Chapter 497: Not much conscience

"Fu Cheng dared to make a move on even his own teacher."

"Tingsheng can't even make a move on a little girl."

"The victor is readily apparent."

Huang Yaming laughed as he said over the phone.

Having spent three days in Shenghai, he told Xu Tingsheng that everything had gone smoothly.

Only when Old Jin mentioned it nonchalantly over the phone did Xu Tingsheng learn that the shares of Shenghai's Bright Brilliance had been split evenly between ten odd people. Huang Yaming had no plans to ask all these investors to invest any cash whatsoever in the venture.

He had invested all the profits of Yanzhou's Bright Brilliance thus far and taken a bank loan, hence bearing the load all on his own.

"What did he request from them in return?" Xu Tingsheng asked Old Jin, knowing that Huang Yaming was definitely not the type to wimpishly lose out.

"He asked them to give him a mine in Binzhou. They were very happy to do so, of course. The mine isn't very big, but it entails that Huang Yaming has officially entered this circle," Old Jin was speaking as per usual as there were no fluctuations in his tone whatsoever.

"Of course they were happy to do so. Won't that make it even easier for them to control him in the future?" Xu Tingsheng asked.

"That's definitely what they're thinking. Still, Huang Yaming definitely doesn't think it'll be the case," Old Jin said smilingly.

"Hey bro, why didn't you help stop him?" Xu Tingsheng asked helplessly.

"For one, I did advise him once. I already put it out in the open, and I said that it would only be that one time. There would be no more reminders or help. What I said will stand absolutely true, even if...his spirit, energy and mind are eventually destroyed and meet their demise in Binzhou."

He paused momentarily before continuing, "Secondly, do you think Huang Yaming himself has not carefully considered this? While clearly knowing the truth, he still steeled his determination. With his personality and ambition...change his mind? I don't think so."

Huang Yaming's ambition in his previous life, in his own words, was as such: My starting point's too low in this life. Just hearing a Chief Huang one day would be enough for me.

A mere Bureau Chief would have satisfied him.

However, in this life, accompanied by the change in his status and circumstances, his ambition had been growing frenziedly, thoroughly unchecked...maybe it would have no limit now.

Xu Tingsheng already no longer had a grasp of it, at least.

"Since he was the one who chose it, he should accept whatever happens," Old Jin said after a while.

Xu Tingsheng suddenly recalled that he spoke of his eight remaining faces depicting Yamaraja. He also recalled that this was the same Jin Twenty-four whose strength could be ranked in the top five, whose methods and reputation were both not all that pretty.

"If Tongtong had chosen to leave with Twenty-seven that night, would you still have said what you did afterwards?" After hesitating for a time, Xu Tingsheng decided that he should not ask this.

Without question, Old Jin would definitely not answer that. He had been just like any other guy at the time, smilingly watching, drinking and cheering as he watched the girl who might have a unique relationship with Xu Tingsheng make that life decision.

Xu Tingsheng suddenly recalled something he had once said.

That was when Xu Tingsheng had accompanied him to his home in Binzhou. Pointing to a vast range of mines, he had told Xu Tingsheng, "There are a few hundred mines here. Ask anyone, and casually mention that a mine will collapse this year, burying people alive. With conviction, it'll happen for sure. No one here doesn't know it, but they still have to choose one to go into…"

"And with that, they have handed their meagre lives off to fate."

As Xu Tingsheng pondered quietly.

Old Jin leisurely said, "Actually, I'm coming to think that he might actually do okay now. It's one thing when someone does not know the extent of the universe and another altogether to be able to not fear it in spite of that."

The phone call ended.

Xu Tingsheng wondered if he should call Huang Yaming and intervene in this matter or wait for him to tell him about it himself. Even for Xu Tingsheng who did not like things to be too cheesy, he was actually still pretty concerned about such things.

Fortunately, Huang Yaming called him an hour later.

"I thought about it, and I there's something I think I should tell you," He said.

Huang Yaming cheerily told Xu Tingsheng about what he already knew.

Xu Tingsheng hesitated for a while before saying, "Well, tell me if you meet with any difficulties."

Huang Yaming said, "Okay."

Xu Tingsheng said, "Actually, so long as you're okay and your mentality doesn't collapse, I can still let you start over even if you lose it all."

Huang Yaming smiled and said, "I know, but I hope that it'll never have to come to that. It's not that I hate people saying that I rely on you for everything. It's that I hope that I can be of use if you have need of me one day. You're already supporting too many people, Tingsheng. Also, I don't want to see a second Ding Sen."

"I'm less kind a person than you and Fu Cheng. I don't have much conscience. I gave it to a woman before, and she flung it on the ground...so it's reserved for family, and my only bros."

……

The day before Xu Tingsheng came to Shenghai, Huang Yaming went with those from Binzhou to see his mine. In his own words: This bro's gonna be a coal mine boss too in a flash.

Old Jin remained behind. There were still two important things he and Xu Tingsheng had to do.

For one, Xu Tingsheng, Old Jin and Xingchen Technologies' core team that included Hu Chen and He Yutan would be meeting with the team of 360 which had only just started out not long ago.

Xu Tingsheng's investment team this time also included Hucheng and Zhicheng. Still, these companies had not sent any others over as Xu Tingsheng acted as the sole representative.

This was seen as the first collective venture of all the enterprises under Xu Tingsheng. He existed as the absolute core of the team.

Still, the process was mainly carried out through He Chen and He Yutan along with a specially hired negotiation team. Xu Tingsheng had been a mere normal teacher who had run a small unsuccessful business in his previous life. Foreknowledge did not make him a professional.

The most valuable part of self-knowledge was knowing one's own weaknesses. The wisest course of action was finding a way around these weaknesses when they could not really be remedied.

Xu Tingsheng never expected that his first official exchange with the famed Zhou Hongyi might actually take place inside the toilet. Fortunately, they simply nodded in acknowledgement when standing side by side, not actually doing a handshake or whatnot.

As Xu Tingsheng was washing his hands, Zhou Hongyi came out and stood at the basin beside his.

"Why did you choose to invest in our company?" Zhou Hongyi asked.

Xu Tingsheng knew at once that the answer he wanted to hear was not like those things which had already been repeated countless times by those people outside. This answer could be the most important, for it concerned personal philosophies.

"I hate monopolies. I like having a go at them," Xu Tingsheng said.

Looking at him, Zhou Hongyi said, "What a coincidence, me too."

Xu Tingsheng was thinking: Well of course! You were the one who said that, and you did it too.

"Right now, we look at Baidu for traffic and Tencent for users."

While wiping their hands, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

"You're already locking horns with Tencent. Such a big opponent; jumping into your pit would be more or less jumping into an inferno," Zhou Honyi said resentfully seemingly out of nowhere.

"You'll lock horns with Baidu sooner or later too," Xu Tingsheng smiled and calmly replied.

At this point in time, 360 Security had still yet to emerge as Zhou Hongyi's battle strategy had yet to be exposed to the public. Therefore, Xu Tingsheng's words were naturally interpreted as the strategic foresight of this young genius of commerce.

He was taken aback for a bit.

"You're intending to go for a round with Baidu too?"

"That is your battlefield. Before you've risen up, I definitely won't go and aggravate Baidu," Xu Tingsheng smiled, "After you've risen, you will definitely find Tencent quite an eyesore too…"

Zhou Hongyi was basically able to judge two things from these words of Xu Tingsheng's.

Firstly, a partnership between their two enterprises would be perfect.

Secondly, Xu Tingsheng was wise and clear-headed.

"Can't manage Tencent?" Zhou Hongyi asked.

"Staying alive first," Xu Tingsheng said.

Zhou Hongyi extended a hand.

"Welcome. Here's to a happy cooperation."

Xu Tingsheng looked at him.

Zhou Hongyi said, "I've washed my hands and wiped them too."

Xu Tingsheng extended a hand.

"At least before we become monopoly opponents, here's to a happy cooperation."

The two returned to the meeting room and terminated the meeting, announcing that they had reached an agreement as an independent company under Xingchen, Xingchen Investment, would be officially investing in Qihu 360.

Amidst bemusement and astonishment, Xu Tingsheng approached Zhou Hongyi and said, "Say, Old Zhou, I'm a little worried. Do you think that our cooperation this time will be termed a toilet negotiation by the media in the future? Or a pee-pee negotiation?"

Zhou Hongyi thought about it, "We've got to tell them that we washed our hands first."