Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 334 Preparing for Tea
That night, at Wanliu Villa.

The rushing water stopped abruptly in the bathroom, followed by the rustling of clothes being put on and the sound of washing wheels.

Wearing a moon-white, shiny silk nightgown and with her hair tied up with a hairpin, Dilraba walked out of the steamy bathroom with her bare legs.

She walked to the door, but did not see the person she wanted to see inside the room.

Disappointment flashed in Reba's eyes, and then she noticed the half-closed door to the study.

An unintentional smile played on her lips as she almost ran to the study. Gently pushing the door open, a familiar voice reached Reba's ears.

"...Okay, I'll come to ByteDance to find you tomorrow morning, and we'll talk then."

Holding onto the door, Reba stood hesitantly in the almost fully open doorway, unsure whether to continue.

Sitting in an armchair, wearing only a shirt, Chen Xiu smiled at Reba and said, "Why don't you come in?"

"I'm afraid of bothering you."

Reba shifted her feet awkwardly, then slipped into the study with her bathrobe fluttering.

She walked around the desk and came to Chen Xiu. Reba stood on the desk on tiptoe, and her smooth, white insteps pressed against Chen Xiu's calves.

"Brother Xiu, were you talking about work just now?"

"Ah."

A thoughtful look flashed in Chen Xiu's eyes, but she said casually, "Something came up."

"Oh, did I disturb you?"

Knowing she probably wouldn't understand Chen Xiu's job duties, Reba didn't ask any further questions.

Chen Xiu smiled and shook her head at her, then reached down with her left hand and grabbed the mischievous little foot.

Holding her ankle, Chen Xiu looked up and met Reba's smiling face.

Meng Ziyi went to record the second season of "Back to Field" a couple of days ago. Reba, who successfully took on the role, seemed particularly excited.

Feeling the power surging through her body, she mistakenly believed that she was strong enough to fight Chen Xiu for 100 rounds.

However, when the gap in strength is too large, the false illusion will turn into the reality of weakness and powerlessness.

Moving from the study chair to the bedroom bed, Reba snuggled close to Chen Xiu's arm, her forehead beaded with sweat, her cheeks flushed, her heart racing, and her watery eyes shimmering with light when she lifted her eyelids.

Looking up at Chen Xiu's comfortable and relaxed expression, Reba couldn't help but think to herself: Why is it that every time we start with great ambition, we end up just struggling to survive...?

Noticing Reba's gaze, Chen Xiu turned her head to look at her: "Are you going to the set of 'A Journey Home' next month?"

"Yes, the film crew is quite close to my hometown, so my parents might come to visit the set."

When she thought of her parents, Dilraba's eyes couldn't help but lift as she spoke.

Although the subject matter of "The Journey Home" is overseas, filming does not necessarily have to take place in the local country.

Considering the high cost of filming abroad and the safety of the actors, director Rao Xiaozhi chose to film in Xinjiang, which is indeed quite close to Dilraba's hometown.

Chen Xiu said, "After filming is over, if you don't have any other plans, you can go home and relax for a few days."

"Oh? Then you don't need to."

"why?"

"Hmm... my parents have been acting a bit strange lately..."

Reba looked at Chen Xiu with a troubled expression, then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "During the Chinese New Year, they asked me if I was dating you."

"Then what do you say?"

“I would definitely say no! Otherwise they would already be in the capital.”

"..."

Chen Xiu nodded slightly, feeling that Reba's answer was fine. After all, the older generation is not as receptive to new things as young people, and people like Meng Ziyi's mother are rare.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked again, "It's hot, isn't it? How much money have you saved up over the years?"

"Yeah, I had tens of millions, and following your advice, I bought all of it into Moutai stock. Now I'm almost at my small goal..."

Fifteen years ago, Reba didn't make much money. These tens of millions of yuan in cash flow were earned in 2016 and 2017 and are considered after-tax assets.

With the money in hand, Reba didn't foolishly go to some financial manager, but instead asked Chen Xiu what the best course of action was.

Chen Xiu didn't let her operate anything too complicated; she could just directly place a fixed bet on Maozi.

Upon hearing that Reba had amassed some wealth, Chen Xiu suggested, "You could buy a larger villa and have your parents come to Beijing to stay for a few days. That way, they won't ask you about your relationship."

You want me to move out?

"I'm telling you to buy another house, it'll be more convenient that way. This one is already yours. If you change the locks tomorrow, I might not be able to get in."

"laugh!"

Reba's expression changed from surprise to laughter. As she hugged Chen Xiu's arm tightly, her thoughts drifted to another layer.

"You want me to buy a house so my parents can come and stay with me for a few days? Is it because you want them to see my grades?"

"That's what you came up with, I didn't say that... You already have some work, so you can take on a few variety shows to boost your popularity and help the company make more money."

Although she knew that someone would help plan Reba's work, Chen Xiu still couldn't help but mention it.

Given Dilraba's current status, the fee for just one variety show is more than her entire income last year. As a celebrity's fame grows, their income doubles. Seeing Chen Xiu's refusal to admit it, Dilraba chuckled inwardly: "Heh, I split the profits 70/30 with the company. The more the company earns, the more I earn. They're clearly worried that my spending money will make them feel insecure, and they're using this excuse..."

Thinking of this, Reba suddenly raised her hand and touched Chen Xiu's neck.

That cool, slippery feeling flashed by, and then Chen Xiu heard Reba say, "Brother Xiu, I'm all rested!"

"Then let's continue..."

……

Chen Xiu's body has been enhanced twice by the system, and coupled with her regular exercise habits, her energy and recovery speed are much faster than that of ordinary people.

Even if nothing happened all night, he could still wake up on time in the early morning and rush to ByteDance despite the chilly spring weather.

Upon arriving at his destination, he went directly to Zhang Yiming's office and had breakfast there.

Seeing that half of his breakfast had been taken, Zhang Yiming's lips twitched, and he said, "You..."

"I'll grab a bite to eat first, and then I'll go have a proper meal after we've finished talking."

Zhang Yiming pursed his lips speechlessly, thinking: I can't ask you to meet at mealtimes anymore.

After they finished eating, considering that Zhang Yiming had an early morning meeting, Chen Xiu got straight to the point: "Just like I said on the phone last night, there are rumors that the higher-ups want to crack down on short video content. Do you have any information about that?"

"What more information do you need? There have been signs of it for a while now."

Zhang Yiming wiped his mouth, his expression turning serious.

"Do you remember at the end of last year, we were invited for tea, and the Toutiao app shut down six channels?"

"Didn't you say that was just a routine conversation?"

"Looking back now, I realize my thinking was a bit simplistic. That tea session was probably just a trial run for the crackdown on self-media, like you just mentioned, a quick bite to tide me over. Judging from recent developments, the main course is probably coming soon."

"...This comparison is not humorous."

Chen Xiu silently complained, and began to think of a solution.

But after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out.

Zhang Yiming stared at him for a while, then finally gave up and said, "Forget about it. Go back and tell Su Xiao to be prepared. When we have tea, whatever she asks us to rectify, we'll rectify it. The matter isn't that complicated or serious. It's just that short videos only appeared a couple of years ago, and we didn't know what attitude to take towards them. Now we're starting to try to manage them."

Why should Su Xiao be prepared?

"She's the CEO! Of course, she'll go for tea."

"Can't I go?"

"..."

Zhang Yiming was taken aback. Looking at Chen Xiu's unusually serious expression, he suddenly understood why this kid could attract women.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yiming confirmed, "No, you want to go for tea?"

"Of course I don't want to! But if someone has to go, it's better for me to go than for Su Xiao to go! I am Douyin's executive director and chief strategy officer. If these two titles aren't enough, why don't you upgrade them and give me the president's position?"

"That doesn't have to be the case."

Zhang Yiming waved his hand, politely declining Chen Xiu's suggestion, and then gave a positive reply.

"In the past two years, Douyin's development has been deeply intertwined with you. If Douyin has any spokesperson, then you are the only one who can be chosen. In addition, your position is not low, so it is acceptable for you to represent the company to attend the tea ceremony."

"Then it doesn't matter!"

After saying that, Chen Xiu's worry vanished, and she leaned back on the sofa, looking quite comfortable.

Zhang Yiming asked doubtfully, "Aren't you worried that being invited for tea will affect your popularity?"

"I'm not worried, not at all."

"why?"

"Well, my popularity helped Douyin accumulate traffic in the early stages, and incidentally helped Douyin break down the barriers with the film and television industry, enriching its content ecosystem and attracting celebrities and big names to join. That's already a worthwhile monetization. As for the future, I can't stay a celebrity forever, can I?"

Chen Xiu frankly stated that he will continue to develop Datang Film Industry in the future, but that does not mean he will continue to be a star.

As his net worth increases and Douyin's development accelerates, it is definitely necessary for him to gradually retreat behind the scenes.

However, this process is expected to take two or three years...

Hearing Chen Xiu's words, Zhang Yiming stared at him for a long time, then smiled sarcastically: "To be honest, I really thought you were planning to be a star for life!"

"How could you have such an idea?"

"You became a celebrity, wasn't it just to use your status as a rich man to pick up girls? Those female celebrities in the entertainment industry are replaced every two or three years, they're always 18..."

"If I really want to pick up girls, do you think I can't do it even if I don't become a celebrity?"

A rhetorical question left Zhang Yiming speechless.

Looking at the speechless tech geek, Chen Xiu chuckled and glanced at him: "If your goal is simply to pursue women, there are actually simpler and more direct ways."

"what?"

"Spend a little money! It won't cost much, but it's kind of pointless, right?"

"……Too."

(End of this chapter)