Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Chapter 156 Reflection

Chen Yizhou stared at the printed emails on the table, his vision blurring.

He's starting to understand.

June 23rd, 3:17 PM.

What was he doing that day?

He was working with the tech team to finish up the code for Foguanggou, revising it from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., and even his lunch was just a cold steamed bun that Lao Zhao gave him.

His inbox was filled with hundreds of internally circulated emails, each with a rather bland title, and he didn't even have the energy to read them.

Wu Tao just happened to choose this particular time to send it, with a rather lukewarm title—"Suggestion".

It wasn't a "supplier change notification" or an "urgent approval," it was just a "suggestion" that you'd never even glance at in your inbox and wouldn't open.

Moreover, the recipient of the copy was Lao Zhao.

Old Zhao.

A semi-retired old man who secretly plays Minesweeper on his computer during work hours and always has a goji berry cup in his hand.

Even if the email arrives, with Lao Zhao's reading comprehension skills, would he be able to tell that there's a time bomb hidden in this email?

Can Wu Tao absolutely trust the old Zhao who was sent to him?

Chen Yizhou had previously distributed the $20 million he acquired from Sohu for the ChinaRen community to all shareholders according to their shareholdings. He himself joined Sohu alone, without any of his original team. Even if he had brought his own people in, they probably wouldn't have escaped being ground up in such a meat grinder.

Yes, his fate was sealed long ago.

Chen Yizhou looked up and glanced around the conference table.

General Counsel Qian Sheng was looking down at documents, Public Relations Director Zhang Henian was looking at his phone, and Vice President of Finance Zhao Minghua was pushing up his glasses and scribbling something on his notebook with a pen in his other hand.

No one was on his side.

Wu Tao sat opposite him, his back ramrod straight, his face serene, like a surgeon who had just completed a delicate operation.

"Teacher Zhang," Chen Yizhou finally looked at Zhang Chaoyang, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded, "I don't deny that the signature on the proposal is mine. But the root of this matter..."

"Yizhou." Zhang Chaoyang raised his hand to interrupt him.

The conference room fell completely silent. The humming of the air conditioner vents sounded particularly jarring at that moment.

Zhang Chaoyang spoke in a flat tone, but every word sounded as if it had been pulled out of an ice cellar.

"The roadshow team has already set off. The Nasdaq underwriters will be in Beijing next week for the final round of due diligence. At this critical juncture, Sohu cannot afford any negative news."

Chen Yizhou felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

He realized that Zhang Chaoyang wasn't discussing who was right and who was wrong, but rather posing a choice—between the roadshow and Chen Yizhou, which to choose?

"I have three announcements to make." Zhang Chaoyang closed the documents beside him. His voice was not loud, but everyone sat up straight.

"First, effective immediately, Chen Yizhou is suspended from his duties pending internal investigation. The 5Q Campus Network project is suspended indefinitely, all ongoing budgets are frozen, and all on-the-ground promotional activities in various regions are to be withdrawn today."

Chen Yizhou's face turned pale instantly.

It's not that my face is pale from anger, but from the blood being drawn to my feet.

"Secondly, the follow-up work on the 5Q Campus Network fried chicken leg incident, including compensation to students and media control, will be handed over to Wu Tao, Vice President of Operations, for full responsibility. The social business segment will be temporarily managed by the Operations Department."

"Third, the legal department must issue a complete incident liability determination report within two days, and send copies to the president's office and the board of directors for filing. Qian Sheng, keep an eye on this matter."

General Counsel Qian Sheng nodded and quickly jotted down a few notes in his notebook.

Chen Yizhou clenched his fists on the table, his knuckles cracking. He wanted to speak, his Adam's apple bobbing twice, but ultimately he said nothing.

Because he suddenly realized something, and saying anything was useless. The signature on the plan was his, he really didn't reply to the email, the chicken leg really did cause problems, the student really did end up in the hospital, and Wu Tao handled the aftermath.

The words on the paper were laid out on the table in black and white, and every chain was tightly fastened around his neck.

This was not a sudden accident; it was a meat grinder that had been running since the day the budget was approved.

As for Chen Yizhou, he signed the papers himself and walked into the meat grinder.

"Meeting adjourned." Zhang Chaoyang stood up, picked up the Longjing tea brewed by Wu Tao, and walked out of the meeting room without looking back.

The others got up one after another.

As Zhao Minghua was tidying up the documents, he glanced at Chen Yizhou, hesitated, and ultimately left without saying anything.

Qian Sheng followed behind with his notebook. When he reached the door, he looked back, opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Only Chen Yizhou and Wu Tao remained in the conference room.

Wu Tao wasn't in a hurry to leave.

He picked up the water glass in front of him, took a slow sip, then took out a tissue to wipe the rim of the glass, stood up, and straightened his suit sleeves.

He stopped a step as he passed by Chen Yizhou.

"Mr. Chen, take care of yourself. If there's anything you need to pack, just have Lao Zhao help you pack it. Don't carry it yourself, it'll tire you out."

He spoke with concern, his tone carrying just the right amount of sympathy.

Chen Yizhou looked up, and their eyes met.

Wu Tao's expression was neither smug nor sarcastic; it was as clean as a freshly wiped mirror.

But Chen Yizhou saw his own disheveled state clearly in that mirror.

Wu Tao nodded slightly, turned around and went out.

The moment the door closed behind me, the corridor was empty.

Wu Tao's footsteps remained steady, his leather shoes tapping on the marble floor, like the sound of a drum.

The corners of his mouth curved upwards slowly from an angle where no one could see.

From today onwards, Sohu's social networking business unit will be owned by Wu.

Lobby on the first floor of Sohu Network Building.

Chen Yizhou walked out of the elevator carrying a brown cardboard box. The box wasn't big, and it contained the few personal items he had in his Sohu office: a well-worn copy of "The Innovator," two fountain pens he used when signing contracts, a school badge he brought back from Stanford, and a half-can of goji berries that Lao Zhao had somehow slipped in.

The security guard at the front desk glanced at him but neither called out to him nor stopped him.

Chen Yizhou pushed open the revolving door, and the July heat wave hit him in the face, making him squint.

He stood on the steps and glanced back at the glass curtain wall of the Sohu Network Building.

The sunlight was so bright it was blinding, but he still stared at it for a couple more seconds.

The acquisition price was 20 million US dollars.

Ten million US dollars in promotional expenses.

Buddha's Light Dog, Front-end Subtraction, Register and Get a Chicken Leg, Campus Beauty Pageant.

Every step he took was a step into a pit. Some pits he dug himself, and some were dug for him by others, waiting for him to jump in.

He gave a wry smile and turned to walk towards Zhongguancun Street.

The cardboard box was digging into his arm, so after a few steps he changed his posture to hold it.

Several black cars were parked in front of the Sohu building. The drivers were smoking and chatting under the shade of the trees. No one recognized him, and no one gave him a second glance.

A month ago, when he walked into this building, Zhang Chaoyang personally greeted him at the door, shook his hand and said, "Yizhou, the social networking section of Sohu is now in your hands."

A month later, he came out, and there wasn't a single person to see him off.

Old Zhao wanted to get down, but he was stopped.

Old Zhao has been with him all this time, and even if he hasn't done anything special, he's certainly put in a lot of effort. Don't let Wu Tao make things difficult for you again just because you sent him a gift.

"Old Zhao, don't get down. Take your half-can of goji berries back with you."

"Mr. Chen, you can keep the goji berries for yourself. Don't take it to heart—"

"Let's go back."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Lao Zhao hummed in agreement and hung up.