How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 277 A Dream of Red Mansions (2-in-1)

Civilization is perpetuated by stories, and commerce is driven by stories.

The power of case studies is even greater.

The most important development in the history of the Internet has not relied solely on technological iteration, but on story marketing. Hotmail pioneered viral marketing and laid the foundation for the core model of Internet communication, while Amazon user reviews drove the UGC ecosystem.

Paris Hilton's "accidental" fall has become the most widely disseminated, influential, and imitative story marketing event in social media history.

In just three days, the daily active users and new users on social media platforms such as Facebook reached a new breakthrough. Initially, it was only Paris-related commercial brands that boosted the campaign, but it later became the main marketing strategy for all social media platforms to promote traffic and expand their reach independently.

Previously, Paris relied on reality TV shows to sell products, but in the past three days, thanks to this wave of internet traffic, sales of products related to her have increased by at least 20% in both offline and e-commerce channels.

Brands and platforms seem to have found a new way to monetize traffic instantly. Previously, the return on investment in advertising/film and television product placement was controllable because the ROI of exposure and conversion rate could be calculated.

However, the value of the "organic traffic" generated by the "socialite fall" on social media far exceeded everyone's expectations, and all the brands that helped promote the "socialite fall" received unexpected ROI returns.

The following day, Elon Musk of Tesla announced that he would create a limited-edition pink sports car for Paris Hilton, resulting in a hundredfold increase in brand-related search exposure and a 15% rise in the stock price that day.

Paris then shared the data, showing that her perfume sold over a thousand bottles online in a single day, triggering pre-sales and creating new opportunities for major brands, especially those already involved in e-commerce, who then approached her with various business collaborations.

Since 08, Paris Hilton's business opportunities have been largely taken over by the Kardashian family, but this trending topic has clearly made her a trendsetter in the internet world once again.

Facebook and Twitter have also suddenly received a large number of new collaborations from brands, but the collaboration methods seem to have changed.

Previously, social media advertising revenue came from the platform selling ad space directly to brands, essentially moving offline elevator or billboard ads online and engaging in passive marketing.

However, due to the emergence of the "socialite fall," advertisers hope that the platform can provide them with a similar exposure model for traffic creators like Paris Hilton, which is somewhat similar to YouTube's advertising revenue sharing program.

This new monetization path has sparked internal discussions within the platform, as everyone is unsure whether such isolated incidents as the "socialite fall" can be replicated, since Facebook/Twitter is currently essentially a social tool rather than a content creation platform.

Although YouTube, the only leading content platform, has already shown the beginnings of an influencer economy, it has not generated much economic benefit due to insufficient influence. Therefore, no one can quite grasp the key to monetizing traffic.

At this very moment, Paris suddenly announced a high-profile collaboration with the MS platform to create the third season of "Paris Friends," recruiting amateur guests from fans worldwide. Given that Paris was already in the spotlight, any move she made would attract the attention of millions of viewers.

Ms, a long-established social media platform that had long lost its market share and presence in Europe and America, has returned to the mainstream internet landscape in a different form. This pioneering social media platform, which once had hundreds of millions of users, has stirred up long-dormant memories for many of its long-time users.

But when people opened the website with a "let's see what happens" attitude, they found that everything had changed. The UI style of the entire platform had been completely changed, and its smoothness was comparable to Twitter. The music ranking function on the secondary interface was also quite refreshing for them.

However, what surprised them the most was that the content on the MS platform had become much richer after several years. The public domain section not only featured celebrities like Paris, but also many verified content creators, covering a wide range of topics including astronomy, geography, entertainment, and gossip.

Most importantly, it features a large number of beautiful female bloggers who claim to be models from various countries, posting daily selfies and sharing updates along with outfit ideas and everyday items. Some of these posts even include links that take you directly to another platform called MLS, where you can find detailed product information and even purchase some items online.

Most of these female bloggers have relatively novel Asian faces, but there are also a few white female models with prominent Eastern European features. Moreover, these white female models recently posted articles to participate in a 'rating' activity on the platform.

The content infuriated many overseas netizens.

'I might be a 5 in Russia/Land, but I might be a 10 in the US/Europe #ScandinavianHairline'.

The post also included several selfies featuring women with very good figures and looks.

This kind of copywriting is equivalent to saying in China: I'd be worth 5 points in Northeast China, but I'd be worth 10 points in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou.

This kind of copywriting naturally sparked a lot of comments from female netizens. However, while female netizens were furious, they couldn't help but search for what 'Scandinavian hairline' meant.

It was later discovered that this was because the girl from Eastern Europe naturally had a ring of platinum blonde baby hair on her forehead, similar to the widow's peak in China. Because the color was so beautiful, it looked very sophisticated. After seeing this, many Western female netizens criticized her while searching for how to bleach their hair to a similar color.

Male netizens, on the other hand, felt like mice had fallen into a rice bin. Compared to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where ordinary people gather, the quality of female bloggers on MS was significantly higher. Moreover, judging from the backgrounds of their selfies, most of them seemed to come from less privileged backgrounds.

For the proud gentlemen of developed countries, the most desirable thing is to extend a helping hand to these fair-skinned, beautiful, but poor young girls.

Paris brought Ms back into the mainstream view of the overseas internet, directly attracting a new wave of returning old users and extremely high activity levels.

In just three days, tens of millions of returning users joined, and the mobile app was downloaded more than ten million times. Overnight, it topped the App Store's free app download charts, surpassing Facebook and Twitter in popularity.

Advertisers and brands who are struggling with whether or not customized ads are feasible with Facebook/Tweet have suddenly discovered Star Media, a portal on MS specifically for advertisers.

This platform can directly connect with celebrities and influencers already signed on MS, and showcases each influencer's strengths, fan profiles, popularity potential, and conversion data through tag categorization.

After the advertiser places an order, the influencer/agency provides an initial version of the promotion plan to the client for review. The client has three opportunities to make adjustments. Once the client confirms that the content is correct, the plan is published, and the transaction is completed.

This method directly guarantees some of the rights and interests of the client, which has attracted the interest of many advertisers. This is obviously the ideal advertising method for Paris' traffic monetization recently studied. The only problem is that the fee is a bit expensive.

For a celebrity like Paris Hilton with nearly five million followers, a single tweet ad costs $200,000. Although it guarantees over two million impressions, it's still not cost-effective, almost equivalent to a small-scale endorsement.

Fortunately, the prices offered by other influencers are reasonable. They charge $500 for 1 followers, which translates to over 5 impressions and a CPM of around 10, which is in line with the industry's social media pricing. You can try to maximize your reach.

Furthermore, this platform can be directly connected to another MLS product recommendation platform, where advertisers can open their own stores or choose managed operations, and directly jump to the product recommendation posts from influencers to complete the transaction.

Such a mature social media + e-commerce model?

When did the old man of the media group start following the trend?
As the global internet became more active due to the socialite fall, investors began to re-examine the value of social media, as well as the value of Ms, a platform that is both old and new.

Many people were waiting for news, and Wang Yao was no exception.

After visiting the exhibition for two consecutive days, Wang Yao lost interest. After all, he had already achieved his goal of trending on social media and generating buzz, so going again would be pointless socializing.

The circles are different, so there is no need to force them together.

The DIOR exhibition has ended, and Wang Yao invited Chief Designer Galliano to visit the Chinese Aesthetics Museum, located in the most authentic part of Bali.

Bali Red Building.

In 1925, antique dealer C.T. Lo purchased the building and spent two years transforming it into a five-story Chinese-style pavilion. He also displayed a large number of cultural relics that had traveled overseas. C.T. Lo became known as the "enlightener of Chinese art".

The Red Building is 85 years old, which is very old for Bali, but it is still very new for the cultural relics displayed inside.

The first floor is decorated with Tang Dynasty stone carving railings, Wei-Jin style relief coffered ceilings, and Qing Dynasty furniture and painted screens, creating an antique Chinese atmosphere.

The second-floor walls are inlaid with lacquer panels depicting flowers, birds, and figures from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The windows are carved with intricate latticework, and the traditional Chinese carved bed has been transformed into a niche for enshrining Buddhist statues and paintings.

The fifth floor and basement are exhibition halls for other East Asian antiques, with a large number of Indian artifacts.

Lu Qinzhai's business was very large, spanning the globe, and most of the Chinese antiques that were lost overseas were made by him.

The third and fourth floors are not usually open to the public, but because of Deng Wendi's connections, Wang Yao also obtained special access. The antiques inside all tell the story of that turbulent era.

"I never imagined that Bali had such a paradise on earth; I had never even heard of it before," Galliano exclaimed, praising the tour guide's explanations.

Wang Yao looked at the two characters 'Guan Zhi' carved in seal script on the lintel, narrowed his eyes and chuckled: "Perhaps it's something that can't be seen in the light of day."

“Perhaps it’s because we’re too protective; after all, so many treasures need to be preserved,” Galliano said with a smile.

"Such a person who cherishes antiques would break up a national treasure-level relief stone carving that is over a thousand years old and ship it overseas." Wang Yao smiled.

“Oh? Perhaps there were some difficulties. After all, in that era of war, if these antiques hadn’t been transported out for protection, they would probably have been lost in the flames of war. Damn war,” Galliano sighed.

“Even war might not unearth ancient artifacts that have been buried in the ground for thousands of years. You’re looking for inspiration, aren’t you? I think I can give you one.” Wang Yao looked at Galliano with a smile.

"Tell me about it," Galliano said with great interest.

“You should know about Chinatown, right? The name comes from a great king who fought his whole life, always leading from the front. He pacified a dynasty with just six warhorses, creating the charismatic 'Tang' dynasty. Barbarian tribes from all directions submitted to him, and all nations came to pay tribute. He was honored as the Heavenly Khan,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"It sounds like a figure comparable to Julius Caesar." Galliano was a little confused after hearing the translation, but he could feel the character's charisma.

"Hehe, to each their own. This emperor rode six warhorses, each representing a legendary story: Telepiao, Qingzhui, Shifachi, Saluzi, Quanmaogua, and Baitiwu."

Each horse has a distinctive color scheme. As the saying goes, clothes are a person's battle armor. Inspired by these six steeds, a great series could be created.” Wang Yao then recounted the stories behind each of the six steeds of Zhaoling.

“Interesting. Next time I go to China, you can take me to learn about it.” Galliano was captivated by the story’s message.

"I can have someone take you to the Pennsylvania Museum to see the original later; maybe it will inspire you," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"How come the original Chinese work is in Pennsylvania?" Galliano was taken aback.

"It's all thanks to the founder of the Red Mansion that it's protected," Wang Yao said meaningfully.

Zhu Zhu and Zhang Meng continued to accompany Galliano on the tour, while Wang Yao went to the basement to meet another guest with Deng Wendi.

An elderly woman, nearly ninety years old, with obvious mixed East and West features,
Lu Qinzhai's only surviving descendant is his youngest daughter, Lu Zhenni. She started learning antique appraisal from her father at the age of 18, and later took over the Red Mansion, becoming the de facto head of the family business. She transformed the family's antique business into a cultural exchange art museum.

Jane Lu never married and devoted her life to managing the family business. In her later years, she organized the family archives, which included a large number of Lu Qinzhai's private letters and transaction records.

Jenny converted the basement into a cultural relic restoration studio, and over the years she has hired many craftsmen from China to restore cultural relics. Now that she is old, the Red Building is jointly managed by the French Association.

Lu Qinzhai was a very complex person. His upbringing of his children revealed him to be a typical traditional feudal man. Because he had no sons, he always claimed that he had no descendants, but he allowed his daughters to inherit the family business one after another, yet he never taught them anything about Chinese culture or language.

Wang Yao contacted her hoping to obtain authorization to adapt Lu Qinzhai's life story into a film.

In her early years, Lu Zhenni heeded her father's instructions and kept her hometown a secret. However, as she grew older, her resentment and respect for her father became a complex mix of emotions. So when she heard that someone wanted to adapt her father's and her family's story into a movie, she became very interested.

"He is indeed a handsome young man." Although Lu Zhenni was already quite old, her eyes still shone with wisdom.

"I apologize for disturbing you, and I hope you won't take offense, Madam," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“You’re not the first Chinese person to come to the Red Mansion. I can sense a kind of malice from you,” Lu Zhenni said bluntly, sizing up Wang Yao.

"You're overthinking it. At most, it's just greed." Wang Yao smirked.

Upon hearing this, Deng Wendi glanced at Wang Yao and said, "Mr. Lu, this Red Mansion is a priceless treasure to the world. It not only embodies your father's life, but also your own. However, after all these years, you have handed it over to the Faya Association, but it seems that this pearl has not been able to shine with the brilliance it should have."

“They have indeed disappointed me somewhat, so they're staying here while I'm still alive. But if I die, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out.” Lu Zhenni shook her head and looked at Wang Yao again:

"It's impossible for you to want this building. Even if I agree, it will be very difficult for you to take anything out of it."

“I think it’s great here. It’s like a symbol, representing that the story from back then is true. My greed is only in this story of you and the Dream of the Red Chamber.” Wang Yao smiled and shook his head.

“Me?” Lu Zhenni was slightly taken aback. She had originally thought that Wang Yao wanted to obtain authorization to tell her father’s story.

“Compared to Mr. Lu, I admire Madam more for her life being trapped in this Red Mansion. I can find countless stories about Mr. Lu in China, but Madam’s story is very rare. You have proved with facts that daughters are not necessarily inferior to sons, and may even do better.” Wang Yao said solemnly.

“A cunning young man.” Lu Zhenni sized up Wang Yao for a while, then suddenly laughed.

"The Red Mansion belongs to Mr. Lu, but even more so to you. Mr. Lu merely brought it here, while you gave it life. Your story deserves to be praised by more people, especially in faraway China. Your dedication to protecting Eastern cultural relics should be widely disseminated. In the future, many people will travel thousands of miles to Bali to pay homage to the Red Mansion that you have protected with your life." Wang Yao's face was ashen.

“To be honest, Bali doesn’t understand Dream of the Red Chamber.” Lu Zhenni remained silent for a long time before sighing softly.

For Huaxia, the homeland where half of her blood flows, all her understanding comes from this Red Mansion. She knows every item in it like the back of her hand, and it has accompanied her throughout her life.

In a sense, she has become one with the Dream of the Red Chamber; compared to Bali, she is indeed closer to China.

She knew very well that after her death, the Red Mansion would most likely be sealed away due to lack of funds for maintenance, and would mostly remain silent except for special occasions when it would be brought out as a landmark. Just like herself now, quietly listening to the countdown to her demise.

I'm not reconciled.

“They don’t care about Dream of the Red Chamber either.” Wang Yao shook his head.

"And you two?" Lu Zhenni asked, looking at Deng Wendi and Wang Yao.

She knew that Deng Wendi was a wealthy person, otherwise she wouldn't have shown up.

“We can use a portion of the box office revenue from the remake to establish a trust specifically for the operating expenses of Dream of the Red Chamber. We will manage it together with the Lu family, which will at least ensure that these antiques you cherish can be properly preserved. Although you have no children, it does not mean that you have no relatives. Mr. Lu may still have relatives in China,” Deng Wendi said.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhenni's pupils contracted slightly, as if she were deep in thought.

Lu Qinzhai's biggest regret in his later years was that he could not return to his roots. Moreover, Lu Zhenni always felt that her father had a guilty feeling towards his hometown. Her second sister later sponsored a group of Chinese students studying abroad, and her father praised her for this many times.

“We are both beneficiaries of his legendary life and bearers of his sins,” Lu Zhenni sighed softly.

Deng Wendi was delighted to see this.

Wang Yao called Nazha down and said to Lu Zhenni, "Could she play the young version of the lady?"

Lu Zhenni's eyes widened, a kind of infatuation in her deep, wise gaze, and she beckoned to Nazha: "Little girl, come closer."

Naza glanced at Wang Yao, and after receiving instructions, she knelt down in front of Lu Zhenni's wheelchair.

Lu Zhenni stared at Nazha's face, her gaze somewhat unfocused, and murmured.

"picture."

Wang Yao curled his lips at the sight.

Zhu Zhu took Nazha to Lu Zhenni's house to collect materials. Wang Yao and Deng Wendi had a meal with Galliano, and afterwards they checked the latest data growth of Ms.

"You sent Nazha to the old lady's side, are you planning to play some kind of 'adopting a godparent to take advantage of someone who has no descendants' scheme?" Deng Wendi asked curiously.

Even she was somewhat moved by the value of the Dream of the Red Chamber, let alone Wang Yao's sudden plan, which must have had ulterior motives and was not simply to find a film subject.

"That's not the case. Lu Zhenni isn't stupid. Besides, the Lu family should have other descendants, it's just that Lu Zhenni doesn't have any. I sent Nazha mainly to get some of Lu Qinzhai's private letters or accounting records. These are valuable historical materials."

"If we can get our hands on the accounts, then in the future we might be able to bring back all these national treasures that have been lost overseas, not just those from the Dream of the Red Chamber. It's rumored that Lu Qinzhai had over 500,000 antiques in his possession, with buyers all over the world." Wang Yao shook his head.

"Tsk, you really do have the world on your mind," Deng Wendi chuckled.

"The story of Dream of the Red Chamber is enough to make an entire IP, and the topic is controversial enough. Just the licensing of cultural relics and related merchandise alone can make a fortune. What's more, the ownership of Dream of the Red Chamber is a great topic, enough to keep Ms. busy," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Lu Shuying and I are thinking about creating a global cultural and art museum brand. If we can get the operating rights of the Red Mansion, it would definitely be a good deal.” Deng Wendi nodded.

The closer art is to Pakistan, the more stories it has to tell. Moreover, in recent years, the Western upper class has grown tired of traditional classical collectibles, making Eastern collectibles a truly untapped market.

"Sure, let's see how long it takes Nazha to win over the old lady," Wang Yao chuckled.

"Relying on that girl alone? It's probably going to be difficult. She's dull and not very clever. We don't want her to make things worse." Deng Wendi still had some doubts about Nazha doing this.

“Of course we can’t rely on her alone. The Lu family has four sisters. It’s just that Nazha’s adorable silliness makes it easiest for the old people to lower their guard.” Wang Yao shook his head.

"It seems you already have someone in mind?" Deng Wendi nodded.

"We just recently signed a mixed-race girl named Wang Keying. She's very talented and can be our main focus for overseas development." Wang Yao handed over the tablet.

"Your trip wasn't in vain." Deng Wendi glanced at him; he was indeed a promising talent.

"Mr. Deng's visit was worthwhile. Today, MS has reached over 40 million daily active users, with over 60% coming from Europe and America. It has over 200 million likes and over 80 million posts per day, temporarily surpassing Twitter and reaching one-eighth of Facebook's total."

Star Media's advertising revenue is currently around three million US dollars, with over three thousand clients placing orders. In the B2C customized advertising field, it can be said to be far ahead. Wang Yao glanced at the newly updated data report, a surprised smile appearing on his face.

This is the data from the overseas version, not including the data from the Chinese version.

"So tall?" Deng Wendi's face also showed surprise.

"Ms still had nearly 2 million users before, and this exposure has brought back many old users. In addition, the public domain traffic content that was laid out beforehand is different from Facebook's social networking among acquaintances."

Moreover, the content quality is better than Twitter's, which will definitely attract a lot of interest in the early stages. However, it is uncertain how many people will remain after a month, so we need to speed up the process of Yahoo's investment.

After the socialite fall, social media will officially transform from a niche platform into a mainstream channel. Facebook's growth rate in the past two days has also been astonishing, creating a siphon effect, leaving Ms. with not much time.

However, our mobile app launch is similar to Facebook's, and we currently have tens of millions of users. It all depends on the user experience. But I'm still very confident in the Strom filter check-in feature.

"For talent development, relying solely on Spark's signing program is probably not enough. We need funding to acquire or sign more talent resources. This is the only chance to challenge Facebook. As for Twitter, we can ignore it for now," Wang Yao explained, breaking it down point by point.

"I've convinced Elizabeth and her team to migrate several of the media group's main media accounts to MS. Fox and artists from her own media company will also be joining the platform soon."
"Let me see if I can persuade other entertainment companies to join us. When is that event that Fan Bingbing is preparing going to take place?" Deng Wendi asked.

"We'll wait for news from Ya Hu. Once we confirm we have enough funds, we can launch the event directly. After all, that event is very expensive," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Luckily, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett paved the way for us, otherwise we would have had to spend a lot of money. Do you want to come with me to Silicon Valley tomorrow to persuade the old lady?" Deng Wendi said with a smile.

"I was just about to go check out AMC," Wang Yao thought for a moment.

Deng Wendi has a family private jet, so why not take advantage of it?

When they returned to the suite, Zhu Zhu and Nazha had not yet come back. Fan Bingbing was attending the LV exhibition today. Although she had already taken on a Dior endorsement, LV was more optimistic about the Chinese market recently, and Fan Bingbing was the best choice because of her high salary.

He is very likely to become the first Chinese spokesperson to carry two top luxury brands.

Only Zhang Tianai, Kim Ji-won, Nana, and a few assistants were working in the suite. The "socialite fall" event between Korea and China had also begun. They were all busy taking photos, editing pictures, replying to comments, and stirring up trouble because they were all trying to promote their phone cases and mystical jewelry.

I thought I would have a good time participating in the exhibition abroad, but I didn't expect to be busier in the four days I was here than back home.

Zhang Tianai is instructing Nana (Im Jin-ah) on yoga poses; both are potential candidates to become the heads of future sportswear brands.

Wang Yao admired the two women's flexibility, then secretly took Kim Ji-won for a walk in the hotel's grove. When they returned, he asked, "I'm going to the US tomorrow, anyone want to go?"

"Are you all going?" Zhang Tianai was delighted to hear this.

“Nazha and Zhuzhu will probably have to stay for a few days,” Wang Yao shook his head.

"We're fine." Kim Ji-won's face was still flushed, and she rarely had the chance to go out with Wang Yao.

"I'm fine with anything." Nana didn't have much of a say, so she naturally listened to Kim Ji-won.

"Oh, then I'll stay and help Naza and Joo-joo." Zhang Tianai wanted to join in the fun, but Kim Ji-won had gone, and it probably wouldn't be convenient for her to go too.

"Okay." Wang Yao didn't say anything more, told them the time, and went to rest in the next room.

"Um, Sister Cheon-ae, how about we stay and help out too?" Kim Ji-won snapped out of her daze, seemingly realizing that she had been too obvious.

"It's alright, it's alright, you guys go have fun. President Wang needs someone to be his assistant too," Zhang Tianai said with a gentle smile.

The next morning, Wang Yao, along with Kim Ji-won and Nana, hitched a ride on Deng Wendi's private plane to San Francisco.

During the 11-hour flight, Wang Yao checked the popularity of the phone case and metaphysical topics. Paris Hilton's socialite effect was very successful this time. Even the 2999 co-branded custom model had more than 100 pre-orders, and the 299 co-branded model had more than 3,000 pre-orders. It has to be said that money in the fashion industry is indeed easy to make.

Along with other products under the Yunshang brand, especially the sales of lucky charm beads, sales are slowly increasing across the United States. Wang Yao is finding a bit of the same satisfaction he had when he was selling crystals across borders in Europe and America.

As for the mystical aspect, Wang Yao signed a talent from the Academy of Fine Arts at Tsinghua University in China and collaborated with Baoman to create a comic series that satirizes the zodiac. After more than three months of development in China, the number of fans has not yet reached one million. However, on the overseas version of MS, it has almost reached one million fans in less than five days, and the conversion rate of related mystical merchandise is very good.

If YaHu confirms its investment in Ms, Wang Yao plans to create a matrix of overseas street interview and occult accounts, sign a group of tarot and astrology experts, and directly seize this market.

They attracted customers online through social media and then sold various peripheral products manufactured in China. The conversion rate in this test was surprisingly good. The total sales of phone cases and other peripheral products, such as lucky charms, have reached one million US dollars.

People spend more money in developed countries' markets.

Landing in San Francisco was clearly like returning to Deng Wendi's home turf. The extravagantly long Lincoln convoy, escorted by five groups of bodyguards, certainly had an air of ostentation.

Wang Yao thought it was a good idea, since in the United States, you can't be too cautious.

Wang Yao's bodyguards, including Xiao Yan, were also reasonably armed.

Deng Wendi first arranged for them to stay at a private estate. After resting for half a day, they went directly to the headquarters of Ya Hu.

As one of the greatest internet giants of this century, Yahoo! is now in its twilight years, but it still stands out for its prowess.

When they arrived at the conference room, not only was Carol there, but also Yang Zhiyuan, the founder of YaHu.

"Every time we meet, this young man gives me a new surprise." Carol beamed with joy when she saw Wang Yao.

“Ms. Carol, it’s nice to see you again.” Wang Yao nodded in greeting and extended his hand to Yang Zhiyuan: “Mr. Yang, I’ve heard so much about you.”

"I've long admired your name. Old Ma said that China had produced a prodigy and that he would introduce me to him if he had the chance. I didn't expect to meet you so soon. You are a man of great talent." Yang Zhiyuan's smile was extremely friendly.

"Mr. Yang, you flatter me." Wang Yao smiled.

“We haven’t even finished the last round of MS data discussion yet, and we didn’t expect a new round of data to be updated. Yang just taught me a Chinese idiom, ‘daily changes, monthly changes,’ right?” Carol seemed to be in a good mood, at least not as sharp and sarcastic as when they last met.

"I've been lucky lately, and I've made some small breakthroughs," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"This is no small breakthrough; it could be a major shift that changes the landscape of the internet. From today onward, internet social media can finally be considered to have validated its market potential," Yang Zhiyuan laughed heartily.

"The predecessors planted the trees so that the successors could enjoy the shade. We should still thank Mr. Yang for bringing the Internet into the public eye." Wang Yao said sincerely.

"That's an exaggeration. I just did what I could," Yang Zhiyuan said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

"You two must be flattering each other, right?" Carol said with a laugh.

"When did you become able to understand Mandarin?" Yang Zhiyuan was taken aback. He naturally spoke Mandarin with Wang Yao to show their closeness.

"The expressions on your faces when you men flatter each other are enough to make anyone see through you. Let's get down to business; I don't have time for your idle chatter," Carroll scoffed.

"She's a tough, strong woman." Yang Zhiyuan patted Wang Yao on the shoulder.

"Don't speak ill of me," Carol laughed.

Wang Yao and Deng Wendi exchanged a glance.

It seems that today's negotiations will go more smoothly than expected.

(End of this chapter)