69novels Chapter 147 Ma Chunmei is kicked out, a mystery guest appears at the press conference
Chapter 147 Ma Chunmei is kicked out, a mystery guest appears at the press conference
Chapter 147 Ma Chunmei is kicked out, a mysterious guest appears at the press conference (7k)
The lengthy article, "I am straightforward, and this is what I want to say," has gone viral, making Li Yong famous as well.
At 7:30 p.m., Tang Yan knocked on the door of the editor-in-chief Li Yong's office. Li Yong was facing away from him, looking out at the endless stream of cars.
"Mr. Li, you wanted to see me?" Tang Yan walked in and gently closed the door.
Li Yong turned around without saying a word, only pointing to the sofa, his expression completely unreadable.
Tang Yan's heart tightened, but he didn't show it on his face. He sat down as instructed, straightening his back.
Li Yong also came over and sat down opposite him. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly said, "I read that 10,000-word article three times."
"The writing is excellent, the emotions are strong, and the timing is perfect. The 3.15 Gala had just ended, and the whole internet was waiting for Geng Zhi to speak out. Our front-page post instantly went viral—"
Li Yong paused for a moment before continuing, "From a communication perspective, this is a textbook example of effective communication."
Tang Yan guessed that his boss was about to say "but," so he quickly said, "President Li, I—"
"I haven't finished yet." Li Yong waved his hand to interrupt him, looking directly into Tang Yan's eyes. "But from an editor's perspective, I have three questions."
He stood up again and walked back to the window: "First, this article, which you published on the front page, did you have it reviewed by your legal department beforehand?"
Tang Yan was prepared and immediately replied, "It has been reviewed. The legal department reviewed it three times and said there were no obvious legal risks. They didn't look for fabrication, defamation, or infringement of reputation rights."
""
Li Yong nodded, his tone still calm: "Okay, then secondly, have you submitted your topic proposal to the editorial board on duty?"
Tang Yan fell silent.
Li Yong didn't turn around and continued, "Third, have you verified the authenticity of Geng Zhi's words in the article and the independence of the evidence? Is it possible that Geng Zhi fabricated them to gain sympathy? Have you verified them with Baihe.com and [Jiaotong University Matchmaker]? Have you had them independently verified by a third party?"
The three questions struck Tang Yan's heart like three heavy hammer blows.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Mr. Li, I've been following this matter of Geng Zhi's for a long time. I've been paying attention since the white paper launch last year. I have my own judgment on what he said, and I believe it's true—"
"Tang Yan." Li Yong turned around, his gaze piercing. "You're the deputy editor-in-chief, not Geng Zhi's friend. Your stance should be NetEase, not Geng Zhi's. You represent this platform, not your personal feelings."
The room fell silent again, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall.
After a long while, Tang Yan finally spoke, his voice lowered: "President Li, you're right. I did indeed—have personal feelings involved."
Li Yong looked at him, and the sternness on his face softened a little.
He walked back to the sofa, sat down again, and his tone softened: "I know you admire honesty and sympathize with him. I also know he was indeed wronged, as the 3.15 Gala has proven. I also believe that publishing that article was the right thing to do."
"But as the editor-in-chief, I can't just look at the correctness of the result and ignore the correctness of the procedure. If you help Geng Zhi today, will you help someone else tomorrow? The day after tomorrow, will someone bring this up, saying that you took benefits from Geng Zhi, saying that NetEase is a [Geng Zhi faction media]?"
"Yes, Mr. Li is right. I made a mistake in this matter."
"Good that you understand." Li Yong looked at him. "There will be an internal reprimand for this. It's a necessary procedure to give others an explanation. Do you accept that?" Li Yong stared at Tang Yan.
Tang Yan raised his head and said without hesitation, "I accept."
Li Yong nodded, walked back to his desk, picked up a document and handed it to Tang Yan: "That's settled then. Go back and write a self-criticism, read it aloud at the editorial board meeting on Friday, and everything will be fine after that."
But Tang Yan did not reach out to take it.
He sat on the sofa, looked at the document, remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly stood up and said, "Mr. Li, I've thought about it. I probably don't need this reprimand."
Li Yong was stunned, his expression froze for a moment, and a sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart.
"What do you mean?" He put the document back on the table, staring at Tang Yan. "Are you going to cause trouble again? I just had you read it aloud as a formality, I wasn't really punishing you! Your promotion to editor-in-chief in the second half of the year is a done deal!"
Tang Yan looked at him, his old leader who had been with him for five years, and his eyes welled up with tears.
"Mr. Li, I've been with NetEase for seven years." His voice was a little hoarse. "From a regular editor to deputy editor-in-chief, you mentored me, taught me, and gave me opportunities. I remember it all and will never forget it."
He paused, then continued, "But for the past six months, I've been thinking about one thing: what exactly do I want to do?"
Li Yong didn't speak, he just looked at him quietly.
"I want to do things with attitude, things that are truly valuable," Tang Yan said. "Over the years, I've been giving a voice to others and to platforms. But I'm increasingly feeling that I want to get involved myself and create something."
Tang Yan rambled on about his thoughts, then took a deep breath and said, "I want to start a business with Geng Zhi."
Li Yong: "...
—."
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Then Li Yong spoke, saying only three words: "————NMD".
Shanghai, Mingfan Technology Office.
After the announcement of the 3.18 product launch, the Mingfan Technology office instantly became lively.
From order to chaos within disorder, and then back to order within chaos.
Yang Mingxia's phone kept ringing from 18:20 PM onwards.
[Yang Mingxia]: "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, there were just too many people registering for our press conference, and all the spots reserved for the media have already been taken."
What was said on the other end of the phone?
[Yang Mingxia]: "What? No travel expenses? Then—how about we give you a spot?"
3
Before she could even catch her breath after hanging up the phone, her subordinates rushed over again.
"Boss Yang, two big names, [He Caitou] and [Wuyue Sanren], also wanted to attend our product launch. Shall we..."
Yang Mingxia and her subordinates received one phone call after another, their hands trembling and their voices hoarse.
Many media outlets that had initially refused to attend are now vying for a spot.
Meanwhile, a tense atmosphere prevailed in the technology zone.
"Is the server expansion ready?" Lu Sifeng asked.
"Ready, doubling the size is no problem," Lei Dakun replied.
"What about stress testing?"
"We just finished one run; the peak capacity can handle 50,000 concurrent users."
"Fifty thousand?" Lu Sifeng frowned. "I don't think that's enough. Double it."
Zou Lu, Chu Jiatong, Huang Haitang, Lei Dakun — the originally confident technical and testing team members were now on high alert, nervously preparing for the impending surge in traffic —
Meanwhile, in the customer service area, Du Yixuan was intensifying her training of the newly recruited customer service team.
"Remember, our core principle is [user-centricity]." She emphasized repeatedly, "User problems must be responded to immediately. User emotions must be soothed immediately. User suggestions must be recorded immediately—"
Du Yujiao, Song Qing, and others had already gone to the National Convention Center to meet with the third-party team, preparing for advance joint testing.
dress rehearsal.
Lu Siyu glanced at the latest guest list, which was already quite long, including names from the investment circle, the internet circle, and...
We've managed to get almost everyone we could from the media circle invited.
She nodded in satisfaction and walked toward Geng Zhi's office.
In the CEO's office, Geng Zhi was on the phone with the teacher in charge at Lanzhou University.
[Straightforward]: "Teacher, I still have a product launch event to prepare for in Shanghai, and next I need to prepare for my postgraduate entrance exam. My thesis proposal is probably due ————"
[Lanzhou University Professor]: "Honest student, you are the pride of Lanzhou University! Just focus on your re-examination and career; the university will definitely give you the green light!"
[Straightforward]: "Thank you, teacher!"
Just as Geng Zhi hung up the phone, Lü Siyu knocked on the door and came in.
"Boss, I've already invited all the external guests. From Jiaotong University, besides Qi Chuqin, Gou Youqian, and Qin Hongfang..."
Besides teachers Liu Kangping and Jin Zhilong, are there any others you'd like to add?
Geng Zhi thought for a moment and said, "We should also add Vice Principal Yang Jinqian."
"Okay, boss, I'll go invite Vice Principal Yang again," said Lü Siyu.
"No need." Geng Zhi waved his hand. "I'll personally invite Principal Yang later. Please prepare another paper invitation for me as soon as possible, the nicely bound kind."
"Okay, I'll get ready right away."
In the administration building of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in the office of Vice President Yang Jinqian.
Yang Jinqian stared at the front page news on NetEase, caught in a deep dilemma.
Geng Zhi, this student, has once again brought honor to his alma mater, Jiaotong University, which makes him happy. However, he has left the [Jiaotong University Matchmaking Agency], which he founded, and even got into a fight with it, which is giving him a headache.
For the past few months, Jiaotong University has been promoting the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" through various media channels on campus, highlighting it as a model for student entrepreneurship.
But now this matter has become such a mess—
As Yang Jinqian was pondering, Minister Yin of the school's publicity department came back, panting, to report again.
"Minister Yin, how is the public opinion monitoring of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] going?"
"President Yang, the overall reception of [Jiaotong University's matchmaking service] is currently negative, mainly focusing on the questioning of Ma Chunmei," Minister Yin reported. "Moreover, it has already begun to negatively impact the reputation of Jiaotong University in Shanghai."
"Geng Zhi and Ma Chunmei are both my dear classmates!" Yang Jinqian sighed, a hint of worry crossing his face.
Minister Yin looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Principal Yang, I don't think there's any need to dwell on this."
-
"Hmm?" Yang Jinqian looked up.
"I just learned something," Minister Yin said in a somewhat subtle tone, "Neither Geng Zhi nor Ma Chunmei are students at Jiaotong University."
Yang Jinqian was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened: "Minister Yin, are you kidding me! From the entrepreneurship competition to the CCTV interview, Jin Zhilong and Lao Qi have both confirmed that Geng Zhi is a student from our Jiaotong University!"
Minister Yin didn't know why Yang Jinqian was so certain, but he believed his investigation results were correct, so he had no choice but to explain, "Principal Yang, it's true. Geng Zhi and Ma Chunmei are both senior students at Lanzhou University, and they're both taking the postgraduate entrance exam this year."
Yang Jinqian didn't believe it at all, so he immediately called Qi Chuqin to confirm.
Qi Chuqin confirmed Minister Yin's statement, but informed him that Geng Zhi had applied to Jiaotong University for a master's degree in computer science and ranked second in the entire college.
"Xiao Geng took the postgraduate entrance exam for Jiaotong University and even got second place in the preliminary exam, so he can be considered a prospective student of Jiaotong University!" Yang Jinqian said with a smile after hanging up the phone.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Minister Yin quickly echoed, "Principal Yang is right, Xiao Geng is just like our Jiaotong University."
Yang Jinqian nodded, then changed the subject: "Does Xiao Geng still have any business or equity connection with [Jiaotong University Matchmaker]?"
Minister Yin hesitated for a moment: "According to the news reports, it seems that it's over. That long article of over 10,000 words made it quite clear that he has completely withdrawn."
"Don't say 'should'." Yang Jinqian glared at him. "If it's true, it's true; if it's not, it's not. There's no room for ambiguity in this. What if there are future disputes, and Jiaotong University's name gets dragged into it again?"
Minister Yin's heart skipped a beat: "This—I'll go and confirm with Xiao Geng right away."
Fifteen minutes later, Geng Zhi was summoned to Yang Jinqian's office.
"Xiao Geng, are you saying that [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] really has nothing to do with you anymore?"
"Yes. It's over now." Geng Zhi answered honestly. "As far as I know, the current shareholders of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] are Baihe.com, Ma Chunmei, and Jinshajiang Venture Capital. Baihe.com is the major shareholder."
"I heard that some of their employees are college students from Jiaotong University," Geng Zhi added immediately.
"In other words, from the perspective of operations and shareholders, it has nothing to do with Jiaotong University anymore, right?"
LC
"Yes," Geng Zhi replied firmly.
Yang Jinqian pondered for a moment, then slowly asked, "Was Ma Chunmei your classmate in college?"
"We're alumni, but not close. When she joined the startup team, she applied to our Antai College of Economics and Management for graduate studies, hoping to get extra points in the interview." Geng Zhi stated the facts straightforwardly, without any emotional bias.
Yang Jinqian understood.
"Xiao Geng, the current reputation of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] has seriously affected the reputation of Jiaotong University. The university will send an official letter to [Jiaotong University Matchmaker], requiring it to change its name and remove the word 'Jiaotong University'. You have no objection, right?"
He asked politely, but his meaning was clear.
Geng Zhi immediately replied, "Jiaotong University has the highest reputation, I certainly have no objection to that. Besides, I have already withdrawn from the competition, so I have no grounds to object."
Geng Zhi then added, "I just feel a little sorry for causing trouble for Jiaotong University."
"Xiao Geng, this has nothing to do with you. You are the one who won honor for Jiaotong University. It is Ma Chunmei who is affecting the reputation of Jiaotong University."
"Yang Jinqian said with a smile."
"Thank you for your understanding, Principal Yang!" Geng Zhi bowed slightly.
Yang Jinqian nodded, then changed the subject: "By the way, Xiao Geng, I see you're about to hold a press conference. How are the preparations going?"
Is there anything the school can support?
"Thank you for your concern, Principal Yang. Everything is ready now."
As he spoke, Geng Zhi quickly took out the invitation from his pocket and handed it to Yang Jinqian with both hands: "Principal Yang, you guided me through my first business venture. Now that I'm starting my second business, I'd like to invite you to take some time out of your busy schedule to witness it."
Yang Jinqian took the invitation without hesitation, glanced at it quickly, and beamed with joy: "Little Geng, I can still give you some pointers on your studies, but when it comes to starting a business, I might not be able to beat you now."
"Principal Yang, you are too modest. Mingfan Technology will need your guidance in the future!"
"You have such a sharp tongue!" Yang Jinqian laughed and pointed at Geng Zhi, shaking his head, but the admiration in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Geng Zhi listened attentively to Vice Principal Yang's instructions for a few more minutes before taking his leave.
After Geng Zhi left, Yang Jinqian instructed Minister Yin to immediately follow up on sending an official letter to [Jiaotong University Matchmaker].
After doing all this, Yang Jinqian personally called the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Antai College of Economics and Management, emphasizing that strict attention should be paid to students' character and their impact on the school's reputation during the admissions process.
In a hotel near Baihe.com in Beijing.
[Given the long-standing association between your company's "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" brand and our university's reputation, and given that your company's current operating entity and equity structure have no connection with our university, our university demands that your company complete the brand name change within 30 days. Failure to do so will result in our university taking legal action to protect our rights.]
Ma Chunmei read the official letter from Shanghai Jiao Tong University over and over again, feeling a sense of panic.
Since March 14, Ma Chunmei has been coming to Beijing to report on the progress of offline business.
On the first day, Mu Yan scolded him for the poor performance of his offline business expansion.
The next day, Baihe.com was named and shamed at the 3.15 Gala. She was secretly pleased, thinking that [Jiaotong University Matchmaker]'s status in Baihe.com's eyes had been raised again.
On the third day, his straightforward, ten-thousand-word essay put her directly on the hot seat, making her question the meaning of life.
Faced with the overwhelming insults online, she was on the verge of collapse. She sought advice from her father, lawyer Zhao, and even her former teachers at Lanzhou University, but received no effective help.
In the end, she placed her hopes on Mu Yan and Han Yulu, but the two, who were equally busy, completely ignored her.
[Jiaotong University Matchmaker] is having a tough time, and its shareholder, Baihe.com, is having an even tougher time.
Originally, the reputations of the three online dating giants had already suffered a severe decline after the public opinion storm before the Lunar New Year.
However, after Baihe.com officially announced its acquisition of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker], its reputation instantly recovered significantly, surpassing that of Century Family Network and Zhenai.com, and the company's performance also rebounded quickly.
This delighted the top management of Baihe.com, who were all relieved that acquiring [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] was a brilliant move.
But now, things have changed.
Just after the 3.15 Gala ended, Century Home Network, True Love Network, and Baihe Network faced joint and strict supervision from multiple departments. The CEOs of each company were summoned for talks, and the websites were required to make mandatory rectifications.
The regulations are aimed at the entire industry, and the one that should be hurt the most is Century Home Network, which is rushing to go public.
But Geng Zhi's lengthy article, published on the front page of NetEase News, changed everything.
The lengthy article, edited by Tang Yan, was extremely emotional and resonated deeply with netizens, evoking strong sympathy and empathy.
The article was very subtle, and never explicitly named Ma Chunmei or Baihe.com.
However, resourceful netizens and commentators, combining insider revelations and recordings, dug up various behind-the-scenes stories of the entire incident, resulting in a plethora of analytical articles.
On November 10th last year, before the first event of "If You Are the One", the founder Geng Zhi's video of the Flower Lion Mobilization was dug up.
Last year, when Geng Zhi and Ma Chunmei were interviewed by CCTV, an audio clip of their conversation was leaked, revealing a clear divergence in their political stances.
There was also the financing of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker], the release of the white paper on the marriage and dating industry, and Sun Xiaowen mentioning her resignation from [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] on the "If You Are the One" program.
A series of events were unearthed, sorted out, and re-analyzed by netizens according to the timeline.
As more and more evidence emerged and the details became clearer, Ma Chunmei, the legal representative and CEO of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker], was subjected to increasingly harsh criticism, nearly to the point of emotional collapse.
Many netizens have launched campaigns to boycott Ma Chunmei's "[Jiaotong University Matchmaker]" and Baihe.com.
Conference room at Baihe.com headquarters.
The sun was shining brightly outside the window, but the atmosphere inside the meeting room was so gloomy it felt like it was about to rain.
Ma Chunmei gave Mu Yan a full account of the official letter from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and asked for his help. However, Mu Yan did not express any opinion, but simply instructed Li Li to report the market data.
On the projector are the latest data for [Jiaotong University Matchmaker]: user activity has dropped by 72%, daily new registrations are only in the single digits, and the negative public opinion index is 97%.
While flipping through the data, Li Li reported to the director: "President Mu, everyone, since the 3.15 Gala, the reputation of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] within our Baihe.com system has collapsed. Now, if you open Weibo and search for [Jiaotong University Matchmaker], the related keywords are all [Ma Chunmei is a liar] and [I'm sorry for being straightforward]."
She paused, glancing at Ma Chunmei: "Furthermore, because of the connection between [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] and Baihe.com, the brand image of our Baihe.com main website has also been severely affected."
This has dragged down the number of paying users by 73%. Someone needs to be held accountable.
Ma Chunmei felt a sudden panic, a strong sense of unease washing over her.
She mustered her courage, her face ashen, and looked at Li Li, her voice trembling slightly: "President Li, what do you mean? Are you trying to shift the blame onto me now?"
"Chunmei, no one is shifting the blame. But we all know the current situation." Han Yulu gently patted Ma Chunmei's shoulder.
Ma Chunmei looked up at Xiang Muyan.
Mu Yan sat in the main seat, expressionless and silent. But his gaze flickered slightly toward the financial director.
The CFO immediately understood, cleared his throat, and continued, "Our financial assessment shows that [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] is currently a liability. If we continue to maintain it, it will further damage our main website. I suggest we cut ties as soon as possible."
"How do you cut it?" Ma Chunmei was stunned.
"A complete break," the CFO said without hesitation. "Either sell it or dissolve it and go through liquidation procedures."
In short, this brand can no longer have any association with our Baihe.com.
boom-!
Ma Chunmei felt like her world was collapsing.
She opened her mouth, then instinctively asked, "Can it still be sold for its original value of 1800 million?"
As soon as she said it, she realized it was a fantasy.
She took a deep breath, and with a last glimmer of hope in her voice, asked again, "After the division, you'll still put me in charge of Baihe.com's offline new business department, right?"
Silence fell over the meeting room once again.
Ma Chunmei's heart sank little by little.
"President Mu!" She looked at Mu Yan, her voice almost pleading, "Didn't you say before that once [Jiaotong University Matchmaker] and Baihe.com completed the O020O online-offline business integration, you would make me the head of the new business department?"
Mu Yan remained silent, only slightly furrowing his brow.
"President Mu!"
"Sister Yulu!"
"You can't treat me like this! You can't just use me and then discard me!"
Her voice echoed in the conference room, but no one responded.
On the morning of March 18, Shanghai enjoyed a rare sunny spring day.
At the Huaxia Hall of the Shanghai International Convention Center, the Momo team, along with third-party event and live-streaming teams, were conducting their final rehearsal in a tense but orderly manner at the Momo product launch event.
The stage was already set up, the LED screen was being tested, and the lighting and sound engineers were each performing their duties. Song Qing was communicating with three video live-streaming teams about the details of the live stream.
"Hey, hey, feed."
"Now we'll begin playing a warm-up video—"
"The online experience of your Weibo big screen still needs some fine-tuning —"
"The camera can't be placed here, otherwise it will block the view of the audience in the back row—it needs to be moved another meter and a half to the right—"
""
Shu Beibei, the chief coordinator, has been working non-stop for several days, meticulously checking every detail according to Geng Zhi's requirements, until her voice became hoarse.
"Boss, is there anything else you'd like to add?" Shu Beibei asked Geng Zhi, who had just finished rehearsing on stage.
"The spotlight was a beat too slow—extend the duration of the last line of text in the video by two seconds—"
besides----"
Geng Zhi rattled off a few more details, which initially surprised Shu Beibei, but she quickly went to carry them out and make arrangements.
Jin Zhiyu, a host invited from Shanghai TV, whispered to Shu Beibei, "My goodness, Beibei, your boss Geng is so meticulous! Is he a Virgo?"
Shu Beibei chuckled: "Our boss says that holding a press conference is like polishing a product; you have to maximize the user experience and achieve instant fame. That's our company culture."
Jin Zhiyu opened her mouth, seemingly lost in thought.
Just then, a long-haired man wearing a black hoodie, baseball cap, and mask quietly entered the venue through the back door, guided by staff.
He kept his head down and walked quickly, as if afraid of being recognized.
The staff brought him to Geng Zhi's side, and after shaking hands and exchanging a few words in hushed tones, they walked together to the edge of the stage to begin their dialogue and interactive rehearsal.
The two spoke very softly, and those around them couldn't hear what they were saying. They could only be seen occasionally swiping their phone screens and communicating with gestures.
While the straightforward team was rehearsing, the internet was buzzing with excitement.
NetEase News homepage featured an article titled: "Straightforwardness Returns at 2 PM Today—Live Stream of the New Product Launch."
Xinlang's official Weibo account also posted a message: "March 18th, 14:00 - Xinlang Weibo's big screen will witness the extraordinary nature of alum together with you!"
The comments section has exploded.
"Finally, someone straightforward!"
"See you at 2 PM!"
"I bet the new product will be social media-related!"
"Whatever it is, I'll download it first!"
At 1:20 p.m., guests from all walks of life began to arrive at the entrance of the International Conference Center, signing in and checking in at the media and guest areas.
At 1:40 p.m., the doors of the Huaxia Hall opened, and guests entered one after another to the accompaniment of high-tech background music.
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