Chapter 4 Unspoken Rules
Zhou Yang was stunned for a long time, and was still unaware until Cheng Fei left.
He didn't know how long he sat in the living room. When he came to his senses, the clock was already pointing straight up.
He thought about it and decided to open his phone and send a WeChat message to Qi Dongdong, the only person he could confide in.
Uncle Zhou: I found a place to stay, not a hotel.
[It's Dongdong: Is this a rental house? So soon?]
Qi Dongdong was under close supervision by his father's assistant Mo Huai, and had to turn off the lights and go to bed before 11 o'clock. Unexpectedly, he was still awake so late today and replied to Zhou Yang's message in seconds.
Zhou Yang paused, unable to think of how to describe the situation. After a few seconds, he moved his fingertips.
Uncle Zhou: I guess so. I’m just the landlord who lives with me.
Qi Dongdong was about to ask the landlord what was wrong with him when Zhou Yang's next message came immediately.
[Uncle Zhou: He has social phobia]
Qi Dongdong: What? How could you be so unlucky? Then you should move to another place tomorrow. This is too dangerous!!!
Even through the screen, Zhou Yang could feel Qi Dongdong's anxiety, and a warm feeling rose in his heart.
Uncle Zhou: I’ll go tomorrow.
Qi Dongdong: Yangyang, hurry up and find a new house. If you don’t have enough money, I’ll help you find a solution. Don’t let it end up like last time.
Uncle Zhou: Well, don’t worry, it won’t happen. Good night.
After chatting with Qi Dongdong for a while, Zhou Yang felt much better.
Before Cheng Fei left, he cleaned up a guest room for him like a host. Zhou Yang planned to stay there for one night and then look for a place to stay tomorrow. Living with a "patient" was damn dangerous.
Fortunately, although his suitcase was not big, it could hold a lot of things, including autumn and winter clothes and pajamas, so he didn't have to buy them specifically.
The next morning, Zhou Yang got up very early and followed Dr. Cheng's advice to "try to cook porridge for him". He cooked century egg and lean meat porridge, mixed some side dishes, put a note on it, and went out.
Before returning to China, he had already made an appointment with someone to open a studio in partnership.
He had studied design at University B for his undergraduate degree and a world-renowned graduate program, so his conditions were quite favorable. He had met a senior in the alumni group who worked at the well-known Anxia Design Company in City S. He recently wanted to quit his job and approached him to start a studio together.
The two had similar interests and hit it off immediately. They initially negotiated the terms and planned to finalize the matter after Zhou Yang returned to China.
The current situation is definitely different from what was originally discussed, but he is willing to make concessions on annual dividends.
The two met at a cafe near the city center. Zhou Yang arrived first, and after waiting for about ten minutes, the other party also arrived.
The two had posted photos of each other online. The senior looked exactly like the photo, so Zhou Yang recognized him at a glance and waved to him hurriedly.
The other party obviously did not expect that Zhou Yang was much more beautiful than in the photo, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes unconsciously.
"Hello, I'm Zhang Mingfeng." The man shook his hand.
"Hello, senior, I'm Zhou Yang." Zhou Yang calmly withdrew his hand.
"Actually, I'm from L University next door. I just went to J University as an exchange student for three months. I can't be considered your senior. Otherwise, you can just call me by my name." Zhang Mingfeng's tone was very apologetic, but there was no embarrassment in his eyes.
"Then you should also call me senior." Zhou Yang curled the corners of his lips.
Zhang Mingfeng smiled and waved over the waiter: "What would you like to drink? It's my treat!"
Early in the morning, there was only one girl on duty in the entire coffee shop. She walked up to them with watery eyes due to sleepiness and glanced back and forth between them.
"Cappuccino, please."
It was their first meeting, so Zhou Yang naturally couldn't let a near-stranger pay for his meal. Last night before bed, he'd searched his suitcase again and surprisingly found another two hundred and thirty-two cents. Renting a room wasn't an option, but a cup of coffee was certainly possible.
"Two cups of cappuccino, thank you." Zhang Mingfeng closed the menu.
"Senior, regarding the establishment of the studio, there may be some changes on my side. Originally we agreed on a 50-50 investment, but now I can't come up with a penny." Zhou Yang found it a bit difficult to speak. It was the first time for him to do something like going back on his word at the last minute.
"You can't even come up with a penny?" Zhang Mingfeng frowned. "That was what we agreed on at the beginning!"
"I know. Because of some changes in my family, I really can't come up with the money right now, but I can only invest in the technology. Of course, I am willing to compromise on the final share of the profits."
To be honest, initial capital is important, but for a designer, it means renting a storefront, purchasing some simple equipment and publicity fees. After the technology investment, if the share of profits is concessioned, even if it is only 10%, it will be beneficial to Zhang Mingfeng in the long run.
The coffee was served at this moment. Zhang Mingfeng stirred the coffee in front of him and sighed, "Xiao Zhou, let me tell you the truth. I'm under a lot of pressure to meet you today. Financial matters are no small matter, and I can't guarantee that you are truly trustworthy."
“…”
Zhou Yang: "I understand your concerns. I'm a graduate of J University. My degree and diploma can be used as collateral."
After living for so long, this was the first time that Zhou Yang was so humble in front of outsiders.
"The degree certificate and graduation certificate from J University may not be reliable!" Zhang Mingfeng showed disdain in his eyes.
"What do you mean?" Zhou Yang was stunned.
After a few seconds' pause, Zhang Mingfeng finally answered his question: "The plagiarism incident at J University Design Institute that happened two weeks ago caused a lot of controversy. Honestly, J University graduates have a bad reputation. Don't mind my bluntness. Even if you were to join a large domestic company now, HR would still consider whether you have real skills."
J University did have a plagiarism scandal some time ago, resulting in the dismissal of a full professor, two associate professors, and the withdrawal of five graduate students. However, he had already graduated by then and was busy considering his future plans, so he hadn't really paid attention to the impact of the incident.
Actually, is the situation so serious?
"If you have financial support, I can still trust you. If you don't even have funds, the technology will be too difficult to explain clearly, and I won't dare to believe it." Zhang Mingfeng spoke frankly.
"I can design it on the spot..."
Zhang Mingfeng interrupted him: "The chances of this happening are too great. I don't dare to take the risk."
Zhou Yang held his forehead tiredly, it seemed that he had to find another partner.
"But..." Zhang Mingfeng spoke in a long tone. Seeing Zhou Yang looking up at him with an embarrassed expression, it was obvious that he was deliberately keeping him in suspense.
Zhou Yang blinked and said flatteringly, "But what?"
Zhang Mingfeng sighed, as if it was difficult to speak. He had finally made up his mind to say it out loud: "I know a boss named Yan, who is the boss of a film and television company. He is very willing to invest. But..."
At this point, Zhang Mingfeng picked up the cup and took a sip of coffee, then looked up at him again: "He has a little hobby on weekdays, that is, he likes to drink a little wine. If a handsome guy like you can persuade him to have a few more drinks, he will be happy after drinking, and a small investment will be easy to make!"
This is not at all subtle, and anyone with a little bit of common sense can understand the unspoken rules.
Zhou Yang felt disgusted and resisted the urge to slap him. He remained expressionless and said, "Oh!" "I didn't realize you were a pimp."
"That's harsh, isn't it? I mean well." Zhang Mingfeng's face flushed slightly, and he didn't know whether it was anger or shame. "Since you're short of money, you should understand that this is the fastest way to make money. And from what I know, J University students are quite open-minded."
Zhang Mingfeng obviously didn't give up and was still trying his best to persuade Zhou Yang.
"Are you looking for death so early in the morning?" Zhou Yang finally understood why the other party kept asking for photos during their previous online chat.
"What the hell do you mean?" Zhang Mingfeng's face suddenly darkened, and he stood up with a jerk. "Don't be shameless. Others want this way out, but I won't give it to them!"
"I'll say it again, get out of my sight within three seconds!" Zhou Yang didn't even raise his eyes, put the cup in front of him in the middle of the table, and stretched his wrist by the way.
"you……"
Zhang Mingfeng could naturally see that the anger on Zhou Yang's face was not fake. He didn't expect the other party to react so strongly. Isn't it said that most people who have been to Country Y are gay?
The person in front of him looked thin and had skinny arms and legs, but he really couldn't be sure of his fighting strength.
At the end of several online chats, Zhou Yang casually mentioned that he wanted to go to the Taekwondo gym for training. Zhang Mingfeng was not sure whether the other party was really a good fighter or just pretending, but a wise man never suffers a loss in front of him, so there was no need for him to fight for such a small matter.
Zhang Mingfeng was about to leave when the waiter, clacking high heels, ran over to stop him and said, "Sir, you haven't paid yet."
The other party turned around and glared at him, picked up his mobile phone and scanned the QR code the girl brought. After the payment was successful, he left angrily.
The girl gave Zhou Yang a victory sign, walked straight up to him, and said with a gossipy look on her face, "Hey, handsome guy, let me tell you, I've seen this guy many times. He's just a pimp. He not only deceives young men like you, but also young girls. He's really crazy."
It turned out that he was not the first victim. Zhou Yang smiled and said, "Thank you."
Zhou Yang was very delicate, and her smile was even more vivid and beautiful. The little girl was almost stunned by her appearance and waved her hands repeatedly: "You're welcome, you're welcome!"
It was a rare leisurely morning, and it would not be a good habit to waste the coffee he ordered, so he relaxed and savored it sip by sip.
The young lady came over every few minutes, sometimes asking if he needed a refill, sometimes asking if he wanted dessert, and she was extremely attentive.
Finally, she couldn't help but stand across from him and said, "Little brother, are you a star? Or an actor?"
Zhou Yang shook his head: "No."
"No wonder I haven't heard of you. You're so beautiful! If you became a star, you'd definitely outshine most people. I'm your biggest fan. I just heard you say you were short of money. Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. You guys were just talking too loudly, and I heard the words," the waitress apologized. "My uncle is a talent scout. Why don't you become a star? Stars make a lot of money!"
Zhou Yang has a delicate appearance, and her face is beautiful from every angle.
He had indeed been given business cards by scouts many times, but he had no interest in becoming a star and exposing everything about himself to the public, so he never considered this path.
The young lady continued to talk non-stop: "It wouldn't be bad if I didn't become an internet celebrity. I could make a lot of money just by live-streaming. Let me tell you, my side job is being a live streamer on the Tomato platform. I can get a lot of tips just by drawing!"
"Anchor?" Zhou Yang's mind moved, "I can get money just by drawing?" Is money so easy to earn?
Tomato platform is a short video platform that has been very popular in China in recent years. Zhou Yang heard Qi Dongdong say that he used to like to give rewards to a certain game anchor, but he himself has never used it.
Seeing his interest, the girl quickly explained, "Of course. If you have a certain number of fans and start a livestream, whether you're drawing, singing, cooking, or just sitting there chatting, as long as your fans find it interesting, they'll tip you. "Little brother, you're so handsome, even if you just sit there, people will tip you. Then I'll be your first fan."
Ultimately, you still have to show your face to make money. Zhou Yang understood this, but secretly passed this option.
Did Zhou Yang rely on his looks to survive for so long? He obviously relied on his talent!
After drinking a whole cup of coffee, he felt refreshed.
He supported his chin and began to think seriously about his next move.
No matter what, having a place to stay is the most important thing. Zhou Yang decided to shamelessly get some food and shelter first, and then make plans for the next step.
As for the other party’s social phobia, you can’t afford to provoke it, but you can afford to avoid it!
So Zhou Yang returned to Bay Mansion in shame, and even had the audacity to ask the other party to open the door for him.
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