Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 175 Mother-in-law Comes to Visit
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the sunlight, like fine threads, slanted across the winding paths of the garden, adding a touch of golden warmth to this tranquil afternoon.

Liu Shishi and her assistant Jiang Yuanyuan returned home laden with several exquisite shopping bags.

After recording a program at Beiping TV Station in the morning, the two went shopping together. Although they looked a little tired, their eyes revealed the joy and satisfaction of shopping.

"Yuanyuan, isn't the long trench coat I finally chose nice?"

"Absolutely stunning!"

The two walked and chatted, occasionally letting out light laughter. As they entered the villa garden, a delicate fragrance of plum blossoms wafted over, refreshing their spirits.

After the two changed their shoes and were about to walk towards the living room, a familiar and gentle voice sounded in their ears: "Shishi, you're back?"

Following the sound, Ms. Liu looked up and saw her mother sitting on the living room sofa, holding a magazine she had been reading, with a gentle and loving smile on her face.

He quickly walked to his mother's side, bent down, and gave her a big hug.

"Mom, why did you come? You didn't even tell me beforehand so I could have picked you up," Liu Shishi said to her mother sweetly, her voice full of surprise.

Liu's mother gently patted her daughter's back, her eyes full of affection: "Beiping is only so big, I don't need you to pick me up."

Knowing you were free today, I came to see you and thought I'd tidy up your place a bit, but it seems I was worrying too much. You're being waited on here; no wonder you're so happy you don't want to go home.

Jiang Yuanyuan also greeted her politely, "Auntie, you've become even more beautiful since I last saw you."

"You have such a sweet mouth, come sit down, Yuanyuan." Liu's mother responded with a smile, her tone full of affection and fondness for her daughter's assistant.

Liu Shishi sat down next to her mother, her little head naturally and affectionately resting on her mother's shoulder.

"No, it was Yi-yi's birthday yesterday, so I came to Jingyuan to keep him company. Besides, I just didn't want to disturb your and Dad's time together!"

Upon hearing this, Liu's mother angrily said, "Don't mention your dad! He's always busy with his baby and maternity e-commerce business and is never home. I haven't seen him for a week."

Liu Shishi looked puzzled upon hearing this: "E-commerce for maternal and infant products?"

Liu's mother nodded and explained, "These days, foreign trade is not easy to do. Online shopping is booming, so your father thought about starting a business and switching to the maternal and infant e-commerce industry. He created a brand called 'KidKing,' which specializes in selling daily necessities for expectant mothers and children aged 0 to 14 online."

Liu Shishi was a little worried and asked doubtfully, "Dad is so old, is it really feasible for him to start a business at this age?"

"Who knows if it'll work or not? Anyway, we don't need you to support us, so let him do whatever he wants."

Mrs. Liu shook her head helplessly, then changed the subject, "Let's not talk about him anymore. How are you and Song Ci doing lately?"

Liu Shishi replied with a smile, "Great! I had a wonderful time celebrating his birthday yesterday!"

"Then I'm relieved. Although Song Ci has a good temper and can tolerate you, you can't act childishly all the time, understand?" Mother Liu earnestly advised, and then got up to leave.

Liu Shishi quickly grabbed her mother's hand and persuaded her, "Mom, aren't you going to stay for dinner? Yiyi will be off work soon, let's have dinner together. Then you can stay overnight and go back tomorrow."

After a slight hesitation, Liu's mother agreed to her daughter's request. Her husband had been busy with work and hadn't been home lately, so she was indeed lonely at home alone.

When her mother agreed to let her stay, Miss Liu was overjoyed.

"I asked Aunt Liu to cook a few more dishes today, she's a great cook. Yuanyuan, you should stay for dinner too, it's more fun with more people."

Mrs. Liu sat down again, patted her daughter's little hand, and sighed in her heart that her daughter was truly blessed despite her foolishness.

He asked with concern, "Does Song Ci come home for dinner every day? I saw on TV that the big boss has a lot of social engagements outside, doesn't he?"

Ms. Liu said with a happy expression, "He doesn't like socializing and will decline it if he can. When I'm at home, he'll come home for dinner almost every day, except when he's working overtime at the company."

Liu's mother nodded slightly, secretly approving. A man who is willing to come home for dinner every day clearly puts family and kinship first, which is essential for a harmonious and warm family atmosphere.

Liu Shishi smiled and said to the housekeeper, "Sister Li, tell Liu Ma to add a few more dishes tonight."

Sister Li, who had been serving in the living room, quickly replied, "Yes, madam!"

Laughter filled Jingyuan's home. At that moment, Song Ci was in the office with Zhang Yong, listening to Liu Yan report on the latest situation on Weibo.

"Chairman, Mr. Zhang, as of 3 p.m., Weibo has over 740,000 registered users. At the current growth rate, the number of users is expected to break the million mark by midnight tonight," Liu Yan reported with great joy.

Zhang Yong adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and said calmly, "President Song, this data is basically in line with our expectations, but after the first wave of celebrity effect in the first week, I estimate that the user growth rate will slow down."

Song Ci smiled confidently: "No rush, Rome wasn't built in a day."

Reaching one million users in two days is already a very successful start. I have a plan for the future, as well as other methods to attract more users. We have to play our cards one by one.

With a serious expression, Zhang Yong expressed his concerns: "Actually, I'm not worried at all about Weibo's user growth during this period. The key is whether it can withstand the impact of similar products from other companies."

Weibo has strong social networking attributes, and Tencent has always dominated this area, making it its exclusive domain. If we interfere now, Tencent will inevitably retaliate fiercely.

Song Ci nodded in agreement: "Yes, not only Tencent, but also several established portal websites will not sit idly by. They will definitely develop their own microblogs to compete with us for users."

Within a month at most, similar products will inevitably emerge, making this period extremely valuable. We must grow our user base to over 1000 million to maintain Weibo's first-mover advantage.

Upon hearing the two leaders' reasonable analysis, the joy on Liu Yan's face gradually faded, and he felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him.

Taking a deep breath, he firmly stated, "Don't worry, boss. I'll go back immediately and have the planning team work on a few more marketing plans. We'll make sure that by the end of the month, we'll have over ten million Weibo users."

Song Ci nodded: "I have important business to attend to in the United States tomorrow, which will probably take three or four days. I also have urgent matters to attend to on Weibo these days. If you can't reach me, please ask Mr. Zhang to make the decision."

Liu Yan was taken aback: "Okay!" Sensing that the two leaders had something to discuss, he tactfully left the office.

With Liu Yan gone, the large office fell silent, leaving only Song Ci and Zhang Yong.

Zhang Yong stared at the chairman, hesitated for a long time before finally speaking: "President Song, ICBC Capital and BOC Capital have discovered that you are pledging a large number of equity and assets."

They sent a letter to the company to inquire if anything was wrong; they were worried that Tengda might be experiencing operational problems.

Zhang Yong frowned, looking worried. Since the second half of last year, the chairman had been taking equity and assets from banks as collateral for loans, with huge sums involved, which inevitably caused concern.

Song Ci chuckled lightly: "What's the panic? Afraid I'll run off with the money? All my loans are within the bounds of the law. Besides, as the CEO, don't you know whether the company is operating properly or not?"

Zhang Yong's expression softened slightly: "Then what is your purpose in doing this? Is your trip to North America tomorrow related to this?"

Song Ci's eyes shone brightly, radiating dazzling brilliance: "Go to North America to attend a rare feast!"

With the subprime crisis looming and a global financial crisis imminent, he needed to personally travel to North America to make some arrangements.

Zhang Yong, recalling the North American stock market's repeated record highs, with the Nasdaq reaching an unprecedented peak, guessed, "Mr. Song, are you planning to invest in US stocks?"

Song Ci did not give a direct answer. He did indeed intend to invest in US stocks, but to short them. He reassured him, "Don't worry, Lao Zhang. When have you ever seen me do anything I wasn't sure about?"

Zhang Yong sighed softly. The stock market was risky, but knowing the chairman's confident and strong personality, he didn't offer any further advice. "My mother-in-law is coming to visit today, so I'll head out first."

Song Ci glanced at the time on his phone; it was almost five o'clock. Liu Shishi had just sent him a text message saying that Liu's mother was coming to Jingyuan today and asked him to come home early if he wasn't busy, as she would be waiting for him to have dinner together that evening.

The winter sky always draws the curtain of night early, and when Song Ci returned to Jingyuan, the sky had already darkened.

The Maybach slowly came to a stop in front of the villa's ornate iron gate. Before getting out of the car, Song Ci gave instructions to the driver and bodyguard in the front seat:
"Wang Shan, pick me up at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow. Also, Tang Yue, have you chosen who will accompany you to America?"

"Okay, Chairman!"

"Don't worry, boss. I've found two clever and reliable guys. Their visas and plane tickets are all ready. They'll be leaving with you tomorrow."

"Okay! Thank you for your hard work, have a good rest tonight."

Song Ci nodded in satisfaction. Happy America, booming every day. When traveling, especially in foreign lands, security work cannot be ignored.

The villa was brightly lit. As soon as Song Ci entered, a warm feeling arose spontaneously. It was the taste of home, instantly dispelling the fatigue of a day's work.

Hearing the commotion, the housekeeper, Sister Li, quickly came to greet him with a warm smile: "Sir, you're back! The meal is ready, just waiting for you to take your seat."

Song Ci smiled and nodded, changed her shoes, and walked straight to the living room.

In the living room, the lights were soft. Liu Shishi had changed into comfortable casual clothes and was sitting on the sofa chatting happily with her mother and assistant. Her pretty face was flushed and she looked beautiful.

Seeing Song Ci enter, she smiled, stood up to greet him, and snuggled into his arms, her voice gentle: "Darling, you're back!"

Song Ci embraced Miss Liu, gently kissed her smooth, fair forehead, and whispered sweet nothings in his girlfriend's ear.

Then he turned to Liu's mother and said, "Auntie, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Mrs. Liu looked at the two of them with a kind smile. Seeing the young couple so sweet and harmonious, her eyes were full of satisfaction: "It's alright, your work is the most important thing."

The assistant, full of energy, exclaimed, "President Song, you're back!"

"We're all on the same side," Song Ci nodded and smiled in response.

As Liu Shishi took Song Ci's coat and hung it on the hanger, she instructed the housekeeper, "Sister Li, the master is back. Have Liu Ma serve the dishes and let's eat."

The four of them sat around a table in a spacious and bright restaurant, where a round table was laden with delicious-looking and fragrant dishes that whetted their appetites.

"How have you been lately, Uncle? Auntie?" Song Ci asked, enjoying the delicious food while chatting with her mother-in-law.

Upon hearing this, Liu's mother looked resentful and sighed, "Shishi's father is busy with his maternal and infant e-commerce business every day and hasn't been home for several days. With no one at home, I feel so empty."

"This is how it is in the early stages of starting a business. Once things get on track, it won't be this busy anymore."

Song Ci coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment. He had invested in his father-in-law's online store platform. He never expected his father-in-law to be so vigorous and passionate about his business. It was just a pity that he neglected his mother-in-law.

Seeing this, Liu Shishi immediately changed the subject and vividly shared her interesting stories from the film crew, which soon made Liu's mother beam with joy.

"My new drama is going to air on Beiping TV today. I wonder how the ratings will be!"

“The ratings for ‘Hello, Old Times’ won’t be bad,” Song Ci reassured her.

The Zhenhua Trilogy has already amassed a large and loyal audience, and with the current scarcity of campus-themed TV dramas, it still offers viewers a sense of novelty.

Song Ci then asked with concern, "By the way, Shishi, how did the TV interview recording go today?"

Liu Shishi smiled mysteriously and kept everyone in suspense: "I won't tell you, you'll find out when it airs this Saturday."

During the meal, the young couple, Song Ci and his wife, and Liu's mother spent most of their time exchanging news about their recent lives.

The assistant served quietly from the side, occasionally chiming in to join the conversation, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

After dinner, Song Ci finished washing up and went to his study, where he turned on his computer and started browsing Weibo. The computer screen emitted a soft blue light, illuminating his focused face.

A moment later, Liu Shishi pushed open the door and entered. After taking a shower, she was wearing a soft knitted sweater, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, exuding a faint fragrance.

She came up behind Song Ci, glanced at the content on the screen, and then patted him on the shoulder: "Honey, are you looking at Weibo?"

Song Ci nodded, moved his chair slightly to make room for Miss Liu to sit down.

Liu Shishi smiled sweetly and accepted the invitation. She sat lightly on her boyfriend's lap, her arms naturally encircling his neck, and the two bodies pressed closely together.

"I'm looking at Weibo, let's look at it together." Song Ci smelled the faint fragrance emanating from Liu's hair, turned the computer screen slightly towards his girlfriend, and the two browsed Weibo together.

"Wow, you have over 50,000 followers!" Liu Shishi exclaimed in surprise after seeing Song Ci's Weibo follower count.

"What did you say during your interview today? Many netizens left comments asking me who my childhood sweetheart is?" Song Ci slowly dragged the mouse to show Miss Liu the netizens' replies.

Liu Shishi's words were evasive, but when she saw some female netizens spamming "husband" under Song Ci's Weibo post, she immediately cursed angrily: "Hmph, a bunch of slutty bitches, trying to steal my man."

He then added dismissively, "Mr. Song, please don't ask anymore. You'll find out when the show airs in a few days. By the way, darling, aren't you replying to your followers or posting any new updates?"

She has posted several Weibo posts and actively replied to netizens' comments, but Song Ci's account has only posted one update, which was yesterday's welcome message to netizens entering the Weibo world, a very official statement.

"I'm too lazy to post, and too lazy to reply! Take a look at your account." After saying that, Song Ci logged out of her main account and logged into Liu Shishi's Weibo account.

"password?"

“wasyy0101” Liu Shishi said without hesitation.

Compared to Song Ci's number of fans, Liu Shishi's is much smaller, with only over eight thousand. However, these people are probably her die-hard fans, having been among the first to respond to her call to join Weibo. They are very active and leave comments on her posts.

"Shishi, are you really a friend of Song Ci?"

"I just went to Song Ci's place to ask, but they haven't replied yet!"

"Shameless! Trying to ride on my husband's popularity!"

Liu Shishi ignored the comments criticizing her. After replying to a few fan comments, she lost interest in continuing to browse, as she had more interesting things to do.

Nuzzling her boyfriend's cheek, Ms. Liu breathed softly, "Teacher Song, will you be giving me extra lessons today?"

"Make it up!" Song Ci replied expectantly, her gaze gentle as water, as if it could melt everything.

Liu Shishi, beautiful and radiant with a burning gaze, slid off her boyfriend, gathered her hair, and slowly knelt down.

(End of this chapter)