Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 264 Shishi's Encouragement

The night was as still as ink-stained silk.

Liu Shishi slowly woke up from her deep sleep, and with sleepy eyes, she subconsciously reached out to her side.

But her fingertips only touched the cold sheets. She turned her head to look at the pillow, but there was no one beside her.

A sudden tightness gripped my heart, and my sleepiness vanished instantly: "Yi-Yi, where are you?"

Receiving no response, Liu Shishi quickly got up and went to look for her fiancé.

The slippers made a soft rustling sound as they shuffled across the floor, and the child walked step by step toward the balcony.

Following the faint moonlight, Miss Liu saw Song Ci standing quietly on the balcony, her posture upright. In the tranquil night, she was gazing at the boundless starry sky alone, lost in thought, yet exuding a sense of loneliness.

She walked over gently and hugged her fiancé from behind, her voice incredibly tender, like a cool summer breeze: "Yiyi, what's wrong? Why are you still up so late? Are you worried about WeChat going online?"

She knew this man too well; he must be troubled by this appearance.

Song Ci's body stiffened slightly, then he sighed softly, turned around, and embraced Miss Liu.

"WeChat will be launched in a few days, but there are still some things I'm hesitating about."

Liu Shishi nestled in her fiancé's arms and whispered, "Honey, tell me about it! Although I don't know much about business."

But I'm the person you're going to spend your life with, and I hope that when you encounter difficulties and troubles, you can confide in me, instead of keeping everything bottled up inside.

Song Ci nodded slightly. He had indeed been a little anxious lately. The things he was facing now could not be helped by even being reborn. The future was just a matter of a single thought.

It might be good to chat with my childhood sweetheart; it might help relieve some of the stress in my heart.

"Shishi, I'm hesitating. Should WeChat be launched globally?" Song Ci slowly spoke, expressing her inner struggle.

What difficulties were encountered in launching WeChat globally? Was it due to language differences in different countries?

Song Ci sighed: "Language and cultural differences are only one aspect, and this is actually not a big problem. It's just a matter of language translation. I am confident that I can do a good job of localizing WeChat."

With the global launch of WeChat, Tenda will be facing international giants as its competitors, and the competition will become even more intense, with these competitors likely to resort to any means necessary.

Furthermore, the company may face data privacy reviews in overseas countries, and even geopolitical security risks.

Liu Shishi pondered: "Local protectionism?"

“Yes.” Song Ci nodded with a smile; his fiancée’s description was quite apt.

Liu Shishi didn't want Song Ci to bear too much pressure, so she advised, "Then let's not go overseas. Our son won't bother dealing with foreigners. The domestic market is so big, it's enough for Tengda Group to be number one in the country."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ms. Liu saw that Song Ci seemed hesitant and unwilling to speak. Suddenly, she understood her fiancé's true feelings. He definitely wanted WeChat to go global, but he had many concerns.

"Song Ci, look into my eyes!" Liu Shishi said solemnly, looking up into the deep eyes of her childhood sweetheart.

Upon hearing this, Song Ci met his fiancée's gaze and saw his own reflection in the depths of her bright eyes. His reflection was enveloped in love, yet tinged with a hint of bewilderment and hesitation.

Liu Shishi's gaze was intense, and her words carried a hint of passion, which was particularly inspiring in the quiet night:
"Yiyi, what you see in my eyes is tenderness and affection, because I am just a little woman, and my heart and eyes are full of you."

But what I see in your eyes is the vast universe, an infinite future. You must truly want WeChat to launch globally. What is it that makes you hesitate and lose sleep here?
Are you still the Song Yiyi I know? Still the calm, confident, and courageous Song Yiyi, whose steps cannot be stopped by any difficulty?

Every word his fiancée said struck his heart like a heavy hammer. Looking at Miss Liu's encouraging and trusting eyes, Song Ci felt a moment of confusion. Yes, why was he hesitating?
Is Tenda afraid it can't compete with renowned foreign giants like Facebook and Microsoft? Or is it afraid that after WeChat launches overseas, the huge investment will be wasted in the end? Or is it worried about potential political factors in the future?
Or perhaps it's because before his rebirth, China had never seen a multinational social media giant, and there was no precedent to follow, which is why he is now hesitant and afraid to take the crucial step.
Looking back on my own life, I realize that perhaps I possessed both traits. I can't help but chuckle bitterly; it turns out everyone has moments of fear of difficulty. Perhaps subconsciously, I've come to believe that being a wealthy man in China is perfectly fine, forgetting my former ambitions.

Liu Shishi tilted her head slightly and gently kissed Song Ci's face, her tone firm, like a spring breeze and gentle rain, nourishing his heart:

"My dear, life always requires us to forge ahead. Opportunities are always accompanied by risks, and it is precisely because of challenges that our lives are more meaningful."

Your knowledge and strategy far surpass mine, but perhaps it's precisely because you overthink that you're troubled by it. Sometimes, you can't overthink things; you need a burst of energy.

Song Ci, I've made the decision for you: let's go all in on the global launch of WeChat. If you don't take this chance, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.

I believe that with your wisdom and hard work, you can overcome any difficulties ahead.

WeChat carries your dreams and hard work, so it shouldn't be constrained; it should soar to greater heights. Even if problems arise in the future, let's face them together and shoulder the burden together, okay?

After saying that, she jokingly added the last sentence: "Even if the worst happens in the future and Tengda Group goes bankrupt, I will take care of you and allow you to live off me for the rest of your life."

The witty remark instantly lightened the previously somber atmosphere.

As Song Ci listened to Liu Shishi's philosophical and inspiring words, her eyes gradually regained their former brilliance, and the gloom in her heart slowly dissipated.

Holding his fiancée's soft, boneless hand tightly, as if grasping the strength to move forward, a warm current flowed through his entire body.

He secretly vowed that since he had been reborn, what was there to hesitate about? No matter how bumpy the future might be, he would carry Shishi's support and love and move forward.

At this moment, Song Ci had no more doubts. The Chinese people could certainly build a multinational social media giant. In his previous life, TikTok was able to go global successfully and deal with the US government for several years. Now that he was reborn, he had an even greater opportunity and advantage. Why couldn't he do it?
"Wait a minute!" Song Ci paused slightly, as if she had just thought of something, and muttered to herself smugly, "TikTok!"

"What did you say, darling? I didn't hear you clearly?"

Song Ci suddenly understood and excitedly waved her fists: "That's it! TikTok! I can also create an overseas version. In China it's WeChat, and overseas it's WeChat. We can take two different paths."

Seeing her fiancé suddenly dancing with joy, Liu Shishi couldn't help but feel a pang of worry. Had he gone mad from the pressure? "Yiyi, are you alright?"

"It's alright!" Song Ci cupped Liu's delicate face in his hands and kissed her passionately, his face beaming with joy. "Shishi, you are truly my lucky star! My wife Shishi is so virtuous!" Although Liu Shishi didn't understand why her little brother had suddenly come to his senses, she and Song Ci were of one mind. Seeing her lover's ecstatic joy, her own mood soared as well. Her eyebrows curved into crescents, and she smiled radiantly. The smile that bloomed on her lips was more dazzling than the stars in the night sky.

"Shishi, you should go back to your room and sleep first. I'll go to the study." Song Ci took Liu's arm and walked into the room.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi's previously smiling face immediately changed color, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she huffed and puffed, feigning anger:

"Song Yiyi, are you ever going to stop? You're sitting on the balcony in the middle of the night, pretending to be deep in thought, and I have to comfort you! I finally managed to calm you down, and now you're still not asleep, wanting to go to the study to work?"

Seeing Miss Liu standing with her hands on her hips, displaying a fierce and slightly angry demeanor, Song Ci chuckled and said, "Isn't it because I just figured it out and am too excited to sleep?"

Miss Liu bit her lip, her eyes alluring and captivating, her gaze seemingly overflowing with affection. She leaned close to her fiancé's ear, her breath sweet and her voice soft and seductive.

"Can't sleep? Then hand over your food! Song Yiyi, you do the math yourself, how many days have you not touched me while you've been working overtime every day on this stupid WeChat?"

"Alright, as a way of thanking you for your guidance, which has been truly enlightening, I'll present you with a generous red envelope later."

Liu Shishi looked puzzled: "You're giving me a big red envelope so late! How big is it?"

Song Ci leaned close to his fiancée's ear and gently nibbled on her smooth, rounded earlobe. The intimate gesture sent a shiver down Liu's spine: "I'll give you several hundred million in one go!"

Liu Shishi immediately realized what was happening, her cheeks flushed red: "Song Yiyi, you're getting naughtier and naughtier! Ah!"

Before Miss Liu could finish speaking, Song Ci swept her up in his arms, his body full of fragrant beauty: "My wife, I'll pay you the grain tax right away!"

July 1, 2009, was a day destined to be extraordinary in the development history of Tengda Group.

After countless days and nights of meticulous preparation, WeChat version 1.0 and its overseas version, WeChat, were launched in 14 languages ​​and 38 countries and regions, including China, quietly beginning a transformative journey in the social networking field.

Tenda Group was extremely cautious this time. In order to prevent competitors from discovering the company's strategic intention to enter the instant messaging field too early, it did not carry out a massive publicity campaign for the launch and operation of WeChat.

The attempt was to lull the competition into a false sense of security, giving this highly anticipated app a valuable period of growth without any rivals.

Therefore, WeChat and Wechat were quietly launched on Android and Apple mobile phone stores, like two seeds that were quietly planted, waiting for them to take root, sprout, and grow into towering trees step by step.

In the chairman's office, the afternoon sun streamed in through the window.

After a busy morning preparing for the WeChat launch, Song Ci leaned back lazily in her executive chair, looking at Zhang Yong and Wang Jing in front of her, and said to her two right-hand women:

"Finally, we can catch our breath. After WeChat has gained some traction and a user base, the company will come up with some promotional strategies."

Zhang Yong nodded slightly: "President Song, now that WeChat is on the right track, you should also step down and consider the candidate for president of this department to take charge of the daily operation and management of WeChat business. This will free up your energy to focus on the group's more macro-level development."

"WeChat is crucial to the future of the group, and I will give you some more time to consider the candidate for president."

"I didn't mean to rush you, it's just that the group's affairs are very complicated, and I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it."

Song Ci waved his hand: "Let's discuss this later. The company isn't promoting WeChat much right now, but TT Mobile Security is good. We should also recommend it on Weibo and Toutiao's splash screens."

Alongside WeChat, a free app called TT Mobile Security Guard was also launched, primarily prepared by Tenda Group for Android phone users.

As we all know, Google's Android system is not yet perfect. Android phones will lag after a period of use, and the system will accumulate a lot of junk files, which will seriously affect the user experience.

Tenda's TT Security Guard app is a boon for Android phone users. It can quickly clean up junk files, effectively improve the efficiency of the phone system, and make it run smoothly without lag.

Of course, offering it for free is a strategy; after all, free things are often the most expensive. The true value of this app will only be realized when Android phone users become accustomed to relying on TT Security Guard.

"Rest assured, everything is proceeding smoothly."

Song Ci nodded slightly: "Let me tell you something: next year, our performance-based agreement with ICBC Capital and BOC Capital will be fulfilled, and we will soon begin our second round of financing."

Before that, I will reorganize the group, as the current operating model is gradually becoming less conducive to management.

"That's true. Our colleagues in the middle and back offices also feel that the company's operational efficiency is declining."

Wang Jing deeply agrees with this. As the group's business continues to expand and the number of products increases, the original model of one business department per product at Tengda has gradually revealed its drawbacks. The overly flat structure has put a lot of pressure on the middle and back-office staff.

Zhang Yong also agreed: "The company needs a second restructuring. The establishment of the business department at that time was just a stopgap measure. Now the group's scale is more than a hundred times larger than when it was first established in 04."

Seeing that the group's CEO and COO shared the same sentiment, Song Ci felt even more strongly that the company's restructuring was imperative: "I'm just giving you a heads-up today. I plan to start the restructuring next January."

It is expected to be completed gradually over six months, with financing to begin in the second half of the year. The group's main task this year remains to complete the mobile launch of all products and ensure smooth integration with the PC versions.

Zhang Yong quickly reported: "President Song, according to the original plan, the Qianqian Music app will be launched in August, followed by TT Video in September, and so on, to ensure efficient and non-overlapping traffic recommendations. By the end of the year, we can successfully complete the mobile version of all products."

"As long as nothing goes wrong, that's fine. Tenda's products are among the best in the PC market. As long as we don't mess things up, other companies have virtually no chance of catching up."

After giving a word of advice, Song Ci calculated the date: "Today is July 1st, Wednesday. Let's set the group's mid-year meeting for the week after next, on the 15th."

"By finishing the meeting earlier, many executives can take their annual leave without worry. I myself have been very busy lately, and I also need to relax and rest for a while."

Wang Jing quickly replied, "I understand. I will make sure to notify all department and subsidiary heads so they can make time to attend the meeting on time."

After finishing their work discussion, Zhang Yong and Wang Jing were about to say goodbye when Song Ci smiled at them and said, "By the way, the company's plane will arrive in a few days. Let's go take a look together another day."

(End of this chapter)