Chapter 189 Old acquaintance

ng Yuan who couldn’t bear Su Can’s righteous declaration and laughed out loud. He was glared at fiercely by Su Can, who quickly silenced him."Oh well, forget it!" Zeng Zaodng chuckled, "Zeng Yuan alwa...Volume 5: Towards a Happier End Chapter 189: Old Acquaintance

Su Cai received a call while he was at school. When he answered, it turned out to be Li Ying. She said she wanted to come to Nan University specifically to play with him.

Subconsciously, Su Cai thought of the female student in a white dress, feeling somewhat nostalgic. He then agreed, saying, "Sure, you can come over anytime."

Li Ying set Saturday as the day and time. On that day, Su Cai stepped out to wait at the first gate where there was an old red wall of the campus covered with lush green paulownia trees blocking out the sunlight.

A Mitsubishi sedan stopped in front of him. The door opened, and Li Ying, dressed quite elegantly, hopped out of the car and directed it to park nearby at a parking lot. A man came out from the Mitsubishi, short-haired, a few years older than Su Cai, standing about 5'9", not particularly sturdy but giving off an impression that complemented Li Ying well. He seemed somewhat unskilled in parking just now and had been reprimanded, causing him to break into a sweat.

Approaching Su Cai, the man extended his hand for a handshake, introducing himself, "Zhú Jùnfēng, nice to meet you."

"Su Cai." Su Cai smiled and responded with a nod, "Nice to meet you too."

"Li Ying has told me about you," Zhú Jùnfēng nodded. "Shall we find somewhere to go"

In the coffee shop of Nan University, Li Ying sat next to Zhú Jùnfēng facing Su Cai. As they walked and talked earlier on, there was nothing awkward, but upon sitting down, an uncomfortable air lingered. Zhú Jùnfēng probably noticed that Li Ying kept a certain distance from him and also straightened up properly in his seat. He scanned around after ordering something when he heard Su Cai mention that they often came here to look at the beautiful girls of Nan University.

Li Ying still appeared somewhat shy and awkward, as if she felt it was presumptuous to appear before Su Cai like this. So, Su Cai started asking first, "How's your dad doing"

"He has some small illnesses due to high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes; the doctor said it’s from overwork and needs more rest. But my mom always says it's because he drinks too much alcohol every day and goes to many places."

Zhú Jùnfēng smiled, "That’s just how Uncle is, there’s nothing we can do about it."

"You don’t need to defend him. Let’s talk about something else..." Li Ying seemed to realize she had slipped up when she spoke and gave Zhú Jùnfēng a glance. They both then changed the subject.

Su Can was by now well aware that the relationship between these two individuals went beyond mere acquaintanceship. In fact, it seemed more complex than just a friendship. However, it appeared that Lei Yan's father, Lei Ying's father, did not approve of Zhu Junfeng, and it might take some time for this to change. Su Can didn't want to break the silence and instead took a sip of the lemon water in front of him before smiling and looking away.

"Facebook is doing well... almost all foreign companies in China now use its internal communication and meeting platforms. I often hear discussions about it from my classmates in foreign firms or even large state-owned enterprises. But, your collaboration with American Facebook, isn't this akin to leasing a channel" Zhu Junfeng asked.

Su Can glanced at Lei Ying, who stuck out her tongue playfully at him. He hadn’t told Lei Ying about his affairs; however, it wasn’t an extremely secret matter either. Although he himself had never appeared on any media and refused interviews from mainstream journalists, they wouldn't continue to pursue him after a refusal. Nevertheless, he was known by name and had been exposed before—many people in Nanjing University knew him, let alone Lei Ying’s family who could easily find out about his background if they wished.

"Are you implying that Facebook China is dependent on American Facebook and thus unable to sustain itself for long" Su Can smiled. Zhu Junfeng's question clearly indicated he was well-informed about Su Can's identity, and it seemed he had a rich source of internal information as well. There was no need for Su Can to hide anything. "Unlike many joint ventures or wholly-owned subsidiaries of American companies in China where major positions such as personnel, finance, technology, etc., are nominated by the parent company, we have full control over these departments within Facebook China. The board includes a General Manager and Deputy General Manager appointed by nominations from both sides, but other critical roles like financial director, technical director, business development director, HR manager, etc., are proposed internally by our side and appointed by the board. All senior managers report to the general manager."

The chairman of Facebook China was Su Can, who held two out of five seats on its board; one seat belonged to General Manager Qiao Shuxin, another to Financial Director Kate representing American Facebook, while Mark Zuckerberg had a seat too.

In contrast with many joint ventures where the boards are essentially controlled by foreign companies and required to pay patent, trademark, copyright fees and other intellectual property usage fees annually to their parent companies, Facebook China owned its own patents and copyrights and didn't have such restrictive terms. The overseas structure was mainly for financing considerations and future listings; in essence, it was Su Can's personal Facebook China.

Facebook China’s rapid growth could be attributed to this flexible model—many of the later joint ventures struggled to catch up with Tencent QQ due to various cumbersome restrictions.

Everyone knew about Microsoft MN but probably few were aware that the Chinese part of its joint venture was led by a high-ranking national leader's son. Even with such strong backing, it still faced significant constraints from American Microsoft and lacked real power over personnel decisions; the board had little influence. In China’s fast-growing market, lacking autonomy made it hard to outpace competitors, leading to stagnation.

Su Can wanted Facebook China to become a national brand and naturally avoided such foreseeable restrictions.

Actually sitting across from Su Can today put great pressure on Zhu Junfeng. He had heard many stories about this man through Lei Ying, especially knowing that he was currently one of the most influential figures at Nanjing University and could significantly impact China's economic landscape in the future. More importantly, he knew why Lei Ying’s parents were somewhat resistant towards him—originally, they had high hopes for this young man.

It wasn’t possible for Zhu Junfeng to completely dismiss any sense of inferiority; there was still some competitive spirit within him because acknowledging oneself as inferior to another relates to a man's dignity. However, after chatting face-to-face with Su Can and hearing his views on future trends and business plans, even someone like Zhu Junfeng who knew much about state-owned enterprises found himself impressed.

Age wasn't always the best measure of wisdom; Zhu Junfeng couldn’t fathom what was in Su Can’s mind but understood that he might not fully grasp Su Can's accomplishments until his thirties or forties.

This thought made him feel somewhat dejected.

"Su Cen is the epitome of hard work and perseverance. And you are even older than him, so why aren't you putting in more effort" Li Ying said to Zhu Junfeng, who could only nod repeatedly. When Li Ying was with him, she always had a domineering personality.

Su Cen saw this happen and although he sympathized with the man's side, he did not have much to say about it.

"Although you've never come over to our place," Li Ying brought up the topic again, saying, "my dad sometimes talks about you."

Li Ying’s father, Li Yan, used to be a member of the academy faction and was once in charge of the Shanghai Propaganda Department. Later on, he became the director of the Shanghai Development Planning Commission. Su Cen felt somewhat apprehensive; if even high-ranking officials like Li Yan were talking about him, this wasn't necessarily a good thing for his fame.

It seemed as though she could tell what Su Cen was worrying about because Li Ying smiled and said, "My dad sometimes asks me whether you are very busy at Nan Da. If you're not that busy, then why haven’t you come over like you promised"

Ru Junfeng lowered his head even more when he saw Li Ying questioning Su Cen but being considerate as well. Normally, Li Ying was distant and authoritative with him, especially due to their families' circumstances; she hardly ever apologized.

At times, Zhu Junfeng felt lost. He didn't know if Li Ying only clung to him because of an emptiness in her heart. He wondered when he would see the side of her that was gentle and feminine, like how she looked now—cute and lovable.

He even doubted himself, thinking that he never deserved a girl like Li Ying.

The time passed by unnoticed as Li Ying chatted with Su Cen. Throughout the entire process, Zhu Junfeng’s mood became increasingly gloomy, wondering why he was sitting there in the first place.

When it came to leaving later on, everyone stood up to leave, but Zhu Junfeng was still dazed until Li Ying nudged him with her elbow. He then realized that he had to stand up and try to stop Su Cen from paying, but in the end, he couldn’t compete against Su Cen.

After stepping out of the coffee shop, Li Ying said, "Really now, I specially called for you to pick us up, and now you have to pay."

Su Cen waved his hand and smiled, saying, "This place is my turf anyway. It’s nothing."

Zhu Junfeng sighed inwardly, feeling that he had been defeated in every aspect—whether it was aura or knowledge—while being in front of the founder of SNS. As he prepared to go get his car, he suddenly felt something soft wrap around his hand, causing him to turn his head out of surprise. Li Ying wrapped her arms around his arm and leaned against his side regardless, this delicate gesture making Zhu Junfeng feel as if every part of his body had gone numb.

Leying tilted her head and said to Su Cen, "If everything goes well, after I graduate from university, I hope you will come to attend our wedding."

Zhu Junfeng took a deep breath, almost inhaling it into his lungs, barely suppressing the shock he felt upon hearing this within his rapidly beating heart.

Su Cen was initially stunned before nodding seriously, "That's something I can't miss in my life."

Only then did Leying turn and look at Zhu Junfeng reproachfully, "Hey, do you have confidence"

Zhu Junfeng gulped hard and said, "Too much confidence."

Su Cen couldn't help but want to smile when he saw the way Leying was holding onto Zhu Junfeng. He could very clearly recall Leying's silhouette in her white skirt walking through the corridors of their high school building. This girl had good relationships, this girl was very tenacious, and during the process where she dueled with him verbally, she didn't choose to jump off from the sixth floor of the 27th Middle School building because of a temporary setback.

Instead, she was pulled back by him in an emergency moment. At that time her white skirt spread out like a flower; whether or not she bared herself and how many people saw her naked body weren't issues Su Cen needed to consider.

"Do you remember what you told me then" Leying grabbed Zhu Junfeng's arm, tightening it slightly as she smiled at Su Cen. "The English textbook tells a story about a boy named Li Lei and the girls around him called Meimei, Lily, Lu Yi, and Jim Green. Their little romances... A long time later in the future, Lu Yi returns to China, Lily goes to Shanghai, and Green gets married. But Li Lei and Meimei never hold hands... It's kind of a pity."

"That was just a story I made up," Su Cen laughed.

"But I believe it," Leying looked at him with bright eyes, "The boy who used to be close by now is so high up that people have to look up to him... But fortunately, I've found my Li Lei and vaguely understand what kind of future I didn't think about before. So, Su Cen, you need to put in more effort."

Su Cen was already too tired to answer her and walked away with his back turned, leaving the two who were leaning on each other behind. On the way to the dormitory through the Nan Da campus passage, he waved his hand at a distance as if saying goodbye.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! May you all have a joyful reunion under the full moon tonight! I would like to mention that everything being written now, whether it's high points or low points, calmness or tranquility, is on the path leading towards the final outline. Whether it's currently transitional content, the many plot points in the end will be very fitting and certainly lead to a beautiful conclusion.

Lastly, for those brothers who have recommendation votes and are sitting in front of their computers without going out shopping or playing, could you kindly votein various fields. Su Cen, having only been reborn for half a year, found it ridiculous to aim for proficiency across all subjects.After reflecting upon his current issues following his failure with a...