Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 229 The Contrasting Female Editor-in-Chief (6k views, please subscribe)

In the marketing world of 2015, it was still somewhat rare to have a competitor endorse your product.

But in the future, this practice will become commonplace.

So much so that a widely circulated saying on the internet later became: "I don't know, he just stabbed himself in the back."

A certain emerging electric vehicle brand inexplicably belittled its competitors at its press conference.

A long-established home appliance brand is inexplicably changing its name.

A certain mobile phone manufacturer inexplicably thought that anyone could afford to spend a little over 10,000 yuan.

These inexplicable marketing cases will be everywhere on the internet in the future. Sometimes, even ordinary people can figure out these things, but those who have been floating in the sky for too long can't understand them at all.

It's not that they can't understand; it's either intentional smear campaigns or a case of "let them eat cake."

Lu Yao's next move is quite simple: as long as Tencent responds, he can achieve his goal of dragging Tencent into the fray. This requires a high-profile media marketing campaign that generates significant buzz.

In terms of technical skills, Lü Yao is indeed not very good.

But he's very good at marketing.

Therefore, Lü Yao said, "I plan to give several media interviews in the future to give a sharp commentary on Tencent's recent reactions and actions."

Speaking of this, Gan Xiaoxi suddenly said, "I didn't even remember if you hadn't mentioned it. Recently, Xinhua News Agency has been contacting me, wanting to arrange another interview with you."

Xinhua News Agency?
Lü Yao remembers this media outlet.

This is a pseudonym used by official media, mainly active in the internet field. It can be seen as an adjustment made by official media to adapt to the pace of the new era. It has a great influence in both traditional and new media.

Lu Yao had previously been interviewed by Chen Jing, a well-known reporter from Xinhua News Agency, about his life in Washington and some rumors surrounding him. Lu Yao did not know whether Chen Jing had ill intentions during that interview or whether she was doing it to gain attention or was acting under someone else's orders.

Anyway, Lu Yao didn't tolerate the other party that time and directly confronted them.

Unexpectedly, Xinhua News Agency even wanted to interview him.

Lu Yao asked with a curious smile, "Didn't Xinwang News interview me before? I remember the conversation didn't end very well."

Gan Xiaoxi said with a smile, "You mean that famous host Chen Jing? Not long after she interviewed you, she was demoted to a local TV station. You ruined her career."

Lu Yao laughed and protested, "How can you blame me? What do you mean I ruined it? Did I deliberately cause trouble? I clearly didn't cause trouble! She was the one who insisted on causing trouble, not me."

Gan Xiaoxi chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, the editor-in-chief of Xinwang News also knows that he offended you badly last time. He was afraid that we would cause trouble for him, so he exiled Chen Jing. After that, he has been looking for an opportunity to make up for the relationship between the two sides."

“You’re a social media celebrity now, you have your own audience, and many media outlets are watching you. It’s not surprising that Xinhua News Agency wants to interview you again. I personally think you should give them another chance. After all, Xinhua News Agency still has influence.”

Lu Yao thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, then you can negotiate with the other side."

The most important aspect of Xinhua News Agency is that it also has a very large influence in the traditional media field.

If state media joins in putting pressure on Tencent, Tencent will definitely respond.

So far, Penguin has only done two things to South Light Shore.

The first thing is that it plagiarized "Shoot a Shoot".

If it were a small studio with no background or resources, it would definitely be wiped out by Tencent's actions.

The second thing was that Penguin made a slight move, trying to cause trouble for Lü Yao with a "praise-to-kill" scheme, but Lü Yao retaliated with a flurry of punches.

It may seem like the penguin isn't making many moves, but every single one of them is aimed at a fatal blow.

This is how large corporations crush small studios; their mere actions are the limit for small studios.

Large corporations like theirs are not suited to resorting to underhanded tactics, as these methods are beneath their dignity and, if they are caught red-handed, they can easily be seized upon and attacked.

When a business grows to a certain size, it truly becomes a matter of "doing nothing is the best approach, but doing more leads to more mistakes."

Just like Baidu, everyone thought it should have died out long ago, but it still pops up from time to time ten years later to make its presence known. Its size is still so large that people can't easily ignore it.

But it's different for Lü Yao; he doesn't have shoes.

After Lü Yao finished discussing the interview with Gan Xiaoxi, Gan Xiaoxi began to make arrangements for the upcoming interview.

Gan Xiaoxi benefited from this incident as the middleman, winning on both sides. She helped Xinwang News Agency secure the interview with Lü Yao, and Xinwang News Agency ended up owing Gan Xiaoxi a favor. As for Lü Yao and Gan Xiaoxi, it's not really a matter of favors, but she did help solve the problem.

……

Four days later, which is Monday.

Lü Yao had arranged an interview with Xinhua News Agency today. The Lü Yao of today is not the same as the Lü Yao of before. Facing such an interview, he needs to carefully consider how to dress, whether to be low-key or refined, bright or composed.

Today he wore a gray casual suit with a white T-shirt underneath, black suit pants and white flat shoes. He looked clean and neat. The black, white and gray combination was casual but also foolproof.

Of course, what this outfit highlights most is Lü Yao's good looks.

With her striking features and classic, understated beauty, she looks very energetic when paired with a conventional hairstyle.

Since becoming wealthy and gaining popularity, Lü Yao has stopped trying out so-called avant-garde hairstyles or clothes. He prefers a more conventional style, and he even tries to maintain a conventional style when speaking and acting in front of the camera.

This presents a very humble and appropriate attitude to the outside world, and it is very easy to win the favor of the outside world. Coupled with occasional witty remarks, it is easy to create a down-to-earth image.

Just like last time, Lü Yao arrived at the company building more than ten minutes early to greet the reporters from Xinhua News Agency.

Although what Xinwang News did was unethical, he will do his job well.

After Lu Yao went downstairs, he didn't wait more than a few minutes before the news van from Xinhua News Agency arrived. Before the van had even come to a complete stop, the door was pulled open, and Lu Yao saw a woman wearing thin-rimmed black glasses running towards him.

The woman was wearing a high-quality gray office lady suit, her hair was neatly styled in a bun, and her makeup looked light and elegant. She exuded the competence and simplicity of a professional.

But the female reporter who came to interview this time had a very... distinctive appearance.

Her lips are quite full, like naturally pouty lips, and the corners of her eyes naturally curve upwards with a slight arc. Combined with her almond-shaped eyes, she gives off a very charming and alluring feeling.

However, this feeling was concealed by the other person's capable attire, neat makeup, and hairstyle, making it difficult for the average person to notice.

Besides being very skilled in marketing, Lü Yao also has a very accurate eye for women.

This woman is such a contrast!
This kind of attribute is very captivating. Even though Lü Yao has eaten countless delicacies, he hasn't encountered many women with such a contrasting personality. In his past and present lives combined, he's only met three in total.

A female PhD in acoustics, working as a programmer at a major company.

A female surgeon who usually appears abstinent and cold.

An older sister who runs a small restaurant.

But thanks to these three women, after spending a lot of time with them, Lü Yao could tell at a glance whether a woman was this type or not.

After confirming that the female reporter had a surprising and unusual physique, Lü Yao subconsciously began to scrutinize her figure. Her office lady suit was the looser type, especially the trousers, which were loose and slightly flared.

But as the other person jogged over, the wind blowing through their clothes still subtly outlined their figure...

Slender waist and large breasts, honey-like legs like pythons.

Good guy.

Lü Yao really likes this kind of thing.

Now he's starting to wonder if this is some kind of "Cao Cao's scheme" orchestrated by the NewNetwork.

The reporter jogged up to Lü Yao, flashed a polite smile, and said, "I never expected you to come out to greet me personally. I am truly flattered."

As she spoke, she extended her hand and said with a smile, "Hello, Mr. Lü, I am Lin Qiaoyi, and I am here to conduct your interview."

Lu Yao shook hands lightly with the other person and said with a smile, "Then I don't need to introduce myself, right?"

Lin Qiaoyi smiled and said, "Yes, you have a great reputation on the internet and in Shangnan now. I even did some research on you before I came here, so I know a bit about you."

Lu Yao joked, "That's bad, now you know all my embarrassing secrets."

Lin Qiaoyi was amused, but she smiled tactfully and said, "I didn't see any dark history. I only saw a young man who opened the door to the world of success in a way that is different from the world. If your method didn't have such high requirements for appearance, there would definitely be many people who would follow suit."

After such a brief exchange, their intentions became quite clear.

Lu Yao used self-deprecation to test Lin Qiaoyi's attitude towards him, but Lin Qiaoyi defused Lu Yao's self-deprecation with words that were not offensive, and incidentally revealed her intentions through flattery.

She was different from Chen Jing, who had visited before; she came with good intentions.

Having understood this, Lü Yao smiled and stepped aside, extending his arm as he said, "Then let's hurry upstairs."

Lü Yao had already arranged the interview venue.

The interview was held on the side of the company with floor-to-ceiling windows and a large terrace. The terrace was covered with a carpet of artificial green grass, and the tall, straight pillars outside created a great sense of depth. In the center of the interview space was a simple solid wood coffee table, with two equally simple chairs on either side of it.

The clean and bright environment, the deep and soft-light floor, and the green plants and tables and chairs in the room create a cool and professional atmosphere, while the solid wood coffee table and chairs with an artistic feel create a more approachable vintage atmosphere.

The interview venue felt very comfortable. Lin Qiaoyi arrived and said with a smile, "It's obvious you put a lot of thought into this place, thank you so much, Mr. Lü."

When Chen Jing from Xinwang News interviewed Lü Yao before, the arrogance of traditional media and the disdain of moral exemplars for his status as a gigolo left a deep impression on Lü Yao to this day.

But this time, Lin Qiaoyi is different.

Her attitude can be described as very humble, even somewhat modest.

With Chen Jing's example as a precedent, Lin Qiaoyi is probably afraid of not doing well this time and following in Chen Jing's footsteps.

Lü Yao laughed and said, "You can arrange things as you like. I'll be right here. Call me when you're done."

After saying that, Lü Yao went to the administration office and asked them to bring over some snacks, drinks and treats for them to enjoy.

After the staff from Xinwang News Agency set up all the equipment and adjusted the lighting, Lü Yao and Lin Qiaoyi sat down at the coffee table.

Lin Qiaoyi looked at Lü Yao and asked, "Mr. Lü, are you ready?"

Lu Yao was no longer nervous in front of the camera, so he nodded, straightened his posture, and said, "Yes, I'm ready."

Then Lin Qiaoyi gestured to the cameraman, tidied her appearance, and said to the camera, "Hello everyone, welcome to this episode of Xinwangshe. This is Lin Qiaoyi."

"In this episode, we are very fortunate to have invited Mr. Lü, a shareholder of Shangnan Guang'an Network Games Company and Huasheng Life Group, to participate in our program interview."

The photographer then focused his lens on Lü Yao.

Lu Yao nodded to the camera and said, "Hello everyone, I am Lu Yao."

This interview was once again presented in the form of a live broadcast. With the promotion from Xinwang News Agency and the promotion by Lü Yao's behind-the-scenes staff on platforms such as Weibo, a large number of casual netizens and Lü Yao's fans flocked to the interview live broadcast room.

The impressions of Lu Yao among casual netizens are still based on that night's press conference. Many netizens who are struggling financially or feel that internet access is too expensive have switched to China Unicom after learning about the super-discounted "Xiaomi King Card" phone plan.

In just one week, China Unicom gained nearly ten million new users, many of whom were transferred from China Mobile.

So these netizens started leaving comments as soon as they entered:
"The Xiaomi King Card is really useful, hahaha, I've even started using data to watch live streams."

"Xiaomi is really great; they genuinely care about us Mi Fans."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Although it's called the 'Xiaomi King Card,' it's clearly something General Manager Lü came up with."

The equipment setup on site allowed Lü Yao and Lin Qiaoyi to see the live stream chat. Seeing these chat messages, Lü Yao smiled. He didn't care who got the good reputation of the Xiaomi King Card.

What he cares about is making it easier and less burdensome for more people to access the internet.

As for Lü Yao's fans who flooded into the live stream, they were much more familiar with him.

"Oh ho, it's Xinhua News Agency again? You really gave that interviewer from Xinhua News Agency quite a hard time last time."

Hey bro, got some juicy gossip? Share it with me!

"Yes, yes, brothers!"

Seeing these comments, Lin Qiaoyi felt a mix of emotions. Who said netizens have no memory?

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Qiaoyi began interviewing Lü Yao in a conversational style, starting with an interview about the game "Shoot a Shoot" by Lü Yao's game company.

This includes the initial intention behind the "Shoot It" project, the addition of new gameplay elements, and the subsequent operational strategy.

These topics were all discussed in advance by Lü Yao and Xinwangshe. When talking about the development of "Shoot a Shoot", it was inevitable to talk about the competing products on the market, especially Tencent's proud plagiarism work "Legend of the Brave".

Lin Qiaoyi asked, "We've noticed that after 'Shoot It' became popular, many similar games have appeared on the market. What's your opinion on this? Do you think they're plagiarizing?"

Lu Yao thought for a moment and said, "We actually thought of this when we first started making the game, so when we first launched 'Shoot a Shoot,' the content and gameplay were very simple. This was a strategy we had to adopt in order to survive."

"As for why 'Shoot Shoot' became a hit and then had competing products, I think it's too much to say it's plagiarism. For example, NetEase's 'Ninja War' and Tencent's 'Legend of the Brave' are almost identical in gameplay, but their art style and story level design are their own."

At this point, Lü Yao chuckled and said, "So I think this should be considered a reference, especially since we later made the use of the dual-wheel operating system public."

Lin Qiaoyi smiled and said, "I think your vision and mind are really great, but we have also noticed that every time other competing products on the market update their gameplay, it is after your game is updated."

Lin Qiaoyi's rhetoric seemed very aggressive, as if she was constantly trying to provoke Lü Yao into accusing Tencent and other major game companies of plagiarism, thereby stirring up a dispute.

But this was actually part of the plan.

So at this moment, Lü Yao smiled and said magnanimously, just like in the script: "After all, good designs are all common, so it's normal for everyone to learn from them."

After Lü Yao finished speaking, the viewers in the live stream burst into laughter:
"Plagiarism = Borrowing?"

"Just because my gameplay and strategies are the same as yours doesn't mean I copied you?"

"Inequality solved instantly!"

While some netizens were making jokes, others were being sarcastic in the live stream:

"Holy crap? Is this really the same Lu Zei I know? Why is he talking so politely now? Go ahead and confront him! Does he think plagiarism is justified?"

"Lu thief, if you're being threatened, just blink."

Some netizens even started creating mischievous content, pasting Lü Yao's Weibo profile picture into the comments section of the live stream:

"Lu thief, if you're being threatened, change your profile picture to this one, and the brothers will stand up for you!"

Then, surprisingly, some netizens were actually influenced by this "abstract guy" and his antics, and they exclaimed in the live stream:
"Holy crap? Mr. Lü actually changed his profile picture!"

"Mr. Lü, you were actually threatened? Holy crap, is Tencent really that domineering? Is Xinwangshe a lackey of Tencent?"

Given these questions, the online trolls that Lü Yao had prepared in advance began stirring up trouble in the live stream's chat according to a pre-arranged script:
"Damn, Mr. Lü has a big vision, but we players of 'Shoot a Shot' are not pushovers. Tencent started out by copying others. If it weren't for Mr. Lü holding the line, 'Shoot a Shot' would have been dead!"

"Wouldn't that kill that penguin bastard?"

"Brothers, I remember now! I remember everything! The fear of being dominated by the rip-off Ninja Penguin!"

Then other online trolls started impersonating others and fanning the flames in the live stream:
"You guys are kidding me. Even President Lü said this isn't plagiarism. The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are."

"Exactly, the art style that Tencent came up with is completely different from Mr. Lü's 'Shoot a Shoot' game, okay?"

"What do you mean by 'borrowing'? This is called 'paying homage'!"

As the fake online trolls started jumping around and causing trouble, the netizens who were initially just watching from the sidelines finally couldn't sit still anymore and started joining in.

Some sided with Lü Yao's fans and users, angrily criticizing Tencent for being shameless.

Some sided with the penguin, then sarcastically thanked Lü Yao for appearing, saying it made the penguin show some conscience.

Then, many neutral netizens were so angry that they were dizzy, and they said one after another: "Only when Tencent falls will China's major Internet companies learn to put their conscience in their chests!"

"Only dead penguins are good penguins!"

"Internet companies like NetEase, which force users to grind and spend money, should have died long ago. If a young master has to be the leader of the internet gaming industry, I would prefer it to be President Lü."

The barrage of comments in the live stream was like a dark cloud, with all sorts of heated words making the atmosphere in the live stream increasingly tense. If Lin Qiaoyi didn't know that her interview with Lü Yao was arranged in advance, she would definitely be terrified, thinking that she had messed up again.

Lin Qiaoyi looked at Lü Yao, who had a faint smile on his face, and thought to herself that he was really good at manipulating online traffic.

His remarks during the live stream preserved Lü Yao's reputation, leaving Tencent and other major companies with nothing to criticize, while also making the loyal players of "Shoot a Shoot" feel wronged.

Coupled with the flame war between loyal Penguin fans in the live stream, players who were already being plagiarized will definitely look for an outlet to vent their anger.

The way this tactic of stirring up netizens' emotions is actually quite simple.

It's like when you say in a group chat, "Brothers, let's have some risqué pictures."

The guys in the group will just scoff and tell you to go online and find it yourself. If you keep complaining, you'll be labeled a "freeloader" or someone who's "just got internet access."

But if you say in the group, "Brothers, I'm planning to quit pornography,"...

Then the group members will pull out all their hidden gems and throw them in your face, trying to break your composure.

The same approach was later skillfully used by netizens. For example, when you ask experts in the comments section or on forums if they know any good headphones for around 200 yuan, they will only laugh at you – "A 200-yuan headphone is not even a headphone?"

But if you leave a comment saying, "You couldn't get good headphones for under 200 yuan!"

Before long, some stubborn people will come and tell you that a certain pair of headphones is cheap and good, and there will even be some Yuandao fans who buy them for 9.9 yuan and tell you - "It still has to be Yuandao."

Stubborn people are like the easiest fish to catch in the water; the more you do the opposite of what they want, the more enthusiastic they become.

If Lü Yao were to cry and wail in front of a media outlet like Xinhua News Agency, accusing others of plagiarism, netizens would surely laugh at him for being petty and pathetic, like Song Jiang.

But if Lü Yao acts very magnanimously, then netizens who love to watch the drama will start to worry for Lü Yao.

Seeing that the atmosphere of the live broadcast was getting lively, Lin Qiaoyi continued the interview and asked, "Mr. Lü, as we all know, the most popular MOBA game in China right now is 'League of Legends,' which is distributed by Tencent. Is your launch of a MOBA mobile game a way of getting back at Tencent?"

(End of this chapter)