The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

Chapter 84 Headline [Second Update] Requesting First Subscription

The aroma of tea wafts through the antique-style tea room of Xuelu.

Bai Mengyan knelt quietly to one side of the tea table, her slender hands methodically warming the teapot, placing the tea leaves, and brewing the tea.

Today she wore an elegant beige suit, her hair loosely tied up with a few wisps falling to the side of her neck, adding a touch of gentleness.

Accompanying Shen Mo as his assistant to what was supposedly an important meeting, she was both nervous and excited, but her eyes kept following the figure beside her out of the corner of her eye.

A young man with a slender build and wearing black-rimmed glasses pushed open the door and entered with a composed gait.

"Mr. Zhang, it's an honor to meet you."

Shen Mo rose from the tea table, extended his hand to greet her, and the sandalwood bracelet on his wrist emitted a faint fragrance with his movement.

"I've often heard Wang Xin from the Magnesium Group mention you, saying that you are one of the most insightful people he has ever met when it comes to information distribution. Today I finally have the pleasure of meeting you."

Zhang Yiming adjusted his glasses and shook hands with moderate force.

"Mr. Shen, you flatter me. Brother Xin is giving me too much credit."

"But Mr. Shen's recent moves in the entertainment and capital markets have left a deep impression."

His gaze inadvertently swept over Bai Mengyan, who was focused on brewing the tea, before returning to Shen Mo.

"I just didn't expect that Mr. Shen would also be interested in a vertical field like real estate information."

Bai Mengyan poured the first brew of tea into the tea pitcher at the right moment, her movements gentle and almost silent.

Hearing Zhang Yiming's words, she secretly felt proud that someone had praised Shen Mo.

The teapot gurgled on the red clay stove. Shen Mo held the pot and brewed the tea with fluid movements, while Bai Mengyan passed the teawares to him with an elegant demeanor.

Sitting opposite Zhang Yiming, we exchanged a few pleasantries over tea, discussing everything from the current state of mobile internet to our respective observations of the industry.

As the atmosphere grew warmer, Shen Mo pushed a freshly brewed cup of Taiping Houkui tea in front of Zhang Yiming, and suddenly changed the subject.

"Mr. Zhang, to be honest, I've been following 99fang for a long time."

Zhang Yiming picked up the teacup and gently stroked the warm porcelain wall with his fingertips.

"I would like to hear the details."

"I've never valued the real estate sector," Shen Mo said with a clear and bright gaze.

"It is 99fang's information processing logic that demonstrates its unique understanding of information aggregation, filtering and distribution."

6

Zhang Yiming's fingertips paused slightly.

"99fang can efficiently gather, filter, and present massive amounts of real estate information from various platforms."

"This kind of architectural thinking is very valuable."

Shen Mo changed the subject and took out his phone, placing it on the tea table.

"But what interests me even more is whether this logic can be applied to a wider range of fields after the 4G standard is established in January?"

Zhang Yiming put down his teacup, his eyes behind his glasses narrowing slightly.

"What is Mr. Shen referring to?"

"Fragmentation." Shen Mo uttered these three words softly.

Bai Mengyan was focused on the teapot in her hands when she heard this, and couldn't help but secretly raise her eyes.

She noticed a slight change in Zhang Yiming's expression across from her. Shen Mo must have touched his heart; a feeling of admiration and worship welled up inside him.

"Users' daily routine consists of breaking all their time into fragments."

"I believe that in the future, what we need to do is not to make users search for information, but to make information accurately find users."

The tea room suddenly fell silent, with only the soft sound of boiling water.

Zhang Yiming unconsciously tightened his grip on the teacup in his hand.

"Just like this pot of tea."

Shen Mo gestured, and Bai Mengyan immediately understood. She picked up the kettle, poured water, and the water flowed in an elegant arc in the air before being precisely poured into the cup.

"It's not about letting guests try all the teas, but about serving them the one that best suits their taste."

"That's the value of algorithms," he said, his voice steady and powerful.

"By deeply understanding user preferences, we can achieve precise matching of information."

"Create a product that can occupy users' fragmented time, making it the first choice for obtaining information, or even a lifestyle."

Zhang Yiming slowly put down his teacup, the porcelain cup striking the tea tray with a crisp sound.

The vague ideas that had been swirling in his mind these past few days were now presented by Shen Mo with such clear logic, causing his fingertips to tremble slightly with excitement.

"President Shen."

He took a deep breath, his gaze intense behind his glasses.

"You are describing not just a product, but a completely new information ecosystem."

"To be honest, these ideas coincide with my thinking, but your conception is more systematic and forward-looking."

Shen Mo smiled slightly, and Bai Mengyan tacitly refilled the tea for the two of them, the tea soup gently rippling in the cup.

Her movements were even gentler than before, as if she were afraid of disturbing this important moment.

"In that case, Mr. Zhang, would you be willing to work together to turn this idea into reality?"

"I couldn't have gotten it."

Zhang Yiming raised his glass in a gesture of greeting, his voice brimming with excitement.

"However, to realize this vision, we still need to solve the problem of content sourcing."

"Relying solely on information from traditional media is unlikely to meet the needs of personalized recommendations."

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"That's right."

Shen Mo gently stroked the rim of the cup with his fingertips, his gaze deep and profound.

"If the goal is to ensure everyone can see content that interests them, why not also empower everyone to become a content creator?"

He dipped his finger in the tea and drew a circle on the tea tray.

"We've upgraded the blog and social media blog model to create a platform that allows ordinary users to create and share content."

"We use algorithms to accurately recommend this high-quality content to people who are interested."

"This will be the era of self-media!"

Zhang Yiming's eyes instantly blazed with intense light.

"The idea of ​​enabling everyone to become a producer and disseminator of information... is brilliant!"

The aroma of tea wafted between the two, and the light in Zhang Yiming's eyes gradually settled into a deep contemplation.

He twirled the teacup in his hand, the warm touch of the porcelain cup seemingly connecting with the surging thoughts in his mind.

Self-media —

"He repeated the word in a low voice, as if savoring a cup of fine, aged tea."

"Let users produce content, and then distribute it precisely through algorithms—this truly solves the two core problems of content sources and personalized needs perfectly."

His tone was filled with genuine admiration, and his gaze towards Shen Mo was different now.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the tea table, and unconsciously quickened his pace of speech.

"So, how should we position this platform?"

"What do you think is its core value: speed, breadth, or—?"

It means "understanding you."

Shen Mo replied, picking up the tea tongs and gracefully placing a used tea dreg into the tea bowl with unhurried movements.

This creates an interesting complement to Zhang Yiming's excitement.

"Its core value lies in the fact that it knows what you want to see even before you do."

"It is not a cold tool, but a warm information companion."

"We don't offer massive amounts of information, but rather carefully selected, highly relevant 'information filter'."

"Information purification—what a great metaphor!"

Zhang Yiming clapped his hands, then thought of another key point.

"But there is a balance here."

"If algorithms excessively pursue catering to user preferences, will they trap users in an 'information cocoon'?"

"How do we ensure they can see both a wider world and what they want to see?"

Shen Mo gave Zhang Yiming an appreciative look. As expected of the founder of Toutiao, his question hit the nail on the head.

He was preparing to pour more tea when Bai Mengyan stepped forward gracefully and poured the third infusion for the two of them.

"Good question. Algorithms should not be a cage, but a window."

Shen Mo spoke slowly, his gaze sweeping over Bai Mengyan's perfectly timed service, as he continued to elaborate on his philosophy of balance.

"While ensuring that core interests are met, we need to introduce appropriate exploration mechanisms."

"For example, lightweight recommendations based on social relationships, or appropriate expansion beyond popular circles based on trending events."

"The key is to strike the right balance, like a knowledgeable friend who, while discussing your favorite topics, will occasionally show you different views from the window."

He pointed to the surface of Houhai Lake outside the window.

"Just like Houhai, we are familiar with its tranquility, but we also need to know about the prosperity of the CBD not far away."

"What algorithms should do is become a bridge connecting tranquility and bustling activity, not a wall."

Zhang Yiming followed his gaze to the window, nodded thoughtfully, and a smile of sudden enlightenment appeared on his face.

"I see."

"The Art of Balance —"

"It seems we not only need to recruit top-notch algorithm engineers, but also need to bring in talent in sociology and psychology."

"That's exactly right," Shen Mo said with a smile.

"So, we need you, Brother Zhang."

"Your technical insight and relentless pursuit of product logic are the keys to building this foundation."

"And I might be able to clear the obstacles for us in terms of strategy, capital, and resource integration."

The way he addressed her changed from "General Manager Zhang" to "Brother Zhang" without her even realizing it, and the sense of distance quietly melted away in the deep resonance.

Zhang Yiming did not answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the elegant tea room again, past the wisps of tea smoke, and finally settling on Shen Mo's honest and confident face.

He suddenly smiled; it was a smile of relief and joy, as if he had unloaded all his burdens and found kindred spirits.

"It seems that my pond of ninety-nine rooms is destined not to be able to support the giant dragon you described."

He made a self-deprecating joke, then straightened up, picked up his teacup, and, instead of drinking wine, solemnly said...

"Then, Shen Mo, let's work together to turn this delusion into reality."

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"For that future where someone understands you."

Shen Mo also picked up his teacup and gently clinked it against his.

The two teacups touched, producing a crisp and pleasant "ding".

"For that future where someone understands you."

Shen Mo repeated, his eyes sharp and bright.

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the window and looking into the distance.

"Perhaps we could call it: Headline."

"Headline ————"

Zhang Yiming savored the name softly, as if he could already see the prototype of the product that would change the information world of hundreds of millions of people. The name Kou Xue Lu Yi Wu was like a boulder thrown into Zhang Yiming's heart, and the ripples it stirred up could not be calmed for a long time.

The grand blueprint of "algorithms defining the future of information" that Shen Mo painted for him resonated deeply with his long-suppressed ideas, and was even more systematic and magnificent.

Without much hesitation, his dissatisfaction with the limitations of the existing track and his yearning for wider horizons led him to make the decision—

This marks another important decision in my life.

Leaving 99fang, a place he had cultivated for so long, was a more decisive process than he had anticipated.

When he told his team, "I want to take you to explore a wider range of possibilities."

The certainty and brilliance in his eyes speak louder than a thousand words.

A new journey requires a brand new name.

In Shen Mo's office, which overlooked the bustling traffic of the capital, the two pondered for a long time over the dozen or so names written on the whiteboard.

How about calling it "ByteDance Provocation"?

"Using technology to disrupt information distribution patterns."

The next step is more practical negotiations on equity and division of labor.

The process went surprisingly smoothly, as both of them possessed foresight that went beyond immediate gains.

Zhang Yiming invested 500 million yuan, bringing his core technical concepts and operational capabilities with him and his core algorithm team to leave the company, taking a 51% stake and serving as CEO, fully responsible for product development and the company's daily operations.

With his strategic vision and resource integration capabilities, plus a seed round investment of 1000 million yuan, Shen Mo holds a 39% stake and provides support for the company in terms of macro strategy, key financing, and government-business relations.

The crucial 10% is reserved as an option pool to attract and incentivize top talent in the future.

On the same day that the funds from Mohen were transferred to ByteDance's account, Zhang Yiming immediately rented an office in Zhongguancun and began working day and night in closed-door development with his core algorithm team.

Shen Mo, meanwhile, used his connections to find early-stage Series A investors for ByteDance.

For every important product decision email sent by Zhang Yiming, he only offered suggestions on the high-dimensional strategy and did not interfere with the specific implementation.