If everyone is reborn, who will work for capital?

Chapter 65 Launching Covert Investments

It was nearly midnight, and messages were still scrolling rapidly in the "One Battle to Fame" QQ group.

Under Geng Zhi's conscious guidance, the focus of the discussion has shifted from the initial celebration of victory to a more sober debriefing of the event.

[Shu Beibei]: "The mutual selection process, which involved handing out cards, writing numbers, collecting them, and then matching them, was full of ritual, but it was really too time-consuming! There was a nearly 15-minute gap in the middle, and I noticed that several guests started to secretly play on their phones, which disrupted the experience."

[Sun Xiaowen]: "Beibei hit the nail on the head. We were so grateful to Lü Bo for saving the day. He has strong logic and fast hands, which greatly reduced our data processing time. If it were someone else, it might have taken more than half an hour to complete the assembly."

[Shu Beibei]: "(Frowning.jpg) How should we optimize it? I've racked my brains but I still can't come up with a good solution."

[Li Haipeng]: "I do know of a voting machine that everyone can have, allowing them to vote for each other. However, buying hundreds of these machines would probably be quite expensive..."

[Song Qing]: "Those voting machines would require custom development based on our game rules, which is a hassle. It's much better to just develop voting software!"

[Huang Haitang]: "Software needs a terminal too, you can't expect everyone to line up to use one computer, can you? Are you suggesting we give everyone a laptop? (laughing and crying emoji)"

Several solutions immediately popped up in the group: customize two sets of voting machines for alternating use, distribute cards in advance for guests to fill in during the game... But behind each suggestion, there were loopholes pointed out by others.

The discussion reached a stalemate.

[Li Haipeng]: "@Gengzhi, boss, do you have any brilliant ideas? (Looking forward to it)"

Gengzhi, who had been quietly climbing the stairs, finally typed out a reply.

[Straightforward]: "Senior Brother Song and Senior Sister Huang's approach is actually close to the answer. Use software for real-time voting. As for the terminals, everyone already has them."

[Huang Haitang]: "Junior brother, do you mean to develop a WAP site? Or a mobile app?"

Upon seeing this, Song Qing could no longer sit still.

[Song Qing]: "(Shocked expression) Developing and maintaining a mobile app isn't cheap! Just to serve a hundred or so people for each event, isn't that too extravagant? The cost-effectiveness is seriously unbalanced!"

[Song Qing]: "Junior brother, you might not understand, but to build a decent app team, the front-end needs to be compatible with several systems including Symbian, Android, and iOS. Back-end development, testing, and UI design are all essential. It requires at least five or six full-time people, and the monthly labor costs are a huge sum!"

[Straightforward]: "Senior is right, the cost is very high, but we definitely have to start developing the app. Consider it as training for future technical talent."

Pre-emptive training?

Song Qing stared at the four words on the screen, his brows furrowing slightly.

Could it be that my junior brother plans to develop another app in the future?

He thought for a moment, then chose to remain silent instead of pressing the issue in the public group.

Li Haipeng didn't know what "training in advance" meant, but Geng Zhi's words made him feel uneasy.

[Straightforward]: "As for funding, there's no need to worry. The company's two original shareholders should continue to invest."

[Li Haipeng]: "Song Qing, I don't know much about this. How much does it cost per month for a full-time team of five or six people?"

[Song Qing]: "I don't really understand the specific market situation, but I feel it should be at least tens of thousands per month, plus all those insurance and other subsidies, it will definitely be higher."

[Li Haipeng]: "Huh?? It costs this much! (Scared-out emoji.jpg)"

This number immediately made Li Haipeng's heart pound.

The company hasn't even started making much money yet, and it's already going to keep investing such a large amount in fixed expenses?

He understood that only he and Ma Chunmei contributed money when they first registered. But what about subsequent investments? Was Mr. Geng still not contributing a single penny?

Am I just making this hole bigger by filling it in?

In stark contrast to Li Haipeng's trepidation, Ma Chunmei, who had been keeping a low profile, was already itching to try it out.

Although she wasn't directly involved in the operation, she had been quietly following every move of "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" recently—mystery cards, the CP ranking, and the "If You Are the One" live broadcast.

She increasingly felt that her decision to invest money and become the CEO was a stroke of genius.

This straightforward guy is becoming more and more like a golden goose!

Where can you find such a capable person who can turn a makeshift project into a thriving success in just one month?

The "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" has become a hit, but that's all thanks to me, Ma Chunmei! I am the CEO and legal representative of the company!

Let alone tens of thousands a month, even a million, I could afford it!

Although their own coal mine isn't large, one million is only about half a day's revenue for the mine.

Just be a little coquettish with your dad, and this amount of money will be there in no time.

At this point, the topic in the group chat had shifted from the experience of the event to marketing and promotion.

[Yang Mingxia]: "Report! I've infiltrated Fudan University's Riyue Guanghua BBS and Tongji University's Tongzhou Gongji BBS, and posted a few introductory posts hinting that our 'Jiaotong University Matchmakers' could organize inter-university social events. The response has been great! (smug emoji.jpg)"

[Li Haipeng]: "I've already made contact with reporters from the Shanghai Metropolitan Daily and the Youth Daily. The travel expenses slightly exceeded the budget, but it's not a big problem. The press release is being prepared."

[Geng Zhi]: "Okay. Mr. Li, could you also contact the newspapers in Jiangsu Province, namely the Jinling Daily, the Gusu Evening News, and the Jinling Evening News?"

[Li Haipeng]: "Mr. Geng, our business is mainly in Shanghai, why do we need to contact media in Jiangsu Province?"

[Straightforward]: "Nanjing University has abundant university resources, which paves the way for our future expansion."

[Li Haipeng]: "Understood! I'll get on it as soon as possible!"

Geng Zhi did not explain the deeper intention: these newspapers shared news leads with Jiangsu Satellite TV.

His real goal was to get the name "If You Are the One" into the view of the producers of the Jiangsu TV program "If You Are the One" through media channels.

After briefly outlining the upcoming university social events and internship recruitment tasks, Geng Zhi decisively logged off, leaving the still-excited team in the buzzing group chat.

……

Riding on the success of the first season of "If You Are the One," several outstanding volunteers from Jiaotong University joined the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" team as part-time interns.

Thanks to reports from multiple media outlets and the continuous, meticulous operation by Yang Mingxia and others, the "If You Are the One" event has become increasingly well-known among university students in Shanghai.

In the following weeks, "If You Are the One" was successfully replicated at Fudan University, Tongji University, and Shanghai University. The frequency of the event also increased from once a week to four times a week, with every event sold out.

During this period, Geng Zhi completely delegated the daily operation and management authority to Li Haipeng, only overseeing the overall direction and occasionally providing key suggestions.

Time flies, and it's already December.

The straightforward "Fruit Ninja" project has entered its final sprint stage.

Hao Pengxiang has completed the delivery of the art resources he was responsible for, and only the final program integration and debugging remain.

After assessing the project's risks as minimal, Geng Zhi decided to launch the covert operation ahead of schedule.

He returned to the Nordic Doctor Garden, entered the safe house, drew the curtains, and, posing as an investment manager, dialed the landline number in Jin Zhilong's office in the science and technology park.