Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 245 What a true hero!

"...The biggest mistake I ever made was creating Ali Baba!"

Ma Yun leaned back on the U-shaped sofa, looked at the camera, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

The reactions of viewers in the live stream were somewhat delayed, but those present at the scene were already managing their facial expressions.

He Jiong, who was in the center of the camera, suddenly tensed up his facial muscles, pursed his lips, and revealed a look of wanting to laugh but also feeling helpless.

The main creators of the TV series and film versions of "Three Lives Three Worlds" sitting on both sides all showed varying degrees of surprise and remained silent.

The only one with a normal expression was Chen Xiu.

Since meeting Ma Yun, he has seen many ways of putting on airs in the other person. The bigger the occasion, the more excited he becomes about putting on airs.

At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if Ma Yun said anything.

After finishing this opening statement, Ma Yun didn't enter the cooldown period; instead, he raised his right index finger.

"I never imagined that Ali Baba would completely change my life. I just wanted to do a small business."

"Cough cough!"

A few suppressed coughs reached Chen Xiu's ears.

Those present at the cup-making ceremony felt that the flavor of Ma Yun was too strong and too difficult to resist.

However, since they were being broadcast live, they couldn't laugh, so they pretended to have a sore throat and turned their bodies to expose half of their faces.

Ignoring all the commotion, Ma Yun continued, "I never imagined it would grow to such a large scale. I feel like I've lost my life! If I could choose again, I would make Ali Baba smaller, keeping it at one-third of its current size."

"This way I can do what I want to do, enjoy life, and like Chen Xiu, film movies when I have nothing to do. I think that's great. So creating Ali Baba was the biggest mistake I ever made!"

After saying that, Ma Yun spread his hands, crossed his legs, and put on an expression that said, "Why am I in so much pain?"

He crossed his legs a bit too much.

Liu Qianqian, who was next to her, subconsciously leaned to the other side. The movement was so small that Ma Yun didn't notice it.

At this moment, the "audience" present at the scene was still at a loss for words, and the barrage of comments in the live broadcast room was truly fascinating.

"I regret creating Ahri Jack Horse!"

"Mr. Ma is in so much pain. I am not very capable, but I am willing to help him share some of his suffering. May I ask when I can become the CEO of Ali?"

"I heard this kind of boasting from someone surnamed Wang last time."

"..."

The screen was flooded with comments, mostly analyzing Ma Yun's posing posture.

After being stunned for a moment, He Jiong finally regained some of his professional qualities as a top-notch host after receiving a signal from Chen Xiu.

"Ahem, Mr. Ma, you just said that if Ali the Fox wasn't so big, would you want to go into acting?"

“Yes! Filming allows you to experience many different lives. Chen Xiu’s current life is very enviable.”

Ma Yun raised his hand and pointed at Chen Xiu, his tone sincere, not feigning sincerity.

Before He Jiong could start a conversation or engage in idle chatter, Ma Yun continued, "However, I'm also very curious, Chen Xiu, why did you leave Didi in the first place? Can I ask?"

"You've already asked, whether you could ask or not."

Chen Xiu spoke casually, without the tension that others felt when facing Ma Yun.

Given Chen Xiu's established status, Ma Yun didn't find this attitude inappropriate; on the contrary, he felt quite comfortable with it, and his tone became more casual when he spoke next.

"Because I'm really curious, you left Didi in 2015. During that time, Didi had already completed four rounds of financing and merged with Kuaidi. You had already gone through the most difficult 95% of a startup. Why did you leave at the last minute?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiu appeared to be deep in thought.

He Jiong, Yang Mi, Liu Qianqian, and others all turned their curious gazes toward him.

After Ma Yun's detailed explanation, they realized that Chen Xiu had started his business 15 years ago. He is only 24 years old now, so counting back 15 years...

Wow, the difference between people is just so vast!

After a moment, Chen Xiu slowly raised his head and said calmly, "Actually, it's not that complicated. When I founded Didi, I had already spoken with Cheng Wei, who is now the chairman of Didi, and told him that I would take the initiative to withdraw once the company had developed to a certain extent."

"I'm just doing what I said I would do, it's no big deal. As for the rumors circulating online that I didn't get along with Cheng Wei and that my departure from Didi was a failed struggle, those are completely unfounded."

“I have a very good relationship with Cheng Wei. Around this time last year, I went to Donglaishun with him for a hot pot of mutton. Didi’s CTO Zhang Bo was also there. If there were any real conflict, how could I possibly have dinner with him?”

Two years have passed, and Chen Xiu still chose to remain dignified.

Ma Yun merely glanced at Chen Xiu noncommittally.

He was all too familiar with the internal struggles of startups; his swift and decisive action in eliminating Sun Tongyu back then was truly remarkable. Looking back now, Ma Yun still felt quite proud of himself.

Although both Chen Xiu and Sun Tongyu left the companies they had worked for, their situations were quite different.

The former left Didi voluntarily, taking with him a large number of technical backbones, not to mention a close female friend who could be considered the logistics manager. In just two years, he built another career!
The latter was essentially fired, merely resigning from his post, unable to even take his wife with him...

This striking difference not only highlights Chen Xiu's immense personal charm but also demonstrates his keen insight and sharp understanding of the internet industry.

It was with these considerations in mind that Ma Yun wanted to investigate the specific circumstances surrounding Chen Xiu's departure from Didi.

Seeing that Chen Xiu was unwilling to elaborate, Ma Yun pondered for a moment and came up with a new idea.

"I heard that dozens of people in Didi's product development department were laid off, and you personally paid tens of millions of yuan in cash to settle them. How did that happen?"

The emergence of this topic turned the nine celebrities present, including He Jiong, into mere listeners.

They only had a vague understanding of why Chen Xiu left Didi.

Although such detailed content made the news at the time, almost none of the celebrities present paid attention to it, not even Dilraba had ever heard Chen Xiu mention it.

The less you know about it, the greater the shock you'll feel when you hear the news.

Paying out of his own pocket to help his employees with their resettlement is such a generous act.

The people who commit such acts are among them now; how can this not draw attention?
"It's not that exaggerated."

Chen Xiu chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.

Just when everyone thought this was also an unfounded rumor, his calm voice rang out in the live broadcast room.

"The cash was 100 million yuan, plus a gym bag weighing 25 kilograms. I carried a total of 21 gym bags. Although I could carry them, I didn't have that many hands. I carried the money over in a small cart."

The live broadcast suddenly fell silent.

Everyone, including Ma Yun, stared blankly at Chen Xiu's nonchalant expression.

The celebrities mostly felt admiration and emotion, while Ma Yun thought to himself: Tsk, how come this kid can act even better than me?

How can one's tone of voice and facial expressions be matched so perfectly, making one's heart flutter?
Ma Yun pursed her lips, glanced at Chen Xiu, and then asked, "And then, you led these 21 people to found Douyin?"

"There's nothing wrong with summarizing it this way."

"You're willing to pay out of your own pocket to help them get resettled, and they're willing to trust you and follow you to this new company with an uncertain future. They must all be your close subordinates. Why are they all being laid off at the same time?"

"Mr. Ma, is this a place we can talk?"

Chen Xiu looked at Ma Yun with a smile on her face.

Ma Yun nodded, pretending to understand, and said in a show of retreat, "If we can't talk, then forget it. I'm just curious."

If Chen Xiu didn't offer any explanation, the viewers in the live stream would probably be able to conjure up dozens of episodes of scheming and intrigue in their minds.

Having figured out Ma Yun's trap, Chen Xiuchao leaned back and said casually, "At that time, Didi and Kuaidi were merging, and both companies had redundant staff, so it was necessary to optimize some employees."

"To be honest, I didn't expect this situation at first. Originally, I thought I would leave the company at the right time, and these employees I recruited would grow and become stronger with Didi and enjoy their share of the profits."

“When such an uncontrollable accident happened, I felt uneasy if I did nothing. At that time, I had a new idea and I had the ability, so I took them all over.”

These words were still spoken politely, without directly attacking Cheng Wei.

However, the viewers in the live stream were not fools. Having heard the whole story, they could easily guess what "optimizing the employees I hired" meant!

The comments section was filled with phrases like "righteous," "responsible," and many people saying they wanted to "work for Chen Xiu."

Su Xiao, sitting next door, watched as the number of concurrent online users surpassed 70. While her eyes were filled with excitement, a hint of calculation also flashed through them.

She slowly walked to the side, took out her phone, and called her younger brother, Su Yu.

"Hey, Xiaoyu, call Lao Hou and Lao Zhang to wait at the entrance of the live stream room. Keep an eye on the content in the live stream room on your phones. If needed, you guys go in and support Xiaoxiu. I want to make this a big deal and also help Cheng Wei improve his memory."

After saying that, Su Xiao hung up the phone, walked back, and stared at Chen Xiu on the screen with a strange look in her eyes.

In fact, it wasn't just her. After hearing Chen Xiu's actions, the male and female celebrities in the live broadcast all looked at Chen Xiu with great emotion, and Dilraba's eyes even turned into little stars.

Unlike Ma Yun's so-called "regret for creating Ali", what Chen Xiu said were facts that he had already done.

Which is more touching: empty talk or reality? The answer is now clear.

Even Ma Yun had a thought that "Chen Xiu is truly a great man," and then a new curiosity arose: he wondered if Chen Xiu could really share wealth with his employees.

"Mr. Chen, are all 21 employees you mentioned still with Douyin Company?"

(End of this chapter)