Shortly after eleven o’clock, many reporters gathered on the street outside the courthouse, waiting for Chai Yang and Lin Zhixia to emerge. The dispute between these two had consistently been a hot topic in the technology section of the provincial “Morning Daily” newspaper, as they embodied numerous buzzwords: “beauty, tycoon, genius, entrepreneurship, fraud, returnee, investment.”

When Chai Yang appeared, the reporters swarmed toward him.

Before entering the court, Chai Yang had distributed red envelopes to the reporters.

Now, he has declined all interviews.

He glanced toward the street, where a male host from his company was still diligently reporting on the situation at the courthouse entrance.

The male host spoke with dramatic intonation: “Hello! Greetings to all our viewers, ladies and gentlemen! I’m your host, Kevin, you can call me Wenwen… Newcomers are in luck today, our boss has just come out of court! How did the boss’s hearing go? Viewers who guess correctly have a chance to win prizes!”

While speaking, Kevin approached Chai Yang, calling out in a coquettish tone: “Boss Chai! Chai-Chai!”

That tenderly uttered “Chai-Chai” was filled with emotion, suggestive and lingering.

In an instant, the viewer count dropped from three thousand to two thousand.

Chai Yang’s headache worsened.

Fortunately, Chai Yang’s friend Nie Tianqing was waiting for him by the roadside.

Nie Tianqing pulled up in a car and waved to him.

Chai Yang abandoned his company’s male host and headed straight for Nie Tianqing’s vehicle. He sat in the passenger seat, and Nie Tianqing asked him: “Is the hearing over?”

He replied: “Just finished.”

Chai Yang looked unwell. As Nie Tianqing drove, he smiled and asked: “What about your lawsuit with Jiang Yubai?”

“I won’t come to court next time,” Chai Yang said. “I’ll fully authorize my lawyer… and change lawyers. Ah, my lawyer today had nothing but loopholes in his arguments.”

Nie Tianqing asked again: “Where do you want to go?”

Chai Yang closed his eyes to rest: “Yangyang Livestream headquarters.”

He had originally planned to return to the “Yangyang Livestream” headquarters for a brief rest, but unexpectedly, Nie Tianqing revealed: “While you were in court this morning, headhunters called your employees, trying to poach them with high salaries…”

Before Nie Tianqing could finish, Chai Yang’s eyelids began to twitch.

What does a startup fear most?

First, lack of money; second, lack of people.

Years ago, when Chai Yang had just established the embryonic form of “Jiang Tech Software,” he had followed others’ advice and organized a “dual-layer shareholder” structure—the first layer consisted of the founder’s core team, and the second layer included the company’s earliest employees. Through this approach, Chai Yang rapidly increased team cohesion and consolidated his leadership position.

When Chai Yang left Jiang Tech Software, he brought out a batch of employees whose equity was bought back by Jiang Yubai, severing all ties with Jiang Tech Software.

Chai Yang knew that the employees in his team weren’t wholeheartedly committed to supporting him.

After his fallout with Jiang Yubai and departure from Jiang Tech Software, if his old employees had remained with the company, they would inevitably have become entangled in factional struggles. It was better for them to cash out their equity and leave with him, using his “Yangyang Livestream” as a stepping stone to jump to various major internet companies nationwide.

Chai Yang was not a proud or arrogant person.

He knew how to maintain proper balance.

First, he had to stabilize the company’s technical backbone; second, he needed to secure Series B financing; finally, even at the cost of his entire fortune, he had to ensure “Yangyang Livestream” maintained user engagement.

The more detailed his thoughts became, the more anxious he felt.

Nie Tianqing remained steady as a mountain: “Fear what comes, worry less, stress less.”

*

As noon approached, the provincial city’s traffic volume increased significantly.

Nie Tianqing wanted to get Chai Yang back to his home as quickly as possible.

Chai Yang lived in a luxury apartment building in the city center. Following the navigation system’s directions, Nie Tianqing detoured onto a commercial street, packed with crowds and bustling with activity. The streets were filled with groups of vibrant young people.

Chai Yang lowered the car window slightly.

The bitter cold wind of late February brought a bone-chilling sensation.

It felt as if an ice knife formed by the cold wind had severed the connection between his nasal cavity and trachea.

Chai Yang shuddered.

He glanced into the distance.

At the end of this commercial street lay the financial district of the provincial city, where the headquarters of “Baiqi Asset Management Co., Ltd.,” controlled by Jiang Yubai, was located in the core area of the financial district.

“Baiqi Asset Management Co., Ltd.” was a private equity fund company involved in stocks, bonds, and macro futures strategies. Chai Yang had once been an honored guest at this company. Now, he would take a detour whenever he saw the characters “Baiqi.”

He raised a hand, directing Nie Tianqing: “Let’s change routes, go to the street on the west side…”

Nie Tianqing effortlessly saw through him: “Baiqi Company is on the east side, we’re going west to avoid Baiqi’s building.”

“Baiqi’s fund size must be at least several billion, with a high position in investment circles,” Chai Yang suddenly remarked. “Every circle I’ve been in… worships the powerful and despises the weak, without exception.”

He elaborated in detail: “When I was a student, teachers and classmates in my class only respected those with good grades; only students with good grades were treated as people. After graduating from university and entering society, I figured things out—whoever has money is the father, whoever has power is the father’s father! Six years ago, I was dead broke. Hundreds of angel investors threw my business plan into the trash. I couldn’t even afford to print A4 paper. Outside a financial company in Beijing, a security guard grabbed my collar and repeatedly slapped my face. It was broad daylight, and passersby gathered around like flies…”

This was the first time Nie Tianqing had heard him mention the “slapping incident.”

Nie Tianqing’s expression changed slightly: “How many times did the guard slap you?”

“More than ten slaps,” Chai Yang described honestly. “My cheeks were swollen high, but I still smiled-a forced smile—and refused to leave. I just wanted to meet someone from their company who might invest some money in me. Call me a beggar if you want, I’ll accept it. When you start a business, you have to be thick-skinned—my once-inexperienced thin skin was beaten to shreds by that security guard’s slaps long ago.”

Nie Tianqing showed no sympathy. Holding the steering wheel, he casually asked: “If you’re so thick-skinned, why are you avoiding Jiang Yubai? Is he more unreasonable than a security guard?”

Chai Yang took Nie Tianqing’s advice to heart.

Avoidance wasn’t the solution.

So Chai Yang said: “Drive slower, make a U-turn, and pull over. I’m going to visit Baiqi Company… We lost Lin Zhixia’s lawsuit today. It would be best if we could get back my team members’ equity.”

*

Today happened to be Baiqi Company’s annual “Investment Strategy Review Meeting.”

Starting from nine in the morning, Jiang Yubai had been extremely busy. Only during the lunch break could he set aside his work, sit by the floor-to-ceiling window, and silently enjoy his lunch.

The aroma of mild, warm food wafted through the private office area.

A layer of mist formed on the glass window.

Jiang Yubai opened his phone and saw a message from Lin Zhixia: “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

Jiang Yubai said, “Eating now.”

“You’re so busy,” Lin Zhixia comforted him. “Once today is over, things will be better. Tomorrow I’ll help you relax a bit.”

Jiang Yubai raised his fingertip to the phone screen, touching the four words “help you relax.”

At that moment, Lin Zhixia added, “The defamation case hearing on my side has finally concluded. In a few days, Chai Yang will be fighting a contract dispute case with you. You weren’t at the scene today; you didn’t see that my uncle served as Chai Yang’s lawyer…”

Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai had always shared everything.

Her uncle’s courtroom performance had truly shocked Lin Zhixia. She recounted what she had seen and heard, and didn’t allow Jiang Yubai to reply to her.

Lin Zhixia meant: “Enjoy your meal, don’t type.”

Jiang Yubai asked: “Can we video chat?”

Lin Zhixia initially didn’t want to agree. But as her thumb slid across the screen, she accidentally touched the video call button, and Jiang Yubai’s voice traveled through the phone screen directly to her ears.

“Finally, I see you,” he said.

Jiang Yubai’s tone was extremely low. Before uttering the first word, he seemed to pause for a second, making Lin Zhixia suspect that he had truly experienced a long and arduous wait.

How long had they been apart?

Less than six hours.

That morning, they had awakened in the same bed.

Just as Lin Zhixia was about to tease him, a telephone suddenly rang nearby—it was the intercom on his desk.

Jiang Yubai didn’t end the video call. He picked up the receiver, briefly said “alright,” and made no further comment. Shortly afterward, his secretary came to the office, saying something like “they don’t have an appointment,” “didn’t expect Mr. Jiang would agree,” “they can wait thirty minutes, please finish your lunch first,” and based on these fragments of information, Lin Zhixia deduced that Chai Yang was probably coming to Jiang Yubai’s office as a “guest.”

“Guest” was just a polite way of putting it.

What specific disputes might arise, Lin Zhixia couldn’t predict.

She made a quick decision, hailed a taxi on the street, and told the driver: “Hello, I’d like to go to Baiqi Building in the financial district.”