24: Chapter 24 is in trouble.

Li Xin did not reply to Lin Wanqing's messages.

He put his phone into his pocket, called a taxi, and gave the address of the school.

Sitting in the car, he closed his eyes and thought for a while.

Lin Wanqing looking for him was nothing more than her regretting her decision, being bullied by Wang Ming, or wanting to get back together.

In his previous life, he had given everything for this woman, only to end up with nothing.

In this life, he would not make the same mistake.

It wasn't that he hated her.

Hating someone was too exhausting and not worth it.

He simply didn't want to have any more entanglements with her.

When the taxi arrived at the school gate, Li Xin paid the fare and got out.

He didn't go back to the dormitory but instead went to a coffee shop near the school where Yang Hong was waiting for him.

Yang Hong was sitting by the window with a laptop spread out in front of him, the screen displaying a floor plan of an office.

"You're here?" Yang Hong pushed up his glasses and turned the computer around to show him. "I've looked at three places; you decide on one."

Li Xin sat down and looked at the screen.

The first place was in an office building next to the school, over two hundred square meters, with a monthly rent of twenty-five thousand.

The renovation was okay, but it was on a low floor and the lighting was poor.

The second place was in the Shenzhen Science Park, over four hundred square meters, with a monthly rent of fifty thousand.

The renovation was very new and the view was open, but it was a bit far from the school.

The third place was in a creative park near the Shenzhen North Railway Station, over three hundred square meters, with a monthly rent of thirty-five thousand.

The renovation was industrial style and quite stylish, but the surrounding supporting facilities were not perfect.

"Choose the second one." Li Xin did not hesitate. "The Science Park is the internet hub of Shenzhen, with a concentration of talent and clients. Plus, it's over four hundred square meters, which is enough for us to use for a while."

Yang Hong nodded. "I also think the second one is the best. But the monthly rent is fifty thousand, which is six hundred thousand a year. Adding utilities, property management, and internet, it's at least eight hundred thousand a year. Plus staff salaries, equipment procurement..."

"Don't worry about the money." Li Xin interrupted him. "I said, if two million isn't enough, we'll add more. You just focus on making the product, and I'll handle the rest."

Yang Hong looked at him and was silent for a few seconds. "Li Xin, you trust me so much, I feel a lot of pressure."

"Pressure is a good thing." Li Xin smiled. "Without pressure, you won't give it your all."

Yang Hong also smiled. "Alright. Then I'll go sign the contract tomorrow."

"I'll go with you."

The next morning, the two of them arrived at the Shenzhen Science Park.

The office building was called "Innovation Heaven Building," with twenty-eight floors in total, and its facade was a glass curtain wall that shone in the sunlight.

The lobby was very grand, with a reception desk, security guards, and a coffee shop; it was a completely different world from the dilapidated teaching buildings at the school.

The office Yang Hong had contacted was on the fifteenth floor; after exiting the elevator, turn left and walk to the end of the hallway.

The door plate read "1508."

Pushing the door open, it was an open-plan office area, about three hundred square meters.

The floor-to-ceiling windows faced south, offering a view of the entire Science Park.

On the left were two independent offices, and on the right was a conference room.

The restroom, pantry, and server room were all fully equipped.

"How is it?" Yang Hong asked.

"Not bad." Li Xin walked around the office area and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking at the city outside. "This location, this view, it's worth the price."

The agent was a woman in her forties, surnamed Chen, who was very good at real estate agency work.

She took them around for a look and said with a smile, "This office was previously rented by an internet company, but they went bankrupt, and it has been empty for three months. Are you guys in the internet business?"

"Yes." Li Xin nodded.

"Young people these days are all doing internet stuff." Auntie Chen shook her head. "But very few actually make it. Are you confident?"

"Whether we are confident or not, we'll only know after doing it." Li Xin smiled. "Auntie Chen, did you bring the contract?"

"I brought it." Auntie Chen took a contract out of her bag and handed it to him.

Li Xin took it and read it carefully.

The contract was a standard office lease agreement, with a one-year term, a monthly rent of fifty thousand, and a deposit of three months' rent plus one month's payment.

There were no issues with the terms.

"Alright, let's sign." He took a pen out of his pocket and signed his name.

Yang Hong also signed it.

Li Xin used mobile banking on the spot to transfer two hundred thousand—a deposit of one hundred fifty thousand and the first month's rent of fifty thousand, totaling two hundred thousand.

Auntie Chen received the money and handed him the keys. "Young man, I wish you a prosperous business."

"Thank you."

After seeing Auntie Chen off, Li Xin and Yang Hong stood in the empty office, with only echoes surrounding them.

"Next step, hiring," Li Xin said.

"I've already posted the job advertisements online." Yang Hong opened his computer. "Front-end, back-end, UI, testing—we need to hire six people in total. The salary budget is eighty thousand per month."

"Is eighty thousand enough?"

"It's enough. In Shenzhen's market, an intermediate programmer's monthly salary is around fifteen thousand. For six people, plus social insurance and housing fund, eighty thousand is about right."

"What about yourself?" Li Xin looked at him. "You are the Technical Director; your salary cannot be lower than theirs."

Yang Hong was stunned for a moment. "I'm not in a rush..."

"You're not in a rush, but I am." Li Xin interrupted him. "How much are you taking per month?"

Yang Hong hesitated for a moment. "Fifteen thousand?"

"That's too little." Li Xin shook his head. "Twenty thousand. You are the core of this team; your compensation must be the highest. Otherwise, the people below you won't be convinced."

Yang Hong pushed up his glasses and did not object. "Alright. I'll listen to you."

"Also," Li Xin took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yang Hong. "This is a product feature list I've compiled. Take a look and see if there are any issues."

Yang Hong took it and read it carefully.

The paper listed over a dozen features, from user registration, location-based services, merchant onboarding, and online payment, to social interaction, rating systems, data analysis, and intelligent recommendations...

"To build all these features, it will take at least three months," Yang Hong frowned.

"You don't have to build all of them," Li Xin said. "For the first phase, only build the core features—location-based services, merchant onboarding, and user ratings. The rest can be iterated on later."

Yang Hong thought about it. "Location-based services and merchant onboarding can be done in two weeks. The user rating system is a bit more complex, it will take about three weeks."

"Then three weeks it is," Li Xin said. "In three weeks, I want to see the first version."

"Alright." Yang Hong put the paper away. "I'll go arrange it right now."

Li Xin walked out of the Innovation Heaven Building and stood in the Science Park plaza, taking a deep breath.

The office was rented, the company was registered, and the team was almost built.

His business empire finally had a decent base.

The next step was to hire people, build the product, and launch it before Wang Ming.

He took out his phone and called Luo Maifa.

"Maifa, where are you?"

"At school. What's up?"

"Come over here to the fifteenth floor of the Innovation Heaven Building in the Science Park. I'll wait for you."

"What for?"

"To show you our new office."

There was a second of silence on the other end of the line, and then Luo Maifa's excited voice came through: "Holy crap! You rented an office? I'll be right there!"

Twenty minutes later, Luo Maifa ran into 1508, panting.

"Holy crap!" He stood at the door, his eyes wide. "It's so big? So grand? How much is the monthly rent?"

"Fifty thousand."

"Fifty thousand?!" Luo Maifa almost jumped up. "Fifty thousand a month? Li Xin, are you crazy?"

"Whether I'm crazy or not, you'll know later." Li Xin smiled. "Let's go, I'll take you for a tour."

He took Luo Maifa around the office and pointed to each area, saying, "This is the open-plan office area, which can seat over a dozen people. That over there is the conference room, to be used for meetings later. Those two are independent offices—one for Yang Hong and one for you."

"For me?" Luo Maifa was stunned for a moment. "I don't know technology, why give me an office?"

"You don't know technology, but you know logistics." Li Xin looked at him. "Once the product launches, we'll need to coordinate with merchants, cooperate with logistics companies, and negotiate with suppliers. You'll be responsible for these things."

Luo Maifa scratched his head. "I... can I do it?"

"Whether you can or not, you'll only know after doing it." Li Xin patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll teach you. Besides, your dad has been in logistics for over a decade; you have this foundation, so you'll learn quickly."

Luo Maifa took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. Then I'll give it a try."

"It's not 'give it a try'," Li Xin looked at him, his tone very serious. "It's that you must do it well. The few of us are going to make this happen together."

Luo Maifa looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Li Xin, you know what? You've changed."

"How have I changed?"

"Before, you were a quiet person who kept everything inside. Now it's different; when you speak and act, you have a lot of confidence. It makes people want to follow you uncontrollably."

Li Xin smiled and didn't say anything.

He didn't tell Luo Maifa that this confidence came from the system, from the gold, and from the wealth and power he held in his hands.

But he knew even better that true confidence didn't come from these things themselves, but from what he could do with them.

He could help his brothers, build a career, and change his destiny.

This was the meaning of his second life.

While the two were talking, Li Xin's phone rang. It was a call from Qiang Zi.

He picked up, and Qiang Zi's voice was very low, carrying a suppressed anger: "Li Xin, someone has come to cause trouble for Tie Zhu. They said his breakfast shop doesn't have a business license and want to fine him fifty thousand, or else they'll shut him down. I've checked, Tie Zhu's license was issued long ago, and all the procedures are complete. Those people... seem to have some connections."

Li Xin tapped his fingers lightly on the windowsill. "Where are they now?"

"They're right at Tie Zhu's shop."

"Wait for me, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

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