Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed-Chapter 53 - 52 Li Yuan’s Business Layout
Looking at the message from her best friend, Wang Yuchen, Bai Weixi felt a dull ache in her heart.
In the eyes of outsiders, she and Li Yuan were a match made in heaven, true childhood sweethearts. They had been classmates for three years in high school, desk mates for over a year and a half, and had tutored each other in their studies. In terms of academic performance, appearance, height, and family background, Li Yuan was a top student in their high school. Within Class 22, few could compare.
She, too, was exceptionally outstanding, with admirers from every class in the high school and having received love letters numbering in the triple digits.
A handsome and talented pair, they became an even more talked-about couple when Li Yuan, in a moment of "impulsiveness" during college applications, managed to luckily snag a spot at a 985 university, the same one she attended. When she first heard the news, she had been deeply touched. For someone to gamble their future on college admissions for her sake was the height of romance and sincerity. It was more persuasive than any words.
Afterward, even her best friend Wang Yuchen’s opinion of Li Yuan improved significantly, promptly labeling him a "devoted and good man." It would have surprised many who knew them if the two hadn’t ended up together.
Bai Weixi changed the subject. Her relationship with Li Yuan was something she now found difficult to talk about.
What could she say? Tell Wang Yuchen that Li Yuan forcefully kissed me by the train station, that I bit his arm until it was mangled, and that I don’t want to deal with him anymore? That he didn’t even react when he saw me crying and didn’t try to comfort me...
To say all this would only bring her more embarrassment, especially in front of her best friend.
"Yuchen, how’s the environment at your school? University military training starts in three days, right?"
Wang Yuchen was unaware of Bai Weixi’s mood. Their universities were over ten kilometers apart, so meeting up wasn’t difficult; Modu’s subways and public transport were very well-developed.
"Our business school is quite nice, and the campus isn’t too big. Xu Zhi already gave me a tour. The food in the dining hall is delicious, and we’re surrounded by shopping malls and busy markets... I heard that the university military training lasts for two weeks. You have to wake up just after six in the morning, and it doesn’t end until past nine at night. It sounds incredibly tough... so annoying. I don’t want to do it. Why do they even make girls participate in military training? It’s not like we’re going into battle. They should just make the guys do it..." Wang Yuchen chattered on endlessly.
The more Bai Weixi listened, the more envious she became. After Li Yuan had brought her to the school, he hadn’t sent a single caring message, let alone offered to show her around campus, all because of one angry comment she had made.
"It sounds like you and Xu Zhi are getting along well. But I think military training is unavoidable, and it’s not easy to get a leave of absence. All students, men and women, have to participate..."
"Your Li Yuan is great, too. He was known for being a real sweetheart in high school. He was so nice to you; the rest of us girls were all green with envy... Do you remember? That one time, it suddenly started pouring, and none of us had umbrellas. Li Yuan ran all the way home in the downpour to bring you one. After he walked you to your building, he ran back home in the rain and ended up sick with a high fever for days..."
Hearing Wang Yuchen recount these memories, a smile unwittingly spread across Bai Weixi’s face. She and Li Yuan truly had shared many sweet moments in high school.
But why did everything change the moment they graduated? He became distant and aloof, no longer clinging to her.
"Yuchen, do you think all boys are so fickle?"
Wang Yuchen shook her head, answering uncertainly, "I don’t think so. I believe most guys are quite devoted and faithful. It would be hard to find someone as devoted as him in our entire high school... Bai, you and Li Yuan really have to stay together. We’re all waiting to see our favorite couple finally get their happy ending."
Li Yuan... is he really that devoted? Bai Weixi’s confusion only deepened.
***
At night, Yi Jing, Liu Jia, and Zhou Tianyu returned to the dormitory after ten o’clock.
Seeing them come in, Li Yuan stopped typing. He wasn’t ready to reveal that he was writing a novel yet. Since his relationship with them wasn’t that close, he didn’t see the need.
He browsed websites like Qiandu Tieba, pondering the famous forums of the future. He thought of sites like Zhihu, often nicknamed "Make Up Your Story," and a certain "Red Book," a gathering place for self-proclaimed Little Fairies.
These websites had yet to be established, but their future prospects were excellent. If developed properly, reaching a market value of several billion dollars wouldn’t be a problem. As for the initial investment, it wouldn’t cost much with the right approach. With his skills, he could even build a website himself if he dedicated the time.
If I register the domain names now and build the corresponding sites, it could be a very lucrative venture...
Since his rebirth, Li Yuan had been contemplating investment strategies in addition to writing. In 2008, the best industry to invest in was e-commerce. Future giants like Alibaba, as well as companies like Jingxi and Pinduoduo, had not yet completely dominated the market and formed an oligopoly. Entering now meant he could still get a piece of the pie.
Other sectors, like short-video and live-streaming websites, were still a few years away from their explosive rise. However, with the development of smartphones, they were all inevitable future trends. Beyond that, services like Meituan’s food delivery and Didi’s ride-hailing were also riding a wave of opportunity, with massive markets and promising futures.
Of course, the most profitable industry of all was gaming. Both browser games and PC games could generate vast fortunes.
It was only September 2008. LoL was still more than a year from its debut, and it would be even longer before it launched on the mainland. The game’s popularity would be enduring; even in 2023, before his transmigration, it was still the hottest PC game, bar none. It was a goldmine worth hundreds of billions of dollars that could be excavated for a very long time. Then there were mobile games; King of Glory alone made billions over a single Spring Festival.
Once military training is over, I can take action immediately. As soon as the office building I’ve purchased is renovated, I can officially launch the business.
Having been reborn, he was naturally ambitious. Otherwise, with his foreknowledge, he could just lay back starting now, use his monthly author fees to hoard properties in first-tier cities like Modu, Beijing, and Shen City, and live a very comfortable life. But in that scenario, his social status would remain average.
People should always have dreams. Without them, what’s the difference between you and salted fish?
Li Yuan had a bold business plan in mind, but he knew bringing it to fruition would require a hundred times the effort.
***
As Liu Jia, Yi Jing, and Zhou Tianyu entered the dormitory, Liu Jia, the chatterbox, immediately began, "Li Yuan, you really missed out by not going out! We saw something incredible today, wanna hear about it?"
Li Yuan replied indifferently, "Not really."
"Tsk, you’re no fun," Liu Jia pouted, continuing his story anyway. "You know, today at the school’s soccer field, we saw a romantic confession. There must have been over a hundred people gathered around. There were candles arranged everywhere, bouquets of flowers, and even a banner. A senior guy was confessing to a senior girl. The scene was so romantic... Guess what happened in the end?"
Li Yuan answered casually, "What else? He got rejected, of course."
"Holy crap, how did you know?" Liu Jia’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Li Yuan suspiciously. "Did you sneak off to watch it too?"
"Like hell I did," Li Yuan retorted irritably. "Liu Jia, have you forgotten the internet exists?"
With that, he switched his computer screen to Daxia University’s Qiandu Tieba. The pinned post on the campus forum read:
"BREAKING: THIRD-YEAR SENIOR’S GRAND ROMANTIC CONFESSION RUTHLESSLY REJECTED!"
