Chapter 60

The Siheyuan of the Su family was located in the Qing Shui Jing Hutong. On the way, Aunt Zhou started to prepare Cheng Xiaoyu for what was to come. Although today's incident wasn't too serious and the other party deserved it, this was already the second time Cheng Xiaoyu had caused trouble. For Su Changqing, who was always strict with himself, this was simply intolerable.

Cheng Xiaoyu could only nod and say, "I won't hit back if hit, won't respond if scolded, and will sincerely recognize my mistakes and shortcomings."

Aunt Zhou sighed and said, "Don't cause any more trouble. If you do, Aunt Zhou won't be able to help you anymore."

Cheng Xiaoyu could only silently nod. He couldn't shirk responsibility, nor could he say that if it weren't for the other party's intentions towards Su Yuxi, he wouldn't have wanted to escalate the situation. Indeed, this was something that could have been easily resolved, but his impulsiveness almost made it uncontrollable. He was also a bit doubtful if it was because the other party involved Su Yuxi that made him so uncontrollably angry. "I am not a sis-con, I am not a sis-con, I am not a sis-con," he silently repeated in his mind. He also had to warn himself that he couldn't be impulsive in the future.

When Cheng Xiaoyu arrived at the Su family's Siheyuan, which had a high entrance, he was called to the east wing by Su Changhe.

The room was ancient and elegant, filled with traditional redwood furniture. Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't tell what kind of redwood it was. Now, he was a bit nervous. As a nobody, he had only seen hall-level officials on TV. Aunt Zhou had already warned him, so he knew he would be criticized and educated.

Su Changqing was sitting behind a desk, reading documents, with his secretary Wu Fan standing beside him.

Seeing Su Changhe bring Cheng Xiaoyu into the room, Su Changqing said to Wu Fan, "Xiao Wu, you can go home today."

Wu Fan bowed and said, "Okay, Minister," then added water to Su Changqing's cup, picked up the briefcase, and after greeting Su Changhe, left the room.

Cheng Xiaoyu quietly raised his eyes and looked at Su Changqing, who was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and sitting behind a cloisonné lamp. Su Changqing had a typical square face, a serious expression, and thinning hair combed back. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and his lips were tightly pressed, adding to the air of authority.

Su Changqing put the cap on his fountain pen, tapped it lightly on the desk, and solemnly said to Su Changhe, "Changhe, the fact that you have a bastard child is something even the old man doesn't know. It hasn't been written into the family register, and the surname hasn't been changed. You bringing him here was not well thought out."

"I will explain to the old man. I'm sorry for the trouble today," Su Changhe frowned and replied, then said to Cheng Xiaoyu, "Thank your uncle and go out to eat."

Cheng Xiaoyu was already feeling depressed by the oppressive atmosphere and was about to speak when Su Changqing looked at him and said, "Don't be in a hurry. Even if your father recognizes you, it doesn't mean you are part of the Su family. You've been in America for over ten years, with poor grades and a lack of manners. I don't blame you. But now that you've chosen to return to China, can't you behave properly and not cause trouble? What qualifications do you have to be a rich kid? Your surname is Cheng, not Su."

Cheng Xiaoyu felt a wave of discomfort from Su Changqing's calm warning. Could he defend himself? In fact, the poor performance he showed was his true self. Apart from a bit of musical talent, he was indeed good for nothing. He wanted to proudly walk away and not enter this door, but he didn't have the right to do so. Moreover, doing so would only make his father and Aunt Zhou lose face.

Su Changqing, looking at the plump Cheng Xiaoyu and seeing the magazine with an unsightly cover in the side pocket of his backpack, felt even more annoyed. He thought Su Changhe shouldn't have brought him home so rashly. A bastard child was one thing, but if he was so incompetent, it was better to keep him outside. There was no need to give him the Su family name.

Su Changhe's face was also not good, and he could only say, "I have been negligent in the past. I'm sorry, Brother. I will strictly discipline him in the future."

Su Changqing sighed and said, "Changhe, you know the old man has heart problems. You're not in his good graces, and you bring someone even more annoying to see him? I think you should let Cheng Xiaoyu stay at a hotel first. After the New Year, I'll find an opportunity to talk to the old man. Let's leave it at that for now. There's no meal prepared for him at home. You arrange it for him."

Su Changhe's face turned from green to white as he said, "Brother, I will explain to Dad. I can't leave Xiaoyu alone during the New Year. I owe him too much."

Su Changqing shook his head and said coldly, "You owe him a lot, but do you owe the family less? The family has already acknowledged his existence and given him what he deserves. Why bring him back to make a fool of the Su family? If he were to strive, it would be one thing, but when has the Su family ever had such a rich kid? If you tell the old man now, given his character, do you think he will ever have a chance to be on the Su family register or enter the Su family?"

Cheng Xiaoyu felt a mix of emotions, realizing that being a rich kid wasn't as comfortable as he imagined. He didn't want to stay in this gloomy Siheyuan for a second longer. He mustered the courage to say, "Dad, it's fine. I can stay at a hotel. I'm used to it anyway."

Su Changhe, perhaps feeling ashamed, turned and walked out the door. Cheng Xiaoyu bowed to Su Changqing and said, "Uncle, I'm sorry for the trouble."

Su Changqing, sitting behind the desk, looked at the documents without glancing at Cheng Xiaoyu or intending to acknowledge him.

Cheng Xiaoyu wasn't particularly angry. He didn't have much sense of belonging to this family, so he turned and left the room. He still felt guilty because he knew the most embarrassed were his father, Aunt Zhou, and perhaps Su Yuxi.

Cheng Xiaoyu stepped over the threshold, feeling a heavy heart. For the first time, he felt he needed to prove something, not for himself, but for those who cared about him. His life had already failed once; he couldn't fail again.

Su Changhe was waiting for him at the door and didn't criticize Cheng Xiaoyu. He said in a low voice, "Let's go stay at a hotel. It's better not to stay here. Wait for me at the door, I'll talk to Aunt Zhou."

Cheng Xiaoyu felt a strange emotion welling up inside him but said, "No need to trouble yourself, Dad. I'm fine staying alone."

Su Changhe patted Cheng Xiaoyu's shoulder and said, "You did well on your final exams, and I've read your poems. Life has more than one path. Choose one you like and stick to it. I won't let your mother down."

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't know how to respond and could only nod silently.

Su Changhe asked Cheng Xiaoyu to wait at the door, and Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't refuse his father's silent care.

When Su Changhe came out in a black coat, they took a taxi to a nearby, decent hotel. The father and son were silent throughout the ride, with no exchange of words. Fortunately, the Beijing taxi drivers were talkative, so the atmosphere wasn't awkward. Cheng Xiaoyu's conversation with the driver was limited to three words: "Oh, really? Cool!"

The father and son didn't have any plans for a heart-to-heart talk, each taking a room and going to sleep. Cheng Xiaoyu had indeed suffered a lot that day, both physically and mentally. When he showered, he saw several red marks on his back, which made him feel even more sorry for himself. He lay down and fell asleep, waking up the next morning.

Cheng Xiaoyu checked his phone and saw it was almost 10:00 AM. He had a unread message from Su Changhe, telling him to spend the day on his own.

Cheng Xiaoyu, of course, wasn't a fragile person and didn't feel abandoned. Instead, he felt a sense of relief, not having to face unfamiliar and not-so-warm people.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Cheng Xiaoyu called Wang Dongliang. Wang Dongliang wasn't from Beijing but from Hubei Province. This year, he stayed in the company to work, so he didn't return home. After being educated last night, Cheng Xiaoyu felt a stronger desire to do something, so he eagerly called Wang Dongliang to meet.

Wang Dongliang naturally didn't dare to be disrespectful to Cheng Xiaoyu, not knowing that he was just a marginal figure in the Su family. In the morning, when he went to pick up his car, the police station politely told him that his car had been sent to the 4S shop for repair. They would notify him when it was ready, and he didn't need to pay. Wang Dongliang also probed about the fate of the Zheng family, which indeed confirmed what Cheng Xiaoyu had said, making him feel that the Su family had great influence.

Cheng Xiaoyu idly waited for Wang Dongliang at a Starbucks near the hotel. Most people were on holiday, and the usually congested Beijing was now smooth. Wang Dongliang arrived quickly in his Volkswagen. Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu sitting by the window, he parked and walked over, calling out, "Young Master Yu, up so early."

Cheng Xiaoyu, with a heavy heart, didn't beat around the bush and said, "I invited you today mainly to ask how to start a website. Where should I start?"

In his previous life, Cheng Xiaoyu had never dealt with internet companies and knew almost nothing about it. He had no time to research, so he went straight to the point.

Wang Dongliang, thinking that a high-ranking official's child wanted to play with a website, smiled and said, "That's easy. You just need to apply for a domain name and hosting online to start building your website. Tell me what kind of content you want, and I can have our engineers help you."

Cheng Xiaoyu was surprised and asked, "Don't you need any procedures? No qualifications or approval from relevant departments?"

Wang Dongliang, not daring to fool Cheng Xiaoyu, explained carefully, "If it's a non-profit website, the investment is small. You need about five office devices, ADSL, and you can apply for a domain name and hosting online. Then upload your content. At this point, you just need to register with your ID. It's like the *备案***号* (ICP备案号) on many websites. It's that simple. But if you want to operate a commercial website, such as for advertising, downloads, membership centers, information hosting, or various value-added services, you need to operate under a company's name. Individuals cannot engage in such internet activities. The registered capital of the company must be 1 million yuan, and you need the graduation certificates of three people in graphic design, programming, and network management, as well as an office lease contract, articles of association, and a capital verification report. You also need a feasibility report and clear payment and service standards. First, you need to register a business, such as a network technology company, with a registered capital of 1 million yuan, and then apply for an operating license from the local communications administration."

Cheng Xiaoyu realized that the matter was far more complicated than he thought. He pondered for a moment and asked, "How much is Mopu worth now?"

Wang Dongliang's heart skipped a beat, and he became serious, thinking, "No wonder he's a high-ranking official's child, only interested in big deals." He replied, "It's hard to estimate, but at least 40 to 50 million yuan. After all, the website has high traffic and user activity. However, there's no good profit model yet, and it's still in the red, relying on ads. If you want to buy it, I don't recommend it. Websites are money burners. They may look good, but everyone hopes a big company will buy them for a good price. Honestly, it's better to do games."

Cheng Xiaoyu thought Wang Dongliang was honest and reliable, but he wasn't sure if it was his nature or the pressure of authority. He smiled and said, "I don't have the funds to buy a big website like Mopu. I just asked to have a baseline. Actually, I'm interested in the alumni directory."

Wang Dongliang was a bit surprised and said, "The alumni directory is operated by Shuhu.com and has been running at a loss. As data increases, server maintenance costs rise, but there's almost no income. I heard Shuhu wants to shut it down. It's a hot potato for them, neither to keep nor to discard. Not that they don't want to discard it, but the negative impact would be too great."

Cheng Xiaoyu naturally knew the ultimate fate of such websites. Although the details varied, the overall direction was the same. Things destined to disappear would inevitably decline, like traditional opera, which, despite China's emphasis, still has a shrinking audience. Or the once-largest film roll producer, China's Seagull, which is reportedly in financial crisis and might follow Kodak's path if it doesn't cut its film roll business. Or Nokia, which Cheng Xiaoyu planned to watch collapse to verify if technology has inertia. He also knew that if Mopu continued as a forum, it would slowly decline from its glory. Thinking about this, he felt a sense of urgency, especially for the record industry, which would rapidly decline with the rise of MP3 and social media.

The alumni directory might be a hot potato for Shuhu, but for Cheng Xiaoyu, it was a treasure. In his previous life, Zuckerberg started from a Harvard alumni directory and grew into a giant. If Cheng Xiaoyu could obtain the data from the Chinese alumni directory and launch a social network similar to Facebook or Weibo, his future would be bright.

Cheng Xiaoyu made up his mind, took a deep breath, and said to Wang Dongliang, "Brother Liang, try to get me the relevant information about the alumni directory. I'm very interested in this website."

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