Chapter 139: Asking the Senior Female Student for Help

Li Mu finally finalized the details of the contract with Baidu.

Baidu accepted all of Li Mu's conditions, even including his requirement to acquire Douban for five hundred thousand after the funding was in place.

Tan Yaocheng felt that Li Mu's acquisition of Douban was actually a disguised way to bring in shareholders and cash out Baidu's investment. However, when Li Mu told him that Douban was the key factor behind the nationwide viral explosion of the Simple Plan, Tan Yaocheng agreed without hesitation.

He had always been curious about the mastermind behind the Simple Plan, and now he finally learned that it was operated behind the scenes by Li Mu and this Douban. No wonder their Yiting.com was able to secure the songs of the Simple Plan; it turned out to be bundled with such a powerful online promotion capability. This five hundred thousand was money well spent. Besides, even if it wasn't worth it, he had no reason to interfere.

To make Baidu make so many concessions, Li Mu also promised to let Baidu lead the Series B funding, which could be considered a consolation for Tan Yaocheng.

The remaining problems were quite simple. Before signing the contract, Li Mu first needed to register his company, then sign the agreement with Baidu through a corporate-to-corporate format, and sign the contract with Song Liang through a corporate-to-individual format.

Baidu promised that the five million in Series A funding would be fully credited within three days after the contract was reached. The 20% cash-out requested by Li Mu would also be processed by Baidu for tax withholding before the net amount was given to him.

The personal income tax for one million was two hundred thousand, leaving eight hundred thousand in hand. Song Liang's 2.5 million would follow the exact same operational procedure; Li Mu would pay two hundred thousand in personal income tax for his 500,000 cash-out portion, leaving him with 1.2 million in hand.

1.2 million was not a huge sum, but it was enough for Li Mu to invest in 3321 and sustain operations until the Legend private server and cheat tools started generating profit.

Right now, the most important matter was actually registering the company.

Li Mu had previously considered registering the company in Jinling. However, with the continuous growth of Yiting.com and Tieba's business, he also realized that the biggest problem with developing in Jinling would be a shortage of talent. Therefore, Li Mu had already communicated with Kong Lingyu about whether they should pull the team over to Beijing to work.

After all, this was the center of the nation's internet sector, gathering a massive amount of relevant talent. Moreover, the local government, especially the district government where Zhongguancun was located, had consistently provided subsidies and preferential policies for internet enterprises. Thus, registering the company in Beijing was probably the best choice.

Li Mu made a call to Kong Lingyu, explaining that the Series A talks were basically settled, and simultaneously found a scalper agency online that handled company registrations, preparing to register a technology company specializing in the internet in Zhongguancun first.

As for the company name, Li Mu had originally thought of calling it Muzi, but upon realizing that this name had already gained considerable fame among music enthusiasts, and that "When You Are Old" had been broadcast by China CCTV and become a nationwide sensation, he feared using this name might bring unnecessary trouble. So, he simply registered Beijing Muye Technology Co., Ltd.

With a single phone call, Li Mu summoned Kong Lingyu from Jinling to Beijing. Having carved out two days of free time, the two of them found a high cost-performance office space in Zhongguancun. It was 180 square meters, priced at 50 yuan per square meter per month, totaling around nine thousand yuan a month. But this space, if squeezed a bit, was enough for thirty people to work in.

Li Mu paid for three months' rent out of his own pocket, and then used this address to have the agency help register the company. The reason he only paid for three months of rent was because once the company registration was successful, these expenses could be paid directly using funds from the company's bank account.

Once corporatized, the problem Li Mu had to consider was building the management team. However, he had always played the role of a hands-off boss, with Kong Lingyu handling most of the company's affairs, and accounting delegated to the finance department of Ye Tianming's father's company. Therefore, seeing as he had to transition from a guerrilla force to a regular army, Li Mu began to worry about the management issue.

Li Mu wanted Kong Lingyu to be the company's general manager. After all, being an internet company, the core business consisted of three pillars: technology, products, and operations. With his own help, Kong Lingyu could handle both technology and products; the remaining operations required someone who truly understood the market.

Due to the importance of market operations, what Li Mu wanted was not a simple marketing director, but a vice president dedicated specifically to market operations.

However, Li Mu did not have a suitable candidate in mind.

In addition, besides the company's core business, supporting departments also needed reliable people, such as finance and human resources.

Yet, after thinking back and forth, Li Mu sorrowfully realized that in this city, he only knew a bunch of college students in their early twenties.

Suddenly, Li Mu thought of someone.

Senior Sister Ai.

Chen Wan's good friend, Dong Ai.

Dong Ai was a senior this year and was already a top student exempted from the national entrance exams for graduate studies in the School of Economics. Although it was unlikely she would come to help him herself, she had been at Renmin University for so many years and was a core member of the student union, so her network must be extremely extensive. If she could introduce him to a senior brother or sister who had already graduated and entered the workforce, that would be even better.

The School of Economics at Renmin University had indeed nurtured many top talents, and even included some figures who would become extremely formidable in the future, such as JD.com's founder, Liu Qiangdong.

Having decided to ask Dong Ai for help, Li Mu gave her a call, warmly asking when she would be free, as he wanted to treat her to a meal.

Ever since Dong Ai had taken the initiative to treat Li Mu to a meal last time, she hadn't looked for him again. The reason was simple: she felt slightly displeased.

Last time, she had eagerly run over to bestow a favor, but Li Mu used a deflection skill to smoothly pass that favor on to someone else instead. This had left a lingering knot in Dong Ai's heart.

However, after all, he was the guy Chen Wan had a crush on. Although Dong Ai felt somewhat annoyed, she wasn't truly angry. Receiving Li Mu's call this time, she was a bit surprised, but her tone remained quite friendly.

Li Mu didn't state his real purpose on the phone, simply saying he wanted to treat her to dinner. Dong Ai checked her schedule, and the two set the date for that very evening.

To show his sincerity, Li Mu chose a rather upscale Western restaurant, without calling anyone else—just himself and Dong Ai.

Dong Ai arrived on time. Before coming, she had been surprised that the spending level at the restaurant chosen by Li Mu was indeed a bit too high. An average consumption of five to six hundred per person was something nine out of ten college students wouldn't even dare to imagine. To keep Li Mu from bleeding too much money, she had even specifically called Chen Wan to inquire about Li Mu's situation.

Chen Wan's single sentence dispelled Dong Ai's misgivings, because she said Li Mu was a godly figure who could easily make hundreds of thousands during summer vacation and then open an exclusive boutique for his parents back home.

Dong Ai gave in. Although she herself was quite famous at Renmin University and a recognized top student, when it came to making money, her ability was negative.

Many student union cadres would find various ways to make money. Some would go out to secure sponsorships and might pocket a few hundred or a thousand yuan;

Others would sell all kinds of daily necessities to freshmen—for instance, during enrollment, some would quietly sell bedding to freshmen behind the school's back. Even though it was dozens of yuan cheaper than the school's prices, the profit margin was still very substantial; then there were phone cards, which belonged to consumable goods and had huge discounts for bulk purchases.

Even sharper minds would frequently talk business with various external merchants to sell goods on campus. The most impressive ones were those who sold computers to freshmen, reportedly making several hundred yuan per unit.

Yet, Dong Ai had never done any of this. It wasn't that she didn't want to; she simply couldn't bring herself to lower her pride to do such things. She often mocked herself, saying that although she studied economics, she truly wasn't someone suited for deep development in this aspect. She also had self-awareness, feeling that for someone thin-skinned like herself, the best destination after pursuing graduate studies at her alma mater would be to utilize her strong campus network to stay and teach at the school.

Meeting Li Mu, Dong Ai began to reassess this young man. Even a great beauty with an extremely wealthy family background like Chen Wan could have her soul hooked by him; just how much capability did this brat possess that she didn't know about?

Li Mu attentively let Dong Ai order. Dong Ai opened the menu and glanced at it; the prices on it were even more expensive than the last time she came. The previous visit had been treated by her boyfriend at the time, who had saved half a semester's worth of money just to bring her here for a taste of luxury. As a result, the two of them ordered the cheapest steak, salad, and other food items, yet a single meal still cost over six hundred yuan—it was a total rip-off.

This time, Dong Ai's ordering remained very restrained; for the most crucial steak, she still chose the cheapest option. Li Mu glanced at his own menu and directly switched it to an imported French steak, where a single piece of steak alone cost 588 yuan.

If Li Mu had come to eat here by himself, he wouldn't have been willing to order such an expensive steak either. But Dong Ai was Chen Wan's good friend after all, and a senior sister to boot, plus he was asking her for a favor, so he still needed to show his sincerity.

Dong Ai wanted to refuse, but Li Mu didn't give her the chance. In Dong Ai's eyes, this young and handsome guy could actually be so chauvinistic. Yet at a time like this, his chauvinism instead made a woman feel a strong sense of appreciation.

As for the salad, soup, and dessert, Li Mu made the choices for Dong Ai all at once, because after seeing the prices of those items and connecting them to the fact that Li Mu had already ordered a 588-yuan steak for her, Dong Ai truly wasn't willing to order anything else.

While Li Mu ordered, Dong Ai secretly calculated the prices in her heart. When Li Mu finally told the waiter he was done ordering, Dong Ai totted it up—their meals and red wine totaled around twenty-five hundred yuan. Although Dong Ai's family background was quite good, it was still far from reaching such a luxurious standard of living.

Dong Ai asked Li Mu, "If we're just having a meal, why pick this place? The stuff here is ridiculously expensive, and it doesn't even taste that good."

Li Mu smiled and said, "Eating at a place like this is mostly for the atmosphere and the vibe. Besides, Senior Sister Ai, you're my Sister Wan's good friend. As the younger brother, this is my first time treating you to a meal, so I definitely have to do it properly."

Dong Ai said, "No wonder Xiao Wan told me to go ahead and order boldly without holding back, saying you're loaded."

Li Mu asked, "You've been in touch with Sister Wan?"

Dong Ai nodded. "You invited me here to eat, so I had to ask Xiao Wan first. In case she found out later and thought I was bullying you and came to settle scores with me, what would I do?"

Li Mu gave a slight smile and asked, "Then what did my Sister Wan say?"

Dong Ai laughed, "She said you're a tycoon, a genius who can make money just by using your brain, and told me to fleece you to my heart's content."

Li Mu chuckled dryly, "She really is my good sister."

Dong Ai smiled faintly and chatted idly with Li Mu for a while. The dishes were served one after another, and the two ate at a leisurely pace. It wasn't until they were almost finished eating that Dong Ai looked at Li Mu and said, "Alright, spill it. Treating me to dinner today—is there something you need my help with?"

Li Mu had been pondering earlier how to bring it up. After all, he didn't want people to know he was operating Yiting.com and Tieba. Once the Series A financing succeeded, a company valuation of tens of millions might easily provoke resentment from peers of his own age; standing out too much in the forest was never a good thing.

Now that Dong Ai had taken the initiative to ask, Li Mu seized the opportunity of her inquiry and smiled faintly, "Senior Sister, I have a cousin who registered an internet company and needs an operations vice president who understands both the market and management. Doesn't our Renmin University have quite a bit of relevant talent? I wanted to ask if any of the senior brothers or sisters you know would be suitable candidates."