Rebirth: Starting with Capturing the Goddess Mentor

Chapter 287 A Flight Attendant's Pickup Line

2015 1 Month 1 Day.

The three-day New Year's Day holiday ignited the Erqi Square and surrounding business districts in Zhengzhou.

As dusk settles, the city lights eagerly burst into bloom, their dazzling colors scattering the chill of early winter far and wide.

The square was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, filled with the relaxed and lively atmosphere unique to the festival. Loud promotional songs played from the speakers outside the shops, mixed with the rich aroma of cumin, roasted chestnuts, and roasted sweet potatoes wafting from the food stalls, weaving a vibrant and fragrant picture of the urban festival.

Amidst this bustling, vibrant atmosphere, just a few streets away in an office building, a negotiation involving a sum of up to ten figures in RMB is taking place.

The Zhengzhou branch of Daily Part-Time Jobs is not large, only about 100 square meters. In a somewhat simple meeting room, the two groups of people were already seated.

At one end of the long conference table sat Chen Yan and his assistant Gao Yang.

On the other end were Zhu Yulan and her assistant Li Ze.

"Mr. Chen."

Zhu Yulan said, "I'm so sorry to bother you on New Year's Day."

"Haha, Mr. Zhu, you're too kind. I was free today, but it's kind of you, Mr. Zhu, to fly all the way here."

Chen Yan said with a smile.

"It's not hard work, it's all for the sake of work."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhu Yulan got down to business.

She paused, looking directly at Chen Yan: "Mr. Chen, after repeated internal evaluations, we at 68.com highly recognize the strength and development prospects of 'Daily Jobs' platform. We sincerely want to facilitate this acquisition, and I believe it would be a win-win situation for both of us if we can achieve it."

"Ah."

Chen Yan nodded slightly in agreement.

"Since we're all aiming for a win-win situation, Mr. Chen, I'll be frank with some things."

Zhu Yulan took a deep breath, her eyes sharpening. "The overall acquisition price you proposed—10 billion RMB—is, frankly speaking, in our view, somewhat beyond a reasonable valuation range."

Although Yao Jingbo agreed to the acquisition price of 10 billion, it doesn't mean they have to acquire it for 10 billion. As the old saying goes, every penny saved is a penny earned, especially such a large sum of money.

Chen Yan's smile remained unchanged as he calmly looked at Zhu Yulan.

"Market environment, risk of corruption, future integration costs... these are all real factors that we must carefully consider."

Zhu Yulan spoke calmly and clearly, "Based on the latest report from the independent third-party assessment agency we hired, and our own prudent forecast of the future profitability of [Daily Part-Time Jobs], we believe that a price that better reflects the current situation and the sincerity of both parties in cooperating is—"

She paused for a second, then clearly uttered the number: "9 million."

9 million.

A 10% discount doesn't seem like much, considering that older women usually negotiate down to 50% when buying groceries at the market.

But in a billion-dollar acquisition, a difference of 10% is equivalent to a difference of a whole billion!
Damn, 100 million yuan could support so many female college students!

Chen Yan naturally could not agree to this.

He smiled and said, "Mr. Zhu, you're being too ruthless by cutting a hundred million from my account right off the bat."

Zhu Yulan laughed as well: "President Chen, it's not that I want to bargain you down, but 9 million is already a very high valuation."

After a pause, she added, "Besides, 9 million is really not a small amount. Mr. Chen, you can use this money to enjoy life to the fullest."

"Today I'll sunbathe in Paris, tomorrow I'll feed pigeons in London, and the day after tomorrow I'll go to the Maldives to see the sea. Isn't that a good life?"

As Chen Yan listened to Zhu Yulan's description of her "life blueprint," his smile deepened.

He leaned back slightly in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the smooth conference table, producing a rhythmic, unhurried tapping sound.

"The life described by General Manager Zhu is indeed something to aspire to."

Chen Yan's voice still carried a smile, "The sun in Paris, the pigeons in London, the sea in the Maldives... it sounds beautiful."

He paused, then abruptly changed the subject, his relaxed tone vanishing instantly, replaced by seriousness and determination.

“But Mr. Zhu, I started ‘Daily Part-Time Job’ from scratch and built it to its current scale. It’s not just for the purpose of selling it and enjoying life.”

Chen Yan's sharp gaze met Zhu Yulan's, carrying the stubbornness and confidence unique to youth:

“I sold it because I saw a greater potential and believed that on the 68.com platform, it could realize far more value than it has now and serve more people who need part-time opportunities.”

Good, good, good, this elevates the concept significantly.

So we're all shallow people, and you're the only noble one, huh?

Zhu Yulan's smile faltered.

Chen Yan said no more. He leaned forward, pulled a blank A4 sheet of paper from the folder on the table, and then picked up the black pen on the table.

The meeting room was unusually quiet, with only the clear sound of pens scratching across paper.

All eyes were focused on the piece of paper in his hand.

Slowly, without writing any explanation, he simply wrote two numbers clearly in the center of the paper: 9.9.

After finishing writing, he put down his pen and then, smoothly and evenly, pushed it gently towards Zhu Yulan along the smooth tabletop.

The thin A4 paper slid across the table, making a soft rubbing sound, and slowly came to a stop in front of Zhu Yulan.

Zhu Yulan's gaze fell on the two Arabic numerals—9.9.

Chen Yan's voice rang out in the conference room: "President Zhu, this is my final bottom line."

"The money that was taken away is entirely out of respect for your long journey and your sincerity towards '68.com'."

He placed his hands on the table, saying, "If this number is still beyond what your company can accept, then there is no need to continue the discussion."

The city lights outside the window were still shining brightly, and the distant festive noise of Erqi Square could be faintly heard, but the conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zhu Yulan stared at the paper on the table without saying a word.

This 1000 million is almost negligible in a billion-dollar acquisition.

This is less a concession and more a declaration by Chen Yan of his absolute confidence in the company's value and his unwavering commitment to his bottom line in negotiations.

The meeting room was quiet for about two minutes.

Then, Zhu Yulan stood up and extended her right hand to Chen Yan: "Congratulations, young billionaire."

Chen Yan smiled and stood up to shake her hand in return.

With that, the negotiations came to an end.

Then, Chen Yan hosted a dinner for Zhu Yulan and Li Ze at the best restaurant in Zhengzhou.

While eating, the group discussed the follow-up matters in detail, including when to sign formal contracts and issues such as employee retention.

68.com has promised that it will not proactively lay off employees, and the positions and salary structure of current employees at [Daily Part-time Jobs] will be retained.

Of course, if someone wants to resign voluntarily, then there's nothing that can be done.

Chen Yan also promised to arrange for a dedicated person to hand over the relevant work until the professional manager sent by 68.com has completely taken control of [Daily Part-Time Jobs].

………………

On the evening of April 16, 2015.

The first season of "Running Man" on Zhejiang TV has officially come to an end amidst viewers' reluctance to say goodbye.

This final battle, themed "Superpower Special," not only became the most exciting name tag ripping show in the program's history, but also established its status as a "national variety show" with a series of record-breaking data.

The final episode's ratings soared to 4.116%, nearly four times that of the first episode, and its market share exceeded 12%.

Of the 15 episodes in the entire season, 14 episodes consistently ranked first in the CSM50 city network variety show ratings, with only the first episode ranking third.

The main Weibo hashtag #RunningMan# has garnered over 120 billion views and more than 250 million discussions, consistently topping the trending topics list.

The total viewership of the exclusive iQiyi broadcast exceeded 7.4 million, driving a 60% surge in viewership for the Korean version of "Running Man".

The peak Baidu index reached 247 million, ranking first in the annual variety show search list.

In fact, "Running Man" directly propelled Zhejiang TV into the ranks of first-tier satellite TV stations.

The title sponsorship fee for the second season has soared to 8 million RMB, but even so, all the advertising slots were still snapped up by major brands.

As for Chen Yan, he naturally wouldn't try to snatch the advertisement anymore.

8 million? That's way too damn expensive!!
Besides, he is already one of the biggest beneficiaries of "Running Man". He spent tens of millions of yuan on advertising but achieved the effect of billions.

Today, the apps 【Daily Part-time Jobs】 and 【Boss Direct Hire】 have firmly established themselves among young people.

That same evening, on the top floor of a towering modern office building in Beijing, Chen Yan and his legal team were signing an acquisition agreement with 68.com.

In the presence of lawyers from both parties, 68.com was the first to affix its official seal. Following this, Chen Yan signed his name and fingerprint in the legal representative section of Daily Technology, and then affixed the official seal of 'Daily Technology'.

With this, the acquisition contract, valued at nearly 10 billion, officially came into effect.

Yao Jingbo smiled and extended her hand to Chen Yan: "President Chen, a hero emerges from among the young! Congratulations!"

Chen Yan smiled and shook hands in return, saying, "Thank you for your recognition, President Yao."

…………

The contract stipulates that 68.com will transfer 9.9 million yuan in cash to the bank accounts designated by the shareholders of 'Daily Technology' within 15 working days.

Chen Yan owns 72% of Daily Technology's shares, which means that he will directly receive 7.128 million yuan in the next half month!

Of course, this money is also subject to taxes. After deducting personal income tax, there will be approximately 6 million yuan remaining.

6 million!
Now, Mr. Chen has truly become Mr. Chen!

The next morning, the winter sun of Beijing shone through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the Bulgari Hotel, casting its light onto the soft carpet.

Chen Yan woke up in a luxury suite, with the CBD skyline gleaming in the morning sun outside the window.

Assistant Gao Yang was already waiting in the hotel lobby, his face showing undisguised respect: "Mr. Chen, the car is ready. We're going to Terminal 2 of the Capital Airport."

"Ah."

Chen Yan nodded and walked directly towards the hotel entrance.

Check-in, security check, and entry into the Hainan Airlines First Class Lounge.

Everything was arranged perfectly and thoughtfully.

When the boarding announcement came over the loudspeaker, Chen Yan and Gao Yang were the first to walk to the boarding gate. The first-class passage was clear and unobstructed, and the flight attendants were already waiting at the cabin door with professional and sweet smiles.

"Welcome aboard."

The welcoming flight attendant had a pleasant voice, and her gaze lingered on Chen Yan's face for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Chen Yan nodded slightly and stepped into the cabin.

The first-class cabin is spacious, and the seats are as comfortable as a sofa.

Chen Yan chose a window seat, while Gao Yang's seat was diagonally behind him.

After the plane took off smoothly, the cabin returned to silence, with only the low hum of the engines remaining.

Halfway through the journey, the flight attendants began serving drinks and meals.

A tall, well-dressed flight attendant pushed a food cart over.

She wore a blue and white porcelain-patterned cheongsam uniform suit, her full breasts were high and prominent, flesh-colored stockings encased her shapely calves, and she wore a pair of black high heels. Her steps were light and professional.

"Sir, would you like something to drink? We have mineral water, cola, juice..."

Her voice carried just the right amount of enthusiasm, but her eyes were constantly glancing at Chen Yan.

"Mineral water, thank you," Chen said succinctly.

"Okay, sir."

The flight attendant skillfully took out a bottle of Evian mineral water, unscrewed the cap, poured it into an exquisite glass, and gracefully placed it on the small table in front of Chen Yan.

After serving the drinks, she asked if we would like a main course and then gave a detailed introduction to today's menu.

Chen Yan only ordered a simple steak set meal.

After the meal was finished, the cabin fell silent again.

Chen Yan covered himself with the blanket, adjusted the chair to a comfortable angle, and planned to take a nice nap.

Just then, the pretty flight attendant came over again.

This time, instead of pushing the cart, she went straight to Chen Yan's seat, bent down slightly, and wore a brighter, even shy, smile than before.

"Mr. Chen, excuse me." Her voice was lowered, making it sound even gentler.

Hearing the sound, Chen Yan opened his eyes and looked at her.

The flight attendant's cheeks seemed slightly flushed. She gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, which fell down, adding to her gentle and graceful appearance.

She leaned closer, her faint perfume mingling with the cabin's unique scent, and spoke softly, her voice tinged with admiration and anticipation:
"Mr. Chen, I'm so sorry to bother you. May I ask... if we can add each other on WeChat?"

…………

(End of this chapter)