Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

As Han Fei watched Xu Cheng's figure disappear through the door, a phrase that would later circulate on the internet involuntarily came to mind: "Before Tencent, not a blade of grass can grow."

Any sector they set their sights on will either be invested in, copied, or acquired; there is almost no third way.

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, not noticing that the tea had gone cold. Zhang Ruiyi watched him quietly.

"What's wrong?" Ma Yongxing asked.

Han Fei swirled the teacup in his hand and shook his head. The teacup made an uneasy rustling sound.

"Too fast," he thought, watching the Jing'an Temple outside the window, its lights twinkling like a lighthouse among the trees.

Xu Cheng's claims of "amazing content conversion rates" and "deep expertise in vertical content areas" were not mere pleasantries; they reflected genuine research. Their assessments were remarkably accurate. Once they had a clear understanding of the company's capabilities, the next step was the standard procedure: first, discuss cooperation; if that failed, poach talent; if that didn't work, copy their own work.

Han Fei had thought that the window of opportunity those giants had given him would be at least two or three months, but now it seemed that even a month would be a stretch.

"Come on, Han Fei," Ma Yongxing said, raising his glass in a toasting gesture. "Let me tell you, in a place like Shanghai, having one more friend means having one less enemy."

Han Fei put down his teacup, picked up his wine cup, and smiled.

Ma Yongxing tilted his head back, finished his drink, and stared at Han Fei: "Actually, I wanted to tell you earlier that although my establishments can't compare to those high-tech ones, they still have some connections and some spare money. If you need anything from Qingniao in the future, just let me know."

"Thank you, Mr. Ma," Han Fei said. "Things are fine for now, but once my magazine is printed, I can use Mr. Ma's place to sell some of my goods."

"No problem." Ma Yongxing lit a cigarette and offered one to Han Fei. "In my venues, there are several magazines in each rest area, like 'Reader,' 'Zhiyin,' and 'Story Club,' but to be honest, the quality varies. Some are only flipped through a couple of pages before being tossed aside. If you can bring your magazine over, I'll have someone put it in a prominent position. It'll definitely be better than those other things."

Han Fei expressed his gratitude again, glanced at his watch, and stood up: "Mr. Ma, it's getting late, we should head back."

Ma Yongxing nodded: "Okay, I'll have someone drive you there."

"Um," Zhang Ruiyi said, looking at Han Fei, "the publishing house isn't far from here, how about we walk back?"

"Great," Han Fei said, "I was just thinking of taking a walk."

......

The air outside was heavy and suffocating, filled with the smells of fried food and car exhaust.

They strolled slowly under the cypress trees, passed Jing'an Temple, and crossed deserted sidewalks. It was nearly midnight, but taxis were still carrying those dressed in finery and dazed with intoxication, speeding back and forth on NJ West Road.

"You were amazing today," Zhang Ruiyi said, "although you were a tiny bit nervous when you were facing Xu Cheng."

"Really?" Han Fei chuckled a few times. "How did you know I was nervous?"

"Because when he talked about 'cooperation,' you clenched your fists."

"Oh?"

"Surprised? I found out."

Han Fei glanced at Zhang Ruiyi and saw that she had a teasing look in her eyes.

"I can tell what Xu Cheng means," Zhang Ruiyi said. "All those fancy words about strategic cooperation and mutual benefit really mean: I've got my eye on your stuff and I'm going to make a move. I'm just giving you a heads-up so you won't accuse me of bullying you and not giving you a choice."

"You know that?" Han Fei asked in surprise.

"Of course."

Han Fei grinned: "Let me tell you, this Tencent is not as easy to deal with as NetEase. If you consider NetEase as a potential imitator, then Tencent is a regular army with nuclear weapons."

They passed by abandoned oil drums in the dormitory of Shenxin Machinery Factory. The exterior walls of these houses were covered with graffiti, and no one lived inside.

"Nuclear weapons? You mean QQ?" Zhang Ruiyi asked.

"Yes, if Tencent leverages QQ's traffic advantage to directly push novel links in chat windows and pop-ups, it's something that buying a phone number simply can't compare to. Moreover, they're cultivating users' habit of paying on their behalf through SP services. Once they launch something like QQ member-exclusive novels or Q-coin subscriptions, Qingniao's charging model will seem incredibly primitive."

"So we absolutely cannot cooperate with them?"

Han Fei nodded: "At least not yet. No matter what form of cooperation it takes, as long as they gain access to Qingniao's backend and understand the real user conversion rate, retention data, and popular topics, they can use these conclusions to quickly build their own team, or even directly poach our core team at a high price, leaving Qingniao completely deserted. With our current size, we are completely unable to cope with such risks."

"But you held your nerve tonight," Zhang Ruiyi said with a smile. "Not bad."

Han Fei smiled slightly, but a hint of worry lingered in his heart. Xu Cheng appeared gentle and refined on the surface, but in reality, he was shrewd and extremely calculating. Dealing with him required utmost vigilance.

"I was born here." Zhang Ruiyi pointed to the wall that used to be part of Gongji Hospital. The buildings here have now been demolished, and Greenland Group's new housing project is about to be launched.

"They preserved the obstetrics and gynecology ward and converted it into apartments," Han Fei said.

"Does anyone actually live there? Just think about all the things that have happened there, like abortions and..."

Han Fei nodded: "Yes, sometimes when I walk around nearby at night, I can hear children screaming from there."

Zhang Ruiyi stared wide-eyed at Han Fei: "Are you kidding me?! Is that place haunted?"

"Well," Han Fei turned and stepped onto Wutong Lane, just in time to hide the smile that involuntarily crept onto his lips from Zhang Ruiyi, "who can really say for sure?"

Zhang Ruiyi caught up with Han Fei, slapped him on the back, and laughed loudly, "A child's scream? Trying to scare me?"

Han Fei finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I live here," Han Fei said, pointing to the gate of the City of Light residential complex.

"I haven't been to your house yet!"

"You'd love to come visit sometime," Han Fei said. "Shall I give you a ride to the publishing house?"

Zhang Ruiyi turned her head to the side: "Hmm... I don't really want to go home yet. Do you have any coffee at home?"

A car screeched past, crunching over fallen leaves, and stopped fifty meters ahead at the sidewalk, its headlights casting a blinding blue-white beam. Han Fei looked at her thoughtfully, while simultaneously reaching for his phone: "I only have instant coffee. I can make a call..."

"Instant coffee will do," Zhang Ruiyi said.