This producer has no bottom line.

There was no farewell party on the day Gong Yu left.

Sohu's tradition is to hold a dignified farewell ceremony for senior executives when they leave, including sending thank-you emails to the group, taking a group photo of the department, cutting a cake, and saying some polite words.

But Gong Yu refused.

At 3 p.m. on September 30, he came out of the office carrying a cardboard box containing several books and a photo frame.

As I passed the innovation team's workstation, I slowed my pace by a beat.

Ren Pingsheng stood up.

"President Gong."

Gong Yu glanced at him, switched the cardboard box to his other hand, and patted his shoulder with his free right hand.

"I've looked at the data for season two, it's good."

"Thank you, Mr. Gong."

"Don't thank me," Gong Yu withdrew his hand. "I've already spoken to President Deng. Project Spark will continue, but you'll have to discuss the specifics of its implementation with her yourself later."

Ren Pingsheng knew perfectly well that confessing and being able to withstand the consequences were two different things.

Gong Yu was able to keep Deng Ye in check because he was the COO, the number two person at Sohu.

Now that he's gone, Deng Ye has become the most influential person on this line.

Gong Yu didn't say much. He nodded to Xiao Lin and Sister Zhao, then turned and left.

As the elevator doors closed, Ren Pingsheng saw him take out his 3GS and dial a number.

Unlimited wonders.

He's going to take over a mobile value-added services company and then spend a year turning it into something called iQiyi.

Ren Pingsheng knew these things, but Gong Yu didn't know that he did.

"Brother Pingsheng," Xiaolin leaned closer, his voice low, "President Gong is gone, what will we do from now on..."

"Just do what you're supposed to do."

Ren Pingsheng sat back down and pulled out the schedule for the second season's release.

The first six episodes of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" have been available on Sohu Video for a week, and the viewership is 40% higher than that of the first season during the same period.

The last six episodes of JX3 are scheduled to premiere on October 15th, coinciding with the long tail traffic of the National Day holiday.

Guo Weiwei has already cleared out the homepage of the official website for JX3, reserving space for the banner, pop-ups, and login interface.

He was even more cooperative than Changyou, after all, he was in a greater hurry.

Two months after its open beta launch, JX3 (Sword Net 3) has barely surpassed 100,000 concurrent online users. Compared to Tianlong's 800,000 concurrent users, the difference is staggering.

Guo Weiwei needed a chance to break into the mainstream, and "Unexpectedly" was the bet he placed.

But Ren Pingsheng's attention is not on the data right now.

After season two is over, what happens next?

Changyou's contract is signed on a quarterly basis, as is Guo Weiwei's. They rely on other people's money to film other people's projects, and no matter how much they package it, they are still just the contractor.

Data is searched by arcs, and IP addresses are also searched by arcs.

The project approval document for the Spark Program clearly states in black and white that the copyright of all content produced by the project team belongs to Sohu Video.

Ren Pingsheng saw this clause when he signed the contract, but he didn't say anything.

Because Gong Yu was around at that time, the terms were flexible when you had a powerful backer, but became shackles when you didn't.

He opened the electronic version of the contract and scanned it again. Article 7, Paragraph 3 states that the intellectual property rights of works created by employees using company resources during their employment belong to the company.

"Utilizing company resources"—these five words are the rope that holds us back. The equipment belongs to Souhu, the workstations belong to Souhu, and even the license for the editing software is registered under Souhu's name.

Ren Pingsheng closed the document, pondering another path.

My phone rang; it was Dapeng calling.

"Want to come out and sit for a while?"

At a roadside stall in Wudaokou, two bowls of noodles with soybean paste are placed on a greasy table.

Da Peng stirred his food with his chopsticks for a long time without eating, and said in a low voice, "My contract expires next March, and the company has already hinted that it won't be renewed."

"As expected."

"You seem to be in no hurry."

What did you do at the company after "Deba De" was discontinued?

"Just sit there, occasionally helping other groups with odd jobs," Da Peng said with a wry smile. "To put it bluntly, it's just a retirement."

"That's perfect."

Dapeng looked up at him.

"Brother Peng, Search Arc will not be your final destination, nor should it be."

Da Peng put down his chopsticks and waited for him to continue.

"The copyright of 'Unexpected' is held by Sohu, and I can't take it with me, but Wang Duoyu's face is yours. The audience recognizes your face, not Sohu's logo."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, once your contract expires, we can work together."

Da Peng stared at him for a good ten seconds, while Ren Pingsheng buried his head in his noodles, making it seem as casual as saying "The weather is nice today."

"What should we do together?"

"Start a company."

The noodle stall owner was tossing the wok around with a clatter, and the fumes were blowing into the faces of the two people.

"Start... a company?" Da Peng's voice sounded a little unsteady.

"A film and television company that specializes in online content, including dramas, variety shows, and short films—whatever's popular, we make it."

"Where's the money?"

"I'll think of a way."

Where are they?

"The core team is all there: Luo Hongming, Liu Hao, Song Ming, Qiao Shan, plus Sister Zhao."

Dapeng remained silent for a long time.

"Do you know what starting a company means? It's not as simple as making videos. You have to register, find office space, pay social security, deal with business registration and tax matters..."

"I know."

"When did you start thinking about these things?"

"From the first day I joined Sohu."

Da Peng stuck his chopsticks into the bowl and chuckled.

"Okay, then I'll be frank with you too," he leaned forward, "A boss from Jinan contacted me, wanting to invest in a film project, an online movie, the budget isn't high, he'll provide the money and I'll provide the manpower."

"How many?"

Three million.

"What genre?"

"It's not decided yet, we just discussed our intentions."

Ren Pingsheng picked up the last noodle, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

"Brother Peng, three million is enough to make a movie."

Da Peng's heart skipped a beat.

"But now is not the time," Ren Pingsheng put down his chopsticks. "Finish the second season first, and once the data comes out, your commercial value can be assessed properly."

"Is this helping me or helping you?"

"Yes, all of them."

Dapeng sighed, picked up the bowl, and drank the noodle soup.

"Fine, I'm on the sidelines anyway, I'll wait for your news."

On his way back to Souhu, Ren Pingsheng received a text message from Luo Hongming.

"Brother Pingsheng, Wang Cong has arrived in Yanjing. He asked if he can come to the company tomorrow?"

"Let him come."

After sending that message, Ren Pingsheng retrieved a previously saved number and edited a short message.

"Mr. Guo, the last six episodes of JX3 are even more amazing than you imagined. But I have a condition: let's meet before the October 15th release. I have a new cooperation proposal I'd like to discuss with you."

Three minutes later, a reply popped up.

"at any time."

Ren Pingsheng put his phone back in his pocket. The autumn wind was much cooler than in summer, but his heart was hotter than in summer.

Gong Yu is gone; my backer is gone.

Deng Ye takes over, and Alex makes a comeback.

Time is running out for him. Once season two finishes airing, the data will be a testament to Sohu's success. At that point, if Deng Ye wants to reap the rewards, a single word will suffice.

He must move the tree before the peaches ripen.

My phone vibrated again as I walked through the revolving doors of the building.

The meeting notice was sent by Deng Ye's secretary.

"Mr. Deng would like to meet you at 10:00 AM tomorrow in the conference room on the 12th floor of Building B."

Ren Pingsheng looked at the line of text, his thumb hovering above the screen.

coming.