Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

The car came to a stop downstairs at Xingchen Media.

Gu Ming did not get out of the car immediately.

He leaned back in the driver's seat, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel, reviewing the conversation he had just had on the hotel rooftop.

Shen Guodong.

This person is tougher and more adept at applying pressure than he thought.

The cup of tea he just drank was a reminder, while the phrase "let's talk about the future" was a warning.

Although he responded to him with the analogy of a painter and a canvas, he temporarily stabilized the situation.

But Gu Ming knew very well.

This is just the beginning.

A clash between unequal forces has begun.

Shen Guodong personally came out today not just to invite him for tea.

This is the final probing before the showdown.

Trouble may come at any time.

The other party might directly cut off Shen An'an's funding, or they might use their capital and connections to target areas he couldn't have imagined, such as business registration, taxation, and public opinion.

There are too few resources available to you when dealing with this kind of person.

A fledgling MCN company, a promising Chen Mo, and a project called "Seeing the Earth in 100 Million Pixels" that hasn't even started yet.

These resources are sufficient for his development in Hegang.

But none of that mattered to Shen Guodong.

No.

We must increase our advantages and make ourselves more valuable.

I have to make him realize that the cost of getting rid of me is higher than the cost of keeping me.

Just as Gu Ming was quickly thinking of a solution, his phone rang.

It's Su Qingying.

"Feed?"

"Boss Gu, you came out of the final boss's palace alive?"

Su Qingying's slightly teasing voice came from the other end of the phone.

She clearly already knew that Shen Guodong had summoned him.

Yes, Shen An'an must have told her anxiously a long time ago.

"I barely managed to save my life."

Gu Ming said with a self-deprecating laugh, "What, is Investor Su here to offer condolences to your investment project that's on the verge of bankruptcy?"

Stop being so cheeky.

Su Qingying's tone became more serious. "I'm currently attending a city-organized entrepreneur salon at the 'Future Sense' café on Xinghe Road. Could you come over here now?"

"salon?"

Gu Ming frowned. "What would I do there? Listen to them brag?"

"Come when I tell you to."

Su Qingying stated unequivocally, "Your problem right now is that your circle is too narrow, and your thinking is still stuck on influencer marketing. You need to connect with some entrepreneurs who are involved in technology and real businesses; it won't do you any harm. By the way, it will also let you, this nouveau riche, see that besides you, there are other young people in Hegang who are doing things."

After saying that, she hung up the phone.

Gu Ming held his phone, looking somewhat helpless.

This woman really thinks she's a teacher.

However, it's worth going to take a look.

He needs new ideas now, and to find inspiration from elsewhere.

……

Fifteen minutes later, at the futuristic café.

Gu Ming pushed open the door and entered, and a strong smell of coffee and the odor of heat dissipation from electronic products hit him.

The café features blue LED strips and metal tables and chairs, with several LCD screens displaying codes hanging on the walls.

The venue wasn't large; two or three dozen young people gathered in small groups, each with a cup of Americano, chatting animatedly.

Gu Ming immediately spotted Su Qingying in the corner booth, who seemed different from the others.

She was wearing a white suit skirt today, her long hair was tied up, and she was holding a coffee, quietly listening to the conversation at the next table, with a bored expression on her face.

Gu Ming walked over and sat down opposite her.

"Teacher Su, I'm here. What are your instructions for today?"

Su Qingying rolled her eyes at him, nudged him with her elbow, and gestured for him to listen to what was happening beside her.

At the next table, a tall, thin man wearing a T-shirt with the word "Geek" printed on it was lecturing a group of people who looked like investors, spitting as he spoke:

"...Therefore, our 'Yuanlong' project aims to create a decentralized social metaverse based on Web3.0 principles! To overturn the hegemony of existing social platforms! Our core advantage lies in..."

Gu Ming almost burst out laughing after hearing just two sentences.

He leaned close to Su Qingying's ear and whispered:

"Web 3.0, metaverse... what era are these terms from? Did these people just get online?"

His voice wasn't loud; it should have been drowned out in the noisy café.

But it happened to ring just as the person at the next table was taking a breath during their speech.

The entire coffee shop fell into an eerie silence for a moment.

All eyes immediately turned to Gu Ming.

The founder of the "Yuanlong" project instantly turned a deep liver color.

Su Qingying rubbed her forehead, wanting to find a place to hide.

Oh no, this is so embarrassing.

In the midst of this awkward atmosphere, a hoarse voice rang out, filled with weariness and dissatisfaction.

"young people."

"You think all of us tech people are scammers?"

Gu Ming looked in the direction of the sound.

The speaker was an elderly man with gray hair who looked to be around sixty years old.

He was wearing a yellowed white shirt with an ill-fitting gray jacket over it. His face was deeply wrinkled, and he had heavy bags under his eyes.

He looked haggard and dejected.

In front of him was a very old Hasee laptop computer, with a virtual character model interface on the screen.

Su Qingying quickly kicked Gu Ming under the table and whispered the introduction:

"Don't talk nonsense. This is Professor Zhang Lide, an expert in computer graphics and artificial intelligence in our province. He has spent his whole life dealing with technology and is highly respected."

He turns out to be an academic.

No wonder he looks different from the people here.

Gu Ming stood up, took his coffee, and walked directly to Professor Zhang's table.

His gaze fell on the screen of the old laptop.

On the screen is a virtual girl dressed in an ancient-style long dress.

To be fair, the technique is indeed very good.

The character's skin texture, lighting and shadow rendering, hair details, and the physical effects of the skirt swaying in the wind are all done very well.

It's better than many of the virtual idol technologies he's seen.

However, Gu Ming glanced at it and then looked away.

He pulled out a chair, sat down opposite Professor Zhang, and pointed to the screen.

"Professor Zhang, I take back what I just said."

Professor Zhang's expression softened somewhat.

"You're not a scammer."

Gu Ming said, "You're just using excellent technology to create a lifeless puppet."

Professor Zhang's pupils contracted slightly. He was about to retort when Gu Ming's next words silenced him.

"Your skills are top-notch in the country."

Gu Ming leaned forward, staring intently at him.

"Lighting, rendering, motion capture, physics engine—these are the skeleton and the flesh. You've created a shell, but no soul."

"It has no persona."

The word "persona" stunned Professor Zhang.

He froze, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes filled with confusion.

Gu Ming knew that he had taken it to heart.

He decided to continue speaking.

"Professor, tell me, what is your ultimate business model for this virtual human? Is it by selling technical solutions? Or by taking on outsourcing?"

Professor Zhang's lips moved for a long time before he finally uttered a few words:

"We...want her to become an idol, to hold concerts, to get endorsements..."

"That's right."

Gu Ming snapped his fingers.

"Then tell me, what do young people these days spend money on?"

"Would they spend money on an idol based on how much computing power their rendering core used?"

"No, they won't. It has nothing to do with them."

"but."

Gu Ming raised his voice.

"A strong yet slightly directionally challenged and adorable older sister, whose fans cheer her on. A haughty queen who says 'you mere mortals' but accepts gifts, whose fans are willing to spend money on her. An ice queen who is usually aloof but blushes and hides when praised, who can keep her fans up all night."

"They would spend real money on a virtual character that can be shy, angry, coquettish, and silly."

Gu Ming's words stunned Professor Zhang and everyone around him.

The entire coffee shop fell silent.

The entrepreneur who had been talking about "Web3.0" earlier was now staring at Gu Ming with his mouth agape, not understanding what he was saying.

Su Qingying was also stunned.

Her hand holding the coffee cup froze in mid-air, her eyes filled with surprise.

Her original intention was to let Gu Ming come and learn something, to broaden his horizons.

As a result, he turned around and gave everyone present, including the technical expert, a lesson about the product.

How many different opinions does this man still have about business?

Professor Zhang's body trembled slightly with excitement.

Gu Ming's every word resolved his long-standing confusion.

He dedicated his life to technological advancement, but never considered that the logic of the market does not lie in the technology itself.

"Character design..."

"Character design..."

He muttered to himself, as if he had found his way.

He suddenly looked up, grabbed Gu Ming's hand tightly, and his voice became hoarse.

"But...but, character design is abstract. How do you represent a soul with code?"

Finally, they got to the point.

Gu Ming smiled.

He leaned back in his chair with composure, looking quite confident.

His eyes shone with confidence, as if he could already see what the future would look like.

He looked at the technical expert before him, and then at Su Qingying, who stood beside him with a look of astonishment, and uttered those words clearly, word by word:

"Character design is the soul of a virtual person."

"And the soul doesn't need code to be realized."

He paused, then continued.

"It needs a script and a story, and through interaction with fans, it needs to jointly create a unique character."

"Professor Zhang."

Gu Ming looked directly into the other person's eyes and gave his answer.

"Give me the technology."

"I can make you, this pile of cold code..."

"More lovable and hateable than the real person."

The words fell.

For the first time, Professor Zhang Lide's cloudy eyes regained their light.

Su Qingying looked at Gu Ming in front of her, and at the confident smile on his face, her heart skipped a beat.

She knew that this man had once again demonstrated his abilities to her.

This time, he may be creating something entirely new.