Chapter 49: An Unsatisfactory Offer

The email sent by the other party was very brief.

It simply stated that they had a business matter they wished to collaborate on and politely inquired if it would be convenient to provide a personal telephone number.

Chen Fan did not own a mobile phone, nor did he have a phone card.

Therefore, he directly replied to the email on the spot.

He stated that he was the creator of the domain name website and that any inquiries could be conducted via email.

Soon, the other party's second email arrived.

This time, the sender directly revealed that they were from a certain technology company and wanted to inquire whether Chen Fan had any intention of selling his domain name website.

It turned out not to be China.com Network.

Chen Fan was somewhat surprised.

Without beating around the bush, he went straight to the point and asked, "How much are you offering?"

"Three hundred thousand."

Upon seeing this offer, Chen Fan was almost amused to the point of anger.

Although in his past life he did not know the exact amount for which the Domain Exchange Network was eventually sold, a rough estimate told him it was definitely well over a million.

This fellow came right out of the gate with a mere three hundred thousand, treating him like some clueless novice to be fooled.

Chen Fan replied directly: "Apologies, I do not cooperate with people who lack sincerity."

Soon, the other party's email arrived once again.

"Then what is your own asking price?"

"At least five million."

Chen Fan stated a rough estimate of his mental valuation.

As a result, this directly provoked the other party into a rage.

"Five million? Why don't you just go rob a bank?"

"Do you really think money on the internet is that easy to make?"

"I only decided to give you a hand because I saw your website was decent and had potential."

"Do you even know how large a sum three hundred thousand is?"

"If you miss out on this, you will definitely regret it later."

Chen Fan chuckled.

"I appreciate your high regard, but rest assured, I certainly won't regret it."

After sending the reply, he directly blocked the sender.

For such a self-righteous company, Chen Fan had no interest whatsoever in continuing the conversation.

Leaving the internet café, Chen Fan went to a nearby shop and purchased two fifty-yuan phone cards.

Upon returning, he first called Su Ruochu's dorm. It was their first time chatting over the phone, and they seemed to have an endless stream of things to say.

In the end, Sun Hao, who was anxiously waiting for his girlfriend's call, paced back and forth in front of Chen Fan, practically clasping his hands together and kowtowing in supplication.

Seeing Sun Hao's pleading expression, Chen Fan chuckled, exchanged a few parting words with Su Ruochu, and hung up the phone.

Upon checking, he discovered that only half of his call balance remained.

Chen Fan shook his head speechlessly.

"Dating and making phone calls is way too expensive."

At that moment, Ma Xiaoshuai walked out of the restroom and laughed teasingly.

"Fourth brother, I just listened to the whole conversation between you and your girlfriend. You two are far too polite and respectful to each other; there's no passion at all."

"Look at third brother, every time he talks to his girlfriend, it's 'darling' this, 'darling' that..."

Just as he was speaking, the phone rang, and Sun Hao pounced on it instantly.

"Hello, darling..."

"Oh, don't be mad yet, it was just my roommate making a call..."

"Alright, alright, I apologize."

Chen Fan smiled and glanced at Sun Hao before saying to Ma Xiaoshuai, "We're different from Third Brother and his other half. What we pursue is Platonic love."

Ma Xiaoshuai sneered derisively.

"The day you and your girlfriend end up in a hotel, you'd better remember what you just said."

Lying on his bed listening to an MP3 player, Luo Wenjie smiled and chimed in, "Maybe Fourth Brother will be reciting Level 4 and Level 6 English vocabulary words with his girlfriend in the hotel."

"Level 4 and Level 6 vocabulary? I know those too."

Ma Xiaoshuai blurted out immediately.

"Oh, yeah! Fuck me, baby..."

"Get lost!" Chen Fan scolded with a smile.

Nearby, Sun Hao, still on the phone, was practically crying tears of frustration.

"Darling, listen to me, I really wasn't watching adult movies in the dorm..."

...

As the military training entered its final stage, the training tasks noticeably intensified.

In preparation for the final military training review on the last day, everyone had to repeatedly practice marching in step, goose-stepping, and shouting slogans...

As the pacesetter in the very front row, Chen Fan was held to an even higher standard, and after shouting slogans for two days, his voice became hoarse.

He didn't really like it and wanted to privately ask the instructor to swap him out.

However, the instructor flatly rejected the request.

Convinced that Chen Fan had performed the best, the instructor encouraged him to put on a spirited performance on the final day.

With no other choice, he could only keep his head down and practice hard.

Over the next few days, Chen Fan took time every day to visit the internet café and check his inbox.

Subsequently, three more companies expressed their intention to purchase the domain name website.

These three were obviously much more reliable than the first one.

However, the prices offered by the three failed to satisfy Chen Fan.

After several rounds of discussions between both sides, the talks ultimately broke down unfavorably.

One of them even offered as high as eight hundred and eighty thousand.

Yet, it was still rejected by Chen Fan.

To be honest, Chen Fan felt somewhat conflicted.

Was he really asking for too much?

In his past life, there was no detailed public report regarding how much was actually spent to acquire the Domain Exchange Network.

However, based on his own experience and deductions, Chen Fan was certain it was no less than one million.

Otherwise, Boss Yao would have taken a massive loss.

Chen Fan was still waiting.

Because China.com Network—the entity that purchased the Domain Exchange Network in his past life—had yet to contact him.

September was about to come to an end.

He refused to believe that the other party could drag things out any longer.

On September 16th, the sky was clear and boundless.

The military training, which people both loved and hated, finally came to an end.

During the morning review, all platoons marched in neat formations past the grandstand while shouting slogans.

School leaders and military training commanders were seated on the viewing platform.

When it was the turn of the Marketing majors from the School of Economics and Management, Chen Fan and another male classmate from his class marched at the very front of the formation as pacesetters with resolute and powerful strides.

"Marching in step..."

"Eyes right!"

"Mighty Third Platoon, daring to be first, heroic and spirited, forging bravely ahead!"

As the procession passed the grandstand, the students in the formation strained their throats, veins bulging on their necks, shouting slogans at the top of their lungs.

Even those who usually loathed military training felt a powerful sense of collective honor at that moment.

"Eyes front... Forward march!"

As the phalanx moved past the viewing platform, all the students secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In the final evaluation, the platoon to which Chen Fan belonged won second place.

The morning was for the military training review, while the afternoon was dedicated to the military training singing competition.

The songs chosen by Chen Fan's platoon were "Unity is Strength" and the "Yellow River Cantata".

During prior training, the instructor had only one requirement: the tune didn't have to be pitch-perfect, but everyone had to roar the sound out with all their might.

Thus, when Chen Fan's platoon took the stage and roared out the very first line of "Unity is Strength," the entire athletic field trembled slightly.

After screaming their lungs out through both songs, the group marched off the stage.

In the final judging by the leaders, Chen Fan's Third Platoon managed to snatch a third-place certificate right out of the hands of those art students from the conservatory of music.

Everyone was even more satisfied with this unexpected pleasant surprise.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the singing competition concluded, signaling the official end of the military training.

The counselor announced that after dinner, everyone could return to the athletic field to watch the performances, as the school was hosting a welcome party that evening.

Chen Fan had no interest in the gala. After finishing dinner, he slipped out of the school gates alone and headed straight for the internet café.

As it turned out, through the entire evening, Chen Fan did not receive a single email.

Feeling somewhat depressed, he logged off and returned to the school.

Walking through the campus, he could still hear the singing from the welcome party in the distant athletic field, punctuated by the cheers of his fellow students.

The lively atmosphere belonged to everyone else, but Chen Fan could not summon any joy.

He wondered: if the domain name website couldn't be sold, did he really have to keep waiting indefinitely?

Time waited for no one; he had to figure out some other way to make money first.

He couldn't just hang himself from a single tree.

Right now, he had fifty thousand yuan in hand, obtained from Boss Yao of the Domain Exchange Network.

In this era, fifty thousand yuan wasn't a massive fortune, but it certainly wasn't a small amount either.

If he wanted to use it as startup capital to launch a business, he would need to plan things out very carefully.

Just as Chen Fan was walking back to the dormitory building with his head down in thought, he bumped into an unexpected figure right outside.

"Senior Tian Yuan?"

Chen Fan greeted him with a smile.

"Are you here looking for someone, Senior?"

Tian Yuan looked at Chen Fan and smiled.

"I'm here looking for you."

"Looking for me?"

Chen Fan was somewhat surprised.

"Do you need something from me, Senior?"