Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

It was 7 p.m. at that private restaurant hidden in the neighborhood.

In the small private room separated by bamboo curtains, Yang Fan and Lin Qingyue sat facing each other.

Lin Qingyue poured Yang Fan a cup of tea gently: "Don't take Chen Zhiyuan's words to heart in the auditorium today."

Yang Fan picked up his teacup and smiled, "It's nothing. I've heard even harsher things in the investment world."

"That's just how he is," Lin Qingyue said, putting down the teapot, her tone somewhat helpless.

"He always thinks he's seen the world and likes to give advice to others."

"When we organized events at school and asked for sponsorships, he would give us a little money and then try to boss us around. I couldn't be bothered with him."

"Has he been pursuing you for a long time?" Yang Fan asked directly.

Lin Qingyue was taken aback, her face flushing slightly: "How did you know?"

"Anyone with eyes can see that." Yang Fan picked up a piece of tofu:

"He targeted me so much today, partly because of the project, and partly because of you."

Lin Qingyue was silent for a few seconds, then nodded frankly: "Yes. He pursued me for almost a year, trying all sorts of methods."

"I've received numerous offers to send flowers, treat people to meals, or sponsor school events, but I've explicitly refused them many times."

"Why did you refuse?" Yang Fan looked at her. "Chen Zhiyuan is quite wealthy and has a good reputation in the area."

"Because I don't like him," Lin Qingyue said simply. "He's too calculating; everything he does has an ulterior motive. And..."

She paused, her eyes serious: "And the way he spoke to you today proves that he has character flaws."

"A true investor will not publicly question someone's judgment just because they don't invest in a project."

Yang Fan laughed: "You're quite protective of me."

"I'm stating the truth." Lin Qingyue's face flushed even more, and she lowered her head to take a sip of tea to hide her embarrassment.

"Besides, you've invested in so many projects, and each one has done well, which shows that you have good judgment."

The room fell silent, with only the faint chirping of insects coming from outside the window.

Lin Qingyue hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Yang Fan, can I ask you a question?"

"ask."

"You won second prize in today's 'Intelligent Learning AI' project, and your performance was excellent. Why did you resolutely refuse to submit your application?"

She looked up, her eyes clear. "This isn't like you at all."

"You used to vote for Zhou Jin, Zhou Yao, and Chen Mo. You voted for them because you were sure of their chances, and you didn't care what others thought."

Yang Fan put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair.

This is a problem we'll have to face sooner or later.

"Qingyue, have you ever made investments?" he asked in return.

"No. But I've seen many cases."

"Do you know what the biggest fear in investing is?"

Lin Qingyue thought for a moment: "Losing money?"

"Yes, but not entirely," Yang Fan said slowly. "The worst thing about investing is encountering dishonest people."

He looked out the window at the darkening sky: "A project can have many problems—an immature model, a small market, too much competition... These can all be changed and adjusted."

"But once people are dishonest, the project is fundamentally ruined."

"You think Chen Yi is dishonest?" Lin Qingyue keenly grasped the key point.

"I can't be sure," Yang Fan said cautiously, "but I have a few doubts."

"First, the internal testing data he presented was too impressive—a 65% user retention rate, which is top-tier in the internet industry without any promotion."

"Even for products like Toutiao and Douyin, it was difficult to achieve this in the early stages."

"Secondly, he claims that his core technology is completely independently developed, but when I asked him a few detailed questions, his answers were somewhat vague."

"Of course, this could be due to technical secrecy, but it could also be due to a guilty conscience."

"Third..." Yang Fan paused, "intuition. I've met too many entrepreneurs; some are down-to-earth, some are flamboyant."

"Chen Yi gives me the feeling that he is too 'perfect'. He is so perfect that he doesn't seem like a college student starting his first business."

Lin Qingyue listened attentively without interrupting.

"Investing is not about how pretty a PowerPoint presentation is, or how eloquent a speech is."

Yang Fan continued, "Investing is about people. It's about whether the person is reliable and whether they can turn what's written on paper into reality."

"So you'd rather not invest than take this risk?" Lin Qingyue asked.

"Yes." Yang Fan nodded. "I can miss out on a good project, but I can't invest in a problematic person."

"Money can be earned back, but reputation can never be regained."

Lin Qingyue nodded thoughtfully: "I understand."

She picked up her teacup, offering tea instead of wine: "Then I trust your judgment."

The two continued eating, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Lin Qingyue told some interesting stories about school, and Yang Fan talked about the progress of Zhou Yao's billiards hall.

Before I knew it, the meal had taken almost two hours.

It was past nine o'clock at night when we checked out and left.

The streetlights in the neighborhood were dim, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently.

"Shall I take you back?" Yang Fan asked.

"No need, I'm driving." Lin Qingyue pointed to the parking lot. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Let's go check out Zhou Yao's billiards hall; it officially opens the day after tomorrow," Yang Fan said. "Are you coming?"

"There's a meeting at school the day after tomorrow," Lin Qingyue said with some regret. "But I'll have my secretary send a flower basket over."

"Thank you in advance."

The two walked to the car. Lin Qingyue opened the car door, hesitated for a moment, and then turned around and said:

"Yang Fan, about what happened today... don't pay too much attention to those gossips. I trust your judgment."

Her eyes shone brightly in the night.

Yang Fan nodded: "I know. Don't overwork yourself, take care of yourself and get some rest."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Good night."

The cars drove out of the residential area and went their separate ways.

At the same time, in a private room of an upscale restaurant near the university of technology.

Chen Zhiyuan, holding a glass of red wine, his face flushed, said, "Xiao Chen, come on, another drink! Congratulations on your team's great achievement!"

Chen Yi quickly raised his glass: "Thank you, Mr. Chen! If it weren't for your support, we would have been in a real predicament today."

Sitting at the table were the five core members of the "Smart Learning AI" team, each with excitement and gratitude on their faces.

"That Yang Fan kid is blind!" Xiao Wang, a key technical member of the team, said indignantly.

"Our project is clearly the best, how come he won't invest!"

"Exactly!" another girl chimed in, "Asking that kind of question on stage, it's clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult!"

Chen Yi waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "Forget it, let's not talk about the past. Now that President Chen is investing in us, that's better than anything else."

"Yes!" Chen Zhiyuan slammed his hand on the table.

"One million, it'll be in your account tomorrow! Go ahead and do your work with confidence! Just let us know if you need any resources!"

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!" everyone said in unison.

Chen Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair with satisfaction, swirling his wine glass:

"But Xiao Chen, I have conditions for voting for you."

"Please speak!" Chen Yi immediately sat up straight.

"First, be quick." Chen Zhiyuan held up one finger.

"Didn't Yang Fan say he didn't think highly of you? You'd better prove him wrong by showing results!"

"I want to see our user base reach 100,000 within three months!"

Chen Yi's expression changed slightly: "100,000 in three months... that's a bit..."

"What? You can't do it?" Chen Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow. "If you can't do it, then there's no point in me investing this million."

"We can do it!" Chen Yi gritted his teeth. "We'll do it even if it kills us!"

"Okay!" Chen Zhiyuan smiled. "Secondly, speak loudly."

"Don't just bury yourself in your work; you need to promote it. Find media outlets, organize events, and get on the news."

"I want everyone to know that 'Smart Learning AI' is the best startup project in the University Town!"

"clear!"

"Third..." Chen Zhiyuan lowered his voice, "You have to be smart. If the data doesn't look good, find a way to make it look good."

"If we don't have enough users, then...we'll find a way. Understand?"

Chen Yi and his team members exchanged glances, all understanding the meaning behind the words.

"Mr. Chen, we..." Chen Yi hesitated.

"What are you afraid of?" Chen Zhiyuan patted his shoulder.

"When starting a business, who doesn't embellish their data a bit? Look at those internet companies, which one doesn't exaggerate?"

"The key is whether you can ultimately succeed. If you succeed, who cares how you started?"

These words were like a shot in the arm.

Chen Yi's eyes gradually hardened: "I understand, Mr. Chen. Rest assured, we will definitely not let you down!"

"That's right!" Chen Zhiyuan laughed. "Come on, let's have another drink!"

The wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.