Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 502 A New Challenge, Let's Start with Some Fries
"Brother Xiu, I've arrived at the hotel!"

Chen Xiu looked at the WeChat message sent by Meng Ziyi, her lips twitched slightly, and she glanced at the time: [21:31].

When the market opened this afternoon, TikTok's stock price rose again, eventually closing at HK$52.

Such a record led Chen Xiu and Zhou Shouzi to hold a thank-you banquet for investors at 19 p.m. as scheduled.

The banquet has been going on for two and a half hours now, and many people have begun to leave. It wouldn't be considered impolite for Chen Xiu to leave now.

However, as the host, someone still needs to stay behind to clean up the mess...

Thinking of this, Chen Xiu began searching for Zhou Shouzi in the banquet hall.

After scanning the area, his gaze finally settled on a corner by the floor-to-ceiling window, where Zhou Shouzi was surrounded by a group of men in suits who looked very elite.

Chen Xiu raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. As soon as he reached the outer circle, one of the group noticed his arrival.

"Good evening, Mr. Chen!"

"Hello."

Chen Xiu nodded politely to them, then went to Zhou Shouzi's side and noticed that his face looked rather unpleasant.

Before Chen Xiu could even ask, the person who had greeted him earlier dropped a bombshell on him.

"Mr. Chen, have you seen the announcement Facebook just made regarding TikTok?"

"Excuse me, who are you?"

"Peter Liang, Vice President of HSBC Asset Management."

"Hello."

Chen Xiu didn't know what the announcement Peter Liang was talking about was, but since he wasn't familiar with him, it would be best to greet him first.

"Mr. Liang, at this time, the market over there has just opened. Has Facebook released any announcements related to TikTok?"

"OK, OK, I didn't expect that I would pass this news on to the CEO and chairman of TikTok."

Peter Liang spoke in an unpleasantly smug tone.

However, he seemed to be aware of this flaw of his, and after only smugly saying one thing, his expression suddenly turned serious as he began to recount the situation.

“Mr. Chen, just a few minutes ago, Facebook’s stock price plummeted by 5% at the opening, which is basically equivalent to TikTok’s market value. One of our products has a large number of Facebook shares, so I’ve been keeping an eye on its information.”

"so?"

"Our internal analysis suggests that TikTok's IPO has led the capital market to reassess Facebook's value, and Facebook will no longer dominate the global internet advertising business."

"Your initial setup was a bit long, but it still raised expectations. So, once again?"

Chen Xiu's impatient expression prompted Peter Liang to quickly rephrase his words.

"OK, our internal analysis is that TikTok's IPO will impact Facebook's market positioning, so we sold off our stock early. Obviously, Wall Street has the same conclusion as us."

"Facebook may be trying to defend its position or to fight back. In any case, Mark Zuckerberg just said on Twitter that TikTok stole Facebook's users. Please forgive me for using this word, but these are his exact words."

"Then, Facebook urgently announced that it would integrate the Reels short video feature into Instagram next week. I don't need to analyze it; Mr. Chen should know who this move is targeting, right?"

Chen Xiu remained silent, then understood why Zhou Shouzi's expression was so unpleasant.

Just as this group of elites, led by Peter Liang, began to exchange sarcastic and mocking glances, a continuous sneer suddenly rang out.

"Hehehehe!"

Chen Xiu chuckled and shook her head, glancing dismissively at Peter Liang.

"TikTok has never worried about competition since its inception, especially since we have such an outstanding CEO."

Chen Xiu gracefully raised her hand to introduce Zhou Shouzi, and continued, "Mr. Liang, are you telling me all this to imply that Facebook's announcement will cause TikTok's stock price to fluctuate tomorrow?"

"Uh……"

Peter Liang remained silent, and Chen Xiu did not need him to speak.

"If that happens, I congratulate you."

"Congratulations to me?"

"Yes, you have a great opportunity to get in. Make the most of it, otherwise all the words I've said to you today will have been wasted."

"..."

Peter Liang was stunned, thinking to himself: I've never seen such an arrogant person in my entire life!
Chen Xiu smiled and glanced at the others, then apologized, "Excuse me, I'm a little tired today. I'd like to talk to Shouzi alone for a while. You don't mind if I take him with me, do you?"

"No, no." *N
This is clearly an internal meeting, and everyone's not blind, so why would they have any objections?

After putting on a show, Chen Xiu gave Zhou Shouzi a wink, then led him to a secluded corner on the other side.

After arriving, Zhou Shouzi asked, "President Chen, do we need to issue a public announcement?"

"You're the CEO, so you can make the decisions. If you feel it's necessary to tell me, then just say so."

Chen Xiu's tone was calm, yet it revealed his absolute trust in Zhou Shouzi.

Zhou Shouzi paused for a moment, then said with a slight tremor in his voice, "OK, I've actually been analyzing the situation just now. Facebook's announcement will definitely have a short-term impact on us, but..."

"The preceding was all setup; please continue."

Chen Xiu understood immediately.

Zhou Shouzi's originally serious and tense expression relaxed with a smile: "As long as TikTok's second-quarter financial report is released next month, our stock price will return to normal levels."

What if the merger with Line is announced?

"Just like I said, 600 billion US dollars!"

Chen Xiu looked at the six gesture Zhou Shouzi made and nodded silently.

"I need to discuss this with the Douyin team. Would it be alright if you were in charge of the rest of the banquet?"

“No problem.” Zhou Shouzi nodded firmly, assuring everyone that he had not felt the slightest bit of fear or timidity, even though the opponent was an international giant like Facebook.

Chen Xiu gave him an approving look, clenched her fist, and whispered, "Take down Facebook!"

"laugh!"

Zhou Shouzi pursed his lips to suppress a laugh, then clenched his fist and reached out to touch Chen Xiu's hand, responding in a very soft voice.

"Take down Facebook!"

"Once we actually achieve that, let's shout it out louder."

"OK OK."

Zhou Shouzi nodded frantically, unable to suppress the urge to smile, and at the same time understood why Chen Xiu was so popular.

Someone as handsome, virtuous, capable, sincere, and pleasant-speaking as him... any normal person would want to be his friend.

After saying goodbye to Zhou Shouzi, Chen Xiu left the banquet hall alone, went outside to call her assistant and bodyguards, and headed back to her hotel.

Sitting in the car, he called Su Xiao and told her everything he had heard in the banquet hall and the information he had just confirmed on his phone.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Upon hearing this question, Chen Xiu pondered for a moment, her eyes looking somewhat gloomy.

"Tencent has tried many times. A large number of users does not determine the retention of short videos. Personalized recommendation algorithms are the key to victory. I do not think Facebook can pose a threat to TikTok."

"But your voice sounds a little worried..."

"Hmm~~"

Chen Xiu leaned back in the back seat, glancing sideways at Victoria Harbour outside the car window, watching the shimmering, ever-flowing sea.

Su Xiao said understandingly, "Xiao Xiu, you're worried about something else."

"If Line and TikTok merge, could it bring about something far more terrifying than Facebook?"

What will happen?

"I don't know, individual efforts can't make much of a difference at that level."

Chen Xiu didn't offer any explanation because he knew Su Xiao would understand.

However, Su Xiao did not respond further.

A long time passed, and still nothing.

Just as Chen Xiu shifted her gaze from the endless waves of Victoria Harbour and leaned forward to ask a question on her phone.

Su Xiao's calm voice reappeared just a second before it was time to say, "Why bother with it? It's just a small matter."

"Ah."

Chen Xiu leaned back, her face still smiling in the light and shadow of the tall buildings flashing past the car window.

He understood Su Xiao's encouragement and her trust.

Regardless of what happens to TikTok in the future, Chen Xiu will still be Chen Xiu. Even without TikTok, he will have something else, perhaps AI, or something newer.

The key is that Chen Xiu has already integrated into China's internet circle, and he also has connections in Silicon Valley.

So even if TikTok is gone, Chen Xiu is thinking more discreetly (he used up the foresight bug), but as long as the same people are still in the circle, he will never fall from grace.

Because there are only a few investment institutions in the internet industry, and the development of all companies is inseparable from those few. If you are not a person in the industry, you can't get investment even if you have money!
Thinking about it this way, the future of TikTok is really just as Su Xiao said: it's a minor matter!

After laughing for a while, Chen Xiu's eyes lit up again, and she whispered into the phone, "Sister Xiaoxiao, do you want to talk to me..."

The usually composed Su Xiao suddenly became shy upon hearing this, but still gave an affirmative reply.

Chen Xiu told her about her return trip, said goodnight to her, and then hung up the phone.

……

Back in the hotel suite, Chen Xiu pushed open the door, ripped off her tie, and entered the living room. The curtains rustled, and Meng Ziyi's long, wavy hair and eye-catching oversized plaid shirt came into view.

Meng Ziyi sat alone in the living room, with hamburgers and fries on the coffee table, and gave Chen Xiu a slightly embarrassed, sheepish smile.

Chen Xiu glanced at the things on the coffee table, a smile playing on her lips. Her body, like a puppet with its strings cut, simply pounced on her.

"Hey!"

Meng Ziyi excitedly tried to help Chen Xiu, but as soon as her hand touched his body, she realized that he was holding back.

Those hands that were waving wildly turned into an embrace.

Then, Meng Ziyi felt his empty back being slowly embraced by a pair of hands.

The touch and warmth on his cheek made Meng Ziyi chuckle: "Brother Xiu, you look nothing like you did during the live stream this morning."

"It's normal to not want to pretend anymore after pretending to be serious all day."

Chen Xiu kissed Meng Ziyi's cheek, his eyes brushing over her bright face before meeting her tender gaze.

Meng Ziyi did not understand the meaning, but looked back with shimmering eyes, her hands still tightly hugging Chen Xiu's broad back.

"Sister Meng, will you come with me to do something?"

"Yeah, sure."

Aren't you going to ask what's wrong?

"Anything is fine."

Chen Xiu's eyes flickered, and she pulled Meng Ziyi into a tight embrace, whispering in her ear, "Get me some fries first."

"Eh?"

(End of this chapter)