Chapter 47: This Is My Company

The next morning, Zhou Xuan and Deng Cheng went to Keda Publishing House to sign contracts for the remaining volumes of *Those Things in the Ming Dynasty*, *Spring Breeze Ten Miles Not as Good as You*, and *The Love of Hawthorn Tree*.

Thanks to Jiang Yun’s advance notice, the entire signing process went smoothly. The president and chief editor were agreeable, and the royalty split was set at eighteen percent—the highest rate in the country. Only the Chinese simplified and traditional publishing rights for the three novels were involved; all other copyrights remained with Zhou Xuan.

The contract stipulated that *Those Things in the Ming Dynasty* would release its second volume on April 1st, followed by one volume every three months thereafter. Royalties would be settled monthly and deposited into Zhou Xuan’s card on the tenth of each month.

At noon, Zhou Xuan invited Deng Cheng to lunch as thanks for his unwavering support as driver over the past two days.

“Deng ge,” Zhou Xuan said, lifting his teacup, “there’s no need for formalities. These two days have been quite the inconvenience. You’ve driven for me the whole time. I’ll toast you with tea instead of wine—thank you very much.”

Deng Cheng laughed. “Zhou Xuan, why be so polite? Without you, I still wouldn’t know how long it would take Blue Sky Group to escape its current predicament. My father told me to learn more from you. In the future, if anything comes up, just let me know. I’ll handle it properly.”

He clinked his cup against Zhou Xuan’s and added, “Unfortunately, you’re heading back to Rongzhou tomorrow. With your talents, even if you skip classes, it won’t make much difference.”

Zhou Xuan smiled. “Don’t worry, Deng ge. The software company is right here in the provincial capital. I’ll be coming over often. Tomorrow when school starts, I’ll definitely register. Later on, I can take leave for important exams. But what about you, Deng ge? You haven’t graduated yet, and you won’t be in Rongcheng. How will you find time to play?”

Deng Cheng chuckled. “You’re thinking too much. Our senior year has no classes. I already interned at Blue Sky Group during our senior year and just need to return in June for my thesis defense.”

Zhou Xuan nodded, recalling his own wasted senior year spent gaming. “Speaking of the software company, I’ll need you to keep a closer eye on things. After Chengdu’s promotion wraps up next month, we’ll push nationwide. We’ll aim to secure most internet cafes across the country before competitors notice, while gathering district information from major cities. This year, we should establish our own chain internet cafes in the first-tier cities.”

“Chain internet cafes should start in big cities and expand outward gradually. Chain supermarkets will begin by securing this province, then move into others.”

Blue Sky Group would provide storefronts, Tianyu Group would handle logistics, and Zhou Xuan would oversee talent training, store setup, and warehousing.

Deng Cheng nodded without hesitation. “No problem. You’re the major shareholder. Wherever you point, I’ll move.”

In the afternoon, Zhou Xuan and Deng Cheng drove to the offices of Huan Yu Software on the eighteenth floor of Feiyu Building in Chengdu High-tech Development Zone.

The rented space spanned over two hundred square meters, ample for dozens of staff for now. Future expansion would require new premises.

Because the arrival had been announced, all promotion personnel waited inside. In the large conference room, Zhou Xuan met the twenty-plus employees.

The team was still in its early stages. Aside from trainers, everyone handled promotion and sales. Seeing the young, curious faces before him, Zhou Xuan smiled and delivered his first speech since rebirth.

“Hello, I’m Zhou Xuan, founder of Huan Yu Software. This is Deng Cheng, our second-in-command. Many of you may wonder why I appear so young and inexperienced. How did I become your boss?”

He tapped his temple. “Talent on one hand—my novels earned substantial royalties and provided startup capital. Hard work on the other—self-taught programming in a single month yielded the complete Huan Yu Internet Cafe Management System, line by line. You’re all young, and I hope you grow with the company. We’re in a period of rapid expansion. Opportunities await. I hope you seize them. In the future, work hard. I promise the company will never forget your efforts.”

Clapping erupted from Wei Lian and Zhou Changxing.

“This evening we’ll enjoy a Xiaoyu Hotpot dinner party. Eat and drink well.”

After the meeting, Zhou Xuan invited the three men to his office.

“Wei Lian, you’ll manage Huan Yu Software as general manager. I want you to organize departments quickly—recruit finance staff, administrators, and especially experienced developers. We’ll expand beyond internet cafe software into new systems.”

Zhou Changxing, you’ll head the promotion department. Lead nationwide internet cafe outreach and scout locations for future openings.”

Zhou Xuan looked at both men. “Within one month, use our current twenty promotion staff as the core to launch nationwide. Complete company structure, purchase servers, relocate hao123’s servers here, and set up maintenance. After that, I’ll bring the development roadmap so we can begin concrete tasks immediately. I want a ready-to-launch development team.”

Seeing Zhou Xuan’s intense gaze, Wei Lian replied, “Rest assured, President Zhou. I’ll assemble the team within the month. It will meet your standards.”

Zhou Changxing added with fire, “Same here. Finish Chengdu promotion in a month, summarize experience, dispatch key personnel, and strike out nationwide. We’ll claim the internet cafe management system across the country.”

Zhou Xuan grinned. “Let’s work hard together!”

Standing before the eighteenth-floor window, Zhou Xuan gazed south toward the still-wild Star Moon Lake.

“Deng Cheng, your first commercial real estate project will be right across the lake. I want a skyscraper to serve as Huan Yu Group’s headquarters.”