Chapter 71 - 52: President Peng’s Proposal
Chen Lin met President Peng’s gaze and said gratefully, "Your advice last time was a huge inspiration to me. I’ve given it a lot of serious thought recently, and I’ve decided to transfer to the mathematics department. I’m planning to start talking to the university administration about it next month."
"A wise decision." President Peng nodded in approval. "But this means you’ll have a lot more free time starting next semester, right? After all, you won’t have to spend any more time on your major’s required courses. Have you thought about how you’ll use that time?"
Chen Lin shook his head honestly. "I don’t have any specific plans yet."
"Well, I have an idea," President Peng said, gently setting his teacup down. The Zisha ware cup made a soft CLINK against the rosewood table. "Something for you to consider."
Chen Lin immediately sat up straight, adopting a posture of being all ears.
President Peng looked at him, a knowing smile playing on his lips, and said slowly, "I’ll provide the capital to invest in you. You’ll establish a consulting firm, with you providing the core technical consulting services."
"Huh?"
Chen Lin was completely stunned. His mind couldn’t quite catch up.
He looked at President Peng, a little bewildered, and asked, "Start a company? President Peng, aren’t I already doing consulting work? Why go to the trouble of setting up a dedicated company?"
Hearing this, President Peng didn’t answer, but posed a question of his own. He leisurely lifted his teacup, took another sip, and then spoke in an unhurried tone, "Let me ask you a question, Chen. Do you know how much money our engineering design institute can make from completing the design plan for a single project?"
Chen Lin shook his head.
"Let’s take the project from your second consultation as an example—the large-scale, cross-river scenic pedestrian bridge." President Peng gestured in the air with his finger. "For that project, our institute’s final fee was eight million. After deducting all costs for manpower, equipment, and so on, the net profit was one point two million."
"..."
A BUZZ went through Chen Lin’s head, and he didn’t hear a single word after that.
’One point two million!’
’And me? I slaved away on that, and even with the rush fee, I only got five thousand!’
’Five thousand versus one point two million!’
’That’s one two-hundred-and-fortieth!’
He used to think he had hit the jackpot, meeting a generous and forthright client like President Peng who always paid his consulting fees so promptly and often tacked on a rush bonus.
’It’s clear now that I’m the biggest sucker of all!’
’Some damn benefactor. This is a textbook case of a black-hearted boss, inhumanly exploiting me for my surplus value!’
Watching the wonderful series of expressions on Chen Lin’s face—from shock to dejection to a hint of indignation—President Peng laughed as if he had expected it all along.
"I know what you’re thinking right now," he said with a wave of his hand, his tone sincere. "You’re right, our design institute took a huge advantage in those last few consultations. But that’s precisely why I wanted to talk to you about this today."
President Peng picked up the teapot again and refilled the empty cups in front of both Chen Lin and himself. The fragrant steam of the tea rose in wisps.
"Don’t be so quick to feel wronged," President Peng said after a sip of tea. "Think about it. For those previous projects, while our design institute took the lion’s share of the profit, we also shouldered most of the risk."
"You’re still a university student with no professional certifications or qualifications. What if—and I’m just saying what if—the final project plan ran into problems because of an issue with the algorithm you provided, causing an engineering accident? Who would bear that responsibility? Our design institute. We would be the ones paying damages and having our license revoked. You, on the other hand, would have almost no legal liability."
Hearing this, the sense of unfairness in Chen Lin’s heart mostly dissipated.
’That does make sense. What President Peng said is true; risk and reward are always proportional.’
He thought for a moment, then asked, "So, even if I establish a consulting company, I probably still can’t take on design projects independently, right?"
"Of course not." President Peng nodded, affirming his assumption. "You don’t have the qualifications, so the business model would definitely still involve partnering with a firm like our design institute. However, starting a company has other benefits."
Seeing the curious look on Chen Lin’s face, President Peng began to explain in detail.
"First, channels."
"What’s your channel for getting jobs now? An online marketplace. To put it bluntly, that’s no different from a roadside stall; it’s all up to luck. It’s far too inefficient. But if you accept my investment and start a company, I can use my network to directly connect you with contracts from major domestic and international corporations, helping you rapidly scale up your business."
"Second, and most importantly, is brand value."
"Right now, you’re going it alone. The highest I ever paid you was nearly two thousand an hour for consulting. That sounds pretty high, doesn’t it?" President Peng looked at Chen Lin and shook his head. "But in my opinion, for someone with your abilities, that amount of money is far from enough."
"Why isn’t it enough? Because you have no brand, no endorsement. But a company does. Operating under a company name gives you a natural advantage and a sense of trust during business negotiations, contract signings, and quoting prices. A corporate structure will help you build a professional and reliable image, making it easier to attract those truly high-net-worth clients—like large corporations, top-tier research institutions, or those star startups backed by venture capital."
"When you get to that point, you’ll be able to command much higher consulting fees. You’ll move from being paid by the hour to being paid by the project. Hundreds of thousands, or even millions, for a single project—that’s the value you should be commanding."
President Peng’s words were like opening the door to a new world for Chen Lin, and his heart surged with excitement.
But he quickly calmed down as a key question surfaced in his mind.
"President Peng," he asked, a bit puzzled, "I don’t quite understand why you’re helping me this much. Shouldn’t you be more concerned with the interests of the design institute? If I start a company, my consulting fees for the institute will definitely be much higher than they are now."
President Peng let out another hearty laugh.
"I’ll be honest with you," he said candidly. "I was actually sent to this design institute by the parent group for a temporary management role. My term will be up in about two or three months. After that, I’ll be moving to an investment firm under the group. Although it’s all part of the same corporation, the performance of this design institute will have little to do with my future."
"You, on the other hand," President Peng’s gaze burned into Chen Lin, his eyes sharp with shrewdness, but his tone was utterly sincere, "I am extremely bullish on your ability and potential. If I can invest in you at the very beginning and help you grow, the future returns will undoubtedly give me a much greater say over at the investment firm."
’So that’s how it is!’
It all clicked into place for Chen Lin. The small doubt that had been nagging at him was instantly resolved—why the boss of a seemingly average-sized design institute was so wealthy, driving a luxury sports car and working in a lavishly decorated office.
’Turns out he wasn’t making his money from this design institute at all.’