A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 131 Ranking

When Li Mu sat in the passenger seat, he was already practically paralyzed.

A fine layer of sweat poured out on his forehead. He leaned back in his seat, trying to breathe heavily and dispel the nausea in his stomach.

"Are you alright?"

"It's alright—let's go, I'll show you the way."

"Um."

After adjusting the seat height, Fan Bing drove the Audi out of the underground parking garage.

Strangely, there was a strange silence inside the carriage.

There was no music, and no chatting.

Apart from the occasional reminder from Li Mu to turn left or right, there was no further activity.

Li Mu stared straight ahead, his gaze slightly vacant, but his mind was racing as he pondered how to proceed with today's meeting.

Li Xingping's needs were actually quite simple: raise 100,000 yuan in exchange for 15% equity. This 100,000 yuan would be used to rent servers, hire employees, and lease the company—this price was actually quite reasonable considering the 4000+ daily IP access volume of HA0123 as stated in the business plan.

In his previous life, the wheelchair-bound guy used 0123 yuan to acquire 30% of the shares, which were eventually sold to Baidu, allowing him to make his first fortune.

According to him, if they had discussed the matter in detail at the time, they should have been able to obtain about 50% of the shares.

At worst, we can give up controlling stake.

For Li Xingping, who was short of money at the time, four or five hundred thousand was not a small amount.

Furthermore, according to Wheelchair Guy, HA0123 will indeed sell for a good price in the future. However, in 2002, with the increase in installations and Li Xingping's exploration of the website's profit model, at its peak, as a website founded by an individual, HA0123's best achievement was ranking 25th in global monthly website traffic and earning a maximum monthly profit of 80.

This is actually a decent income.

Furthermore, Li Xingping didn't actually have much ambition for his career at first, and he wasn't exactly a seasoned veteran in the business world.

On the contrary, despite his background as a network administrator, he was quite naive due to his limited education.

At the time, the main person Zhao Fengrui talked to was someone who wanted to help his cousin secure more benefits. It was from this point that the wheelchair-bound man realized Zhao Fengrui was a very good business partner.

This person has a very firm bottom line, but his methods are exceptionally flexible.

So, the main challenge today is actually with this fat guy.

"Brother Li, what are you thinking about?"

"?"

Li Mu snapped out of his daze and tried to turn his head to look at her, but as soon as he turned his neck, he immediately felt a little dizzy—

He quickly closed his eyes and said, "I'm thinking about the project."

"oh oh."

Fan Bing replied, "I'll go upstairs and change in a bit, it'll be quick. I'm your assistant today, you tell me where to go and I'll do it!"

"Ha~"

Li Mu smiled and responded, then opened his eyes again and continued to give her directions.

And so, the two quickly returned to the guesthouse.

After parking the car in the parking space, Fan Taobing quickly got out and walked into the hotel.

In less than ten minutes, she changed into a set of casual clothes, wearing the fisherman's hat and mask that Li Mu had seen her in before, and walked out quickly.

He was also carrying a small water bottle.

"I'm all set. I've had the guesthouse clean those clothes, I'll take them back to you later. And Brother Li, drink this all in one go."

"What is this?"

"Pour in lukewarm boiled water. Drink it all in one go and sweat it out; that should make you feel better."

As she spoke, she turned off the air conditioner.

"it is good."

Li Mu checked the time.

A little past 9 o'clock.

There is still time.

So he gave her directions again, leading her to the teahouse. At the same time, he unscrewed the lid of the kettle, checked the water temperature, and then tilted his head back to gulp down the water.

And sure enough, the most scientific method is still the best way to sober up.

Drinking plenty of water helps the liver break down ethanol, which is then excreted through sweat—this method is indeed effective.

In addition, with the air conditioning off and the sun shining on him, Li Mu soon broke into a sweat and immediately felt much more awake.

"I'm not so dizzy now."

"Hmph."

Fan Taobing smoothed her hair, which had been ruffled by the breeze, and smiled smugly: "I told you, I have experience."

"—Did you figure that out yourself?"

"Yes."

"Why does that sound so heartbreaking?"

"Haha, not really. But—it's true that it's tough for actresses in this industry; you always have to have some tricks up your sleeve. But I've been lucky enough. When I was at Aunt Qiong Yao's company, I didn't really need to socialize much. Sister He, that's He Xiuqiong, she's Aunt Qiong Yao's daughter-in-law, and she took good care of me. Later, after I met President Jia, even though there were all sorts of rumors about me outside, President Jia protected me quite well. And then, with Sister Hua, it goes without saying. Sister Hua is sometimes like a mother to us—but some social engagements are unavoidable, so you just have to figure out how to get drunk slowly, how to get drunk comfortably—"

"It wasn't easy—"

Li Mu sighed.

But Fan Bingbing simply shrugged and said, "It's alright, considering how much money you make in this industry."

"Speaking of which—did you enter this industry because you wanted to make money?"

"No, it wasn't that. At first, it was because of some coincidences, but then I thought—well, being a star isn't bad, being liked by so many people, being glamorous wherever you go. But people's ambitions go with their stages. At first, I just wanted to be a star, but then my ambitions gradually grew. To be a star, to be a good actor, to make a lot of money, to be respected by others—that's how I just took it one step at a time. Now that I'm in the industry, I don't have to be the best, but I want to—even if it's just for a moment, to stand at the top and experience that feeling."

"Is this your current ambition?"

"I guess so—I want way more than that. Hehe, I'm very greedy~"

"Ha~"

Li Mu chuckled softly.

When the Audi arrived at the teahouse where they had agreed to meet, Li Mu had recovered at least 60% of his condition after getting out of the car.

Then he and Fan Taobing, who had put on her mask, walked together into the teahouse.

"Brother Li, a big reason why I like Guangdong the most is the morning tea culture."

"Then eat more today."

"Hehe, you guys chat, I'll just bring my stomach, not my brain."

"Ha, not at all. We can't just ask you to come and help for nothing, can we? You should also take a look."

"Okay, but like I said, I don't know much about the internet. I don't actually go online that much normally."

"You don't go online much? You don't care what people online think of you?"

"I secretly watched it before, and when I saw so many people criticizing me, I didn't dare to watch it anymore."

"————Alright then."

Li Muxin said, "Can't you just ask for praise? Why do you have to go looking for criticism?"

"You can browse Tianya Forum when you have time. Actually, there are quite a few people who like you there. They often compare you with others, and you have quite a few fans."

His intention was to compliment her, but Fan Bing, speechless, retorted, "Isn't this the question you asked me last time, Brother Li? The one about the rankings of me, Zhao Wei, and Zhou Xun?"

"Yes, that's the forum."

"—Brother Li, really, I appreciate your high regard for me, but the problem is I'm not yet worthy of being compared to those guys."

"It's not me who brought you up for comparison; it's your fans who insist on making the comparison."

"Then please beg them for me to stop the competition. How can I possibly compete with those deities?"

"So insecure?"

"No, this is called self-awareness. Although I sometimes feel resentful, the facts speak for themselves. If someone actually made a list and put me together with those girls, I would hate that person to death. That's not praising me, that's insulting me."

"A list?"

Li Mu was taken aback.

"List 1————"

His eyes suddenly became thoughtful.

However, reality didn't allow him to think that much. After telling the waiter the name of the private room, the two were quickly led to the door.

Upon opening the door, Li Mu immediately saw Zhao Fengrui and a somewhat thin-looking young man.

Li Muxin said that this person should be Li Xingping.

"Haha, Mr. Li."

Zhao Fengrui quickly stood up to greet him, but then, upon seeing Fan Bing behind Li Mu, he suddenly froze—

He vaguely felt that the woman wearing a mask looked familiar, but because of the mask, he couldn't recognize her.

At this moment————

"Manager Zhao, it's been a long time!"

Fan Bing smiled and took off her mask.

"!"

Zhao Fengrui was taken aback, but his first reaction wasn't surprise; instead, he turned his head—

He turned to look at Li Xingping.

From Li Mu's perspective, Li Xingping, who had also gotten up, stared wide-eyed the moment Fan Taobing's voice rang out.

Staring intently at Fan Bingbing —

At this moment, Zhao Fengrui's belated exclamation rang out: "Miss Fan? Oh my, it's been a long time! --- Mr. Li, Miss Fan, let me introduce you both. This is Li Xingping, the founder of HA0123 website, and --- to be honest, Miss Fan, he is your fan, a true fan."

Fan Bing was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Oh? Is that so? Mr. Li, hello, I'm Fan Jiabing, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The moment she reached out, Li Mu noticed that Li Xingping's eyes immediately turned evasive.

Dodging, awkward, uneasy.

Looking at that hand, it exuded an aura of wanting to hold it yet being hesitant to do so.

This doesn't seem to be an excuse.

Could they be a real fan?

He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fengrui, who was standing to the side, was getting increasingly anxious because his cousin hadn't made any move yet.

He quickly gave her a meaningful look, thinking to himself, "Say something already!"

Finally, Fan Bing stepped forward: "Mr. Li, hello."

"You—hello, Fan—Fan Bing—I—am Li Xingping."

After stammering through his self-introduction, he grasped Fan Taobing's hand, but it felt like it was burning hot, and he quickly pulled away after just a touch.

But her face turned red instantly.

Li Mu's lips twitched as he watched.

No, buddy.

Are you really that innocent?

As he thought this, he extended his hand and said, "Mr. Li, hello, I'm Li Mu. We're from the same clan."

"Well----"

Li Xingping glanced at Li Mu, and this time his hand moved much more swiftly: "Hello, Mr. Li, it's a pleasure to meet you—"

As he spoke, for some reason, he quickly glanced at Fan Bing beside him.

Then he silently lowered his head.