Chapter 45: Weibo's Wave Breaker
Before the winter break, Li Chen returned to school.
Exams were a piece of cake for him.
Teacher Li specifically called him back.
When he arrived at the office, besides Teacher Li,
there was also Teacher Xue from the Literature Department and Teacher Zhao from the Acting Department.
Teacher Xue joined the school in 2003.
She served as a master's supervisor in the Literature Department and was already a renowned screenwriter.
Don't Talk to Strangers was one of her screenplays.
Teacher Zhao was Liu Yifei and Zhu Yawen's teacher.
Seeing both of them there, Li Chen didn't stand on ceremony.
He smiled and said, "Teacher Li, are you holding a three-party interrogation today or something?"
"You even called Sister Lu and Teacher Zhao."
Li Chen was very familiar with Xue Xiaolu.
The screenplay for Stone was even used by Xue Xiaolu as an example in her Literature Department class.
Xue Xiaolu had even specifically invited him to the Literature Department to be a positive example.
Xue Xiaolu was thirteen years older than him, and they both had a lot of experience in scriptwriting.
Their daily interactions were more like those of friends.
Li Chen calling her Sister Lu felt quite natural to her.
Xue Xiaolu smiled and said, "I can't find you at school normally, so I had to ask Teacher Li to personally intervene."
After chatting for a few moments, Li Chen finally understood what this gathering was about today.
Both of them were there to seek help for the students of their respective departments.
Especially Teacher Zhao from the Acting Department.
Hearing about the "crossing the guandong" project, he asked if Li Chen could take care of his alumni if possible.
Li Chen immediately agreed; Zhu Chuanwu, Zhu Yawen, of course.
Although he didn't interfere with Daylight Entertainment's operations, recommending a few people for auditions was easy.
Teacher Xue was there to get a commitment, to secure an internal recommendation channel for Literature Department students.
If there were good works, Li Chen's Rongchen Film and Television and Daylight Entertainment would provide a platform for display.
This was a win-win situation, and Li Chen naturally wouldn't refuse.
After Teacher Xue and Teacher Zhao left,
Li Chen joked, "Teacher, you're really fleecing me to death, aren't you!"
Teacher Li laughed and deflected, "Don't tell me, this is Director Tian and the school leadership's idea."
"This time it's only the Literature Department and the Acting Department."
"Who told you that you're now a hotshot director and the boss of a big company?"
"Who told you that the first artist your company signed wasn't from our school!"
"You put Director Tian in a very passive position!" Teacher Li's tone changed a bit in the last sentence.
Li Chen was speechless, but thinking about it, it really seemed to be the case.
The first director he supported was Xu Zheng, from Shanghai Theatre Academy.
The first artist he signed was Tang Yan, from Central Academy of Drama.
After leaving school, Li Chen got into his car.
Yang Siwei sat in the passenger seat, finally not having to be the driver.
Today, Wang Changtian was hosting, saying they should gather before the New Year and introduce a friend to him.
Li Chen called Yang Siwei along; Enlight Media was a media giant.
Old Wang was also a top student from Fudan University in Shanghai.
Yang Siwei was a top student from Communication University of China and also the PR Director and Artist Director of Rongchen Film and Television.
In the future, she would inevitably deal with Enlight Media, and learning from Old Wang would only be beneficial.
They arrived at an elegant small siheyuan on South Chang'an Street.
Yang Siwei smiled, "Following the boss, every dinner party is an elevation of one's realm."
Yang Siwei was already a bit impatient, having heard that the minimum per capita consumption here was no less than a thousand yuan.
Li Chen smiled, "It's an elevation of your taste buds, isn't it? Watch what you eat, Siwei, don't get too fat."
Yang Siwei chuckled, "Boss, this is my only hobby in life, so please don't try to persuade me."
The two entered the private room, where Wang Changtian had already arrived.
Li Chen was slightly surprised to see the person next to Wang Changtian.
He hadn't expected Wang Changtian's friend to be him.
Wang Changtian stood up and said grumpily, "Always waiting for you!"
"In Beijing, you're the first person who can make both of us wait, little brother."
Li Chen smiled, "I'm not taking that blame. Since you're hosting today, isn't it proper to wait for guests?"
Wang Changtian then smiled, "You're right, let me introduce you."
Wang Changtian slightly turned sideways, "This is my university classmate and good friend, Cao Guowei, a senior executive at Sina."
Li Chen knew him, Sina's CFO, who had also taken on the role of COO last year during a crisis.
Cao Guowei, like Li Chen, had a buzz cut.
Cao Guowei extended his hand and smiled, "A pleasure to meet you, Director Li."
"A pleasure to meet you, General Manager Cao."
Li Chen was pleasantly surprised at this moment, not expecting Old Wang to have such a classmate.
Yang Siwei, standing by, also sighed, realizing that indeed, a big shot's friends were also big shots.
The boss's circle of friends should at least be of the same caliber as the boss.
Li Chen then turned and introduced Yang Siwei, smiling, "This is Yang Siwei, the PR Director of my company."
"Both of you are industry veterans, so please look after Siwei in the future."
Yang Siwei was naturally suited for this line of work.
She was good at handling situations and had a sweet tongue, so she introduced herself without Li Chen having to say much.
Wang Changtian and Cao Guowei both nodded politely.
The three took their seats, and Yang Siwei instinctively took on the role of a server.
The conversation gradually opened up, and what surprised Cao Guowei was Li Chen's unique insights into the internet.
He even frankly pointed out that Sina's biggest drawback after going public was the dispersion of equity.
Wang Zhidong, as a founder, was not Sina's largest shareholder, holding only 6% of the shares.
Compared to Zhang Chaoyang's 33% at Sohu and Ding Lei's 58% at NetEase, this was fatal.
The dispersion of equity also made it difficult for the management's strategy to be implemented long-term.
This inevitably led to missing out on the early development opportunities in some emerging business markets.
Although Cao Guowei was highly capable and had acted as a firefighter once or twice,
if the fundamental problem wasn't solved, Sina couldn't be the last one standing among the three major portals.
The two talked more and more enthusiastically, feeling as if they had met too late.
Especially since the other party could even articulate the ins and outs of international internet trends and the rise of new internet industries.
This greatly surprised Cao Guowei.
Eventually, it basically became a two-person conversation.
Wang Changtian interjected from time to time.
Yang Siwei listened very attentively. For her, this dinner party today was definitely not just an expensive private meal costing thousands per person.
When the dinner party ended,
Cao Guowei smiled, "No wonder you can create such a big stir at such a young age; your vision and thinking are indeed superior."
The two sat in the car, and Wang Changtian also stated directly, "Guowei, it's not surprising that Li Chen can see Sina's shortcomings."
"Who in the industry isn't aware of these things? I think you should seriously consider it. Indecision only leads to trouble."
Cao Guowei didn't respond, but he took it to heart.
On the other side, Yang Siwei was also talking non-stop in the car.
She seemed to be making up for all the words she hadn't said that evening.
"Boss, these two general managers, judging by their appearance, one is refined, the other is upright."
"They don't look at all like the big figures who can command the media industry."
Yang Siwei sighed.
Li Chen looked at Yang Siwei as if she were a three-year-old child.
"Should I call you naive or simple?"
"Boss, what do you mean? This is the second time you've called me naive," Yang Siwei feigned anger.
Li Chen said amusedly, "In wuxia novels, any giant demons or monsters that have become spirits."
"As long as they're not eating people, they all look harmless."
"You say they look upright, perhaps, but never treat them as good people."
"Old Wang can firmly hold the top position in the industry; without some tricks and solid strength, he would have been taken down long ago."
Li Chen didn't explain much; Yang Siwei was still young after all.
Time would make her mature.
Meeting Cao Guowei today was a gain.
Perhaps in the future, he could help him, allowing Weibo to 'break the waves' sooner!
Please keep reading, family, thank you. Thanks to the readers who voted, thank you.