Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Chen Zhengyuan, Senior Vice President of NetEase, strode down the corridor.

He left the office 25 seconds ago; he will enter the meeting room 30 seconds from now.

He stretched his shoulders inside his suit jacket, feeling the tailored suit fit his body perfectly. He was forty-two years old, but looked no more than thirty.

Chen Zhengyuan is well aware that image management is an integral part of his professional image, so he maintains a routine of weight training twice a week, regular cosmetic procedures, and meticulous hair styling.

"Hey, Xiao Li!" he called out as he passed the open work area. The young female assistant, who was organizing documents, looked up in surprise, only managing to force a hurried smile before Chen Zhengyuan disappeared around the next corner.

Xiao Li is the niece of a mid-level manager in the company. She joined the company through internal referral half a month ago.

From the day she joined the company, she noticed that the notoriously strict Vice President C could actually call her by name. This was a signal that combined kindness and severity, carrying a subtle meaning.

Before even pushing open the conference room door, Chen Zhengyuan could hear faint conversations inside. He glanced at his watch. 55 seconds. Then he stepped inside and quickly scanned the room.

Eight people sat around the oval conference table. Next to Chief Product Officer Zhao Wenlai was Wang Yu, the Deputy Director of Product Development. She was wearing a light gray business suit, her short hair neatly pinned back with a hair clip, and light makeup.

Wang Yu's shirt was buttoned low, and Chen Zhengyuan's gaze automatically searched for her neckline, while he felt himself getting aroused.

"Director Wang looks very capable today," Chen Zhengyuan said loudly, a smile on his face. He reached across the table and extended his hand to Wang Yu. "I heard you just led your team to secure the annual framework agreement for HD District Mobile last week. Congratulations."

This is a clever trick Chen Zhengyuan excels at: mentioning someone's recent achievements in public not only demonstrates his control over the overall situation but also subtly conveys to his subordinates that "I'm always watching you." Using the formal title "Director" is also a deliberate way he cultivates a sense of ritual.

Chen Zhengyuan sat down at the head of the table, nodded slightly to Zhao Wenlai, and at the same time observed everyone present without making a sound: in addition to Zhao Wenlai and Wang Yu, there were the head of the portal business unit, the head of the technology platform, the deputy general manager of the marketing department, and the analyst of the ZhanL investment department.

So far, no one knows the specific agenda of the meeting.

Chen Zhengyuan liked this slightly mysterious opening, and it was also an effective way to test his subordinates' ability to perform under pressure.

The attendees looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves, but no one spoke up. Zhao Wenlai was looking down at his notebook, while Wang Yu sat upright with his hands folded on the table.

Chen Zhengyuan closed his eyes and listened.

The discussion stopped, the chatter gradually subsided, and the chairs scraped against each other.

It wasn't time yet. He waited for that collective sense of focus to build in the air.

He heard the rustling of paper and the clicking of a ballpoint pen. Someone cleared their throat; the sound came from the other end of the table.

"Let's begin," Chen Zhengyuan said, opening his eyes.

Everyone turned to look at him. It was always the same. Zhao Wenlai raised his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, indicating he understood his leader's style. Wang Yu's expression was focused and cautious. The others simply stared at him expressionlessly, poised to receive instructions.

"The reason I've gathered you all here today is to discuss a new direction. A new direction that could open up a second growth curve for us, and even redefine part of our business logic."

A gasp came from the table.

"Donglai," Chen Zhengyuan turned to Chief Product Officer G, "you tell me your observations on the product side first."

Zhao Wenlai opened his notebook and cleared his throat: "In the past six months, we have monitored some interesting data changes. In terms of SP value-added services, the growth of subscribers to news push and weather forecast services has slowed down, but in certain vertical fields, such as horoscope and emotional Q&A, the retention and renewal rates have slightly improved. Users seem to be more willing to pay for content with continuity."

"Specific data?" Chen Zhengyuan asked.

"Take NetEase News Express as an example," Zhao Wenlai said, pulling up a chart on his laptop. "For this type of one-time on-demand content, the user's secondary payment rate is less than 20%. On the other hand, the monthly retention rate of emotional Q&A SP services is 15 percentage points higher than that of news services, and the ARPU is 30% higher."

Chen Zhengyuan nodded, signaling to continue.

"Our analysis suggests," said an analyst from ZhanL Investment Department, "that this gap stems from the difference in content format. Fragmented information is used and then forgotten, while emotional counseling and horoscopes establish a sense of continuity."

"This makes us think about a question," Zhao Wenlai leaned forward, "that is, how can we achieve this continuity to its fullest extent?"

Whispers came from the table.

"Continuity?" Marketing VP C said sarcastically. "Novels have the most continuity, do you want us to serialize them via text messages?"

A soft laugh came from the table. Chen Zhengyuan winked at Zhao Wenlai; he knew perfectly well that Zhao Wenlai and the deputy general manager of the marketing department, C, didn't get along.

"A long story is definitely out of the question, but a short story might work," a voice whispered.

"You might as well just buy a copy of 'Story Collection' and read it. Besides, who has that many people who can sit down and read a novel these days? So many small publishing houses are already going out of business. Do you think people will read a novel just because you put it on a phone screen?"

More laughter erupted from the table. Chen Zhengyuan clasped his hands together, his gaze lingering on Wang Yu, wondering if she would object to going to the hotel's karaoke bar in the city center during the day.

"It's your turn, Director Wang," Chen Zhengyuan called out.

"What?" Wang Yu raised her eyes and looked at Chen Zhengyuan.

"Do you have any thoughts?" Chen Zhengyuan asked.

"Oh, I..." Wang Yu said, "I just remembered something that might be a potential threat to our company."

Chen Zhengyuan said, "Just give us a brief report, Director Wang."

"it is good."

"I'd like to say something first..." said C, the vice president of marketing.

"Shall we let Director Wang finish speaking first? Then you can say as much as you want," Chen Zhengyuan said.

"I ran into Wen Jie a couple of days ago, do you guys remember him?" Wang Yu said.

The head of the technology platform nodded: "That somewhat stubborn architect. The content management system project he was in charge of was canceled a few days ago, and then he resigned."

"Yes, I see he's building a website with an SP interface configuration."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

"Which company does he work for?" Zhao Wenlai asked.

"Inside the Innovation and Intelligence Building."

"That can't be right," the head of the technology platform frowned, expressing his doubt. "Wen Jie left less than half a month ago. The Innovation Building is full of small companies. How could they have gotten through to the SP billing interface so quickly? Business cooperation and API integration with China Mobile aren't that easy."

Chen Zhengyuan cleared his throat: "Director Wang, is there anything else?"

"Hmm... I also saw his website logo, a blue bird."

"Okay," Chen Zhengyuan said, giving a warm smile, while glancing at his watch. "I don't think there's anything to worry about. What they've made is nothing more than a clumsy imitation of our model, but please investigate it anyway, okay?"