Chapter 256 Survival and Destiny
When Wang Zixu opened the door and walked in, the first thing he saw was Zuo Ziliang’s iconic bald head.
Compared with how he looked in memory, he has lost a lot of weight, and the lines on his face have become as hard as a knife. The skin on his cheeks has loosened and fallen, forming two deep "Chuan" lines, which are a bit like Heisenberg's calmness and ruthlessness in "Breaking Bad".
“Long time no see.” He spoke, his voice low.
“What’s the point of being polite at this time?” Ye Lan sank into the sofa and put his briefcase to the side, “It’s all bad news here.”
"It just so happens that I also have some big news," Zuo Ziliang was unexpectedly calm, "How about this, let's align the granularity and exchange information first."
"You go ahead." After Ye Lan finished speaking, he did not forget to glance back at Wang Zixu, his eyes clearly reminding him not to forget the position he had agreed upon when he came.
Wang Zixu also responded with a look that (he thought) was alert, smart, and able to act according to the opportunity.
“Time is tight, so I will keep the story short.” Zuo Ziliang said, “I have received definite news that Donghai City is stepping up the formulation of regulations for the speech therapy industry, and relevant documents will be officially issued within two months at the latest.”
He paused and glanced across the faces of the two people: "What is certain is that our business is 100% illegal, and there is no room for rectification. Once the regulations are implemented, all our businesses will be stopped directly."
These words were like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the last bit of luck in Wang Zixu's heart. He no longer expects to make any money, he just wants to get out safely.
Zuo Ziliang looked at the silent two people and suddenly smiled: "But on the bright side, we still have a window period of two months at most."
"Window period?" Ye Lan's mouth opened wide, and it took a long time to close it, "Zuo Ziliang, you call this a window period? Do you want to commit crimes against the wind, make a profit and run away?"
"I think this is the most reasonable plan at the moment." Zuo Ziliang's tone remained calm.
“You’re crazy!” Ye Lan’s words were not an exclamation, but a statement. In her eyes, Zuo Ziliang is no different from a desperado who has lost his mind.
“Listen to me,” Zuo Ziliang raised his hand, “In the early stage, we invested a lot of money in expanding the scale of our business, and even competed with giants like Xunyi Galaxy, but the cost has not yet been recovered. If we give up now, we can get back the money Very limited. "
"Is it still a matter of money?" Ye Lan patted the sofa excitedly, "Now it's a matter of going to jail! Do you know what the situation is like with our current user base?"
She took out her mobile phone and placed it heavily on the table, sliding the screen to display a chat group:
"A large number of new people have poured into our star user group since yesterday. Three hundred messages can be sent out in a minute. I can only activate the ban for all members!
"Do you know how I spent last night? I can't sleep!
“We have not made any mistakes in community management, but as long as even one user is angry with us, they can report us at any time. The chat records in their hands are evidence!”
After Ye Lan finished speaking, his chest was still heaving violently. Zuo Ziliang pondered for a moment and asked curiously: "What are they arguing about?"
"The first thing is about account recharge. Many users are worried that the company will collapse and we can't refund the money," Ye Lan glanced at Wang Zixu next to him angrily, "Also, there is his matter."
"Me?" Wang Zixu looked confused.
Ye Lan waved his hand: "It's not important. Zuo Ziliang, can you please be more sober? Are there not many bosses who have joined these years? Two months, what can you do in two months? Why should you gamble with everyone's fate? Jane It's just a joke!"
Zuo Ziliang closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly opened his eyes and said, "I know it's a bet, but I will only bet if I am sure of a comeback."
"You have... a damn guarantee!" Ye Lan's lips squirmed for a long time, and finally he couldn't help but burst out. Then he turned to look at Wang Zixu and said, "Zizixu, please say something! You also persuade him!"
Wang Zixu took a deep breath.
Wang Zixu has long regarded Zuo Ziliang not only as a business partner, but also as a friend. Now, he knows that this friend is going astray step by step. As long as he makes the wrong move, he will be shattered to pieces.
He must find a way to convince him to calm down his overheated brain and stop doing something irreparably stupid.
“I have also received reliable news. After the year, Xunyi Galaxy will announce its indefinite withdrawal from the speech therapy industry.” Wang Zixu said, “Once they withdraw, the pressure will come to us. With them setting an example, will we be named again? Will public opinion criticize us? Verbal criticism? This is a huge risk.
“And Ye Lan is right, two months is too short, our monthly turnover was only 100,000 level, taking such a big risk with such a small amount of chips, I don’t think you have a chance to win. "
Ye Lan was very satisfied with his argument and nodded: "Yes! Totally not worth it! Now we have to either transform or find someone to take over. Let me declare in advance that I will never take this risk with you! ”
Zuo Ziliang pondered for a moment and said: "In my opinion, what you two said is good from another perspective."
Ye Lan slowly widened her eyes, Zuo Ziliang said before she screamed:
"The condition for joining the star user group is consumption. More than a thousand. The fact that so many people can come in in a short period of time shows that the TV station’s exposure to us has brought us huge traffic, and these users have a strong willingness to pay and are all high-quality customers;
“Xunyi Galaxy’s decisive exit will leave a huge market gap and a large number of mature users. We can take over both of these directly. ”
After saying that, his eyes flashed: "This is not a building that is about to collapse, but a God-given opportunity."
Ye Lan held his breath and shook his head slowly: "Crazy, You are really crazy!"
"My decision is," Zuo Ziliang said, speaking over her voice, "If you come with me, we will give it a final try. , I will buy out your shares at a friendly price of 0.2 yuan per share, and you will each receive..."
Ye Lan slowly widened his eyes, and after Zuo Ziliang calculated it In front of him, he gritted his teeth and said:
"...I can get 60,000 yuan, and the prince took 50,000 yuan in vain... Zuo Ziliang, are you sending the beggar away?"
Wang Zixu also felt his heart sink.
In any case, this number was far lower than his psychological expectations.
"Send away the beggar? Ye Lan, you should know the current situation of the company."
He swept away the fruit plate on the coffee table, turned his back, took out a thick stack of documents from his briefcase, and slapped it on the table.
“The company still has 4.5 million user stored value on its account, and it owes more than 400,000 yuan. The hundreds of employees who have just been recruited will cost about 1.2 million in severance compensation... Even if possible administrative penalties are not included, the debt is more than 6 million.
"The cash in our account is only 5 million, and the remaining assets are only an app and some office supplies. After selling, it will be around 100,000 at most... After calculation, our company has a debt of about 1 million."
Every time he said a word, Ye Lan's face turned pale. Not because Zuo Ziliang lied, but because she knew that these were facts.
Precisely because it is a fact, it is even more difficult to accept.
Wang Zixu stared at her expression, trying to discern the authenticity of Zuo Ziliang's words, but the more he looked at it, the more he became depressed.
Zuo Ziliang leaned back into the arms of the sofa and continued:
"In short, the company is now a mess with a debt of 1 million. I have paid to buy out your shares, which means that I have put all your debts and risks on my own shoulders. This money is to buy you out of the situation. If you are still not satisfied..."
He shook his head and said no more. After a brief silence, he straightened up and took out two documents from his briefcase.
“I have prepared the transfer contract. If you have thought clearly about it, you can sign it now.”
Ye Lan opened his mouth, his eyes empty. She searched her mind for any reason why the company was still valuable, but found none.
Wang Zixu asked in a low voice: "Has the company's situation really reached this point? The situation was obviously very good a while ago."
Zuo Ziliang looked at him and said expressionlessly: "Our company's core assets are users, word-of-mouth, more than 3,000 chatters and a little prince. If we continue, they will be the core. Competitiveness, if we withdraw, they will be worthless. This is why I want to work for another two months." After that, he reached out and patted the folder on the table: "Here are the company's financial statements, you can read them as long as you want."
Wang Zixu did not reach out. He knew nothing about finance, and even if he read it, he wouldn't understand the mystery.
Ye Lan gritted his teeth and said: "Zuo Ziliang, with such a huge traffic of the little prince, I don't believe that the company is only worth this little!"
Zuo Ziliang smiled bitterly: "You still don't want to face reality."
"Yes. ! I can't accept it!" Ye Lan's emotions suddenly broke out, "I am also a woman, and I also want to save face! Do you really think I feel honored to do this business?" "..." Zuo Ziliang's tone was still calm.
“I am tired, I don’t even want my dignity anymore, but you told me that my dignity, hard work, youth... are only worth 60,000 yuan, what do you think I should think?”
Zuo Ziliang remained expressionless: "That's how business is, if you win, you lose. If you lose, you have to admit it."
Ye Lan stared at him: "Then why don't you admit it?"
"Because I believe that I can win from defeat and survive in the face of death. But you don't believe it.
Ye Lan sneered: "The company has a debt of 1 million. If the three of us carry it together, you 500,000, me 300,000, and Wang Zixu 200,000.
"If we can survive death as you said, then we will make a net profit of more than 1 million in two months.
"But the company's average net profit in the past three months is only 320,000, and the highest in history is only 450,000. Why do you think you can fill this hole in two months?"
Zuo Ziliang was silent for a moment, and turned to Wang Zixu: "So, I hope Wang Zixu can stay."
The two people's eyes met in the air.
“I offered 50,000 yuan to buy out your shares because I believe that you will never leave with 50,000 yuan. You will definitely stay and take this last gamble with me.”
Wang Zixu looked directly at him: “Why do you think so?”
Zuo Ziliang looked directly into his eyes and said word by word: "Because you are the 'little prince', are you willing to sell this identity for 50,000 yuan?"
"I "I'm willing to do it." Wang Zixu answered without any hesitation, "50,000 is not much, but I am more afraid of going to jail. Where is the contract?"
Ye Lan looked at Wang Zixu with more complex eyes.
Although she was the first to mention "firm stance", he was so straightforward that it frightened her. Even she herself couldn't accept just taking 60,000 yuan and leaving.
Zuo Ziliang stared at Wang Zixu for a long time. Seeing that he remained unmoved, he finally seemed to give up. He turned around, dug out a thin contract in his briefcase, and pushed it in front of him.
"Sign it. After the payment is received, the company will have nothing to do with you, and the identity of the 'little prince' will have nothing to do with you anymore."
Wang Zixu lowered his head and picked up the pen, and Ye Lan grabbed his arm next to him.
"Hey, you only get 50,000 yuan for signing this, which is not even worth a monthly dividend. Can you really accept it?"
Wang Zixu put down his pen and looked at her: "Didn't you tell me to stand firm?"
Ye Lan's expression was twisted in pain:
"Yes, that's what I said, but what I want is to be able to retire with more than five million yuan and have free wealth from now on... No matter how bad it is, I should have more than one million yuan, right? This, this gap is too big..."
Wang Zixu said calmly: "No We should think about it this way, but we should think about it this way: We are now in a quasi-imprisonment situation, and we must consider issues based on imprisonment. Do you think that not only can we not go to jail, but we can also get tens of thousands of dollars, isn't it a profit? "
Ye Lan laughed angrily, and was incoherent for a moment.
Zuo Ziliang said: "I know why you didn't even listen to my plan and were about to quit."
Wang Zixu said: "I don't need to listen."
It’s not that he doesn’t need to listen, but he doesn’t dare to listen.
He was afraid that once he heard this, he would change his mind, give up his great future, and accompany Zuo Ziliang in his final crazy try.
He also has "Fire in the Stone", although there is little hope of winning the award; he has just established connections in the literary circle, although everyone is shouting about beating him; but at least there, he can stand upright in front of people.
He knows very well that there is a cruelty mixed with the smell of blood hidden in his bones. This character is his thanatos, the death instinct, and is the root of his becoming the 'little prince'.
At the same time, he knew Zuo Ziliang too well. Once this person has an idea, he can always express it in a very charming way, which is full of temptation.
So he is afraid. I was afraid that I would be convinced by Zuo Ziliang. Afraid that I won’t be as determined as I am now.
Wang Zixu picked up the pen again. He really wanted to sign his name gracefully without looking at it like in the movie, but his cautious character made him unable to be so elegant after all.
He picked up the contract and read it carefully page by page.
While he was reviewing the contract, Zuo Ziliang leaned on the sofa and suddenly said:
"I remembered the first time I saw you."
The prince didn't even raise his head: "Do you want to play the emotional card?"
Zuo Ziliang seemed not to hear his sarcasm, and continued:
"You were wearing a cheap gray suit at that time, and there was a pretentious self-esteem in your eyes, underneath. It shows a deeper lack of self-confidence. You can tell at a glance that it is someone within the system. "
Wang Zixu asked: "Are you humiliating me, or everyone in the system?"
A sarcastic smile appeared on Zuo Ziliang's lips:
"I am not humiliating anyone, I am just stating my observations. I have seen many figures in the system, from the grassroots to the middle level, everyone has similar eyes, including you."
Wang Zixu finally raised his head and looked at him: "What look?"
p>“A very complicated look,” Zuo Ziliang said, “I often wonder, what creates this contradictory look? Later I figured it out, it’s identity.”
Wang Zixu remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"You people who have a system, your survival logic is different from those of us who work hard in the world. Whether you do well or not, your salary will not be less. This is enough to be proud of, and indeed, it is a higher level than those who are struggling for life.
"But you also know in your heart that these are given by your status. If you take off this layer of skin and throw yourself naked into society, you may not be able to make a living. So subconsciously, you are all afraid. "
After a pause, Zuo Ziliang said: "The first time I met you, I could see that you were scared, so I tried my best to praise your writing skills. If I don't praise you to the sky, you may go back and think about it, worry about affecting the work within the system, and give up this job. ”
Wang Zixu put down the contract: "Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"
Zuo Ziliang looked directly at him: "You are not afraid now, but you have completely gone to the other extreme, not eating the grain of the world and living in a vacuum. You seem to think that as long as you have a skill and your writing style, you can be popular wherever you go."
Wang Zixu quietly clenched his fists: "Isn't it?"
Zuo Ziliang's expression gradually became painful: "I tell you, that's not the case.
"I used to be like you, thinking that as long as you have talent, you will have countless opportunities, and you can fall and start over countless times. But no. I've fallen down too many times and I'm just waiting for this chance.
"Do you think you are the only one who has dreams? Do you think you are the only one who has talent? I do too. Without me, would there be a little prince? The success of the little prince is not yours alone. It is the result of the right time, place, people, and various factors. This is It’s a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
“Once you take off the skin of the little prince, there is no turning back, you can never put it back on, you lose this identity forever. Do you think that as long as you can still write, you can replicate this success? Impossible, you will never find such a platform, such users, or such partners again.
“This 50,000 yuan is not the ‘midpoint’, but the ‘end’. Game over, this is your reward for passing the level, and young hero, there is no chance to start over.”
After saying a long paragraph, Zuo Ziliang took a breath, leaned back on the sofa, picked up the lemonade on the coffee table and drank it in one gulp.
Ye Lan grabbed Wang Zixu's arm again: "How about... you think about it again?"
Wang Zixu looked back at her: "Are you not afraid of going to jail? "
Ye Lan whispered: "Afraid, who is not afraid? But to be honest, I really need money now..."
Who doesn't need money? No matter how much money you already have, people always need more money.
Wang Zixu looked at the contract in his hand, and An Younan’s words rang in his ears again:
"The gecko can give up its tail because there is absolutely no soul stored in the tail."
"Can you really give up the other half of your soul?"
After a long time, Wang Zixu slowly raised his head and looked at Zuo Ziliang.
"How about... can you tell us the details of your plan?"
(End of this chapter)