Heated Discussion

Calls went unanswered, text messages got no replies, and staking out the company entrance didn't turn up anyone either. Even messages to the merchants on JD.com and Taobao only got automatic replies from bots.

Shenma Technology Company was now selling twenty thousand units a day. At least eight or ten thousand people were trying to reach Ning Yifan through customer service chats, and Shenma Technology Company had only one employee: Ning Yifan, who was both the manufacturer and the customer service representative. There was no way he could patiently reply to everyone!

The major companies' plan to reach Ning Yifan through chat windows failed once again, and their joint acquisition plan had hit a deadlock from the very start.

After going around in circles, the people at the major companies finally caught on: the young man named Ning Yifan seemed to have completely blocked them.

So what could they do to get in touch with him?

In the end, the major companies came up with a plan that wasn't really a plan at all: make the matter public, so that everyone in Daxia Country would hear about the acquisition. Surely then Ning Yifan would see it!

If this didn't work and he still didn't reply, they would just have to think of something else!

There was no harm in trying. Plenty of things only worked out after repeated attempts.

The major companies were all at a life-or-death turning point. They had to grab at every possible lifeline and give it a try.

So that day, the companies posted messages on their official Weibo accounts, Bilibili accounts, official Douyin accounts, and every other channel where they could make their voices heard online. Whether or not Shenma Technology Company had accounts on Weibo, Bilibili, or Douyin, they tagged the company in every post.

The chairmen of several companies appeared in the videos themselves, addressing audiences across Daxia and formally sending Ning Yifan this message.

"To Mr. Ning Yifan:

Hello, Mr. Ning Yifan. We are a joint acquisition group formed by Changhong, TCL, Skyworth, Haier, and Hisense, following a meeting of our respective company boards.

Our companies are all very interested in your Shenma Technology Company and the Phantom Projector. We hope to acquire Shenma Technology Company and the technology behind the Phantom Projector from you.

For this acquisition, we are willing to pay [an undisclosed amount].

The Phantom Projector is undoubtedly a product that could only be created by a genius of extraordinary talent. Ever since it appeared, it has dealt blow after blow to the traditional televisions we used to manufacture.

At the same time, we're also very interested in you personally, Mr. Ning Yifan. According to information we've received through various channels, you graduated from university just one year ago. If you're interested, we'd also like to invite you to serve as our company's technical director. You'd only need to visit the company a few times a year to offer guidance, and your annual salary would start at one hundred million. The company would also offer bonuses for any major achievements.

We hope that after seeing this message, you'll get in touch with us."

With money behind it, the message quickly made the Weibo trending list, became a featured video on Bilibili, and went viral on Douyin.

The moment news of the eight-hundred-billion acquisition plan broke, it drew the attention of countless netizens. No acquisition in history had ever involved such a colossal sum. It was like witnessing history in the making—how could people online not go wild?

"Is this the Shenma Technology Company that makes the Phantom Projector? Sales have been booming lately. They sell twenty thousand a day, and the stock's gone within minutes. I had no idea they could sell for this much!"

"Eight hundred billion!!! That's so much! Is Shenma Technology Company really worth that?"

"I knew the Phantom Projector was a huge hit, but I didn't realize these big appliance companies had been pushed to the brink. They're joining forces to acquire Shenma Technology Company!"

"Eight hundred billion? The number's so big I can't even picture it. Let me work it out. If someone lived for a hundred years, how could they spend all that money in their lifetime?

"A hundred years is about thirty-six thousand five hundred days. That means they'd have to spend twenty-one million nine hundred and ten thousand a day. Spend as wildly as you want, and you probably still wouldn't use it all up in one lifetime!"

"Shenma Technology Company is absolutely crushing it! We have a second-generation Phantom Projector at home, and I have to say, it's fantastic. So much better than a TV!"

"Graduated from university just one year ago??? I feel like I got a fake PhD!"

"Unbelievable. I just looked up the TV sales for these companies online. Guess how their products are doing now? In just one month, some of their official online flagship stores sold single-digit numbers of TVs. Can you believe that? One of their former bestsellers was still selling over ten thousand units a month at this time last year!"

"Poor home appliance companies. But that's reality. Consumers buy based on the product. If your product's good, people will buy it. And as technology advances, they'll naturally abandon you when something better comes along."

"If these companies hadn't spoken up, I'd almost have forgotten about them. These days, everyone's first choice when buying a TV is the Phantom Projector made by Shenma Technology Company. And even though Singles' Day has passed, the Phantom Projector's price hasn't gone back up. It's incredible value!"

"Eight hundred billion. That's more money than I could earn in one lifetime, ten lifetimes, or even a hundred lifetimes!"

"Shenma Technology Company, Ning Yifan—right now, this instant, I need all the information on this person! If she's a woman, I'll use everything I've ever learned to win her over. I don't care if she's pretty, tall, short, fat, or thin. I just love her for who she is!

"If he's a man, he can wait two months for me. I'll go to Thailand and come back, then marry him right away. It's not because of the money. He's simply captured my heart!

"Look at those three characters in Ning Yifan's name. They go so well with the XXX in my name. He's the one fate chose for me!"

"Hey, get some shame!"

"Eight hundred billion is only three characters, but when you do the math, it means never having to worry about money again—and even making it onto the Forbes list as one of the richest people in the world!"

"I live in a small, fourth-tier city where a decent home costs around four or five hundred thousand. Eight hundred billion... Wait, let me do the math. A house costs five hundred thousand. Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands!

"Eight hundred billion could buy one million six hundred thousand homes worth five hundred thousand each. One million six hundred thousand homes! Our little city doesn't even have that many homes for sale. It only has a population of a few hundred thousand. Assuming one home for every three people, the whole city has around two hundred thousand homes. Add in all the other facilities and assorted stuff, and conservatively speaking, you could buy ten cities like the one I live in!

"Oh my god, you never know until you do the math. That Ning Yifan guy—does he need someone to hang off his leg? I can help groom his leg hair. I'm really good at it!

"I've been working for five years and still can't afford a house. I can't even afford a bathroom. I don't want to work hard anymore. Big shot, please keep me!"

"Shenma Technology Company—can the Phantom Projector really be worth that much? You could probably pile all that money into a mountain!"

"It's an industry revolution. It's worth that much! If those major companies got their hands on Phantom Projector technology, things would change dramatically. The Phantom Projector could go global in no time and take over the world market, creating a monopoly. There'd also be plenty of related revenue streams, like television ads and brand value!"

"I'm so jealous. I did the math quickly, and if all that money went into a bank, the interest earned in a single day would probably be more than I could make in my whole life!"

"I'm going to sleep, I'm going to sleep. Anything can happen in a dream. If I prop my pillow up a little higher, maybe tonight I'll dream that I'm this young man named Ning Yifan."

"Sacrificing five international companies in Daxia to build one person's fortune. Judging by how these companies are going about it, this message is on Douyin, Bilibili, Weibo, and even all the companies' official websites. It doesn't look fake!"

"This Shenma Technology Company hasn't even been around for half a year, and it's already this impressive? With Phantom Projector technology in its hands, it's basically on par with several international corporations. Seriously, it's unbelievably powerful!"

"Is everyone just talking about the eight hundred billion? Am I the only one who's jealous of a job where you barely have to work but still get paid a hundred million a year?"

"Compared to eight hundred billion, a hundred million a year is nothing. You'd have to work for eight thousand years to earn that much! Everything's relative. A salary of a hundred million a year would still be shocking on its own, but beside eight hundred billion, it doesn't seem like much!"

"The Phantom Projector is the future. The age of televisions is over. Ever since I bought a Phantom Projector, I've been using my phone a lot less. It projects the screen across an entire wall, which makes playing console games awesome. Movies look amazing too!"

"Other people's kids. We're both in our twenties, but Ning Yifan can become the richest person in the world. He could say he wasn't interested in money, and no one would question him. And me? I'm still deciding whether to have braised beef noodles or pickled cabbage beef noodles for dinner. I don't even dare add a single sausage, in case I starve during the second half of the month. I'm still worrying about next month's rent and finding a job. I suddenly feel like smashing my head against a block of tofu and starting over!"

"That's what a genius looks like. It really is true that knowledge is wealth!"

The joint eight-hundred-billion acquisition plan had shown netizens across the internet just how much money was involved. It had also left them incredibly curious about Ning Yifan, the owner of Shenma Technology Company.

What kind of person could become the richest person in the world at such a young age?

Yes, judging by the amount in the acquisition proposal, no one doubted that the deal would go through.

Put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur: eight hundred billion was the kind of money Shenma Technology Company might make over decades if it continued on its current path. Now, all Ning Yifan had to do was agree to the acquisition, and he'd have the earnings of decades of work in his hands.

Besides, what if something went wrong while Shenma Technology Company was operating?

Any reasonable person would know what to choose!

"Ning Yifan sounds like a man's name. Ladies, our chance has come! I'm offering a huge reward for the address of Shenma Technology Company. Whether we can land a rich husband depends on this!"

"He's so young, yet he's already reached heights ordinary people will never attain in their entire lives. He's amazing! Compared to rich second-generation heirs with good luck at birth, he's the real deal!"

"If the acquisition goes through, he'll surpass every self-made billionaire in the world!"

"Ahhh, why can't I be the main character in this story? If only it were me! Eight hundred billion! I'd buy islands and yachts, party with a hundred women every day, travel the world, and live like there's no tomorrow!"

"Hey, I've been there. You couldn't handle that. Forget a hundred women—you couldn't manage even two or three. You'd be drained dry in less than a month!"

"Hey, rich guy, looks like you've let something slip!"

"Here comes another national heartthrob. Compared to Principal Wang, this guy's the real big shot!"

"I'm really curious about what this young man who graduated just a year ago, Ning Yifan, looks like. Does anyone with inside information have a photo they can share? I hope this big shot looks like a total mess. Otherwise, how are ordinary people like us supposed to live?"

"With enough money, even a total mess can become a different kind of handsome. Right, Mr. Ma? At that level, looks don't matter anymore!"

"Graduated just one year ago, and this young man named Ning Yifan sounds like the hero of some idol drama!"

"'The CEO Falls in Love with Me!' Ahhh, it suddenly reminds me of a novel plot. I wish it could happen in real life!"

"I wonder if my husband has a girlfriend. It'd be best if he didn't. But if he does, I don't mind sharing!"

Online, discussion of Shenma Technology Company and Ning Yifan set off a nationwide frenzy, with everyone speculating about Ning Yifan's true identity.

Meanwhile, Chen Shunjie had finished a busy day at work. He'd just shown a client around a property, only for the deal to fall through. Back home after work, he rested for a while, pulled out his phone, and saw the Weibo trending news that had suddenly appeared that day, along with the topic everyone was discussing.

Ning Yifan, Shenma Technology Company?

Rubbing his chin, Chen Shunjie pondered.

Wasn't Shenma Technology Company and Ning Yifan the client he'd helped with a factory rental a few months ago? He'd spent several days showing him factories, nearly making a complete tour of the industrial parks around Chengdu, and the young man had left a deep impression on Chen Shunjie.

He was a very handsome young man with a great figure. He liked to ride over on his bicycle early in the morning so they could go look at factories together.

The factory he eventually bought was in Dujiangyan. Chen Shunjie had made a lot of money from the commission, helping with the transfer of ownership, and taking care of the related paperwork!

Compared with the other big bosses he'd met, Ning Yifan was quite unusual. He'd left a deep impression on Chen Shunjie. Chen Shunjie had originally thought he was a rich second-generation heir and that starting a company was just a hobby. He'd never expected that, a few months later, he'd be trending on Weibo—and that several famous companies in Daxia would join forces to offer eight hundred billion for his company and its technology.

Only a few months had passed, and Ning Yifan's company had already reached this level?!

Thinking about Ning Yifan, then thinking about himself, Chen Shunjie sighed.

Comparing people was enough to make you despair; comparing goods was enough to make you throw yours away!

The heavens were so unfair. They'd already given that guy a face more handsome than Wu Yanzu's, and then they'd given him the world's greatest fortune too. It was practically enough to drive ordinary people to their deaths!

He wondered if it was too late to cozy up to him now. Too bad Chen Shunjie didn't have a sister or younger sister, and his mother couldn't get married again. Otherwise, if they could become family, he wouldn't have to worry about a thing for the rest of his life...

The online news had Chen Shunjie's imagination running wild. After a long, tiring day at work, he found himself indulging in a rare daydream.