Chapter 103: The Great First Step

In mid-May, Ren Yong, a former executive of Alumni Network who had joined Lean Fox for a year and a half before being forced to resign, posted an article titled "What Will Save You, Narn" on the renowned Chinese forum Tianya. The post ignited a wave of heated discussions across major internet forums. Numerous Alumni Network users responded, accusing Lean Fox of irresponsibility toward its vast user base, citing persistent server crashes, frequent broken links, and difficulties logging in, among other serious issues.

However, Lean Fox made no effective response and continued to neglect Alumni Network, letting it wither away. The public relations department arrogantly dismissed the numerous complaints about Alumni Network, claiming that since the platform operated free of charge, management and maintenance lapses were inevitable.

This statement caused an uproar online. Ren Yong even initiated a crowdfunding campaign among netizens to buy back Alumni Network out of sentiment. For a time, major forums watched eagerly as Lean Fox continued to embarrass itself, some even covertly fanning the flames.

This delighted Lean Fox’s archrivals, Old Wave and NetSouth, two leading portal websites. They rampantly published articles accusing Lean Fox of seven major sins. Once hailed as an epic acquisition in internet history several years ago, today it lay in ruins.

Industry news was filled with analyses labeling Lean Fox’s acquisition of Narn as a failed merger. Articles such as "The Untold Story of Lean Fox and Narn," "3000: To Follow or Not to Follow?" and "An Open Letter to Sohu and Narn Users (In Memory of Narn’s Closure)" flooded the media, pushing Lean Fox to the center of a storm.

After some time, the market responded. On Monday’s opening, Lean Fox’s stock plummeted five percentage points, wiping out tens of millions of yuan in value. Zhang Chaoyang, CEO of Lean Fox, was compelled to hold a press conference, issuing a statement promising to properly address user grievances and to consider transferring the non-sellable Alumni Network to a capable company.

This time, Lean Fox’s Wan Gang proactively approached Wang Dongliang, offering a flat price of five million yuan for the domain and data. Wang Dongliang flatly refused; at this moment, Alumni Network was a hot potato for Lean Fox, and promptly offloading it to restore investor confidence was the only sensible move.

Wang Dongliang immediately countered with two million yuan, ending negotiations on a sour note.

Wang then called Cheng Xiaoyu to explain the situation in detail. Cheng found the predicament tricky; even three million yuan might not be valued by Lean Fox, which now needed to placate netizens and investors. Selling Alumni Network too cheaply would be tantamount to slapping Lean Fox in the face.

Yet, Cheng only had a little over two million yuan on hand, and no more funds forthcoming. Even if he poured all his money into buying Alumni Network, what about the subsequent work? Where would the funds come from to sustain follow-up efforts? He was reluctant to ask his family for money again.

Frowning, Cheng hung up and racked his brains for another solution. The tragedy was that he lacked business experience and could only sit before his computer, scanning forums and websites filled with criticism of Lean Fox, wondering what plan could satisfy Lean Fox without costing him dearly.

Wang Dongliang was also deep in thought in his office. Should they seek financing? But with no achievements to show, no venture capital would be interested. The only option might be persuading Lean Fox to allow installment payments.

Soon, Wang called again with a new idea: “How about signing a performance-based agreement with Lean Fox? This way, we can acquire Alumni Network with less upfront money and pay later when we have the funds.”

Cheng Xiaoyu considered Wang’s proposal carefully but found it risky and fraught with loopholes. Moreover, the premium payment would heavily impact the early development of Xiyu Network.

Staring at Lean Fox’s homepage, Cheng suddenly had a breakthrough and said to Wang, “Actually, we don’t need to buy Alumni Network at all!”

Wang was puzzled. “If we don’t buy it, without the foundation of Alumni Network, Xiyu’s promotion would be slow, and our social site would lose its edge!”

Cheng smiled and explained, “We’re interested only in the enormous user data inside Alumni Network. As long as we temporarily have access to this data or can temporarily connect to Alumni Network, that’s enough! We don’t need to own it outright—we can lease it!”

Wang, a sharp mind, immediately understood. “Right! We operate it on behalf of Lean Fox; ownership remains with them. We can try negotiating with Lean Fox to get usage rights without paying a cent upfront. As long as we keep the Alumni Network users engaged on Xiyu within the agreed period, we have nothing to fear!” He leapt from his chair, feeling Alumni Network was now within reach.

“Xiaoyu, your business acumen is incredible. I’ll draft a plan right now and send it to Wan Gang. For Lean Fox, this is the best solution—they won’t have to sell Alumni Network cheaply and can still satisfy their users,” Wang said excitedly.

Cheng’s heart swelled with hope, sensing the door to victory slowly creaking open. This might allow them to temporarily control Alumni Network without spending a dime. Given a year, Alumni Network would lose all value, and returning it to Lean Fox would be no problem.

Wang eagerly drafted the operational plan. Cheng reminded him to imbue it with passion, portraying themselves as dreamers who loved Alumni Network and were willing to maintain it quietly, rather than seeking profit.

Wang instantly got it and planned to have Ren Yong co-sign. Ren Yong had posted on their behalf and harbored great resentment toward Lean Fox; otherwise, no one would risk offending such a giant.

The next day, Wang contacted Wan Gang to propose cooperation via an operational agreement. Wan Gang requested a detailed plan to present to Zhang Chaoyang. Wang promptly sent the email.

The following day, Wan Gang replied, agreeing in principle but indicating details still needed discussion.

The terms were: a one-year operating period during which Lean Fox could not sell Alumni Network. Any sale could only occur after this year-long handover. During the contract year, usage and revenue rights belonged to Xiyu Company, while maintenance, hosting, and staffing responsibilities rested with Xiyu. Whether to continue the operation after one year would be negotiated.

Xiyu would pay Lean Fox an annual 20,000 yuan domain lease fee.

This agreement effectively resolved all of Lean Fox’s immediate Alumni Network problems. They retained ownership without incurring huge management costs.

The contract was tailor-made for Lean Fox’s current predicament, satisfying nearly all their interests—a gift from the heavens.

Zhang Chaoyang scrutinized the proposal, harboring deep doubts. He had wondered about Xiyu’s motives but, after careful thought, saw little benefit for Xiyu. Alumni Network was currently unprofitable, a free site with a large user base but very low activity. No matter how capable Xiyu was, resurrecting Alumni Network was unlikely. Even if they did, would it not be building a nest for Lean Fox?

Unable to fathom Xiyu’s true intentions and seeing the agreement as all gain and no risk, Zhang signed, allowing Wan Gang and Wang Dongliang to negotiate the cooperation details.

To mitigate negative public opinion, Lean Fox waived Xiyu’s annual 20,000 yuan domain rental fee and transferred Alumni Network to Xiyu for operation at a nominal price of one yuan. All previous user complaints were handed over to Xiyu, which pledged to resolve most issues within a month.

After finalizing the terms, witnessed by both parties’ lawyers, Wang Dongliang and Wan Gang signed the contract.

Soon after, Wan Gang of Lean Fox and Wang Dongliang of Xiyu attended a press conference to formally announce the cooperation. Naturally, the spotlight was on Lean Fox; reporters directed their questions to Wan Gang, paying little attention to the obscure Xiyu, which was dismissed as a small, cash-rich company investing in a non-lucrative “hen that won’t lay eggs.”

With the contract signed, Wang felt a great weight lifted. At last, their social network had taken a crucial first step.

(Thanks to Yemu Feng and Jinshang Baiyulou for their support. Special thanks to Baiyulou, who said this was his first time donating—haha! I’m a little shy about that! Actually, I want to say that whether you donate or not doesn’t matter. If more people like Yemu Feng would just be active and leave a comment or say hello in the discussion section, I’d be very happy! Haha.)