diymy Chapter 89 Wrath
Chapter 89 Wrath
Chapter 89 Wrath (3k views, please subscribe)
"Useless! You couldn't even get a glimpse of a straightforward young man. You went to Shanghai for three days and didn't get a single thing done! What use are you to me?!"
"Why didn't you realize the risk when you couldn't get a date with a straightforward person on your first try?"
"You've been tricked by Geng Zhi and Li Haipeng! The dignified marketing director of Baihe.com can't even outsmart a college student?"
"Have you been eating all these years for nothing?!"
"Has Jiangsu TV lost its mind? Would they abandon three platforms with 20 million users each to go through with a deep partnership with a tiny student company? Even if there were changes, how could they not have informed us beforehand?!"
"Zhu Xiaohu is my investor and an old friend! If he really wants to invest in Jiao Da Hong Niang, would he keep it from me?"
Is it possible, both publicly and privately?
"What does a group photo of four people prove? Even if the 'Jiaotong University matchmaker' really manages to bring in a few college students, can't our Baihe.com, Century Home, or Zhenai.com do the same? Use your pig brain!"
"My meticulously planned scheme was ruined before it even officially started! Do you understand?"
Baihe.com headquarters, CEO's office.
Mu Yan's roar almost lifted the ceiling as he pointed at Li Li, who stood in front of his desk, too afraid to breathe, and cursed her for a full ten minutes.
Li Li stood there with her head down, feeling extremely wronged, but she didn't dare to say a word and could only listen.
Before giving the report, she was almost certain that what Li Haipeng said about financing and cooperation with the program team was true.
But now, bombarded with a barrage of seemingly logical and rapid-fire questions from her boss, her conviction began to waver again.
She didn't know who to believe.
Mu Yan cursed until his mouth was dry, and finally, panting heavily, he sat back heavily in his large boss's chair, his face ashen.
Despite the outburst of anger, reason returned afterward.
In truth, he already believed six or seven tenths of the news Li Li brought back. It was just that the news was too unexpected, and he needed to vent his shock.
Seeing Li Li still standing there like a wooden stake, Mu Yan's temper flared up again, and he slammed his hand on the table: "Speak up! Are you mute?"
Li Li then dared to raise her head slightly, her voice hoarse: "President Mu's criticism is correct—I, I will call Lin Zixia of Jiangsu TV right away to verify the situation."
"Attack now! Right here!" Mu Yan ordered. "Use the pretext of recommending a female college student guest to test the waters!"
"Okay, Mr. Mu." Li Li quickly took out her phone, found Lin Zixia's office number, dialed it, and pressed the speakerphone button.
Beep—Beep—
The phone rang a few times before being answered.
[Li Li]: "Director Lin, hello. This is Li Li from Baihe.com. We recently carefully selected several master's and doctoral graduates from prestigious universities, and we feel they are very suitable for your station. If the results are good, would you be willing to add more to our team?"
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Lin Zixia's crisp voice on the other end of the phone.
[Lin Zixia]: "Mr. Li, the station and the program team have already decided on the number of guests. Baihe.com will not be adding any more for the time being."
Mu Yan and Li Li were initially delighted upon hearing this, but Lin Zixia's next words dampened their spirits.
[Lin Zixia]: "In addition, during the initial evaluation of guest matching and program effect, we found that the two female guests recommended by your company may need further observation and adjustment in terms of personal characteristics and topic matching."
[Lin Zixia]: "To ensure the quality of the first few episodes, the production team has decided that the appearances of these two guests may be scheduled slightly later."
pat!
Mu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and the Montblanc pen in his hand fell to the table with a clear, crisp sound.
Lin Zixia's words were tactful, but the meaning was crystal clear—two of Baihe.com's guests were to be temporarily shelved, which almost indirectly confirmed that new, more favored guests from the production team were taking up their space!
[Li Li]: "Director Lin, we can immediately recommend two more suitable new candidates. What do you think?"
[Lin Zixia]: "I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I have a production meeting coming up soon. We can discuss the details later. That's all for now."
Beep beep beep————
Before Li Li could say anything more, the other party had already hung up the phone.
The office was deathly silent.
"Mr. Mu, it seems—it really is—a bit of a coincidence—" Li Li's voice was weak as she looked at Mu Yan.
After making that phone call, she was already 90% convinced of what Li Haipeng had said.
Although Lin Zixia wasn't particularly warm towards her in the past, she was at least polite and considerate. Why was she so cold and eager to end the call? This change in attitude itself reveals a lot.
But fearing she might further anger Mu Yan, she only dared to use the vague word "coincidence."
Mu Yan didn't speak, his face so dark it could drip water. He grabbed the landline receiver from the table and dialed Zhu Xiaohu's private number.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Mu Yan cut straight to the point, his tone slightly teasing and probing: "President Zhu, I heard—you've been secretly pursuing that straightforward matchmaker from Jiaotong University lately? You have good taste!"
Zhu Xiaohu on the other end of the phone was silent for a second or two, then burst into laughter: "President Mu, what are you saying—what, you've taken a liking to Geng Zhi's project now?"
Zhu Xiaohu has been very busy lately and hasn't really paid much attention to the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" project. However, being astute, he sensed the hidden meaning in Mu Yan's words, so he neither confirmed nor denied it.
But it was this brief silence and ambiguous question that aroused Mu Yan's suspicion. He instantly became agitated: "Old Zhu, did you also help Geng Zhi connect with the 'If You Are the One' program? You can help him grab a spot on Century Family Network, but don't help him steal a spot from our Baihe Network!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiaohu burst into laughter: "No, President Mu, you didn't run into a snag with Geng Zhi too, did you? How about I treat you tonight, and we can meet and chat? I'll also treat you to some pig brains—you are what you eat, hahaha!"
Hearing Mu Yan clearly choke on the other end of the phone, Zhu Xiaohu felt he had won back a point and laughed even more heartily.
Mu Yan composed himself and pressed on seriously, "President Zhu, tell me the truth, has Geng Zhi been discussing financing with you these past two days?"
Zhu Xiaohu's tone became more serious: "President Mu, you know my investment style. I value data and model validation most. 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' still has a long way to go before going online. How could I possibly throw real money into it so quickly? That doesn't align with my principles."
As expected! Zhu Xiaohu is indeed paying attention to the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" project, but it hasn't reached the investment stage yet!
Mu Yan understood.
If Zhu Xiaohu wasn't lying, and the person who talked to Geng Zhi about financing yesterday wasn't Zhu Xiaohu, then it really was Arctic Capital from Hong Kong!
He quickly organized his thoughts and, using concise language, selectively revealed to Zhu Xiaohu the content of Li Li's negotiations with Li Haipeng and the results of Li Li's preliminary research on "Jiaotong University Matchmaker".
He also highlighted that Arctic Capital, based in Hong Kong, is also paying attention to "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" and may even invest millions of US dollars.
Mu Yan's goal is clear: if "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" is indeed sought after by Arctic Capital and valued at tens of millions, it will prove that Geng Zhi's "new model" is very valuable.
The cost of a full acquisition of Baihe.com would skyrocket, making it unprofitable. Therefore, bringing Zhu Xiaohu on board for strategic investment and sharing future profits is undoubtedly a better choice.
After hanging up Zhu Xiaohu's call, Mu Yan let out a long sigh of relief. When he looked at Li Li again, the anger in his eyes had subsided considerably.
Although Li Li couldn't hear exactly what Zhu Xiaohu said, she could guess the general outcome from the subtle changes in Mu Yan's expression and the content of the call.
After careful consideration, she cautiously proposed a backup plan: "President Mu, President Mu, since 'Fudan University's matchmaker' was able to succeed by imitating 'Jiaotong University's matchmaker'—could we also consider assembling a team in Beijing and replicating a similar project?"
Seeing that Mu Yan was merely pursing his lips and looking at her, not seeming to object, she continued to explain: "The university resources in the capital are more concentrated than in Shanghai. Besides your alma mater Tsinghua University, there are Peking University, Beihang University, Renmin University, and Beijing Institute of Technology—"
"Huge potential"
"And then?" Mu Yan asked.
"Then we can build our own offline business to complement our online business, just like Fudan University's matchmaking service," Li Li replied.
"Oh, become a matchmaker for Tsinghua University?" So that way you can connect with the "If You Are the One" program team, right?
"Why don't you take the lead and get it valued at tens of millions?" Mu Yan continued to ask, his voice calm.
"This—" Li Li was speechless for a moment when asked the question.
Do you think Fudan University's matchmaker can really reach the same level as Jiaotong University's matchmaker? And be valued at tens of millions?
"This—" Li Li's voice lowered again.
"If starting a business were that easy, and success could be achieved simply by imitation and plagiarism, then everyone would be a billionaire! Use your brain! First, figure out why the 'Jiaotong University matchmaker' program was successful before trying to imitate it; otherwise, you'll just be a poor imitation and make a fool of yourself!"
"Yes, President Mu's criticism is correct. I didn't consider things carefully," Li Li quickly admitted her mistake.
Mu Yan rubbed his temples and issued an order: "The investigation into the 'Jiaotong University matchmaker' can't stop at the surface level. We need to use advanced intelligence methods to get inside information about Geng Zhi's core team."
"Their team is all students. Giving them a little something to get one or two people to talk shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"Understood, Mr. Mu! I'll arrange a more in-depth investigation right away!" Li Li replied immediately, turning to leave.
"Wait, schedule a meeting with Geng Zhi for me in the next few days, the sooner the better. I want to meet him in person."
"President Mu, Li Haipeng said last time that Geng Zhi is going to take the postgraduate entrance exam, and the appointment time for him is after he finishes the exam."
Li Li reminded her.
Mu Yan: "
He waved his hand, looking somewhat tired: "Alright, you can go out now."
The office door closed gently.
Mu Yan sat alone in the large chair, took out a pack of Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes (1916) that hadn't been touched in a long time from the drawer next to him, and started smoking.
On the other side, Zhu Xiaohu, who had just hung up the phone with Mu Yan, couldn't help but laugh.