Restart life

Chapter 208 0205 [How much is ByteDance worth now?] (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader MjiangSuGA)

"Oh dear, who wears black stockings in period costumes?"

"You haven't changed your undergarment either."

I've noticed you're a bit of a pervert!

"That's called romance."

"Turn around, I'll call you when you're dressed."

"I'll help you put it on."

"No, I'll wear it myself."

"..."

In the hotel room, Chen Guiliang was exchanging tips on Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) matching with Bian Guanyue.

Bian Guanyue is always hesitant at first, but she goes crazy halfway through and even tries all sorts of new tricks.

Chen Guiliang obediently turned his back and listened to the rustling sounds behind him.

Two or three minutes later, Bian Guanyue said, "I'm dressed."

Chen Guiliang turned his head and his eyes lit up immediately.

She's so good at it!

Not only did she lift her lower garment to subtly reveal her black stockings, but she also deliberately made her upper body look disheveled, giving the impression of a pitiful figure with her hair in disarray.

Especially the eyes that she honed from singing opera since elementary school, a single glance from her lowered brows is enough to captivate and enthrall.

Chen Guiliang walked over with a grin.

Bian Guanyue pushed him away: "General, you mustn't."

Still playing role-playing games?

Chen Guiliang then played along, saying, "Why not?"

Bian Guanyue said, "I already belong to Grand Tutor Dong. A virtuous minister does not serve two masters, so how can a woman marry two husbands?"

It turns out they were playing Lü Bu and Diao Chan.

Chen Guiliang went over and hugged him, saying, "Dong Zhuo is a treacherous villain! There's no need to be polite to him. Besides, your father betrothed you to my Lü Bu!"

“The General and the Prime Minister are father and son,” Bian Guanyue took a half step back, deliberately pulling at her sleeve to reveal half of her fragrant shoulder, “I have already married my father, and I cannot marry my son.”

Chen Guiliang forced his way in, saying, "I, Lü Bu, have roamed the world without regard for others' opinions or etiquette. Today, I will take back what is rightfully mine!"

Bian Guanyue was tackled to the ground, half-pushing and half-resisting, and said in a panic, "Don't let the Prime Minister know."

"Even if I know, I'm not afraid."

"The Prime Minister has arrived."

"Let him listen outside."

"..."

A fierce and exhilarating battle.

Bian Guanyue struggled the whole time, becoming more excited the more she struggled, and kept shouting for the Prime Minister to save her.

After the battle, I took a shower and came back to chat with you.

Bian Guanyue said, "I can write your kind of Chinese style even if I try, but it always feels awkward. This month I downloaded a lot of songs to listen to, and I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"Which direction?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Bian Guanyue said, "I didn't think Luo Dayou's 'Four Rhymes of Nostalgia' was that great before. But this time, it feels completely different, especially the prelude and interlude, which perfectly combine traditional Chinese music with modern music. Some of them don't follow Western music theory rhythms, but you can't hear them at all if you don't listen carefully."

"So you had an epiphany?" Chen Guiliang couldn't understand what she was saying.

Bian Guanyue said, "It's as if a door has been opened. But the more I peer into the door, the more I realize how ignorant I am. Whether it's traditional music or Western music, my foundation is too weak. This winter vacation, I want to go back to Chengdu to visit folk opera artists and learn something from them."

Chen Guiliang encouraged him, saying, "This is a good thing. You will become a great musician in the future."

Bian Guanyue laughed and said, "I'm not a genius. Next summer vacation, I'll go to Jiangnan to learn Kunqu Opera. Sichuan Opera also has Kunqu tunes, and I want to know how they differ from Kunqu Opera. During the holidays, I'll also learn Huangmei Opera, Pingtan, Cantonese Opera... I don't need to learn them in great depth, just a general understanding will be enough. Then I'll learn Western music theory."

Chen Guiliang asked in surprise, "You've found your ambition?"

“I’m not sure if it’s an ambition, it just suddenly came to mind,” Bian Guanyue said. “The composition and arrangement of ‘Four Rhymes of Nostalgia’ felt to me like the sword manual of a peerless master. I know it’s very powerful and I can understand some of it, but I need to improve myself to fully understand it.”

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "Perhaps Luo Dayou just stumbled upon this by chance. He was only in his early twenties when he wrote that song."

“Maybe,” Bian Guanyue said. “After I graduate with my bachelor’s degree, I want to pursue a master’s degree in music or opera theory. Anyway, you’ve invested in my game company, so I won’t be short of money. It’s perfect for me to do those unprofitable jobs, collecting and researching all sorts of folk tunes. And those folk songs, many of the Sichuan folk songs can no longer be heard now.”

Bian Guanyue became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke: "I've almost finished collecting the folk songs of Sichuan. Then I'll go to Yunnan and Guizhou, and then to Jinghu. After I've finished visiting the south, I'll continue in the north. It's sure to be very interesting!"

Chen Guiliang said, "I do know a folk song from Yunnan Province."

"Really?" Bian Guanyue was quite surprised.

I'll sing it for you.

Chen Guiliang, suppressing a laugh, began to sing: "Old driver, take me with you, I want to go to Kunming..."

Before he could even finish singing a classic folk song, Bian Guanyue laughed and punched him, saying, "That's a dirty song!"

“This is popular art, and it’s very popular in Yunnan Province,” Chen Guiliang said.

"Do you think I will believe it?"

"Facts speak louder than words; you'll see when you go there to gather material."

"Tch, a complete liar."

"..."

Bian Guanyue has returned to Chengdu. She plans to use her winter vacation to visit folk opera artists.

ByteDance and Game Science then held their annual meeting, and took the opportunity to distribute bonuses to everyone.

At this time, for ordinary employees of European and American multinational companies operating in China, the typical year-end bonus is "double salary + 1 to 3 months' salary". That is, they receive an extra 2 to 4 months' salary at the end of the year.

Leading private enterprises do not have a year-end double salary system; instead, they pay bonuses equivalent to 1 to 6 months' salary based on performance.

Monopolistic state-owned enterprises pay an extra 3-6 months' salary.

For ordinary state-owned enterprises, they pay an extra 1-3 months' salary.

Japanese, South Korean, and Taiwanese companies are very stingy and are not better than ordinary state-owned enterprises.

Although Chen Guiliang's company is small, he distributes year-end bonuses like those of leading private enterprises in China. ByteDance, despite its tight cash flow, also distributes generous year-end bonuses.

The annual meeting also features a real lucky draw, where cheating is strictly prohibited!

The raffle box must be transparent.

Lower-level employees draw first, and any employee can stir the contents of the box, making it difficult for senior management to cheat.

ByteDance Inc.

Hou Qiao, an advertising saleswoman who had only been with the company for a little over four months, didn't take the lottery seriously. She had never won a big prize in her life, so she just randomly picked one and went back to her seat.

"Sigh, I knew it, it's just a consolation prize." Jiang Jiajie on the left sighed.

Yuan Hao, to the right, said, "I'm a tiny bit better than you, fifth prize."

"Hou Qiao, what about you?" Jiang Jiajie asked.

Hou Qiao said as she unpacked it, "I guess it's about the same... uh..."

"what happened?"

Jiang Jiajie and Yuan Hao both leaned over to take a look.

"what!!!!!!"

Hou Qiao burst into a sharp, piercing voice, stood up, and jumped up and down in cheers: "Grand Prize! Grand Prize! I won the Grand Prize!"

The grand prize is the right to use a Chery QQ car.

The reason it's a right of use is because the country has enacted a law that prohibits any lottery activity from awarding large items such as cars.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen!"

Hou Qiao ran over waving the grand prize ticket: "I won the grand prize!"

Along the way, colleagues cast envious glances at him.

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "Congratulations! You are the company's lucky star, and you will definitely bring good luck to everyone next year."

Hou Qiao said happily, "I can't drive, and I rent a place nearby. I don't need this car, so can I exchange it for cash?"

"Okay," Chen Guiliang nodded.

Anyway, I haven't bought the car yet; these kinds of beat-up cars cost tens of thousands of yuan each.

"First prize! I won the first prize!"

Ding Qiang, one of the first programmers to join the company, was so excited that he jumped up on the spot: "Haha, I can get a new computer now."

The first prize can be chosen by the winner, and one of the options is a high-configuration computer.

People kept shouting excitedly.

There is only one grand prize, but there are three first prizes and five second prizes...

The company only has about a hundred employees, so the winning rate is quite high.

Chen Guiliang said with a smile, "Colleagues who won the grand prize, come up on stage and give your acceptance speeches. The grand prize winners will go first."

Hou Qiao was in a state of excitement. She said excitedly, "I graduated from a vocational school and come from the countryside. It's very difficult to get ahead in Beijing... I've worked in other companies for several years, but I've never really made it. If this continues, I'm even thinking of going back to my hometown to get married and have children. My boss at my previous company treated me very badly..."

When Hou Qiao spoke of her grievances, her voice trembled with tears. She wiped away her tears and said, "I only found a sense of belonging when I joined ByteDance! My colleagues here are all very nice. I've only been working here for a little over four months, and I thought I wouldn't get a year-end bonus, but the company still gave me a month's bonus..."

“My previous company also had raffles, but the grand prizes either went to the leaders or people with connections… I never imagined I would win the grand prize…”

She wiped away her tears again and bowed to the crowd below: "Thank you, General Manager Chen, thank you to all the leaders, thank you to all my colleagues... I will definitely work hard from now on and help the company get more advertising. I will not let down the leaders' training and my colleagues' care... Go for it, Hou Qiao, you can do it!"

Chen Guiliang scratched his forehead.

This employee talks like he's on steroids, making it sound like a pyramid scheme.

Next up was Ding Qiang, who was the first to draw the first prize: "I'm not very good with words, but I want to thank everyone in the company. I was the first employee to join ByteDance through recruitment. In the past year or so, not only has my salary increased, but more importantly, I've learned new skills and am now able to handle more challenging tasks. I work hard every day and study every day after get off work... I will grow with the company until the day I'm too old to keep going!"

"Clap clap clap!"

Applause erupted.

Ding Qiang is very popular in the company, firstly because he is senior, and secondly because he is honest and willing to help his colleagues.

Of course, there are also those who don't like him, who think he's too frivolous.

Well, the word "卷" (juǎn) doesn't exist yet.

After the annual meeting, Chang Zhongxiang, who was in charge of finance, approached Chen Guiliang: "After the Spring Festival, we should try to contact venture capital firms. Monthly costs are getting higher and higher, but the company's funds can only last for four or five months."

"Let's get in touch. IDG and DFJ are in a hurry too," Chen Guiliang said with a smile.

Chen Guiliang is very much looking forward to ByteDance's current valuation.

He even expects it to be over $1 million!
(End of this chapter)