Back to the prime of life

Chapter 181 Year-End
Later, Lu Changge inquired about the family of that bank manager, Luo, since they lived at Jiangzhou University of Science and Technology, and his own connections at the university were actually somewhat weak.

He had expected his wife to be a bank president, so he figured this political science teacher wouldn't be an ordinary person either.

The facts were pretty much as he had guessed; the person was already a vice principal, a fairly high-ranking position.

Given this connection, Lu Changge simply hosted a dinner party and invited the couple to attend.

So-called dinner parties are nothing to be proud of. No matter what level they are at, they are all the same except for the people eating.

However, at the end of the dinner, he suddenly received a call from Wang Hongcheng, who was very excited on the phone, saying that the problem of the funding shortage had been solved!

Lu Changge concealed the fact that he was having dinner with the bank president and asked him in surprise how he had resolved the situation.

Wang Hongcheng simply stated, "Loan policies have been relaxed!"

The next day, he rushed to Jiangzhou with great enthusiasm, and then insisted on dragging Lu Changge to his Cuijing Garden.

Standing at the entrance of the futuristic residential complex under construction, filled with cranes, he said with a sense of relief, "To be honest, in the past two weeks, I really thought about what would happen if this project failed. And when I thought about that, I would even wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, and that's no exaggeration."

Lu Changge also joked, "Someone once told me that for a rich second-generation like you, the most dangerous thing is actually starting your own business and investing. If you just spend all your family assets on eating, drinking, and having fun, you probably wouldn't even be able to earn all the interest. Now that we're facing a life-or-death situation, don't you think there's some truth to that?"

"That makes no sense at all." Wang Hongcheng scoffed at the idea, having never heard it before. "Humans, in the end, need more than just eating and sleeping. Some people promote the importance of eating and sleeping for their own reasons, but as individuals, if we always treat the principles of eating and sleeping as gospel, then the fate of this collective will be like that of pigs."

"Wow, being too profound isn't a good thing for a rich kid like you."

Wang Hongcheng put his arm around his shoulder and looked at the residential complex under construction. "Whether something is good or bad is always subjective, not objective. As far as I'm concerned, I know very well what is good and what is bad. By the way, when are you going to give me the millions you prepared? I'm going to start working here after the New Year."

"Didn't you already get through the crisis?"

"But I stand by what I said. If you invest a few million, 20% is really yours."

Lu Changge's heart stirred slightly. Now that the economic stimulus plan has been implemented, housing prices won't fall much. In particular, Wang Hongcheng has also solved the funding problem, so there's no need to offer discounts in advance. If they hold on to the market until the second half of next year, they'll definitely make a fortune.

Given the scale of Cuijingyuan, it's possible that they could make hundreds of millions in profits.

20% is...

"No, I'll take advantage of the small things, but I'm not comfortable with taking advantage of the big things."

"Tsk, so you mean that I, Wang Hongcheng, make all sorts of promises when I need people, but then go back on my word when I don't?"

Lu Changge hadn't expected him to have such enthusiasm, and immediately laughed and said, "I definitely didn't mean that, you don't need to misunderstand me. It's just that business isn't conducted this way."

Wang Hongcheng put his hands on his hips and laughed, then looked down and touched his chin, his expression reverting to that of a cool rich kid.

"You know what? I can guarantee that most people, if they heard my promise back then, would bring it up themselves. If it wasn't just a promise but also a signed agreement, they would demand 20% even if it meant going to court. You... you really have me wrapped around your little finger. I can't stand this kind of tactic."

"Alright, can we two grown men stop with this mushy stuff? If you can recover from this, then forget it. I feel more at ease with my savings. What's with all this talk about confessing?"

“No.” Wang Hongcheng shook his head. “It’s not mushy. Do you think I’m some kind of righteous hero? To tell you the truth, I know all about what you’ve been up to. Everyone knows you won’t just be a small business owner in the future. So I’ve considered the gains and losses. I think spending 20% ​​of a project to buy your trust will come in handy in the future.”

You just mentioned the lesson I learned from this experience. Actually, my lesson is simple: cultivate good relationships. Nothing lasts forever. True friends who are willing to help aren't concerned with immediate financial gain, but rather with the possibility of saving my life in the future. Of course, I never want to be saved.

After saying that, he patted Lu Changge on the shoulder, "I won't say any more, lest you go on and on about how mushy it is. Come over here for a shareholders' meeting at the end of the year. The New Year is coming soon, and the workers will gradually go home for the holidays. We won't really start working until after the New Year."

Ultimately, the matter was settled in this somewhat comical and exaggerated way.

On his way back, he received another call from the community by the canal. It was almost 2009, and this slightly upscale community was starting a promotional event for homeowners, inviting him to the sales office the next day to receive a prize.

Lu Changge didn't have the time to go, so after exchanging pleasantries, he put the matter out of his mind.

This phone call reminded him that he had bought a house in Jiangzhou, and it cost him 150 million yuan.

Unfortunately, all the properties are sold off-plan, and I don't know when this frustrating thing started, which prevents him from being able to satisfy his urgent desire to renovate as soon as he has the money in his pocket.

Undeterred, he called again to inquire about the handover date, and the other party replied that it would be another year and a half!

A year and a half!

Damn it, this is ridiculous!
Not only that, but for health reasons, you can't move in immediately after the renovation. You need to ventilate for at least six months to a year, which makes it even more distant!

Lu Changge was speechless. What was even more absurd was that he had reached some kind of agreement with Wang Hongcheng, which meant that he would now be one of the people he had just cursed!

Gan.

He kept this to himself for now, because he had to go back to school.

In the second half of 2008, which was also the first semester of his junior year, to be honest, he didn't really focus on being a student. September was okay, though; he listened attentively in class while learning technical skills.

But after October, skipping classes became a daily occurrence, not a weekly occurrence. First it was Hailan Bay, then Lumang. Before Lumang could even figure things out, Chi Yongsheng from the United States kept contacting him.

But now that the semester is almost over, there are only about three weeks left, so I still need to review some of the exams.

Fortunately, he had a loyal academic tutor, Hui Chuankun, who was a workaholic. Even when he had things to do at the company, he would not miss his classes and would take notes diligently.

So Lu Changge found a stall and brought Hui Chuankun over. His girlfriend, Lü Lanying, not only had no objection to this, but was also very supportive.

Hui Chuankun seems a little slow on this point, so she proactively reminded him to organize his notes and key points to improve efficiency.

Lu Changge naturally knew what the other person was thinking, but he and Hui Chuankun were also roommates, so it was not appropriate to say anything too utilitarian. He could just keep it to himself.

Yu Na, another classmate who had been with Hui Chuankun, was finally freed.

She is now a senior in college. For college students at this stage, the most important thing is to write a graduation thesis or graduation project. Many people start doing this in the first semester of their senior year. Yu Na is one of the better ones, so she has managed to finish this task.

It seems much easier than when Han Jiayi wrote her thesis.

One evening in mid-December, Lu Changge finally managed to find some time to play a game of soccer on the school playground to relax. After all, no matter how busy he was with work, he couldn't keep working non-stop, otherwise he'd become a machine. Of course, this was just his way of putting it; if he hadn't found Chen Xiaohe, what else could he do but act like a machine?

On his way back to the dormitory, he happened to run into Yu Na and two classmates returning from the computer science building.

They bumped into each other, and Lu Changge, still all smiles, said, "I could see your lips curled up really high from a hundred meters away. What good thing happened to you?"

Yu Na raised her head and said, "I passed my graduation thesis! From now on, there will only be some trivial matters left at school, at most one graduation defense, and then I can completely let loose!!"

"Alright, from today onwards you are a full-time employee of Pulsego. If I see you during work hours next time, it will be considered as absenteeism."

Yu Na's two female classmates immediately burst into laughter, "Nana, you've really shot yourself in the foot, haha."

Yu Na stamped her foot and paused, then said, "What an unromantic person! Have I done less work for you?"

"Haha, just kidding. Congratulations anyway, you're doing much better than me. I still have to deal with some exams."

Yu Na didn't believe his complaints. In her opinion, Lu Changge was a person with a high IQ. How could such an entry-level test be difficult for him?
She then spoke a few words to her two classmates and told them to go ahead, while she herself went with Lu Changge.

Walking under the sycamore trees on campus, Yu Na said, "There's something I'm really annoyed about right now, and I just happened to bump into you today, so I thought I'd tell you."

"What's the matter?"

"It's about work," Yu Na said, though her eyes gleamed as she looked at Lu Changge. "To be honest, I never imagined that the freshman I struck up a conversation with during orientation would now be the owner of several companies. Among them, while Pulsego isn't a large company, its owner is a legendary figure. So..."

At this point, Lu Changge understood without needing to hear any further: "Of course, the company welcomes talented people. Are there any people contacting you?"

"I'm not even confident that I can fully meet your requirements."

"Don't worry, this isn't that difficult. I know you're embarrassed, so you can agree to all the referrals. I'll have Zhou Shuang test them. Those who pass will stay, and those who don't won't be blamed. Besides your own company, it's rare to find a job without any assessment process these days."

Yu Na scratched the back of her head. "Will this work?"

"Yes, it's possible. We can give preference to our alumni as well."

In fact, Lu Changge was just trying to embellish his own image. Pulsego really wanted to recruit some geniuses from prestigious universities at home and abroad, but where would they possibly be considered? There are so many big companies in the internet industry, where do they even rank?
That's why he told Yu Na not to worry about it.

"Okay." Hearing the word 'tilt', she regained her confidence and then gave Lu Changge a generous hug. "You've helped me a lot this time. I'll remember your kindness as a senior and junior, not as a boss or employee."

Her sudden attack startled Lu Changge. "I was sweating from playing football."

Yu Na, on the other hand, was carefree and didn't care. If she were the kind of person who was shy and fussy, she wouldn't have taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with him as a stranger.

That one glance was lust at first sight.

Now, two and a half years have passed, and it has been discovered that Lu Changge has more than just that face, so in fact, everyone around her knows about her unrequited love.

Even after Yin Anyan finally understood that someone had told her back in her freshman year that a woman was always buzzing around Lu Changge, that woman was Yu Na.

In the following days, both Luman and Pulse were receiving resumes.

Lumang's recruitment scale is larger now. It needs programmers, warehouse sorters, maintenance personnel, and even a few people who know Photoshop to continuously optimize the store page.

Of course, December is traditionally a slow season for recruitment, since anyone looking to switch jobs will want to get through the year and save up for their year-end bonus before making a move.

So there haven't been any actual written tests or interviews; they're basically still in the resume screening stage.

"Once the boss becomes famous, even the recruitment process changes. I've asked a few friends these past few days, and it's quite rare for a company like ours, which has only been established for a few months, to receive so many resumes."

"So, is this a happy problem?"

"Probably. Since coming here, it's been a series of happy troubles," Chen Xiaohe sighed. Then she took something out of the drawer. "I've carefully studied your method of using yourself as a marketing point, and I think it still works well in the internet industry. Plus, we've received more money, so I've arranged a few more exposure programs for you."

Lu Changge: "..."

Did you pay for it?

"I spent money. Oh, by the way, one of them is more of an entertainment category. I hope you don't mind."

Lu Changge really had no objections. "Mind? I'm a very practical person. Right now, all I can think about is how to pay off that 1200 million loan. I'm not some shy young lady who's not ready to be married."

Chen Xiaohe felt relieved. "I'm not just praising you. Lu Mang's pragmatic and problem-oriented approach is really much better than my previous place."

There are too many relationships and unspoken things going on there.

Lu Changge smiled but did not answer, because the things she hated were actually indispensable everywhere, but this was not a problem he could solve.

"It sounds a bit irresponsible, but I have exams coming up, so it's best to plan my business trips in advance. It's not a big deal to make a few extra trips, but it's annoying when there are conflicting schedules."

"Of course. From now on, you should travel more. With your good speaking skills, good image, and good charisma, don't you think that part of the brand value of Lumang actually depends on your words?"

Lu Changge frowned slightly. "Really?"

"Really, you taught me that the so-called brand concept is nothing more than a kind of collective consciousness. If everyone thinks you are good, then the brand can't be bad."

"But this is not a good thing."

"Are you feeling too much pressure?"

"No, I'm worried about hindering my fundraising efforts. Over-reliance on the founder can negatively impact a company's valuation, and the investment community is full of smart people."

Chen Xiaohe: "..."

"Let's work and pay off the debt first."

(End of this chapter)