Chapter 87: 085 The Value of Information (5k)

The first valuable post was downvoted.

Yu Xing was surprised, but not angry.

It was simple: the website was new, and this user, ID “Hao Yuanliang,” didn’t know Liu Qiangdong like he did—doubt was normal.

Besides, why argue with a college student?

Yu Xing sold his last project for 2.6 million yuan entirely through college students’ support; now he wanted them to channel that energy again, so he loved them even more and shared the best things with them first.

At eleven a.m., Yu Xing replied to the first user, confirming the source: I asked Liu Qiangdong—it’s true.

Soon, “Hao Yuanliang” blasted back: Why didn’t you say you asked Ma Zong??

Then came several more questions.

Yu Xing stopped replying, walked out of the office, and told the programmer: “Yan Haoran, add a feature: once a post is marked as ‘essential,’ users can’t delete their comments on it.”

Yan Haoran agreed—it wasn’t hard.

Yu Xing returned to the office, satisfied: solidify the evidence!

This was product development forced by user feedback!

At noon, Song Yufeng brought back four whiteboards—one each for the three offices and the open workspace—and Lu Haiying replied: thirteen part-time college students from nearby campuses would arrive at two p.m.

Lu Haiying’s work went smoothly; she planned to hire fifty people tomorrow, with replacements added as needed.

Baixiaosheng paid interns 100 yuan per day, expecting them to work half a month, costing 75,000–80,000 yuan total, to recontact 19,200 former clients.

That meant roughly twenty-six calls per person per day.

If each call lasted five minutes, total daily talk time was 130 minutes—but not every call would go smoothly; actual talk time would shrink significantly.

Compared to regular telemarketing jobs, which start at two hundred calls a day, this part-time work was relatively light.

Lu Haiying figured former clients had just started their jobs, so she required part-timers to call only during lunch and evening hours, avoiding disruption to their work—truly conducting a social survey.

Guiai.com had often used “social survey” as an excuse on campus; now this was staying true to its original purpose!

At 1:30 p.m., Lu Haiying rushed back, organizing former clients’ contact details to assign them to today’s thirteen part-time students.

Over the next half-hour, the college students connected through the agency arrived one by one, entering Baixiaosheng’s headquarters.

The name “Baixiaosheng” sounded unprofessional, but the students all understood its general meaning; after Lu Haiying’s brief explanation, they clearly grasped the company and website’s nature—and the current priority.

One student asked: “Can we get paid daily?”

The priority now was getting the part-time pay in hand—otherwise, who knew if this company would even exist in half a month?

Lu Haiying replied simply and firmly: “Of course! Not only daily pay—if the survey feedback is good, the company will give you a red envelope too.”

The students relaxed a little.

At two p.m., Yu Xing stepped out of the office, feeling the meeting room was too small, and explained the part-time tasks directly outside.

“Classmates, I’m Yu Xing, the company’s founder. As you see, we’ve only just started.”

Yu Xing gestured to the empty desks and slightly messy tables, smiling: “But this isn’t my first startup—I launched Guiai.com in June, sold it to a big company in late October for over two million yuan.”

Not only did the part-time students gasp; the four employees who’d been quietly listening also had their emotions stirred by the direct confirmation.

“My last company succeeded in three months because it had real value; this one has equal potential. If you ever seek full-time work, consider joining us.”

“Your task today stems largely from my observation that college students’ employment environment and opportunities have changed drastically.”

“A regular student might panic—offers revoked, internships frozen, referrals gone silent—everything collapses.”

“Especially since this isn’t just one person’s problem.”

“After careful thought, I believe we can do meaningful work—help our own people.”

Yu Xing gave the part-time work meaning, looked at the thirteen students before him, and promised: “Every company’s information and opportunities you gather over the next half-month, I’ll publish for free on the website.”

“So I hope you don’t just do this for money, but to help your seniors, juniors, and peers—treat every call seriously, gather as much info as you can.”

Yu Xing spoke sincerely.

The four employees felt little emotion, but the thirteen part-time students were different—they understood the panic after the financial crisis, and their spirits ignited instantly.

“My internship got canceled…”

“Oh man, senior, don’t worry—I’ll take this call seriously, not for the money, but to help everyone!”

“Our school canceled campus recruiting for several companies this year!”

Yu Xing listened to their spontaneous chatter, raised a hand to quiet them, and said seriously: “Books say, care for your own young, and extend that care to others’. I’m a bit older—I should be in my second year of grad school now, but I’ve got some spare energy, so I’m doing this.”

“But don’t be too discouraged—I don’t know if you noticed, but the government held a meeting on the fifth of this month, announcing measures to expand domestic demand and boost economic growth. The financial crisis will recover.”

“Right now, let’s just focus on what’s in front of us—like making one effective call.”

Yu Xing walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote “1,” speaking as he wrote: “When you call, immediately state your identity and the benefit you offer.”

“Say: ‘I’m calling to follow up on your Love Contract, which has been transferred from Guiai.com to Zhen’ai.com.’”

“But be polite—call male seniors ‘senior brother,’ female seniors ‘senior sister.’”

“People are wary of unknown numbers, but if you identify as a junior, they’ll be more patient.”

Yu Xing now had great patience with juniors, guiding them through call details.

He added: “I’ll make a call now with speaker on—you can listen to how I handle it.”

Then he wrote “2” on the board: “This conversation isn’t complicated. Once you’ve established a connection with a senior, you can politely ask directly.”

“Say: ‘Hey senior, could you tell me which company you’re at now? What’s your starting salary? Any changes in internships or hiring?’”

Yu Xing spread his hands: “Just ask straight—no beating around the bush. If a senior refuses to help or share info, we still have twenty thousand other seniors.”

“The most important thing is asking. If you dare to ask, you’ve already succeeded 90%.”

Lu Haiying, listening nearby, silently agreed—she and her senior knew how awkward college students were at communication.

This was common during Guiai.com’s promotion: some overcame it and grew fast; others couldn’t, and quit.

“I’ll make a call,” Yu Xing said, pointing to the nearest part-time student. “Use your identity—what university? What’s your name?”

The student replied: “I’m Yu Jizhang from Shanghai University of Sport!”

Yu Xing dialed while asking curiously: “Shanghai U of Sport? What’s your major?”

Yu Jizhang hesitated: “Marketing!”

He seemed used to such skeptical looks and added quickly: “Shanghai U of Sport has a School of Economics and Management too!”

Yu Xing nodded, signaling silence—the phone’s speaker was on.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The call connected quickly.

“Hey senior, hello,” Yu Xing greeted warmly, speaking fast: “I’m notifying you that your Love Contract purchased on Guiai.com has been transferred to Zhen’ai.com for fulfillment.”

The other end paused, confused: “What does that mean?”

“Guiai.com was acquired by Zhen’ai.com—all contracts are now handled by them. I’m here to inform you,” Yu Xing explained.

The caller sighed: “Zhen’ai.com? What’s that? Did they run off? I told you this wasn’t reliable…”

Yu Xing explained again: “Zhen’ai.com is a top-three company in the industry—it’s not a scam, they bought Guiai.com because they see market potential.”

“Oh, okay, I get it,” the caller sounded ready to hang up.

“Hey senior, I’m Yu Jizhang from Shanghai University of Sport, third-year student, about to start job hunting,” Yu Xing finally revealed his identity. “Could I ask your salary? Any internships or hiring opportunities? Thanks, senior.”

The caller paused, then asked: “What’s your major?”

Yu Xing answered: “Marketing.”

“Marketing? But you’re from Shanghai U of Sport?” came the skeptical voice.

Yu Xing mimicked perfectly: “Shanghai U of Sport has a School of Economics and Management too!”

Real Yu Jizhang couldn’t help but smile silently, covering his face—this senior didn’t need to copy the tone so precisely!

“Uh, okay, marketing… I’m in IT, joined Weisheng Company—you probably don’t know, I’m in Lin’an, and I haven’t heard of any marketing positions.”

Yu Xing wrote keywords on the board: “Lin’an Weisheng, IT,” then asked: “What’s your salary, senior? My girlfriend’s in IT too.”

“Oh, your girlfriend’s in IT? Weisheng here pays about 6,000 yuan—pre-tax, thirteen salaries a year,” came the detailed reply. “That’s Lin’an’s rate—if your girlfriend’s in Shanghai, Weisheng Shanghai starts at 7,500, also thirteen salaries, but I heard they don’t provide dorms—that’s crucial.”

Yu Xing thanked the senior profusely, ending with a final recommendation: “Senior, there’s a website called ‘Baixiaosheng’—I’m checking job salaries and opportunities there too. You might want to check it out.”

He hung up, pointing to the key details extracted from the call.

—IT, Lin’an Weisheng Company, 6000×13.

—IT, Shanghai Weisheng Company, 7500×13, no dorm provided.

Yu Xing sighed: “We got the salary info, but no hiring or internship opportunities.”

Yu Jizhang blurted: “Senior, this is already amazing!!”

Yu Xing nodded slightly: “Having salary data is valuable—it gives everyone a reference.”

Another part-time student asked: “Senior, I get it—this info goes on the site. But what if the senior you call refuses to share? Or his company requires confidentiality?”

He paused, cautiously: “After all, you’re calling under your personal name.”

Only now did some students realize: yes, Yu senior was teaching them to extract info under their own identity.

If they’d called as Baixiaosheng directly, it probably wouldn’t have worked so well.

But wasn’t this slightly dishonest?

Yu Xing smiled slightly: “Even if they’re angry, they won’t yell at you—they’ll yell at our website. But I believe sharing this info freely with students is meaningful.”

"If they want to curse, let them curse me."

He pointed again at the board: “I want this company—now and in the future—to do meaningful things.”

Yu Xing was calm, unafraid of criticism.

His attitude and the deeper purpose behind his actions calmed the part-time students.

Yu Xing concluded: “Like the call I just made—it’s not hard. The company will keep hiring more people. You might get one or two useful pieces of info, but together, they’ll add up to hundreds or thousands of reference points nationwide.”

“You can use them, your classmates and friends can use them, future graduates can use them—even seniors already working can use them to find better opportunities.”

"So, does anyone have any questions?"

Yu Xing scanned the room and heard no further questions from the part-time college students.

He pointed at Lu Haiying, signaling the second-in-command to distribute the contact details of previous clients.

After another half-hour of bustle, everything was ready; the real work would begin after five o’clock.

Yu Xing briefly reviewed the key points and data collection methods, then left with Lu Haiying to see the thirteen students out.

"Even so, the money spent was still worth it," Lu Haiying said, watching the students depart.

"Yeah, very worth it," Yu Xing smiled. "We bought some of their time during lunch and dinner, and also bought their identities."

The part-time pay was high by hourly rate, but this wasn’t just paying for time.

"We need to reimburse these thirteen for their phone bills," Lu Haiying thought for a moment. "I’ll buy a batch of SIM cards later—it’ll be more cost-effective."

Yu Xing nodded: "We can start updating valuable information on the website tonight."

Just like the earlier Guai Ai website, the difficulty of collecting information through college students was naturally lower—even without experience, the task wasn’t hard, and their youthful naivety might even help them extract better information from seniors.

As expected, from five in the afternoon until eight at night, information from the thirteen part-time students rolled in and was quickly shared across Baixiaosheng’s Workplace Jianghu.

—Lin’an Weisheng Company, IT, 6000×13; Shanghai Weisheng Company, 7500×13, no dormitory provided.

—IBM, Sales, training period 6–9 months, bachelor’s degree 4800, master’s degree 6000 (bonus: the company sets up an account for each employee, depositing 15% of their monthly salary; employees may withdraw the funds after three years of service, and if they stay beyond that, the company continues depositing until the account reaches 100,000).

—Morgan Stanley, IT, 180,000 per year, bonus based on performance.

—Cisco, Sales, monthly salary 7000, opportunities for overseas assignments.

—Huawei, bachelor’s degree 4500, monthly subsidy 1000, master’s degree subsidy 2000, year-end bonus of 3–8 months’ salary.

—China Electronics Corporation No.14 Research Institute, claims to pay more than Huawei, but only slightly at first, falling behind later.

—CAS Institute of Optoelectronics, master’s salary 5500, Beijing hukou provided.

—Tencent, bachelor’s annual salary 70,000, master’s 100,000, varying by position; the newly established research institute allows individual negotiation with HR.

Baixiaosheng, Baixiaosheng No.2, and Baixiaosheng No.3 all sprang into action, posting and sharing information—most of it focused on salary and benefits, since new hires rarely knew about the latest recruitment and internship changes.

Yet even so, as Baixiaosheng’s “Workplace Jianghu” section gradually filled with information, the website saw its first wave of user registrations.

At seven p.m., the backend showed 139 registered users.

At eight p.m., the number rose to 338.

At ten p.m., Baixiaosheng’s registered users surpassed one thousand.

"We haven’t bought ads or done any large-scale promotion—this is just me casually posting on Tieba and campus networks..." Song Yufeng had sat at his desk from dawn till late night, but now he wanted to dance with joy as he stepped out. "They’re spreading it on their own!"

Yu Xing smiled: "Everyone wants to check the info—it’s normal. Information has value; they can all see that."

Song Yufeng rubbed his face hard, barely containing his excitement: "My god, I feel like this website is actually going to work!"

Yu Xing laughed heartily: "We’ve just started."

Song Yufeng perked up: "More exposés are waiting to explode!"

His manifesto was already burning with impatience!!