180: Chapter 180 Going to Hangzhou

In early 2011 of his previous life, a guy named Chen Rui spent 1 million to acquire an 18% stake in Bilibili.

At that time, Chen Rui hadn't yet become a multi-billionaire through Bilibili, and coming up with 1 million wasn't easy for him.

Now that he had more money and greater strength, Chen Fan believed he could secure an even larger stake.

He picked up his phone, found Qiao Linlin's number, and dialed.

The phone rang several times before it was finally answered.

"Hello... Boss?" Qiao Linlin's voice carried a distinct sleepiness, as if she had just been fished out from under her quilt; it was muffled and soft, with a long, drawn-out trail. "It's so late... what's wrong?"

"When you go to the office on Monday, contact a website called Bilibili in the company's name."

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment as Qiao Linlin seemed to be struggling to pull herself out of her dreams. A few seconds later, she spoke: "Bilibili? I've never heard of it... what do they do?"

"A bullet chat video site. It's just starting out and very small. Help me set up an appointment with their founder; say I'd like to meet."

"Okay, I'll contact them as soon as I get to the office on Monday." Qiao Linlin's voice sounded a bit clearer, but it still held that post-sleep laziness. "Boss, did you call in the middle of the night just for this?"

"Yeah, I just thought of it and wanted to let you know quickly before I forgot."

"Alright..." she drawled. "Then, Boss, do you want to come over tomorrow? I bought a few more new outfits."

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but recall the scenes he had witnessed at Qiao Linlin's home last time. He could roughly guess the style of those "new outfits."

He originally intended to refuse, but the words stayed at the tip of his tongue.

"Fine, I'll come over tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you then~"

Qiao Linlin's soft laughter came through the phone, sounding like a cat that had successfully stolen a fish, before she hung up.

Chen Fan placed his phone on the nightstand, lay back down, and stared at the ceiling.

His mind, however, was spinning with Bilibili matters—user data, financing plans, valuation, and negotiation strategies.

He rolled over, pulled the quilt up over his shoulders, and closed his eyes.

Forget it, tomorrow's business can wait until tomorrow.

Regarding Bilibili, he would have Qiao Linlin contact them on Monday and then discuss the details after meeting Xu Yi.

...

On Monday morning, Chen Fan was sitting at his computer in his office.

The office door was pushed open, and Qiao Linlin walked in.

"Boss, I've already contacted Bilibili. As soon as they heard we are the company that made defend the carrot and happy elimination, they agreed immediately. Now we just need to see which day to meet."

"Let's say Wednesday. Ask them if that time works."

"Okay, Boss."

After Qiao Linlin finished speaking, she left with a click-clack of her heels. The sound of her high heels hitting the floor was crisp and rhythmic, as if she were walking to a cheerful beat.

Five minutes later, she pushed the door open and came back in.

"Boss, I've confirmed with them. It's set for this Wednesday."

Chen Fan looked up and leaned back against his chair. "Alright, then book two plane tickets to Hangzhou."

"Two?" Qiao Linlin was stunned for a moment.

"Yeah, you're my assistant. Aren't you coming with me?"

Hearing Chen Fan's words, a flash of immense surprise crossed Qiao Linlin's eyes.

"I'll go book the tickets right now." She turned and walked out, her pace even faster than before.

...

Two days later, Chen Fan went to the real estate agency to sign the home purchase contract.

The car stopped in front of the agency near Yicui Garden. Chen Fan turned off the ignition, pushed open the car door, and walked inside.

Xiao Zhang had already come out to greet him with a smile. He led Chen Fan into the VIP room, poured some tea, and mentioned that the landlord would be a little late due to some traffic, asking Chen Fan to wait a moment.

Chen Fan leaned back on the sofa, took a sip of water, and said nothing.

Ten-odd minutes later, a middle-aged man in his forties walked in.

He was wearing a dark gray jacket over a dark sweater, and his black leather shoes were polished to a shine.

His hair was neatly combed, and he looked clean and sharp, carrying a black briefcase. As soon as he entered, he greeted Xiao Zhang with a smile.

Xiao Zhang quickly introduced them: "Mr. Chen, this is the owner, Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu, this is the buyer, Mr. Chen."

Chen Fan stood up and extended his hand. "Hello."

The owner smiled and shook Chen Fan's hand, his gaze lingering on him for a moment. He smiled and said, "Mr. Chen is so young. Truly young and promising."

Chen Fan nodded, didn't follow up on the compliment, and sat down.

The owner also sat down opposite him, took out the property deed and a copy of his ID from his briefcase, and handed them to Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang checked them over and then handed them to Chen Fan for confirmation.

Chen Fan flipped through the property deed; the address matched, the area was 203 square meters, and the owner's name was correct.

The owner began to describe the house, saying he bought it early this year and fully renovated it, intending to live there himself, but later moved out of town for work, so it had been vacant.

The house was new, the appliances were new, and nothing had been touched. He knew Chen Fan was renting the place, so selling it directly to him saved the trouble of finding another buyer.

Chen Fan listened without saying much.

Xiao Zhang brought out the prepared purchase contracts, four copies in total, and placed them on the table for both of them to review.

Chen Fan flipped through them; the terms were in the standard format for second-hand home sales. The price had been agreed upon previously: 2.3 million, with a 30% down payment and the remainder through a mortgage.

"No problem," Chen Fan said.

"Then, Mr. Chen, please pay the deposit of 50,000 today," Xiao Zhang said. "Once the loan is approved and we transfer the title, you can pay the down payment."

Chen Fan nodded, pulled his bank card from his wallet, and Xiao Zhang took it to process the deposit. Once that was done, Chen Fan signed his name on the contract.

The owner also signed and left a thumbprint. Xiao Zhang collected the contracts and mentioned that the bank appointment was set for next Wednesday for the loan interview.

Thinking about the schedule, Chen Fan asked him to reschedule it for the week after next.

He had to go to Hangzhou next week. Although he wouldn't be there long, it was better to be safe in case something else delayed him.

...

Early Sunday morning, the sky had just brightened, and the air still held the chill of early winter.

Since Qiao Linlin was going on a business trip to Hangzhou with Chen Fan, he had to drive to pick her up first.

For any other boss and assistant, why would the boss go out of his way to pick her up?

It was the norm for an assistant to take a taxi to the company or the airport themselves.

But Qiao Linlin was, after all, more than just an assistant.

So Chen Fan still had to go pick her up.

As the car turned into the entrance of Qiao Linlin's neighborhood, he could see her standing by the road from a distance.

She was wearing a long oatmeal-colored coat with a scarf loosely wrapped around her neck, holding a white suitcase. Her hair was draped over her shoulders, and as the morning breeze blew a few strands onto her face, she tilted her head to shake them off.

Chen Fan parked the car, pushed the door open, and got out to open the trunk and lift her suitcase inside.

"Get in." Chen Fan closed the trunk.