Chapter 6: Immortality

Under intense motivation, the project team worked like mad, day and night, with Song Yun offering a salary far above market rates to recruit three additional members to strengthen the group.

In 2002, university students majoring in computer science at the University of Science and Technology, interning at software companies, earned only about fifty to sixty yuan a month. Graduate students assisting their advisors in laboratories received a mere three to four hundred yuan in living allowances monthly. Other part-time work yielded even less—such as helping the cafeteria clean up through the student council, which brought in only two hundred yuan a month.

Zhao Zejun, flush with cash and bold in spirit, gave Song Yun the confidence to act decisively. The three new recruits were all graduate students, paid eighty yuan a day each.

The rest of the project team saw their compensation rise accordingly.

During this period, Song Yun was particularly exhilarated, working day and night nonstop, almost living in the lab.

With Zhao Zejun throwing money lavishly, Song Yun, as project leader, went a little mad, and the entire project team followed suit. The project progressed with great fervor.

If Ting Ge, the technical director of Huanjian, who did not even regard them as competitors, learned that this "Boss Zhao" was employing top talents from over a dozen prestigious universities to develop a website, having already invested 150,000 yuan just in the initial phase, he would instantly see Zhao Zejun as a major rival.

As an industry giant, Huanjian’s website’s core programming was written solely by one person. Their earliest investments, including development and operations, did not exceed 100,000 yuan. At the time, this was considered a substantial expenditure in the world of online novels.

This was also why Zhao Zejun chose online novels as his entry point into the digital frontier: everyone in this field was utterly penniless! His two million yuan capital might be trivial to industry giants, but in the online novel arena, it was enough to create an immense, innate advantage.

By concentrating financial resources to build a dominant force, he could crush all competitors in a short time, then use monopoly power to feed back economic benefits, leverage traffic, and extend influence outward.

...

On Monday afternoon, Zheng Yuan sent a text: Wang Yan had returned to Jianwu City from a business trip to the capital.

Zhao Zejun went to a boutique to buy a well-fitted casual suit to look more presentable, then took a taxi to the headquarters of Huayang Group—a twelve-story office building.

At the entrance, he called Zheng Yuan, who soon came down in the elevator.

Wang Yan was not there.

“He goes to the gym whenever he has time. He’s at the fitness club now. I’ve already reported this to you. I’ll give you the address—you can go straight there to find him.”

Zhao Zejun glanced down at his costly suit and thought he should have just bought Nike or Adidas instead.

Following the address Zheng Yuan gave, Zhao Zejun took another taxi to Wade Fitness Club on the edge of the Third Ring Road.

From outside, the club was not large, nor particularly luxurious. But stepping inside, Zhao Zejun felt an immediate sense of tranquility.

Indeed, it was quiet—quite unlike the usual noisy gyms with blaring music, crowded with muscular men in tight shorts or women energetically doing aerobics. This fitness club felt more like a teahouse for chatting.

Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, a lawn with a rubber running track stretched behind the club. A few people jogged leisurely, and in the middle of the grass were several Arabian horses calmly strolling under the guidance of riders.

“Good afternoon, sir. How may I assist you?” a polite attendant greeted him.

Zhao Zejun explained his purpose. After verifying his identity, the attendant asked him to wait at reception. A few minutes later, the attendant returned, saying, “Mr. Zhao, thank you for waiting. Mr. Wang is at the rooftop pool. I will take you there.”

“Thank you.”

Following the attendant to the pool, Zhao Zejun realized the club’s quietness was not due to a lack of customers, but excellent soundproofing and privacy measures. Along the way, they passed distinct areas: aerobic training, strength training, specialized courses, and a sub-health testing and treatment center—all separately enclosed.

The pool was on the top floor, occupying the entire level. A vast blue pool with twelve international-standard lanes stretched beneath a transparent glass dome with an arched ceiling.

The glass overhead was treated so the sunlight bathing down was warm and gentle, not harsh.

Few people swam; along the poolside was a row of lounge chairs.

On one chair lay a man in his thirties, muscular and defined, wearing black swim trunks, puffing on a cigar. Beside him sat a bald, corpulent old man with loose skin, chatting animatedly.

Zhao Zejun recognized the muscular man from photos—he was Wang Yan, Chairman of Huayang.

Zhao Zejun approached with a confident smile and said, “Chairman Wang, hello, I’m Zhao Zejun.”

The middle-aged man tilted his head, appraised Zhao for a moment, then smiled broadly. “Hello, sit down.”

Zhao Zejun took a seat on a nearby lounge chair. Wang Yan held the cigar and nodded toward the bald old man. “Let me introduce you—this is Boss Niu from Deyuan Coal Mine.”

Deyuan Coal Mine was a well-known major coal mine in Southern Jiangsu Province. Encountering another coal magnate, Zhao Zejun greeted the old man politely, “Hello, Boss Niu.”

The bald man glanced sideways at Zhao but ignored the greeting, continuing to chatter with Wang Yan.

“I’m telling you, if my project succeeds, Nobel Prizes will be nothing! Trust me—invest some money, and you won’t regret it…”

Zhao Zejun leaned in slightly, intrigued. He wondered what business these two well-known provincial coal tycoons were planning. It sounded like high-tech?

Wang Yan waved his hand with a strange expression. “Brother, do you have any sense? At your age, you have money—there are plenty of good things to do. If nothing else, you can give it to charity. What’s the point of this?”

“How is it pointless? You just don’t understand!” The old Niu was upset, fuming, “It’s because I’m older now that I realize money is meaningless—health is paramount! Spending money to buy health and longevity is the best deal.”

“Brother, I don’t oppose you doing this. You’re not short on cash. Why drag me into it?”

“Scientific research is a bottomless pit. We have money now. When the results come, we’ll expand production to benefit all humanity!” Old Niu said earnestly, “This is a grand enterprise for generations to come. I’m bringing you in as a favor.”

Wang Yan stifled a laugh, glanced at Zhao Zejun, and said to Old Niu, “He’s a top student from the University of Science and Technology. You’re a coal boss. Do you really think talking about scientific research in front of him won’t make you look ridiculous?”

Only then did Old Niu give Zhao a serious look, eyes wide, and ask, “You’re a student? I thought you were running a company?”

“Studying and starting a business at the same time,” Zhao replied curiously. “Boss Niu, what exactly is this project?”

Wang Yan put his cigar down on the table, leaned over, and smiled. “His project is called the Elixir of Immortality.”

Zhao Zejun nearly spat out his drink. After all that talk about science and health, this? Was it real?

Old Niu glared. “What are you laughing at? You scholars think you know everything. I’m telling you, you don’t know jack! The universe is vast, with tens of thousands of light-years of history. You dare say you understand everything?”

Zhao sensed something off. He pondered for several seconds before realizing: tens of thousands of light-years of history?

Apparently, Old Niu thought a light-year was a unit of time.

Old Niu continued, “You’re starting a business, right? I’m telling you, the health and medical industry is the most promising now! Interested in investing in my project? Even if it doesn’t make money at first, when you reach my age and the research is successful, you’ll live decades longer. I’ve already decided—the medicine will only be supplied internally at first, not sold externally.”

Zhao intended to decline; the project sounded too far-fetched.

But then he thought: these wealthy coal bosses with nowhere to spend their money often come up with strange schemes. The Elixir of Immortality was nonsense, and the promised health benefits probably a fantasy. Yet if he could leverage this opportunity to build a relationship with Old Niu from Deyuan Coal Mine, that would be a valuable gain.

So he cast a questioning glance at Wang Yan, seeking his advice.

“What are you looking at him for? He’s not your father! If you can’t make decisions on small matters like this, what kind of business are you starting?” Old Niu barked.

Wang Yan smiled silently, clearly unwilling to offer any opinion.

After a moment’s thought, Zhao said, “Boss Niu, I don’t have much spare cash, but how about I invest three hundred thousand yuan?”

“Three hundred thousand? Are you joking? That’s nothing. I say you college kids have wasted your education. Such a great opportunity right in front of you, and you don’t even grasp it! Get lost! Go where it’s cooler. I don’t have time to play with you, young master.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Wang Yan finally spoke. “Xiao Zhao isn’t even twenty yet. You think he’s like your son, born with billions to spend? Besides, you’ve been trying to rope people into this venture everywhere but haven’t found a single partner. Now that a top university student is willing to jump on your bandwagon, you still complain? Who’s going to want to work with you next time?”

Old Niu fixed his big round eyes on Zhao Zejun. “Your name’s Zhao… Zhao Junjun?”

“Zhao Zejun.”

“The ‘Zejun’ part doesn’t matter. I ask you—are you really a University of Science and Technology student?”

“Yes.”

“Good. For old Wang’s sake, I accept you as a partner. Let those bumpkins see—even a University of Science and Technology student believes this is science. They don’t dare laugh now!”

With that, he stood, shaking loose folds of fat as he walked out without looking back. “Zhao Zejun… bring the money to my company soon and sign the agreement.”