Joint Venture

As he drove away from the Fashion Tower, Murong Feng felt pretty good about his interview with the editorial department of Fashion Weekly magazine, despite the wary look from the devilishly attractive Xu Wei, which left him somewhat helpless.

Following the traffic flow onto the Second Ring Road, Murong Feng was just contemplating his next move when his phone rang. "Fengzi, what are you doing?" It was his childhood friend, Liu Xin.

Everyone has a few friends they are especially close to. For men, these friends are often called brothers. Liu Xin was Murong Feng's brother, a childhood friend with whom he had grown up, sharing countless adventures. Their families lived in the same building; they were classmates from kindergarten through high school, and they both attended university in Beijing. They were inseparable.

"Xiao Xin, it's been a while since you called. How have you been?" Murong Feng was excited. After graduating from university, Liu Xin had gone to Shenzhen to work. They kept in touch by phone, but Murong Feng had been so busy lately that he hadn't spoken to Liu Xin in a while.

"I just got off the plane. I'm at the Capital Airport!" Liu Xin's hearty laughter over the phone filled Murong Feng with warmth and surprise.

"What! You came back without a word? Couldn't make it in Shenzhen? I told you, why go so far? The air is humid..." Murong Feng's excitement made him a bit incoherent.

"Alright, alright, give me a break! I'm on a business trip, okay? Now tell me where you live so I can come find you!" Liu Xin laughed and cursed.

"No, no, stay at the airport. I'll come pick you up. Which terminal?....Okay, we'll talk when we meet. There's a lot to catch up on!" Murong Feng hung up the phone, suddenly realizing that he now had a car and an apartment. How was he going to explain this to Liu Xin?

Should he tell him that he won over a hundred million yuan in the lottery? That didn't seem appropriate. Although they were like brothers, this sudden wealth might affect their relationship. It was a strange feeling.

Maybe this way... Murong Feng drove quickly, thinking about how to introduce his current situation to his best friend. He decided it would be best to be somewhat reserved, avoiding any awkwardness between them.

At the terminal, he parked his car and ran into the arrival hall, where he spotted Liu Xin. They laughed and hugged, exchanging playful punches before calming down. Murong Feng took Liu Xin's suitcase and started to leave, but Liu Xin stopped him. "Hold on, I have a colleague with me."

Murong Feng then noticed a delicate girl standing nearby, smiling at their antics. She found their reunion amusing.

Murong Feng quickly smiled back and playfully scolded Liu Xin, "You sneaky guy, why didn't you introduce me to this beauty?" He extended his hand to the girl. "Sorry about that. We're used to this. I'm Murong Feng. Nice to meet you."

The girl smiled gently, her voice soft as a spring breeze. "Hello, I'm Jiang Yan. Nice to meet you." She then laughed, "This is the first time I've seen Liu Xin like this!"

Liu Xin immediately replied, "I only act this way around Fengzi!" Jiang Yan just smiled.

Murong Feng glanced at Liu Xin, who nodded. It was clear that Jiang Yan was special to Liu Xin. Murong Feng took Jiang Yan's suitcase, and the three of them headed out.

When Liu Xin saw Murong Feng's Audi, he was surprised. "When did you get rich enough to drive an Audi? This isn't borrowed, is it?" Murong Feng laughed. "As long as we have a ride, who cares whose it is?" With Jiang Yan around, Murong Feng didn't explain further and brushed it off casually.

Liu Xin and Jiang Yan were in Beijing for a seminar on the mobile communications industry. Liu Xin's family worked in the postal and telecommunications sector, and he graduated from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. He was now a product manager at a mobile value-added services1 company in Shenzhen. Murong Feng often said that Liu Xin made things difficult for himself by not taking a stable job with an operator, preferring the challenges of the market.

Like Murong Feng, Liu Xin had a free-spirited personality and disliked the bureaucratic style of state-owned enterprises. He ignored the job his family had arranged for him at a mobile company, choosing to find his own way. Though it was tough, he seemed to enjoy it.

Murong Feng had initially planned to catch up with Liu Xin, but with Jiang Yan around, he had to wait. He dropped them off at their hotel, where they freshened up before he took them to Feiteng Fish Village for some boiled fish.

Knowing Jiang Yan could drive, Murong Feng and Liu Xin were delighted. They each ordered a small bottle of Erguotou and drank heartily. Liu Xin remarked, "The only downside to Shenzhen is that it lacks good company. Drinking without you just doesn't feel the same!" Jiang Yan smiled gently, sipping her sour plum juice.

Murong Feng laughed, "Let's drink to our heart's content today! Cheers!" They clinked bottles and drank.

After setting down his bottle, Liu Xin suddenly looked at Murong Feng, his voice serious. "Fengzi, Jiang Yan is not an outsider, so let's speak openly. You haven't mentioned Zhao Nian since we met. What happened?" Jiang Yan blushed when she heard this. Murong Feng was taken aback. From Jiang Yan's reaction, it was clear that she and Liu Xin were very close.

Hearing Zhao Nian's name, a wave of sadness and pain surged within Murong Feng, stronger and more uncontrollable than ever since their breakup. His eyes reddened as he realized that the wound in his heart was still deep and unhealed. He had been forcing himself to cope, and the recent lottery win had kept him busy enough to distract from the pain. But now, in front of his brother, he couldn't suppress his sadness.

"We... broke up." He drained his bottle. "Waiter, bring two more bottles!" Liu Xin, seeing Murong Feng's expression, didn't press further and ordered more drinks.

The two seemed to forget about the large pot of boiled fish, drinking bottle after bottle. Liu Xin ignored Jiang Yan, focusing on keeping Murong Feng company. Jiang Yan, who understood Liu Xin well after two years together, seemed to grasp the bond between the two friends.

After the meal, they were half-drunk but still able to walk otherwise Jiang Yan couldn't have managed to get them back alone. Murong Feng was in no condition to drive, so they both stayed in Liu Xin's room.

In the middle of the night, Murong Feng woke up thirsty. He found a water cup by the bed, drank deeply, and saw Liu Xin asleep in the other bed. He appreciated Jiang Yan's thoughtfulness. Unable to sleep, Murong Feng lit a cigarette and stood by the window, looking out at the quiet Chang'an Street. A watering truck slowly passed by, adding a touch of movement to the deserted street under the streetlights.

"Awake?" Liu Xin's calm voice sounded behind him.

"You too?" Murong Feng didn't turn around. "I've always handled my liquor better than you." Liu Xin lit a cigarette, moved a chair to the window, and put his feet up on the windowsill, gazing outside. "There's another chair."

Murong Feng laughed, moved a chair over, and sat down like Liu Xin. "Feeling like drinking again, huh?"

Liu Xin laughed too. "Such a big event, and you didn't call your brother?"

"I'm not one to share my pain with others." Murong Feng's smile had a touch of calmness now. "True!" Liu Xin nodded. "Was it her...?" Murong Feng nodded. Liu Xin sighed, "When I last saw her, I sensed she was becoming more focused on superficial things..."

Suddenly, he remembered something. "By the way, that Audi is yours, right? Anything else new lately?"

"Yes, after the breakup, I was very distressed, so I bought a lottery ticket and won." Murong Feng said calmly.

"Damn, seriously? You're so lucky!" Liu Xin jumped up, astonished. "We've never had any luck gambling since we were kids!"

Murong Feng smiled faintly. "Maybe the heavens pitied me. After Zhao Nian left me for money, they gave me wealth so I wouldn't suffer financial difficulties with a future girl..."

Liu Xin felt touched and sighed.

Thinking for a moment, Liu Xin continued, "Fengzi, what are your plans now? With money, will you start your own business?" Murong Feng shook his head. "I haven't thought about it. I quite enjoyed the freedom of freelance work. But I just agreed to work at Fashion Weekly for Ouyang Lanruo, just to pass the time."

Liu Xin, still thinking, said excitedly, "That's not good. Even if you have some money from the lottery, you can't just sit on it. You should invest or start a business. This seminar in Beijing might have some good projects. Why don't we, as brothers, start a business together?"

Murong Feng, seeing Liu Xin's enthusiasm, became interested and asked, "Starting a business together?" Liu Xin, his thoughts well-formed, laughed excitedly, "Yes! These days in Shenzhen, I've seen many people around our age succeed in starting their own businesses, especially in the mobile communications field. China is developing rapidly, and my company's boss makes tens of millions annually just from a small segment of mobile value-added services, like SMS. Now is the perfect time to start a business. You provide the funds, and I'll handle the technology. Together, we'll be unstoppable!"

Murong Feng smiled, "You're that confident?"

"Of course! There's no guarantee in entrepreneurship, but why not give it a try if we have the opportunity? You know, China is about to launch 3G services, bringing many new applications. I've thought of several technological applications with great potential, but I haven't found the right investor. How about you invest? By the way, I forgot to ask, how much did you win in the lottery? Five million?"

Murong Feng shook his head, smiling, and asked, "First, tell me how much funding we need to start this business?"

"Not much. To start, we need a registered capital of one million. I need to think about which business sector would be best for us..." Liu Xin thought aloud, excited.

Murong Feng surrendered immediately, "Alright, alright, Xiao Xin. Let's take out ten million first. You figure out what we should do, and we'll start this business together."

Liu Xin exclaimed, "Ten million! You've really struck it rich!"

Then he glared at Murong Feng and said sternly, "Don't think you can just throw money around without doing any work. Come, let's brainstorm together!"

The two spent the entire night excitedly discussing and planning their joint venture.