Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 607 I am not as good as him, we are not as good as him (Bonus chapter for Monchhichi)
Night has fallen, but the internet world is far from asleep.

Zhou Hongyi chose to press the send button on Weibo at midnight, a vicious groin kick, the timing was extremely tricky.

He understands so well.

At this time, most office workers have already put down their work and entered the golden period for sleep and relaxation;

The public relations and decision-making levels of large companies are already off work, and their emergency response mechanisms are at their slowest.

In his battle manifesto, he not only accurately borrowed the overwhelming momentum of the "culture war" waged by the world these days, portraying himself as an oppressed challenger, but also wrapped himself in the irrefutable banner of "there is only one China in the world," occupying the absolute moral high ground.

The effect was explosive.

These past few days, netizens, whose emotions have been ignited, have been looking for an outlet for their pent-up passion, and Zhou Hongyi's Weibo post provided just such a perfect outlet. In an instant, cries of "Support the Red-Clothed Leader for upholding justice!" "Down with the plagiarizing and monopolistic Tencent!" "360 Bodyguards are mighty!" began to emerge.

Data became the coldest footnote to all of this: within an hour of its release, the number of downloads of "360 Penguin Guard" skyrocketed, quickly surpassing 200 million.

Countless users, stirred up by the excitement of participating in history, downloaded, installed, and ran the app, watching the symbolic "shield" icon appear in the lower right corner of their computers, as if they had truly become part of breaking the monopoly and upholding justice.

As the largest internet company and news center outside of the domestic Wenjie system, how could you, with your Penguin Portal, not agree with Wenjie's "negative list"?
That means loyalty isn't absolute! Then we will judge you on behalf of the people!
This is an excessive frenzy among netizens, but it is also a "populist" enthusiasm deliberately stirred up by Zhou Hongyi to gain attention, which undoubtedly stems from internet hype.

Tencent's massive data monitoring system quickly detected this unusual surge of data and public opinion.

At 2:40 a.m., Nanshan Science and Technology Park, Shenzhen.

This area, bustling with traffic during the day and a symbol of China's internet innovation, is now shrouded in the deep darkness and silence, with only a few streetlights outlining the cold, hard contours of the buildings.

Several blinding headlights pierced the darkness. The daily schedules of the owners of these vehicles were enough to influence the direction of the industry, but at this moment, in the dead of night, they were urgently summoned from the sleep of their respective high-end communities.

When President Liu Chiping hurriedly pushed open the conference room door, Chief Technology Officer Zhang Zhidong was standing in front of the projection screen, where the data curves were alarmingly steep.

Little Ma was already seated in the main seat, arms crossed, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water, illuminated by the blue light of the screen.

“Pony, James, the situation is very serious.” Zhang Zhidong’s voice was hoarse from staying up all night. He pointed to a key data point with a laser pointer. “We have detected a precipitous drop in the number of new installations of the QQ client. At the same time, the abnormal exit rate of the QQ software itself has begun to rise abnormally in a specific user group.”

Liu Chiping quickly sat down, his brow furrowed: "What's the working principle of Penguin Bodyguard?"

"This software was actively recommended or even silently installed to users by 360 Security Guard, under the guise of 'protecting user privacy' and 'making QQ safer,' but its core functional design is designed to disruptively 'optimize' QQ's business model and user experience."

The laser pointer pointed to the listed core functionalities, each one touching a nerve most sensitive to Tencent:
Blocking the QQ mini homepage and pop-up ads was one of QQ's important sources of revenue at the time. "QQ Protector" directly blocked their display.

Disabling certain QQ plugins from starting with the system affects QQ's overall functionality and user stickiness.

Cleaning up QQ's temporary files, also known as "junk," may include cache files used for speeding up and verification. Excessive cleaning may actually slow down QQ's operation.

What is particularly sensitive is the so-called "preventing QQ from scanning user privacy".

Liu Chiping and others understood that this feature would loudly notify users that QQ was accessing certain system data, but 360, through highly misleading descriptions, planted a terrifying impression in users' minds that QQ was spying on them, which was a fatal blow to the brand's reputation.

"The most terrifying thing isn't just these features themselves," Zhang Zhidong added gravely, "but that the security software uses its supreme privileges on the user's computer to endorse and protect 'Penguin Bodyguard's' actions. When our QQ PC Manager attempts to perform normal security checks or maintenance, it's flagged as a virus or directly blocked by the security software. This isn't fair competition at all; it's the referee kicking us out of the game!"

He looked at Ma Huateng and made the most serious assessment: "Pony, Zhou Hongyi's move is too vicious. He not only directly cut off our revenue, but more ruthlessly, he systematically and massively undermined users' trust in QQ by inciting 'privacy' panic. Our foundation is being shaken. If we let it spread, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Ma Huateng remained silent as usual, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the data on the screen that represented business losses and the list of malicious functions.

He leaned forward, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his thigh, the slow rhythm creating an atmosphere of extreme tension in the room.

"Chiping?"

"Boss?"

Compared to Zhou Hongyi, Little Ma was more concerned about a different question: "Do you think this has anything to do with Wenjie?"

shock!
Chief Technology Officer Zhang Zhidong, Chief Operating Officer and former head of the game department Ren Yuxin, Chief Administrative Officer Chen Yidan, and of course Liu Chiping, who is currently "arguing" with the company.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Not only because they are formidable rivals and nemesis who have been engaged in commercial battles with Tencent since last year, but also because the boldness and ambition of "using one company to compete against a region's cultural industry" is too "frightening" and has actually exceeded the imagination of ordinary private enterprises like them.

No one would ever do that, firstly because it's impossible, and secondly because it would be overstepping their bounds.

But Wenjie did it anyway, and it seems he's about to succeed. At least the other side seems to be running out of ideas and isn't making any swift or dramatic moves.

And overstepping one's bounds?
People at Xiao Ma's level have seen and heard far too much. Without tacit understanding with the Beijing Film Festival organizers, the municipal government, and relevant higher-ups, Lu Kuan wouldn't have willingly broken this taboo.

Even if he is upright, it is inevitable that the country will see his influence on the overall situation and trends.

It's like a knife, and it's true that it's currently in your hands, Lu Kuan. You are probably a nationalist fighter trusted by everyone from top to bottom and who has been tested over time.

But what about the next generation of businesses?

If your successor or the next professional manager of this cultural flagship is not so pure, then the state will inevitably have to sever ties with it.

Ma Huateng was of course unaware that the time traveler not only had achievements in the Olympics and many other visible accomplishments, but also played a top-tier, core role in the introduction of numerous military technologies, especially in the production and design of a certain country's important weapons.

Because of a problem with the projector, the office lights remained off.

Every time the topic of the Path of Inquiry came up, the atmosphere became particularly heavy, because it was indeed too thorny. Everyone seemed like rocks being battered by waves in the dark, silent and depressed.

Liu Chiping cleared his throat, quickly organizing his thoughts. He knew this judgment was crucial: "Boss, I think... it wasn't Lu Kuan who instructed it. It's more like Zhou Hongyi's extremely shrewd, one-sided opportunism."

"Reason?" Ma Huateng's voice remained calm, without any discernible emotion.

"The core lies in 'degree' and 'battlefield'." Liu Chiping leaned forward slightly, slowing his speech to ensure clarity. "Lu Kuan's counterattack this time is so large-scale, sacrificing short-term commercial interests in exchange for cultural sovereignty and the moral high ground. Boss, you've reminded us these past two days that to achieve this, there must be a high degree of tacit understanding and consensus with the government."

He paused, then emphasized: "This tacit understanding itself defines an invisible boundary. The cultural war that crosses this boundary targets external cultural forces that involve national sovereignty and the greater good of the nation. Within this framework, all his tough stances are not only permitted but even encouraged. But precisely because of this, he needs to cherish and safeguard this hard-won authorization."

“Look at it from the other side,” Liu Chiping changed the subject, pointing to the current crisis, “If Tencent were a more reliable platform, would it instruct Zhou Hongyi to use such controversial, even rogue software, methods to open up a second front unrelated to the core objective at such a critical moment?”

He answered his own question with increasing certainty: "Absolutely not! This would be a case of penny-wise and pound-foolish, a losing proposition!"

"First, the goals are not aligned. Attacking our penguins will not directly help Lu Kuan's ongoing culture war; on the contrary, it will distract him from his energy, resources, and public attention. What he needs now is to gather all the forces that can be united, not to make enemies."

"Secondly, the risk is extremely high. Instructing Zhou Hongyi to attack one of the largest internet companies in China is tantamount to distorting business competition into malicious sabotage. How will the higher-ups view him? An entrepreneur who can abuse the patriotic banner and disrupt the domestic business order for personal gain? This is fundamentally in conflict with the cultural banner role he has been given. With Lu Kuan's prudence and wisdom, he would never put himself in such a pretext and risk at this time."

"Third, the methods are mismatched. Lu Kuan has always used overt strategies to attack its opponents, either with better products, such as WeChat's disruption of SMS, or with stricter rules, such as the negative list and toxic individuals this time."

"He is used to acting arbitrarily from the moral and industrial high ground. Zhou Hongyi's methods of hijacking and inducing people to uninstall are too low-class for him now and do not fit the elite and high-end brand image that Wenjie has been trying to build."

Liu Chiping concluded: "Therefore, my judgment is that Zhou Hongyi has simply sensed the favorable public opinion trend stirred up by Wenjie and wants to take the opportunity to portray us as the 'Golden Horse of the Internet' and cloak his own business behavior in the guise of 'resisting hegemony.' He is using Wenjie, not being used by Wenjie."

The one who understands you best is always your enemy, and also your most evenly matched enemy.

Clearly, after suffering repeated losses at the hands of Wenjie, the entire Tencent team has gained a deeper understanding of this business competitor and his key helmsman.

For a company, the influence of its leaders can be compared to the "heroic view of history" to some extent; everything the company does will bear the deep imprint of its owners.

Judging a company's actions is essentially judging the character and behavior of its leaders.

Liu Chiping's analysis was clearly accepted by the vast majority of people present, including Ma Huateng, who nodded slightly. In fact, he had already reached this conclusion in his mind before anyone else.

why?
The "Zhang Xiaolong being poached" incident, which could become a lifelong regret in his career, occurred after Tencent first copied "Wenjie Farm," and Wenjie only took action after that, even though the latter had made some prior arrangements.

In other words, this richest man in mainland China has a style of doing things that is somewhat like "teaching first and then punishing".

In this life, the only somewhat underhanded and cunning move by Boss Lu was dismembering Huayi, but in the end, he also gave it to Bingbing, who had been with him for many years.

This is because Huayi Big Dog and Little Dog have been using underhanded methods to target Wenjie and Xiao Liu from a very early stage. There is no need to talk about chivalry with such opponents.

Huayi was not his primary target; rather, it was more like a roadblock that had once played an important strategic role in restraining him, but was kicked aside during his growth and progress.

They maintained normal business competition with Wanda and Tencent, who were also relatively restrained, and did not engage in any excessive underhanded tactics.

Pony Ma's expression softened slightly: "I agree with your point. Since 360 ​​has no connection to Wenjie, this kind of opportunistic behavior is very disliked. So, the crucial question we face now is—"

"Which has a higher priority: the major version update and promotion represented by the launch of Q-Message's calling function, or solving the 360 ​​problem first?"

Both are core projects that require a huge investment of energy and require the management team to work together to operate, conduct public relations, and even respond to lawsuits.

However, QQ is the core of the mobile internet era, while QQ is the core of the PC era.

But this time, the calling function of Q-Message is of strategic significance.

In the stage where only text and voice messages are available, communication is asynchronous, while the real-time calling function enables synchronous communication, elevating the online communication experience to the level of face-to-face conversation.

The call function greatly enhances user stickiness. When people discover that they can not only send messages with QQ, but also make free long-distance calls and even video chat later, its significance to users upgrades from "a decent communication app" to "communication infrastructure".

Of course, the hurdles that need to be overcome by the three major telecom operators are real, which will consume a lot of Tencent's public relations and communication efforts. The company has already assembled a team to go to Beijing for this purpose.

Ren Yuxin, former head of the game division, suggested: "Can't we proceed simultaneously? Both are too important. Especially with the operators, we have a lot of work to do, and the tasks are too arduous."

"Absolutely not at the same time!"

This is a matter of opinion. Perhaps feeling that he already knew quite a bit about Wenjie and Boss Lu, Liu Chiping's expression was somber.

"President Ren, these matters involve public sentiment, legal principles, and technical factors, making it difficult for us to focus on two battlefields simultaneously."

“Zhou Hongyi has now packaged himself as an anti-monopoly fighter and hijacked the patriotic sentiment stirred up by Wenjie. If we at the same time forcefully promote a QQ account that is widely regarded as a counterfeit, it would be tantamount to confirming all his accusations against us. Public opinion would think that we are arrogant, unrepentant, and that we are suppressing dissenting opinions while forcibly promoting products suspected of being counterfeit.”

Behind closed doors, he became quite blunt in his words.

"This will completely push a large number of centrist users to the opposite side of us, adding fuel to the fire for 360. We must first win the battle of self-defense and regain the moral discourse power in order to create a relatively friendly public opinion environment for the launch of Q-WeChat."

Ren Xinyu shook his head: "But this time, we're ahead of WeChat in updating and launching this call function. If WeChat and QQ messages were disruptive to SMS, then this call function is disruptive to the three major telecom operators. I'm thinking if we don't seize this opportunity..."

Ma Huateng raised his hand to interrupt the argument between the two and looked at CTO Zhang Zhidong: "Are there any technical problems? Should we proceed simultaneously?"

"Yes, but it's difficult. I personally don't recommend it."

Everyone looked at this college classmate of Pony Ma, the "father of QQ." "Countering 360's Penguin Bodyguard is not as simple as releasing a patch. It requires our most senior security engineers and core architects to reverse engineer 360's underlying attacks and then rewrite QQ's underlying communication and self-protection modules. This is equivalent to replacing the engine of a car while it is running at high speed. Any mistake will cause the whole system to collapse."

"The core voice call function of Q-Message, including the voice encoding and decoding algorithm, network transmission optimization, and the technology to ensure no lag or disconnection under massive concurrency, also relies on the same group of top-notch underlying communication experts. If they are distracted by the highly intense battle of attack and defense to optimize the voice experience of Q-Message, the result is likely to be that neither side is done well, or even the introduction of new fatal vulnerabilities."

The core management team present were all hesitant, and Ma Huateng even sighed in front of his subordinates, which was rare for him: "We originally wanted to be ahead of Wenjie by a major version before the Spring Festival, and also take the opportunity to reverse the situation that Qxin has been catching up with. Now it seems that we can only take a stopgap measure."

If Tencent can successfully launch voice calling, the impact on user growth will be absolutely explosive.

No internet product is more effective at promotion than something that's free, especially free phone calls. It might even boost smartphone sales.

Since the ranch began "catching up" with the farm, the competition between the two has always been a one-sided imitation and pursuit. Little Ma also wants to reverse this situation on QQ.

At least if Tencent had launched voice calling first this time, allowing the other side to copy it, the pressure on Tencent would have been less.

Didn't you see that Zhou Hongyi's manifesto was aimed at two points?

One point is that Tencent does not participate in the negative list system, which is actually a form of moral blackmail against the company itself;
Another point is that Penguin has always been imitating the world of AI, but has never surpassed it.

But what if we let the world copy us once?

There will be much more room for maneuver and communication strategies going forward.

"Let's adjust both sides." He paused and said, "Resolve the countermeasures against 360 as quickly as possible, allocate technical resources, and then focus all our efforts on promoting the new version of QQ. You only have one week. The work below will be handled by the legal and public relations departments."

"Furthermore," Ma Huateng added, "what did Wenjie do this time? They first seized the moral high ground with a 'Letter to Fellow Countrymen,' and I think that's something we can learn from."

He tapped his knuckles lightly on the table: "When you can't bear it anymore, there's no need to bear it any longer. We can use that phrase too."

……

October and November seem to be a particularly suitable time to issue a manifesto.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenberg Church. This was a direct and open philosophical and theological debate against the authority of the Roman Catholic Church at the time.

On November 19, 1863, Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg National Cemetery Inauguration Address. In the middle of a brutal Civil War, he redefined and elevated the ultimate purpose of the war. It was a political manifesto that forged consensus and reshaped values.

In the real world, netizens first saw Wenjie's "Letter to All Fellow Citizens in the Film and Cultural Industries" and "Countermeasures Details", and then discovered the "Anti-QQ Battle Declaration" by the Red-Clothed Cult Leader late at night.

This was followed three days later, at 9:00 AM on November 6th, by Tencent's announcement titled "A Difficult Decision":
By the time you read this letter, we have just made a very difficult decision.

We are fully aware that 360 has recently been spreading rumors under the guise of "justice," claiming that Tencent is "unpatriotic" and "only cares about commercial interests." This is the biggest misunderstanding and harm done to us. Tencent was born in Shenzhen and grew up in China. We have always upheld the belief of "user-centricity and technology for good."

Like all our compatriots, we firmly believe that there is only one China in the world.

However, 360's "Penguin Guard" has illegally damaged the security and integrity of QQ. This is not only an attack on our company, but also a serious threat to the communication security and network order of hundreds of millions of users. Until 360 ceases its malicious attacks on QQ, we have decided to stop running QQ software on computers with 360 software installed.

We earnestly request your understanding and support. This decision was difficult, but we had to step forward to uphold user rights and safeguard the fairness and justice of the online environment.

……

The "choose one of two" dilemma that changed the internet landscape and propelled the enactment of antitrust and unfair competition laws in the previous life has arrived.

Yulong Bay, Dongyang, Zhejiang Province.

"Enough is enough, no need to endure any longer." Liu Yifei covered her mouth and chuckled as she looked at the official Weibo account and the portal headline of Tencent, then looked at her husband who was drawing with their two babies. "You guys are going to ruin this phrase, you'll all become Ninja Turtles."

She suddenly seemed to remember something: "Hey, do you think Ma Huateng will think that you instructed Zhou Hongyi to do this?"

"I don't think so, right?" Lu Kuan turned around, but Youyou tugged at his arm a second later, signaling her father to continue.

This "amateur" whose painting was bought by Jing Tian for 1500 million yuan is now "blindly drawing" a family photo of four, sketching it simply without any reference.

Because it was drawn so quickly, it was almost like the slowest frame of animation in the eyes of the little twins, and even the usually active Tie Dan couldn't take his eyes off it.

How did we, Mom and Dad, suddenly end up on the drawing board?
Xiao Liu closed her laptop and sat down next to her husband and children, hugging her daughter and son tightly, and resting her chin on her husband's shoulder.

"Shouldn't Wenjie take this opportunity to do something?"

Three days have passed. If the core management team does nothing in the face of a competitor like Tencent, it would be a serious dereliction of duty.

"Ball! Ball!" Tie Dan tugged at his father's sleeve with his little hand, his chubby knuckles pointing to the sketch of himself in his arms, indicating that he wanted to add a prop for himself.

The old father understood immediately. While fulfilling his son's wish, he smiled at his wife, who was hugging his neck, and said, "We'll do it, but we'll do it carefully. Everything has been arranged."

"Be cautious?" Xiao Liu paused for a moment, puzzled, but after so many years of tacit understanding, he instantly understood what he meant.

Logically speaking, now is the time when Wenjie and his personal reputation have reached a higher point. With the power of a private cultural capital, he can hold his own against a region's cultural industry and even suppress the other party so far that they have not made any further moves.

Such a sharp sword is too conspicuous.

Lu Kuan stared intently at the family of four in the painting. "This time, we've really shown our true strength to a great extent. It looks like we're living the high life, but it's often the most dangerous time."

He spoke in a calm tone, as if he were telling a bedtime story to the twins.

“In the past, we allowed parasites like Zhu Dake to comment on Weibo, and even now we are taking action against public intellectuals who do not stand out too much, in order to cover up and prove that we have no intention of overstepping our bounds and creating a one-man show.”

"Although we are now cooperating tacitly with the higher-ups and using the Beijing Film Festival as a pretext to severely crack down on the ideological issues of cultural public figures, it will definitely attract criticism, which is absolutely unavoidable."

“I think the country should trust you completely,” Liu Yifei said quietly, her tone firm.

She knew what her husband had done and how much risk he had taken; he was a man of great character.

Mr. Lu suddenly stopped writing, turned to look at his wife, and grinned, "Can I do this for the rest of my life?"

"Next year I'll only be 30 by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, but the current experts are already 40, 50, or even approaching the strength of a 60-year-old. What if they keep expanding like this?"

He then gestured to the baby in his wife's arms: "If you trust me, does that mean you'll always trust them in the future?"

"Even as parents, we dare not say that we can raise absolutely outstanding children. What is a sharp sword now may become a cultural nuclear weapon with global strike capability in twenty years."

"Will they be able to manage it then? Will the company's veterans be convinced? Will the higher-ups still trust them as always?"

"The ability to mobilize public opinion, coordinate globally, and formulate rules demonstrated by Wenjie this time is astonishing. Only when we have cultural power of this scale in our own hands can we feel most at ease."

“Daddy!” Youyou suddenly interrupted him, then pointed to her mother’s skirt, and then to her own skirt in the drawing.

Her younger brother wanted toys, and she wanted to wear clothes like her mother; this was the simplest form of imitation of her parents.

The elderly father skillfully adjusted the pen, the tip dancing lightly on the sketch paper.

He did not erase the original lines, but instead used softer, more flowing curves to outline the silhouette of Youyou's little skirt.

With just a few strokes, the simple children's dress incorporated the iconic, lively vine pattern on Liu Yifei's skirt. Although it was just a simple sketch, the spirit of the design was already there.

Liu Yifei's smooth brows furrowed slightly as she pondered the turbulent future he described. She watched as he casually added a few similar scroll patterns to the son's clothes in the painting, creating a clever echo with the skirts of her sister and mother.

In an instant, what was originally just a warm family portrait sketch exuded a harmonious and unified sense of ceremony and intimacy, like a haute couture family dress.

“They will be just as good as you.” Xiao Liu said this without knowing where the confidence came from, looking at the family in the painting with unwavering determination.

“I’m nothing special. I hope they can surpass me, far surpass me.” Boss Lu smiled, then said with some emotion, “So we must be cautious with every step we take. No situation is absolutely stable.”

"Otherwise, it would have been easy to make the penguins shed a layer of skin this time, but there's no need for that."

He was putting the finishing touches on the sketch. "The reason why Penguin fell into a passive position this time is because it was greedy and wanted to get a piece of everything through imitation and bundling strategies." "Wenjie is also greedy, but we have always focused on the film and cultural industries. We have narrowed our scope and expanded our depth as long as we can form our own stable closed-loop ecological network. Otherwise, we could have intervened in Penguin's game industry long ago."

"Especially under these circumstances, and with such a banner in place, we must be even more careful with our words and actions, so as not to give others any ammunition to criticize us."

Liu Yifei nodded: "I understand."

She glanced at the two chubby little babies and knew that the "protective net" her current husband had created for her could almost withstand any attacks from within, but what about ten, twenty, or thirty years from now?

Every nail planted by Wenjie's arrogance and domineering behavior today could be stepped on by her two children in the future.

"Back then, Wenjie used patriotism as a pretext for personal gain, conspiring with 360 to launch PC instant messaging software that completely crushed Tencent. With such a criminal record, I think it's better to dismantle this company without its leader, lest it become too powerful and endanger public opinion and cultural security..."

Nurturing a business is like raising a child; habits are extremely important.

This cultural war is timely, with the main purpose of seizing the discourse power of Chinese-language films and cultural industries, cracking down on the negative trends of bad relatives, and taking advantage of the Beijing Film Festival to enhance the empire's cultural influence in the world.

For Wenjie, it is beneficial both publicly and privately, as the fundamental interests of enterprises and the country are aligned.

Although Wenjie can freely develop its existing cultural and public opinion industry chain, such as its films, Weibo, and WeChat, this is also what the government wants to see, because in the foreseeable future, it will still have to rely on Wenjie, a relatively insensitive grassroots force, to continue to reach out.

But if you use this power, which involves the government and the general trend, to take the opportunity to undermine the domestic internet company second only to Wenjie, causing it to "be ruined and destroyed"...

Even if we swallow our pride and bear it now because of the trust placed in us by the authorities, we are planting seeds of future trouble for ourselves.

These problems couldn't be triggered when Boss Lu was still at the height of his power because of his past achievements, but what about the next generation?

……

The 3Q War began in the early hours of November 4th. Three days later, Tencent released "A Difficult Decision," pushing the war to its climax. Public opinion was in uproar, hundreds of millions of users were forced to take sides, and the social impact far exceeded the commercial scope.
On November 8th, the online discussion reached its peak. Many netizens, incited by Zhou Hongyi, used patriotic rhetoric to attack Tencent. Tencent's forceful "either/or" approach also aroused public resentment, and the public opinion situation was relatively passive.

On November 9th, due to the extremely negative impact, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology urgently summoned both parties for talks, but the outcome is unknown.

On November 11th, the very day the second Wenjie "Double Eleven Shopping Festival" began, Wenjie Holdings, which had been silent for a long time, released an announcement.
-
Wenjie Holdings Group and its subsidiaries are committed to serving users through technological innovation and high-quality content, and promoting the healthy development of the industry.

In response to recent commercial disputes and related public opinion within the industry, our company hereby issues the following statement:

First, our stance on the recent industry disputes.

The recent friction between two companies in the industry has attracted widespread attention and has also given rise to numerous online rumors.

Wenjie Holdings Group hereby solemnly declares: Our company and all its employees have never participated in, planned, or instructed any party's actions in this incident in any form. We firmly believe that a healthy market environment should be built on the foundation of fair competition and mutual respect.

Second, a reaffirmation of corporate autonomy and industry responsibility.

The countermeasures taken by Wenjie in response to unfair external treatment were independent corporate actions based on safeguarding the company's legitimate rights and interests and defending its cultural sovereignty. Companies have the right to formulate development strategies based on market principles and their own values.

At the same time, Wenjie will never and oppose any form of public opinion incitement or moral blackmail, and will not impose it on any other company or individual. Cooperation between companies should be based on a common vision and market rules, not external pressure. We urge our netizens to be cautious in their words and actions.

We firmly believe that healthy competition is the driving force for industry development. For an outstanding company like Tencent that has achieved remarkable success in the internet field, we welcome and expect it to always uphold the right values ​​and demonstrate a consistent and firm stance on matters of principle.

This is an obligation that a leading company in the industry should fulfill, and it is also what we expect of them.

Third, regarding the release of the new version of WeChat.

We are pleased to announce that WeChat version 1.3 will be officially released tomorrow morning. This update will bring you the long-awaited real-time voice chat function, and the next version will introduce video chat function.

This update aims to provide users with a more convenient and efficient way to communicate. We sincerely invite all users to update and experience it, and to provide valuable feedback!
Fourth, the "Double Eleven Shopping Festival" has already begun. Happy shopping!

Wenjie will continue to focus on its core business and give back to users and society with better products and services.

Wenjie Holdings Group
November 11, 2010
-
At first glance, Wenjie's statement left netizens puzzled. They wondered why they would stop the project at such a good opportunity, and why they would take the initiative to relieve Tencent of public pressure when it was already embroiled in great controversy.

Even if you really don't want to participate, you can simply stand aside and watch the show. Why put pressure on your competitors?

At least the red-robed cult leader, who had always admired the decisive and ruthless nature of the Asking Realm, didn't understand at first. But after reading the later lines, he seemed to be deep in thought, sipping his tea in his office and pondering the matter...

Shenzhen, Nanshan Science and Technology Park.

In the same office where the core management team had gathered that same night, Liu Chiping carefully read Wenjie's announcement, a hint of "I knew it" creeping onto his face. He turned to Ma Huateng, his tone carrying a hint of eagerness after confirming his judgment:

"This is exactly what I predicted! Not only did Lu Kuan not get involved, but he immediately distanced himself from the situation and even 'encouraged' us in the announcement. This fully demonstrates that Zhou Hongyi is acting alone, and Wenjie doesn't want to be dragged into it."

"Now that the pressure from public opinion has eased, this is the perfect opportunity for us to concentrate all our efforts and use the most forceful legal and technical means to completely eliminate 360, this major threat! I suggest we immediately organize our most elite legal and technical team to launch a full-scale lawsuit against 360 for its unfair competition!"

Ma Huateng did not respond immediately.

He was standing in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, the morning sunlight reflecting off the glass and creating dappled patterns on his glasses.

The penguin leader gazed at the gradually awakening scenery of Nanshan Science and Technology Park, but his gaze seemed unfocused, as if it had penetrated the buildings in front of him and landed in some more distant place.

In the office of Zhou Hongyi in the Feiyada Building on the north side of Pengcheng Avenue, the "Red-Clothed Cult Leader" was also holding a teacup, looking at the same announcement, with a similar solemn and thoughtful expression on his face.

This announcement from Wenjie brings both good news and bad news for Tencent.

Chief Operating Officer Ren Yuxin sighed, his tone filled with resentment and regret: "Lu Kuan's move... is still a step ahead of us. Not only are they about to launch voice calls, but they've also already secured the video call market. Even if our Q-Message voice function goes live immediately, we'll instantly become the pursuers in terms of publicity."

Still stuck in the old pattern of "always imitating", it's another step behind. Will it continue to lag behind like Penguin Ranch?

Chief Technology Officer Zhang Zhidong, who had been silent until now, adjusted his glasses and analyzed the situation in his usual technically rational tone:
"From a technical perspective, Wenjie's early announcement of video calling is more of a strategic positioning move. With approximately 4000 million 3G mobile phone users in China and the current level of Wi-Fi hotspot coverage, it is simply insufficient to support a high-quality and stable mobile video calling experience. Forcing its launch will only result in poor user reputation, which is counterproductive."

He paused, a hint of approval in his eyes for his competitor's strategy: "Xiaolong is quite clever. Announcing the technological direction in advance not only showcased his R&D capabilities and secured the high ground in public opinion, but also shifted the blame for actual implementation to advancements in network infrastructure."

"This means that in the next year or two, whoever launches a truly usable video call service first will be the innovator; those who come later, even if the experience is slightly better, will still be imitators. They are not afraid of being copied, because the core encoding and decoding algorithms and network adaptive optimization are the real barriers."

Zhang Zhidong stopped speaking there, but the implication was self-evident:

As Ma Huateng previously stated, Wenjie has once again used a "public strategy" to gain a significant strategic advantage.

Little Ma remained silent by the window, the sunlight elongating his shadow. After a brief, heated discussion, the atmosphere in the office fell into a deeper silence.

It seems that the situation of easing the war of words with 360 is not something to be too happy about.

Chen Yidan, the relatively composed Chief Administrative Officer who had always been in charge of legal affairs, public relations, and government relations, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He looked at Ma Huateng's retreating figure and asked the question that had been on everyone's mind:
"Pony, what are you thinking?"

Everyone wondered if they had misheard, but it seemed that the Boss sighed again and then turned around.

“Lu Kuan… is much stronger than all of us. He understands people’s hearts and the situation too well.”

Ma Huateng smiled wryly: "I was thinking, if I were in his shoes, would I have let it go so easily and spared the penguin stuck in the mud?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself."

He pointed in the direction of the Fiyta Building: "Even if they didn't conspire with Zhou Hongyi, even if they just sat on the sidelines and watched the tigers fight, it would still be more beneficial than actively relieving the pressure on us."

"And this time..." Liu Chiping pressed.

"No matter how rich he is, how he is the leader and hero of this cultural war, or how he can use a single company to fight against a regional power, he has never lost his sense of proportion. Such a person is truly terrifying."

"He deliberately chose to top out the building when it was almost at its tallest point!"

The conference room was completely silent; everyone held their breath as they listened to the analysis from the head of Tencent.

"Wenjie's tone in the announcement was calm and polite, but it presented us with a huge challenge." Ma Huateng sighed, "That's right, we are two companies that are fiercely competing, not only on this Double Eleven, but also for years to come."

"But now that Tencent has clearly benefited, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and higher authorities watching, should we give back out of business ethics? And how should we do so?"

Ma Huateng tapped the table lightly: "It's the negative list and the blockade of toxic individuals that he proposed in the announcement, to continue helping them achieve the same goal as the temple."

"Everyone is free to use their imagination and speculate on what might happen next?"

Ren Xinyu suddenly realized: "The two largest internet companies in mainland China have already participated in setting his rules. Will the third and fourth be far behind?"

Chen Yidan also said in a deep voice: "But the problem is, no matter how many companies participate in the future, people will only remember that it was initiated by Lu Kuan and led by Wenjie."

"History will not record penguins as the second oldest, but only who pioneered it."

Brother Ma showed a hint of admiration and a hint of helplessness: "That's where his brilliance lies. You see, he took a step back in the announcement, right?"

"Wrong! He took at least three steps forward!"

Ma Huateng held up three fingers: "To demonstrate corporate character to the higher authorities, to act with propriety and never overstep boundaries, this is the first step!"

"As a true opinion leader, the second step is to mobilize the power of all industries to push this cultural war he initiated to its climax!"

Liu Chiping asked in confusion, "What's the third step?"

“The third step…” Ma Huateng looked at his CTO, “He launched voice call and even preview video features at this time. Even if it threatens the interests of the three major telecom operators, would anyone dare to mess with him now?”

"And what about us? We can only feel our way across the river, and we still have to rely on our public relations team of a few dozen people in Beiping."

In its previous life, the penguin's operation of WeChat was far from smooth sailing; the voice call function alone encountered great obstacles.

In 2010, Wang Jianzhou, chairman of China Mobile, pointed out that QQ accounted for 40% of the data traffic of Guangdong Mobile, but the revenue generated was not commensurate with it.

By the end of 2012, Li Yue, president of China Mobile, also publicly stated that OTT services, represented by WeChat, had significantly squeezed the traditional businesses of operators, such as SMS and voice calls.

In the same year, Lu Yimin, general manager of China Unicom, also frankly stated that WeChat brought "serious challenges" that deserved deep consideration.

The three major telecom operators jointly submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, hoping to establish a new charging model for OTT services such as WeChat.

In February 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology held a special meeting to discuss the issue of WeChat's occupation of network resources by operators.

But after arduous work, Minister Miao expressed his hope to "encourage competition and leave the market to the market," which relieved a lot of pressure on WeChat.

But now, the process of public relations, lobbying, and enduring hardship that would normally take 3-4 years is easily resolved by the outside world.

It is precisely because leaders like Ma Huateng, who lead their companies in doing the same things, are so impressed by Boss Lu's vision, methods, and masterful ability to seize opportunities.

"Comrades," Little Ma's words snapped everyone out of their daze, "I hope you won't be influenced by my words. Haven't you seen enough geniuses already? Don't be discouraged."

He smiled brightly: "We should be proud to have such an opponent. Our competition is not a life-or-death struggle of attrition, but a confrontation that can create more value."

"I think we penguins also need to undergo a major overhaul..."

Everyone was startled, wondering what he meant.

In fact, after the devastating 3Q War, Pony Ma, in his previous life, learned a painful lesson and sent an email to all employees on November 11, 2010, entitled "Opening the Door to the Future," in which he proposed the prototype of Tencent's new concept.

He proposed: We will try to inject more open and sharing elements into the future development of Penguin, and will more actively promote platform openness and pay attention to the harmony of the industry chain, because Penguin's dream is not to become the strongest and largest company, but the most respected company.

After six months of preparation, Penguin held its Partner Conference, and from then on, it became the "mad investor" Penguin it is today.

This was a decision made by Pony Ma, a shrewd businessman, after much painful reflection.

However, in this life, he was even more impressed by the perspective, demeanor, and style of the transmigrator.

……

On November 11th, Wenjie Mall's "Carnival Shopping Festival" was in full swing, but Tencent took the lead by issuing a sincere announcement, adding fuel to the fire for its "competitor's" major holiday.

A Letter to Mr. Lu Kuan and All Industry Colleagues at Wenjie Company

Recently, with industry disputes raging and Tencent caught in the crossfire, we have deeply reflected on our actions in responding to the crisis and acknowledged that there were indeed inappropriate aspects. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our users.

In the future, we will adopt a more open and inclusive mindset and dedicate ourselves to building a healthy and positive industry ecosystem.

During this period, the "Letter to Fellow Countrymen" and a series of initiatives on the healthy development of the industry issued by Wenjie Company were far-sighted and ambitious, profoundly reflecting Mr. Lu Kuan and the Wenjie team's sense of responsibility and outstanding vision for the long-term development of the industry, which we deeply admire.

Your company's "negative list" concept has pointed out a clear path for the orderly development of the industry and set a high standard.

After careful discussion by the board of directors and management, Penguin has decided to actively respond to and fully support the initiative proposed by Wenjie Company, and to proactively refer to and deeply integrate into the "negative list" management system advocated by your company.

We will take Wenjie Company as our role model, and under the guidance of forward-looking concepts, we will work together with outstanding colleagues in the industry to resolutely say no to all "toxic individuals" and content that touch upon principles and bottom lines and harm the overall interests of the industry and national cultural security, and jointly strive to create a clean and positive cyberspace environment.

Penguin
November 11, 2010

……

Less than three hours after Tencent released its statement, a group of executives at Wanda's headquarters on Chang'an Avenue in Beijing were summoned to the chairman's office for a short meeting that lasted only ten minutes.

Without hesitation, Wang Jianlin, a former soldier, made Wanda the third company to join the Wenjie "negative list" and boycott "toxic individuals".

Third place, surely someone will remember it?
When Wenjie, Tencent, and Wanda, three giants in cultural content, internet social networking, and offline physical commerce, made their statements, a widespread announcement quickly spread across the internet.

In addition to Sina Weibo and Tencent, Sohu and NetEase, two major traditional portal websites, published announcements in the most prominent positions on their homepages, announcing that they would fully adopt the "negative list" standard and impose traffic restrictions or even take down the individuals and their works on the list.

Youku, Tudou, LeTV Culture and other mainstream video platforms jointly issued a statement to establish a "joint review mechanism for copyright and artist background" and refuse to provide dissemination channels for any individuals on the list and related works;
Mainstream cinema chains, primarily privately owned, such as Dadi and Jinyi, collectively announced that they will strictly enforce the "negative list" issued by Wenjie and will no longer screen any films involving creators on the list. State-owned cinema chains, however, remain unmoved.
Several major performance brokerage companies and ticketing platforms have issued announcements promising that they will no longer provide any form of performance approval or ticketing services for artists on the list.

真正击溃正在目眦尽裂地观察局势的对岸某马的，是11月11月购物狂欢节接近结束的晚上11点，多家内地和香江剧组宣布退出将于于11月20号举办的某马。

First, mainland actor Wang Xueqi announced his unilateral withdrawal from "Bodyguards and Assassins" and "Sunshine Mountain City," in which he was originally scheduled to star. Subsequently, the production team issued an urgent statement to add fuel to the fire, announcing that he would also withdraw from the project.
Xu Jinglei's "Du Lala's Promotion Diary," which had already waned to the point of being a self-contained circle within the Beijing literary circle, announced its withdrawal; Wang Quan'an's "Reunion" also withdrew.
Following this, Ann Hui withdrew from "All About Love," Hendrik Willem Van Loon announced the withdrawal of "Little Big Soldier," and Vincent Fang withdrew from "Break Up Say I Love You."
Following the example set by Hong Kong's veteran singer Jacky Cheung, the "God of Songs" announced on his personal Twitter account that he was withdrawing from the films "Crossing Hennessy" and "Hot Summer Days".
The most ironic thing is that in the end, a large number of Taiwanese film crews couldn't withstand the pressure:

Wang Leehom directed and starred in "Love Announcement," with a female lead who is an ordinary person from mainland China. Jay Chou personally announced his withdrawal from the "Treasure Hunter" awards.

Just as Lin Chih-ling's "The Battle of Shama Town" and "The Treasure Hunter," and Hsu Ruo-hsuan's "Juliet," which Chu Yen-ping had been heavily promoting, were still struggling to survive, the biggest blow came—

At Li Lie's insistence, Red Bean Films, in which she holds shares, decided to officially withdraw its production of "Monga" from this year's Golden Horse Awards.

Even those who were close to Huang Jianye, such as Ruan Jingtian, Zhao Youting, and Niu Chengze, who still wanted to hold onto their old tickets, were powerless to do anything about it.

Being two-faced will ultimately result in losing everything.

When the China Film News tallied a total of 133 films participating in this year's Golden Horse Awards, and only a dozen or so domestic films remained after just a few hours, the entire internet erupted in excitement.

It can be said that this cultural war spearheaded by Wenjie and Boss Lu has achieved its first major victory, and now mainland netizens are spreading the same undeniable fact:

That horse is dead!

Further liquidation may still be underway.

……

At one o'clock in the morning, on Chang'an Avenue in Beiping, the light was still on in the chairman's office of Wanda's headquarters building.

Wang Sicong, who had just returned from the United States and was still jet-lagged, carried a plastic bag from a convenience store, knocked symbolically, and then pushed open the door to enter.

He had just left behind preliminary negotiations regarding the acquisition of AMC Theatres, and his face still bore the fatigue of a long flight, but his eyes were still shining.

It seems that they have gone through a lot of trials and tribulations in the past six months.

"Dad, have some late-night snack." He went to the huge mahogany desk, took out two boiled corns from a plastic bag and handed one to him. "I bought them on the way, they're still warm. I can't get used to their food in England, so I often cook this to fill my stomach. It's really filling."

Wang Jianlin, who was deep in thought in front of the computer screen, looked up and paused slightly when he saw the corn in his son's hand.

He didn't reply, but silently took it and patted the armrest of the sofa next to him.

Wang Sicong understood and walked over. The father and son, from a billionaire family, quietly ate hot corn in their spacious and luxurious office, facing the dazzling lights of Chang'an Avenue outside the window.

After chewing a few bites and swallowing the sweet corn kernels, Wang Jianlin broke the silence: "What are your thoughts on Wenjie and Lukuan's actions this time?"

Wang Sicong paused in his corn-eating motion, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before launching into his characteristic sarcastic remark, a blend of arrogance and shrewdness:

"I feel... he's changed a bit."

"Where did it change?"

The second-generation leader spoke succinctly, swallowing the food in his mouth with difficulty: "In the past, I had reason to suspect that the penguin now had become the Lianxiang that he had ravaged."

Old Wang silently chewed the corn kernels in his mouth, picking up a few that had fallen beside the sofa and chewing them again. "It has changed, it has become even more terrifying."

"Or rather... this was always him, but as Wenjie has grown, he has gradually revealed more of the vision and magnanimity of an entrepreneur."

Wang Sicong grinned awkwardly: "Dad, please don't use other people to lecture me in the future. I don't think I have the right to do so."

After this trip, he had a deeper understanding of "how to do things," and finally said something he would never have said before, no matter how dissatisfied he was.

Old Wang shook his head and wrapped the remaining half of the corn tightly in a plastic bag.

“I’ve been thinking that at 19, he was already acting like a 30-year-old.”

"He must be almost 30 years old now, but he gives the impression of being 40 or 50, more worldly-wise and knowing when to advance and retreat."

He walked over and patted Wang Sicong heavily on the shoulder:

"First, don't be discouraged; life is long."

"Secondly, there is nothing shameful about appreciating others and acknowledging their excellence."

"Don't talk about you." Old Wang suddenly smiled at his son with relief. "I'm not as good as him, none of us are as good as him."

(End of this chapter)