Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Chapter 147 Registration Cannot Be Retained

Just then, Wu Tao strolled in again, carrying a folder.

Lately, he has been coming to the second floor to check on Chen Yizhou whenever he has free time. This is not only to keep an eye on what Chen Yizhou is doing for Teacher Zhang, so as to keep track of all the big and small things in the group, but also to tease him. He enjoys doing this very much.

He sniffed and waved his hand in front of his nose in disgust.

"Oh, Lao Zhao just got back from the kitchen?" Wu Tao pulled up a chair and sat down. "President Chen, I heard the situation at the front is good?"

"What advice does Mr. Wu have?" Chen Yizhou turned around, his confidence much stronger.

"I wouldn't dare offer advice." Wu Tao tossed the folder onto the table, smiling at him. "Teacher Zhang asked me to inquire about the recent surge in daily active users. The retention rate and engagement metrics are quite impressive, but have the students posted anything on our forum after receiving their reward?"

Chen Yizhou's expression stiffened slightly.

He was so focused on looking at the registration numbers that he hadn't had a chance to examine the interaction data in detail.

He quickly sat back down at his computer and opened the forum's activity report.

The data on the screen instantly chilled his previously warm heart.

While the number of registered users has indeed surged, the number of posts and replies on the forum remains almost stagnant.

The only activity was on a few campus beauty pageants, but all that happened was clicking the vote button; there wasn't even a single comment.

"How could this happen?" Chen Yizhou frowned.

Wu Tao leaned over for a look and burst out laughing.

"Mr. Chen, did you feed that fried chicken leg to the dog?" Wu Tao patted Chen Yizhou on the shoulder. "I just passed by the internet cafe downstairs and went in for a look. Guess what? A bunch of college students were holding the fried chicken leg you paid for in their left hand and clicking their mouse in their right, enthusiastically discussing in a QQ group on HaiNei.com which campus belle was the prettiest. You've turned our 5Q campus network into a free photo library and food delivery site."

Chen Yizhou's face turned bright red, and he gripped the mouse tightly with both hands.

Wu Tao straightened his suit and stood up.

"Mr. Chen, good-looking data is a good thing, it can fool the foreigners. But you can't afford to waste your money on fried chicken legs like this. Teacher Zhang said that you should continue to hand out chicken legs in the days leading up to the roadshow, don't stop." As for Wu Tao, he didn't finish his sentence, humming a little tune, and strolled out the door.

Old Zhao stood to the side, holding a cup of goji berries, barely daring to breathe.

Old Li was holding a cup of coffee when he glanced at the screen.

Chen Yizhou stared at a fake prosperity curve on the big screen, his eyes almost turning into cross-eyed bulges, and he could almost hear Wu Tao's mocking laughter.

His supposedly ingenious way of breaking the deadlock ultimately only added another free fuel to Bai Yuhang's social empire.

"Mr. Chen, Tsinghua's registration numbers are indeed impressive." Old Li seemed to have noticed something, pointing to a row of data on the screen, "But look at these registration IPs and online time; something seems off. Hundreds of accounts, all coming from a few fixed IP ranges, and after registering, they stay online for less than two seconds before logging off."

Chen Yizhou had just come to his senses when he froze again and quickly clicked on the detailed data.

A large number of users registered and entered the website, but did absolutely nothing; it was completely silent with zero interaction, not even a single click on the campus beauty voting page.

Old Li took a sip of coffee, his tone revealing an undisguised smugness, as if he wanted things to get even bigger.

"Mr. Chen, this isn't social networking, it's charity work in Zhongguancun. The computer science students at Tsinghua University are probably writing scripts and filling sacks with our fried chicken legs right now."

Chen Yizhou's vision went black, and he slumped into his chair, staring at the constantly fluctuating number of fake registrations on the screen, a metallic taste rising in his throat.

But he had no way out.

With the Wall Street roadshow just around the corner, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and push through this absurd fried chicken leg event.

In the following days, long queues stretched as far as the eye could see in front of the 5Q Campus Network booths at universities across the country.

Old Zhao, along with his ground promotion team from Beijing, shouted through loudspeakers until smoke billowed, handing out basket after basket of fried chicken legs in return, and receiving stacks of registration receipts filled with martial arts nicknames such as Zhang Sanfeng and Ximen Chuixue.

However, the backend data of 5Q Campus Network is like a bottomless pit.

Registrations are skyrocketing by tens of thousands every day, but the actual daily active users remain stagnant.

One million accounts, after claiming the chicken legs, became completely inactive, leaving not even a punctuation mark on the forum.

Room 805, Building 13, Huaqing Jiayuan.

Wang Huiwen clutched her stomach, her face pale, and staggered out of the bathroom, her legs shaking.

"Brother, I can't take it anymore, this chicken leg from Sohu is poisoned."

Wang Xing sat in front of his computer, holding a half-eaten chicken leg in his hand. Looking down, he saw that the chicken meat near the bone still had bright red blood streaks, and the oil on the skin emitted a pungent rancid smell.

"Holy crap, throw it away right now!" Wang Xing tossed the half-eaten chicken leg into the trash can, staring at the sack full of chicken legs in the corner, a chill running down his spine. "Is Chen Yizhou here to launch a biological attack in Zhongguancun?"

In less than half a day, Wu Tao's jinx came true.

To cope with the explosive demand, the owners of the fried chicken shops that handled the event worked through the night. The oil in the fryer was as black as ink, and the chicken legs were taken out before they were fully cooked. Coupled with the high temperature and sun exposure in the hot weather, the meat quickly spoiled.

That afternoon, long lines formed at the emergency rooms of the university hospitals of Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, and Beihang University.

They were all college students clutching their stomachs, their faces pale.

The diagnoses were surprisingly consistent: acute gastroenteritis.

The Tsinghua University BBS and the forums on Haiwainet were in complete uproar.

Second floor of Sohu Network Building.

Wu Tao didn't even knock; he just pushed open the door to Chen Yizhou's office, waving several freshly printed webpage screenshots in his hand, his mouth practically stretched to the back of his head in a grin.

"Mr. Chen, congratulations! Our 5Q Campus Network is now truly famous among universities nationwide."

Chen Yizhou's eyelids twitched, and he grabbed the screenshot.

The titles of the trending posts on Toutiao are increasingly eye-catching:

Breaking news! Sohu 5Q registration offers a free diarrhea treatment package; university hospital beds are in critical shortage!

The Buddha's Light Dog manifested: Eat Sohu chicken legs, and go to see the Bodhisattva soon.

Chen Yizhou's social empire was actually built on a toilet.

"The posts are full of college students who were tricked into going to the hospital, denouncing Sohu for disregarding human lives in order to increase registration numbers. The comments are refreshing every second, and the whole internet is mocking them. Mr. Chen, you've really helped Sohu gain some notoriety this time," Wu Tao said nonchalantly.

"Wu Tao, you—" Chen Yizhou's hands trembled, and the screenshot was distorted from being squeezed.

"Don't glare at me." Wu Tao pulled up a chair, crossed his legs, and casually flicked an invisible speck of dust off his trousers. "I kindly reminded you a couple of days ago not to get an upset stomach in this heat. Now look what's happened, the legal department's phones have been ringing off the hook with calls from various universities demanding medical expenses."

Wu Tao stood up, leaned closer, and lowered his voice: "Professor Zhang is on the top floor; he just smashed a teacup. The roadshow team is leaving tomorrow. How are you going to explain to Wall Street that Sohu not only created a dog with a halo of Buddha, but also conveniently monopolized the gastroenterology and proctology departments of universities in Beijing?"

Chen Yizhou felt a sudden dizziness and slumped into a chair, his ears ringing.

He spent a total of five million US dollars, but not only did he fail to recruit a single person, he also completely ruined Sohu's reputation.

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