2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 615 Dare to have a career of your own?

A small mountain village located in a poverty-stricken county under Yicheng was very lively during the Spring Festival this year.

Especially on the afternoon of the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, when a convoy of luxury cars with Zhejiang license plates entered the village, everyone knew that Old Tan's eldest grandson had returned.

"Wow, that car in the lead is huge! It looks really imposing. How much does it cost?"

"A Maybach 57S, around seven or eight million? I don't know exactly how much imported cars cost, but this is a small amount of money for Tan, the richest man."

Several young men who looked like college students were eating sunflower seeds at the village entrance, discussing Tan Jincheng and the cars that had come back with him.

In recent years, thanks to donations from Tan Lixin and Tan Jincheng, uncle and nephew, and with the support of the county, Tanjiacun has undergone tremendous changes.

In the Shanchi Industrial Zone, there are garment factories, electric vehicle factories, and warehousing centers. If any villagers from Tanjiacun want to work there, they will be given priority in hiring if they meet the requirements.

In addition, Tan Jincheng, who has always been concerned about education, also set a standard in the village: anyone from the village who is admitted to university (undergraduate) will receive different levels of financial aid, and they can also work for Flash Group after graduation.

Besides our own village, my mother's village also enjoys the same treatment. Overall, the villagers have received a lot of help from the Tan family in the past two years, and their conditions are getting better and better.

However, it is still rare to see such a luxury car worth nearly ten million yuan entering the village. Even nationwide, Boss Tan's car is very eye-catching.

To those who know about cars, this is practically a walking banknote.

"Jin'en, wait a minute. Your brother is back. Go and talk to him and see if I can sit in his car and take some pictures."

Among the college students chatting, one sharp-eyed one spotted Tan Jin'en, who had just come out of the village shop carrying a bag of fireworks.

Tan Jin'en glanced back at the group and said loudly, "I wouldn't dare. If you want to sit here, you'd better go and curry favor with Jin Yue. My brother listens to what she says."

"Can't you show some of the fighting spirit you had in school? You can't even handle something this small?"

"You dare to go? What are you bragging about here?"

Tan Jin'en was a little annoyed. It was just a fight with a classmate at school, but now so many people were laughing at him. People in their rebellious phase care a lot about their image.

He didn't even want to come to buy fireworks; he wouldn't have come if his father hadn't forced him to buy them for Jin Yue.

"Haha, you little brat, you're nothing special. I'll go, I'll go to your place in a bit."

Tan Jin'en snorted and ignored them, but at the same time she was a little worried. Her older brother had told her not to cause trouble at school, lest people say that they were bullying others. Just like in her previous life, although Tan Jin'en got along well with her older brother, she was still afraid of this older brother who was 10 years older than her.

What if his older brother finds out he got into a fight at school?

Tan Jincheng was unaware that his younger brother was in a panic. He had just arrived home when a large crowd had gathered around him. Everyone knew that he was bringing his new wife home today, and many relatives who couldn't attend the wedding were waiting to give the new bride red envelopes.

As soon as she entered the door, she was stared at by a bunch of uncles and aunts, who were chattering in a dialect she couldn't understand. Gu Qingqing really looked like a little wife.

She stared innocently at Tan Jincheng, looking genuinely bewildered.

"It's okay, I'll give you a red envelope later, just accept it. As for how to address me, I'll help you."

According to the custom in his hometown, relatives have to give red envelopes when a new bride visits for the first time, or when she gets married or has a child. It's something you can't refuse. Anyway, his parents will repay the favor, so Tan Jincheng doesn't have to worry about it. He just needs to collect the red envelopes.

He Jia and the others were also a little confused by the large number of people in the room. His family was from the city and this was the first time he had come to the countryside for the New Year. He had never seen so many people sitting together in one room before.

"Boss, could you find us a room? We can leave some equipment here and come back to fix it tomorrow, okay?"

Unsure if her boss would agree, He Jia didn't book a hotel in advance and was now planning to go to the county town to find one.

Tan Jincheng glanced at him and said, "No rush. Let's finish our meal before we leave. I've found you a place in the county. I'll give you a phone number after we finish eating so you can contact them yourself."

"Really? Thank you so much, boss. Let's put the equipment down first."

He Jia was overjoyed. The boss had booked a hotel for them, so they could get the services for free. To be honest, their team was quite short on funds. The live streaming industry wasn't considered a high-level industry within Orange Technology, so the resources they could get were very limited.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have shamelessly tried to piggyback on his boss's fame.

"Let them handle it. Come to the study with me for a moment; I have something to discuss with you."

After saying that, Tan Jincheng said to his parents, "Mom and Dad, please take care of Qingqing, I have something to do; Tan Jin'en, please introduce your sister to someone, she's still not sure how to address people."

Tan Jin'en, who was holding fireworks, had already returned and was watching the excitement from the outside.

He Jia was a little confused, not understanding why his boss wanted to see him. In fact, Tan Jincheng had only remembered it in the car. He Jia's live streaming model was somewhat similar to a certain platform in his previous life.

In his previous life, Tan Jincheng was also a Bilibili user who enjoyed watching videos on the platform and had some understanding of the history of Bilibili and Douyu.

The development of Douyu was based on the acquisition of AcFun. As the first website in China to launch danmaku (bullet comments), Douyu's founder reportedly only spent 400 million yuan to acquire AcFun.

It should have been in 2010?
Regardless of the year or the amount of money, if He Jia wants to do live streaming, then we might as well acquire him.

In short, according to Tan Jincheng, AcFun is now owned by Orange Technology. Orange Technology's focus is no longer on live streaming, but since they've already started, they should do it well. It's not impossible that they could incubate a listed company in the future.

"What's the matter, boss?"

He Jia, who was led upstairs to the study, was a little confused and looked around.

"No need to look, this is my first time here too. If I hadn't seen the photos my dad sent, I wouldn't have known where the study was."

Tan Jincheng, who hadn't been back to his hometown for two years, knew nothing about the new house. He only knew about it from the photos his father took when he came home, which room was prepared for him and which room was his study.

The study wasn't large and was quite simple, with bookshelves, a desk, a computer, air conditioning, and a small bed. It didn't look like a CEO's study; it was more like a student's.

"Please sit down. Let's talk about Orange Live."

Tan Jincheng pointed to the only chair in the study, and then plopped down on the small bed.

After He Jia sat down, Tan Jincheng went straight to the point: "Do you want to do a good job with the live stream?"

He Jia was taken aback: "Uh, why would the boss ask that? Of course, it's because he wants to do a good job."

"If you want to do well, that's fine. After the New Year, we'll spin off Orange Live into a separate company, and you'll be in charge. You understand what I mean?"

He Jia was stunned for a moment. He was really confused by his boss today, but his heart was pounding.

Who in the internet industry doesn't want to start their own business? However, such opportunities are not available to everyone. He Jia keenly sensed that an opportunity of her own was about to arrive.

Mr. Cheng's story is truly inspiring; he didn't have his current wealth before joining Orange.

“I understand. Now that we’re an independent company, we can’t rely on Orange’s resources indefinitely anymore. I have to take responsibility for myself.”

He Jia's voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Good that you understand. So, do you want to do it? Do you dare to have your own business?"

This time, He Jia answered without hesitation: "Of course."

"That's fine then. Let's get this done after the New Year. You can build the team yourself. As for how to distribute the shares, you can talk to President Cheng yourselves. I'll let him know after the New Year."

Tan Jincheng, who still holds the position of president of Orange Technology, has the right to make such a decision, but he really doesn't want to talk to his subordinates directly about these trivial matters.

Based on the scale of his investments and businesses, Tan Jincheng is now a big shot, capable of mentoring younger generations in both the internet and traditional industries.

"Okay, thank you for giving me this opportunity!"

He Jia was really excited. She never expected that her experience of cheating would actually create an opportunity for her.

"Don't get too excited. Being under the company's wing and working independently are two completely different things. Whether you can do well or not depends on yourselves. It's both a motivation and a pressure."

"understand."

"Okay, it's settled then. There's one more thing, you know about A-site, right?"

"I know, it was founded in 07. The boss's idea is to add bullet comments during the live stream?"

He Jia, now back to normal, is much more quick-witted. Hey, this makes the live stream much more interesting, as users can interact with each other in real time through bullet comments.

“That’s right, let’s acquire AcFun and combine the technologies of both. This kind of live streaming format will definitely be very interesting.”

Tan Jincheng glanced at He Jia with a hint of appreciation. This kid is quick-witted; it seems he's genuinely interested in live streaming and has been seriously studying it.

The live streaming industry actually started relatively early, and the early stages were definitely a downturn. If the founders are not interested in the company and lack patience, it will be very difficult to succeed.

Starting a business requires not only finding the right direction, but also perseverance.

"Huh? Buy it? Where would our new company get so much money?"

He Jia hadn't expected her boss to be so generous. Although A-site was not large and was relatively niche, it would still cost several million to buy it. Where was she going to get several million?

"You can talk to President Cheng yourself and ask the company to invest in you. It all depends on whether you can convince President Cheng. Okay, that's settled then, I have other things to do."

Tan Jincheng stood up, patted He Jia on the shoulder, and walked straight outside.

"Hey boss, how about you invest in me? Consider a few million as your venture capital investment in me, what do you think?"

Tan Jincheng paused, thinking, "Damn, this kid might actually succeed. He has the skills, the interest, the dedication, and most importantly, he's shameless enough."

(End of this chapter)