Chapter 140: A Vision for the Future

It was said that Li Mu wanted to introduce suitable senior students, specifically for job opportunities. Dong Ai hurriedly said, “Among the senior members of the student union, quite a few chose to stay and work in Yanjing after graduation. Our current student union has been keeping in touch with them, and we have their employment information and contact details. If your cousin’s company is truly reliable, I can pull out the info and let him choose directly.”

“Really?” Li Mu was excited. The senior members of the Renmin University student union were definitely already graduated and employed. Although such information might not have been highly valued now, in the future, these would undoubtedly be prime talent resources.

Dong Ai casually replied, “Why would I lie to you? Besides, your cousin wanting to find suitable talent from our university’s graduates is actually a recognition of Renmin University. It’s a good thing.”

Li Mu nodded slightly. “Then I’ll wait for your news, senior.”

Dong Ai nodded back and asked, “How’s your cousin’s company? Since it’s just established, the vice president position probably doesn’t carry much real weight, so it might not be very attractive. What kind of salary can they offer?”

Li Mu replied, “His company has already secured Series A financing from Baidu, with a valuation of fifty million. The scale isn’t large, but the prospects are good.”

Dong Ai was a little surprised. As an economics student, she understood capital operations well. Currently, capital investment attitudes were still cautious. Baidu, an internet company—not a venture capital firm—investing in this project meant its prospects were likely clear.

Li Mu continued, “I don’t know the exact salary, but he said the starting annual salary would be between fifty and one hundred thousand yuan. The specific amount depends on ability and experience.”

In 2001, the minimum wage in Yanjing was 435 yuan. An annual salary of fifty to one hundred thousand yuan was top-tier white-collar pay, especially for a startup—it was quite generous.

Dong Ai exclaimed in surprise, “That’s a good salary. Are the requirements high? Like how many years of relevant industry experience?”

Li Mu smiled faintly, “The internet is a young industry, so my cousin doesn’t have special demands for relevant experience. In fact, he prefers candidates to be as young as possible, ideally under thirty.”

Li Mu had roughly envisioned the personnel structure for Muye Technology. He hoped the team would be youthful overall. Ideally, the average age of core management would be under thirty, and employees around twenty-five. Such a team would mesh more easily and generate extraordinary momentum.

Dong Ai tentatively asked, “At twenty-five, wouldn’t being a vice president be a bit young?”

Li Mu curiously asked, “Do you have someone in mind?”

“There is one,” Dong Ai hesitated. “I have a senior who graduated from the business school, specialized in marketing management, and has been working at a Japanese company since graduation. We had dinner recently, and she seemed somewhat dissatisfied with her current job and was considering switching.”

“Which Japanese company?” Li Mu was interested. In 2001, getting a job at a Japanese company was quite an accomplishment—not because Japanese companies were necessarily better, but because there were few of them, and competition was fierce.

Dong Ai frowned, thinking for a moment, then awkwardly said, “The name is a string of abbreviations, something like ‘SB’… I can’t quite recall…”

Li Mu had expected well-known names like Panasonic, Toshiba, or Sony but was surprised it was an English acronym he didn’t recognize.

However, when Li Mu thought of the two letters ‘SB,’ he immediately thought of ‘NR-APA,’ a reference to venture capital, one of the top ten acronyms in the internet world.

If it was an acronym, it must be an investment company. Among Japanese venture capital firms, only a few were famous. Who was active in China in 2001?

Suddenly, a name flashed through Li Mu’s mind: Masayoshi Son.

SoftBank was likely the earliest Japanese venture capital firm to engage with the internet and China’s internet. It had invested in Jack Ma’s Alibaba last year. SoftBank’s Chinese company name was SoftBank China Capital, abbreviated as SB. That must be the one.

Li Mu tentatively asked, “Senior, is it ‘SB,’ SoftBank China Capital?”

Dong Ai suddenly understood. “Yes, yes! It’s SoftBank!”

Li Mu smiled. “Give me the contact information, and please introduce me to that senior. When my cousin comes to Yanjing, I’ll have him meet her.”

Dong Ai nodded, somewhat uncertain. “My senior has been at that Japanese company less than three years and has only been a manager’s assistant without leadership experience. Do you think your cousin will agree?”

Li Mu laughed. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem. They can discuss the details themselves.”

Li Mu knew Japanese companies were notorious for slow promotion. Japanese leaders preferred steady and stable employees. Generally, newcomers stayed in one position for at least three to five years before promotion. Even minor management roles typically went to people in their thirties or older. The senior Dong Ai mentioned was only twenty-five and already held a management role—that was exceptional.

…

The next day, Li Mu had Kong Lingyu act as general manager of Muye Technology and, through Dong Ai’s introduction, meet the senior named Lin Qingya.

Li Mu chose a venue with a strong business atmosphere. Dong Ai accompanied Lin Qingya, and Li Mu came as Kong Lingyu’s cousin. Lin Qingya was still employed and arrived straight from work, still dressed in formal office attire.

If any company demanded strict dress codes, it was Japanese firms. Lin Qingya wore a white blouse, black pencil skirt, nude stockings, and wedge shoes—the standard professional female outfit. Her appearance was delicate and refined, characteristic of southern women, with a gentle presence.

After chatting in the private room for a while, Li Mu learned that Lin Qingya understood the internet well. When Kong Lingyu asked for her opinion on the internet, she displayed professional knowledge and an optimistic outlook.

She mentioned that she had participated, as an assistant, in projects where SoftBank invested in Alibaba, Yahoo, and Ctrip. Though her role was minor, these experiences sparked a strong interest in the internet.

Lin Qingya also asked the question on her mind: “What exactly does Mr. Kong do? I only know it’s in the internet field, but not the specifics.”

At this moment, Kong Lingyu introduced himself. When he mentioned Yiting Network and Tieba, Lin Qingya was astonished.

She said, “A senior manager at SoftBank China Capital has been following these two projects. He mentioned at a meeting recommending SoftBank invest angel funding in them. He is very optimistic about their prospects.”

Kong Lingyu said, “Actually, we have already reached a preliminary Series A financing agreement with Baidu.”

Lin Qingya nodded. “I heard from Xiao Ai that Baidu valued it at fifty million?”

“Yes,” Kong Lingyu confirmed.

Lin Qingya exclaimed, “That’s incredible! To grow two sites to that scale in just two or three months is unbelievable.”

Kong Lingyu glanced at Li Mu, smiling awkwardly. He thought it was impressive, but this praise was meant for Li Mu. Now, Li Mu had him pose as the founder to receive Lin Qingya’s admiration—it felt a bit odd.

Li Mu discreetly signaled Kong Lingyu, implying, “Don’t keep looking at me like that. Just focus and convince this woman to join as vice president of operations. Although she lacks relevant experience, from our conversation, it’s clear she’s sharp and visionary. She definitely has the potential for the job. The company is just starting out—we still need to figure out the market operations. Having her onboard to grow with the company is perfect.”

Noticing Li Mu’s unusual gaze, Kong Lingyu stopped glancing at him and said to Lin Qingya, “Miss Lin, we expect to complete company registration in the next few days and will bring the team from Jinling to Yanjing. If you’re interested, I sincerely hope we can work together to achieve great things.”

Lin Qingya hesitated briefly before nodding gently, “If you, Mr. Kong, think I have the potential, I’m willing to give it a try.”

Kong Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief. Being a tech guy, discussing such things wasn’t his strength. Seeing Lin Qingya agree, he moved to settle other details. “What’s your expected salary, Miss Lin?”

Lin Qingya paused, then said, “I expect 7,000 yuan per month. If the company offers stock options, salary doesn’t matter much—as long as it covers living expenses.”

Kong Lingyu was unsure how to respond. Regarding stock options, he was still figuring things out. With the company becoming formal, core employees should receive some options. He had considered it himself, hoping for about 1% equity. With a fifty-million valuation, 1% would be worth half a million yuan. He believed in the projects and Li Mu’s ability, so 1% equity would be just the beginning.

Not yet clear on the stock option arrangements, Kong Lingyu didn’t know how to respond to Lin Qingya’s words. Clearly, Lin Qingya recognized the project’s potential and hoped for options, even willing to accept a lower salary in exchange. Short-sighted people only look at monthly pay; farsighted people consider early investment.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kong Lingyu instinctively wanted to signal Li Mu for guidance. Remembering Li Mu’s earlier warning look, he braced himself and said, “Miss Lin, your salary expectations are certainly reasonable. As for stock options, I will need to discuss with the other shareholders.”

(To be continued.)

P.S. The third update is here! Going back to fix the computer now…