When Lin Feng and Cao Ming finished up for the day and returned to their guesthouse, they saw a familiar figure at the entrance.
It was none other than Zhao Zhengye, who had been out of sight for some time.
Lin Feng’s expression remained unchanged, giving no hint as to what he was thinking.
Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Name your price. I want to buy the project."
Zhao Zhengye said, his expression darkening.
Since Zhao Zhengye had come to his senses, Lin Feng certainly wasn’t going to turn someone like him away.
The investment firms all pulled their funding!
"I wouldn’t do that."
Zhao Zhengye felt a sense of trust toward Lin Feng.
Back when Lin Feng had made it clear that he could only buy his project, not invest in it, Zhao Zhengye could no longer recall exactly how he had felt at that moment.
"It’s identical to someone else’s project, and their proposal was established long before yours."
All he knew was that he felt as if he had crossed the point of no return.
They certainly hadn’t looked into the history between Zhao Zhengye and the partner who betrayed him.
"I was wondering... if you’d still be willing to have me?"
Zhao Zhengye let out a self-deprecating laugh.
He thought their business was more or less concluded.
Zhao Zhengye’s head snapped up, his eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of gratitude.
His voice was quiet, but his tone was resolute.
Things couldn’t possibly get any worse, so he felt he could calmly accept whatever outcome lay ahead.
Part of the reason Zhao Zhengye wanted to work for Lin Feng’s company was his high opinion of Lin Feng himself.
"If I sold the project to you now, wouldn’t I just be scamming you?"
The man looked at him with unconcealed disdain.
Lin Feng asked casually, as if making small talk.
Zhao Zhengye’s face flushed slightly. He glanced at Lin Feng and pleaded, "I understand now that I’m not cut out for entrepreneurship. Mr. Lin, you mentioned before that you wanted to invite me to your company..."
The project was finally moving forward smoothly.
Hearing this, Zhao Zhengye’s face lit up with delight.
So, hearing Zhao Zhengye’s request now, Lin Feng wasn’t surprised in the least.
Zhao Zhengye nodded immediately. "Mr. Lin, I think it would be better for me to just focus on doing what I’m actually good at, and do it well."
Even though Lin Feng had been bitingly sarcastic to him in his own home back then, looking back, he realized Lin Feng was just trying to snap him out of it.
Lin Feng asked.
"Are you sure the idea your partner took when he left was the complete version?"
The fact that Zhao Zhengye was able to pull himself out of the entrepreneurial sinkhole so quickly was partly thanks to Lin Feng’s advice.
He did manage to secure funding and find the right people.
Zhao Zhengye said stubbornly, "Aren’t you? Practically every investment firm says the project is worthless now..."
But Lin Feng just chuckled, amused. "You think I’m buying this project just to help you out?"
He was going to risk it all for one last shot.
He was much thinner than the last time they had seen him, so much so that his cheekbones jutted out.
Lin Feng had long predicted that Zhao Zhengye would come looking for him after hitting a dead end.
"But now they’ve already developed the software and are starting beta promotions, while my revisions are still just ideas on paper."
Lin Feng smiled. "I think you should remember that the place you’ll be working—my company—is also an investment firm."
A large part of the reason the other investors had abandoned the project so decisively was that they hadn’t taken the time to seriously understand it.
If Zhao Zhengye weren’t going to be a future member of his team, Lin Feng wouldn’t even have bothered to explain.
Zhao Zhengye demanded, veins bulging on his forehead as he cornered one of the investors.
But when Lin Feng heard this, his expression flickered with interest.
Therefore, those investors naturally failed to see the project’s hidden potential.
He hadn’t expected Lin Feng to bring up the project again.
So, when Lin Feng asked about the startup project, Zhao Zhengye held nothing back.
So, in his eyes, the project was far from worthless.
"So, are you planning to abandon the project completely?"
At that, the pride deep in Zhao Zhengye’s bones flared up again.
Zhao Zhengye nodded with a touch of regret. "It has no value to me anymore. It’s like a dream I’ve finally woken up from."
"Are you sure you’ve thought this through?"
The salary Lin Feng was offering was very reasonable.
But just as his software was entering its final, most critical stage, the same thing happened all over again.
Zhao Zhengye stared blankly for a moment after hearing Lin Feng’s words.
"My offer still stands. I’ll draw up a contract for you at market rate. But I expect you to show me what you’re capable of. I don’t like to waste my money."
"He left midway through the project. After he was gone, I was fuming, and I channeled that into making significant revisions to the plan."
"Mr. Lin, you don’t have to buy this worthless project just to help me out. I don’t want your charity!"
Zhao Zhengye had completely given up on his startup, and he was currently short on cash.
For Lin Feng, the reason he chose this project was that he saw opportunities within it to turn the situation around.
Zhao Zhengye paused for a moment, then sighed and shook his head. "Mr. Lin, I can’t drag you into this. Since so many investors say he’s already seized the first-mover advantage, there’s nothing I can do to fight back."
And so, Zhao Zhengye, having "figured things out," went straight to contacting every investment firm he could find, big and small.
"I’m an investor, too. I would never buy a project out of personal sentiment. I buy it because I can see value that others might have missed."
Although Zhao Zhengye and Lin Feng had only met a few times, their recent interactions had shown Zhao Zhengye that the young man before him was incredibly sharp.
Since Lin Feng wouldn’t invest, there was no need to put all his eggs in one basket.
"Are you sure your project isn’t plagiarized?"
He quickly figured it out. There was only one person who could have had the same idea and progressed faster than him.
Sitting across from Lin Feng, Zhao Zhengye recounted the events of the past month.
But seeing Zhao Zhengye’s expression now, Lin Feng smiled faintly. "So, you couldn’t accept defeat and came back, hoping to sell me the project?"
"I guess I see things clearly now. I’m just a terrible judge of character."
"Why are you pulling your funding?"
"Besides, they’ve already launched into the market and seized the first-mover advantage. Your project’s value has plummeted. Only a fool wouldn’t pull out now!"
Lin Feng asked him again.
He cast a wide net and hadn’t been idle for the past month or so.
Lin Feng didn’t say anything as he listened to the story of how Zhao Zhengye’s former partner had preempted him, taking the project and securing investments.
Zhao Zhengye was stunned speechless.
He stammered, "It... it really still has value?"

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