If everyone is reborn, who will work for capital?

Chapter 35 Zhu Xiaohu's Probing Words

"Ring ring ring—!"

Just as Geng Zhi had finished packing up a week's worth of clothes and was about to throw them into the washing machine, the phone rang.

After he pressed the start button on the washing machine, he glanced at the caller ID—Zhu Xiaohu.

"Old Zhu? What does he want from me at this time?" Geng Zhi wondered to himself as he pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Mr. Zhu!" Geng Zhi greeted him politely first.

"Little Geng," Zhu Xiaohu's friendly voice came through the receiver, "have you discussed the postgraduate entrance exam with Professor Qi? Are there any problems?"

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhu. Everything has been settled," Geng Zhi replied politely, waiting for him to get down to business.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhu Xiaohu promptly got to the point: "After I got back, I thought about it several more times. The more I think about your 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' project, the more potential I feel. I'd like to discuss the financing with you in more detail."

Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi frowned, thinking to himself that this shouldn't be the case!

On the day the roadshow ended, I clearly criticized "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" from its business model to its market ceiling, and Lao Zhu nodded in agreement at the time.

Why are they suddenly asking for financing again after only a few days?

Something was definitely amiss, and Geng Zhi sounded the alarm in his mind.

"Thank you for your high regard, Mr. Zhu," Geng Zhi replied calmly, his tone revealing no emotion.

Seeing that Geng Zhi didn't respond to this question and wasn't as excited as expected, Zhu Xiaohu directly asked a few basic questions about the project as a potential investor.

Geng Zhi didn't know Zhu Xiaohu's purpose, so he gave simple answers to each question, but only touched on the surface and didn't give Zhu Xiaohu much information.

"Xiao Geng, you mentioned a physical store model and the logic behind transitioning from offline to online last time. Could you elaborate on that?"

Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi instantly guessed Zhu Xiaohu's true intentions.

Baihe.com's growth has hit a bottleneck, and as a major shareholder of Baihe.com, he should be here to diagnose the problem on behalf of Baihe.com.

The so-called investment in oneself is merely a pretext for obtaining ideas for free under the guise of investment negotiations.

During the last roadshow, I brought up the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" project purely to get a high score on the roadshow; I had no intention of seriously continuing to develop it.

Therefore, the suggestion given to Zhu Xiaohu at that time was simply a friendly reminder because there was no conflict of interest.

But things are different now. He has decided to make this a success, so how could he possibly share his core ideas with potential future competitors?

"My top priority right now is preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam. I won't be focusing my main efforts on 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' for the time being, so... I'm definitely not considering fundraising at the moment." Geng Zhi remained polite and courteous as ever.

Zhu Xiaohu on the other end of the phone visibly choked for a moment.

Zhu Xiaohu really didn't intend to actually vote—at least not now.

However, this time Baihe.com's performance was not as expected, and he suddenly remembered Geng Zhi's ideas and suggestions at the time. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible to break Baihe.com's current predicament.

Zhu Xiaohu is a well-known investor in the industry, and he couldn't bring himself to directly ask a college student for advice. So he came up with the idea of ​​"pretending to invest, but actually learning from him" to gain a deeper understanding of Geng Zhi's logic.

Who would have thought that this young man was as slippery as an eel and wouldn't take the bait at all!

Zhu Xiaohu adopted the tone of a senior advising a junior, and continued to persuade him with reason and evidence:

"Xiao Geng, studies and career don't conflict. You can start a business even if you get into graduate school, or you can even start a business without taking the entrance exam. Look at Gong Haiyan, the founder of Century Home Network, didn't she start her business while studying for her master's degree at Fudan University?"

"Besides, from the time we discuss our investment intentions to the actual completion of the process and the disbursement of funds, it will take at least two or three months. By then, you will have finished your postgraduate entrance exam. Consider this a preliminary discussion of our ideas so that we can conduct an internal evaluation."

"Thank you for your recognition and guidance, Mr. Zhu." Geng Zhi smiled, but his tone was even more definitive. "However, even if our 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' continues, we will definitely not take money from external capital."

"Why?" Now it was Zhu Xiaohu's turn to be completely bewildered. He blurted out, "What's wrong with capital's money? Is it too hot to handle?"

He can understand young people's plans to complete their studies first, but he cannot understand the straightforward refusal of opportunities that come to them.

Without capital injection, how can you expand your territory? Relying on that meager cash flow from offline activities?

Young people are still too naive... Zhu Xiaohu couldn't help but think to himself.

But Geng's direct words completely shut him up.

"Capital's money..." Geng Zhi drawled, uttering the sentence half-jokingly and half-seriously, "is a bit dirty."

Zhu Xiaohu: "..."

There was a five-second silence on the phone.

Last time, he was called a bald monk in front of everyone during the roadshow, and this time he was given a solid cold shoulder again, so his face turned a little pale.

"Just kidding, Mr. Zhu, please don't take it personally." Geng Zhi quickly made amends, his tone becoming more sincere. "Mr. Zhu has a hundred times more industry experience than I do. I'm sure Mr. Zhu understands, and knows better than anyone else, the brand value of the name 'Jiaotong University'."

"Once we take money from investors, we'll be labeled as utilitarian, and it won't be so easy for people to believe a story of a 'wonderful encounter'."

There was another brief silence on the other end of the line.

Zhu Xiaohu had to admit that Geng Zhi's words hit a crucial point.

As Mu Yan just mentioned, Century Family's rapid rise to the top within a year was due not only to the "GG" incident, but also to Gong Haiyan's inspirational story of "dropping out of Fudan University to find love," which added tremendous emotional value and reach to the brand.

A good story is itself a huge brand asset.

If the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" can firmly bind itself to the reputation of "Jiaotong University" and tell a unique story, it may indeed be able to forge a differentiated path.

Although, in his view, the upper limit is ultimately just "small and beautiful".

"Xiao Geng," Zhu Xiaohu adjusted his tone, "the essence of capital is profit-seeking, that's true, but it's a healthy business practice. Capital doesn't come from thin air."

To protect the reputation of Jinshajiang Capital, Zhu Xiaohu continued to lecture Geng Zhi:

"Business itself is the greatest form of charity. Good capital investment aims for a win-win situation for investors, entrepreneurs, and users."

"You can't generalize and condemn all companies. Some capital may be short-sighted, but the money from Jinshajiang is clean and honest..."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Zhu, you're absolutely right," Geng Zhi readily chimed in. "I misspoke; I went too far with my joke. I've always admired Mr. Zhu's vision and philosophy."

Having said all that, Zhu Xiaohu knew he wouldn't get any more information out of him today, and continuing the conversation would only be pointless.

He managed to say a few more polite words like "I believe in you" and "Study hard for the postgraduate entrance exam," before hurriedly hanging up the phone.

Back in the still-steaming hot pot room, his complexion clearly hadn't recovered yet.