ebookslot Chapter 97 The Right Time, The Right Person
Chapter 97 The Right Time, The Right Person
Chapter 97 The Right Time, The Right Person
Why did Zhang Chaoyang come?
This is a very interesting question.
As someone who has won since childhood and has been at the top of the Chinese internet pyramid for many years.
He's no longer the kind of hothead who gets carried away by a movie.
But just like people, artistic works can be anything if they appear at the right time and in the right way.
Take Zhang Chaoyang, for example.
A few years earlier, he would have been indulging in the extravagant lifestyle of being the richest man and surrounded by supermodels.
To him, "Old Boys" was nothing more than the pointless whining of the lower class, and he wouldn't even glance at it.
If it had been a few years later, when Sohu Weibo had collapsed and Sohu Video had been killed by BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) with money, Zhang Chaoyang would have been heartbroken and severely depressed.
No matter how moving a movie is, he will only think that it is a spiritual opium used by losers to numb themselves.
But it happens now, of all times.
It just so happens to be the spring of 2010.
He was jolted awake from his elite dream of the "White Society" by Ren Pingsheng's "disruption" and led the entire Sohu team into the Weibo battlefield like madmen.
His fighting spirit had just been reignited, but what followed was the immense pressure from Xinlang's first-mover advantage and repeated setbacks in the video business.
At this critical juncture, when he desperately wanted to prove himself again but was being crushed by the wheels of time, "Old Boys" ripped open the old wounds in his heart about his original aspirations and his loss.
So he came.
It's not because this movie is so great, but because it was released at the right time.
"Did I disturb you?"
An eerie silence fell over the studio.
Bai Ke, Xiao Ai, and Zhang Yibo, these former employees who "defected" from Sohu, were utterly astonished to see their former boss, whom they had only ever seen in the news, standing here.
Da Peng was in an even more awkward position.
Although his contract did not stipulate that he could not take on outside jobs, as a nominal Sohu employee, he was caught red-handed by his boss at another company during working hours.
-
This feels even more exciting than being caught in the act of adultery.
Sweat instantly poured down his forehead, and he froze on the spot, unsure whether to stand or kneel.
Zhang Chaoyang glanced at the messy desk in the studio and the few young people who were still in shock, and finally fixed his gaze on Ren Pingsheng.
"Last time you came to search the arc, this time it's my turn to check out your territory."
He casually found a chair, sat down, and patted the armrest. "What, aren't you going to offer me a cup of tea?"
"Mr. Zhang... I... I'll go get some water!"
Da Peng hurriedly grabbed a disposable paper cup, but accidentally knocked over a water bottle next to him, making a loud clattering noise.
The others were frozen at their workstations, unsure whether to stand or sit.
Ren Pingsheng remained calm and waved his hand, "Alright, everyone go about your business."
As he spoke, he walked to the simple tea table, pulled out a chair, and said, "Mr. Zhang, please sit here. We don't have any good tea, but please make do with this."
Zhang Chaoyang walked over and sat down, watching Ren Pingsheng skillfully wash the cups and brew the tea, without any hurry.
"Mr. Zhang, you must have come all this way out of your busy schedule just to drink this tea dust," Ren Pingsheng said, pushing the steaming teacup forward and breaking the silence.
"Of course not," Zhang Chaoyang picked up his teacup, blew on it, and looked up at him. "You've been keeping me hanging for half a month, and you still haven't given me a straight answer. My 3.5 stock options are really not good enough for you?"
These words sounded like an accusation, but there was no sense of blame in the tone.
"Mr. Zhang, please don't misunderstand."
Zhang Chaoyang snorted, "Then give me a straight answer: are my conditions acceptable or not?"
"no."
From behind the tea table came the sound of Dapeng choking on his water, coughing and gasping for breath.
Zhang Chaoyang wasn't angry at all. He put down his teacup and looked at Ren Pingsheng.
Tell me why.
Ren Pingsheng didn't mince words: "My ambitions lie not in Weibo."
"What Mr. Zhang wants is a person who can devote himself to Weibo, but I am a content creator. Asking me not to make videos for three years is worse than killing me."
"And to put it bluntly, I'm not sure if Sohu Weibo can beat Xinlang, but I'm sure that good content will always find a market."
Zhang Chaoyang remained silent for a few seconds.
It's not that he doesn't understand; he understands it all too well.
Back then, he abandoned physics and turned to the Internet because he couldn't tolerate having to wait a hundred years to verify a theory.
An operational person cannot tie themselves to someone else's chariot.
"What if you weren't needed to manage Weibo?"
Ren Pingsheng looked at him without saying a word.
"Put the domain name issue aside," Zhang Chaoyang's tone changed. "Ale's side has been dealt with by Deng Hua. The sequel plans for 'Puberty' have all been canceled, and the video department is going to undergo a major overhaul."
The news came suddenly, but it wasn't unexpected.
The backlash against "Puberty" and CCTV's continued support for "Old Boys" have caused Sohu Video's brand image to plummet.
Although the official media did not name names, everyone knows who they are targeting.
If Deng Hua doesn't deal with AIe, the next blow will be to his own head.
"The video department needs someone who understands content to manage it," Zhang Chaoyang stared at Ren Pingsheng. "Come to Sohu as the video director, and I'll give you the Weibo stock options you want for free."
A grand gesture.
Absolutely generous!
A 24-year-old was parachuted into one of the four major portal websites and put in charge of the entire video content ecosystem.
This is Rome, a place that countless oxen and horses could never reach, no matter how hard they struggled their entire lives.
Da Peng, who was listening nearby, had tears in his eyes and wished he could rush up and agree on Ren Pingsheng's behalf.
Ren Pingsheng simply finished his tea silently and gently put down the teacup.
"Mr. Zhang, your boldness is truly admirable, but..." He smiled apologetically, "I really don't want to work for someone else anymore, whether it's as a consultant for Weibo or as the director of video production."
Another rejection!
The studio was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Zhang Chaoyang stared at Ren Pingsheng for a full half minute, his eyes flickering, revealing neither joy nor anger.
After a long while, he smiled.
"He's just as stubborn as I was when I was young," he said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. His gaze swept across the tea table and landed on Dapeng in the distance.
"You're reluctant to leave Sohu, but you're quite willing to use my people."
Da Peng was so startled that his hand trembled, and he almost dropped the mouse.
"Mr. Zhang... I haven't missed any updates to 'Deba De,' and I have other work to do..."
"Alright," Zhang Chaoyang waved his hand, interrupting his explanation, his expression neither good nor bad.
Then he looked back at Ren Pingsheng and said, "Before I came here, I read your 'Old Boy'."
The topic suddenly changed, but Ren Pingsheng didn't interrupt.
"It was filmed very well," Zhang Chaoyang said without any politeness, "especially the last song."
He paused for a moment, "I was born in 64, almost twenty years older than you. In theory, your youth has nothing to do with me, but when that song played, it reminded me of a lot of things."
Zhang Chaoyang didn't elaborate on what he remembered.
Ren Pingsheng didn't reply, but poured him another cup of tea.
After a long silence, Zhang Chaoyang brought the conversation back on track.
"Forced relationships are never sweet. If you don't want to come to Sohu, I won't force you."
17
He stood up and straightened the hem of his suit jacket.
"But I can't go back empty-handed today."
"In April, Changyou will launch a major expansion pack for 'Tian Long Ba Bu 2', followed by a new online game, 'Lu Ding Ji'."
"Since you're good at creating content, for these two games, just like before, we'll produce two custom-made promotional videos. We don't need to skimp on the budget, but we must ensure the quality."
Ren Pingsheng smiled.
That's Zhang Chaoyang for you. Even if he's rejected, he'll never let himself go for nothing.
"No problem, Mr. Zhang, I will send the proposal to your email."
"it is good."
Zhang Chaoyang nodded and turned to walk out the door.
I stopped briefly in front of Dapeng as I passed by.
Dapeng stood up reflexively, as if he had been called on by the teacher.
Zhang Chaoyang patted his shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy.
"Just focus on your work here, don't act like you're doing something wrong."
Just as Dapeng was about to catch his breath, he was frozen in place by the next sentence.
"But don't even think about terminating your contract with Sohu. You still have two years left on your contract. We'll talk about it when it expires."
He could only nod frantically, on the verge of tears.
Zhang Chaoyang pushed open the door, half of his body already leaning out, when he suddenly turned back.
"Ren Pingsheng".
"Um?"
"I understand that you don't want to be a subordinate, but as a company, you always need funds."
He pointed at Ren Pingsheng, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.
"Next time we meet, let's talk about it differently."