Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 32 - 31: Purchasing Office Space, Registering a Company

Was Li Yuan the type to bend over backward just for a Gold Meng?

Of course not! How could he possibly be bought off with a mere Gold Meng?

"I’m at a 985 university in Modu. That’s all I can tell you; any more and I’d be revealing too much."

After a moment, Love Eating Cilantro replied, "Hee hee, Xia Hua, I know which university it is now. I’m looking forward to meeting you."

Li Yuan was shocked. She could guess? There are four 985 universities in Modu, and she managed to figure it out?

Though suspicious, Li Yuan couldn’t let it show. "Then I’ll be waiting for you!" he typed.

A message from Love Eating Cilantro followed. "Xia Hua, the Gold Meng has been gifted!" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Li Yuan hurriedly opened the author’s backend. Sure enough, he had received a Gold Meng tip.

He was utterly shocked. "Holy shit, you’re serious! I didn’t expect you to be a little rich girl."

She replied, "Oh, I need to get all dressed up to meet the great Xia Hua! Goodnight, I’m off to sleep!"

Li Yuan felt that something was amiss. How did she know which university I’m at? And why is she so confident? Could she really have guessed who I am? That’s impossible! I just hope this doesn’t turn into one of those stories where you meet your online date and they turn out to be a toe-picking slob. Or where your online date walks over, and she’s built like a Tiger Tank. I can’t deal with those clichés. I wonder what this little rich girl looks like. It would be great if she’s a loli, an older-sister type would be nice too, and even a queen isn’t out of the question. Just as long as she’s not a lunatic...

***

「On September 3rd.」

The royalty statement for *Battle Starry Sky*’s August performance had just been released. That month, he had published nearly 600,000 words, averaging 20,000 words a day. The average subscriber count reached 68,000, with the 24-hour follow-up count close behind at 62,000, showing excellent reader retention. For two consecutive months, the novel had held the top spot on the bestseller, monthly ticket, and power ranking charts.

The result of his hard work was a surge in royalties. His income from subscriptions, tips, and channel distribution had nearly doubled, bringing Li Yuan’s after-tax earnings for August to a hefty 2.4 million yuan. This was an astronomical figure, far exceeding the second-place author on the bestseller list by a wide margin. In an era where 4,000 to 6,000 words a day was the norm, the consequence of his constant explosive output was a substantial increase in income.

Online, he had already earned many nicknames like "Tentacle Monster," "Typing Princess," and "Two-Update Beast."

Li Yuan looked at the royalty statement with great satisfaction, muttering to himself, "A single month’s royalties could buy a luxury flat in Modu. If word got out, other authors would be green with envy."

The fundamental reason he could type so fast was the invisible cheat that came with his rebirth. His extraordinary memory and agility allowed him to type quickly. His mind was a constant stream of memories and inspiration, as vast as the ocean. Even the special skills from his side job as a programmer in his past life were still vivid.

Now that my writing is on track, and with my stockpile of drafts, I could make a million yuan a month even if I don’t write for the next three months. It’s time to consider starting a business.

Being a landlord and a web novelist brought in a hefty income, but the social status was frankly quite ordinary. To truly achieve a higher social standing, one had to enter either politics or business. Politics was out of the question. He had neither the connections nor the inclination for the necessary flattery, which left business as his only option.

With the lofty vision and foreknowledge from his previous life, he was confident he could achieve something considerable, even if he couldn’t reach the level of the "two Mas and one Wang."

These past few days, Li Yuan had been pondering what to do, how to start a business, and how to make money quickly. In his previous life, he had read many urban rebirth novels for his part-time writing job. He could talk and write eloquently about going back in time to get rich quick. But now that he was actually reborn, he didn’t have many great ideas beyond the usual: games, websites, food delivery, express services, ride-hailing, e-commerce, short-form video, and smartphones.

These sectors were all poised to explode in the future, especially e-commerce and short-form video. They were practically guaranteed successes. As long as he got in early and grabbed a slice of the pie, he could sell it for a good price later, even if the venture was eventually acquired. He was very clear about future trends, but reaching the absolute pinnacle would be incredibly difficult.

The priority now is to establish a company and recruit some excellent computer engineers to lay a solid foundation for my future empire... I wonder if any of my seniors are computer experts.

Daxia University was a prestigious 985 university with a very strong computer science program, covering software engineering, network design, big data, and more. Building websites, developing games, creating short video platforms, and working with big data weren’t as complicated as one might imagine, but they were all closely related to computer science. This was a major reason he had chosen the major.

First, Li Yuan sold off all his Maotai stock. In over two months, his 10 million yuan investment had only netted a profit of about 100,000 yuan. It was a meager return, not even close to what he earned from two days of writing. The stock market was clearly not performing well at the moment.

Armed with his and his parents’ ID cards and various other application documents, Li Yuan went to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce to register a company with a starting capital of 5 million yuan. He named it "Datang Technology Company." Since his surname was Li and it coincidentally matched the name of the founder of the historical Tang Dynasty, he chose the name hoping his company would soar as high as the ancient empire once did.

After establishing the company, Li Yuan’s first order of business was to purchase an office space. He used the company’s name to buy a unit in a newly opened commercial building near Daxia University’s Tianhe Business Street. At that time, office space in Modu cost about the same as residential property, around 13,000 yuan per square meter, and commercial mortgages were available.

Li Yuan gritted his teeth and made a 6,000,000 yuan down payment on a 2,000-square-meter office, taking out a ten-year mortgage. The total price was 26,000,000 yuan. The remaining 20,000,000 yuan loan meant he had to pay over 100,000 yuan in interest to the bank each month. However, that sum was trivial to him, as real estate prices were about to skyrocket. It was a deal guaranteed to be profitable. If his capital weren’t so tight—with the need to renovate the office, buy computers, rent servers, and hire professionals—he would have been tempted to pour all his wealth into real estate.

With all preparations to establish the company complete, Li Yuan planned to hire a few people to get things officially started. First, he budgeted around 500,000 yuan for a basic renovation, which would take at least a month. By then, the university’s military training would be over, and they could officially begin operations. Between his personal and company accounts, he had over 16,000,000 yuan left, which he planned to invest in his new venture.

Besides writing, Li Yuan spent his time in the library, studying materials on company operations. Starting a company wasn’t as simple as it sounded, especially a tech company. It required a solid base of knowledge. Otherwise, you could lose everything you owned.

***

「In the blink of an eye.」

The first day of the new academic year arrived. Dressed in sportswear and carrying a crossbody bag, Li Yuan arrived at Daxia University to register, traveling light. As it was freshman enrollment, signs were posted everywhere, and enthusiastic senior volunteers from the student union were on hand to guide the new arrivals.

Stepping onto this familiar yet strange campus after so many years, Li Yuan’s mindset was completely different. In his previous life, he had revered the university where Bai Weixi studied, and he had felt somewhat inferior.

This life, however, was a different story. Not only had he gotten into this 985 university by a stroke of luck, but he was also a self-made millionaire worth tens of millions. His status and perspective were on another level, completely changing how he saw the world around him.

Li Yuan walked through the Daxia University campus alone, soaking in the youthful atmosphere. His heart was calm as his eyes scanned the newly arriving freshmen. It had to be said that as a 985 pedagogical university in Modu, Daxia University had an impressive female student population, both in quality and quantity.

He arrived at the freshman registration point and, following the process from his past life, quickly filled out his personal information to complete his enrollment. As he wandered aimlessly near the campus gate, he overheard the solicitous voices of second- and third-year students.

"Junior sister, is your luggage heavy? Let me help you carry it!"

"Which major are you in, junior sister? I can take you to register. I’m not a bad person, see this badge? I’m from the student union."

"Holy shit, look over there! There’s a junior sister with goddess-level looks!"

"Where? Show me, quick!"