Chapter 31 Huang Shiyu looked puzzled...
Huang Shiyu clicked in with a puzzled look, and immediately understood. She had mistakenly sent the download link meant for Li Xingzhou to an anonymous user while she was thinking about something.
Sorry, I sent this to the wrong person.
Hmm. I thought it was some information sent to me, so I opened it, but I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.
Then another sentence followed.
Is it alright?
Huang Shiyu looked up and, sure enough, saw on her phone that the file had been received by the other party.
Although she wasn't very familiar with the anonymous user, judging from the only works publicly available on his page, he must be someone who wasn't short of money. Considering that he had helped her make money in the stock market, he must have some connections. So she wasn't afraid that the anonymous user would see her business plan. In fact, it would be good for her to see it, as she could also ask him to check if there were any problems with the fundraising plan.
She thought so, and that's what she did.
It's okay, could you take a look and see if there's any room for improvement in my fundraising plan?
The other party was always online and replied very quickly.
Have you heard of the RBF financing model?
Huang Shiyu originally wanted to type "I'd like to hear more details" but then thought that the other party was of Chinese descent and might not understand the idiom, so he changed it to "Please go ahead."
[Anonymous User: The RBF financing model doesn't require diluting equity or mortgaging your house or car to a bank as a loan. Simply put, I invest in you but don't take a share; I only take a percentage of your subsequent revenue as a return on investment. Of course, this suggestion is based on the equity structure already outlined in your financing plan, and I roughly guess that the other party probably doesn't want to take a share of your equity either.]
Huang Shiyu paused, his eyes fixed on the three English letters "RBF" on the screen, quickly searching his mind for relevant information about "RBF".
RBF financing is quite different from traditional equity financing and debt financing; rather, it lies somewhere in between. She never expected to hear "RBF" again from an anonymous user.
Last year, she frequently visited various forums and heard people mention this financing method. However, it was more popular abroad and not so easy to implement in China. Moreover, the medical field requires long-term investment. Compared to "RBF," which focuses more on establishing a clear profit model in the early stages, Huang Shiyu felt it was not suitable.
But this depends on the industry. My project definitely relies heavily on cash flow, so would the approach you suggested be suitable?
She didn't speak so definitively. She knew part of the information and part of her own understanding. She never forgot that there are always people more capable than herself, and humility has always been ingrained in her.
[Any project that's good and profitable is suitable.]
Okay, thank you.
【Um. 】
The chat with the anonymous user wasn't completely over yet, as Huang Shiyu sent another long message.
【I have a question for you. A friend of mine overheard her talking about how a high school classmate wants to invest in her company, offering to buy 15% of the shares for one million US dollars. The classmate would also help her expand her user base. They're both in the same field, and the classmate is working on the same project. Do you think there might be a scam involved?】
She didn't know why she talked so much with this foreign netizen she had never met and whose conversations were limited to stock trading, instead of confiding in Lu Xiao immediately. Perhaps it wasn't that she didn't want to talk, but that she didn't want to bother him.
After all, adults' time is precious, and everyone is busy with their own things. She also knows that at this time, most people are enjoying time with their husbands and children. She is not the kind of person who likes to cause trouble for others, which may be due to her experience of living with multiple families in the past.
But people are sometimes a bundle of contradictions, making it impossible for her to completely bury things in her heart and not talk about them. She still needs someone to confide in, but it can't be just any online friend. She needs strangers online who can talk to her about business matters. So, she thinks that anonymous users are the best people for her to confide in.
[Anonymous user: Is this a scam? What aspect are you referring to?]
[It's a lucky cat: The main issue is that my friend had some personal grudges with this person, involving money. I can't go into details here, but you understand my concerns.]
While it's true that confiding in strangers online has its advantages—after all, no one knows each other—she can't really be completely open and honest, revealing everything at once. She still has a degree of caution, so she only mentions key points vaguely to ensure she doesn't reveal too much information.
[Anonymous user: Oh, so your friend didn't ask that person why they did that?]
Huang Shiyu pondered for a moment, then succinctly summarized: "I asked, and he said they're all businessmen, profit is their priority, and he's not wrong. But to be honest, my friend of mine started her business with her ex-boyfriend. At first, they were like kindred spirits, completely compatible, and eager to confide in each other. Even so, they eventually became enemies. So, she's mainly afraid of repeating that mistake and being taken advantage of again. How about this: I tell my friend about the RBF model you mentioned today, and she can talk to that person about it. Do you think that person will agree?"
The person on the other end seemed to think for a long time before replying: "You can give it a try, maybe."
When Huang Shiyu saw the message, he was holding a piece of AI medical supplies developed by Sunac and thinking about something else. He tapped the screen lightly with the tip of his thumb, pondered for a long time, and finally sent a message to the anonymous user.
[It's a lucky cat: You said that if a startup wants to rise quickly, isn't it faster to take shortcuts, like imitation?]
Huang Shiyu believes that imitation is a normal business practice. Many domestic business models are based on the success of others, which are then imitated and improved upon. With the addition of localization, innovation can be achieved.
[Anonymous User: This statement is biased. It may have short-term benefits, but it has significant long-term drawbacks. I don't recommend setting it as a goal, especially in industries where technology is a competitive advantage. Simply imitating doesn't guarantee success. Tens of thousands of startups are launched worldwide every year, and not many that started by imitation have become number one. Don't lose sight of the bigger picture.]
[It's a lucky cat: But there are many successful examples of Chinese companies imitating foreign business models. These examples have not only achieved significant success in the domestic market, but also demonstrated the ability of Chinese companies to innovate business models.]
[Anonymous User: Well, they did surpass it. They achieved localization and innovation, even differentiation, instead of blindly imitating. Surpassing doesn't count as plagiarism; failing to surpass means borrowing someone else's traffic, and people will question your business ethics.]
After their conversation, the anonymous user brought the topic back to the RBF financing model and sent her some related materials, which were case studies of small startups like hers using the RBF financing model for medical projects. Huang Shiyu found them very helpful and immediately took her computer to the living room, completely forgetting about what had just happened.
Huang Shiyu printed out all the information sent by the anonymous user. Looking at the stack of documents on the table, she felt as if her meridians had been opened up. She hugged her computer and deleted and modified the documents in the living room. The sound of her typing on the keyboard sounded particularly spacious and pleasant in the night.
The bedroom door wasn't completely closed, leaving a small gap. Inside, Li Xingzhou listened to the clattering of the keyboard and lost all sleepiness. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling as he tried to hypnotize himself.
After he had been counting the sheep for about twenty minutes, his phone, which had been off on the bed, suddenly lit up.
Li Xingzhou remained staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before finally pulling his phone to check the message.
[Xiang Zhinan: Are you there? Are you there, Zhouzhouzi?]
He rarely had a moment when the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly. Looking at the three words "Zhouzhouzi," he quickly tapped the screen a few times with his fingertips and sent it in one go.
[Li Xingzhou: Don't act crazy, just say what you have to say.]
[Xiang Zhinan: I recently saw a project I like and wanted to try it out. Could you invest some money in me?]
[Li Xingzhou: Why are you asking me for investment advice instead of your sister?]
After he sent that message, two or three minutes passed without any response from the other party, and the chat box didn't even display the words "typing is in progress".
The sound of keyboard typing continued beside his ear. Li Xingzhou didn't look into the gap. He gently tapped the edge of the phone case with his fingers, hesitated for a few seconds, and then opened the app with the tadpole-shaped icon.
His profile picture was minimalist, all black, giving the illusion that the world had completely quieted down. His chat list was also clean, with only one trace of a recent conversation.
The profile picture on the other end was pure white, spotless and clean, and the chat box was still showing his last "hmm".
That's right, he's been Huang Shiyu's mentor all along, and he's also the one who's been hiding his identity and using an alias.
He originally intended to use this identity to find out how she was doing after leaving him, and then pursue her again.
Little did he know, he was too slow; someone else had already beaten him to it.
After that, all he could do was wait, wait for the other person to break up, willingly becoming a backup option that the other person didn't know about. But what he hated most was waiting. Since he was five years old, the word "wait" seemed to be engraved in his bones, day after day for ten years.
Why is it always just a little bit short, when I'm so close...?
He stared blankly at the messages about RBF that he had sent to Huang Shiyu, slightly lost in thought.
He naturally knew that his explanations about why he should invest in her company, whether it was based on reasons or benefits, during the fencing session would absolutely not convince Huang Shiyu. After all, as she said, they were both making products in the same field, and there would inevitably be some overlap in various aspects, which would not only have an impact on both parties but also create a certain degree of competition. However, Huang Shiyu's product was indeed quite good and had some merit. If the two could be merged, wouldn't they be able to share the profits without harming the interests of all parties?
But obviously, the person who could persuade Huang Shiyu to cooperate with him couldn't be him, otherwise Huang Shiyu would definitely doubt his authenticity and purpose, so the person who could persuade her could only be herself.
Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
A few minutes later, just as Li Xingzhou was about to put down his phone and close his eyes to sleep, Xiang Zhinan's message came again.
[Xiang Zhinan: Going to find my sister would be suicide! My second sister just went to Iceland for vacation, and nobody can contact her now. Going to my eldest sister is out of the question; I just crashed my new car, and now I'm asking her for money to invest in a project. If my eldest sister finds out, she'll settle all the old scores with me. She was planning to slowly find me, but now she'll dig a sieve to find me.]
[Xiang Zhinan: So, my good brother, you have to help me out.]
He looked at Xiang Zhinan's coquettish and cute words, and his temple twitched involuntarily, as if he couldn't stand her acting like that, and he quickly agreed.
[Li Xingzhou: Investment is fine. I'll fund you with my personal money, not in the company's name.]
[Xiang Zhinan: You really are my good brother.]
[Xiang Zhinan: But I haven't opened Douyin for a while, wow, you're already feeling emo. You even changed your profile picture to all black. Tell me, did you break up with someone?]
He looked completely bewildered.
[Li Xingzhou:? 】
[Xiang Zhinan: I know Helen looks a bit like Huang Shiyu, but you don't have to go so far as to write about body doubles. It makes you look like a scumbag.]
Li Xingzhou's expression was quite interesting as he read Xiang Zhinan's message, a look of awkwardness reminiscent of someone looking at their own simple-minded son.
[Li Xingzhou: You've watched too many melodramatic TV dramas. This profile picture is called minimalist aesthetics, don't you understand? Go read more required books and literature! Idiot.]
After replying, he tossed his phone aside, ignoring what Xiang Zhinan replied, and closed his eyes again.
After a long time, the sound of the keyboard finally stopped. Li Xingzhou still couldn't fall asleep. His gaze shifted, and the living room light was still on, but there was no sound around him. Many thoughts flashed through his mind.
Huang Shiyu went to sleep? That doesn't make sense. Knowing her habits, she would definitely turn off the lights before going to sleep.
Unable to understand, Li Xingzhou got up. He was also a little thirsty and wanted to drink some water. When he opened the door, he saw this scene and felt a pang of heartache.
Huang Shiyu fell asleep at the table, his head resting on his arm. The clock on the living room wall pointed to four o'clock at that moment. A thick stack of documents on the table was particularly eye-catching, indicating that he must have been exhausted.
Upon approaching and looking at the stack of documents, Li Xingzhou was helpless against Huang Shiyu. Sure enough, Huang Shiyu was exactly the same as he remembered. Huang Shiyu was always like this, always proactive, as if he had inexhaustible energy when it came to dealing with things.
Li Xingzhou simply watched her quietly. Normally, he would never dare to look at her so openly. Because she was sleeping with her head on her side, Li Xingzhou could see a section of white hair that was inadvertently revealed when her long hair fell down. It was very fine and beautiful. What he liked most was the fine beads of sweat that slowly slid down her fair neck. It was a kind of beauty that made him feel like he was about to melt away.
The night outside the window was long and boundless. Li Xingzhou picked her up and held her close. Holding the twenty-six-year-old Huang Shiyu, he realized for the first time that the teenage girl was far away from him. Twenty-six-year-old Huang Shiyu had grown much taller and her hair had grown much longer. Time had indeed changed a lot.
Li Xingzhou gently placed Huang Shiyu on the bed. He didn't rush to leave but instead sat on the edge of the bed, watching her as she slept. The bedroom was dark, with only moonlight and starlight streaming in through the window. Perhaps because it was in the suburbs, there were more stars and the moon seemed brighter than in the city.
"Huang Shiyu, do you know, I used to hate you a lot, especially when you broke up with me. Your eyes were so resolute. I really hated you, and I hated Li Mansu, and I hated myself even more."
The window was open, and the wind blew in, making Li Xingzhou's voice sound very low and soft, as if it would be carried away by the wind as soon as he opened his mouth.
He looked down at Huang Shiyu, whose eyes were tightly closed, and sighed softly. It was a very short sigh, but it seemed like a beacon of confusion for a wandering traveler who didn't know where the road ahead was.
Actually, he had already prepared for the outcome tonight, and it wasn't too unexpected. He had been waiting for a long time and didn't know if he had any more time to wait. So, he decided to give her one last helping hand at this final moment.
Over the years, he had considered giving up, otherwise he wouldn't have opened a bar called Du Yi. He tried to convince himself to let go, struggled, and worked hard, but he couldn't quit, just like trying to quit smoking. As soon as he saw her, he felt that she was the only one for him in this life.
Li Xingzhou wanted to hold Huang Shiyu's hand, but suddenly turned around in mid-air, his palm covering Huang Shiyu's closed eyes. This series of movements could only be described as smooth and effortless.
Immediately afterward, a blinding white light landed on his hand, but it only lasted for a moment and then disappeared. He got up, went to the window and glanced down. It was the light coming from a car with two bull horn-shaped headlights that had just driven out of the garage. The bedroom window happened to face the direction of the garage, which was why the accident had happened.
"No...you can't..."
A soft cry for help came from behind Li Xingzhou, hooking his heart like a severe hook.
He hurried to the bedside, bent down, and reached out to touch Huang Shiyu's face. Tears slid down her tightly closed eyes, and he wiped them away along her face, repeating this over and over again.
The only sounds in the room were Huang Shiyu's short and long breaths, and her indistinct murmurs.
"Why are you crying? Don't cry, stop crying. I don't hate you anymore, I haven't hated you for a long time."
Huang Shiyu's crying was silent; she just quietly shed tears. But it was precisely because of this that it was all the more heartbreaking. Her silent crying was more like a plea for help, and it made people feel even more distressed, as if she must have suffered a tremendous injustice.
Li Xingzhou controlled his volume, not daring to be too loud, for fear of waking the person trapped in a nightmare.
He didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only keep repeating the words "Don't cry".
But it was precisely these two words that triggered the tears, and Huang Shiyu's tears flowed even more fiercely.
Hot tears streamed uncontrollably down his hands, the more he wiped, the more they flowed, falling onto Li Xingzhou's hands as if they were hitting his heart.
Li Xingzhou placed his hand on Huang Shiyu's eyes. This time, no light entered; he simply placed his hand there. His gaze gently swept across her face, revealing no emotion, like the endless night behind her, waiting for the day to arrive.
Looking at Huang Shiyu, he couldn't help but sigh: Song Chaoye wanted to imprison Huang Shiyu, but how could a wolf willingly enter a cage? Without claws and teeth, is a wolf still a wolf? It's just a dog.
During this process, he seemed to have thought a lot, and when he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse: "Xiang Zhinan asked me what I thought before, and I said I didn't plan to forgive you. Actually, I stopped hating you a long time ago. I was just saying that because I didn't mean it."
"Sometimes I regret it too. I should have been more determined back then. If I had persisted, you would have been more persistent. With your soft-hearted nature, we could have kept entangled with each other. There wouldn't have been this whole Song Chaoye thing later."
"What's wrong? Why are you crying so hard? Stop crying, it's heartbreaking to see you like this."
Li Xingzhou stared at Huang Shiyu's face for a long time, his eyes serious, as if he wanted to carve her face deep into her bones, stroke by stroke.
He curved the corners of his mouth slightly, a brief smile that blended into the pitch-black night behind him, where all the joys and sorrows of the world seemed to flee in panic, never to return.
"Am I not good to you? Why can't you be with me?"
Ultimately, Huang Shiyu simply doesn't dare to entrust his future to anyone else, not just himself.
Li Xingzhou recalled the first time he met her in the self-service piano room. Hearing his knock, the girl, who had taken off her headphones, looked at him with gentle, watery eyes. That was the first time he truly understood what the women of Jiangnan described in textbooks looked like.
Huang Shiyu walked towards him with a gentle aura. Just as they were about to pass each other, the girl gently called out to him with a shy smile on her face, asking if he could play the piano without closing the door so that the people outside could listen as well.
Perhaps it was the gentle sunlight, or perhaps the girl's sweet, honey-like voice was too alluring to the mind; at that moment, unlike Odysseus, he did not resist hearing the Sirens' song, but chose to lose himself.
This self-service piano room marked the beginning of their encounter, sowing the seeds for future misfortune. If asked to do it all over again, would he still choose to start their relationship here?
He won't answer.
Because people only like to make such assumptions when they are infinitely close to suffering, but unfortunately time cannot be reversed.
They are all people swept along by the tide of time.
-----------------------
The author's note: After a long time, I'm bringing up this topic again.
Huang Shiyu: Xiang Zhinan told me that the profile picture you use is called minimalist aesthetics?
Li Xingzhou: No, these are called couple profile pictures. You're white and I'm black. I've already tied myself in long ago, you know?
Xiang Zhinan: Li Xingzhou is such a scheming guy!
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