Chapter 339: Little Liu's Twitter Strategy

The party ended quickly.

Reporters swarmed the cast of *Twilight*, which was destined to be a massive hit, for interviews and chatted away. They also asked director Catherine and original author Stephenie about the adaptation direction and release date for *Twilight 2* before leaving, fully satisfied.

However, the media found it a bit strange: why did Kristen, the rising star whose Twitter follower count was skyrocketing, look so absent-minded?

This was a far cry from the confidence she had shown when she first walked onto the red carpet at the cocktail party.

Naturally, they did not know that Kristen’s cautious probing just moments ago had been met with a major move from the young Chinese girl, which had immediately made her timid and caused her to tuck away her petty schemes.

These petty schemes were only completely extinguished when she saw Liu Yifei say something to the housekeeper, Martha, and turn to head upstairs to rest.

She felt absolutely ridiculous!

It seemed she was the mistress of this mansion!

Kristen, who desperately wanted to chug a few glasses of strong liquor right then, felt a lingering fear; fortunately, she had only expressed her opinions from a film perspective just now and hadn't even mentioned the name of this Blue Moon.

The few people from Twitter also stayed behind, closing the doors to discuss some company business.

This was also a work task assigned to her by the washing machine before she returned to the country; there were some decision-making issues that required her to make the final call on his behalf.

Anna Huang, Chen Shijun, and Sun Wenwen sat in individual sofas in the living room, while the housekeeper, Martha, brought over various tea drinks.

Liu Yifei glanced at the various American-style potent drinks: "Brew the Chinese green tea I brought; let everyone have a taste."

"Yes, ma'am."

Anna Huang couldn't hold back and probed: "Crystal, the adaptation you mentioned earlier..."

"Fake, just a joke," little Liu said with a smile, shaking her head.

This kind of role no longer held any challenge for her.

Besides, if it required intimate, large-scale kissing scenes like Bella’s love triangle, it was even more impossible.

Sun Wenwen was sharp-minded and knew the role and positioning that Boss Lu had assigned her in North America, so she took the initiative to suggest:

"Kristen’s performance just now seemed a bit immature. Anna, are there any other suitable candidates for the lead actress in *Twilight 2*?"

Anna Huang sighed inwardly, knowing she was trying to vent for the boss's rumored girlfriend: "Better not. Her popularity is quite high right now, and changing the lead in a sequel is a major taboo."

The current little Liu was naturally clear about the unspoken rules hidden between the lines of these words.

She smiled, picked up her teacup, and took the initiative to clear up the misunderstanding: "Wenwen, Kristen is just a green actress; don't mind it."

Anna Huang and Chen Shijun had just felt relieved when they heard her take a sudden turn.

"However..."

"The value of this role and the actress is immense. I think the company should sign a longer-term contract with her."

Liu Yifei added: "In addition, Kristen’s traffic-driving and marketing accounts on major social platforms using the character Bella from *Twilight*, even if they are beneficial to us, must have their ownership handed over!"

"On this point, I believe it needs to be reflected in the renewal contract, including the little werewolf and that what's-his-name vampire."

"We must clearly tell these green young actors that their rise to fame is the result of the hard work of the original author, the film company, and the marketing company—it’s not a pie falling from the sky!"

Sun Wenwen’s eyes lit up as she looked at the young girl before her, whose temperament was cold and whose speech was composed, with a faint smile on her lips, more beautiful than white jade.

But the words she spoke gave her the illusion of being back in the president's office at Wenjie.

When you grow up, you become him.

Chen Shijun laughed: "That’s a good idea. The role of this account seems to have yet to be fully realized, but what happens after this IP becomes a hit?"

Little Liu had also drawn inspiration from Boss Lu for this.

A very direct example—after her falling out with Wenjie on her birthday last year, she was surprised to find that the ownership of the Mytube account was not in the hands of the studio!

It was only by using the excuse of continuing to cooperate in promoting the Mytube account that she obtained partial ownership.

These were all the hardships and pitfalls she had experienced at the hands of the washing machine!

But now, it was time to pass them on for Kristen to taste.

Little Liu: Because I was caught in the rain back then, I must now knock over your umbrella.

Anna Huang naturally agreed: "We should indeed plan ahead. I had dinner with colleagues from my old company, Google, a while ago, and many Indian bloggers were entangled with them, demanding higher advertising revenue shares."

"The bargaining power of these top video bloggers is getting higher and higher. I believe Twitter’s future top clients will also covet the huge commercial value."

Liu Yifei nodded: "Before Mytube became a hit, no one realized the profit potential of these social accounts."

"I think Twitter’s future mature profit model will inevitably involve dealing with these top clients. Let’s start the consolidation of this part of rights and profits with this movie!"

In the short twenty-minute informal business meeting, apart from Sun Wenwen’s usual respectful attitude, Chen Shijun and Anna Huang also became more deferential.

Little Liu checked her watch: "We have other agenda items, right?"

Chen Shijun smiled: "Yes, Crystal. Boss Lu requested that we report and communicate directly with you, and just form written documents for him to review."

"What is it?"

"It’s related to the issue you just discussed: how we maintain heat and continue to drive traffic during the hiatus between the first and second *Twilight* movies."

"According to the figures from Stephenie’s book publisher, the total sales of the first two books are nearly 20 million copies. The fact that we were able to achieve 220 million in box office this time is also thanks to the help of this group of users."

"And Twitter’s current scale of 10 million users is largely due to this, especially the high activity of book fans in forwarding, commenting, and following stars."

Liu Yifei nodded: "That means there is still a lot of room! We can make more of an issue out of it."

Anna Huang held a notebook: "Crystal, you were a big blogger on Blognet in the country, and on Mytube as well. You’ve experienced the growth of these internet products throughout. Do you have any marketing ideas?"

The young girl pondered for a few seconds, recalling the development history of Blognet in the country.

The strategies for entertainment stars, cultural stars, and grassroots stars need not be mentioned.

It’s easy to copy domestically, but abroad, Wenjie has nowhere near that many resources; only superstars like Leonardo, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks, whom they have worked with, can provide some help.

Later on, when the star effect becomes prominent, their agencies and teams will definitely demand higher advertising revenue shares.

But the combination of the entertainment industry and the internet is the foundation for the start of this kind of internet product...

The three people on the sofa watched as her gaze lowered and her lips pursed, seemingly deliberating and thinking about something.

"How about hyping up some scandals?"

Three faces of confusion.

Hype whose? How to hype?

"Everyone hasn't had enough of the love triangle between Kristen, Robert, and Jacob in the movie, so let’s extend it to reality!"

"It’s nothing more than letting them go on Twitter to act it out. For example, release some blurred videos of Kristen and Jacob returning late at night after rehearsing, sparking speculation about 'Bella’s emotional shift'."

"Then set up some functions on Twitter like voting or taking sides..."

Liu Yifei pondered for two seconds and suddenly said to Chen Shijun, who came from a technical background: "Can we launch two sets of dress-up themes, forest and vampire, for Twitter users to use as avatars and homepage UI?"

"Then create some paid voting props to let the audience pay for this drama of a ghost and a wolf fighting over a wife."

Chen Shijun slapped the table: "That’s a great idea. Our current profit model is still too singular; this is a new direction."

Currently, Twitter must still be in a stage of crazy cash burning.

Early profit methods mainly included certification fees for corporate accounts, providing blue-v certification services to brands, celebrities, and media.

Secondly, data interface fees, opening API interfaces to third-party developers and charging based on the number of calls.

And regular advertising revenue sharing, displaying display ads based on user interest tags, with CPM (cost per thousand impressions) priced at around $5-10.

This unit price was acceptable, but because the user base was small, the overall numbers were still quite meager.

But this Chinese-descended girl sent by Boss Lu to act as a supervisor eunuch had opened up a new line of thinking for them!

Chen Shijun, Anna Huang, and others had seen plenty of the madness of book fans and movie fans from Mytube to Twitter; it is relatively easy to cultivate the payment willingness and consumption habits of these teenage groups.

Besides, how high could the unit price of paid props be?

One could even set up a monthly SMS SP package similar to the domestic ones for daily gifting.

As if opening Pandora’s box, the four people present began to plan the details item by item.

By September 4th, Boss Lu, who had returned to the Shiqiao Film and Television Base in Jinling with little Liu in Beiping, looked at the proposal in his hand, dumbfounded.

[Proposal Design for *Twilight* IP Linked Twitter Paid Props and Voting PK]

Core Gameplay Design: Create a love triangle relationship in the movie and reality, trigger the pairing obsession of fanatical fans, and thereby drive more book fans and movie fans to convert into Twitter users, increasing daily activity.

Basic Settings:

After users register for a Twitter account, they can choose to join the "Vampire Camp" (#teamedward) or the "Werewolf Camp" (#teamjacob), with each camp having exclusive identifiers (such as vampire badges, wolf paw prints).

Battle Mechanism:

Launch daily limited-time PK tasks, such as "Who is more suitable to protect Bella?", where users purchase props to vote for their supported camp;

Camp points are updated in real-time, and the winning camp can receive exclusive rewards, such as unreleased movie behind-the-scenes footage.

In addition, there is the setting of the paid prop system.

Basic props include: "Moonlight Stone" ($0.99), which can add 10 points to the camp;

"Blood Contract" ($1.99), which can add 30 points to the supported camp and trigger exclusive Flash special effects (such as vampire fang animation).

Advanced props include: "Eternal Love" ($4.99), which adds 90 points to the supported camp and unlocks exclusive Bella image blessings;

"Wolf Glory" ($4.99), which adds 90 points to the supported camp and unlocks exclusive Jacob image blessings.

There are also more expensive limited-time props such as "Full Moon Power" ($9.99, limited to 1 hour before the end of the PK).

It also detailed the focus of each activity stage:

Warm-up period: release camp promotional videos, have lead actors record call-to-action videos, open camp pre-registration, and offer exclusive titles for early selection.

Explosion period: combine with classic movie scenes and launch theme PK tasks daily.

Long-tail period: launch "Twilight Memoirs," where users can review PK battle records and redeem peripheral prizes, etc.

The dozen-page activity plan left Boss Lu, who was sipping green tea early in the morning, feeling a bit dazed.

He carefully looked the young girl in front of him up and down again.

"Little Liu."

"Hmm?"

"You wouldn't happen to be Ma Huateng’s cousin, or Shi Yuzhu’s niece, would you?"

Looking at the path of these various avatars, outfits, custom UIs, and paid items, this has the shadow of Penguin Show, Penguin Space, and *The Way*!

Liu Yifei bit the straw of her orange juice, frowned with her smooth brows, and looked at Boss Lu: "What strange things are you saying again?"

The young director nodded: "Nothing, I'm praising you."

"First, stir up rumors to whet the fans' appetites, provoke opposition between different camps of book fans, and then provide them with a path to express their opinions and increase their sense of participation through paid items."

"Little Liu, stop being an actress, come and... no, come and work for me!"

"You have the potential to be a top-tier unscrupulous merchant of the internet era!"

The young lady made a gesture to throw her cup at him: "You're the unscrupulous merchant. I'm just providing a way for the fans of *Twilight* to play."

"How is it? This time I've made you look at me with new eyes, right?"

Boss Lu nodded, flipped to the last page, and closed the proposal: "It's passable, but not perfect."

"Then you add to it? I'm all ears."

Boss Lu smiled and began to use the rhetoric he learned in his past life at the Yan University Guanghua School of Management MBA program to hoodwink her:

"Isn't your mentor at the Booth School of Business a psychology expert? Haven't you learned anything about consumer psychology or behavioral economics?"

Liu Yifei saw that he was speaking in such a serious manner and shook her head somewhat blankly: "I still have half a year of study left, my credits aren't enough, and I've already fallen behind a lot."

"I'll give you a few examples and you'll understand."

"I'll add an interactive gameplay element to this proposal for you; for example, every newly registered *Twilight* fan can receive a beginner's gift pack."

"Registering grants basic benefits including 1 Moonstone, the right to choose a camp, and so on."

"Inviting friends to register earns a Blood Contract; for every 1 person successfully invited, you get 1."

Little Liu had already racked her brains for this proposal and was extremely familiar with the flow design, so she said excitedly upon hearing this: "This trick is good! They're worthless little trinkets, but everyone has the psychology of wanting to take advantage; why not take them if they're free!"

Lu Kuan smiled and said: "Exactly."

"Users don't want to miss out on free rewards; in *Behavioral Economics*, this is called loss aversion."

"After users obtain the right to choose a camp, they will develop a sense of belonging to the chosen camp, thereby being more willing to invest time and money into it; this is called the endowment effect."

This was actually the same principle as the manipulation of fan economy in his public relations work in his past life.

"Through principles like loss aversion and the endowment effect, we can lower the threshold for user decision-making, make your so-called book fan conversion efficiency higher, and even attract passersby."

Liu Yifei was mesmerized, the straw in her mouth bitten until it was pitted and scarred, and she suddenly slapped the table: "You're the real big unscrupulous merchant!"

"Let me give you another tip." Boss Lu decided to take out the whole set of page-game tactics from his past life to let the North American users have a taste.

"Besides the beginner's gift pack, let's do a referral fission!"

"By forwarding the official PK Twitter results or your event content, users can earn points."

"You generate an invitation code for every user; if they invite book-fan friends to register for a Twitter account, the inviting user can also earn points."

"Then set up a check-in system, let these paying users check in every day to earn points and rewards, and design tiers for every week, month, and quarter!"

Boss Lu already saw piles of greenbacks before his eyes: "Keep playing until *Twilight 2* is released and pulled from theaters, then change to a new wheelchair the following year and continue earning the fans' money!"

Little Liu was already stunned; if it weren't for the fact that she had planned this gameplay herself, she would have been tempted just by hearing these things.

A method for harvesting leeks that was foolproof even in the future—who could resist it at this moment?

It's just that the conditions for such gameplay are relatively harsh: first, you need a platform, and second, you need an IP.

Twitter and *Twilight* are a perfect match.

The two chatted for a while and immediately prepared to pack their luggage and head to the airport, but unexpectedly, Boss Lu received a long-lost phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Boss Lu, it's Li Jingyi from the Ministry of Information Industry. You haven't deleted my number, have you?"

Lu Kuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "How could that be possible? Secretary Li, what made you think of calling me?"

Li Jingyi spoke with a close tone to this richest man in the mainland: "Boss Lu, you busy man, we haven't seen each other for over a year, right? Can't I call to send my regards?"

"Haha, what are you saying? I'm in Jingcheng right now. How about I call Zhuang Xu at noon, and you, a great beauty, can spare some time to join us for a gathering?"

Li Jingyi feigned annoyance: "That's not sincere at all. Look at what time it is; is that how you invite someone?"

"Hehe, no jokes. I am here at the request of my superiors, specifically and exclusively to invite you, this great tycoon and great director, to attend this year's China Internet Conference."

Boss Lu felt a headache; he had already declined for two years: "This... can we skip it? Our Wenjie is still a film company; how could I have the nerve to go there and deal with all the internet bigwigs?"

"That won't do! My superiors specifically asked me to invite you."

Li Jingyi began to exert the advantages of a professional woman: "If you don't come, I'll go to your house today and not leave! You have to agree!"

Little Liu, on the other side, frowned. Where did this person pop out from?

Thinking of her status, Boss Lu couldn't afford to be too difficult: "Alright, please have the organizing committee coordinate the specific date and location with my company office."

"Hey! That's more like it. My task is considered complete. That's all for now, bye."

"Alright, goodbye."

Boss Lu hung up the phone: "It seems I can't go back with you. I have to stay for two more days."

"What's wrong? Who was that?"

"Li Jingyi, from the Ministry of Information Industry." The young director paused: "Word is that the Ministry of Information Industry is going to be reorganized into the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the internet sector will temporarily fall under their jurisdiction."

The Ministry of Information Industry is the predecessor of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Before the latter was established in 2008, the Ministry of Information Industry was responsible for the relevant functions of the latter.

And this China Internet Conference that Li Jingyi was pestering him to attend was currently the most official and authoritative internet industry conference in the country.

Over a dozen government departments, including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Culture, and the General Administration of Press and Publication, would attend, along with nearly ten thousand representatives from international organizations and domestic and foreign enterprises, highlighting the policy-level importance attached to the internet.

As for her own identity, Boss Lu did not state it clearly, but it was obviously not that simple.

Liu Yifei gave an unhappy "Oh," then rose gracefully: "Then I'll go back and pack my things myself."

"Wait."

Little Liu turned her head suddenly, with a small expectation in her heart that he would ask her to stay.

Boss Lu smiled: "Modify the plan I just mentioned, and hurry up to rake in money from the pockets of these foreign devils!"

"Pah! Unscrupulous merchant!" Little Liu left without looking back.

——

In September 2006, at the Beijing International Convention Center, the 5th China Internet Conference opened grandly.

Four people were standing at the side door of the convention center smoking.

Liu Hong of Wenjie Video, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wenjie—the same former senior executive at CCTV who would later help Accountant Jia collect copyrights everywhere.

The remaining three were naturally Lu Kuan, Dong Zi, and Zhuang Xu of Blogchina.

Liu Hong and Liu Qiangdong naturally didn't know the ownership of Blogchina, but after these few years, they could see clearly that everyone was in the same boat, so they became increasingly close to Zhuang Xu.

Furthermore, whether it was Wenjie Video or the shopping mall, there was a lot of business cooperation with Blogchina, and they were all very familiar with each other.

Zhuang Xu smiled: "News is spreading everywhere now about the reorganization of the Ministry of Information Industry, and Boss Li from PetroChina is coming to take the lead."

"This Li Jingyi is his niece. Since she invited you with all her might, you, the great director, have to come, right?"

Liu Qiangdong took the opportunity to gossip: "I heard that she entered the ministry just two years after graduation. She's beautiful and has a tough personality; she's a flower and a little chili pepper of the Ministry of Information Industry."

Dong Zi teased: "Boss Lu, Li Jingyi is only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. A woman three years older is like holding a gold brick. Why don't you sacrifice yourself for the greater good? Then our video and shopping mall won't have to worry about development in the future!"

Liu Hong knew his boss was broad-minded and easygoing, so he joined in the banter: "I think that works."

The two looked at Zhuang Xu together. The latter helplessly took a puff of his cigarette and looked at Boss Lu with a mocking smile: "Then what should we do? Should I give the gift money in advance today?"

Boss Lu saw Zhuang Xu reaching into his pocket for his wallet and punched him in the chest: "Get lost, why don't you go and sacrifice yourself."

Liu Qiangdong's flattery was intense: "Sigh! Don't say that. If I, Old Liu, had your face, I would have rushed in long ago."

The few laughed out loud. Boss Lu thought to himself that you, Dong Zi, are indeed reckless enough.

Especially after drinking, you directly rushed yourself in.

The four of them watched the bigwigs enter the venue from the side. Boss Lu asked: "You've been here for two or three sessions; what is the procedure for this conference?"

Zhuang Xu was surprised: "Li Jingyi didn't ask you to give a speech?"

"She did, I declined. I just finished showing off at the Beijing Film Academy, so it's better not to be too high-profile."

Boss Lu smiled: "The internet is different from the entertainment industry. In the entertainment industry, you must establish a persona for yourself, after all, you are active in front of the camera for a long time."

"As for the internet, if you have good things or good ideas, it's better to enter the village quietly and not fire a shot, otherwise, you'll be copied by others very quickly."

Zhuang Xu explained: "The theme of this session is innovation—the opportunities brought by the internet. Vice President Zeng will give a speech, and there will be some international internet high-level summits, sub-forums, and the like."

"As for the significance, it exists, but it's not great; after all, it's just a weather vane."

Boss Lu nodded knowingly, preparing to muddle through the day and return to Jinling.

Checking the time, the few tidied their attire and prepared to enter the venue.

The sunlight spilled onto the silver-gray outer wall of the Beijing International Convention Center, and the glass curtain wall reflected a dazzling light, as if foreshadowing the extraordinariness of this day.

Outside the venue, red banners were hung high.

At the entrance, the etiquette ladies in qipao were elegant.

Boss Lu separated from the three. The staff didn't even need to check his credentials, and they familiarly and respectfully led him to sit in the second row.

He scanned the seats in front, behind, and to the sides; they were basically first-tier companies at the forefront of the industry. It seemed he would meet many big names today who were famous in his past life but whom he had never met.

After sitting down, he opened the conference manual, his gaze stopping on the "Opening Ceremony Agenda" column.

12321 National Anti-Spam General Mobilization;

Participation of institutions such as the Korea Software Promotion Agency and the Japan Broadband Association to promote cooperation between China, Japan, and South Korea in the fields of broadband and digital content, division of labor in the digital content industry chain, etc.;

3G application development and mobile internet integration.

This item actually interested him quite a bit.

Even though he could foresee the historical process of the next dozen years, the feeling of being personally involved and experiencing the details now was different.

The relationship between the internet and the entertainment industry was inseparable, becoming the two legs for him to develop his career in this life.

In a sense, the future internet industry entering the 3.0 era would also be subversive for the film industry.

That is why he wanted to lay out his streaming media strategy in North America in advance and acquire shares in the Android company to prepare for the mobile internet era.

"Hey, when did you get here?" Li Jingyi patted Lu Kuan on the back.

"Whoa! How much have you been smoking? You reek of it."

Standing before him was a stunning woman with long, flowing hair in a trendy, voluminous wave; her eyes were clear as water, and she was all smiles, looking nothing like a female comrade within the system.

Boss Lu stood up to shake her hand: "Secretary Li, I wouldn't have dared to recognize you on the street! When are you going to make a cameo in one of my films?"

Li Jingyi covered her mouth and giggled: "Is that a deal?"

"No pay."

"Deal!"

Suddenly, an alien interrupted their conversation: "Director Li?"

"Zhen Zhiping?"

Boss Lu looked dissatisfied: "Boss Ma, you call yourself Feng Qingyang and call me Zhen Zhiping; isn't there a bit of a gap between us?"

"Haha, just joking! Just joking! The point is that Zhen Zhiping is a lucky man who steals jade and fragrance, and I envy him deeply! Why don't I swap with you?"

It was rumored that in later years, Ma Yun had an exchange with Liu Chuanzhi where he used plenty of profanity; he was somewhat uninhibited when with people of equal status.

Li Jingyi spat: "You men, sigh!"

"Since we know each other, I won't introduce you; let's eat together when you're free!"

With that, she tossed her wavy hair and left.

Ma Yun reached out to invite Boss Lu to sit, and the latter then began to tease: "I'm not willing to give up the title of Zhen Zhiping."

"If Boss Ma is interested in stealing jade and fragrance, you might as well play Tian Boguang."

"Hahaha! Interesting!" The alien was used to stiff internet entrepreneurs and was very interested in this young director who was constantly active in entertainment news.

Of course, as intelligent as he was, he naturally knew what it meant that he was unwilling to give up the title of Zhen Zhiping.

It involved the rumored girlfriend Little Dragon Maiden, after all; those who know, know!

Ma Yun sighed: "Our circle is just too lifeless."

"Look at Old Liu, Penguin Boss Ma, or even the returnee Robin from Baidu; they are all dressed like humble gentlemen and successful people all day long, too uptight."

"That's why I still envy you, Boss Lu; the entertainment industry is so exciting!"

In conversations between people of this level, not a single word is wasted.

Whether it was starting with Feng Qingyang versus Zhen Zhiping, or now mentioning the issues of the entertainment industry.

This was just laying the groundwork.

Only then came the main topic: "Last month, the two Bosses Wang from Huayi came to me again, saying they wanted the two companies to cooperate more closely."

"Originally I was a bit hesitant, but they used the cooperation between Wenjie and Blogbus as an example, and I couldn't hold back."

Ma Yun tilted his head and whispered: "Boss Lu, let me give you a heads-up in advance."

He stared carefully at Boss Lu's expression: "Ali is preparing to take over Yahoo China's shares in Huayi, and the two companies will launch closer cooperation!"

"From now on, we are truly eating from the same circle; you are the boss of the domestic entertainment industry, so we must look out for each other!"

Boss Lu was naturally calm and composed: "I heard about it, that thing called Search Star, right?"

"Yahoo Search Star, but it's already been changed; it's called Ali Search Star, with a sponsorship fee of 30 million."

"Boss Lu, you are an expert; I'll have someone report to you when we eat tonight, and you can help offer some ideas!"

Old Ma appeared to be a man full of passion, who seemed to occasionally speak without thinking, inviting trouble with his words.

But most of the time, the various emotions he displayed externally were merely tools serving his rhetoric.

For instance, now he was carelessly revealing so-called unannounced industry secrets while staring intently at Boss Lu's expression.

He wanted to see for himself the attitude of Wenjie and Lu Kuan toward Huayi, and what reaction the latter would have after gaining a strong ally like Ali.

This was a preliminary judgment of the strength of both sides.

However, how could the Berlin Best Actor let him see any clues? He smiled and tapped his finger at him: "Old Ma, oh Old Ma, it looks like you really want to be Tian Boguang."

"Huayi has quite a few orioles and swallows; you're getting on in years, watch your health, watch your health."

Ma Yun was born in 1964, more than twenty years older than Boss Lu; he didn't mind being called Old Ma, as the other's wealth and status were right there.

However, being teased for entering the entertainment industry to chase women at his age made him feel a bit deflated, and his expression became somewhat awkward: "That's not quite it; I can't compare to you young people."

"Hahaha!" Boss Lu pretended to be hearty and patted him on the shoulder.

"Eh? Is that Zhou Hongyi?"

Watching Zhou Hongyi actually walking toward them, Old Ma's expression changed slightly, and he straightened the wrinkles on his suit: "It's him."

"Oh my, Boss Ma is here too!" Zhou Hongyi didn't know if it was intentional or not, but he reached out both hands toward Lu Kuan: "Boss Lu, I've long admired your great name!"

"Oh? Boss Zhou and I have never met, and we don't eat from the same trough, so how could you have long admired my great name?"

Zhou Hongyi had been having a war of words with Ma Yun recently, and at this moment he intentionally snubbed him, turning instead to flatter Boss Lu.

"My old employer really had eyes but couldn't see; just to save those few pennies, they gave your Mytube to Google, so stupid!"

The Red-Clad Leader had been an executive at Yahoo, and his evaluation of the Yahoo management team from Jerry Yang down was just two words—idiots.

"I, Old Zhou, also spent time in America back in the day; that place is very xenophobic. For you, Boss Lu, to build such a huge family business in North America, that's what you call the number one person in domestic internet!"

Zhou Hongyi gave him a thumbs up as if flattery cost nothing, but how could Boss Lu let him use him as a gun?

"That's not right."

"I am just a film director in China, and the video website also serves film and television production, including the mall project."

Boss Lu was humble: "Frankly speaking, I am not qualified to be here; I came with the purpose of learning."

"The true internet trendsetters in our country have to include you, Boss Zhou, and our Boss Ma."

The young director smiled and patted the depressed Old Ma: "Boss Ma, why have you suddenly become inactive? Chat with Boss Zhou too!"

Once these words were out, the industry insiders watching the fun nearby all laughed in their hearts.

Zhuang Xu, who was chatting with Ma Huateng, smiled and shook his head, thinking to himself that these two still wanted to play tricks on this fox, which was a mistake.

Old Ma looked up suspiciously, not knowing if this wickedly clever young director was pretending not to know, or really didn't know.

It must be intentional!

This involved a small conflict between Ma Yun and Zhou Hongyi two weeks ago.

In August 2005, Zhou Hongyi gave up the position he had held for 18 months at Yahoo China and became a professional investor with a huge bonus.

In August 2006, he acquired Qihoo 360 Technology Co., Ltd. and served as chairman.

As luck would have it, Qihoo 360 put Yahoo China's most profitable software, "Yahoo Assistant," on the rogue software list, allowing users to clear it with one click.

After this incident, both sides sued and banned each other, and high-profilely announced they would never have anything to do with each other again.

Because of the close relationship with Yahoo China, Boss Ma had declared two weeks ago that all subsidiaries and business departments under Alibaba were forever prohibited from having business dealings with companies related to Zhou Hongyi from that day on.

Old Zhou was a relatively pragmatic person; later, he was the one who went to Lin'an to plead guilty first, and now he took the opportunity to probe: "Boss Ma, are you free to have a meal together tonight?"

Under the gaze of everyone, Old Ma sat calmly in his chair without moving: "I have an appointment with Boss Lu tonight."

"Let's go together!"

Boss Lu, who loved to watch the fun, said: "I'll arrange it, I'll arrange it!"

He looked up and saw Zhuang Xu and Ma Huateng talking together, thinking that it would be excellent to get this group of people together to have some fun and watch the live broadcast.

"Boss Zhuang, if you and Penguin Boss Ma have nothing to do tonight, why don't you sit with us too?"

"Alright, I'll definitely be there! We still have to sponge a meal off you, the richest man!" Zhuang Xu directly accepted on behalf of Ma Huateng, and the latter felt a little helpless.

Upon receiving the invitation, Little Ma also walked over politely: "Boss Lu, first time meeting, I've long heard of your great name."

"However, I haven't missed a single one of your films; I've watched *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* three times, it has a soul-stirring power!"

Unlike Old Ma's hearty, uninhibited, and emotionally expressive demeanor, Little Ma looked more reserved, more low-key and pragmatic.

However, these were all disguises of these two entrepreneurs who had fought their way out of the internet's wild era.

Inside, they were all wise and resourceful heroes of the current age.

Zhuang Xu smiled from the side: "Boss Lu, Zhang Chaoyang just found Liu Hong, saying he wanted to talk to you about the copyright issues of internet video websites, to see if we could talk to the leaders at the conference."

"Oh! I've heard about it before; it is something to be concerned about."

Since the sudden emergence of Wenjie Video, domestic video websites had been exploding.

Last year, Tudou, 56.com, and LeTV.

Youku, Ku6, etc., which were only established in June this year.

The biggest ones besides Wenjie were Sohu Video and Sina Video, which developed based on portal websites.

Among them, besides Wenjie, the ones currently obsessed with copyright were Sohu and LeTV, so Zhang Chaoyang's concern for copyright issues was to be expected.

"That's perfect! Let's call them along."

The young director turned into a young entrepreneur today: "Everyone, then it's settled for tonight."

"Let's not go anywhere else; I have a courtyard in Gongjian Hutong, let's have some fun together tonight."

Among them, only Old Ma was hesitant; he didn't want to sit at the same table with certain people: "Boss Lu, I might really have something tonight..."

"Eh! Boss Ma, listen to me; I've always been particularly curious about you leaders of the domestic internet."

"I have an idea to make a movie in the future called *The Internet Godfather*; you guys have to provide me with some material, right?"

Boss Lu used CPU tactics on Ma Yun: "Especially you, Boss Ma; I really appreciate and agree with the Jin Yong culture of your Ali, and the various anecdotes from when you first started your business are also talked about with great relish."

"I have some old wine collected by a European castle owner there; are you sure you don't want to taste it?"

Old Ma had just been deflated by his sarcastic remarks, but these two sentences still made him feel comfortable.

He was an entrepreneur who liked socializing and had a strong desire for expression, so he immediately wanted to be the host:

"*The Internet Godfather* is fine, how about we have an internet forum like the Mount Hua Sword Debate? Once a year from now on."

"This year you, Director Lu, will host, and we'll sponge food and drink; next time we'll go to Lin'an, to Pengcheng, right? Peers should communicate more!"

Proprietor Lu naturally did not care; Old Ma just liked to spout flowery nonsense, no matter what he called the forum.

The group laughed and made their agreement, and the meeting for the day was declared open.

First, Vice Premier Zeng of the State Council took the stage to speak, congratulating and emphasizing the role of the internet in economic development and social progress, and calling for the construction of a "sunshine network, green network."

Following this were core topics such as 3G, digital content, and network security becoming the core tracks for the next decade.

Regarding the e-commerce industry, Old Ma took the stage to elaborate on the enormous driving force behind the e-commerce industry since Alipay began independent operations in 2004.

Liu Qiangdong of Wenjie Mall reported on the company's achievements in logistics construction since last year, stating that they would provide more stable and efficient delivery services for their industry peers.

Subsequently, video client companies like Baofeng Jingyin and PPS spoke out in unison, predicting that "clients will replace web pages as the entry point," and the competition with video websites like Youku and Wenjie began to emerge.

In fact, this 2006 China Internet Conference was of profound significance.

The officially organized Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation Forum was established, and Chinese internet companies began to attempt to integrate into the global industrial chain, moving from wild growth toward standardization and internationalization.

If one were to use the summary rhetoric of middle school history and politics:

This conference provided policy and resource support for the subsequent rise of BAT, while simultaneously laying the foundation for the emergence of second-generation internet leaders like Zhou Hongyi and Lei Jun.

And for Proprietor Lu, this reborn individual also felt the impending, surging tide of the internet at close range for the first time.

This wave was very closely related to the entertainment circle and the film industry.

Taking Alibaba, which was about to reach a strategic cooperation with Huayi, as an example:

He had to make arrangements and deployments before the industrial transformation triggered by the entry of coal boss capital and the invasion of internet capital, ensuring the core competitiveness of Wenjie Holdings in the entertainment and internet industries.

After Wenjie had stood alone for these years, powerful commercial challengers from black gold and the internet were about to appear!

(End of chapter)