Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

"Mr. Ma doesn't look too well." Bai Yuhang leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his tone relaxed as if chatting casually, but his next sentence immediately killed the conversation, "Does your heart bleed every time you see the user count in the backend fluctuate?"

Ma Huateng's hand, which had just picked up his teacup, froze in mid-air, the tea inside rippling in the air. He forced a smile, and as he put the cup down, it clinked crisply: "Mr. Bai is too kind. User growth is a good thing; it shows that the product is recognized by the market."

"Approval? It is indeed approval." Bai Yuhang chuckled, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "But there's a kind of approval in this world that can be fatal. For a company with the ability to generate revenue, it's icing on the cake. But for Tencent right now, it's a death knell. Every new user OICQ adds costs to its servers and bandwidth. OICQ isn't gaining weight; it's bleeding. And that cease and desist letter from AOL in the US should already be sitting on top of your desk, right? This penguin is not only starving to death, it's about to be sued to death."

The air in the private room froze instantly. Ma Huateng's cheek twitched; the shame of being publicly exposed made him restless. He subconsciously looked at Zhang Lei, hoping to see some rebuttal in the investor's eyes, but Zhang Lei just lowered his head and blew on his tea, as if he hadn't heard him.

"Users are valuable..." Ma Huateng's voice was a little hoarse, with a last bit of stubbornness, his fingers gripping the Nokia phone tightly, "As long as there are users, there will always be a way to monetize them in the future."

"The future?" Bai Yuhang pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and pushed it in front of Ma Huateng. "We tech people should look at the data. This is my projection of OICQ's current server load and cash consumption. At the current rate of cash burn, plus the legal fees for dealing with cross-border lawsuits, your cash flow won't last more than thirty days."

Bai Yuhang paused, his voice turning colder: "One month. No need for the Americans to sue, no need to wait for some distant 'future,' the telecom company will personally cut off your internet cables because of unpaid bills. At that time, your hundreds of thousands of users will have nothing left but to curse."

Ma Huateng glanced at the paper Bai Yuhang pushed over; the numbers on it were so precise that they sent chills down his spine.

He didn't reach for the paper because it was the truth, the nightmare he faced every night after waking up in terror.

Only he himself knows that Tencent now only has 10,000 yuan in cash left in its account.

This 10,000 yuan isn't even enough to keep the server running for a week.

In the past ten days or so, he and the four founders have borrowed from almost everyone they know in Shenzhen.

The feeling of being humbled everywhere and avoided by acquaintances like the plague is worse than being killed.

Even a friend in the real estate business, when he proposed using Tencent stock to settle the debt, patted him on the shoulder and generously said, "Little Ma, I can tell you're really broke. You don't even have to pay back the money. But forget about the stock. What would I do with that stuff? Can it feed me?"

The feeling of humiliation surged up in my heart again at this moment.

"So, I'm not here today to talk about investment or taking a stake." Bai Yuhang, seeing Ma Huateng's ever-changing expression, timely threw out the bait, "I'm here to 'adopt' this penguin."

Ma Huateng suddenly looked up, his gaze behind his glasses somewhat unfocused.

"In your hands, OICQ is just a money-devouring beast that only knows how to eat, because it lacks a real-world application. But in Qihang's hands, with a real-name community and the university market, it's the key to revitalizing the entire ecosystem." Bai Yuhang's voice was full of persuasiveness. "Genetic fusion is the only way for this penguin to survive. Hand it over to me, and you will see its true value."

Ma Huateng remained silent for a long time, then picked up the cigarette pack on the table, his hand trembling slightly as he pulled out a cigarette, and it took him two tries to light it.

"How much are you offering?" Ma Huateng's voice was terribly hoarse amidst the swirling smoke.

Bai Yuhang held up three fingers.

Ma Huateng's eyes lit up: "Three million?"

This was the bottom line price that their founding team had privately agreed upon. Although no one wanted to buy it, he still held onto that hope. If he could get three million, even if it was still difficult, at least he could catch his breath.

Bai Yuhang shook his head, a cruel smile curving his lips: "Three hundred thousand US dollars. A full acquisition, including all code, user data, and brand usage rights."

"Are you kidding me!" Ma Huateng jumped to his feet as if burned by a cigarette butt, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "Three hundred thousand US dollars? That's less than two and a half million RMB! This is robbery! It's an insult to our team's hard work!"

Facing the enraged Ma Huateng, Bai Yuhang didn't even raise an eyelid. He picked up the teapot and refilled the empty cup in front of Ma Huateng with water, his movements as steady as if he were conducting an experiment.

"Mr. Ma, sit down and let's talk. Business is negotiated, not shouted out."

Bai Yuhang put down the teapot, his tone almost cold and indifferent: "If you don't sell, in two months, you'll lose the lawsuit, the internet will be cut off, and OICQ will be liquidated. At that time, it won't be worth a penny, just a bunch of obsolete code. You'll also be burdened with debt, and might even end up working as a sewing machine operator because of the huge debt."

He looked directly into Ma Huateng's bloodshot eyes: "If you sell, the $300,000 may not be a lot, but it'll be enough for you to pay off your debts and leave you with a considerable amount of start-up capital. You can use that money to live a respectable life as a wealthy man, or start over in a different field. At least you won't have to beg for money anymore. Mr. Ma, you've probably had enough of that feeling lately, haven't you?"

These words were like a heavy hammer blow, striking Ma Huateng's most vulnerable spot.

Ma Huateng's chest heaved violently, his hands gripping the table, feeling as if he was about to exhaust all his strength. The word "sell" was on the tip of his tongue, but it was stuck in his throat like a fishbone, impossible to spit out or swallow. He was unwilling to give up; after all, this was the child that his five brothers had worked tirelessly day and night to raise.

Zhang Lei, who had been silent until now, put down his teacup with a soft sound.

"Pony, as an investor, let me be fair," Zhang Lei pushed up his glasses, his gaze sharp. "Actually, before coming here, China Entrepreneur Network internally evaluated OICQ. The conclusion was regrettable: there was no monetization logic, and the risk was too great. If Yuhang hadn't taken over this project today, I wouldn't have invested either. Not only would I not invest, but I've also spoken to IDG and Yingke, and everyone feels the same way. In this industry, no one will pay for sentimentality; everyone only looks at financial statements."

Zhang Lei's words sealed off all of Ma Huateng's escape routes.

Ma Huateng swayed, as if his spine had been removed. He slumped back into his chair, covered his face with his hands, and buried his face deeply in his palms.

The private room was eerily quiet, with only Ma Huateng's heavy breathing and the occasional cawing of crows from outside the window.

After a long while, the once spirited young man from Shenzhen let out an extremely tired voice through his fingers.

"...My penguin is yours now."