.

Yu Xing spread his hands at Liu Wan Ying, who hadn't been seen for a long time and seemed exceptionally bright and moving, feeling a bit helpless.

"Defend him, let him go!" Liu Wan Ying put her hands to her mouth and shouted hard, "Just defend the one with the ball!"

Yu Xing heard the shouting and suddenly realized that since they didn't pass the ball to him, why should he care about the life or death of the team, or the win or loss of the score?

He let go of his defender and took the initiative to double-team the opponent's ball handler.

Basketball team-building, or rather, team-building accompanying the boss to play basketball.

Zhenai. com's boss, Li Song, was the ball handler, and moreover, his breakthrough with the ball was exceptionally easy, and his layups were always easily successful. This was naturally the hidden rule of workplace relationships.

Yu Xing suddenly double-teamed, and Li Song shot in a hurry.

Slap!

Yu Xing slapped the ball down.

The basketball was grabbed by the opponent and passed back to the boss, Li Song.

Li Song shook twice, trying to break through for a layup again.

Yu Xing gave space, relying on his young and strong body, and jumped to block the shot at the second time.

Slap!

Double kill!

Li Song looked displeased and slowly returned to defense.

In the third round, Li Song held the ball again.

Yu Xing didn't listen to the shouting of "Go defend the bottom corner" from the side at all, and just stood in front of Li Song to exert defensive pressure.

Slap!

Triple kill!

Yu Xing didn't give any face at all. If he couldn't get the ball, he would focus on defense. Quadra kill, penta kill!

He blocked Li Song five times in a row.

The cheers in the full court gradually faded, and everyone felt both awkward and excited.

Li Song got angry and insisted on making a ball against Yu Xing.

Facing the middle-aged style of dribbling, Yu Xing easily stole the ball and made a one-man layup, ushering in the silence of the full court.

Unstoppable!

He wiped his sweat and didn't play anymore when he didn't hear the coach's substitution.

"Hey, Director Li, you guys play." Yu Xing went off the court directly, "See you tomorrow."

Liu Wan Ying had only heard the description on the phone before, and today, seeing this concrete scene, she was almost laughing to death.

Li Song's face was ugly, "Hey, Yu Xing, you play basketball well."

Yu Xing waved his hand, "You're not bad either."

The basketball game didn't end, but Li Song's enthusiasm for the game had been completely extinguished. He looked at Yu Xing's departing back, and there was only one thought in his heart: let this guy get out of the company quickly.

Liu Wan Ying walked out of the stadium and said with a smile, "You are really bad."

Yu Xing wiped his sweat again, "It's a game, isn't it? No passing, I can only defend. Hey, no, you were the one shouting off the court."

Liu Wan Ying blinked and smiled beautifully, "I'm honored, Boss Yu."

(End of this chapter) ===== CHAPTER 79 =====