Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

Chapter 1625 They don't even understand the most basic business logic.

After Zhao Lanxin left with Guyan, He Han saw Lin Zhanqiao looking worried and said, "It's just that Guyan left. At worst, I'll just go back to Zhixing."

Lin Zhanqiao looked up at him and gave a soft snort.

"A good horse doesn't eat the grass it has already grazed."

He Han's expression froze for a moment before he quickly turned to Qin Hao for help.

Qin Hao coughed lightly twice.

"Lin Zhanqiao".

His tone suddenly became more serious.

"Don't you think there's something wrong with how Elm Star operates?"

Lin Zhanqiao was taken aback upon hearing this.

She had initially thought Qin Hao was there to smooth things over, but she hadn't expected him to start with such harsh words. She frowned, leaned forward slightly, and placed her hands crossed on the table.

"What's the problem?"

Qin Hao didn't answer directly. He extended a finger and tapped it lightly on the table.

"What do you think is the greatest value of the planet?"

Lin Zhanqiao thought for a moment.

"A mature editing system and operational experience in the online literature market."

After listening, Qin Hao shook his head. He crossed his hands in front of his abdomen and looked calmly at Lin Zhanqiao.

"No wonder you were made so embarrassed by those two bastards, Zhao Lanxin and Ling Yikai."

"You can't even understand the most basic business logic."

Lin Zhanqiao's brows furrowed even more. A look of defiance appeared on her face, and her lips moved as if she wanted to retort.

Qin Hao didn't give her a chance.

He leaned forward, his tone becoming more forceful: "Then let me ask you—when did Zhao Lanxin and Ling Yikai start working independently after leaving Zhengxing?"

Lin Zhanqiao opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Qin Hao didn't indulge her and said bluntly, "Even Zhao Lanxin and Ling Yikai understand that He Han is the greatest value of Zhixing, but you terminated your contract with him for personal reasons. To put it bluntly, in any other company, a leader like you would have been kicked out hundreds of times over."

These words were like a knife, stabbing directly into Lin Zhanqiao's heart.

Zhou Mei, unable to sit still any longer, reached out and tugged at Qin Hao's sleeve: "What you said went a bit too far—"

"What do you mean, 'pass'?" Qin Hao gently patted Zhou Mei's hand, his gaze still fixed on Lin Zhanqiao: "I haven't finished speaking yet."

"Why did I leave Zhixing? Because I knew all too well—you don't value authors at all."

"Top-tier authors like He Han, who contribute more than half of Zhixing's revenue, don't own a single share of Zhixing. Yet you've given a large number of shares to operations and editors—to put it bluntly, anyone can do the work of operations and editing; as long as they're paid enough, they have no right to take shares!"

His voice rose slightly.

"Shares are meant to bind authors who are capable of making money for the company, not to be squandered like this!"

Lin Zhanqiao was struck dumb.

She sat in the chair, as if nailed to the ground. Every word Qin Hao spoke was like a heavy hammer blow to her chest, shattering her self-righteous beliefs bit by bit.

Over the years, Zhixing's development has been smooth sailing. From the initial three people and one office to the current more than a dozen people and an entire floor of office space, she has always felt that she has done a good job, and is even quite proud of it.

But now, Qin Hao has dismissed all her pride as worthless.

She wanted to argue.

But she swallowed the words back.

Because she thought about all the problems that Zixing had encountered during this period.

After He Han terminated her contract, Zhixing's revenue was cut in half. She wanted to sign new authors to fill the gap, but those authors who had achieved some success were unwilling to sign with Zhixing.

She went to seven or eight investment firms, but none of them were willing to invest.

There's also the matter of Zhao Lanxin poaching people.

Why were those authors so easily poached by Zhao Lanxin?

Because on Zhixing, even if you reach He Han's level, you're still just an employee. No shares, no say, all contracts are for at least five years, and all profits, including adaptation rights, are taken by Zhixing in half, or even more. No matter how well the author performs here, they're still just a high-level employee.

Since it's about finding a job, you'll naturally go to whichever offers the best terms.

The author felt no sense of belonging to the constellation.

The moment this thought crossed Lin Zhanqiao's mind, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She looked up at Qin Hao. The defiant light in her eyes had faded, replaced by a blank expression, as if she were processing something.

"You mean..." her voice was a little hoarse, "author-centric system?"

Qin Hao nodded.

"That's right. Whoever creates value is qualified to become a partner. Only in this way can we retain authors."

Lin Zhanqiao fell silent.

After a while, she raised her head.

What are you thinking when you tell me all this?

Qin Hao leaned back in his chair, looking at her calmly.

“How about this—30 million, you sell Zhixing to me. I'll keep 15% of the shares for you. You can continue as an editor if you want, or take a break and only take dividends. Leave everything else to me.”

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the entire private room seemed to freeze.

Zhou Mei gently tugged at Qin Hao's sleeve.

"Isn't this taking advantage of someone in distress?" she said in a low voice.

Qin Hao turned his head and glanced at her.

“Thirty million is not a small amount.” His voice was not loud, but very confident: “If you don’t believe me, ask Lin Zhanqiao—what assets does Zhixing still have to show for itself?”

He then looked at Lin Zhanqiao.

"Your setbacks in the capital market are the most accurate reflection of Zhixing's current situation. Am I right?"

Lin Zhanqiao did not speak.

Her fingers slowly tightened on the table, her nails digging into her palms.

He Han watched from the side, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

After a long while, Lin Zhanqiao let out a long breath.

She gave a wry smile and shook her head.

"Old Qin is right. Thirty million is indeed a lot."

She raised her eyes and looked at Qin Hao.

"However, I do not intend to sell Zixing."

Qin Hao was not surprised, as if he had expected this answer.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to sell,” he said. “You can continue to cooperate with He Han, with each of you owning 50% of the shares. With He Han’s influence, I believe you can also raise some money from the capital market to help Zhixing overcome its difficulties.”

He paused.

"But have you thought about how to develop Zixing in the future?"

Lin Zhanqiao was completely baffled by Qin Hao's questions.

She used to think she was pretty smart. After all these years in the online novel world, what kind of storms hadn't she weathered? But today, for some reason, she felt like her head was completely blank.

"You mean..." she began hesitantly.

Seeing that Lin Zhanqiao remained silent, Qin Hao continued, "We're in the 5G era now. It's long past the days of everyone glued to their phones reading novels like in the 3G era. The novel market alone is shrinking, and clinging to the old ways will only lead to failure. We must find new growth points."

"Old Qin, what you mean by a new growth point is..."

He Han, who was standing to the side, also became interested. He put down his milk tea, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Qin Hao intently.

Qin Hao did not answer.

He turned his gaze to Lin Zhanqiao, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"That depends on Lin Zhanqiao's decision."

His fingers tapped lightly on the table.

“If she doesn’t sell Zhixing to me, I’ll have to start a new company myself. Then we’ll be competitors, and I’m not stupid enough to tell such a core secret to a competitor.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhanqiao looked at Qin Hao in surprise.

"You're making a comeback?"

"I'm planning to," Qin Hao shrugged. "I've had enough rest during this time. And—"

He glanced at Zhou Mei standing beside him.

"Zhou Mei is pregnant too. I need to earn some money for baby formula for her baby."

For a moment, Lin Zhanqiao and He Han's eyes both fell on Zhou Mei's stomach.

Zhou Mei was stunned for a moment, then glared at Qin Hao and patted his arm.

"Ugh! Didn't we say not to tell anyone for three months?!"

Two blushes rose on her face, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Lin Zhanqiao's eyes widened, and she cautiously reached out and gently touched Zhou Mei's stomach.

"You...you're really pregnant?"

“Of course it’s true.” Zhou Mei placed Lin Zhanqiao’s hand on her stomach and laughed, “It’s okay, no need to be so careful, she’s not that fragile. But she’s still small, she can’t feel anything anyway.”

Lin Zhanqiao placed her palm on her lower abdomen, feeling the warmth through the fabric. That area was flat, and she couldn't feel anything there, but Lin Zhanqiao's hand trembled slightly.

She looked up at Zhou Mei. Zhou Mei winked at her.

He Han stood there, somewhat stunned. His gaze lingered between Zhou Mei's belly and Lin Zhanqiao's face before finally settling on Lin Zhanqiao.

"Congratulations, Lao Qin. You're going to be a father." His tone was full of sincere blessings, but his envious gaze ultimately fell on Lin Zhanqiao.

Lin Zhanqiao did not notice his gaze.

She even placed her hand on Zhou Mei's stomach, as if she were sensing something.

After a long while, she slowly withdrew her hand.

Her expression changed.

The blank look disappeared, replaced by a firm determination.

"Come to Chixing tomorrow."

"Let's discuss the details."

Now, Zhou Mei and He Han both looked at Lin Zhanqiao in shock.

Zhou Mei's mouth dropped open: "Lin Zhanqiao?"

He Han sat up straight: "Lin Zhanqiao, are you serious?"

Lin Zhanqiao gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"Although I am very reluctant to admit it, the truth is that the current predicament of Zhixing is all my responsibility."

"Actually, after terminating my contract with He Han, I encountered a series of problems that made me realize the importance of the author. That's why I signed that agreement with Guyan. I thought that would keep him here."

She looked up and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"But I overlooked one thing—when the entire company's system doesn't treat authors as its own people, harsh contract terms alone won't retain them. Zhao Lanxin's ability to poach Guyan is the best proof of that."

She took a deep breath.

“I founded Zixing myself. It’s like my child. I’m also very interested to see how far Zixing can go under Lao Qin’s management style.”

There was a thin glint in her eyes when she said this.

Qin Hao nodded.

"Okay. I'll be there at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

He stood up from the chair and patted his trouser legs.

"gone."

Zhou Mei also stood up and followed.

Only Lin Zhanqiao and He Han remained in the private room.

He Han said in a complicated tone:

"You really think about it?"

Lin Zhanqiao looked at him and nodded.

"When Lao Qin said that just now, I suddenly realized something."

"what's up?"

"Over the years, I've always felt that I'm doing something great—discovering authors, nurturing authors, and helping them succeed. But in reality, what I'm doing is essentially just providing an opportunity; whether they can actually write it depends entirely on their own abilities."

"Whether it's you, Qin Hao, or Guyan, even without Zhixing or me, you would still succeed; it's just a matter of time."

---

The next morning at 8:50.

Qin Hao, wearing a dark blue shirt, appeared at the entrance of Zhixing Company.

The company's receptionist was a young woman in her early twenties, with a ponytail and round-framed glasses. She froze the moment she saw Qin Hao.

"Teacher Qin... Teacher Qin Hao?"

"Yes, I'm looking for General Manager Lin."

"President Lin is waiting for you in his office! I'll take you there!"

As the little girl led the way, she secretly sized up Qin Hao, her eyes filled with surprise, curiosity, and a hint of inexplicable excitement.

Qin Hao followed her through the corridor. The walls on both sides of the corridor were covered with various posters: covers of works by authors under the Zhixing brand, certificates of various awards, and group photos from team building activities.

The editors and authors in the office have already heard the news.

People gathered in twos and threes between their workstations, whispering among themselves.

"What's going on? Why is Teacher Qin Hao here?"

"Do you think it's possible that Gu Yan left, and President Lin brought in Teacher Qin Hao to save the day?"

"Very likely! Although Teacher Qin Hao terminated his contract with Zhixing before, he has maintained a good relationship with President Lin."

"If that's the case, then there's hope for our Zhixing. What about Guyan? He's not even worthy of being mentored by Teacher Qin Hao."

Everyone was very dissatisfied with Guyan's sudden termination of the contract and abandonment of his responsibilities. After all, if it weren't for Lin Zhanqiao's discovery, Guyan would still be serving instant noodles in an internet cafe right now.

The meeting room door remained tightly closed.

Qin Hao went in and didn't come out for more than an hour.

The editors outside were getting impatient. Some kept checking the time on their phones, some fidgeted at their desks, and some pretended to be organizing documents but were actually peeking towards the meeting room.

Half past ten.

The meeting room door opened.

Qin Hao came out first. His expression was unreadable, and Lin Zhanqiao followed behind him.

Her expression was somewhat complicated as she stood at the conference room door, glancing at the workstations outside.

All eyes were on the two of them.

Lin Zhanqiao took a deep breath.

"I have something to tell you all."

Her voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet office, every word was clearly audible.

"Starting today, Zhixing Culture Media Co., Ltd. has been officially transferred to Mr. Qin Hao."

This sentence exploded like a bomb in the office.

Everyone was stunned.

The pen in Xiao Liu's hand fell to the ground with a thud. Xiao Cai stood up from the sofa. The young woman at the front desk covered her mouth.

"President Lin will continue to serve as editor-in-chief," Qin Hao added from the side. "She will still be responsible for the company's daily operations. I will mainly be responsible for the company's development direction and strategic planning."

He paused.

"In addition, I have something to announce."

Everyone's ears perked up.

"Starting today, Zhixing will implement a partnership system."

Qin Hao's voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was firm and resounding.

"Any author with an annual income exceeding 500,000 can become a partner in the company. If they achieve this standard for three consecutive years, they can receive a certain percentage of stock options as a reward."

"I will have the legal department draft the specific details as soon as possible, and we will announce them next week."

The office was silent for about three seconds.

Then--

Xiao Liu was the first to clap.

Then, the second, the third.

The applause, like firecrackers, spread from the conference room entrance to the entire office area. Some people whistled, and others clapped until their hands were red.

As the applause subsided, Qin Hao continued:

"Starting this year, any author with an annual income exceeding 500,000 can directly contact me to discuss revenue sharing!"

This statement caused an uproar in the office.

Xiao Liu tugged at her colleague's sleeve and whispered, "I told you, everything will be different when Teacher Qin Hao comes."

After Qin Hao finished speaking, he turned to look at Lin Zhanqiao.

"Mr. Lin, is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Lin Zhanqiao shook his head.

"Alright, let's call it a day. Go do whatever you were doing."

Qin Hao clapped his hands and turned to walk towards the main entrance.

Lin Zhanqiao stood there, watching his figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

When Qin Hao walked out of the gate of Zixing, the sun was already high in the sky.

He stood on the steps by the door, squinting at the sky for a while.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took it out and saw that it was a message from Zhou Mei.

"Are you done talking?"

He replied with a single word: "Mm".

"How about it?"

"Not bad. Zixing is mine now."

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

Then a message came:

"So, should I call you President Qin from now on?"

A smile appeared on Qin Hao's lips when he saw the message.

He typed back, "Just call me husband."

The other person replied instantly with an emoji—a cat rolling its eyes.

Then Zhou Mei added, "Do you think our child will write novels in the future?"

Qin Hao smiled and said, "No."

"why?"

"Because I've already written well enough. I don't need him to stir up this industry anymore."

Zhou Mei laughed and cursed, "Shameless."

---

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Dingqi.com.

Uncle Fan sat in his office, his phone screen still lit up, displaying the message from Xiao Cai.

"President Fan, Lin Zhanqiao has sold Zhixing to Qin Hao."

He's been staring at this message for almost ten minutes.

Editor-in-Chief Zhou Zhengyang, sitting opposite him, was getting restless.

"Mr. Fan, should I call Qin Hao and ask about the situation?"

Uncle Fan waved his hand.

"No need to ask."

He flipped his phone over and placed it face down on the table.

"Qin Hao is the kind of person who thinks things through before he does anything. He won't tell you even if you ask him. You'll naturally find out when he's willing to tell you."

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"However, there is one thing I am certain of."

Zhou Zhengyang looked at him.

"what?"

A meaningful smile appeared on Uncle Fan's face.

"The online literature world is about to change."

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a long shadow on the floor. (End of Chapter)