What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 545 Tensions Rise (4k)

Yu Xing and Liu Chiping stared at each other in the president's office of Carbon Silicon, neither of them expecting that the well-known investor would behave in such a way.

Seeing that Yu Xing had no intention of helping to open the door, Liu Chiping knew he couldn't beat him in a fight, and as for verbal abuse... he wasn't the kind of person Yu Xing was. He could only sigh, "President Xiong is so uncouth; it seems he really does come to Hong Kong often."

Disgraceful to culture, one becomes corrupted by one's surroundings.

When it comes to something that is utterly uncivilized, Mr. Yu from Lingang is simply unparalleled.

Even today, Liu Chiping still can't believe that there would be such a dramatic way of "Yu Xing crying for his horse" to nail the penguin to the history of the internet. Ironically, the person involved is doing better and better.

Thinking this through, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, and resolutely said, "President Yu, don't bother, I will absolutely not join Lingang!"

“I didn’t ask you to come to Lingang, I asked you to go to Singapore, to New York, to Berlin, to Paris.” Yu Xing didn’t take his statement too seriously. He got up to pour the refined man a cup of tea, but instead of sitting back down, he paced to the window and hesitated, “Music’s user base reached 13 million in January, but the average user time actually decreased from 5 minutes to 4 minutes. In the music entertainment sector for teenagers in Europe and America, YouTube’s trending charts and music videos are still the most solid. They tried a new feature last month, which is…”

Upon hearing about Mus, Liu Chiping's thoughts raced, and seeing President Yu's long-winded manner, he frowned and said, "You don't need to explain the Remuse feature to me. I know about Mus; it's still about lowering the barrier for users to create content."

The Remuse feature allows users to use video and audio clips from other creators as source material, overlay their own performances or creative ideas, and generate secondary creative content.

This undoubtedly further lowers the barrier to content creation.

Yu Xing glanced back at Liu Chiping and nodded: "As expected of the former president of Tencent, he has a thorough understanding of other companies' products."

Liu Chiping raised an eyebrow slightly: "Of course."

Yu Xing shook his head: "Keep your voice down. Is this something to be proud of?"

Liu Chiping felt a surge of anger rush to his head, but before he could speak, he heard Yu Xing continue speaking.

“Alibaba has launched an overseas version of Leyin, and it’s not showing any results yet, but internally we’re not optimistic about its success because it faces the same problem as Mus: there aren’t as many traffic channels overseas as there are domestically, and Alibaba still has to buy traffic from Google and Facebook.” Yu Xing talked about the most fundamental problem, “However, Facebook’s software is also our competitor, which is very troubling.”

"Mus is currently facing a barrier that makes it difficult to break through the existing social relationship chain, Chiping, you understand, right?"

Liu Chiping understood immediately.

Social relationship networks—that's what Tencent has been playing with for many years.

Two games with the same content, one you play alone, and the other you can directly see your friends and play with them. The latter has a huge advantage.

“Mus targeted teenagers and successfully penetrated that target group, but now it’s stuck in it,” Liu Chiping said calmly. “Lip-sync music short videos are mostly played by teenagers. Even if they share the app with their parents and elders, most people in that age group won’t be interested.”

Given this situation, apps like Mus, which feature content, must have an upper limit. The closer they get to that limit, the slower their growth rate will be. At the same time, users' usage time is very likely to decrease over time.

He saw President Yu nod, and frowned, saying, "Isn't the answer in your own hands?"

Instead of porting Mus to China, Silicon Carbon created Douyin, which is essentially an upgrade of the former in terms of content.

“Mus is not like Tencent’s previous Weishi, where you could first vertically segment and accumulate enough users, and then use the traffic you have to upgrade the content,” Yu Xing said. “Mus buys its traffic from Facebook, which controls Instagram and can release a competing feature at any time. From music to all forms, Mus may only have one chance, while Tencent is in a better position.”

Thinking about the environment abroad, Liu Chiping couldn't help but sigh: "Tencent failed to lock down the traffic entry point."

Yu Xing corrected, "It's that Tencent can't lock in all traffic entry points. Facebook is also very strong, but we also buy traffic from Google. Chiping, even if you don't come to Mus, I sincerely want to say that since you're not the president of Tencent, you really don't need to dwell on the past. You have to look forward."

Liu Chiping remained silent; he was indeed accustomed to assessing issues from a penguin's perspective.

Yu Xing reached for his cup, took a sip of tea, and said frankly, "I do think you're a good fit for Mus, and Mus really needs someone like you. But as for yourself, well, let's not talk about you, let's talk about myself. A few years ago, I started Guiai.com, sold it, and moved on to other opportunities. I started WeChat, and although it was a pity, I sold it, and moved on to other opportunities. Things have already happened, so I can't just stay where I am, can I?"

"If you start your own business, then focus on your projects. But what's the point of being an investor who just coasts along?"

“I’ve been holding back MusVid from raising new funds since Q4 of last year. The overseas market is a huge challenge. Chiping, why do you think Tencent is changing its leadership?”

"From my perspective as a business owner..."

Yu Xing leaned against the desk, his eyes fixed intently on Liu Chiping.

Liu Chiping remained silent.

Yu Xing chuckled: "If I were the company's boss, I would say that since you joined, you've been relying on the existing traffic to fight a war of attrition. You've had a smooth ride for the past few years and that's certainly done a good job. But now that we've entered the mobile internet era, it seems like you can only fight a war of attrition. In that case, I'll have to find a replacement firefighter to try."

Liu Chiping remained silent, seemingly unmoved even by a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

“The problem is that what we’ve seen is that Tencent has struggled to compete when things are going against it in the past few years, so it’s no wonder Pony doesn’t trust you.” Yu Xing shook his head. “You want to be an investor, right? What kind of results do you, the ousted president, have to achieve to make people forget your unappreciated resume?”

"After you left, Weishi was built in, and Ren Yuxi sidelined all the people you trusted. Even if Ren Yuxi doesn't do a good job in the future, people will still say that Tencent actually declined under your leadership."

"Sigh, I think it's not a fault of the war, but everyone must think it's your fault."

Liu Chiping slowly exhaled and asked in return, "Is this what you wanted to tell me?"

"More or less." Yu Xing walked to the door and knocked. "Mr. Xiong, stop blocking the way."

Xiong Xiaoge opened the door and leaned against it, observing the expressions of the two people in the office.

Yu Xing turned around and said, "But I'm still a little disappointed today. I thought I would see a Liu Chiping who could let go, but what I saw now is a Liu Chiping who can't let go at all."

Liu Chiping really couldn't let go. He knew better than anyone that he hadn't let go, and he had been suffering from insomnia frequently lately.

but……

Lingang is really different; it's not a choice that can be made easily.

Liu Chiping felt that he really was a penguin man, but recalling what Yu Xing had just said, the wealth and disapproval, he couldn't help but doubt himself. Was he really going to be a penguin man for life?

In that instant, he suddenly remembered Goethe's words that he had seen while recuperating at home: "I will plunge into the march of time, I will plunge into the rings of time, I will not ask about pain, joy, failure, or success, for man's work is meant to continue day and night."

His career seems to have stalled at Tencent.

Liu Chiping felt tired. Looking at the two people in front of him, he didn't refuse firmly this time, but just shook his head: "I'll think about it some more, I need to think about it some more."

Yu Xing nodded, not insisting on getting an answer today: "Chiping, Penguin no longer needs you, but MusVid needs you."

Liu Chiping did not respond, but gestured for Xiong Xiaoge to make way.

Xiong Xiaoge patted President Liu on the shoulder and stepped aside from the doorway.

Then he said to Yu Xing, "President Yu, if President Liu agrees, I'll be credited for blocking the door today!"

Liu Chiping, who had only taken a few steps, suddenly turned around and said, "Keep your voice down. Is this something to be proud of?"

Xiong Xiaoge: "..."

Liu Chiping glared at Boss Xiong, whom he had tricked into coming, and left.

Xiong Xiaoge went back into the office, drank tea, and smoked a cigarette.

After a moment, he asked, "Mr. Yu, do you think Liu Chiping can come?"

Yu Xing shook his head, finding it difficult to guess the other party's decision, after all, Lingang and Tencent had a history of grudges and rivalries.

But after thinking about it again, he said, "I think it's possible."

Xiong Xiaoge laughed and said, "Why did you change your mind? Why is that possible?"

Thinking about the scene when Liu Chiping left, Yu Xing pondered, "I think he's a bit of a vengeful person. He was replaced as president, his original ideas were denied, and the team he valued was dismantled. Doesn't he have any resentment at all?"

Xiong Xiaoge nodded. Normal people would definitely have grievances, but in that position, they couldn't voice them. It was a good thing for both sides to part ways amicably.

He finally asked a question: "I ran into Zhang Yangxu when I was blocking the door earlier. I asked him how he communicated with that car reviewer, but he wouldn't say. You guys have a plan for handling public opinion, right?"

Yu Xing confirmed, "Yes, yes, Mr. Xiong, you don't need to worry about such trivial matters."

Xiong Xiaoge fell silent, thinking to herself, "If I can even block the door, what other small details can't I manage?"

As he sipped his tea, he was eager for Liu Chiping to join Lingang. It wasn't that he necessarily wanted to see what kind of career Liu Chiping would achieve there, but rather he was particularly curious about the reactions of Pony and the others after they learned that Liu Chiping had joined Lingang.

Most of the time, investors are in a mundane state; they enjoy watching the dramas and conflicts in the business world.

……

From the end of February to the end of March, Silicon Carbon Group released four weekly rankings in a row, but as March passed, the Silicon Carbon weekly rankings did not appear on time.

What about the last weekly rankings of March?

There has been a lot of discussion about Carbon Silicon Kyushu recently, thanks to the lead of car reviewer "Lao Xiang". Questions about its price and positioning have surfaced, and combined with the content of the review, it seems to have a bit of a confrontational tone at first glance.

Silicon carbon has not enough directly operated stores and its cumulative sales volume. Most people pay attention to and participate in public opinion through the dissemination of fragmented information.

On Autohome, a delayed release of the carbon silicon weekly rankings prompted a sarcastic comment that quickly went viral: "You can't just release the weekly rankings when sales are good."

Some speculate that perhaps Silicon Carbon Group thought April 1st was April Fool's Day, so they postponed the announcement by one day.

However, not only was the No. 1 not released, but the No. 2 was also not released. More news about Silicon Carbon Kyushu's market setback has appeared on the market. After all, it seems impossible for it to maintain a price range of around 30 for a long time.

It's not surprising that silicon carbide has softened; it would be strange if it remained hard.

There's no tradition of weekly rankings in the automotive industry, so the lack of activity for several days has led some to speculate that Silicon Carbon Group is under pressure and has abandoned this form of communication in favor of a more low-key approach.

On April 6, the "China Automotive 4 Forum" was held in Shanghai.

In the afternoon, executives from various OEMs, media representatives, and car reviewers arrived and signed in. Although it hadn't officially started yet, some preview interviews were conducted nearby in the venue.

This conference is new, but the Shanghai Auto Show is just around the corner, so industry media naturally want to get more information on new car models to attract readers.

At 3:45 PM, Li Hui, Vice President of GAC Toyota, signed in and then gave an interview.

After asking a few routine questions, the reporter intensified the conversation slightly: "Mr. Li, the 'Jiuzhou' SUV launched by Carbon Silicon Group in February is aimed at family users and has gained considerable recognition. As we all know, the seven-seater Highlander is also a popular choice for many families. Do you think 'Jiuzhou' will impact the Highlander's market share?"

Li Hui smiled slightly: "One of the biggest factors for family users when choosing and using a car is stability. The Highlander is a model that has been proven by time and the market, and we only focus on doing our job well."

The reporter then asked, "Carbon Silicon Group released its weekly rankings last month, and the Highlander ranked lower than Kyushu. Mr. Li, do you think this is mainly due to the impact of the Highlander's model update?"

“Selling cars isn’t just about a week or a short period of time. I don’t agree with the so-called rankings. If we’re going to rank cars, we should rank them by year. Weekly rankings are meaningless,” Li Hui said with a smile. “Besides, because of the Highlander’s redesign, production capacity is already limited. In many places, you can’t buy one even if you want to, and in some places, you even have to pay extra to buy it.”

Just then, a figure drifted by and, upon hearing the interview content, stopped and criticized, "Keep your voice down. Is this something to be proud of?"

Li Hui was taken aback when he saw that the person passing by was Yu Xing from the Silicon Carbon Group.

He had barely thought of a response when he saw the other person continue walking forward as if nothing had happened.

Looking at Vice General Manager Li's flushed face and then at General Manager Yu's retreating figure, the reporter knew that these two directly competing companies might be the source of material for this meeting.

　I got back late today, so I'll update with about 7,000 to 8,000 words tomorrow.

　
(End of this chapter)