Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 650 Let it settle down

"Is the young man also a college student?"

The middle-aged leader, who was loading the cargo, glanced at him sideways and asked.

"Yes, Mr. Song and I went to the same school."

Chen smiled and asked in return, "Which department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is the leader from?"

"Ok?"

The middle-aged leader loading the cargo frowned; he felt the question was rather abrupt and lacked any manners.

As expected of someone from out of town, they don't understand the proper etiquette when dealing with leaders from the capital.

Yang Bei from Douwang Technology could tell that this young man held considerable influence in Song Shiwei's eyes, so he didn't want to cause any further misunderstandings and took the initiative to explain: "This is my senior, Xin Zhou, who is now the deputy director of the Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology."

"Oh."

Chen thought to himself, "No wonder they don't recognize me. They're from the Technology Department, which is a department with relatively weak authority and currently has no dealings with the Retrospective Department."

The previous judgment was correct; it really is a level that is "neither up nor down".

Chen Zhe noticed a teapot on the table, so he bent down to pick it up. While pouring water for Xin Zhou and Yang Bei, he asked with a smile, "Director Xin, are you personally attending the negotiation meeting to guide us, or to set the tone directly?"

Xin Zhou frowned even more deeply.

This person looked young, but his actions of bowing, picking up the kettle, pouring water, and asking questions revealed a smoothness and ease that only someone who had been immersed in the system for a long time could possess.

"My senior colleague wanted to persuade President Song to invest in Douwang Technology."

Yang Bei wasn't part of the system, and belatedly realized Chen Zhe's subtle probing. He even explained the core value of his company's products to Chen Zhe:
"Douban is a platform that gathers the most discerning young people in China. They have sharp minds, profound insights, and pure spirits..."

"Are they willing to spend the money?"

Chen suddenly interrupted.

"Huh? I... I'd like to..."

Yang Bei choked for a moment, realizing he himself lacked confidence.

"Mr. Yang, I'm not targeting you personally."

Chen sighed and said earnestly, "We're talking business. Douban's business model is ultimately about monetizing traffic. But have you done any research on Douban users' payment rates?"

"Why wasn't this investigated?!"

Yang Bei seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and said somewhat angrily, "Our users are all high-end urban elites. They can pay for knowledge, for experiences, and for their spiritual lives in the future... Each group is a potential vertical market!"

"Come on!"

Chen silently scoffed.

The overlap rate between Xiaohongshu and Douban users is as high as 80%. Don't I understand the feminist sentiment on Xiaohongshu?

They're all the type who "only offer rewards but don't actually pay out." They can talk a good game, but spending money is out of the question.

"Mr. Yang, times have changed."

Chen earnestly explained, "Users will soon get used to doing everything on their phones, but Douban shows no sign of moving in that direction. Sticking to the PC-based community model will only narrow our path. We need to invest in the future, not a utopia that will be eliminated by the times!"

However, the emphasis on "Utopia" carries a hint of irony.

Yang Bei's eloquence, vision, and thinking were all inferior to Chen Zhe's, and he was quickly rendered speechless by the rebuttal.

In desperation, he had no choice but to bring out his "backer".

"Ms. Song invested in Taomee Technology, a game company. Although my senior colleague works in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, he has a wide network of connections."

"If Mr. Song can invest in our Douwang Technology, he can also introduce you to some connections in the cultural sector."

"You have to understand that for online games, the approval of game licenses and content supervision are the lifeline. With support in these areas, things will be much smoother."

……

After Yang Bei finished speaking, the small conference room fell silent for a moment.

Yang Bei thought he had scared them, and a smug look appeared in his eyes.

It's important to understand that this statement can mean either "support" or, conversely, "to create obstacles" or a threat.

Chen snorted lightly. No wonder an internet product founded in 2005 still hasn't gone public in 2025, given that this kind of person has such a limited perspective.

"Is that what Director Xin also thinking?"

Chen ignored Yang Bei and turned to look at Xin Zhou.

In fact, after years of official career, Xin Zhou's sixth sense had been subtly warning him of a crisis, but this time he came to help his junior brother by acting as a persuader, supporting him, and taking responsibility.

If I were to slip away cleanly at this point, not only would my junior lose face, but I would also become a laughing stock in our classmates' group.

So, with a sliver of inexplicable wishful thinking, Xin Zhou said calmly, "For the healthy development of the game industry, the censorship and entry thresholds must be strictly controlled."

Although not explicitly stated, the threat was obvious. Chen Zhe and Song Shiwei exchanged a glance.

Sweetie slowly lowered her eyes, as if as long as Chen Zhe was by her side, she would let him make the decisions.

"Hey~"

Chen Zhe didn't like to use his power to intimidate people, but he couldn't let a deputy director-level leader control him either.

Old Zheng was the first to object.

You guys worked with me, a deputy minister, for several months, and yet you had to swallow your pride and endured the humiliation of a deputy director-general?
Is that true?
Therefore, Chen said very seriously, "We naturally support any decisions the country makes regarding the healthy development of industry, but... does Director Xin know me?"

"you?"

Xin Zhou's unease grew stronger, but he really didn't know Chen Zhe.

Chen nodded, then turned to Yang Bei, the founder of Douwang Technology: "Mr. Yang, do you know me?"

Are you famous?

Yang Bei thought this guy was a bit off. You're not a celebrity, why should we know you?
Chen Zhe wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "President Yang is determined to make a name for himself in the internet industry, but he doesn't even care about the hottest news and trends in the industry right now. What's the difference between that and working in isolation?"

In fact, Yang Bei wasn't completely ignoring it; he was just busy with fundraising and going public, so he neglected it.

Do you have a business card?

Finally, it was Deputy Director Xin who took the initiative to ask.

Chen calmly took out his phone, gently placed it on the table, and said, "This is my business card."

The obsidian black chassis resembles a meticulously polished piece of black jade, exuding a profound and pure black hue under the conference room lights.

"Yuzu?"

Xin Zhou finally reacted, and the next moment he suddenly stood up, so much so that the chair wobbled and fell backward.

"Are you General Manager Chen from the past?"

Xin Zhou's eyes widened.

Chen did not deny it.

"During this trip to the capital, I originally planned to visit General Manager Wang and General Manager Zheng from China Mobile, General Manager Lu from China Unicom, and General Manager Wang from China Telecom..."

Every name Chen uttered felt like a heavy stone pressing down on Xin Zhou's heart.

The power arena is a strictly controlled ecosystem, where prey downstream instinctively tremble at the mere mention of names from the upper echelons of the food chain.

So Deputy Director Xin has stopped pretending and his eyes are clearly showing panic, because the difference in rank between himself and those people is too great.

"I went to General Manager Zheng's office the day before yesterday to receive instructions."

Xin Zhou quickly tried to salvage the situation: "General Manager Zheng clearly pointed out that the contract-based aircraft is a key project of the Ministry. Once the mass-produced aircraft are delivered, our Technology Department must open a green channel and fully cooperate to complete all adaptation and certification work."

"Is Director Xin reminding me again?"

Chen replied, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Without your expedited process, would the release of these contract phones have been delayed?"

"No, no, absolutely not!"

Xin Zhou's face, which was originally a deep reddish-brown, turned pale instantly because of Chen's "teasing".

The secretary suddenly realized that the reason some people's lips turn bluish is because of the "color mixing" of red and white.

Yang Bei finally realized that he seemed to have gotten himself into trouble, having kicked a hard rock.

Originally intending to "use power to intimidate others," they ended up being "intimidated instead."

Fortunately for Xin Zhou, none of the leaders he had just met were his direct superiors.

Even if someone has a problem with themselves, this gives them a chance to work things out.

"Whoo~"

Xin Zhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was the dead of winter and snow was falling heavily outside, but his back felt hot. He had been sweating profusely from the fright.

He was thinking of finding more reasons to communicate with the person in charge of the retrospection.

However, Director Chen was already thinking about how to get Director Xin to "go down and settle down".

He ran into himself today, but if he ran into other private companies, would they have to obediently listen to him?
However, Xin Zhou was, after all, a leader in the capital, and for the time being, he was indeed somewhat powerless to intervene.

Just as they were making their plans, the glass door to the small conference room creaked open again.

A loud, arrogant Beijing accent rang out: "Hey, it's really lively here! What are you all talking about so enthusiastically?"

Chen's expression relaxed.

The one who can cure him immediately has arrived.

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(Goodnight, please vote with monthly tickets.)
(End of this chapter)