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

Chapter 303 An “Accident” That Could Change History (6k views, please subscribe)

Looking at Lü Yao's smiling face, Lee Jae-hyun's already pale face turned even paler in an instant.

After international capital approached Lee Jae-hyun, he readily agreed to their entry, aiming to counterbalance the power of Dongda University. Then, Dongda University launched a series of attacks that brought Lee Jae-hyun down.

This made Lee Jae-hyun realize that the strategy of checks and balances was not unworkable, but it depended on who was playing the game with whom.

If you lack the strength but still try to play the game of checks and balances, then this is the outcome. Those who think they are the players will become pawns in an instant, and the situation they thought they had the upper hand will be overturned in a flash.

This not only brought about enormous real-world losses, but also a profound psychological impact.

The concept of mindset is actually quite simple.

But it's easy to understand when you look at it from a gambler's perspective. When a gambler is confident enough in their abilities, even if they have a bad hand, they can still make a comeback and survive against all odds. This puts immense psychological pressure on their opponents.

However, if this gambler's strong mindset is broken, then under suspicion, even if he has a good hand, he may still lose due to fear and timidity.

Shopping malls and casinos are pretty much the same.

Once a commander-in-chief falls into a state of extreme anxiety and paranoia, the army he leads is not far from defeat.

After a day of shocks and frights, Lee Jae-hyun was a bit disoriented. Seeing this, Lu Yao said with a smile, "President Lee, I think you're tired too. You should rest well here at Shangnan and enjoy the scenery and food of Dongda University for the next while."

Lee Jae-hyun's unfocused gaze gradually focused, and then he stared blankly at Lü Yao.

He understood that he was under house arrest.

But Lee Jae-hyun, already at Dongda University, was powerless to resist. From waking up in the morning to seeing the bloody, mangled, skinned bull's head in his bed, to being unable to get through to Lu Yao on the phone and rushing to Dongda University...

Almost everything was within Lü Yao's calculations.

By the time his private jet landed at Shangnan Airport, everything was already beyond repair.

So Lee Jae-hyun forced a smile, as if resigned to his fate: "Don't worry, I will definitely cooperate with you. I will do whatever you say."

Lee Jae-hyun was a worldly man; he knew how many bones a person had and how hard each bone could be. Once he understood the whole story, he had no intention of resisting.

He understood that he was a part of Lü Yao's entire scheme, so he just needed to be a pawn and be content with that. Since he still had value, as long as he obeyed, he would be safe.

But if he can't distinguish between the king and the queen, then he has no use to him.

As for his usefulness...

Lee Jae-hyun has also figured it out.

Before Lü Yao's scheme is fully realized, CJ Electronics still has value. Before all the cards are revealed, CJ Electronics remains the same CJ Electronics. Not only can it remain safe and sound at Dongda University, but its business growth at Shilla will also continue.

Therefore, the next few years will be crucial.

At this moment, Lee Jae-hyun not only had no intention of resisting, but he even wanted to continue his in-depth cooperation with Lu Yao, because the opportunity for CJ Group to rise rapidly must lie with Dongda University.

Seeing that Lee Jae-hyun's expression gradually calmed down and became clear-headed, the smile on his face had a bit of authenticity for the first time: "Chairman Lee, go back to the hotel and rest early. If you want to find a place to stay in Shangnan during this time, I can help you."

Lee Jae-hyun smiled, his voice a little hoarse, and said, "That's too much trouble for you. I can take care of myself."

Lü Yao didn't insist: "Alright, take care."

After saying that, he got up, paid the bill, and left.

Watching Lü Yao's departing figure, Li Zaixian fell silent. No one was monitoring him? No one was monitoring his communications either? Were they really that confident? Damn it!
After Lee Jae-hyun's masseter muscles bulged several times, he immediately wilted.

He always adhered to a saying from Dongdaemun: "A great man can bend and stretch." Moreover, in the eyes of a behemoth like Dongdaemun, Silla was not worth mentioning at all, not even Samsung.

In the struggle for international power, Silla has always been used as a pawn.

and so.

It's time to put away those unwarranted ambitions.

Just be a chess piece and you'll be fine. One advantage of being a chess piece is that you're not only safe until you're discarded, but you might even be fed by the player.

Thinking about it this way, Lee Jae-hyun felt much more at ease.

Back in the car, Lü Yao took out his phone and texted Rong Nianqing: "I've finished talking with Li Zaixian, and he was very cooperative."

Rong Nianqing quickly replied: "Okay, my people are keeping an eye on him, and communication monitoring has been implemented."

Things are very different now than before, especially at Southeast University, where communication monitoring is now extremely thorough.

Lu Yao, Jian Xiaojie, and Rong Nianqing use external network software for their important daily communication, but this is not safe, since you need a network access license to access the internet on your phone.

Therefore, extremely important matters are always discussed in person.

For someone like Lee Jae-hyun, whose physical body is under special scrutiny in China, Lü Yao and Rong Nianqing can provide him with absolutely no privacy.

After communicating with Rong Nianqing, Lü Yao also sent a message to Jian Xiaojie: "It's basically settled. I'll send you the specific details once I get them."

Jian Xiaojie: "Okay."

After communicating with both sides, Lü Yao drove back to Wang Shu's apartment.

After making another effort with Wang Shu to have a child, Lü Yao fell into a deep sleep.

As for Lee Jae-hyun... let's just leave him out of the picture, at least for two days.

……

Two days later, Lü Yao found Li Zaixian again.

This time, Lü Yao got the information he wanted from Li Zaixian: ASML's machines were all packed and ready to be shipped to New Roxie Electronics.

CJ Electronics ordered two machines. One of them had already been shipped, but it was stopped during transit. The other machine hasn't even started moving at all.

Obviously.

This is international capital putting pressure on Lee Jae-hyun.

Lu Yao came to Li Zaixian to cooperate with Li Zaixian's act. After finding Li Zaixian, he voluntarily transferred some of his shares to Li Zaixian and agreed to give up some control, but Li Zaixian had to pay a corresponding price.

After all the transactions were completed, Lee Jae-hyun made a call to the international capital company. After a friendly call with a lot of "fucks," Lee Jae-hyun learned about the flight schedule and also learned about the internal structure and crew of the aircraft through video.

Lu Yao compiled this information and handed it over to Jian Xiaojie. The rest was beyond Lu Yao's control.

He could only wait.

While Lyu Yao and Li Zaixian waited anxiously, the shipping plane that took off from the headquarters of ASML lost contact several hours after takeoff. More than an hour later, international reports came in that the shipping plane had crashed.

In this report, a foreign journalist stated that a cargo plane carrying ASML lithography machines suddenly lost contact several hours after takeoff, and by the time it was discovered, the plane had already crashed.

Experts speculate that the plane crash may be related to the sudden change in the size of the thunderstorm.

soon.

The call also reached Lee Jae-hyun; the loss of over two billion US dollars prompted all parties involved to take action.

As for what exactly happened in this incident reported by foreign media, and whether it will be investigated... that's not very important.

Just like in an auction years ago, when a Chinese citizen used a fake auction to bring back a national treasure that had been lost overseas, foreign countries also made a request to hold China accountable. However, the matter was raised high but then dismissed lightly by the authorities.

The final result was that the fake bidder was permanently banned from all auction houses abroad.

It's the same this time.

So what if this is discovered?

It's nothing more than a demotion in name only, or as Emperor Daojun would say: "Don't reward him openly, but reward him secretly."

When Jian Xiaojie sent him a message with an "OK" emoji, Lü Yao's long-held anxiety finally subsided.

This is the end.

He has finally achieved all his goals in his plans for Silla.

Feeling a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, Lü Yao breathed a sigh of relief, though he didn't show it on his face. He looked at Li Zaixian, who had been with him for a long time and had just finished arguing with the international capital side.

After hanging up the phone, Lee Jae-hyun said, "President Lu, about this matter..."

Lu Yao raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "What about this? I'm here today to discuss the share transfer cooperation with you. I know nothing else."

Lee Jae-hyun smiled.

Since Lü Yao said so, then this matter is definitely related to Lü Yao.

After verbally and publicly disclaiming all responsibility, Lü Yao continued, "Although the road has been somewhat tortuous, the future is always bright. If we continue our efforts, we will surely create something glorious."

These vague words of encouragement took on a different meaning in Lee Jae-hyun's ears.

Lu Yao concluded by saying, "I am still a major shareholder of CJ Electronics and also a shareholder of CJ Group. I really hope that CJ Group has failed to develop. Chairman Li, you must continue your efforts."

After saying that, Lü Yao stood up and said, "Then I'll be going now."

Lee Jae-hyun immediately stood up and asked, "President Lu! Then I..."

Lu Yao turned to Li Zaixian with a half-smile: "If Chairman Li is in a hurry to go back and deal with things, I naturally can't force you to stay. But we live close by, so you can come over and take a stroll whenever you like."

Lee Jae-hyun immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly smiled and said, "I understand, I understand. We should definitely visit each other more often in the future." Lee Jae-hyun spoke very enthusiastically, but in reality, as soon as Lü Yao left, he left the hotel and rushed to the airport.

After receiving the information from his informants, Lü Yao smiled.

Lee Jae-hyun was indeed exceptionally afraid of death, or rather, the facts he had guessed made him not stay at Dongda University at all, so he left Dongda University in a hurry.

However, he probably won't dare to say much when he gets back.

Because he valued his life.

Furthermore, Lee Jae-hyun knew better than anyone that he was still a valuable pawn.

Not long after, Lü Yao received a message from Li Rongzhen: "President Lü, would you like to come over for a cup of tea sometime? I recently acquired some fine tea."

After thinking for a moment, Lü Yao still drove to Wenzhen Garden.

When they arrived, Li Rongzhen was already setting up the tea set.

The color of this tea set is excellent, resembling "the sky after rain and the clouds breaking through." However, it is probably not genuine Ru ware, but a modern imitation. Nevertheless, an imitation that can achieve this level of quality is not cheap in itself.

Lü Yao sat down in front of Li Rongzhen.

Li Rongzhen took some tea leaves from a small wooden box and brewed tea for Lü Yao.

The tea leaves that Li Rongzhen presented were tightly rolled and had a fresh, greenish-brown color. After brewing, the tea soup was bright orange-yellow, and the leaves were red and green. As the hot water steeped in the tea, the aroma was rich and fragrant, like orchids, and the fragrance was high and long-lasting. The tea's aroma lingered like a clear, melodious voice.

This tea is no ordinary tea.

When Li Rongzhen placed the teacup in front of Lü Yao, Lü Yao looked at the bright orange-yellow tea and shook his head with a smile, saying, "Even if I don't know much about tea, I can tell that this tea is special. President Li is very thoughtful."

Li Rongzhen smiled and said, "Good tea goes well with a good friend."

"It wasn't until this year that I suddenly understood what you had been trying to do from last year to this year. It's just a pity that this realization came too late; in their parlance, would you call it 'belated realization'?"

Lu Yao took a sip of the tea and found that the tea had a distinct rocky flavor and left a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth.

As for what Li Rongzhen said...

Lü Yao denied everything.

After Lü Yao put down his teacup, he smiled and said, "President Li didn't invite me over just to have tea and chat, did he?"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Rongzhen said, "I'm nearing my due date, and I've been thinking a lot about how to raise this child. After much thought, I think it's better for this child to grow up with you."

Lü Yao narrowed his eyes: "Oh? President Li thinks so?"

Lee Yong-jin smiled and said, "A small world can't produce an eagle that can soar high. Silla is too small, and its cultural heritage and traditions can't compare to Dongdaemun. When the Samsung Group is passed down to this child in the future, I hope he can lead the Samsung Group to a brighter future."

Lu Yao fell silent upon hearing this.

Lee Yong-jin spoke in a grand and dignified manner, but the subtext was that she was willing to hand over her heir, and even the future of the Samsung Group.

Because all of this future belongs to her "son".

From the mother's perspective, all of this makes perfect sense.

However, from a businessman's perspective, this is absurd, because Lü Yao is too young, while Li Rongzhen is much older than Lü Yao, especially since Lü Yao is a man and the child's "father".

This is no longer considered interference in politics by the maternal relatives.

This is a true "return of the king"!

This is equivalent to Ying Zheng taking his father back to the Qin state with him.

So Lü Yao felt something was fishy about this whole thing, and he politely declined, saying, "I'm really not good at taking care of children..."

But Li Rongzhen said very decisively, "I will take good care of the child in the early stages. When the child is a little more sensible, I will bring him back to see you often. My only request is that you, President Lu, can show this child a little bit of love."

Lü Yao: "..."

This sounds like something a mother would say, but the label of "mother" is by no means the most important thing about Lee Yong-jin.

However, Lu Yao couldn't see what Li Rongzhen was plotting at the moment. In fact, Lu Yao had already decided on a strategy after learning that Li Rongzhen was pregnant: to show care for Li Rongzhen's child and make the child feel more at home at Dongda University.

Taking control of the Samsung Group through this child was a strategy that Lü Yao and Jian Xiaojie had agreed upon.

But now, Li Rongzhen has personally laid bare everything that Lü Yao had planned in front of him.

Is this right?
Even if Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his left and right brain working in tandem, were to think about this, he would still conclude that "something is not right."

Lu Yao knew that Li Rongzhen must have some ulterior motive behind doing this, but he had no idea what it was. However, since it was all part of the established plan and Li Rongzhen was willing to cooperate, Lu Yao naturally agreed.

As for what Li Rongzhen was thinking about this matter, Lü Yao planned to discuss it with Jian Xiaojie and Rong Nianqing.

After leaving Wenzhenyuan, where Li Rongzhen was hiding, Lü Yao returned to the company to continue handling his work.

……

A week later, ByteDance's "Douyin," scheduled to launch in mid-April, was launched globally simultaneously. However, none of ByteDance's various internet platform software pushed the app much.

Like spring rain, it began to spread, ferment, and grow silently on the internet.

Because of its limited reach, Douyin did not attract much attention after its release.

Although Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu are all paying attention to ByteDance's activities, ByteDance has already released three similar software programs before. While those three programs did attract some traffic, they did not generate a significant market response.

Therefore, internet giants such as Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu did not attach much importance to the emergence of "Douyin".

I thought this was similar to the software I had seen before, and even if there were some improvements, they wouldn't be significant enough to put much pressure on the three internet giants.

In particular, after executives from these internet giants downloaded and tried Douyin, they all felt that the software's functions were too limited and the ways it presented content were too few.

In reality, these are the final optimization solutions derived by the Douyin product project team through rigorous calculations and deductions.

Strictly limiting the duration to 15 seconds initially strengthens the product's positioning and effectively differentiates it from major video websites like Bilibili and AcFun; at the same time, the software design, derived from Musical.ly, makes it easier to evoke users' emotions.

Combined with the algorithm that Mr. Zhang has mastered, it facilitates the rapid distribution and testing of short, concise content, enhances user immersion, triggers the "non-stop scrolling" mechanism, and thus more easily occupies a large number of users' fragmented and leisure time.

In this respect, ByteDance's algorithm team really went to great lengths...

Lü Yao was acutely aware of the power of this algorithm.

In the future, billions of people will be trapped by this algorithm, spending a lot of time every day watching videos, to the point that they can't stop, they simply can't stop.

When Lü Yao was studying abroad, he was also subject to the strict control of short video algorithms for a period of time.

Only after he broke free from the hard control of short videos did he suddenly realize just how powerful this thing really was.

For most ordinary people whose daily lives are rather boring, Douyin, with its powerful algorithm and meticulous attention to timing, is a window that short videos on the internet have opened in their dull and monotonous lives. While this window brings them a new and novel perspective, it has also made them truly addicted to digital technology.

How poisonous is this stuff?

So ruthless that he kept Lu Yao, back then, as a ByteDance CEO, Zhang, perhaps he had some kind of cheat code. The special effect of that cheat code was that by "depriving and consuming" other people's time to a certain extent, you could unlock some kind of reward...

of course.

For people whose time is precious, TikTok is indeed a bit addictive.

But for most ordinary people who will never leave the city or province where they live, Douyin is still very useful, since most ordinary people's time is not worth much.

Another advantage of Douyin's mandatory 15-second maximum duration setting is that data traffic was still very expensive in 2016.

Even though Lu Yao and Xiaomi jointly launched the Xiaomi King Card, the data consumption for watching videos is still too high. Even Xiaomi Group doesn't dare to give away the data used for watching Douyin for free.

A 15-second video may not consume much data, but if dozens or even hundreds of videos are viewed... even Xiaomi Group can't handle it.

As for the follow-up Penguin Emperor Card, it's even less likely that Baidu's data plan will offer ByteDance's software for free.

However, when the data usage is distributed among individuals, the same amount of data allows internet users to watch more videos.

Douyin's target user base is urban white-collar workers. Young and beautiful girls twisting and jumping at subtle points are certainly pleasing to the eye. Of course, this kind of pleasing thing is not something that old perverts would participate in.

As a result, word spread quickly, and Douyin's initial viral growth went relatively smoothly.

Once the viral spread reaches a certain level, the Douyin project operations team will start creating a traffic phenomenon, followed by a revenue phenomenon!

With a sufficiently eye-catching brand, more and more users will naturally join Douyin on their own.

Then we can gradually open up video permissions for one minute, or even five minutes, fifteen minutes, or even an hour or several hours... to allow more creators to join in.

Live streaming, product sales, e-commerce, community group buying, and other content can all be incorporated.

This is Douyin's operational strategy.

However, at present, the three internet giants take this moment as normal.

Knowing full well the power of this software, Lü Yao has already begun to arrange for employees of his MCN company to enter Douyin. In the early stages, they don't talk about style tags or anything like that; they just make videos that are perfectly timed to the beat and accumulate fans.

As for content such as story accounts, commentary accounts, and review accounts, we'll have to wait until Douyin unlocks long video permissions before quickly following up.

Since launching on Douyin, Lü Yao has been keeping a close eye on related matters, especially game-related short videos, which he has been able to create engaging content to attract followers.

After a busy period of non-stop work, Jian Xiaojie, who had been adrift overseas for more than half a month, finally returned to China and clamored for Lü Yao and the others to throw her a celebration banquet and a welcome-back feast.

(End of this chapter)