At present, the mobile internet era was just beginning, making it the golden period for staking claims and seizing market share.
And the combination of social software + subscription accounts + service accounts + enterprise accounts was the absolute best approach.
Originally, WeChat had planned to create official accounts, preparing to develop subscription and service accounts.
Unfortunately, Changliao had emerged out of nowhere, packed with high-quality features that utterly crushed WeChat.
This forced WeChat to abandon official account development for the time being and focus on chasing Changliao instead, copying features like Moments, voice-to-text, nearby travel, local food guides, voice call, and video call capabilities.
Never in his wildest dreams would Zhang Long have guessed that before WeChat could even finish copying Changliao's existing features, Wang Yi would execute a brilliant feint, quietly laying out and developing the very official account ecosystem they had originally intended to build!
It could only be described as completely ruthless—and it was already making extraordinary progress.
Initially, promoting official accounts hadn't gone smoothly, but once user numbers hit one hundred million, everything changed completely.
Surpassing one hundred million users in just three months made it obvious to anyone that Changliao possessed infinite potential and was bound to become a massive blockbuster app.
Consequently, enterprises, platforms, and institutions that had previously maintained an aloof stance now lowered their pride, taking the initiative to set up shop on Changliao's service and enterprise accounts.
Major influencers, bloggers, and celebrities were also rushing to join and set up Changliao subscription accounts.
The reason was simple: Changliao possessed limitless potential and grew at breakneck speed. If they didn't hurry to stake their claims and capture users now, it would likely be too late when they tried to join later.
In any platform or industry, it was always easiest to expand when the market was still a blank slate.
Once an ecosystem matured into a fiercely competitive red ocean, standing out would become as difficult as reaching the heavens.
So with Changliao's active users surpassing one hundred million, rolling out official accounts wasn't difficult at all.
As for mini-programs, that would have to wait another two years. Current mobile data costs, network speeds, device performance, and underlying operating systems were simply far too inadequate.
Changliao's active user base was already more than triple that of WeChat. Once official accounts were fully established, its dominance would be absolute.
Should WeChat ever try to catch up with Changliao in the future, it would be a near-impossible feat.
"Everyone, regardless of the circumstances, Chairman Ma will never give up on WeChat. Therefore, we cannot afford to get complacent; we must keep pushing forward. If we were to be overtaken despite holding such a massive lead, it would be utter foolishness. I assume none of you want to see that happen!"
"Rest assured, Chairman Wang, we will not become arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat," Cai Zisong assured him.
Wang Yi waved a hand.
"Just 'not arrogant in victory' is enough. I don't want 'not discouraged in defeat.' For Changliao, victory is the only option; failure is not permitted. Win, and your year-end bonuses will exceed your wildest dreams. But if you lose—losing despite having such an advantage—then your entire department won't need to exist anymore!"
Everyone's face changed drastically. Knowing full well that Wang Yi meant every word, they immediately declared in unison:
"Understood!"
"We will go all out!"
"We will definitely succeed!"
Wang Yi nodded in satisfaction before taking his leave.
Only a constant sense of urgency would push the Changliao department to continuously innovate and make breakthroughs.
Riding on past laurels would only lead to a precipitous fall.
Wang Yi understood full well that success comes from diligence and is wasted in negligence.
The best perk of being the boss was that these strict principles didn't apply to oneself, but could be imposed on subordinates!
Afterward, Wang Yi checked on the progress of other departments, where everything was running smoothly.
With Song Sining and the others overseeing Meiyou, Wang Yi felt thoroughly at ease.
Finally, Wang Yi arrived at Meiyou's apparel department.
Chen Chuanqing stepped forward with a smile to greet him.
"Chairman, you've finally come."
Wang Yi chuckled helplessly. Despite the apparel department being the foundation of his rise to fortune, he actually visited it quite rarely.
Even for the recent Meiyou product launch, Wang Yi hadn't dropped by here, heading straight to the exhibition hall instead.
The reason was simple.
Wang Yi smiled faintly.
"Old Chen, with you holding down the fort in the apparel department, I can rest easy, which is why I don't need to come often. Other departments lack managers I can rely on as much, so I have to intervene more frequently."
"???"
Chen Chuanqing was left bewildered.
"Chairman, is that really the case?"
"You visit less because you trust me?"
"We thought you were starting to look down on the apparel business and were planning to side-line it!"
Wang Yi burst out laughing.
"How could that be? The apparel business has infinite potential—it's a pillar industry for Meiyou Technology, and indeed the entire Xingyi Technology group, as well as one of our most core operations. No matter the era, the apparel business and Meiyou Mall will remain at our core!"
"That's a relief."
Chen Chuanqing exhaled softly.
He had genuinely worried that after Xingyi Technology and the upcoming Wujie Technology were established, Meiyou Technology would be pushed to the fringes.
After all, in an era defined by high technology and the internet, the apparel business seemed somewhat low-tech in comparison.
Chen Chuanqing produced a report.
"Chairman, here is Meiyou Technology's revenue from the past few days. It certainly won't disappoint you."
"Our global daily revenue has stayed right around five hundred million yuan!"
Wang Yi's mood lifted immensely; it truly hadn't disappointed him.
"At this level, we aren't far behind giants like Zara and H&M."
Ever since officially announcing Taylor Swift's endorsement and releasing so many new products at once, the "Pure Desire" style had exploded in popularity once again.
Only this time, it wasn't just a domestic sensation, but a global phenomenon.
Taylor Swift's endorsement in particular had provided a massive qualitative leap in the international expansion of both Meiyou and Zhenyou.
In the apparel sector, industry giants like Zara and H&M boasted annual revenues around 180 billion yuan, with daily revenues hovering around 500 million RMB.
Previously, Meiyou Technology could only reach four to five hundred million in daily revenue on new product launch days or when trending online—glorious, yet fleeting.
This time, however, four days after the launch of the new product line, daily revenue remained steady at around five hundred million!
It could only be said that times had changed. The company now truly possessed the muscle to go toe-to-toe with global top-tier titans like Zara and H&M.
The primary driver behind this was the monstrous surge in international market sales.
In the domestic market, Meiyou had crushed Zara and H&M, but in overseas markets, it had been the other way around.
There was no helping it; Meiyou had started late. While a household name domestically, its brand recognition abroad remained quite limited.
Now, with Taylor Swift's endorsement, alongside Song Sining's efforts in securing numerous international trending topics and running heavy advertisement campaigns, global awareness of Meiyou and Zhenyou surged exponentially.
Coupled with the exceptional quality of Meiyou and Zhenyou products and their "Pure Desire" designs that inherently outshone Zara and H&M, global sales exploded with rapid momentum.
If this kept up, even after the initial wave of buzz subsided, daily revenue would remain remarkably strong.
Even if daily revenue couldn't hold at five hundred million, sustaining three hundred million per day was entirely achievable.
By then, Meiyou and Zhenyou would stand alongside H&M and Zara as the newest apparel behemoths to reach a hundred-billion-yuan revenue mark!
Although it might not reach H&M and Zara's 180 billion yuan, it would still represent a monumental success.
Furthermore, as Meiyou rose, H&M and Zara would suffer severe blows, facing sharp declines in market volume.
Once Meiyou solidified its position as a hundred-billion-yuan giant, H&M and Zara would likely see their revenues drop from 180 and 160 billion down to around 120 and 100 billion yuan.
After all, the pie of the global apparel market was fixed.
Meiyou's path to prominence was essentially snatching food straight out of the mouths of top apparel giants like H&M and Zara!
At this thought, Wang Yi grew excited.
"Old Chen, you've done well. But I don't like people who lack ambition."
"Chairman, do you mean..."
Wang Yi smiled slightly.
"By May next year, I want Meiyou to become an apparel giant with a revenue of one hundred billion yuan!"
"A hundred-billion-yuan apparel giant?"
"By May next year!"
Old Chen was utterly stunned.
"Chairman, that's only one year! You want me to bring Meiyou Apparel to a hundred billion in revenue?"
"That... that's too incredible."
Over the past year, Meiyou Technology had known both glory and quiet spells.
During its peak, daily revenue reached three to four hundred million, while during lulls, monthly revenue was only three to four hundred million.
Consequently, Meiyou's current annual revenue stood at just over twenty billion yuan.
Yet now, Wang Yi wanted to shoot for one hundred billion within a single year!
It was terrifyingly ambitious!
"What? No confidence?"
Wang Yi asked with a chuckle.
Chen Chuanqing nodded.
"Chairman, I really do lack confidence... I..."
Wang Yi patted Chen Chuanqing on the shoulder.
"Believe in yourself; you can do it. Believe in the company; Meiyou can do it. Believe in your subordinates; the employees can do it!"
Chen Chuanqing: "..."
Chairman, I feel like you're fooling me, and I have evidence to prove it.
"Besides, we have Taylor Swift. By leveraging her influence, we can rapidly expand the international market and replicate our domestic success on a global scale. Do this, and our chances of hitting one hundred billion in revenue within a year are very high!"
Seeing Wang Yi's earnest posture, Chen Chuanqing took a deep breath and nodded.
"Alright, Chairman, I will give it everything I've got!"
"Excellent! 'Given two hundred years, I would hit three thousand feet of waves!' Old Chen, you can do it."
Wang Yi suddenly realized that the motivational speeches—or psychological manipulation—his high school teachers used to drive students were perfectly suited for driving his own subordinates now.
This was true application of learned knowledge!
He even pondered whether he should make the marketing department stand up every morning and sing "Believe in Yourself" in chorus to boost morale.
That was exactly how Wang Yi's high school had operated.
Before the first morning class and the first afternoon class, the entire senior year would stand up together to sing "Believe in Yourself".
And truth be told, it actually worked at first—if nothing else, it woke everyone right up!
However, bringing that to the marketing department... better not.
It smelled way too much like multi-level marketing pyramid schemes.
Wang Yi shifted the topic.
"Work hard, there is hope. If you need any support, just ask!"
Chen Chuanqing thought for a moment before saying,
"Chairman, to break through one hundred billion in revenue, relying solely on the 'Pure Desire' style won't suffice. I hope we can launch Hanfu as soon as possible."
Wang Yi nodded.
"No problem. For the next two months, we'll focus on promoting the 'Pure Desire' style, while mass-producing and stockpiling Hanfu. When Hanfu hits the market in June, we'll sync it with the release of Nirvana in Fire to spark a Hanfu craze!"
The costumes and props in Nirvana in Fire weren't cobbled together haphazardly; rather, most were Hanfu designs crafted by senior designers at Meiyou.
The particularly striking women's Hanfu outfits were mass-produced and scheduled for a simultaneous launch.
Using Nirvana in Fire to popularize Meiyou and Zhenyou's Hanfu would sweep the Hanfu trend across the globe!
It was time for this strategy to be executed.
As for whether Meiyou's revenue could shatter the hundred-billion mark, that rested on Chen Chuanqing's shoulders.
Wang Yi's energy, meanwhile, was focused more on Xingyi Technology.
Next up, Xingyi TV and Xingyi Smart Home needed to be rapidly pushed forward.
In addition, the domestic smartphone supply chain and the budget thousand-yuan smartphone project were top priorities!
A person's energy was limited, so Wang Yi concentrated his efforts on these major initiatives, leaving Meiyou Apparel to Chen Chuanqing.
As for Song Sining, her upcoming focus lay in building Wujie Technology and developing Xingyi Technology's Lu Province headquarters.
These far more critical matters required President Song's personal supervision.
That evening, Wang Yi and Song Sining shared a romantic candlelit dinner, followed by an exquisite time together in their private world.
Tomorrow was the Qingming Festival, and Song Sining knew her shameless, blissful days with Wang Yi were drawing to a close.
During his four-day return to Jizhou, Wang Yi had accompanied Song Sining every day, but tomorrow he had to return to Qingyun County no matter what.
Coinciding with Qingming, he was going back to his hometown to sweep ancestral graves.
Once that was finished, Wang Yi would have to return to the Capital, where a mountain of affairs awaited his attention.
For instance, miHoYo's game Honkai, after being harshly criticized by Wang Yi, had completely abandoned Honkai Academy 1 and moved straight to developing Honkai Academy 2.
After over six months of development, it was now complete and undergoing closed beta testing.
Wang Yi planned to test it himself upon returning to oversee quality control; if no issues arose, it could be officially launched next month!
It fit perfectly to include Honkai Academy in the list of data-free applications for the Xingshen Card.
As a second-generation title, Honkai Academy possessed strong potential, and making it data-free would cause user numbers and revenue to skyrocket.
The Xingshen Card itself would gain immense popularity as a result.
However, all these matters would have to be handled after returning to the Capital.
Aware that parting was imminent, Song Sining seemed extraordinarily passionate tonight, akin to a vibrant, blooming rose.
After all, their next meeting might not be until next month!
Thus, they didn't fall asleep until late into the night after much passion.
Early the next morning, Wang Yi called Wu Shuang, and they headed straight for his hometown.
He began dozing off as soon as he got into the car.
Tomb-sweeping during Qingming was something the older generation took very seriously; no matter how far away they were, they would travel back home to sweep the graves, making it one of the most important annual events.
Younger people, however, felt far less attached, with many opting to skip it altogether.
In the future, some born in the 1980s and 1990s would still uphold the tradition of sweeping graves and honoring ancestors, while others would abandon it completely.
As for the generation following those born in the 80s and 90s, they would almost certainly abandon tomb-sweeping entirely.
Even Wang Yi himself couldn't spare the time when he was busy.
This trip home was purely coincidental because he happened to be in Jizhou for the Meiyou launch conference.
Returning once again to Egret Town and Qinglai Village, Wang Yi felt a distinct increase in liveliness.
In a village usually inhabited mostly by the elderly, there were suddenly many more cars and people on this day.
Wang Yi didn't even recognize many of them.
It wasn't until introductions were made that Wang Yi learned who was who—that someone had moved away back when he was small, someone else had left to do business elsewhere, or that another branch of the family had relocated long ago.
Now, to honor their ancestors for Qingming, they had specially returned to sweep the tombs.
There were quite a few such people; some returned every year, while others hadn't returned in many years and suddenly showed up this year.
The motives behind the latter were hard to pin down.
For example, families that had moved away for decades without visiting once might suddenly return because an elderly relative's health was deteriorating and they felt their time was near.
They wanted to visit while they could, reconnecting with a long-neglected ancestral home so they could return to their roots in death.
After all, cemetery plots in the city had to be purchased, weren't cheap, and some didn't even come with permanent ownership rights.
In contrast, village land consisted of family-owned woodland where ancestors rested, offering a natural place to return to one's roots.
This could be considered another perk for villagers besides homestead land plots.
Of course, among those who hadn't returned in years and suddenly resurfaced, there was a third category of people.
For instance, the distant relative who had nothing to do with him, waiting for Wang Yi at his grandfather's house...
When Wang Yi saw her, he was completely bewildered, and even Wang Qingzhi was equally bewildered.
The reason was simple: even traced back to Old Wang, they were distant relatives who barely had any connection, let alone with Wang Yi.
The only relation to speak of was that back in his grandfather's generation, the woman's father was considered a very distant relative.
However, one couldn't strike a smiling face.
Since she had come to the door, Master Wang couldn't very well turn her away.
He could only introduce her to Wang Yi:
"Xiao Yi, this is your... distant cousin... never mind, just call her Cousin Aunt!"
The old man's brain nearly short-circuited trying to explain; the kinship had already extended beyond five generations in his time.
Let alone for Wang Yi, where it was seven generations removed.
Generally, once beyond five generations, people were no longer considered relatives.
Beyond seven generations, it was essentially nothing at all.
This seven-generation-removed cousin aunt hadn't stepped foot in the village for decades.
Now she suddenly showed up with a young woman, and had she not introduced herself, the old man wouldn't have remembered her at all.
As for her purpose in coming, though she hadn't stated it, the old man had a fair idea.
In all likelihood, she was aiming for Wang Yi!
She had probably timed it precisely, anticipating that Wang Yi, having held his product launch in Jizhou, would definitely return home for Qingming tomb-sweeping.
This was certainly no good thing.
Sure enough, before Wang Yi could even speak, the cousin aunt's eyes lit up, and she spoke with familiar warmth:
"This must be Wang Yi, Chairman Wang! Impressive, so very impressive! Our Wang family has finally produced such a talent—truly impressive!"
Wang Yi merely nodded, not wishing to engage further.
Unfortunately, his perfunctory attitude failed to discourage her.
On the contrary, she grew even more enthusiastic.
"Wang Yi, this is my daughter, Sun Shan. She's twelve years older than you and also works in the Capital. She studied fashion design..."
Fashion design... Wang Yi's heart sank. She couldn't possibly be looking to join Meiyou, could she?
If she actually possessed real talent, Wang Yi might consider it.
However, if she lacked the skill, Wang Yi wouldn't grant any special exceptions.
Meiyou was already on the right track now, and its hiring standards were much higher than last year.
To put it bluntly, when Meiyou was starting out last year, the hiring bar was very low.
As long as someone wasn't a slacker and had decent character, they would be hired regardless of whether they held a bachelor's or associate degree, even if their skills were limited.
This year was different; the threshold for Meiyou Technology had risen dramatically.
Even a master's graduate from a top 985 university wouldn't stand a chance if their capabilities fell short.
Sure enough, what he feared came to pass.
The aunt pivoted smoothly:
"Wang Yi, doesn't your company deal in clothing? Your elder cousin is very capable—look, these are all her works."
As she spoke, she turned to Sun Shan.
Taking the cue, Sun Shan hurriedly pulled out an Xphone 1 Pro, opened her pre-arranged portfolio, and leaned in close to Wang Yi:
"Brother Wang Yi, take a look, these are all designs I created."
Wang Yi glanced over them. At first glance, they seemed alright, but upon closer inspection, disappointment welled up inside him.
The signs of imitation were far too heavy!
In plain terms, it was just copying plus heavy tweaking.
The problem was, the tweaks weren't even good.
It seemed that in an effort to avoid accusations of plagiarism, she had ruined the essence of the original designs and added useless details.
Wasn't this a joke?
"How is it? Not bad, right?"
Sun Shan said with a smile.
Wang Yi was rendered speechless: "..."
If she were a twenty-two-year-old fresh university graduate, she could be likened to an unpolished stone with potential to be turned into gold.
But she was thirty-one, at an age where one should be established. Plainly speaking, her prospects were likely set for life; becoming a designer for a major corporation was practically unrealistic.
Late bloomers like Qi Baishi were the rarest of exceptions.
"Chairman Wang, could I join your company as a fashion designer?"
Sun Shan asked pitifully.
With so many eyes on him, Wang Yi couldn't directly reject her, so he could only say,
"All our fashion designers belong to Meiyou Technology, and they are all based in Jizhou."
"Ah?" Sun Shan froze. "They're all in Jizhou? None in the Capital?"
Wang Yi smiled secretly.
This woman just can't bring herself to abandon the vanity of living in the Capital!
That made things much easier.
"None. Fashion design is entirely handled by Meiyou Technology, whose headquarters are in Jizhou. As for our presence in the Capital, it consists only of marketing—meaning sales."
"Sales..." Sun Shan grimaced. "But I want to work as a designer."
"The designers are all in Jizhou,"
Wang Yi replied pleasantly.
"Then what kind of compensation do designers in Jizhou receive?"
Sun Shan pressed, unwilling to give up.
Wang Yi offered a faint smile.
"It's pretty much in line with local wages in Jizhou, around two to three thousand yuan a month. After all, the average salary in Jizhou is only about two thousand."
"So little!" Sun Shan's eyebrows knitted together. "Then I'd be better off staying in the Capital to take the teaching exam. I want to become a university instructor in the Capital—a tenured one."
"Great idea! Fantastic ambition! Tenured positions offer stability!"
Wang Yi's eyes lit up, overjoyed inside.
"Cousin, your line of thinking is spot on! Designer pay isn't high, it lacks job security, and there's no official tenure. In our province, do you know what that's called? It doesn't even count as a real job!"
"How could it ever compare to the prestige and security of a tenured university teacher?"
"Is that so?"
Sun Shan was utterly bewildered.
Wang Yi nodded earnestly.
"Of course. In our province, if it isn't a tenured, state-backed position, it's simply not considered a proper job."
"As the saying goes, among all unfilial acts, failing to secure tenure is the greatest! Cousin, you absolutely must pass that exam. You might even obtain Capital household residency—now that is a broad highway to success!"
"Even better, try taking the civil service exam! If you become a civil servant, your status will skyrocket. In the future, when families gather for meals, you'll be able to sit right at the main table with the elders—a seat even your mother wouldn't get to sit in!"
"!!!" Sun Shan was completely led astray by his rhetoric. She murmured thoughtfully,
"Taking the civil service exam actually sounds pretty good. Should I just prepare for that instead?"
Wang Yi smiled warmly.
"How about this? The two aren't mutually exclusive. You can pick one first, or prepare for both simultaneously. Or aim for the one you're confident in first. For instance, once you pass the teacher exam, you can use summer and winter breaks to prepare for the civil service exam."
"Great idea!"
Sun Shan nodded repeatedly.
Wang Yi breathed a secret sigh of relief, having finally deflected this trouble.
As for whether she could actually pass, that would depend on her own capabilities.
Though if she actually succeeded, it truly would be a golden career path.
However, just as Wang Yi exhaled, the seven-generations-removed cousin aunt spoke up again:
"Chairman Wang really is something, mapping out Shan Shan's career path in an instant."
"As the saying goes, if you help someone, help them all the way! Chairman Wang, Shan Shan is already over thirty and still single. You're both in the Capital, and Xingyi Technology has so many outstanding employees and executives—could you introduce someone to her?"
The corner of Wang Yi's mouth twitched: "..."
Talk about greedy! I pointed out a career path for you, and now you want me to find her a partner too?
Is that something I can just casually set up?
Ignoring his reaction, the aunt urged her daughter directly:
"Shan Shan, quick, tell Chairman Wang your criteria for a partner so he can look for you."
"Mm-hmm!"
Sun Shan beamed with joy, counting on her fingers as she began to calculate:
"Although I graduated from an ordinary university, I still hold a master's degree. So he must at least have a master's or doctorate from a 211 university, or a 985 university..."
Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, Wang Yi suddenly interrupted:
"I have some urgent business matters to attend to. I'll head back to deal with them first."
(End of chapter)