Chapter 131 Joint President (Part 2)

about to break through Wang Weiwei’s players and leave them far behind. Just as everyone’s hearts rose and fell in anticipation, Wang Weiwei sneered with a twisted smile, and a swift yellow figure si...Chapter 131: Joint CEO (Part 2)

The hot spring area was shrouded in steam.

"Do you know how the Duke's College group views Su Cen Some people say his tactics and plans are flawless, cunning to an extreme degree. They say he always knows how to use such methods; originally, during the Nan University Reunion Festival, the Akasaka Corporation was engaged in a vicious competition with its competitors, but he managed to benefit from it, standing on moral high ground to strike hard while elevating himself." Ruan Sigu started swimming and had already peeled off the towel she used to cover her body. She wore a one-piece swimsuit which left her sides exposed due to its design, only covering her belly button. If not for Cheng Congcong and Tong Tong insisting on wearing bikinis, she wouldn’t have put on last year’s purchase, which was quite daring for her.

"Which faction of the Duke's College said that I could slap them all," Tong Tong, half her body submerged in water, raised her eyebrows. "Are some people at the Duke's College choosing wrong majors Shouldn’t they be studying international relations instead of concocting conspiracy theories I know Li Xiang, the hostess for Oriental TV’s Entertainment Channel who is currently a graduate student under Zhang Yuping, recently stated that if she were in Su Cen’s position, no one could have acted as he did under those circumstances! Forget about seasoned veterans; even current college students wouldn’t risk their own interests to intervene when they see something unfair."

"That's why I say it wasn't a beautiful coincidence for our first beauty Tang Wu to be taken away by him. In that situation, no one dared to step forward openly like he did. Look around the entire Nan University; who has such boldness and charisma"

"How many people could see at the time that Akasaka Corporation was being smeared and it was set up by competitors We students might not have thought of it due to our limited experience, but many in attendance were influential figures from politics or business. After years in their respective fields, how could they miss such deliberate targeting Yet no one moved a finger, allowing this misinformation and smear campaign to continue unchecked. Whether you call Su Cen attention-seeking or a naive young man, the question remains: who now can match his deep-rooted image as a naive youth And nobody has been able to stop him yet. Everyone might not know why exactly, but someone backed by Facebook Inc. would certainly be confident."

*** Ruan Sigu glanced at Tong Tong's proud chest and retorted, "That wasn’t my opinion; the person who said that got heavily criticized multiple times. They probably dare not show their face in the Duke's College now and can't continue working there, but you cannot deny many people think this way."

Then Ruan Sigu lowered her voice again as Tang Wu hadn’t arrived yet, "There are countless student entrepreneurs at Nan University; I know of Tan Jun from ARM China, Li Jianzhang the founder of Ctrip, Rong Hai of Xi'an Haisen Group, and Cao Guowei CEO of Sina. Compared to these wealth-creating figures, Su Cen may not have reached his peak yet, but in our college era, he stands uniquely. In your view, what level might he reach"

Even though the Facebook Chinese Language Party organized by Dustin for the hotel was nearing its end when Ruan Sigu and others arrived, they could still tell from the rear of the venue that it was on a large scale, with a modern corporate air. They may not understand company management themselves, but from the vitality of Facebook Inc., as seen through the eyes of those joining them—highly talented tech students—they could perceive its potential.

Cheng Congcong leaned against the poolside, using one finger to draw circles on the tiles and said, "It's hard to tell. The most unreliable thing in this world is predicting a person’s future based on their present status. I remember there was an older boy in my neighborhood who used to be very impressive—great at studies, ranking among the top ten in the entire school. He was quite handsome, and I even had a crush on him. Everyone in the compound said he would have a bright future and that he was destined for Tsinghua or Peking University. Later, our family moved away from that building complex. Then I heard that this boy graduated from a second-tier college out of province and after wandering around for a couple of years, returned to Shanghai to work in a company run by a distant relative. When I saw him again, the image he had left in my heart nearly crumbled. He was even hugging my shoulders and deliberately pushing me around at a karaoke bar, insisting on drinking together and claiming we grew up together. At that moment, I held back. But after that incident, I came to believe that time can eventually break down what you once thought were the most solid things in your heart."

"I rarely see you being sentimental," Ruan Sige said after a moment of thought.

“Calling me sentimental is an insult. My emotions are naturally rich,” Cheng Congcong replied.

“Do you have to act like this all day long” Ruan Sige couldn’t help but curse out loud at last.

About this time, Tang Wu had already entered the water, and Tong Tong didn't forget to laughingly suggest that Su Can and she should get a hot spring suite in the hotel if they wanted some private time. This was said purposely louder for those on the other side of the partition to hear, drawing laughter from the group of men over there.

"By the way, my father and others have recently talked about Su Can’s Facebook China. I heard a bit of it; some of what they said makes sense. Replicating Facebook in China is difficult because the user engagement that can be maintained in the US might not work here. Although Su Can's Facebook China has integrated Nanjing University's local talent resources and easily surpassed some smaller websites, compared to the trends in America, its significance is negligible. My father’s American friend put it well: they say Facebook gained half a million users’ trust and engagement mainly due to positive word-of-mouth and fashionability within the US college student circle; even the founders might not have realized that the true value of Facebook lies in its deep penetration into American social life and business through the Internet."

Cheng Congcong paused before continuing, "But things are different here. Even if we manage to attract university students, white-collar professionals may not follow suit because for them, internet entertainment is significant but it’s not a work network or a business network yet. They don’t even use QQ as the main tool for meetings and discussions at work. Therefore, these people might show no interest in such platforms. This is also a risk. Generally speaking, those involved in Internet ventures tend to overestimate their value. I’m concerned that Su Can might do this too."

Tang Wu nodded thoughtfully after hearing her. What Cheng Congcong said was not high-minded speculation but likely something discussed by the older generation behind the scenes. It was clear and insightful.

While Facebook has thrived in America, it may not achieve the same success in China. Perhaps it will even meet with setbacks here because if a similar miracle could happen twice, it wouldn't be a miracle but a myth.

"When we were exchange students abroad, Su Cen told me that he and his American classmates wanted to put the school's directory online and then share it publicly." Tang Wu smiled after a moment of thought. "I didn't realize anything back then, just like many others wouldn't have either. But who would've known that what they were tinkering with in their dorm room back then is now starting to take shape I believe in Su Cen; he has an innate ability to turn ordinary things into something extraordinary."

Tong Tong raised her hands in front of her chest and stared at Tang Wu with flashing eyes. "Tang Tang, if I were a man, I would have fallen madly for you."

Cheng Congcong hissed like a snake and reached out to grab Tong Tong's chest twice amid shrill giggles. "If you want to be a man, first get rid of these two things."

In the men's bath next door with poor sound insulation, everyone who heard what was being said in the women’s area looked at each other, their throats moving up and down as they imagined the situation over there. It was really quite shocking.

*Leaning against the edge of the pool, Su Cen enjoyed the brief relaxation brought by the warm water enveloping his body and told Dustin, "Everyone else has been questioning how Facebook Chinese should proceed in China, believing that it's a different league compared to American Facebook when it comes to attractiveness and survival conditions. Since domestic internet is generally geared towards entertainment rather than as deeply rooted as in America, I think we can work on this aspect. We'll make Chinese Facebook very entertaining, and for the next step, I've instructed the technical department to focus on designing some web games for the site and add them to Chinese Facebook, thereby indirectly boosting popularity and user engagement. Meanwhile, Kate has already started handling applications related to patent protection for Facebook's technologies. Some patents will be applied for in America, such as 'Online Social Networking Management System', 'External User Page Data Update Technology', and 'System and Method for Connecting Users of Online Computer Systems Based on Social Network Relationships', while we'll apply for some peripheral patents domestically."

Dustin listened carefully; he had the virtue of being a good listener, patiently analyzing what was said by others.

"We will have many rivals in the future. This domain is destined to be fiercely competitive and more venture capital will want to compete for it. As we gradually become mainstream, we'll find ourselves at the forefront of competition with countless competitors hoping to surpass us and obtain large amounts of funding to defeat us. In such a situation, patents and technological barriers are particularly important; they can ensure that we maintain our advantage without hindering innovation over the next five years."

"I have another plan: after investing in World of Warcraft, I hope to invest in an incubation park near Nan Da University's science and technology park to attract more people into application technology research through clustering effects. This will serve as a strategic technical reserve for the future. All these are step-by-step plans."

Dustin was thrilled by Su Cen's brief description of his vision. After they finished soaking in the hot springs, Dustin went back to the hotel to fetch some documents and laid them out before Su Cen. "I came here for this agreement; Grelock Company and others are willing to invest $30 million, but they demand more than what Washington Post Group asked for—they want a seat on the board of directors and various additional conditions. More importantly, they don't believe in you."

A streak of ghostly flame surged from the depths of Su Cen's body, following his blood up his spine and toward his forehead. With a grim expression he said, "They don’t believe in me What right do they have to say that"

"It was us who risked being expelled from Exeter High School for using the database illegally. It was I and Zack who convinced the school authorities to open it up. It was us who designed and built this social network. Now a bunch of capitalists only focused on profits, what right do they have to stand there making sarcastic remarks"

No matter how good his cultivation in qi might be, Su Cen couldn't remain indifferent. Because as long as one personally experienced this path and walked all the way to where he was now, everything he had founded here could be said to寄托了某種理想，是他重生後寶貴的財富，更是他人生事業的一種追求。冇有真正經曆過這一切的人無法體會到這種事業驚心動魄的意義。

And now that a group of capitalists were plotting and threatening the foundations he relied on, Su Cen didn't need to pretend to be calm in front of Dustin.

"Any guy who says such things in my presence will end up lying on the ground."

Su Cen regained his composure. To venture capitalists like Greylock and Axelrod, a Chinese person with over 40% equity in Facebook from across the ocean was definitely a major threat to their takeover of Facebook.

No matter how they maneuvered or played politics against Zack, there would always be another figure holding significant shares and power in this company watching them from the East.

This was like having Damocles' Sword hanging over their heads at all times. Of course, they wanted to strip Su Cen of his rights.

"Therefore, we can't back down!" Dustin, wearing only a robe, rolled up his sleeves and laid out the contract agreement on the table with a bang. "If we take one step back now, then in future company decision-making we'll keep taking steps back until we lose our principles."

"Zack doesn’t want to show weakness here either; he also needs you to play an even more intimidating role. This joint CEO contract will readjust the internal personnel structure of Facebook and create a new position of ‘co-CEO’ internally in Facebook. A ‘co-CEO’ would be held by two people, with equal authority but different divisions of labor. Starting from today, you are relieved of your positions as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Intelligence Officer at Facebook, and will become a co-CEO alongside Mark Zuckerberg to lead the entire company's development.appropriately to flatterers and weather-vane types while showing favoritism towards chief cadres from state-owned enterprises with administrative staffing. This made these people even more assertive;...