Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 424 Old Ma, Mind Your Own Business
No. 38, Nanchang Street, Beijing, Cheng Family Banquet.

Chen Xiu recalled that at the end of last month, when Meng Ziyi went to "Chef Nic" as a guest, the production team rented this venue.

The half-day guest experience also taught her how to cook a dish.

Chen Xiu lowered her gaze, staring at the white codfish dish served on a large round porcelain plate, lying in a pink sauce.

She scooped up a spoonful of fish dipped in the sauce and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour sauce and the freshness of the cod made Chen Xiu's eyes widen in surprise.

Bravo!

Sister Meng replicated this dish so well; she must have put a lot of thought into it. I'll contact her on WeChat after dinner...

"Mr. Chen, do you really like this dish?"

The sudden sound interrupted Chen Xiu's reflections.

He turned his head to look to the side and saw Ma Yun, wearing a bright red hoodie, holding chopsticks and smiling at him.

Chen Xiu smiled and said, "I really like it. It's rare for President Ma to come to Beijing today, and he even treated me to dinner. I'm truly flattered."

"Hahaha! You're exaggerating too much."

Ma Yun smiled, squeezing the wrinkles on her face together. She waved her hand and said seriously, "Actually, the main reason I invited you to dinner today is because someone asked me to come and talk to you."

"Who is it that can get Mr. Ma to come forward?"

"An old friend."

"I know?"

"It's quite familiar."

"Then there's no need for Mr. Ma to continue."

Chen Xiu placed the spoon on the edge of the plate, picked up the napkin, wiped her mouth, and made as if to leave.

This posture stunned Ma Yun, who thought to himself: I haven't even started to negotiate, why are you leaving already?

Moreover, leaving after only one bite of food is just too unconventional!
No, are you really going to leave?
Seeing that Chen Xiu's actions did not seem fake, Ma Yun quickly reached out and pulled him back.

"Ahem, Mr. Chen, I haven't told you who this old friend is yet."

Hearing this, Chen Xiu smiled and turned to sit down, saying casually, "I don't think I'm good at getting into conflicts with others. The little misunderstanding that happened recently was pretty much resolved before I came over."

"Mr. Ma said that an old friend asked you to mediate. In my memory, there is no one else who meets this criterion and has had some minor conflicts with me."

"My rivalry and personal grudges with the other party cannot be resolved over a single drink. Since it cannot be resolved, it would be better if Mr. Ma refrained from speaking, so as not to affect our relationship."

How come he guessed everything before I even said anything?

They actually told me to mind my own business... I haven't heard that in years.

However, I don't seem to be able to refute what he said.

Ma Yun silently recalled the scene when he invited Chen Xiu and Wang Zhonglei to dinner during his last trip to Beijing. At that time, Wang Zhonglei's behavior was indeed very brainless and narrow-minded.

Everyone was drinking, and Chen Xiu was sitting at the table when that idiot Wang Zhonglei jumped out and said: "The people Chen Xiu brought can't sit and drink with us..."

Only Chen Xiu handled this public display of disrespect with grace; otherwise, everyone present would have looked displeased.

Thinking of this, Ma Yun cursed Wang Zhonglei in his heart again before continuing, "President Chen, Wang Zhonglei was indeed wrong about the drinking incident last time, but the person who called me this time to ask me to mediate was Wang Zhongjun."

"What he meant was that as long as you're willing to shake hands and make peace, any request is negotiable."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiu pondered for a moment, and a hint of doubt gradually appeared between her brows.

"Mr. Ma, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Well, you said."

"So what exactly did you mean by 'shaking hands and making peace' on behalf of President Wang? After shaking hands and making peace, will the competition between Datang Pictures and Huayi Brothers in the film market disappear? Since competition is unavoidable, what difference does it make whether we make peace or not?"

"This one……"

Chen Xiu glanced at Ma Yun with a leisurely air, guessing that he probably hadn't understood the situation clearly before rushing over to make peace.

He's gotten used to being the leader of the martial arts alliance and thinks that saving face can resolve all disputes.
"Ah."

Chen Xiu chuckled and continued, "Mr. Ma, the entertainment industry has experienced many ups and downs in the past year, and Huayi has been hit hardest, with its performance indeed not as good as before, but I have not played any underhanded tricks."

"Everyone makes money by making movies based on their own abilities. It's not surprising that they lose at the box office because they are not as skilled. If they don't want to compete, they can just close down."

"As for such trivial matters as personal grudges, we won't trouble you, Mr. Ma. Whenever Wang Zhonglei wants to make peace, just let him come to Datang Film Studio, and we will make arrangements accordingly."

Ma Yun stared blankly at Chen Xiu, her lips twitching for a moment, but she couldn't utter a single word.

As these words imply, if Chen Xiu wants to use his position for personal gain, he has many underhanded tricks to destroy Huayi, and kicking a man when he's down wouldn't cost much.

However, he didn't do that. Instead, he tried to compete head-on with Huayi Brothers through his films, but Huayi Brothers was too weak and he couldn't beat them.

In other words, no matter how big your face is, Ma Yun, you can't possibly make the Tang Dynasty shut down and stop making movies, right?
Having figured this out, Ma Yun, the persuader, naturally had nothing to say.

After sitting in silence for a while, Chen Xiu suddenly said, "Mr. Ma, I heard that you are planning to retire next year?"

"what?"

Ma Yun was stunned, momentarily confused. Fortunately, his mind hadn't slowed down yet, and he immediately realized that Chen Xiu was trying to change the subject and end the awkwardness.

"Hehe, it's not that I'm retiring. It's just that Ali's business is very stable now, and it's time for me to hand over the responsibilities and turn my attention elsewhere."

"A second startup?"

"I don't have the energy for that. I mainly focus on environmental protection, charity, and the inheritance of entrepreneurial spirit."

I believe you!
Chen Xiu glanced at Ma Yun, too lazy to expose the other's pretentious act.

Ma Yun didn't take it seriously. Having successfully changed the subject, he didn't mention Huayi again, but instead introduced his new plan to Chen Xiu with great interest.

"Mr. Chen, do you have any knowledge of digital finance?"

"That's too high-end, I don't play with these things."

"Besides Douyin and film and television companies, what other industries have you been paying attention to?"

"AI large-scale models, new energy vehicles..."

Ma Yun glanced at Chen Xiu with a disgruntled expression, thinking to herself: "He just said that digital finance is high-end and he doesn't understand it, but then he turned around and started paying attention to AI and new energy. Does that mean these two industries aren't high-end?"

You're so young, how come you can act even better than me?

After clearing his throat twice, Ma Yun continued the topic raised by Chen Xiu, saying, "New energy vehicles are currently developing very well in China. I remember you are also one of the shareholders of NIO, right?"

"Minority shareholders".

"Hmm, besides Weilai, you haven't invested in any other companies?"

"I also invested a little bit."

Chen Xiu gestured with his fingers to indicate that his investment was insignificant.

Ma Yun, hearing his modesty, didn't bother to ask further questions, but instead raised doubts about another, more profound area.

"Mr. Chen, new energy vehicles are something that can still be seen, but AI is still a subject of much debate, and there are hardly any real achievements to speak of."

"Robin has staked Baidu's future on AI and even hired Lu Qi to be in charge of AI business development, but so far there has been no news of any progress."

After all that buildup, Ma Yun finally turned to look at Chen Xiu and "kindly" reminded her, "Don't be fooled by those companies outside that are just using AI as a guise to swindle people."

"Not at all, our company will soon have a new generation of large-scale products."

Chen Xiu responded politely, but inwardly she was wondering whether Ma Yun really understood AI.

It seems that he will have another public discussion with Musk about the future of AI in Shanghai next year.

Judging from their conversation, Ma Yun doesn't seem to understand AI that well, at least not as well as Musk...

"Douyin has developed a large AI model?"

"No, no, it's not Douyin, it's an overseas company that I personally invested in."

"So what is the main purpose of this large AI model product you mentioned?"

"I invested in a non-profit technology company whose mission is to use technology to benefit humanity. This product is currently positioned as a public welfare project."

"Oh fine."

Ma Yun nodded slightly, indicating a lack of understanding and reluctance to elaborate.

He wasn't actually an expert on AI; he brought it up simply because he didn't want Chen Xiu to realize he didn't understand it.

However, if we delve deeper into the discussion, we can't get to the bottom of it, so we have to stop abruptly at this point, preserving the mystery.

Chen Xiu curled her lip, thinking to herself: You say you want to dedicate yourself to public welfare, but when I actually talk to you about it, you lose interest.

Having finished discussing both personal and business matters, the conversation ended, and the two quietly began to eat.

As they said their goodbyes and left the courtyard, Ma Yun suddenly said, "A few days ago, when I was on the phone with Mr. Sun from SoftBank, he mentioned TikTok's pre-IPO financing. Mr. Chen, are you planning to take TikTok public?"

"The plan in this regard is still being actively promoted."

Chen Xiu gave a casual reply and then cut off Ma Yun's next request: "As for Pre-IPO, it is currently being handled by TikTok's new CEO. I only receive reports from him every week, and I don't know how he will select companies."

"Preparing for an IPO usually involves hiring a CFO. Why did you replace the CEO?"

Ma Yun looked at Chen Xiu with puzzlement, genuinely confused by TikTok's series of major moves.

"The switch is simply because it's more suitable. Mr. Ma, don't worry too much about TikTok; focus more on your post-retirement plans. I'm leaving now, bye!"

After saying that, Chen Xiu took out a mask from her bosom, put it on, and went straight out the door.

Ma Yun stood there, watching Chen Xiu's figure disappear behind the red gate. He pondered for a moment with an indifferent expression before leaving.

On the other side, sitting in the car on her way home, Chen Xiu hadn't forgotten the codfish dish she had just eaten, and then she thought about how much effort Meng Ziyi must have put into recreating the dish.

Amidst his fluctuating thoughts, he unhesitatingly took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Meng Ziyi, who was filming in Xiamen.

"Sister Meng, I came to Chengfu Banquet today and tried the cod fritters. The cod fritters you made at home are exactly the same as the chef's. They taste amazing!"

(End of this chapter)