Last Love chapter 106
The event at B University was crucial for Wen Ke.
LITE was a small company in the industry, not widely known even with its collaboration with Blue Rain. Therefore, exposure was everything for the “Last Love” app.
During that time, Wen Ke’s mind was filled with thoughts of exposure, exposure, and more exposure.
The most challenging part was how to break through the media channels. Small startups faced unimaginable resource shortages in this regard, lacking communication networks, connections, and experience, requiring hard work for everything.
Moreover, due to the disagreement between Han Jiangque and Fu Xiaoyu during this period, Fu Xiaoyu hardly participated in the work related to the “Last Love” app.
Wen Ke knew that Fu Xiaoyu was in a bad mood. On the other hand, their relationship had become awkward due to these messy things, so he hesitated to ask Fu Xiaoyu for help.
Therefore, this was actually the first time Wen Ke independently planned a precise marketing campaign—
The advantage of organizing events at universities was the inherent cultural and educational implications, making them less commercial and reducing media concerns.
In addition, in recent years, the government encouraged interactions among university students to boost the birth rate, making this a precise selling point.
Class monitor Fan Yu did introduce Wen Ke to Mr. He from the B University Activity Organization Department, but initially, Mr. He wasn’t very interested. It wasn’t until Wen Ke mentioned the M University research background of the app, coupled with the upcoming Valentine’s Day in February, that he finally succeeded in persuading B University to join.
With the main organizer in place, contacting the media gained a bit more confidence.
Although Wen Ke was the boss, in such a small company, he had to pay attention to every detail.
He was well aware that if the “Last Love” preheating activity could generate a remarkable momentum, it would essentially secure the first wave of traffic for the app after its market entry through the extensive discussion in the young community.
During the day, Wen Ke remained calm and composed, adhering to his routine. He woke up on time, went to the LITE office every day, and often went out in the afternoon for media channel expansion. For an Omega in the middle of pregnancy, such energy and action were rare.
But Wen Ke knew himself. Despite his efforts to maintain the normal operation of the external world, his inner world was being violently torn apart at all times.
His emotional world was becoming barren and lonely due to Han Jiangque’s absence.
On the night before the B University event, Wen Ke hesitated for a long time but ultimately decided to visit Fu Xiaoyu.
This was the first time he had seen Fu Xiaoyu’s home after such a long time. In the famous wealthy area of the northern city, row after row of Nordic-style villas were neatly arranged. Fu Xiaoyu’s home was the one closest to the north.
When Fu Xiaoyu opened the door and saw Wen Ke, he seemed a bit surprised.
The usually competent and delicate Omega was now wearing a fluffy white nightgown, looking quite pale. He didn’t have the usual perfume that covered his pheromones, so the sweetness of his scent was surprisingly prominent.
In contrast to the luxurious appearance of the villa, the interior was minimalist, almost empty, with decorations entirely in cool black and white.
The living room even had a whole wall dedicated to office use, densely covered with schedules, tips, and a whiteboard on the side with thoughts jotted down.
As Wen Ke walked in, he couldn’t help but think that this place was completely different from his and Han Jiangque’s home, filled with fluffy blankets everywhere and strange, colorful decorations.
“Xiaoyu, are you sick?”
Wen Ke asked with some concern.
“No.”
Fu Xiaoyu poured a glass of orange juice and handed it to Wen Ke, then sniffed weakly. “My throat is just a bit sore. What’s the matter? Do you need something?”
He didn’t feel like talking much. These days felt like a series of unfortunate events, with the fallout with Han Jiangque, sudden unemployment, a minor cold, and his heat coming in a couple of days. All the misfortunes seemed to be happening at once.
“Actually, yes.”
Wen Ke thought for a moment, took out a folder from his bag, and handed it to Fu Xiaoyu. “Tomorrow is the preheating event for ‘Last Love’ in collaboration with B University. I’ve thought about it for a long time and finally decided to show you the arrangements and plans.”
“Am I still a shareholder in LITE?”
Fu Xiaoyu lifted the corners of his mouth, his smile carrying a hint of sarcasm. “I thought this job would be terminated along with IM.”
“…That’s impossible.”
Wen Ke spoke softly, “Xiaoyu, I’ve never thought that the success of ‘Last Love’ would be possible without you. I don’t know how you see me now, but I genuinely bear no ill will towards you.”
“Wen Ke, you’re already the winner the moment you appeared.”
Fu Xiaoyu furrowed his brow, unable to conceal his irritation. He rudely interrupted Wen Ke, saying, “What reason would you have to bear ill will?”
Wen Ke was momentarily stunned. Though the statement was direct, it carried an unexpectedly sharp edge.
The usually calm and professional Fu Xiaoyu was showing such a private emotion for the first time in a long while.
“I fell for Han Jiangque when we were in college. I confessed to him in our sophomore year, and he flat out rejected me. It was my first time confessing to someone, and it felt embarrassing at the time. But slowly, he didn’t care about it, and I pretended it never happened. We remained the best of friends, and I followed him to co-found IM. Over the years, we never brought up the topic of love again, but sometimes, our relationship felt so close that I couldn’t help but think that maybe in a few more years, I might still have a chance. But then you came back, Wen Ke.”
Fu Xiaoyu gripped the folder tightly, gazing at Wen Ke in the dim light.
At that moment, he couldn’t help but recall the night of his 25th birthday. In the fervent dance floor, Wen Ke, appearing out of nowhere, forcefully pulled Han Jiangque into his arms, asserting absolute dominance.
He stood there in shock for a moment, unsure how to react.
It wasn’t about not being able to let go of the long-faded emotions; it was the constant inability to overcome defeat.
The emotional impotence that lingered from adolescence to now suddenly struck him that night, like a crisp slap in the face, integrating years of self-doubt, hitting him hard.
Wen Ke easily defeated him.
Perhaps it couldn’t even be called defeat. It was more like, as he passed by, Wen Ke nonchalantly crushed him.
Fu Xiaoyu took a deep breath and finally said, word by word, “You’re back, Wen Ke, and everything is over. You are indeed not the useless Omega I imagined. You are intelligent, hardworking, and from a personal perspective, I don’t dislike you as a person. What I hate—actually, is your existence. Han Jiangque’s world is small, and you alone occupy it all. He no longer needs friends, money, or even hobbies. Whether you like it or not, your existence has changed the lives of everyone around you. So, it’s not you having ill will towards me, it’s me having ill will towards you.”
“I…”
As Fu Xiaoyu’s words tore through a thin layer of paper, Wen Ke felt a moment of loss, but at the next instant, he couldn’t help but feel relieved.
He could sense the deliberate distance between him and Fu Xiaoyu all this time. Even though these words sounded difficult to digest, saying them out loud was, for the relationship between the two, more like progress.
“Xiaoyu, you’re wrong.”
Wen Ke’s expression became serious, and he said softly, “Han Jiangque needs you. I must tell you this for him—yes, his world is small, so he has few friends. But no matter what, you are the most important one. He’ll be upset for a long time after quarreling with you, worry about you getting drunk, and want to protect you. These feelings are genuine. As for me, believe it or not, I never thought of undermining your friendship with him—just like no one can interfere with our love. In fact, no one can interfere with the friendship between you two, and I can’t either.”
“I know making friends with you is probably impossible.”
Wen Ke sighed softly, paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but continue, “But I still hope you… can feel my sincerity. I enjoy working with you, Xiaoyu, not just enjoy, I admire you and look up to you. You say I’m the winner, but in the workplace, it has always been me looking up to you.”
“…”
Fu Xiaoyu looked at Wen Ke in silence. His lips moved slightly, and finally, he asked lightly, “is that so?”
Wen Ke pointed to the folder in Fu Xiaoyu’s hands and said with some embarrassment, “During this time, I’ve been thinking. You helped me so much before, taught me things, because of Han Jiangque… after all, you were working for him. So, when planning this whole event, I felt embarrassed to ask you. It wasn’t until it was almost done that I thought, finally, I can show you. Many ideas in this are actually what you taught me before.”
Fu Xiaoyu stood still for a long time, seeming to be contemplating something silently. Eventually, he couldn’t help but lower his head and open the folder, quickly flipping through its contents.
“How are we connecting with the media?”
As soon as he saw the project proposal inside, Fu Xiaoyu quickly switched into work mode, asking seriously.
“I formed a small working group with two colleagues from the marketing department. We made separate Excel sheets for self-media and traditional media. Then we approached each one by one.”
“Self-media can be influenced with money, but traditional media is challenging to negotiate with,” Fu Xiaoyu said sharply.
“Yes, but an app with topicality without relying on pheromone matching has its own appeal. Coupled with the timing of Valentine’s Day, we’ve managed to get three newspapers and two TV stations to come tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Fu Xiaoyu continued to ask, “Can we make use of resources from universities?”
“Yes,” Wen Ke, like a well-prepared top student, answered quickly, “We’ve posted advertisements on the forums of major universities and on the university course app used by students.”
It could be said that Wen Ke had dug up every possible channel that could be utilized. He invested countless efforts to meticulously weave such a comprehensive promotional network.
Even Fu Xiaoyu, upon hearing this, raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then, in a rare moment, he nodded and closed the folder, handing it back to Wen Ke. Concisely, he said, “It’s good. I’ve always said that creating topics for a social app is crucial, even more important than buying user downloads. What you’ve arranged now, I wouldn’t have done it better myself.”
Receiving affirmation from Fu Xiaoyu, Wen Ke’s face brightened. He sincerely said, “Xiaoyu, I really just want to prove to you that I can be a competent partner. Even without the pressure from Han Jiangque, I hope we can continue to work together. That’s also the purpose of my visit tonight, hoping you can consider it a bit.”
Taking the folder, he stood up and adjusted his coat. But before leaving, he couldn’t help but earnestly say to Fu Xiaoyu, “Tomorrow… if you’re feeling well, consider coming to B University?.”
Fu Xiaoyu remained non-committal, but as he escorted Wen Ke to the hallway, he suddenly whispered, “Wen Ke, when dealing with media articles, valuable entry points are crucial. You can personally provide them with an entry point.”
“What?” Wen Ke was a bit slow to react.
“You are a pregnant Omega, a divorced Omega who has experienced many setbacks. Such an Omega not only successfully started a business but also chose to find the path to love in a unique way. This alone is enough to attract attention. Don’t waste the news value on yourself.”
“Wen Ke, you need to look radiant, appear very successful, utilize your gender advantage, and proudly show off your belly. Make yourself a shining part of this brand—give them material, give them a story to write. If they like you, they will undoubtedly like the product, understand?”
Wen Ke looked at Fu Xiaoyu, unable to hold his breath for a moment.
In that instant, he suddenly thought of those buildings in the North City District—the twin-star shared office building, the AI hotel, the LM club. Various industries and architectures that seemed diverse, yet all perfectly united under the same open and avant-garde values.
You Only Live Once.
Fu Xiaoyu wasn’t just developing real estate; he was conquering this land with an appealing set of values, an idealized concept of life.
Being able to work with such a genius was, in fact, an honor.
Wen Ke thought so from the bottom of his heart.
“I’ll try my best to attend tomorrow.”
Before parting ways, Fu Xiaoyu finally said this to Wen Ke.