E-Ladies: Navigating the Wired World
Chapter 120: Episode 120: Joyful Anniversary Celebration

Chapter 120: Episode 120: Joyful Anniversary Celebration

The anniversary celebration originally scheduled for August was postponed to September due to a major quarantine setback.

September is the most beautiful month in Beijing; as long as it’s not continuously rainy, the weather is cool and the air is crisp—it’s a perfect time for an outing.

But deciding where to go was the real headache...

"Come on, let’s have a meeting to discuss where to go for the company anniversary," Zhou Xueyin called out to everyone in the group.

A room full of people gathered in the conference room, all chattering at once.

"Anyone interested in mountain climbing?" Zhou Xueyin remembered her childhood trips to Longqing Gorge, which had beautiful scenery and could be an option.

"No..." As everyone knows, anime fans prefer tranquility over activity, and the suggestion to visit a scenic spot was immediately vetoed.

"How about a hot spring?"

"It’s better in winter, right? Going now, it’s easy to get overheated..." Li Jiniang objected.

"True, and the hot springs aren’t open right now... How about karaoke?" Zhou Xueyin suggested another option.

"There are very few places in Beijing that allow you to sing Japanese songs..." Kang Siyin countered.

"Hmm... What about an indoor water park? Anyone want to go?" Zhou Xueyin looked around at everyone with wide, bewildered eyes.

"I mean, it’s okay, but if I get DYM, I’ll just have to watch you all play..." Yao Shanshan looked hopefully at Zhou Xueyin.

"Yinyin, we might as well go to Jiuhua Resort; they have a variety of entertainment options like KTV, a swimming pool, a buffet, and even an open-air hot spring, plus you can stargaze and moon-watch at night," Liu He suggested, "The main thing is, I have a friend there who can give us a discount."

"How about this? Those who want to soak in a hot spring can do so, those who want to sing can go sing, and those who want to watch a movie can watch a movie..." Zhou Xueyin looked at the group again.

The hesitant crowd began to light up upon hearing Liu He’s introduction; it seemed everyone was quite excited about this place.

"Then, Hehe, could you give Wang Anqi your friend’s contact details? How does next weekend sound?" Zhou Xueyin asked for everyone’s opinion once more.

"Oh? Next weekend?" Zhang Jingwan blurted out, but quickly covered her mouth, "No problem, the weekend is great...

"We leave on Friday evening, stay overnight there, spend Saturday there, and return in the afternoon? Is that plan okay?" Zhou Xueyin didn’t want to invest both days, "You can bring family members, and they get a half-price discount."

"Hurrah for Yinyin!" Those with significant others had been waiting for Zhou Xueyin’s decision.

So, the anniversary was set. Zhou Xueyin asked Wei Jingzhu if he wanted to join their celebration, but unfortunately, his company had work on Saturday, so he had to pass.

Xinrui Fashion also opted out of participating in their anniversary celebration.

On September 22, after work, Zhou Xueyin rented a bus that took the whole company to Jiuhua Resort.

Although there was a bit of traffic on the way, they still managed to arrive before dinner was over.

After a quick meal in the buffet restaurant, Zhou Xueyin led everyone to the large KTV room that had been reserved: "Today, oh no, rather last month on the 1st, was the two-year anniversary of the founding of 51buy! Thank you all for your hard work!"

"It seems like you all aren’t very familiar with the history of our company, right? How about I give a brief overview?" Zhou Xueyin, holding the microphone, looked at everyone with expectant eyes.

"Yes! Tell us, tell us!" everyone replied enthusiastically.

"51buy was established on August 1, 2004. Actually, the company had been established before that, but due to some personal reasons on my part, the forum was officially launched on this date," Zhou Xueyin said with an embarrassed smile.

That part of history was really due to my own negligence and lack of experience, which almost led to the abandonment of the plan.

"Back then, it was just me, Jixiang, Shanshan, and KK, just the four of us working tirelessly for half a year, going to Xidan, Dongdan, braving the wind and sun... It was much harder than now!" Zhou Xueyin reminisced about the hardships, her eyes brimming with tears of excitement.

"We also encountered all sorts of unexpected events... Here, take a look, this was our work environment back then." She displayed a photo of the four people in a residential building on the big screen, "We also kept a few mischievous kittens, you guys are welcome to come and play anytime!"

Photos flashed one after another, some showing scenes of people working, some with just-awakened, disheveled appearances, and others lying in the attic happily playing with cats...

Everyone in the company quietly watched the photos, listening to Zhou Xueyin narrate the hardships they faced when starting the business.

"Now, we have moved to Dinghao, hired you to fight alongside us, and it’s a kind of fate! I hope that next year, we can still work together! Come on, let’s drink, cheers!" Zhou Xueyin took out the beers hidden in the corner, "Hehe, we’re going to drink in the private room; your friend won’t mind, right?"

"Not at all, I’ll talk to her later, we just have to make sure not to make a mess!" Liu He promised quickly, reminding everyone.

"Cheers! Come on, let’s see what songs we can sing..." Zhou Xueyin raised her bottle, blew directly into it, and then browsed through the song list.

The noise, the singing, coming out to play meant enjoying to the fullest; everyone eagerly grabbed the mic to sing, having so much fun.

Those who didn’t like to sing went next door to watch a movie or play arcade games. Zhou Xueyin initially wanted to drag Li Jinian to a hot spring, but she was stopped.

"Going to a hot spring right after drinking, are you out of your mind?"

"Hehe... then let’s go back and continue singing!" Zhou Xueyin laughed drunkenly.

It seemed that since the start of the business, she had never let herself loose, her nerves were always tight, she had to greet customers with a smile, and no matter how uncomfortable or distressed she felt, she had to keep going, enduring everything.

But seeing the signing fees entering the account one after another, the zeros on the ledger increasing, she felt extremely relieved; at least her efforts were seeing some returns.

And today, she definitely needed to release all her stress, not just her, but Li Jinian, Kang Siyin, and Yao Shanshan too; they had all sacrificed their leisure time to join her in this startup. The company’s success wasn’t just the result of Zhou Xueyin’s efforts alone but was due to everyone’s hard work.

"I love you all so much! Thank you, you three!" Maybe it was the effect of the alcohol, but Zhou Xueyin hugged the three of them and burst into tears, as if crying would better relieve her stress.

After crying a lot, they continued drinking, singing out of tune while drinking, until lying on the sofa with a bottle in hand, dozing off...

The plan was to go to the water park the next day, but they ended up waking up almost at noon.

Due to the excitement the night before, not only Zhou Xueyin overslept, everyone did...

After a simple lunch, they had a sauna, then followed the coach back to the company and disbanded to go home...

51buy had been established for two years now, and its performance in the vertical media industry was considered average. After a night of indulgence, Zhou Xueyin secretly resolved to double the performance by 2008, setting a good score for herself and for those who had worked hard alongside her.