Returning to his senior year of high school, he went all in and made billions by buying at the botto

Two days later.

10:00 AM.

Changhu High-tech Industrial Park.

A black Audi A8 slowly came to a stop in front of a brand-new office building.

Douyin Group's offices are located on the seventh and eighth floors of the building.

After receiving the 100 million yuan investment, Chen Liping did not rush to decorate the premises. He only rented two floors of office space and built an independent computer room, photography studio and audio recording room.

In the center of the hall hangs a newly designed black and white sign.

Douyin.

Below the two characters, there is a line of smaller text.

"Record every interesting moment."

Chen Mo stood in front of the sign for a few seconds, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Who decided on this statement?"

Chen Liping, who was standing next to him, coughed lightly.

"The marketing department came up with more than a dozen versions, and Zhang Nan felt this one was the safest."

"Too ordinary."

Chen Mo said, "Any image, video, or social media platform can use this phrase."

"What Douyin needs is not records."

"It's an expression."

Chen Liping seemed to be deep in thought.

"Let's go inside."

……

Seven-story office area.

More than 100 employees are spread across product, technology, algorithm, design and operations departments.

Some of them came from Yunfan Software.

The other part is Zhang Nan's team sent by ByteDance.

Although the two teams were sitting on the same floor, they were subtly divided into two distinct areas.

Most of Yunfan's employees come from western provinces and are responsible for client-side development, video shooting, editing tools, and backend systems.

The ByteDance team is responsible for content recommendation, user profiling, and data analysis.

The office area looked very busy. When Chen Mo walked into the conference room, there were already more than a dozen people sitting inside.

On the left side of the long table was the Yunfan team, and on the right side were the product and algorithm personnel sent by ByteDance.

The woman sitting in the middle was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

She had neat, shoulder-length short hair, wore a light gray knit sweater, and only wore very light makeup.

She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she was clean-cut and pleasing to the eye, with a sharp look in her eyes.

She is Zhang Nan.

Previously, he had been working on image-based community products. He was recently recruited by Zhang Ming to ByteDance, but before he could officially take over the business, he was sent to Shaanxi Province to be in charge of the Douyin project.

Zhang Nan was initially somewhat surprised by Zhang Ming's arrangement.

It jumped from a photo community to short videos, and it's a new company jointly founded by ByteDance and unfamiliar capital.

The risks are considerable.

But after she read the product plan left by Chen Mo, her initial hesitation quickly turned into interest.

Music, video, and algorithmic distribution.

Three seemingly independent fields are connected by a highly imaginative product architecture.

She keenly realized that this could create a completely new form of content.

"Mr. Chen."

Zhang Nan stood up and extended her hand.

She already knew that Chen Mo was very young.

But when we actually met, I couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

The boy in front of me looks even younger than in the file photo.

"Mr. Zhang, this is our first meeting."

Chen Mo gently shook hands with her.

"Zhang Ming has a very high opinion of you."

"Mr. Zhang has an even higher opinion of you."

Zhang Nan smiled and said, "He said that Douyin's entire product direction comes from you. He told me that after I came to Xi'an, I should make fewer subjective judgments and first carefully understand your plans."

"This doesn't sound like something Zhang Ming would say."

"There's one more sentence."

"What?"

"If you think the plan is wrong, you can reject it directly."

Chen Mo couldn't help but chuckle: "That's more like him."

Everyone took their seats.

Chen Liping projected the first version of the internal test program onto the screen.

"We have already completed filming, basic editing, music timing, and the recommended information feed."

"The internal version only supports 15-second short videos."

There are three problems now.

"First, the installation package is too large."

"Secondly, the video loading speed is slow."

"Third, the recommendation model lacks data, and the quality of the information flow is currently very poor."

Chen Mo took out his phone and installed the test program.

After the startup page finishes, the first video begins to play.

In the video, a young employee stands in the office and performs a few simple movements to the music.

The video has ended; you will need to manually click to play the next one.

Chen Mo read more than a dozen of them in a row.

Most of the content was taken by employees on the spot.

Some people were singing, some were filming their pets, some were telling jokes to the camera, and there were also several videos imitating popular internet songs.

It has most of the basic functions, but it's still far from being a true Douyin (TikTok) platform.

"Let's talk about your conflict first."

Chen Mo put down his phone.

The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly became subtle.

The technical lead at Yunfan spoke first: "Mr. Chen, the ByteDance team has been asking us to add data tracking points and adjust interfaces. The client development plan has been disrupted three times already."

"Many recommendation features simply don't have enough users to support them, so even if they are developed, they can't be validated."

The head of ByteDance's algorithm team immediately retorted: "Without complete data collection, the recommendation model will still be an empty shell after the product goes live. Modifying the underlying interface after users come in will only increase the cost."

"But the product hasn't even launched yet, so where are the users coming from?"

"Therefore, we need to build the algorithm framework first."

"What's the use of even the best algorithm if users can't even watch videos smoothly?"

The two sides have clearly argued more than once.

Chen Liping sat next to the main seat without interrupting.

He is the founder of Yunfan. If he publicly supports his own people, the ByteDance team will think that Douyin is just a family business disguised as a joint venture.

However, if they completely side with ByteDance, it would dishearten the Yunfan employees who have followed them for many years.

Zhang Nan looked at Chen Mo, also wanting to know which side this young major shareholder would stand on.

"None of you are wrong."

Chen Mo spoke up.

The meeting room gradually quieted down.

"What Yunfan needs to solve is whether the product can be launched."

"What ByteDance needs to solve is whether it can retain users after the product is launched."

"But you all made the same mistake."

"I treat my job as the most important thing on Douyin."

Chen Mo looked at everyone.

"Douyin is neither a project of Yunfan nor an algorithm testing ground of ByteDance."

"All technologies and products can only serve one goal."

"Make users unwilling to leave once they open it."

He picked up a marker and drew a three-layer structure on the whiteboard.

At the very bottom are the steps for shooting, editing, uploading, and playing.

In the middle are data collection, content tagging, and recommendation models.

At the very top are the music, topics, challenges, and creator management sections.

"Yunfan is responsible for basic tools and engineering stability."

"ByteDance is responsible for the recommendation system, data platform, and content understanding."

"The product team is responsible for the unified scheduling."

"Starting today, neither party can directly demand that the other party modify its development plan."

"All requirements must be submitted to the product meeting, where Zhang Nan will determine their priority."

The technical lead at Yunfan subconsciously looked at Chen Liping, which was tantamount to handing over the decision-making power of the project to Zhang Nan.

Chen Liping did not object, as he had already learned from Chen Mo that Zhang Nan would be one of Douyin's most important core managers in the future.

"Then what am I responsible for?" Chen Liping asked with a smile.

"Responsible for company operations."

Chen Mo said, "You will be responsible for finance, human resources, technical resources, copyright acquisition, and coordination between ByteDance and Star Technology."

"Zhang Nan is in charge of the product."

"One ensures the company can operate normally, and the other determines where the products go."

Chen Liping nodded.

He is a tech entrepreneur, but he is not obsessed with seizing control of products.

Yunfan's ability to go from a struggling small software company to a shareholder of Douyin, valued at hundreds of millions of yuan, was already beyond his initial expectations. What's more, Chen Mo also gave him five percent of the shares.

"I have no objection," Chen Liping said first. "The Yunfan team will comply with the unified schedule."

Zhang Nan glanced at Chen Mo: "Mr. Chen, aren't you worried that ByteDance will use this to control Douyin's product direction?"

"ByteDance holds 35 percent of Douyin's shares," Chen Mo said calmly. "It has always been entitled to participate in product decisions."

"But participation is not the same as control. You are now representing Douyin, not ByteDance."

Zhang Nan's eyes flickered slightly; these words conveyed both trust and a boundary.

She can access ByteDance's resources, but she must first be responsible to Douyin.

"clear."

Zhang Nan did not refuse.

"I'm in charge of the product committee."

After the internal responsibilities were defined, the meeting returned to the testing procedure.

Zhang Nan stood up and projected her proposal onto the screen.

"I approve of the direction of the 15-second video."

"Ordinary users are not capable of creating complex content, and the longer the time, the higher the threshold for shooting and expression becomes."

"But I think the current version is still too much like a video tool."

"After taking the photos, users lack a reason to stay."

Chen Mo nodded: "Continue."

Zhang Nan continued, "My experience with photo-sharing communities tells me that creative tools can only attract the first batch of users. What truly retains users is interaction, identity, and community relationships."

She started switching pages.

The screen displayed design sketches for following, liking, commenting, and personal profiles.

"Douyin needs to build relationships between users."

"The creator isn't just uploading a video; they're building a personal brand that can attract attention. Ordinary users aren't just watching videos; they need to express their liking, leave comments, and even imitate the creator."

"Therefore, I suggest that the first version be launched simultaneously with the follow system and comment section."

"In addition, we need to establish a unified visual style as soon as possible."

"The current video content is too mixed up."

"Pets, jokes, covers, and lifestyle records are all mixed together, so users have no idea what Douyin is."

Many people in the conference room nodded in agreement.

Zhang Nan, having worked on image-based community products, demonstrates a clear understanding of user expression and community relationships that surpasses that of the purely technical team.

"We're halfway in the right direction," Chen Mo said.

Zhang Nan showed no dissatisfaction; instead, she appeared serious.

"What is your other half?"

"In the early stages of Douyin, you shouldn't focus on building relationship chains."

Chen Mo walked to the screen.

"A new user has just registered, has no friends, and has no followers. If we emphasize relationships first, all they'll see is an empty product."

"The core of Douyin is unfamiliar content provided by its algorithm."

"First, let users stay because of the content, and then build relationships through following, commenting, and imitation."

Content first, relationship second.

Zhang Nan pondered for a moment: "But it doesn't matter if it's settled; the user's switching cost is very low."

"Therefore, a sense of identity is necessary."

Chen Mo wrote two words on the whiteboard.

trend.

"In its early days, Douyin couldn't accept just anyone. The first batch of users had to be young, expressive, and sensitive to music and fashion."

"Make them feel that using Douyin is a cool thing. Once the product becomes a cultural icon, we can gradually expand the user base."

Zhang Nan's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Start by having a few people develop a style, and then influence the masses?"

"right."

Chen Mo continued:

"Douyin is not about having users sit in front of a camera and tell a complete story."

"Instead, it takes fifteen seconds to complete an emotional expression."

"A piece of music, a movement, a twist, or a fleeting moment."

"Users don't need to know how to shoot videos. We've prepared the templates, rhythms, and tools; all they need to do is press a button."

Zhang Nan quickly took over the conversation.

"Therefore, music cannot just be background; music itself is the entry point for creation."

"Under the same piece of music, works from different users can be aggregated, creating a space for imitation and challenge."

Chen Mo smiled. She was indeed suited for Douyin. He only needed to point out a direction, and she could quickly fill in the product logic.

"That's right."

"Change the homepage to full-screen vertical scrolling."

Chen Mo picked up the test phone.

"Open the software, and the first video will play automatically."

Swipe up to go to the next item, swipe down to go back to the previous item.

"Likes, comments, and follows are all located on the right side, making them easy to operate with one hand."

One product manager hesitated, saying, "Full-screen means very low information density. Users can only see one piece of content at a time."

"What I want is for users to see only one item at a time!" Chen Mo said. "Users can't choose; they can only keep scrolling down and waiting for the recommendation system to guess their interests."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Zhang Nan stared at the phone in Chen Mo's hand, quickly conjuring up images of the product in her mind.

One screen, one video, no extra information.

All you need to do is keep swiping your finger upwards; the interaction is so simple it's almost extreme, yet it subtly possesses a captivating power.

"I agree," Zhang Nan said first. "Let's scrap the homepage and start over."

"Fifteen seconds, portrait mode, full screen, auto playback, swipe up and down."

She wrote a string of keywords on the whiteboard.

In just a few minutes, the two of them had finalized the core framework of the first version of the product.

The gazes of the other people in the conference room gradually changed as well.

Chen Mo wasn't a major shareholder who came to listen to a report; he truly understood the product, even better than many of the experienced internet professionals present.

"There's one more question."

Zhang Nan turned around.

"Where did the first batch of content come from?"

"If there aren't enough high-quality videos when a product launches, the algorithms and interactions are meaningless."

"University campus".

Chen Mo already had the answer.

"First, select twenty universities."

"Preference will be given to applicants from art schools, media schools, and dance schools."

"Basic subsidies, traffic rewards, and filming training are all covered by Douyin."

"Let's hold another national campus music challenge. The prize money doesn't need to be particularly high, but the format must be novel."

"Don't hire celebrities to endorse your products. In the early stages, let ordinary students become the most dazzling people on Douyin."

Zhang Nan quickly took notes.

What about the user invitation mechanism?

"Registration is not fully open in the first version."

This statement surprised everyone. They spent a fortune developing the product, yet they actively restricted users?

"A dual system of invitation codes and campus verification."

Chen Mo explained, "Scarcity itself is a means of communication."

"Young people don't flaunt software that anyone can use."

"But if Douyin is labeled as trendy, youthful, and invitation-only, they will actively showcase it."

Zhang Nan looked up at Chen Mo.

"This will result in a loss of early growth rate."

"I don't want fake growth."

Chen Mo said, "Downloading a million copies and then uninstalling them all the next day is pointless."

"First, we'll reach 100,000 users who are genuinely willing to film, watch, and imitate."

"Let's talk about another million."

Zhang Nan nodded slowly.

She was originally only interested in Chen Mo's plans.

It wasn't until today, when they actually sat down to discuss it together, that she understood why Zhang Ming was willing to let ByteDance provide its algorithm and team in exchange for 35% of Douyin's shares.

The young man in front of me not only proposed the concept of short videos, but it was as if he had already seen what the product would look like when it matured.

The meeting lasted until 1 p.m., and finally, a new development plan was finalized for the first version of Douyin.

Fifteen-second vertical videos, full-screen immersive information flow, swipe up and down to switch, music templates and similar shooting styles, campus invitations to start the cool launch.

Zhang Nan is in charge of the product committee.

Chen Liping serves as the group's general manager, overseeing the company's operations and technological resources.

The most acute conflict of power and responsibility between ByteDance and the Yunfan team has also been temporarily resolved.

After the meeting adjourned, the others left one after another.

Zhang Nan, however, remained in the conference room.

"Mr. Chen."

Looking at the densely packed product logic on the whiteboard, she suddenly asked, "You really have no experience with internet products before?"

"no."

"Where did these ideas come from?"

Chen Mo glanced at her.

"I just know better than others what young people will like in the future."

Zhang Nan was clearly not satisfied with this answer.

How big do you think Douyin can become in the future?

Chen Mo walked to the window.

Downstairs is an undeveloped high-tech zone with wide roads, few pedestrians, and large open spaces in the distance.

"Pictures allow us to see the world, while words allow us to understand it."

"Short videos will give every ordinary person the opportunity to showcase themselves to the world."

Chen Mo turned around.

"In the future, people will use Douyin to read news, learn knowledge, buy goods, make friends, and even decide the fate of a restaurant and a scenic spot."

"It won't just be an entertainment software."

"It will become an infrastructure of an era."

Zhang Nan stood there, stunned, with high expectations for Douyin.

But I never imagined that Chen Mo's definition of it would be so vast.

"It sounds like we're building another world."

"That's why I need you."

Chen Mo said, "Zhang Nan, the Douyin product is yours."

"I don't expect you to always agree with my judgment. On the contrary, if you find me wrong, use data and products to refute me."

"But one thing is certain: don't sacrifice user experience for short-term data."

Zhang Nan remained silent for a long time before nodding solemnly.

"Understood. I will complete the reconstruction of the first version of the product before the Spring Festival."

Chen Mo glanced at the time.

"Complete small-scale internal testing before the Spring Festival."

"I want it to officially launch a month after the holiday."

Zhang Nan took a deep breath. Time was tight, but there was no sign of backing down in her eyes. Instead, a strong fighting spirit rose within her.

"it is good."

"One month from now, I will give you a real Douyin."

Chen Mo smiled, turned around and walked out of the conference room.

2:20 PM.

There are forty minutes left before Mingde Experimental Middle School officially starts its summer vacation.

With Douyin's matter temporarily settled, he now needed to pick up the two girls who had sent him over a dozen messages since morning.