Chapter Thirteen: Don’t Jump to Conclusions

It was three o'clock on a weekend afternoon.

Rizhao, having traveled all the way from the capital by train, met Yu Zhe in Jianwu City. After picking him up, Yu Zhe took a taxi to the Wade Fitness Club near the Third Ring Road in Jianwu.

Before arriving, Rizhao had been quite confident in the terms Kong Dechen had authorized him to offer. Both he and the executives at Huanjian believed that, for a college student, 400,000 yuan would be an incredibly tempting sum.

However, the moment he stepped into the club, Rizhao’s heart sank, and he began to feel uneasy. Though he wasn't a millionaire himself, he had seen enough of the world during his years in the capital to recognize quality. This fitness club was exceptionally upscale; even in the capital, it was far beyond the reach of an ordinary person.

Could someone who spent their time in a place like this really be swayed by 400,000 yuan and a vague 5% incentive equity stake?

Led by a waiter, they pushed open the doors to the top-floor pool area. Seeing the young man lying on a lounge chair by the water, leisurely sunbathing, Rizhao felt his heart drop even further.

Everyone has an aura, and it varies greatly from person to person. Some auras are born of wealth, others of education, or even ideals. Those with a powerful aura aren't necessarily rich, but they are undeniably strong.

The young man before him, though appearing a few years his junior, possessed a profound sense of composure. For someone of that age to exude such "composure" was certainly not something built on money alone. People like this either possessed a wealth of life experience or held onto firm, unshakable ideals; once they set a goal, they were relentless.

For such a person, 400,000 yuan was nowhere near enough to make him abandon his career—unless, of course, he had intended to sell Zeyue from the very beginning.

But there was no turning back now. He braced himself and pushed forward.

Putting on a smile, he followed Yu Zhe and walked up to the man.

"Hello, President Zhao. I am Li Mingming, Deputy General Manager of Huanjian. My online handle is Rizhao."

"Hello, President Li. I am Zhao Zejun."

Yu Zhe looked around the massive pool with curiosity, surprised. "Boss, you’ve got it going on! When did you find such a great place? How much is it? I want to come here to hang out, too."

"A friend introduced it to me; it’s over ten thousand a year. You spend so much time sitting in front of a computer writing, it’s good to get some exercise," Zhao Zejun replied.

Yu Zhe instinctively shrank back. His own family’s financial situation was quite decent—while the average college student lived on less than 500 yuan a month, he received two thousand, more than the salary of an average white-collar worker. Even so, a membership fee of over ten thousand a year was something he couldn't afford.

Yu Zhe was still the same Yu Zhe, but Zhao Zejun was no longer the broke student who would skip breakfast just to save a few yuan for internet time. The days of classmate Yu Zhe flaunting his wealth in front of classmate Zhao Zejun were gone forever.

Rizhao took a quiet look at the surrounding environment.

After a few brief pleasantries, the two sides got down to business.

Rizhao didn't jump straight into the acquisition. Instead, he began with a mix of soft and hard tones. "President Zhao, as soon as Zeyue launched, you poached so many authors and readers from Huanjian. Doesn't that seem a bit... unrefined?"

"President Li, you came all the way from the capital, traveling hundreds of kilometers—surely you didn't come just to criticize me to my face?" Zhao Zejun laughed. Yu Zhe had introduced him as "Li," but while everyone was used to using online handles, Zhao Zejun wasn't quite close enough to the man to address him by his screen name.

Rizhao’s expression remained unchanged. "Of course not. But as industry peers, you should understand that Huanjian has invested a great deal of effort and resources into nurturing authors like Xue Yun and his peers."

He then naturally turned his gaze to Yu Zhe. "Xue Yun, you’re here too. Let's speak honestly—without Huanjian’s recommendations and the support of our platform, your novel probably wouldn't have become an overnight success. Now that Zeyue is poaching people left and right, and you’ve jumped ship without a word, taking a whole group of people with you, do you think that's appropriate? Not to mention others, I myself have stayed up late talking novels with you more than once. We may not have a debt of gratitude, but we at least had some friendship, didn't we?"

Yu Zhe was a man who valued loyalty; otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen into Zhao Zejun’s "trap" in the first place. Being accused to his face by Rizhao, he gave an awkward smile, not knowing how to respond. He could only sneak a glance at Zhao Zejun, thinking, *Rizhao, you have been good to me, but Boss Zhao is an even closer friend, so I’m afraid I have to let you down.*

Still, this situation was a heavy psychological burden for Yu Zhe.

"President Li, why make things difficult for him?" Zhao Zejun’s lips curled into a faint smile. "Since you aren't talking about law or business, and insist on bringing up these notions of sentiment and morality, I’d like to ask: how many novels has Xue Yun written on your site?"

Rizhao was taken aback, unsure why Zhao Zejun would suddenly ask this. "Um... two and a half of the *Hooligan* series, and before that, maybe two or three others?"

"Six and a half in total," Zhao Zejun said.

"People aren't made of wood or stone; how could they not have feelings? After writing over six novels for Huanjian, Xue Yun, you just left without a second thought. You don't seem to value old ties," Rizhao said with a playful tone.

"That's not the way to put it," Zhao Zejun waved his hand. "President Li, if you want to talk about feelings, I don't quite understand something. Before he started writing *Hooligan*, he had written four books totaling 400,000 words. Among all those moderators at Huanjian, including you, President Li, not one of you befriended him, and the site didn't give him a single recommendation. Yet, as soon as he wrote *Hooligan*, before he had even hit 100,000 words, you, a senior moderator, suddenly became his 'good friend,' and the site gave him a string of support?"

Zhao Zejun smiled faintly, his tone seven parts joking and three parts mocking. "Was it fate? Were two protagonists destined to meet at this juncture, only to realize they were soulmates, falling in love at first sight, and sparking a fierce revolutionary friendship to embark on a grand career together?"

"This..." Rizhao’s face flushed slightly.

Yu Zhe understood immediately; Boss Zhao had hit the nail on the head.

Back when his performance was poor and he couldn't write a hit, no one at Huanjian cared about him. Once he could write a good book, everyone at Huanjian fawned over him, and even a senior moderator like Rizhao proactively sought him out to be "friends."

Put bluntly, it had nothing to do with sentiment. The name "Xue Yun" was simply a tool of value.

Of course, as Yu Zhe and Rizhao interacted more over time, some level of friendship was bound to develop, but in the end, it was driven by profit.

"President Zhao, if you're going to put it that way, I have nothing to say. We’re all running websites; there are so many authors, I can't pay attention to every single one."

Zhao Zejun glanced at Yu Zhe and nodded. "President Li, let's talk business. Let's not resort to the tactics of online flame wars, using moral high ground to pressure people. What do you think?"

Yu Zhe felt the knot in his heart loosen thanks to Zhao Zejun’s words. The moral burden he had been carrying vanished, and he felt instantly lighter. He even became more magnanimous, patting Rizhao on the shoulder and saying earnestly, "Rizhao, don't be upset. No matter how you treat me, I still have genuine feelings for you."

Rizhao was left feeling both annoyed and amused. He gave an involuntary, strained smile at Yu Zhe, then turned to Zhao Zejun. "President Zhao, what you say also makes sense. Then let’s talk business."

"Fine."

"In your opinion, between the current Zeyue and Huanjian, which is the bigger operation?"

"Huanjian, of course. Ten Zeyues wouldn't compare to Huanjian right now."

"You are very frank." Rizhao nodded. "In that case, I will be open as well. I am here today on behalf of Huanjian to acquire your Zeyue Chinese Network, and we sincerely invite you to join the management team of our network."

Yu Zhe was stunned. He hadn't realized that Rizhao’s trip was for the purpose of an acquisition.

"Acquisition"—that was a word he had only heard in movies or read in newspapers. In Yu Zhe’s mind, it was a game for truly wealthy people and massive institutions. He never in his wildest dreams imagined that less than a month after Zeyue was founded, someone would come knocking to buy it.

"How much?" Yu Zhe asked instinctively.

Rizhao didn't answer; instead, he looked at Zhao Zejun.

Zhao Zejun smiled, waved his hand, and said, "President Li, we won't be discussing an acquisition."

From the moment he entered the Wade Club, Rizhao had realized that the acquisition wouldn't be easy, but he hadn't expected Zhao Zejun to refuse flatly without even asking for a price.