Chapter Sixty-Nine: Soaring and Rising

The moment the eight students from Kyoto University appeared, Zhao Fan could tell they were extraordinary. There was no other reason—their presence was overwhelming, a sure sign of inherent strength and ability. Only when one is truly strong does such an aura naturally emerge.

Afterward, Han Chen engaged the eight in a lengthy conversation. The more they talked, the closer they grew, until even Xu An was squeezed to the edge, ending up next to Zhao Fan.

"This, uh..." Xu An stared, wanting to say something but at a loss for words, and in the end, he could only hold it in.

Zhao Fan smiled, shook his head, and patted him on the shoulder a few times. "They're all technical talents. You'll get used to it."

Xu An opened his mouth, but finally closed it again in resignation. What else could he say? Once he was sure they were the real deal, keeping them was a given.

"Boss, what about their salaries?" Xu An asked.

"Just follow Han Chen's lead," Zhao Fan replied, folding his hands, his demeanor unruffled.

Xu An choked on his words. "Boss, shouldn't—"

"Don't worry, Han Chen knows what he's doing."

Seeing this, Xu An silently swallowed what he'd been about to say.

Half an hour later, Han Chen finished the interviews and announced that all eight would be hired, each given a full-time position.

"We'll stamp your internship documents, but you'll receive the treatment of regular employees. Think about it, and decide whether you want to stay with us directly," Han Chen said, laying out the terms. The students were visibly surprised.

Even more astonished was Xu An: Han Chen had settled their compensation without consulting Zhao Fan at all?

"Boss—"

"Let him make the decision himself," Zhao Fan cut him off again, leaving Xu An no choice but to fall silent.

The eight candidates huddled together for a discussion. After several rounds of conversation, they made their choice.

"We'll stay."

Once they had spoken, Zhao Fan asked, "May I ask, as students from Kyoto University, why did you come all the way to Yangcheng for an internship?"

Kyoto was far from Yangcheng. Usually, for convenience and safety, interns would seek opportunities near their university. It was the first time Zhao Fan had seen anyone travel such a distance for this purpose.

A young man who was clearly the group's leader replied, "Computer science is a new major, but there really aren't any relevant companies in Kyoto yet."

"Then how did you hear about my company?" Zhao Fan pressed. If he remembered correctly, Feiteng Company had only started advertising in recent days. How had students from Kyoto University found out about them?

"My family is from around here," another young man with a baby face explained, a little embarrassed. "A few days ago, my parents went out and happened to see one of your flyers." He trailed off, his explanation fading away.

Zhao Fan's curiosity was satisfied, and he smiled. "Our company may be new, but our funding is strong, and this gentleman here is a doctoral graduate from overseas—capable and experienced. I will fully support your projects; all you need to do is focus on your work. Leave the rest to me."

He believed professional matters should be left to the professionals. All he needed to do was steer the broader direction and ensure whatever they developed could turn a profit.

What he didn't realize was that his calm confidence left the group stunned, at a loss for words.

From then on, Zhao Fan left the rest to Xu An and Han Chen to manage. Once the core team was in place, the subsequent arrangements became much easier. In less than half a month, the company was filled with employees.

At the same time, the computers Zhao Fan had specially ordered for Han Chen and the others arrived. To hasten their delivery, Xu An had even enlisted Mu Tianrong to pull some strings and speed up the shipping from abroad.

Of course, while waiting for the computers, Han Chen and his team didn't idle—they banded together to research new projects. As soon as the computers arrived, they quickly placed their search engine on Zhao Fan's desk.

Bearing the company's name, Feiteng, it boasted a powerful database, the fastest search speeds, and the simplest, most user-friendly interface.

Zhao Fan tried it out and was satisfied; apart from lacking some complicated options he’d seen in his previous life, it was essentially the same.

To be thorough, Zhao Fan invited others to test it. Anyone who could read found Feiteng easy to operate—no one struggled with it. More importantly, after using it, everyone liked it and wanted to continue using it.

With the trial results in hand, Zhao Fan immediately allocated thirty million for promotion, focusing the campaign on users' positive experiences.

At the same time, he took Xu An around to various internet cafes, paying the owners to recommend Feiteng. With vast resources and cash incentives, every internet cafe they approached agreed enthusiastically.

As Feiteng's usage frequency increased in internet cafes, its publicity took effect. Zhao Fan even had Han Chen develop a program to track usage statistics.

Thanks to Zhao Fan's willingness to invest, Feiteng quickly made a name for itself in Yangcheng, and its user base steadily grew.

Once things were running smoothly, Zhao Fan turned his attention back to the supermarket business. This was his second store, and despite its larger size, he marked it with the name "Feiteng Supermarket 2," circling the number for emphasis.

Hiring and training staff, liaising with manufacturers, managing inventory—after half a month of hard work, Feiteng Supermarket 2 officially opened.

For the three days leading up to its launch, Zhao Fan advertised on the Feiteng search page. The usually simple homepage now featured news of the supermarket's opening, surprising many users.

With the second Feiteng Supermarket open, Feiteng Search caught the attention of business owners, and soon companies were reaching out, eager to place ads on the platform.

Well-prepared, Xu An had been waiting for this and quoted prices crisply and decisively. There were only three ad slots on Feiteng Search, with prices varying by slot and duration.

As Feiteng Search gained more attention, Zhao Fan once again entered the view of Yangcheng's elite.

But Zhao Fan's thoughts were elsewhere—he was on his way to the hospital to bring Zhao Yuner home.

That's right; after more than a month, the doctors had finally cleared Zhao Yuner for discharge.

When Zhao Fan arrived at the hospital, his mother was holding the little girl, with his father and Zhao Haitian flanking her on either side.

"Dad, Mom, big brother," Zhao Fan greeted, stepping forward to gently squeeze Zhao Yuner's hand.

"Yuner, you're going home today. Are you happy?" he asked.

The little girl replied in her sweet, childish voice, "I'm happy."

Zhao Fan's smile had just begun to form when she asked, "Where's Mommy?"

With those three words, the cheerful mood instantly vanished.

Zhao Fan glanced at Zhao Haitian and cleared his throat. "Mommy had something to do and couldn't come today."

"Oh." The little girl pouted, hugging her grandmother's neck and whispering, "Grandma, when can Yuner see Mommy again?"

Her grandmother forced a smile. "What if Yuner never gets to see Mommy again?"