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

……

Things weren't peaceful on Zhang Nan's side either.

She received more invitations than Chen Liping.

There are penguin-themed ones, fox-themed ones, and quite a few internet platform-themed ones.

The conditions are getting more and more outrageous.

Annual salary of tens of millions, core stock options, independent business unit.

Short video project leader.

Some people even told her directly that as long as she was willing to leave Douyin, they could give her a complete team and a sufficient budget to create a "bigger and more formal Douyin".

After reading the email, Zhang Nan felt it was absurd.

She had just stepped out of the meeting room when her phone rang again.

The caller ID showed an unknown number.

When she answered the call, the voice on the other end was very polite.

"Hello Mr. Zhang, I'm from Tencent's Strategic Investment Department..."

Zhang Nan interrupted after listening for less than a minute.

"I'm sorry, I'm not considering any external opportunities right now."

The other party seemed to have been prepared.

"Mr. Zhang, we're not simply poaching you. We believe short videos will become a crucial entry point for the mobile internet in the future, and with your capabilities, you can certainly leverage them on a larger platform..."

Zhang Nan looked at the young people in the distance, whose eyes were bloodshot from working so hard, still revising the version.

I glanced again at the "Preliminary Overseas Version Plan" written on the whiteboard.

She suddenly smiled.

"A larger platform?"

"You may have misunderstood. Douyin is the platform I want to make big."

After saying that, she hung up the phone immediately.

But even after hanging up, her brows didn't relax.

Because she knew these calls wouldn't stop.

Moreover, her may not be the only target of the other party.

Team, algorithm, operations.

Content creators.

Internet warfare is never a gentleman's duel.

As long as Douyin continues to grow, everyone will reach out.

……

Kyoto.

ByteDance headquarters.

Zhang Ming sat in the main seat of the conference room, with the latest data report from Douyin in front of him.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was somewhat awkward.

Within ByteDance, attitudes toward Douyin are changing.

Initially, Douyin was just a collaborative experiment.

Xingchen Technology provided the funding, while Zhang Ming contributed the algorithm and team, and the two parties jointly validated the direction of short videos.

At that time, no one thought Douyin would become popular so quickly.

No one expected that a joint venture project in western China would be valued at two billion US dollars by institutions like Sequoia Capital and IDG less than a month after its launch.

But now, Douyin has really exploded in popularity.

The news was so explosive that even Toutiao (ByteDance's news aggregator platform) felt the pressure.

"Douyin has recently been drawing away some of the energy from the algorithm team."

An executive spoke up.

"Toutiao's recommendation optimization is still in a critical stage."

"If resources continue to be poured into Douyin, what will happen to our own main product?"

The other person chimed in.

"There's also the issue of equity ownership."

ByteDance only holds 31.5%.

"Douyin's data and valuation have proven that the value of this project far exceeds the initial assessment."

"Should we try to increase our shareholding in the next round of financing?"

Some people put it more directly.

"Star Technology doesn't understand the Internet, yet it holds absolute control."

"In the long run, this is unreasonable."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Zhang Ming looked up and glanced at the person who spoke.

The man's tone softened slightly.

"Mr. Zhang, I'm not denying Mr. Chen's contributions."

"But Douyin's underlying algorithm, recommendation capabilities, and part of its core team come from ByteDance."

"Right now, everyone outside is saying that Douyin is the next mobile internet portal."

"If this entry point is controlled by Star Technology, ByteDance will be in a very passive position in the future."

Zhang Ming did not answer immediately.

He flipped through the data report, his gaze lingering on several key indicators.

Reason and ambition were clashing wildly in my mind.

Every fluctuating data point is fueling his ambitions. The grand business plan that Chen Mo described to him on the plane—"short videos, live streaming, e-commerce, and distribution across the entire network"—is now turning into a tangible reality.

That young man, not yet eighteen, saw not just a product, but an entire era.

This feeling excited him, but it also made him wary.

"Don't touch the equity yet."

Zhang Ming finally spoke.

The meeting room fell silent.

"The most important thing for Douyin right now is growth, not internal strife."

"Star Technology Holdings is the result of the contract."

"Zhang Nan's team is on the front lines, don't interfere with her."

The executive frowned: "But what about the next round of financing..."

"We'll talk about the next round later."

Zhang Ming's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"Anyone who tries to take control now is creating trouble for Douyin."

He paused.

"This is also creating trouble for ByteDance."

No one spoke in the meeting room.

But Zhang Ming knew very well that silence did not mean the problem had disappeared.

The faster Douyin grows, the more of these kinds of sounds will appear.

……

Changhu City.

It's 11:30 p.m.

The lights were still on in the conference room of Douyin Group.

Chen Liping, Zhang Nan, the finance manager, the legal manager, and the technical manager sat together.

There was a thick stack of documents on the table.

Zhang Nan pushed a well-organized report in front of Chen Liping.

"In the past few days, both Tencent and Ali have sent people to make contact."

"Several organizations also bypassed the company and contacted employees privately."

"Some members of the tech team have already received offers to poach employees."

"Content operations also have that."

"Some MCN teams have even tried to bypass Douyin and sign our top creators directly."

Chen Liping flipped through the report, his face growing increasingly grim.

Zhang Nan continued, "ByteDance is currently relatively stable; Mr. Zhang has suppressed internal dissent."

"But there are internal disagreements within ByteDance regarding Douyin's shareholding structure, and this cannot be kept secret."

"If we continue to grow at a high speed, they will bring it up again sooner or later."

Chen Liping rubbed his temples.

He was very tired.

From this morning until now, he has held six meetings, answered more than a dozen phone calls, and signed dozens of documents.

But he knew he couldn't act rashly.

Chen Mo was away, while Lin Wan was busy with Xingchen Technology and Xingxin Mining in Jiangcheng.

Zhang Nan, who is in charge of product and growth, is almost overwhelmed by the pressure from the front lines.

At this moment, he had to step forward.

He is Chen Mo's uncle, and also the anchor that Chen Mo personally placed in Douyin.

"Don't tell Xiao Mo about this yet."

Chen Liping suddenly said.

Zhang Nan was taken aback.

"But Mr. Chen, ByteDance and the other major tech giants are making huge moves. If we don't make strategic plans soon..."

"He's taking the college entrance exam soon!"

Chen Liping suddenly raised his voice, and this shout stunned everyone present.

He slowly stood up, placing his hands on the table: "Douyin is his life's work, but we can't rely on Xiao Mo forever!"

"If every time the company encounters a crisis or receives a few poaching calls, we have to rely on an 18-year-old to bail us out, then what's the point of having us highly paid executives?"

"Then I, as the uncle, am such a fucking useless piece of trash!"

Zhang Nan looked at Chen Liping in front of her and her breath hitched slightly.

She realized for the first time that Chen Mo had placed this uncle on Douyin not out of familial affection.

This usually mild-mannered, even somewhat dull, middle-aged man stands taller than anyone else when it comes to taking responsibility.

"Since those giants want to play dirty tricks, then we'll play along with them to the very end."

Chen Liping snorted coldly.

The anger that had been building up from the phone calls and probing these past few days finally found an outlet at this moment.

He surveyed the entire room and began:

"First, the Ministry of Justice acted overnight."

"All personnel in core R&D, algorithm, and data positions must re-sign upgraded confidentiality agreements and supplementary non-compete agreements."

"Anyone who dares to take core data with them, no matter which company they jump to, our legal team will pursue them to the end."

"Douyin's money isn't just used to buy buildings and servers."

"When it's time to go to court, you have to be willing to spend the money."

The legal representative immediately sat up straight.

"clear."

Chen Liping looked at the finance manager.

"At the same time, the finance department immediately brought out the stock option incentive plan that had been prepared beforehand."

"Put the list of core members on my desk first thing tomorrow morning."

"Give options where they are due, give bonuses where they are due, and give targeted credit where they are due."

"Don't just let employees listen to your ideals. Ideals can't pay your mortgage or your children's tuition."

"If the giants want to poach talent with money, we'll let our own people know first that they can earn more and go further by following Douyin."

The finance manager nodded emphatically.

"Second, the technology department will immediately implement a hierarchical management structure."

Chen Liping was reassigned as the technical lead.

"Core code, underlying algorithm interfaces, and core user data are all subject to dual physical isolation and access control auditing."

"It's not that we don't trust our own people, it's just that the company has reached a stage where we can no longer rely on personal relationships and self-discipline to maintain security."

"Every abnormal export, access, or download must be documented. We must eliminate any possibility of it being packaged and taken away in its entirety."

The technical lead's expression hardened.

"Let's do it tonight."

"Third, the operations department and the legal department worked together to draft the Spark Plan overnight."

"All of the top 500 creators on the platform have been included in the key signing list."

"Provide traffic, subsidies, filming training, and commercialization expectations."

"Sign long-term cooperation agreements if possible, and exclusive agreements if possible."

"Anyone who dares to bypass Douyin to poach our top creators, prepare your contracts and evidence."

"We won't deliberately escalate the situation. But anyone who puts their hand in the pot shouldn't blame us for burning them."

Zhang Nan's eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly took notes in her notebook.

"Fourth, as for those lobbyists sent by Penguin and Ali..."

Chen Liping paused, his gaze deepening.

"Let's stall them for now."

"They want to know our bottom line, so we show them what they want to see. All our external cooperation materials are only the standard version; we don't show them the real growth model."

"The Ministry of Commerce has prepared three different versions of the cooperation proposal."

"Record everything: who is most interested in which area, who contacted whom privately, and who bypassed the company to approach employees, creators, and suppliers."

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The technical lead and the legal lead exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

In their impression, although Chen Liping held the position of chairman, he was more like a gentle logistics manager and a tech geek in the past.

But now, facing encirclement from three sides and internal and external troubles, this middle-aged man, who usually keeps a low profile, has surprisingly revealed a ruthless streak.

"Mr. Chen."

The technical lead hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "If ByteDance makes any big moves and restricts our algorithm interface updates..."

"Then we'll organize our own research and development of alternative solutions."

Chen Liping did not hesitate at all.

"The monthly budget allocated to the R&D department is not just for show."

"ByteDance is a partner, not our lifeline."

"If we can cooperate, we'll continue to cooperate. If we can't cooperate, we'll be your backup plan."

"A person can borrow someone else's boat to go out to sea, but cannot tie their own life to the bottom of someone else's boat."

Several core executives in the conference room fell silent at the same time.

This sentence carries more weight than any of the preceding commands.

Because it clarified the bottom line between Douyin and ByteDance for the first time.

Chen Liping placed his hands on the table, leaning slightly forward.

"I know that everyone is actually feeling uneasy."

"With Xiao Mo gone and President Lin in Jiangcheng, do we really think we can handle this situation on our own?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"To be honest, six months ago I was still begging people everywhere for a deal worth several million."

"At that time, all I was thinking about was whether the company could survive and whether the employees could be paid their salaries."

"But things are different now."

"Douyin's daily active users are breaking internet records every day."

"Our user base is growing, our creator base is growing, and our brand value is increasing."

"Business is business. We're not the ones begging those giants to do us a favor right now."

"They're afraid of being left behind by this era, which is why they're rushing to snatch our tickets."

Chen Liping looked at Zhang Nan.

"Mr. Zhang, feel free to experiment with the products and growth on the front lines."

"Versions should be iterated upon, content should be expanded, and overseas versions should be prepared."

"As for these sneak attacks from the shadows, and the underhanded exchanges of favors..."

Chen Liping slammed his palm down on the documents on the table.

"With me, Chen Liping, around, nothing can be turned upside down."

In that instant, the lights of Changhu Lake in the dead of night stretched his shadow long.

Zhang Nan looked at him and suddenly stood up.

She closed her notebook, her tone more serious than ever before.

"clear."

After a half-second pause, she solemnly called out:

"Mr. Chen."

As soon as the word was spoken, the other managers in the conference room also stood up one after another.

"Understood, Mr. Chen."

"Execute it tonight."

"The Ministry of Justice will make arrangements immediately."

"The entire technical department will remain on duty."

Looking at them, Chen Liping finally relaxed a little, the tension that had been building up inside him all day.

But he knew this was just the beginning.

The voices within Tencent, Alibaba, and ByteDance, as well as the hidden capital and giants, will not back down just because of a few words he uttered tonight.

But at least from this moment on, Douyin's internal situation stabilized.

As long as things remain stable internally, no matter how strong the winds outside, they cannot capsize this ship that has just set sail.