Around 11 a.m., the street outside the courthouse was crowded with journalists waiting for Chai Yang and Lin Zhixia to emerge. Their dispute had long been a hot topic in the technology section of the provincial capital's Morning Daily, as their case encompassed numerous buzzwords like "beauty, tycoon, genius, entrepreneurship, fraud, overseas returnee, investment."
Once Chai Yang appeared, the reporters swarmed forward.
Before entering the courthouse, Chai Yang had distributed red envelopes to the journalists.
But now, he declined all interviews.
He glanced toward the roadside, where a male host from his company was diligently reporting on the situation outside the courthouse.
The host's voice rose and fell rhythmically: "Hello! Greetings, esteemed viewers and dear ladies! I'm your host Kevin, you can call me Wenwen... Newcomers are in for a treat—our boss has just stepped out of the courthouse. What was the outcome of the trial? Guess correctly, little darlings, and you might win a prize!"
While speaking, Kevin moved closer to Chai Yang, cooing sweetly, "President Chai! Chai Chai!"
That "Chai Chai" was uttered with tender affection, lingering with unspoken meaning.
In an instant, the total viewership dropped from three thousand to two thousand.
Chai Yang's headache intensified.
Fortunately, his friend Nie Tianqing was waiting for him by the roadside.
Nie Tianqing had driven over in a car and waved to him.
Chai Yang left his company's male host behind and hurried straight to Nie Tianqing's vehicle. He settled into the passenger seat, and Nie Tianqing asked, "Is the trial over?"
"Just ended," he replied.
Chai Yang's expression was grim. Nie Tianqing chuckled as he drove, "What about your lawsuit with Jiang Yubai?"
"I won't come to court next time," Chai Yang said. "I'll fully delegate to my lawyer... I need a new one. Ugh, today's lawyer was full of loopholes."
Nie Tianqing then asked, "Where do you want to go?"
Chai Yang closed his eyes to rest. "Yangyang Live's headquarters."
He originally planned to return to Yangyang Live's headquarters for a short break, but unexpectedly, Nie Tianqing revealed, "While you were in court this morning, headhunters called your employees, offering them high salaries to poach them..."
Before Nie Tianqing could finish, Chai Yang's eyelids began twitching.
What do startups fear most?
First, running out of money; second, losing people.
Back in the day, when Chai Yang first established the prototype of Jiangke Software, he followed everyone's advice and set up a "dual-layer shareholder" structure—the first layer consisted of the core founder team, and the second layer included the company's earliest employees. This approach quickly enhanced team cohesion and solidified his leadership position.
When Chai Yang left Jiangke Software, he took a group of employees with him. Those employees had their equity repurchased by Jiang Yubai, severing all ties with Jiangke Software.
Chai Yang knew that the employees in his team weren't wholly dedicated to supporting him.
After his fallout with Jiang Yubai and departure from Jiangke Software, his former employees who stayed behind would inevitably get caught in factional struggles. It was better for them to cash out their equity first, then follow him out, using his "Yangyang Live" as a stepping stone to leap into major internet companies across the country.
Chai Yang wasn't an arrogant or conceited person.
He knew exactly how to gauge the situation.First, he had to retain the company's technical backbone; second, he needed to secure Series B funding; and finally, even if it meant risking his entire fortune, he had to maintain the user engagement of "Yangyang Live."
The more detailed his thoughts became, the more anxious he felt.
Nie Tianqing remained as steady as Mount Tai: "Fear attracts what you dread. Worry less, fuss less."
Approaching noon, the traffic in the provincial capital was heavy.
Nie Tianqing wanted to get Chai Yang home as quickly as possible.
Chai Yang lived in a luxury apartment building in the city center. Following the map's directions, Nie Tianqing turned onto a commercial street bustling with crowds and vibrant energy, where groups of youthful, energetic young people filled every corner.
Chai Yang rolled down the window a crack.
The late February wind was bitingly cold, carrying a piercing chill.
It felt as if an icy blade of wind had severed the connection between his nasal passages and his trachea.
Chai Yang shivered.
He glanced sideways into the distance.
At the end of this commercial street lay the financial district of the provincial capital, where the headquarters of "White Steed Asset Management Co., Ltd.," controlled by Jiang Yubai, stood at its core.
"White Steed Asset Management Co., Ltd." was a private equity fund involved in stocks, bonds, and macro futures strategies. Chai Yang had once been a honored guest of this company. Now, he would detour at the mere sight of the words "White Steed."
He raised a hand, directing Nie Tianqing: "Let's take another route, head to the street on the west..."
Nie Tianqing saw right through him effortlessly: "White Steed is to the east. Going west will let us avoid their building."
"White Steed's fund size is at least several billion—it holds a high status in investment circles," Chai Yang mused impulsively. "Every circle I've been in... they all fawn over the successful and trample the weak, without exception."
He elaborated in detail: "Back when I was a student, teachers and classmates only respected those with good grades—only top students were considered human. After graduating and entering society, I figured it out: whoever has money is the boss, and whoever has power is the boss's boss! Six years ago, I was dirt poor. Hundreds of angel investors threw my proposals in the trash; I couldn't even afford printing fees for A4 paper. Outside a financial company in Beijing, a security guard grabbed me by the collar and slapped me repeatedly—in broad daylight, with onlookers swarming like flies..."
This was the first time Nie Tianqing had heard him mention the "slapping incident."
Nie Tianqing's expression shifted slightly: "How many times did the guard hit you?"
"Over a dozen slaps," Chai Yang described honestly. "My cheeks swelled up badly, but I kept smiling, grinning foolishly, refusing to leave—just hoping to see someone from the company to invest in me. Call me a beggar if you want; I admit it. When you start a business, you have to be shameless—that thin skin of mine, naive and fragile, was shattered by those slaps long ago."
Nie Tianqing showed no sympathy. Gripping the steering wheel, he asked casually: "If you're so shameless, why are you avoiding Jiang Yubai? Is he less reasonable than a security guard?"
Chai Yang took Nie Tianqing's advice to heart.
Avoidance wasn't a solution.
So Chai Yang said: "Slow down, make a U-turn, and pull over. I'll go to White Steed... We lost Lin Zhixia's lawsuit. It'd be best if I can reclaim my team's employee equity."
*Today happened to be the annual "Investment Strategy Review Meeting" at White Qilin Company.
From nine o'clock in the morning, Jiang Yubai had been extremely busy. It wasn't until the noon break that he could finally set aside his work and sit before the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly enjoying his lunch.
The light, warm aroma of the meal drifted through his private office area.
A layer of fog had formed on the glass window.
Jiang Yubai opened his phone and saw a message from Lin Zhixia: "Have you had lunch yet?"
Jiang Yubai replied: "Eating now."
"You're so busy," Lin Zhixia comforted him. "Just get through today, and tomorrow I'll help you relax."
Jiang Yubai lifted his fingertip and placed it on the phone screen, right over the words "relax a bit."
At that moment, Lin Zhixia added: "The trial for my defamation case has finally ended here. In a few days, Chai Yang will be taking you to court over the contract dispute. You weren't there today—you didn't see it—my uncle served as Chai Yang's lawyer..."
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai had always been completely open with each other.
Her uncle's courtroom performance had truly shocked Lin Zhixia. She recounted everything she witnessed and told Jiang Yubai not to reply.
Lin Zhixia meant: "Eat your meal properly, don't type."
Jiang Yubai asked: "Can we video chat?"
Lin Zhixia hadn't intended to agree. But as her thumb swiped, she accidentally hit the video call button, and Jiang Yubai's voice bypassed the phone screen, reaching her ears directly.
"Finally get to see you," he said.
Jiang Yubai's tone was very low, and he seemed to pause for a second before speaking the first word, making Lin Zhixia suspect he had genuinely endured a long and arduous wait.
How long had they been apart?
Less than six hours.
Just this morning, they had woken up in the same bed.
Just as Lin Zhixia was about to tease him, a phone rang near him—it turned out to be the internal line on his office desk.
Jiang Yubai didn't end the video call. He picked up the receiver, briefly said "approved," and offered no further comment. Shortly after, his secretary came into the office, saying something about "they don't have an appointment," "didn't expect President Jiang to agree," "they can wait thirty minutes, please finish your lunch first." Based on these fragmented pieces of information, Lin Zhixia deduced that Chai Yang was probably coming to visit Jiang Yubai's office.
"Visit" was just a polite way of putting it.
What specific disputes might arise, Lin Zhixia couldn't predict.
She made a quick decision, flagged down a taxi on the street, and said to the driver, "Hello, I'd like to go to White Qilin Tower in the financial district."
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