[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp":3,"chapter-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-254":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Get Stronger Every Payday—With One Billion Employees!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2264467,4419,"Chapter 254: At Longchang","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-254",254,"\u003Cp>\"No problem, I’ll call Liu Zhiping right now.\" Chen Yansen smiled faintly and agreed readily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, Chief Chen.\" Zhang Yiming immediately exhaled in relief, filled with deep gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, as long as he actively rectified the issue and swiftly deleted the infringing content, it would be resolved with nothing more than a financial settlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, when he scraped content from major portal sites, he had already prepared himself mentally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yiming brought along the legal team, and the two of them walked downstairs, got into his personal vehicle, and headed straight for the nearby Police Inspector’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Chen Yansen put down his phone and continued reviewing project data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming wasn’t his son, and the infringement by Lingxi Browser was a fact—he merely lit the fuse a little earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How can a young man understand the importance of clinging to a powerful backer unless he suffers a little?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Yiming entered the Police Inspector’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought he wouldn’t be nervous, but as his feet crossed the threshold of the lobby and he saw officers in uniform, his heart still skipped a beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What brings you here?\" The reception officer regarded Zhang Yiming and the accompanying legal staff with curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m Zhang Yiming, head of ByteGroup, here to cooperate with the investigation into Lingxi Browser’s infringement issues.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming explained slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Wang, take these two to the interrogation room, and let Captain Zhang know ByteGroup’s representative has arrived.\" The officer called out to a colleague.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re the corporate head of ByteGroup? Then who’s he?\" Old Wang walked over and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Company legal counsel,\" Zhang Yiming answered honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come with me,\" Old Wang said, leading the way toward the interrogation room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The legal counsel stayed behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Zhang Yiming felt tightness in his chest, he kept his composure—he trusted Chen Yansen’s strength and didn’t take the complaints from Tencent and others seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One minute later, as he sat on the chair facing two inspectors and three staff members from the Copyright Association, he began to panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mr. Zhang, I’m Zhang Zhanhui of the Zhongguancun Police Inspector’s Office; this is Li Bin, Director of the Copyright Association. We’ve summoned you because the Copyright Association received complaints from six companies—Tencent, NetEase, Sohu, Sina, and others—stating that Lingxi Browser republished their articles without permission, accumulating over sixty million clicks. What do you have to say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhanhui asked coldly, his expression stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Captain Zhang, Director Li, Lingxi Browser is merely a technical platform that extracts article summaries via crawlers, always redirecting users back to the original news sites—this falls under Article 23 of the 'Regulations on the Protection of the Right of Communication Through Information Networks,' known as the 'safe harbor' principle, and does not constitute infringement.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming replied calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But according to technical analysis, Lingxi’s servers cached full texts of vast amounts of content—for example, this article from the 'Evening Beijing Daily' titled 'The PM2.5 Governance Controversy.' Others invested massive manpower and resources to gather and write these news pieces, yet you simply take them and use them—what’s the difference from theft?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhanhui snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of embarrassment crossed Zhang Yiming’s face—he knew it was unethical, but ByteGroup had no money or resources; to grow quickly, he had to take unconventional paths. Which successful entrepreneur built their empire by following the rules?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned forward slightly, his tone sincere: \"Technically, we only retain temporary caches for 72 hours, which complies with Article 5 of the 'Administrative Measures for the Protection of Internet Copyright.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhanhui smiled—he hadn’t expected the other side to be so well-prepared; clearly, Zhang Yiming had thoroughly studied the laws and policies before scraping news content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Bin of the Copyright Association lifted his eyelids slightly: \"Lingxi earned 800,000 yuan in March and April through infringing content via ad revenue sharing—this qualifies as a large-scale illegal gain. The minimum penalty is three years, the maximum seven. Do you understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In plain terms, if Lingxi’s actions were classified as ordinary infringement, the matter would be simple: delete all infringing content, apologize to Tencent and the other complainants, and pay a fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Bin’s words clearly aimed to classify Lingxi under \"infringement with profit motive and intent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he said, once the nature changed, so did the responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming panicked and hurriedly said: \"You’re absolutely right. I’ll return immediately and strengthen our review system, and delete all infringing content to prevent this from happening again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Return? You’re not going back.\" Zhang Zhanhui replied coolly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not going back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming’s mind buzzed; he opened his mouth but was too nervous to make a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhanhui and Li Bin exchanged a glance, then walked out of the interrogation room, leaving Zhang Yiming alone inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the joint complaint from Tencent and the three major portals, the Copyright Association wouldn’t have taken this case on its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are countless small players like ByteGroup in China; they can’t possibly handle them all, and even if Tencent filed lawsuits against them all, they couldn’t possibly win them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, enforcement against online copyright infringement only happens during the \"Sword Net\" campaign, when actions are coordinated in bulk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does Tencent really want to lock him up?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the interrogation room, Zhang Zhanhui frowned slightly and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lock him up for a day, give him a lesson. Otherwise, everyone will copy him—I’d be overwhelmed.\" Li Bin raised an eyebrow dismissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ByteGroup’s legal counsel waited at the Police Inspector’s office until 8 p.m., still waiting for a resolution. He asked an officer: \"When will Chief Zhang be released?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hard to say—it depends on the classification,\" the officer replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The legal counsel knew well: different classifications meant different penalties—ranging from one day to five or six years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed inwardly—his boss had terrible luck; the product had only been online for a few days when it caught the attention of a giant like Tencent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, he returned to the company headquarters, frowning heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of heads from technology, operations, and marketing immediately surrounded him: \"How’s the boss?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did you find out?\" The legal counsel asked, startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and Zhang Yiming’s visit to the Police Inspector’s office had not been made public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s all over the internet!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are dozens of products scraping other websites—why target us?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chief Zhang hasn’t returned? This is bad! Could he be facing years in jail?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing no sign of Zhang Yiming, everyone instantly felt the situation was dire; each person grew uneasy, and the head of the tech department turned pale, fearing he’d be implicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some things seem trivial until weighed—then they weigh a thousand jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A complaint from a small website is entirely different from the joint report of six major companies like Tencent, NetEase, and Sohu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the authorities decide to make Lingxi’s infringement a high-profile case, not only will Zhang Yiming be in trouble, but all of them will suffer consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, ByteGroup was filled with panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far away in Xucheng, Chen Yansen, after finishing his call with Liu Zhiping, put Zhang Yiming’s matter out of his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Zhongguancun Police Inspector’s office, tired and exhausted, Zhang Yiming still couldn’t understand why Lingxi Browser—only at one million users with under 300,000 daily active users—had drawn the attention of major portals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he understood one truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too dispersed equity among investors meant ByteGroup had no powerful backer; when trouble arose, no big shot stood behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhang Yiming regretted it—he should have sold all 25% of the seed round equity to Senlian Capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least, Chen Yansen, as a fellow ByteGroup shareholder, would have moved more actively to get him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first day of the May Day holiday, yet Zhang Yiming remained inside the Police Inspector’s office until 3 p.m.—exactly twenty-four hours—before finally stepping out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Delete the violating content promptly, apologize to the infringed parties, pay the fine, and if this happens again, you’ll be punished severely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming recalled Li Bin’s warning and inwardly groaned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half of the 5 million yuan from the seed round had already been spent; the remaining funds couldn’t possibly secure licenses from any website.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The afternoon sun in Beijing was blinding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhang Yiming reached the gate, he suddenly saw a familiar face—the man was tall and round, blocking the harsh twenty-centimeter glare, smiling warmly at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chief Zhang, sorry I’m late,\" Gao Weilin said warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chief Gao, why are you here?\" Zhang Yiming was stunned, asking curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Last night, Boss Chen called Tencent’s Liu Zong, NetEase’s Ding Lei, and Sohu’s Zhang Zong until dawn to mediate on your behalf,\" Gao Weilin wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead, then added: \"Chief Chen went to great lengths for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming’s heart warmed, his eyes reddened, and he nearly choked up—but held it back, forcing a faint smile and said gratefully: \"Thank you, Chief Chen, and thank you, Chief Gao.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Gao Weilin must have flown overnight to Beijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you have to go through this?\" Gao Weilin shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming smiled bitterly—he understood Gao Weilin’s implication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, Senlian Capital’s initial proposal was to invest 30 million yuan for 80% equity; Zhang Yiming would contribute 3 million yuan plus technology and manpower for 20%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after returning to Beijing from Hangzhou, Zhang Yiming regretted it—he didn’t want to give up control, nor did he want Senlian Capital’s high stake to threaten his authority, so he brought in three other angel investors to complete ByteGroup’s seed round alongside Senlian Capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goal was achieved, but Senlian Capital’s support for Lingxi Browser became extremely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Liang Bo, who had left to join TodayTech a month later, had already reached a user base in the tens of millions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In content, he had secured licenses from Tencent, Sohu, NetEase, Sina, and Youku.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Zhang Yiming had to act like a thief, constantly anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this moment, Zhang Yiming finally awakened!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how big the steamed bun, it’s not as good as a cake!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d had enough of living without a powerful backer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew clearly—if ByteGroup were a subsidiary of Senlian Capital, Tencent, Sohu, and NetEase would have thought twice before filing complaints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Chief Gao, does Senlian Capital plan to increase its stake in ByteGroup?\" Zhang Yiming looked at Gao Weilin with hopeful eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, but investment isn’t urgent—let’s first go to the hotel, take a shower, change clothes, and wash away the bad luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Weilin waved his hand, adding that he’d prepared pomelo leaves for Zhang Yiming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help it—he was from Hong Kong and believed in such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming was deeply moved; he put his arm around Gao Weilin’s shoulder: \"Chief Gao, I was blind before—if I offended you, please forgive me. Tonight, I’ll make amends at Jingzhao Yin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, keep your distance—you smell awful!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Weilin chuckled teasingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha, yeah, I do smell a bit,\" Zhang Yiming said. Having spent a day in the Police Inspector’s office, his demeanor had grown calmer, almost like a moment of enlightenment at Longchang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two first went to the hotel; Zhang Yiming quickly washed up, changed into clean clothes, then immediately returned to ByteGroup’s headquarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we don’t go back, the employees below might all run off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhang Yiming arrived with Gao Weilin, the ByteDance members felt reassured and let out a long breath of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon learning that Senlian Capital would step in to resolve Lingxi’s copyright issues and planned to add another 20 million in investment, everyone cheered and beamed with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yiming looked around, taking in the reactions of his subordinates, and couldn’t help sighing softly: Had I really been wrong all along?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1980,"2026-06-19T19:17:19.606Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0cb5bbcc215e3f9e6c712c25eb3a9048b1c6cdd4e6937c69079646b77c1cfd0e","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-255","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-253",387,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-cover.jpg"]