An unsatisfactory offer

The email they sent was simple.

They only said they wanted to discuss a business partnership and asked whether he could provide a personal phone number.

Chen Fan had neither a mobile phone nor a phone card.

So he replied to the email right away.

He stated that he was the founder of the Domain Name Network and that they could contact him by email with any questions.

Soon, their second email arrived.

This time, they identified themselves as being from Some Technology Company and asked whether Chen Fan was interested in selling the Domain Name Network.

It actually wasn't HiChina.

Chen Fan was a little surprised.

Without wasting words, he got straight to the point.

"How much are you offering?"

"Three hundred thousand."

When Chen Fan saw the offer, he nearly laughed in anger.

Although he hadn't known exactly how much the Easy Domain Network had sold for in his previous life,

even a rough estimate put it at over a million.

Opening with an offer of three hundred thousand, this guy was clearly trying to fool him as though he were a clueless novice.

Chen Fan replied directly, "Sorry, I don't work with people who aren't serious."

Soon, another email arrived.

"Then what's your asking price?"

"At least five million."

Chen Fan gave a rough figure he had in mind.

That immediately infuriated the other party.

"Five million? Why don't you just rob someone?"

"Do you really think money is that easy to make on the internet?"

"I only decided to give you a hand because your website looked good and had potential."

"Do you know how much money three hundred thousand is?"

"If you pass this up, you'll definitely regret it."

Chen Fan laughed.

"Thanks for thinking so highly of it. Don't worry, I definitely won't regret it."

After sending his reply, he blocked them.

Chen Fan had no interest in continuing negotiations with such a self-important company.

After leaving the internet café, Chen Fan bought two fifty-yuan phone cards at a nearby shop.

Once he got back, he called Su Ruochu's dorm room first. It was their first time chatting over the phone, and they seemed to have endless things to say.

Eventually, Sun Hao, who was waiting for his girlfriend's call, grew so anxious that he paced back and forth in front of Chen Fan, practically ready to get on his knees and beg.

Seeing Sun Hao's pleading expression, Chen Fan chuckled, exchanged a few final words with Su Ruochu, and hung up.

But when he checked the phone credit, only half remained.

Chen Fan shook his head, speechless.

"Calling your girlfriend costs way too much."

Just then, Ma Xiaoshuai emerged from the bathroom and teased him with a grin.

"Fourth Brother, I just listened to your whole conversation with your girlfriend. You two are so polite to each other. There's no passion at all."

"Look at Third Brother. Every time he talks to his girlfriend, it's 'honey' this and 'honey' that..."

As he spoke, the phone rang, and Sun Hao immediately lunged for it.

"Hello, honey..."

"Aw, don't get mad yet. One of my roommates was using the phone just now..."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

Chen Fan glanced at Sun Hao with a chuckle, then said to Ma Xiaoshuai,

"We're different from Third Brother and his girlfriend. We're pursuing Platonic Love."

Ma Xiaoshuai scoffed.

"When you go to a hotel with your girlfriend someday, you'd better remember what you said today."

Luo Wenjie, who was lying in bed listening to his MP3 player, joked with a laugh, "Maybe Fourth Brother will be memorizing CET-4 and CET-6 vocabulary with his girlfriend at the hotel."

"CET-4 and CET-6 vocabulary? I know some too."

Ma Xiaoshuai rattled it off without hesitation.

"Oh, yeah! Fuck me, baby..."

"Get lost!"

Chen Fan cursed at him with a laugh.

Beside them, Sun Hao was still on the phone, ready to cry.

"Honey, listen to me. I really wasn't watching porn in the dorm..."

As military training entered its final stage, the drills grew noticeably more demanding.

To prepare for the final day's military parade, everyone had to repeat marching, goose-stepping, and chanting slogans over and over...

As a front-row pace-setter, Chen Fan was held to an even higher standard. After two days of shouting slogans, his voice had gone hoarse.

He didn't much like the role and wanted to speak to the instructor privately about replacing him.

But the instructor rejected the idea outright.

He insisted that Chen Fan had performed the best and encouraged him to march with real spirit on the final day.

There was nothing he could do.

He could only keep his head down and practice hard.

Over the next few days, Chen Fan made time every day to visit the internet café and check his inbox.

Three more companies subsequently expressed interest in buying the Domain Name Network.

These three were clearly much more credible than the first.

But Chen Fan wasn't satisfied with any of their offers.

After several rounds of discussion, the negotiations ultimately ended on a sour note.

One company offered as much as eight hundred and eighty thousand.

But Chen Fan still turned it down.

To be honest, Chen Fan felt conflicted.

Was I really asking too much?

In his previous life, there had been no detailed report online about how much the Easy Domain Network had been acquired for.

But based on his own experience, Chen Fan estimated that it couldn't have been less than a million.

Otherwise, Boss Yao would have taken a huge loss.

Chen Fan was still waiting.

Because HiChina, which had bought the Easy Domain Network in his previous life, hadn't contacted him yet.

September was almost over.

He didn't believe they could keep dragging things out.

September 16 dawned with clear skies.

The military training that everyone both loved and hated finally came to an end.

During the morning parade, each formation marched past the reviewing stand, chanting slogans in unison.

The university leaders and senior military instructors sat on the stand.

When it was the turn of the Marketing students from the School of Economics and Management, Chen Fan and another male student from his class marched at the front of their formation as pace-setters, their steps firm and crisp.

"Quick march..."

"Eyes right!"

"Mighty Third Company, daring to lead! Proud and valiant, forward we charge!"

As their formation passed the reviewing stand, the students shouted their slogans at the tops of their lungs, veins standing out on their necks.

Even those who normally loathed military training felt a powerful sense of collective pride at that moment.

"Eyes front... quick march!"

Once they had passed the reviewing stand, all the students quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

In the final judging, Chen Fan's company took second place.

The military parade was held in the morning, followed by a military training singing competition in the afternoon.

Chen Fan's formation had chosen "Unity Is Strength" and "Yellow River Cantata."

During rehearsals, the instructor had only one requirement: they could sing off-key, but everyone had to belt it out.

So when Chen Fan's formation took the stage and roared out the opening line, "Unity is strength," the entire field seemed to tremble slightly.

After shouting their way through both songs, they marched off the stage in formation.

When the leaders announced the results, their Third Company had actually wrested a third-place certificate from the music school's arts students.

Everyone was even happier with this unexpected bonus.

At five in the afternoon, the singing competition ended, marking the official end of military training.

Their counselor announced that everyone could come to the field after dinner to watch the performances, as the university was holding a welcome party for the new students that evening.

Chen Fan had no interest in the party. After dinner, he slipped out of the university gates alone and headed straight to the internet café.

But he waited the entire evening without receiving a single email.

Feeling a little dejected, he logged off and returned to campus.

As he walked through campus, he could still hear singing from the welcome party on the distant field, along with waves of cheers from the students.

Everyone else was enjoying the festivities, but Chen Fan couldn't feel happy.

He wondered whether he would have to keep waiting indefinitely if the Domain Name Network didn't sell.

Time waited for no one. He had to think of some other way to start making money.

He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

He currently had fifty thousand yuan, which he had received from Boss Yao of the Easy Domain Network.

In this era, fifty thousand yuan wasn't an enormous sum, but it certainly wasn't small either.

If he wanted to use it as startup capital for a business, he would have to plan things carefully.

Just as Chen Fan was heading back to his dorm building with his head lowered in thought,

he ran into an unexpected figure outside the building.

"Senior Tian Yuan?"

Chen Fan greeted him with a smile.

"Are you here to see someone?"

Tian Yuan smiled at Chen Fan.

"I'm here to see you."

"Me?"

Chen Fan was a little surprised.

"What did you need me for?"