Ducks of Nanjing

Chapter 184 Ducks of Nanjing

Wang Yu lifted her head from her knees.

"Someone has measured the brain activity of veteran boxers," Han Fei said. "You know, they lose consciousness several times during a match? Here and there, but they still manage to stand in the ring, as if their bodies know it's only temporary, take over everything, maintain their position, and wait for their brains to regain consciousness. Sometimes I also feel so tired that I can't go on, but the difference is that after so many years, my body knows I will recover."

"But how did you do it?" Wang Yu asked, stroking a strand of hair hanging in front of her face. "How could you avoid being defeated by those attacks?"

"Learn from a boxer: move with your opponent's attacks, don't resist. If something at work impacts you, let yourself be impacted. You can't keep things that might impact you out of your life forever. Bear it little by little, and then release it like a dam releasing a flood. Don't bottle it up inside, or the dam will crack."

Wang Yu raised her eyes, and Han Fei felt that her pupils must be emitting a strong light, causing the whites of her eyes to shimmer. "I learned about this when I was studying psychology in college," she said.

"Well, but the point I'm trying to make is this: even if you unleash your shock in real life, you have to feel the impact it has on you, feel whether it's destroying you."

"Okay," Wang Yu said, "what if you feel it's destroying you?"

"Then let's take a break."

"So what do you do, Han Fei? What do you do when you feel it destroying you?"

Han Fei lightly bit the filter, feeling the soft, dry fibers rubbing against his teeth. He wondered if Wang Yu was testing his defenses, or if, like him, her heart was made of the same resilient material, like a solid, heavy, unyielding building material with large cracks crawling across it.

"I forgot to rest," Han Fei said.

Wang Yu smiled broadly. "Do you know?" she said softly.

"What?"

"I used to think you were hard to approach. But today I realized that you are actually easier to understand than anyone else."

Han Fei did not respond.

"I often forget to rest too," Wang Yu said. "Or rather, I'm afraid to stop. Now that you've told me so much, I'm even more certain of one thing: Wangyi shouldn't be playing against Qingniao."

"Does your conclusion represent yourself, or NetEase?"

Wang Yu looked at Han Fei: "This represents myself. But it also represents the strategic development department of NetEase's assessment of this sector."

Han Fei nodded.

"Are you this wary of everyone?" Wang Yu asked, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Only two kinds of people," Han Fei said: "enemies and those who want to be my friends."

"Which one am I?"

"I don't know yet," Han Fei said casually, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Should we go inside?" He nodded at the watch on Wang Yu's wrist. Wang Yu glanced at his watch.

"Not yet. There aren't any more steps. We'll just do a summary and that'll be it." She smiled slightly. "I want to tell you that if one day you can't hold on anymore, there's a way out here at NetEase."

Han Fei's gaze passed through the balcony railing, looked towards the road, and landed on his Xiali car parked by the roadside: "Thank you. However, I don't think it's time yet."

"I know. That's why I only opened the door a crack today."

Wang Yu took another drag of his cigarette. Han Fei extinguished his cigarette.

"I should go," Han Fei said. "Let's finish this quickly if there are no further problems."

Before leaving, Han Fei exchanged business cards and contact information with Zhao Ping and Su Wan. Su Wan expressed her desire to write an in-depth report on Qingniao and hoped to obtain some internal materials. Han Fei stated that Qingniao's growth process was indeed worth writing about, but it involved undisclosed company data, author contract details, and future cooperation plans, which were not convenient to disclose at the moment. He suggested that Su Wan approach the topic from the perspective of publicly reported "roots-tracing projects" or "oral histories of hometowns," and told her that Qingniao was willing to cooperate by providing already available materials.

Publicly published cases and authors willing to be interviewed. As for more in-depth internal information, we'll discuss that when the time is right. Su Wan seemed to have sensed his bottom line and didn't press further.

Back at the publishing house, the sun had already set. He went into the office, where Zhang Ruiyi was waiting for him.

"If you don't come back soon, I'm going to call your cell phone."

"What's wrong?"

"It's a letter of intent from Jiangsu Mobile, faxed over," Zhang Ruiyi said, handing him a few pages. "It arrived at 4:10, three pages in total, plus a one-page attachment."

Han Fei took it and quickly scanned it: "The first batch of three million data points will be tested separately in southern and northern Jiangsu. We will take a 12% cut and settle accounts every half month."

When are you planning to go?

"Tomorrow," Han Fei said, "tomorrow afternoon."

"So fast?"

"The sooner the better. They've proactively submitted their letter of intent. If we don't strike while the iron is hot, and they hesitate internally, or other competitors hear about it, the window will close. Moreover, for this kind of non-standard cooperation, I need to set a tone as soon as possible and teach Lu Hai how to handle these situations independently. Otherwise, if more provinces start calling, I'll be too busy to handle everything on my own."

Zhang Ruiyi nodded: "Then when will you be back?"

"A day or two," Han Fei said, "I'll be back by the day after tomorrow at the latest. I'll leave the publishing house matters to you these next couple of days. The first draft of the 'Hometown Oral History' proposal from the Education Commission is on my computer desktop. Please proofread it whenever you have time, checking for formatting errors, typos, and any inaccuracies in wording. I plan to contact Director Li as soon as I get back."

"Okay, don't worry," Zhang Ruiyi said with a smile. "I'll look at it carefully. I'll mark any parts I'm unsure about, and we'll decide together when you get back."

"it is good."

"How's the salon?"

Han Fei thought for a moment and said, "That's quite interesting."

"interesting?"

"That Wang Yu is very smart. Much smarter than Chen Zhengyuan. She knows when to apologize, when to listen, and when to back down. But at the same time, she is also dangerous because she is not an opponent like Chen Zhengyuan who attacks openly. She is the kind of person who will sit next to you and see through your hand without making a sound."

"So what did you show her today?"

"She saw that I was willing to sit down and talk. That's enough. She can go back and report that NetEase's strategic development department has established contact with Qingniao to keep communication channels open," Han Fei said, glancing at his watch. "I'll tell you the details later. I'll go and have Lu Hai book tomorrow's flight first."

Chen Zhengyuan took the elevator down to the eleventh floor of the NetEase Shanghai branch building.

Decline. Dejection. Oppression. Kick-off meeting.

He stepped out of the elevator and into the corridor.

Today is Tuesday, three days after that failed launch meeting. Three days have passed, and Ding Lei hasn't even called. Before, no matter how big a mistake he made, Ding Lei would scold him, but then still use him as before. Is he too lazy to even scold him now? What exactly does Ding Lei mean? Wang Yu is currently thriving in Guangzhou, while he's shouldering everything alone in Shanghai.

Han Fei, that pretty boy, climbed to power by using his connections, and now he's even involved with the Education Commission. Everyone's watching to see him make a fool of himself. A pledge? Ha, Ding Lei never intended for him to fulfill it.

Chen Zhengyuan walked down the corridor and saw the administrative supervisor standing in front of his office door, holding a folder. Wait, was that the administrative supervisor? It had been a while since anyone had knocked on his office door.

Chen Zhengyuan stopped at the door: "What's wrong?"

"Mr. Chen, last Friday, Wang Yu from the Strategic Development Department at headquarters contacted the administration at our Shanghai branch, asking us to book a private room at a teahouse on Hengshan Road. You weren't there at the time, so administration arranged it directly. Here's the expense sheet; you'll need to sign it."

Chen Zhengyuan took the folder and saw that it read:

Applying Department: Headquarters Strategic Development Department Applicant: Wang Yu Purpose: Internet Content Innovation Observation Salon Location: Yuanqi Tea Room, No. 12 Hengshan Road Time: September 6th, 14:00

—18:00

Cost: Venue fee 1200 yuan, tea fee 300 yuan. Note: Approximately four to five attendees, already booked by the branch office administration. Chen Zhengyuan frowned: "What happened yesterday afternoon?"

"Yes. Wang Yu also requested that the tea room be simply decorated and that no Wangyi logo be displayed, because this is just a small salon with very few attendees."

Chen Zhengyuan nodded without saying a word, signed his name hastily on the expense sheet, and handed the folder back.

"If anyone from headquarters comes to Shanghai to hold an event in the future, please let me know first."

"clear."

Chen Zhengyuan walked into the office and kicked the trash can next to his desk. The trash can hit the wall, rolled over on the floor, and the trash inside scattered all over the place.

"Fuck, fuck the hell!" Chen Zhengyuan roared, forcefully ripping off his slightly tight suit jacket and throwing it. The suit jacket flew across the twenty-square-meter office, hit the clothes rack, and slid to the ground.

Shanghai. This is Shanghai, this is his territory. What right does Wang Yu have to overstep his bounds and, as a special envoy from headquarters, hold some ridiculous salon? Strategy? No! Dignity. Denial. Humiliation. Trampling!

Everyone. He thought to himself, Ding Lei, Wang Yu, Han Fei... everyone is watching him make a fool of himself.

He grabbed his phone from the table and threw it towards the balcony window.

At 10:30 a.m., a lone car drove along under the bright sunlight, passing the Luoshan Road interchange roundabout above the Inner Ring Elevated Road and onto Longdong Avenue. Longdong Avenue leads to Sanjiagang Beach, a five-minute drive from Pudong Airport. It's a pastoral scene, quiet with hardly any cars. There are no cattle or horses in the resorts of Sanjiagang, and the narrow paths that lead to the beach in summer are deserted.

Zhang Ruiyi drove her car through the undulating terrain, making turns and talking to Han Fei at the same time.

"Driving your car really tests my patience," Zhang Ruiyi said.

"What's wrong?" Han Fei said. "Isn't it great? It's sturdy and durable, and you can see it everywhere on the streets of Shanghai."

"Durable and reliable? I was trying to overtake that giant bus belching black smoke just now, and I floored the gas pedal, but it didn't even make a sound. My car, on roads like this, just pushes me right back in the seat."

"You're not just pushing your car on your back, you're risking your life. I still remember the first time I rode in your car, when you changed lanes on the elevated highway, my soul almost flew out of my body."

Zhang Ruiyi chuckled a few times: "That's called precise control, understand?"

"That's called cardiac arrest," Han Fei laughed. "Your car was designed by Italians drinking espresso, mine was built by people from Tianjin eating jianbing guozi (Chinese savory crepes). How can they be the same?"

"Assembled? Your description is too accurate. I feel like every part of this car is saying 'almost there'."

'

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"Hmm," Lu Hai chuckled from the back seat, "President, you know what, this car drives just like my uncle's tractor, it rattles all over except for the horn."

"Nonsense, the horn is on." Han Fei reached out and pressed the horn, and a thin "beep" sounded from the front of the car, like the quacking of a duck that hadn't eaten enough.

Zhang Ruiyi and Lu Hai burst into laughter, which stung Han Fei's eardrums.

"Alright," Zhang Ruiyi said, "I'm not joking anymore. Actually, this car is quite reassuring to sit in."

"What do you mean?" Han Fei asked.

"Like my car, when you drive it you can't help but want to speed. This car, well..."

"Zhang Ruiyi slapped the steering wheel. "When you drive it, you know where you're going, and you have to get there slowly."

Han Fei glanced at Zhang Ruiyi: "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Praise me! Really praise me. My car is a toy, this car is a tool. Toys make you happy, tools help you get work done."

Han Fei looked at the trees along the road and Longyang Road, whose leaves were beginning to turn yellow. Longyang Road leads to Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, which showcases the highest ideals in the hearts of Shanghai's tech people: a decade of pioneering work from Red Flag Linux to an independent operating system, and the domestic desktop that has never been able to shake Windows.

"That's true," Han Fei said. "Replacing just one rearview mirror on your car would cost me enough gas for six months."

Zhang Ruiyi smiled slightly and glanced at her watch: "We'll be at the airport soon. Are you all mentally prepared to go to an unfamiliar city?"

Lu Hai clicked his tongue in the back seat: "To be honest, I'm a little unsure. I've been to Guangdong before, but this is my first time in Jiangsu. I can't even understand Nanjing dialect very well."

"Don't worry, the people from the mobile company will speak Mandarin to you," Han Fei said.

"Um, President, are there any rules over there that I need to be aware of?"

"There aren't any major rules. But there's one thing you need to know beforehand: the ducks in Nanjing are more talkative than people. You eat..."

If someone at the table compliments you on how delicious the salted duck is, they can rattle off a recipe for braising liquid dating back to the 1980s, up to the duck purchase price at the end of last year. You have to listen attentively and nod, and not let your mind wander.

Lu Hai forced a smile: "Then I'll just eat and not say anything."

Zhang Ruiyi glanced at Han Fei: "You've been there?"

"Of course," Han Fei said. "Oh, and also, autumn in Nanjing cools down faster than in Shanghai, and there's a big temperature difference between day and night, so you'll need to prepare some warm clothes."

"Huh?" Lu Hai said, leaning forward and sitting in the front seat. "President, why didn't you tell me sooner? I only brought two short-sleeved shirts and a light suit jacket."