Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 528 CEO Selection

Seeing his wife so happy, Song Ci's lips curled into a mischievous smile, his words carrying a hint of flirtation: "This time when I visit the set, I want to try on the Empress's Mingfei Phoenix Robe."

The implication couldn't be clearer. Liu Shishi's cheeks flushed instantly, and she gave the screen a shy glare, her voice lowering as she said, "Okay, whatever you say. But..."

She paused, then said with a hint of reproach, "Don't be too rough. These costumes are all custom-made and very precious. If you tear them, they won't be able to be repaired in a short time."

Upon hearing this, Song Ci raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Don't worry, I promise I won't take any action. Your Highness can change your clothes yourself."

"Pah! Dream on!" Liu Shishi spat lightly, her cheeks burning red. She quickly changed the subject to hide her inner turmoil.

"I'm not going to talk nonsense with you anymore. I just saw a long article analyzing Tenda on Weibo. It was quite insightful. The blogger's ID is 'Chuanliu Buxi' (meaning 'unending flow').

I think Weibo should give more traffic support to insightful bloggers like myself. What Tengda needs now is to cultivate people who can both advocate and analyze rationally.

Seeing her earnest expression, Song Ci chuckled and explained, "Madam truly has a discerning eye. However, the talented person you speak of is none other than my roommate, Tang Xiaochuan."

"Huh? It's Xiao Chuan?" Liu Shishi was stunned, and the image of the slightly shy young man with glasses at the wedding immediately came to mind.

"I met him once at the last wedding. He seemed much more confident, a complete change from the timid and hesitant person he was in college."

“Yes,” Song Ci said with emotion, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes, “People always grow up!”

Now that he has completed his doctoral studies and is teaching at Peking University, he has achieved considerable success. If he continues to dedicate himself to academic pursuits, his future is very promising.

“No wonder netizens jokingly call him the number one ‘lyricist’ on Weibo,” Liu Shishi suddenly realized, unable to suppress a laugh. “I was thinking of giving him a shout-out, but I didn’t expect him to be one of us.”

“Xiao Chuan’s theoretical foundation is indeed very solid,” Song Ci affirmed. “He has millions of followers on Weibo because of his genuine talent and knowledge, not just because he’s praising me.”

Liu Shishi nodded, then subtly changed the subject, her expression becoming more serious: "By the way, honey, there's something important I need to tell you. I've decided to acquire ATV and have entrusted Standard Chartered Bank to handle it."

Song Ci was not surprised, but calmly asked, "Have you thought it through? This is a grand strategy, and the opening move is especially important."

"I've thought it through." Liu Shishi's eyes were firm. "Opportunity and risk go hand in hand, and I'm willing to give it a try. However..."

His tone shifted to worry, "Reviving ATV will be no easy task. I need a leader with both a forward-looking vision and rich practical experience."

Honey, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend? I'd like to make some advance contact and preparations.

Upon hearing this, Song Ci sat up slightly, her fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest of the sofa as she fell into deep thought.

The brain, like a high-speed processor, rapidly searches, filters, and compares within a vast talent database.

After a moment, he raised his head and began to explain: "Actually, in terms of ideas and abilities, Gong Yu is the most suitable."

He is an expert in building an ecosystem of 'content + platform + terminal' and has an extremely accurate grasp of mobile internet trends.

iQiyi's ability to carve out a share of the market despite immense pressure from the three giants, ByteDance, LeTV, and Youku, is entirely due to its exceptional talent.

If he were to lead ATV's reforms, he would undoubtedly be the perfect candidate to guide the transformation.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi glared at her husband with a hint of helplessness amidst her charming demeanor: "Song Yiyi, you really have wild ideas!"

Gong Yu is the founder and CEO of iQiyi, his career is at its peak, how could he possibly abandon the empire he built to take over the mess that is ATV, doing something so mentally taxing and with an uncertain outcome?

She paused slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes, "However, I didn't expect you to speak so highly of him."

Song Ci nodded slightly, speaking frankly: "Just telling the truth, Gong Yu is indeed very talented."

However, heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Many simply lack a stage to realize their ambitions.

One of the management trainees newly recruited by Toutiao Video this year has shown amazing talent.

If he/she can be carefully nurtured, he/she will be able to stand on his/her own in the future, and his/her achievements may not be inferior to Gong Yu's.

“That’s true,” Liu Shishi echoed softly. “Throughout history, countless heroes have risen from humble beginnings.”

Even small counties like Peixian and Fengyang produced half of the founding heroes of the People's Republic of China. Platforms and opportunities are crucial for personal growth.

The conversation then shifted back to the main topic, "But for now, let's resolve the ATV issue first. Besides that Mr. Gong, does my husband have any other more realistic candidates to recommend?"

Song Ci deliberately dragged out her words and smiled mischievously: "How about Li Dongsheng?"

Liu Shishi was taken aback at first, then realized that her husband was joking again, and couldn't help but roll her eyes coquettishly.

"Alright, enough joking around." Song Ci knew when to stop, her expression turning serious as she stated her carefully considered choice, "I've got someone in mind: Xu Haoran!"

"Xu Haoran?" Liu Shishi searched her memory for the name but didn't recall it much. She couldn't help but ask, "Yiyi, tell me quickly, what's so special about this person?"

"Xu Haoran is a postdoctoral fellow in economics from Peking University and an expert who enjoys special government allowances."

Song Ci introduced him as follows: "He has long been committed to research on cultural industry management, brand strategy and corporate communication. He has a solid theoretical foundation and rich practical experience."

If we could persuade him to take the helm, he would undoubtedly provide crucial strategic perspectives and implementation methods for ATV's brand premiumization and internationalization.

"Another Peking University student?" Liu Shishi was taken aback and blurted out, then looked at her husband on the screen with a strange expression.

"Honey, it feels like all the talented people who graduated from Peking University are stored in your head! Your talent pool is just too useful!"

Song Ci chuckled and shook her head, but her eyes couldn't hide the depth and confidence that comes with being a Peking University student.
"It's not that exaggerated, but I do know a little about those outstanding students from my alma mater."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly, lost in thought, knowing full well what the university her husband graduated from meant.

The first comprehensive university in modern China, it has a rich history of over a century.

Countless political leaders, business tycoons, and academic giants have graduated from here. Its alumni network is intricate and spans the globe, wielding influence everywhere.

When Song Ci was starting her business, during her busiest time, she secretly wondered why her husband insisted on completing his studies.

Why not follow Bill Gates' example, drop out of school, and devote yourself entirely to the business world?

Looking back now, I realize I had been oversimplifying and being too superficial.

If her husband hadn't persisted and successfully completed his studies, while deepening his connection with his alma mater in the process, he probably wouldn't have so easily gained the favor and support of that high-ranking leader at Peking University.

The development path of Tenda Technology may not have been as smooth as it was later.

The prestige and connections of a top university are invaluable assets. Liu Shishi etched the name "Xu Haoran" firmly in her mind and solemnly said, "Okay, Xu Haoran, I'll remember this person."

Once I've finished dealing with my current matters, I'll personally go and persuade him to come back to work. I hope I can convince him to join me in carrying out a sweeping reform of ATV!

After the business was finished, the atmosphere between the two returned to its previous warmth and intimacy.

They exchanged a few more words of longing and reminded each other to take care of themselves before leaving a virtual kiss on the screen and reluctantly ending the transoceanic video call.

In the early morning, sunlight filters through the tall palm trees, casting dappled shadows on the paths of UCLA’s campus.

The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and soil, mixed with the vibrant energy of young students hurrying to class.

Lin Ziren, a genius teenager who had already made a name for himself in the field of computer science at the age of eighteen, was absentmindedly responding to his classmates' greetings.

His brows were slightly furrowed, and he was still struggling with the algorithm problem that had troubled him for so long the night before.

I walked straight to my supervisor's office, stood before that familiar door, composed myself, and gently knocked.

"Please come in."

Lin Ziren pushed open the door and entered, then looked up and paused for a moment.

His mentor, Professor Zhu Songchun, who usually prefers comfortable short sleeves and has a casual scholarly style, was dressed in a suit and tie today, standing in front of the mirror adjusting his clothes, exuding an aura of solemnity.

"Professor, what is this...?" Lin Ziren couldn't hide his curiosity.

Zhu Songchun turned around, saw his beloved disciple, smiled gently, and asked in his eyes, "Ziren, is something the matter?"

"Professor, I've encountered a problem and am stuck on optimizing the load of distributed computing nodes. I might need your guidance." Lin Ziren spoke quickly, revealing his urgency.

Professor Zhu glanced at his watch, a hint of apology on his face: "I'm sorry, Ziren, I have an important appointment soon, I have to meet a distinguished guest."

Lin Ziren's face instantly filled with frustration: "Sorry to bother you, Professor!"

For a genius like him, who is proud and arrogant and used to conquering all technical barriers, the feeling of a problem remaining unresolved is like having a bone stuck in his throat.

Knowing his beloved student's stubbornness and talent, Zhu Songchun pondered for a moment and made a decision: "Alright, Ziren, we can discuss your problem in the car. I must leave now."

"Really? Thank you, Professor!" Lin Ziren's eyes lit up immediately.

The teacher and student walked out of the teaching building side by side, and Lin Ziren couldn't wait to begin describing the bottleneck he had encountered.

Professor Zhu listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with one or two key questions that went straight to the heart of the matter.

The two walked through the bustling campus to the parking lot, where a top-of-the-line Lincoln sedan had been waiting for some time.

Zhu Songchun confirmed the license plate, exchanged a few words with the driver in uniform, and then led Lin Ziren to sit in the spacious and comfortable back seat.

"Alright, Ziren, now you can explain your question in detail." The vehicle started smoothly, and Professor Zhu focused all his attention on his student.

"Professor, it's like this, when I was designing a new scheduling algorithm, I found..." Lin Ziren explained the model he built, the contradictions he encountered, and the failed paths he tried.

Zhu Songchun, as expected of a world-class scientist, pondered for a moment and then began to unravel the mystery.

Instead of giving a direct answer, he guided Lin Ziren to examine the problem from another perspective through a series of insightful questions and several ingenious mathematical metaphors.

In just over ten minutes, a series of insightful and comprehensive instructions enlightened Lin Ziren, and his previously blocked thoughts were instantly cleared.

"I understand! The key is to model the latency of asynchronous communication as a stochastic process, rather than trying to predict it precisely! Thank you, Professor!"

Lin Ziren was overjoyed, his tense nerves finally relaxing. "Professor, where are we going?"

"Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles"

"The Consulate General? Are you going back to China to develop your career?" Lin Ziren blurted out, subconsciously assuming that his mentor had made a major life decision.

He knew that China's economy had taken off in recent years and that the country was paying more and more attention to top talents, and that many scientists in the United States had chosen to return to China to serve the country.

My mentor, as the chief scientist of MURI, an interdisciplinary collaborative project in the fields of vision, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence in the United States, is a world-renowned top scholar who will undoubtedly receive national treasure-level treatment wherever he goes.

He continued, "Actually, it's quite good to develop one's career back in China. My parents are also considering settling down there recently."

I left Fuzhou for Canada when I was seven years old, and my memories of my hometown are quite vague. If you, Professor, were to go back, I would like to go with you to see it.

Zhu Songchun looked at the longing and complex emotions on the student's face, shook his head gently, and clarified, "It's just to see someone, it's not a final decision yet."

"To meet someone? Who is it that you would take so seriously, even going to the consulate general?" Lin Ziren was even more curious.

"Song Dynasty poetry," Zhu Songchun said without hiding anything. He was still weighing the joint invitation from Tengda Technology and Peking University.

But a voice deep inside him told him that if he really decided to return to China, he must take this gifted young man with him.

This is a rough gem, it needs a wider world and a bigger stage to be polished.

"That richest Chinese man?" Lin Ziren looked surprised. Recently, this Mr. Song Ci has been making headlines, a frequent feature in the technology and finance sections.

However, knowing his mentor's temperament and the importance of the matter, he did not ask any further questions, but a strange sense of anticipation arose in his heart for the upcoming meeting.

After about a half-hour drive, the Lincoln sedan entered the neighborhood where the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles is located and finally came to a smooth stop in the parking area in front of the consulate building.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Zhu Songchun looked surprised through the clear car window.

Song Ci himself was standing at the entrance of the parking lot, looking calmly in the direction they had come from, clearly waiting there on purpose.

Zhu Songchun and Lin Ziren hurriedly got out of the car.

"Professor Zhu, I have long admired your name. I am Song Ci. It is an honor to finally meet you today."

Song Ci stepped forward, a gentle and sincere smile on her face, and extended her hand. Her clear eyes made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

(One more chapter to come, to be updated later)

(End of this chapter)