Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

Shen Wanshan's hoarse voice still echoed in my ears.

Do you think I'll be scared because of this?

If you don't understand the rules, you naturally won't understand how fate should play its hand.

Do you want to see me panic and abandon tomorrow's summit?

dream.

Gu Ming picked up the encrypted internal phone and quickly tapped the screen to send out several commands.

[To: Wang Tianqi]

"I'm giving you full authorization. Before dawn, eliminate all of Shen Wanshan's men and strongholds. Also, dispose of all his shady businesses before sunrise. Find Qingying without alerting him."

[To: Chen Mo]

"Activate the 'Dark Forest' protocol. I need all the information about Shen Wanshan and his family, to appear on my screen within thirty minutes. I need to know the coordinates of every single one of his hiding places."

[To: Su Qingying's Bodyguard Captain]

"You're fired. But now, I'm giving you a chance to make amends. Take your people to this coordinate. If President Su suffers any harm, you don't need to come back."

After issuing the command, Gu Ming did not wait for a reply.

The system he built has already started operating.

He went to the dressing room and took out a Kiton handmade suit.

Tomorrow is the annual Internet Leaders Summit in China.

He will be the youngest winner, sitting at the same table with the heads of Penguin and Ali.

This is a sign that he has entered the core circle of the industry.

Shen Wanshan thought he could make him give up this opportunity by using a woman?

Quite the opposite.

He not only had to go, but he also had to perform better than ever before.

He wanted Shen Wanshan and all his enemies to see that he would take away his honor while dealing with this matter.

That's the best response he could receive.

……

The following day, in Beijing, at the National Convention Center.

The annual Internet Leaders Summit is being held here.

Crystal chandeliers hung in the banquet hall, and the air was filled with the aroma of champagne and food.

The main table is the center of the venue.

When Gu Ming sat down, he attracted the attention of those around him.

To his left is the founder of a well-known domestic technology group, surnamed Zhou.

He is the actual controller of another content platform, and his surname is Lin.

"President Zhou, President Lin," Gu Ming said with a smile, raising his glass in a very appropriate manner.

Two influential figures almost simultaneously focused their attention on this young man.

"Mr. Gu, you are very promising at such a young age."

"StarCraft's Mars project has been keeping us old folks up at night lately."

Hehe, can't sleep?

You're probably worried that Xingchen's rapid development might affect your business.

Gu Ming thought to himself, but put on a humble expression: "President Lin is too kind. Xingchen is just doing some exploration, and it is still far from being comparable to you and President Zhou."

Just then, his phone vibrated rhythmically in his pocket.

[Wang Tianqi: In position. Thirty-two men, fully armed. Outskirts cleared.]

Gu Ming held the wine glass very steadily.

"Mr. Gu's exploration almost impacted the core businesses of both our companies. I'm very curious, what are Mr. Gu's next plans?"

This is a test of my strategic direction.

Gu Ming put down his wine glass and scanned the entire room.

He noticed that investors from Sequoia Capital and Hillhouse Capital were also paying attention to the conversation in the distance.

What I'm about to say may influence the direction of the capital market.

"Both of you think too highly of me."

He paused.

"For example, we could take these proven content formats from China and bring them abroad. Especially in Southeast Asia, where there are large populations, internet speeds are just starting to pick up, people have more free time, and there's a lack of online entertainment. Giving them some fast-paced, short content with twists and turns might be a good market."

"Fast-paced? Short content?"

The two looked at each other, both somewhat confused.

While others are still focusing on areas like big data, cloud computing, and AIoT, this young man has begun to pay attention to this seemingly insignificant business.

In 2016, they didn't understand the meaning of "short dramas going global" and how it would create a huge market in the future.

Gu Ming observed their reactions.

That's exactly what I want you to not understand.

By the time you understand, I'll have already taken over the market.

At that moment, the phone vibrated again.

[Chen Mo: Target locked. Thermal imaging shows thirteen vital signs. General Su's vital signs are stable, but he is in a hypothermic coma.]

A slight change flashed in Gu Ming's eyes, but it was quickly concealed by a smile.

Just as he was about to speak, a Chinese man wearing an Armani suit walked over with a wine glass in his hand.

"Mr. Gu, I've heard so much about you. I'm David Chen from Pacific Growth Capital."

coming.

Gu Ming thought to himself.

Pacific Capital is an investment firm with overseas backgrounds. They seek out projects in Asia, package them, and then raise funds on Wall Street. They follow behind large projects and earn some profits.

"Hello, Mr. Chen."

"Mr. Gu, we greatly admire Xingchen's operational capabilities," David Chen said directly. "We believe Southeast Asia will be the next growth area for traffic. We have capital and local channels, but we lack content and capable operators like Xingchen. We would like to invite Xingchen's core team to join us in Jakarta to jointly develop this market. We will cover all expenses."

These conditions are abnormally good.

The other party wants to poach my core team and dismantle my company.

Gu Ming looked at him and understood the other party's intention.

But a look of interest appeared on his face: "Oh? That's a very bold idea. Let me think about it..."

The third tremor.

[Wang Tianqi: Action.]

Gu Ming knew that the operation had already begun in that abandoned factory.

He stood in the center of the banquet hall, smiling, and raised his glass to David Chen in front of him.

"Mr. Chen, I agree to your proposal in principle."

He looked at the joy that flashed in the other person's eyes and thought:

I'll use your money and connections to develop my business. Once I'm established, I'll acquire your company as well.

During the conversation with David Chen, in an attempt to demonstrate his professionalism, he mentioned some companies in the Southeast Asian market, with one name flashing by.

"...There's another platform called Flash Short, which was created by a former employee of a domestic MCN. With a small budget, they produced some poorly made short dramas, which garnered some attention, but they never really took off."

Flash Short.

Gu Ming's pupils contracted slightly.

Of course he remembered the name.

This seemingly insignificant platform will become a leading short video platform in Southeast Asia, with a market value of 30 billion US dollars, in just two years.

Another great opportunity.

After the summit concluded, Gu Ming, surrounded by reporters and investors, left the venue with a smile on his face.

I sat inside the bulletproof Rolls-Royce Phantom, the doors closed, shutting out all outside noise.

The smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold expression.

"Back to the safe house."

Half an hour later, at a heavily guarded villa on the outskirts of Beijing.

Gu Ming pushed open the door and saw Su Qingying wrapped in a wool blanket, sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of ginger tea. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were calm.

Several medical personnel are performing final checks on her.

Upon seeing Gu Ming, her eyes reddened, but she still managed a smile: "I'm fine, I was just frightened."

Gu Ming waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

He walked up to her, without saying anything to comfort her, but simply reached out and brushed away the messy strands of hair from her forehead.

His fingertips were cold.

He looked into her eyes and spoke each word calmly, one by one.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault."

"This will not happen again."

After saying that, he turned and walked to the window, took out his phone, and prepared to give instructions.

"Wait!" Su Qingying suddenly called out to him.

She stood up, walked behind him, and looked at his back.

"Gu Ming, I know what you're trying to do."

"But... don't let me ruin your plans."

Gu Ming did not turn around.

"This isn't disrupting the plan," he said calmly. "It's part of the plan itself."

He turned around, his eyes showing a look Su Qingying had never seen before.

He looked at her and suddenly smiled.

That smile was different from usual, making one feel uneasy.

"Get ready."

Su Qingying was taken aback: "Prepare what?"

"We're going to Southeast Asia," Gu Ming said slowly.

"Let's build a military academy that's famous online."