Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 202 An Accidental Encounter on the Way to the Set

June 21st, the summer solstice. On this day, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear and cloudless.

Song Ci traveled light, accompanied by his assistant and bodyguards, and set off for Hengdian early in the morning.

Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, and my heart is filled with anticipation for meeting my loved one and spending the festival together.

On a flight from Beiping to Donghai, Song Ci unexpectedly bumped into Liu Xiangdong of JD.com the moment she entered first class.

The two have been busy with their respective careers since JD.com's Series A funding round and have not seen each other for a long time.

Song Ci's style is outstanding, his temperament is gentle and refined, his brows reveal confidence and composure, and his every move exudes nobility, making him strikingly handsome.

In contrast, Liu Xiangdong looked exhausted, with sunken eyes and a hint of anxiety in his gaze, indicating that he was preoccupied.

The two walked tacitly to a corner of the first-class cabin. Song Ci spoke first, her voice gentle yet strong, asking with concern, "Brother Dong, it's been so long. Why do you look so haggard?"

Liu Xiangdong sighed heavily, his expression grave: "Brother, JD.com is facing unprecedented challenges during this period."

The sudden global financial crisis made investors extremely cautious, and the company was temporarily unable to raise funds, with its cash flow on the verge of breaking down.

If this continues, JD.com won't be able to grow and expand, and it won't even be able to pay its employees' salaries.

Song Ci listened attentively, his mind flashing back to the unprecedented crisis that JD.com faced in 08, which caused Liu Xiangdong to turn his hair white with worry.

He patted Liu Xiangdong's arm and said comfortingly, "Brother Dong, if you want to raise funds, why not come to our Tengda Group!"

Since the beginning of the year, Tenda Group has been actively collecting receivables and stockpiling cash. In addition, it still has a considerable amount of the $4 million raised during its first round of financing. The company currently has $34 billion in cash on hand, making it easy to continue investing in JD.com.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qiangdong forced a smile: "I'm going to Donghai this time to meet with some VCs. If there really is no turning back, I might need to trouble you, my brother, to lend me a hand."

He spoke frankly about Song Ci and did not deliberately conceal his purpose for going to the East China Sea.

First, as JD.com's second-largest shareholder, Tengda Group, although not involved in day-to-day management, can easily understand the company's current situation.

Secondly, from his personal perspective, although Song Ci entrusted him with the voting rights of Tengda Group's shares as promised,

However, he still does not want any single shareholder to hold too much of the shares, as this would pose a certain risk to his control of JD.com.

Song Ci nodded slightly, understanding Liu Xiangdong's concerns. It was only human nature, and there was nothing to fuss about.

“Brother Dong, if your trip to Donghai doesn’t go well, I can introduce you to an investor. He has experience in e-commerce, so you two should have a lot in common.”

Liu Xiangdong became interested upon hearing this: "Who is it?"

The domestic internet circle isn't that big, and there aren't many people who have worked in e-commerce. He might even know some of them.

Song Ci introduced in detail: "Former CEO of Kingsoft, Mr. Lei. Since stepping down as CEO of Kingsoft last year, he has focused on his investment career."

"So this is him. I've heard about his achievements. His concept when he founded Joyo.com was very advanced; he proposed the idea of ​​four-hour delivery in four major cities."

JD.com was influenced by Joyo.com to some extent, but it's a pity! Hearing Song Ci mention Lei Jun, Liu Xiangdong suddenly realized, his words tinged with regret.

Song Ci let out a sigh of relief: "It's really a pity! Joyo.com was born at the wrong time, coinciding with the dot-com bubble and the Nasdaq crisis. Lei Jun had no choice but to sell Joyo.com to Amazon with a heavy heart."

Liu Xiangdong was also deeply moved and empathized with the situation, wondering if his JD.com could survive until it grew strong and went public.

Or perhaps it will fail halfway through, just like Joyo.com, and I will sell my years of hard work with tears in my eyes!

Seeing this, Song Ci smiled and suggested, "How about this, Dong Ge, when I return to Beiping in a few days, I'll organize a get-together with President Lei. You two are both passionate people, so you should have a lot in common."

After chatting with Song Ci, Liu Xiangdong felt much more at ease and his previous anxiety subsided. He smiled and said, "That would be great, thank you for your trouble, Brother Song! By the way, are you going to Donghai on business?"

Song Ci explained, "I'm going to Hengdian, and I'm flying over the East China Sea on the way. My girlfriend is filming in Hengdian, and tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, so I'm going to visit her on set."

"Your sister-in-law is a celebrity?" Liu Xiangdong was a little surprised. He had thought that Song Ci, with her qualifications, would find a daughter of an official or a rich girl.

Song Ci nodded, a smile unconsciously spreading across her face, her eyes revealing a tenderness: "It's Liu Shishi! We were childhood sweethearts, we grew up together."

Liu Xiangdong grinned and gave a thumbs-up, praising, "The friendship of youth is the most unforgettable! My girlfriend and I are also each other's first love, and we've supported each other since college."

"It's a pity you still chose Milk Tea Sister in the end!" Song Ci silently complained in her heart, but it was someone else's family matter, and the privacy involved was not something outsiders should know.

Just as the two were about to continue their conversation, a beautiful flight attendant in uniform walked over gracefully.

The flight attendant was stunned when she saw Song Ci, as if her brain had momentarily "crashed." She quickly recovered and her professionalism allowed her to control her expression.

He politely said, "Gentlemen, the plane is about to take off. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts."

Song Ci nodded to the flight attendant who looked somewhat familiar, then returned to her seat with Liu Xiangdong and waited patiently for the plane to take off.

After the flight attendants checked the plane, it slowly taxied and soared into the sky.

In the service cabin, two flight attendants are preparing drinks for first-class passengers.

Upon seeing her friend return, who seemed lost in thought and absent-minded, she immediately asked curiously, "Shasha, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Hearing her colleague's question, the beautiful flight attendant Sun Shasha suddenly snapped out of her daze, still half-asleep, and murmured, "Guess who I just saw?"

Tall and with long legs, Yao Ting asked curiously, "Who? Is it a celebrity or a tycoon?"

Sun Shasha looked dazed, but clearly uttered two words: "Song Dynasty poetry!"

Yao Ting's eyes lit up, and she beamed with joy: "Oh, really? I didn't even notice, he's on our flight again?"

More than a year ago, they met Song Ci on a plane. However, although Mr. Song was already one of the top ten richest people at that time, he lived a secluded life and was very low-key. There were not many photos of him online.

At the time, none of the three first-class flight attendants recognized Song Ci; they just thought he was some rich young master. They never expected to run into him again now. Sun Shasha nodded emphatically: "Just before the plane took off, I saw two passengers talking in a corner, so I went up to persuade them to return to their seats, and I recognized one of them as Song Ci at a glance."

She then rested her chin on her hands, looking like a lovesick fool: "Ahhh, he's even more handsome in person than in the photos online. God, why did I have to meet this unattainable man again!"

Yao Ting's eyes darted around, and she pressed on, "Which guest was talking to Song Ci?"

Sun Shasha replied absentmindedly, "It's the guest sitting behind him, who seems to be a company CEO and a friend of Song Ci."

Yao Ting secretly made a mental note of it, planning to investigate this passenger who could converse with Song Ci after getting off the plane.

In her eyes, Song Ci was of course the first choice. However, she had high standards. If she didn't have the chance to get close to Song Ci, another passenger who could talk to her on equal footing might also be a good target.

She recently opened a training course in Donghai, and many good-looking flight attendants and models have signed up. The course is specifically designed to train them in demeanor, temperament, and knowledge.

They also provide them with information about wealthy businessmen, celebrities, and stars, acting as matchmakers to help them achieve their marriage goals and realize their dreams of marrying into a wealthy family.

Fang Yue, who had been promoted to chief flight attendant, sighed and advised, "Shasha, focus on your work, face reality, and don't have those kinds of thoughts."

She understood Sun Shasha's thoughts all too well. Ever since she learned that the handsome guy she met on the last flight was Song Ci, the girl had fallen completely in love and was fascinated by that unattainable nobleman.

She thought that their paths would eventually cross and fade away, but who would have thought they'd run into each other again today. For a girl like Sun Shasha, who yearns for love, Song Ci's face is like a nuclear bomb – utterly devastating.

Sun Shasha clenched the hem of her clothes, her face full of hope: "Sister Yue, I want to try again. Maybe it's fate that we can meet again in this vast sea of ​​people."

Fang Yue knew she couldn't stop the young girl's wild thoughts, so she waved her hand helplessly: "Never mind, I'll go with you." After saying that, she straightened her flight attendant uniform, pulled the cart, and followed Sun Shasha's footsteps.

Two flight attendants, with graceful movements, pushed a cart full of drinks to the first-class cabin and asked the guests if they would like tea or snacks.

Fang Yue kept a close eye on her the whole time. Although Sun Shasha was anxious, she still obediently served the passengers in order, following the seating arrangement, before finally slowly approaching Song Ci.

Just as she was about to ask, Sun Shasha was stunned when she saw Song Ci's expression.

Song Ci leaned back lazily in his chair, intently looking at his phone.

With a gentle smile and lowered eyes, her expression was incredibly tender. It was like a ray of winter sunshine shining into your heart, instantly spreading warmth throughout your body and making you feel completely immersed.

Even the usually composed and capable Fang Yue was momentarily stunned; he was truly radiant and incredibly handsome. At the same time, she couldn't suppress her curiosity and wanted to see what Song Ci was looking at that made him so excited.

Fortunately, her years of professional experience allowed her to quickly regain her composure. She nudged Sun Shasha lightly with her elbow, then bent down and half-squatted beside Song Ci, offering a professional and sweet smile as she softly asked, "Sir, would you like something to drink?"

Song Ci was looking at some photos of herself and Liu Shishi on her phone, reminiscing about the past and recalling their sweet moments. Hearing the flight attendant's question, she smiled and replied, "Just a glass of water will do, thank you."

As she spoke, she unconsciously laid her phone flat, an unintentional act that allowed Fang Yue, who was standing beside her, and Sun Shasha, who was standing to her side and behind her, to see the photo on the phone screen.

In the photo, Song Ci gazes tenderly at a girl wearing a red embroidered gold cheongsam.

The girl smiled and nestled beside him; the deep affection between them almost overflowed the screen, making it obvious to anyone who looked at them that they were a couple.

Song Ci keenly noticed that both flight attendants were staring at his phone, and felt slightly displeased. He reached out and swiped to close the phone's photo album.

However, after closing the photo album, the iPhone's home screen is immediately revealed.

Before the two could look away, a woman in a flowing blue dress, dressed in ancient costume, caught their eye as their phone's wallpaper.

The woman in the picture has a charming smile, is gentle and graceful, and has an outstanding temperament. She is very recognizable and is clearly the same woman in the previous group photo.

Song Ci frowned slightly, suppressing her displeasure, and immediately turned off her phone.

Fang Yue belatedly snapped out of her daze, inwardly regretting that she had been out of her mind to spy on a client's privacy. Moreover, the person in front of her was no ordinary person; if a complaint was filed, she would be in serious trouble.

She quickly raised her voice and ordered, "Shasha, quickly pour the master a glass of water."

At this moment, Sun Shasha was struck dumb, biting her lower lip tightly, looking incredulous.

She was fascinated by Song Dynasty poetry and had researched everything about it online, knowing that he might have a girlfriend.

But seeing with his own eyes the intimate photos of him with other women on his phone, he couldn't accept the cruel reality and felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

"Shh!" Fang Yue urged again, and seeing that her colleague still didn't react, she immediately got up.

He quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to Song Ci, apologizing repeatedly and earnestly: "Sir, here's your water. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

When Song Ci heard the flight attendant's name "Shasha," she immediately remembered that the girl sitting next to her, who was lost in thought, was the same flight attendant who had passed her the note last time.

Growing increasingly annoyed, he said, "Alright. You guys go ahead with your work, just don't bother me. I'll ring the bell if I need anything."

Seeing that Song Ci did not immediately make things difficult for her, Fang Yue felt as if she had been granted a pardon and breathed a sigh of relief. She dared not say more and said, "Yes, sir!"

After saying that, he pulled the absent-minded Sun Shasha towards the service cabin.

Back in the cabin, Yao Ting, who was preparing lunch for the passengers, paused when she saw Fang Yue's angry expression. She looked puzzled and asked, "Sister Yue, what's wrong?"

Fang Yue was furious and questioned sharply, "Shasha, what were you doing just now? You were standing there like an idiot, didn't you notice that Song Ci was obviously angry?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Ting covered her mouth in surprise: "Ah, what happened? How did you manage to anger Song Ci? This...this...he won't complain about us, will he?"

Sun Shasha's face was deathly pale. She seemed not to hear Fang Yue's question and kept muttering to herself, "How could it be her? How could it be her?"

"What is it?" Yao Ting saw the little girl talking nonsense and seemed to be possessed, so she quickly took two steps forward and shook her shoulders, intending to wake her up from her daze.

The violent shaking jolted Sun Shasha awake. She slowly raised her eyes and saw Fang Yue and Yao Ting staring at her.

Recalling her earlier lapse in composure, she felt a pang of guilt and timidly said, "I'm sorry, Sister Yue. I just saw the photo of him and Liu Shishi, and I was so flustered that I lost my composure."

(End of this chapter)