Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che didn't let the awkwardness continue and took the initiative to bring up what he had talked about with Benshan that morning.

Tao Hong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was trying to think of a topic to talk about, and then asked with a serious expression, "Are you planning to invest?"

"It depends, not necessarily. If he wants me to vote, then I'll vote."

Tao Hong was a little confused: "Then why are you so enthusiastic?"

Yang Che said in a serious tone, "It has nothing to do with enthusiasm. I just want to see Uncle Benshan act. I feel it's a pity, a great pity, that actors like him, and even Grandma Zhao Lirong, didn't leave more works for this world."

Looking at his earnest expression, Tao Hong couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart. This was the first time she had heard someone in real life think about things from this perspective. In her understanding, people always did things to gain something. She would feel embarrassed when she heard similar self-serving scenarios in books and scripts...

For a moment she was speechless, so she just nodded. But when she looked at him again, she didn't feel awkward anymore. She smiled, which felt very natural and even a little warmer.

Seeing this, Yang Che took the initiative to ask her about her role in "In the Heat of the Sun," and Tao Hong immediately began to recount the story.

It was still the same story where she accompanied a teammate to an audition in Milan, and then she was chosen to play Yu Beibei. Mainly, she didn't take it seriously, she was quite nonchalant. She said Jiang Wen later told her it was because her smile was so infectious.

Yang Che felt the same way, so he quite enjoyed chatting with her.

"Why are you going with me?"

"My captain, let me tell you, that teammate is so beautiful, and has a great figure too. It's a pity she's too introverted; she wants to act but can't let loose."

Yang Che asked curiously, "What's your teammate's name?"

"Ren Na".

Yang Che nodded, and said thoughtfully, "Human destiny is truly mysterious."

"You understand this?"

"I know a little, I know a little."

"Then calculate it for me."

Yang Che looked at her and smiled, "She has a lucky fate for her husband."

Tao Hong smiled exaggeratedly: "Really?"

Yang Che chuckled: "We'll see."

"Then when I get married in the future, I'll have to ask for a bigger dowry, haha."

Yang Che laughed, "To marry you, all I need to do is accept an 'open marriage'..."

Of course, Yang Che didn't think it was Tao Hong's fault; he could only say that people who aren't family don't belong together.

They arrived at Zhou Shuizi Airport chatting and laughing like this. "Spring Bright Pigsy" was still being replayed. Although "Little Dragon Girl" did not have the same influence as "Pigsy", she was still quite popular and almost everyone knew her.

Faced with the smiling faces of the people, Tao Hong remained expressionless, offering no eye contact or verbal response. This was similar to Wang Fei, and completely opposite to the chubby little girl.

Yang Che boarded the plane first, and the two shook hands and said goodbye like old friends, their smiles genuine and without a trace of anything amiss.

This made Yang Che feel comfortable.

After arriving in Beijing, I went straight back to Tazhai. The second renovation has been going on for half a month and is basically finished. There are only some soft furnishings left, such as replacing window screens and doormats.

Gao Yuanyuan told him on the phone that the girl had gone back to her hometown in Tangshan to pay respects to her ancestors and hadn't returned yet. Every year during the Ghost Festival, her whole family goes back. She called mainly to say that she would choose these things after she returned to Beijing, not wanting her boyfriend to ask for help. It was clear that she had had an unpleasant experience, because he just brushed her off.

I ate a meal of flatbread rolls with vegetables at Lao Sun's place in Tazhai. His wife made delicious flatbreads, and the rolls contained stir-fried shredded potatoes, green peppers and eggs, smoked pork knuckle, and a "tiger salad".

After waking up from his afternoon nap, Yang Che went to the company, a 6-minute drive away.

The 360.com logo on the rooftop is a striking orange-red color, which can be seen by passersby simply by looking up, and Yang Che is very satisfied with it.

The original double copper doors have been replaced with high-end sensor-operated glass doors. Upon entering, there is a reception desk where Wang Danling, with a thick ponytail, light makeup, and wearing a suit, looks much more presentable than before.

"Brother Che".

Yang Che grinned: "Aren't you bored being here all alone?"

Wang Danling's smile froze on her face: "Brother Che, I'm quite busy."

Yang Che waved his hand with a smile. This girl has terrible mental fortitude. Look at the background wall behind her. It's a simple set of two light boxes. The top one says "Gugu Gaga Network Technology 1L" and the bottom one says "Doubao Film and Television Media 2L". There are no logos or patterns, just a few Song typeface characters. It's simple, direct and elegant.

You can walk to either side of the reception desk, and beyond that is the large office, where about fifteen or sixteen people are currently working. Yu Wenhao and Zhang Jianbin are among them, and their workstations are right here so they can communicate promptly.

So there aren't any of those trendy single rooms these days. Forget about privacy.

Yang Che pulled up a stool and sat down next to Yu Wenhao, listening to him sincerely discuss with the operators the cooperation plan with various antivirus software companies.

It's basically about paying for security and advertising, since which computer doesn't have antivirus software these days?

These days, antivirus software is paid, costing three or four hundred yuan a year. And because of the Y2K bug, many people even installed three or four...

Therefore, today's antivirus software is incredibly powerful; virus database updates require users to manually enter codes, and each update costs hundreds of dollars for a floppy disk. In terms of profitability, while Sina was celebrating earning 300,000 yuan in Google fees, Luckin Coffee was already earning 700-800 million yuan annually.

Yang Che had no objection to the money being spent; one portion was given to the antivirus software company, and the other to its employees.

Hmm... no wonder those people who made paid antivirus software in the past didn't all end up in bad shape.

"Is the money enough to live on?"

Yu Wenhao said, "I can still keep going."

Yang Che remained noncommittal, then pulled a Samsung Yepp from his pocket and handed it to Yu Wenhao.

"Is this an MP3 file?"

"You've seen him before?"

"There are guys in Zhongguancun."

"Hehe, what I told you is related to this. People in China download songs from this thing. Those who know how to do it buy CDs to copy them, and those who don't go to stores and spend money. But in the US, there's a P2P platform that allows you to download audio files. Users can also upload audio files to earn points and redeem gifts or something. I think we should just copy it."

"Uh...the audio source, open download, this...we can't handle it."

"I'll transfer another million. This isn't urgent. We'll gather people, recruit them to form a team, and get the music website up and running. We'll start with the download function."

As for the audio source, find a pirate to burn CDs... In short, don't spend any money now. After promoting it for a while and gaining fame, you can then file a lawsuit. This will not only increase your fame but also lower the copyright price. Why not?

Hmm... who knows, we might even be able to promote progress in copyright-related judicial matters, which would be a contribution to China's judicial system.

Yu Wenhao really liked Che Ge's sanctimonious expression at this moment. What kind of experience does a person have to go through to be so shameless?