Chapter 744: Xixi: Won Big

Douyin, this thing, was a monster whose terrifying rate of growth no one could have predicted on a global scale.

It took only a few short years to go from birth to dominating the global market.

Domestically, Douyin went from cold start to over 100 million monthly active users in just 14 months, matching WeChat's pace back then.

Since Douyin's launch last September, Li Luo had paid it extra attention.

But since it was still in its developmental phase, Li Luo hadn't given it much thought.

By the time this year's college entrance exam ended, "Little Joy" had been released, "Big Patrol of the Night Watch Corps" had gone live and was undergoing explosive updates.

Then came university enrollment and military training, so only now did he have time to lay some groundwork.

But the timeline was still very ample.

It was currently October 2017, with just about a month left before Douyin's monthly active users would hit 100 million.

It had gradually become the top short-video app among young people in first- and second-tier cities.

Its content focused on 15-second music videos, emphasizing fashion, trends, and creativity.

During the summer, it sponsored the hit variety show "The Rap of China," attracting many rappers to join and continuously strengthening its music library.

Meanwhile, it kept iterating fun and novel video features, allowing ordinary users to join this short-video frenzy.

And as time reached 2017, after accumulating sufficient groundwork during its cold-start phase, Douyin officially entered its explosive growth stage.

Relying on continuous celebrity marketing and trend creation, paired with its precise recommendation algorithm and traffic pool mechanism, it became the undisputed king of traffic and popularity after 2015.

Li Luo knew well how wildly Douyin would develop in the future—even profoundly influencing election outcomes across the ocean.

If he could enter early and secure a strong position during the bonus period, it would certainly be a wise move.

After being reborn, Li Luo had occasionally entertained absurd ideas, wondering whether he could create a similar app to steal the spotlight.

But after deeper thought, he dismissed this unrealistic notion.

On one hand, he clearly understood his own capabilities—he simply couldn't compete at this level.

On the other hand, he had no background in this field in his past life; even if he did manage to build something decent, he'd likely still lose to others.

Even Tencent's own Weishi couldn't beat it, proving Douyin's true strength wasn't just marketing.

More importantly, it was their internal precise big-data delivery system.

This was a core technology developed and refined over time by ByteDance on Toutiao—something Li Luo, a mere Reborn, couldn't possibly replicate in just two or three years.

After recognizing his own limits, Li Luo had already decided his next direction.

As long as he could properly leverage the traffic Douyin brought, it would be enough to feed many people well.

With this mindset, Li Luo opened the email sent by Xiao Wen and carefully examined Douyin's collaboration invitation to Yuan Wanqing.

Just as he was reading, Yan Zhusheng finished practicing piano and walked in, intending to ask Li Luo to bathe together.

Seeing Li Luo still busy and reviewing a contract, Yan Zhusheng sat curiously on his lap, joining him to read.

"Stop fidgeting," Li Luo said, holding her meddling hands still, quickly scanning the email content, then leaned back in his chair to rest his eyes.

Meanwhile, his Memory Palace activated, replaying every detail of what he'd just read.

In short, Douyin's invitation came in three tiers, offering three contract options.

The first contract was a lightweight onboarding agreement.

Douyin would pay an onboarding fee, requiring only that Yuan Wanqing open a verified account and post two or three videos per quarter meeting contractual guidelines.

Douyin would provide some traffic support.

For any ads or tips Yuan Wanqing received on Douyin, the platform would take a 30% cut.

This was a relatively basic clause—many details, but the core was just these points, imposing minimal demands on Yuan Wanqing.

Correspondingly, the onboarding fee wasn't high—roughly four to five million.

Hmm… that would be a lot for an ordinary person.

But given Yuan Wanqing's current status in China's singer circle, her nationwide fame and influence, this price was certainly insufficient to attract her.

Hence came the second contract.

This contract resembled an exclusive agreement.

It required Yuan Wanqing to double the number of videos posted per quarter.

It also stipulated that each video must not be uploaded simultaneously on other platforms and must be prioritized for Douyin.

If Douyin held any major events, Yuan Wanqing must participate accordingly.

In return, Douyin offered a high signing fee: 15 million per year.

The platform would also help connect her with ads, lowering the cut to 20% for both ads and tips.

Additionally, Yuan Wanqing's personalized theme videos—like singing challenges—would be promoted across the entire platform.

Corresponding traffic support was naturally essential.

As for the third contract, it went even deeper, entering full agency mode.

Building on the exclusive agreement, Douyin's team would directly participate in planning and producing Yuan Wanqing's short-video content.

Advertising and tip cuts would be lowered further to 10%.

They would also create exclusive virtual stickers, emojis, and effects for her, pushing them into user customization options.

Annual signing fee: 25 million.

…

Li Luo looked at each clause and couldn't help but drool with envy.

Twenty-five million.

He had worked his ass off to nurture "Little Joy," yet earned only 12 million in copyright fees, which he had to split with Qidian.

After taxes, it was barely four or five million.

Now, "The Beginning" had been secretly sold to Huayue Film and Television, and under Ying Zhicheng's maneuvering, barely fetched 25 million.

This is just a one-time deal.

Unlike Yuan Wanqing, who just needs to nod, and she gets 25 million a year.

Although the contract has a time limit, it's impossible to sign for life.

But it's still much easier for Li Luo to make money.

Still, Yuan Wanqing's current achievements and the 25-million signing fee from Douyin wouldn't have been possible without Li Luo's behind-the-scenes efforts.

There's no need to compare them so directly.

But what made Li Luo feel a bit unsettled was that, besides offering Yuan Wanqing the contract, Douyin had added two additional terms outside the contract.

First.

If Yuan Wanqing's daughter Yan Zhusheng could be bundled in and jointly announce the opening of a Douyin account,

then together, regardless of which contract Yuan Wanqing ultimately chose, they could receive an additional 3 million signing fee on top of the original amount.

Second.

If Chongran, the producer behind Yuan Wanqing's two hit albums, could also be bundled in, the same bonus of 2 million could be added on top of the original amount.

Great.

So I'm only worth 2 million, then?

Even Yan Zhusheng, who hasn't officially debuted yet, is worth 3 million.

Just as Li Luo was silently grumbling in his mind, Yan Zhusheng was also scrolling through the content with her mouse, then said to Li Luo: "Li Luo, am I also worth 3 million?"

"Yeah."

"Then why are you only worth 2 million?"

"Yeah, why is that?" Li Luo smiled helplessly, then asked, "So how much do you think I'm worth?" "Hmm…" Yan Zhusheng hesitated, "If Mom is worth 25 million, then Li Luo should be worth a hundred million."

"Why four times?" Li Luo asked curiously.

"Because Mom only needs one, but if there were four of you, Li Luo, it'd be perfect," Yan Zhusheng counted on her fingers. "Then I, Chanxi, and the senior could each have one."

"But that still leaves one extra," Li Luo raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting I find another one?"

At those words, Yan Zhusheng narrowed her eyes: "No way. If you dare find another one, I'll tell Chanxi and the senior."

"Then why is there a fourth?"

"Because the fourth one has to work hard," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "Write online novels, compose new songs, write screenplays, shoot TV dramas… it's very busy."

Li Luo: "... You're really thoughtful."

After chatting with Yan Zhusheng for a while, Li Luo hugged her and kissed her a few times.

Yan Zhusheng, comfortably nestled against him, leaned into Li Luo's arms and nearly forgot why she'd come into the room in the first place.

"Oh right, it's time to shower," Yan Zhusheng said. "We agreed last night—you'd come with me."

"Now?"

"Are you done with what you're doing?"

"Nothing urgent left."

"Then now," Yan Zhusheng turned around, straddled Li Luo's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and clung to him like a sloth.

"Aren't you going to walk yourself?"

"I want you to carry me."

"You're impossible."

Li Luo gripped Yan Zhusheng's thighs, grunted, and stood up easily.

Just as the two were about to enter the bathroom, the bedroom door was pushed open from outside.

Ying Chanxi stood at the bedroom doorway, holding a plate of freshly washed fruit. Seeing the scene before her, she narrowed her eyes, let out a huff, and turned away without saying a word.

But Yan Zhusheng wasn't letting her off that easily—she shouted toward her: "Sister! Go get Li Luo's pajamas for me!"

The footsteps leaving the master bedroom instantly reversed, heavier than before.

Tap-tap-tap!

"You're being too much!" Ying Chanxi's face flushed red. "Even the pajamas I have to fetch?"

"I forgot," Yan Zhusheng blinked innocently. "If you don't bring them, Li Luo and I will have to walk out naked."

Hearing that, Ying Chanxi fell silent. Just imagining the scene made her feel faint.

So, resigned, she said flatly: "I'll bring them later."

"Thank you, sister."

Li Luo didn't dare turn to look at Ying Chanxi. As soon as they finished talking, he hurriedly carried Yan Zhusheng into the bathroom and shut the door.

After a while, Ying Chanxi brought the pajamas and knocked on the door.

Yan Zhusheng opened the door, reached out, took the pajamas from Ying Chanxi's hands, then asked curiously: "Where's Li Luo's?"

"You wear yours. He doesn't need one," Ying Chanxi said, closing the door for her, then immediately retreated.

But she didn't leave the master bedroom—instead, she sat at the desk and placed her own pajamas and Li Luo's pajamas on the table.

She waited silently as the sound of running water in the bathroom gradually faded, until finally the bathroom door opened again.

As Yan Zhusheng stepped out wearing her pajamas, Ying Chanxi swiftly grabbed both sets of pajamas—hers and Li Luo's—and shoved Li Luo, who was just stepping out of the bathroom, right back inside.

The door shut.

The lock clicked.

Yan Zhusheng was left outside.

Staring blankly at the door Ying Chanxi had slammed shut, Yan Zhusheng fell into deep thought, stunned and slow to react.

Sister's move… how did she get so good at this so fast?

She didn't even see it coming.

Naturally, Li Luo was also caught off guard.

"I've already washed," Li Luo said helplessly. "What are you trying to do?"

"Wash," Ying Chanxi murmured softly, her face flushed as she buried her head against his chest, hugging his body. "What else could I be doing?"

"But I'm already clean," Li Luo smiled. "So you want me to wash you?"

"You can wash again."

"I'm afraid if you keep tormenting me like this every day, I'll eventually wash off all my skin," Li Luo muttered under his breath. "Why not next time you three wash together?"

"Y-you wish!" Ying Chanxi instantly bristled like a startled kitten, punching him in the chest with a pout. "I absolutely won't wash with you all!"

"Aren't you and Zhusheng and the senior already washed together before? So adding me shouldn't matter, right?" Li Luo held her tiny fist and pulled her back into his arms.

"No, it's just not happening," Ying Chanxi's face burned crimson; just imagining the scene made her feel faint. "You're terrible, always thinking about this kind of thing—you're a pervert."

"Cough… cough…" Li Luo didn't dare say more, and simply picked her up and walked into the shower. "Let's not talk about that anymore."

"Young Lady Xi, let me help you undress."

"Would you like your hair washed today?"

"Yes," Ying Chanxi nodded, her face still flushed.

"Then I won't tie your hair up," Li Luo said cheerfully. "Let's test the water temperature first."

"Mmm…"

"What's wrong?"

"You're… testing the water temperature?"

"Isn't that what it is?" Li Luo asked. "It's quite hot."

"Mmm~"

"Is this warm water comfortable?"

"D-don't ask…" Ying Chanxi slumped against Li Luo, feeling as if she were melting in the hot water.

……

Eleven-thirty at night.

After finishing his writing, Li Luo stretched at his desk, then got up to pour himself a glass of water in the living room.

Just as he was about to return to his room, he bumped straight into Xu Youyu, who had just finished writing and stepped out of the bedroom.

"You're done?"

"Just finished," Xu Youyu yawned, then wrapped her arms around Li Luo's. "You still smell nice—did you wash?"

"I did."

"Twice?"

"Twice…"

"Would you mind a third time?"

"Water costs money, you know…"

"Then next time, let's all wash together—save water, starting with you, me, and her."

"…You'll have to convince Xi first."

"Let's start with you, me, and her," Xu Youyu grinned slyly. "Then Xi will jump right in."