Chapter 370: Chapter 294: Teacher, You Look at Me Like This? Chapter 370: Chapter 294: Teacher, You Look at Me Like This? On the side of the house door, a large and a small pair of white shoes were placed together.

This scene was a spiritual pleasure and solace for someone like Chen Jieyu.

Cheng Zhu’s view was blocked, so he couldn’t see this.

He only noticed that when Chen Jieyu sat back beside him, she seemed more relaxed.

“Why don’t you try it on for me?” Cheng Zhu pointed to the “killer bag” on the table and asked.

“It doesn’t match what I’m wearing,” Chen Jieyu said, looking down at her cotton pajamas.

Speaking of this, she was a bit annoyed with Cheng Zhu.

This guy was already downstairs in the faculty dormitory building when he notified her, saying he was coming up.

She was given no chance to refuse or time to prepare.

She had been planning to remove her makeup, brush her teeth, and take a bath.

She had even laid out a clean, matching set of black underwear on the washbasin.

“Did you just come from a milk tea shop?” she asked.

“Yeah, I bought this stuff from Star City too,” Cheng Zhu replied.

“Cheng Zhu, today was actually the day I was supposed to repay you,” Chen Jieyu suddenly said.

“Really? What a coincidence! Was it agreed before that it would be on this day each month? I forgot,” Cheng Zhu started making up an excuse.

“Yeah, we agreed on today,” Chen Jieyu confirmed, not doubting him.

She received her adviser’s salary on this day each month, so they had planned it as her repayment day.

“Let’s not fuss about these things,” Cheng Zhu said.

He could guess that it was her sensitivity and pride acting up.

Then, he took Chen Jieyu’s hand seriously and said, “But I really came today because there’s something important I want to discuss with you.”

“This bag is a gift but you could also say it’s my bribe to you, haha!”

When the adviser heard he needed her help with something, she immediately became serious.

Cheng Zhu smiled and asked, “Have you been in touch with your teacher a lot lately?”

Chen Jieyu was initially startled, then guessed, “Do you mean Dean Zhang’s wife?”

“Yes,” Cheng Zhu said.

Dean Zhang’s wife was Chen Jieyu’s teacher, and she had always admired Chen Jieyu.

In her heart, Chen Jieyu was a strong, independent child, which she really liked.

Chen Jieyu also respected her, for she had been a great help both academically and in life.

“I went to dinner some days ago, and last weekend I went hiking with her,” Chen Jieyu replied.

Cheng Zhu nodded slightly, sensing that Dean Zhang’s wife treated Chen Jieyu like her own kin.

“Next time it’s convenient for dinner… take me with you!” Cheng Zhu said.

Chen Jieyu panicked upon hearing this.

Take you? To dinner?

But she quickly realized it might not be what she was thinking. Cheng Zhu had mentioned before that he needed some support from Dean Zhang.

“Can you explain a bit more?” Chen Jieyu asked.

“Well, I want to start a social media platform, and it’s definitely not like making some trashy little games.”

“The funding is not a problem.”

“It’s talents that I’m severely lacking!”

“For trashy games like ‘Sheep,’ I can pull in some college students to handle it.”

“But for what I need next, I’m looking for elites!”

“Top-tier talents.”

As the dean of the School of Information Science, Dean Zhang had his own network and resources.

Don’t underestimate a formal university leader; their influence can be extremely formidable.

“What kind of social media platform do you want to create?” Chen Jieyu asked, scrutinizing Cheng Zhu with a questioning look.

It felt like a teacher not trusting a naughty student.

There are many types of social media platforms.

Some are very formal, while others might cover a myriad of indecent activities.

For instance, the famously known… “Momo.”

You should know that within a year of Momo launching in 2012, its user base had already surpassed 10 million, claiming a staggering 2.2 million daily active users.

Remember, this was in 2012 when smartphone penetration wasn’t that high.

The same year, Alibaba invested 40 million US dollars in Momo, showing strong confidence in it.

By 2013, the user base of Tantan surged to 50 million.

Now in 2014, within a year, user numbers doubled to over a hundred million, with 40 million monthly active users and over a million paying members.

It could be said that this app has continually created miracles in the industry in recent years.

Its uniqueness is well understood, so it’s hard for it to not be famous.

Many people use Tantan for various reasons, including legitimate dating, but also for scams or finding “bedmates.”

And why did Chen Jieyu instinctively think of the peculiar platforms like Tantan when Cheng Zhu talked about starting a social media platform?

It was purely due to her slight bias against him.

Initially, how bold could an ordinary freshman be towards an adviser?

She believed he could be a troublemaker in the class from the beginning.

Indeed, “disobedient”!

This student was an expert when it came to talking back to teachers!

Chen Jieyu knew all too well about this bad student’s “bad nature.”

Moreover, didn’t Cheng Zhu reveal his status as a QQ tycoon to her?

With that, she couldn’t help but wonder even more.

She had searched for “Persistent Visit,” knowing it to be an Internet-famous store with a large following.

Among those female followers of the store, many were venerable women.

If Cheng Zhu were to create some nefarious platform, goodness, these people would have directly found their organization!

— If the public does not abandon, the concubine wishes to follow!

Install, resolutely install on his platform!

Cheng Zhu initially didn’t understand, merely feeling her gaze was full of scrutiny.

Later, an idea crossed his mind and he began to guess her meaning.

“No way, Mr. Chen, are you afraid I’m creating some indecent social media platform and then you and Dean Zhang would be embarrassed?”

“I’m a legitimate businessman!” declared the well-known domestic QQ tycoon emphatically.

Indeed, he might later venture into other QQ categories, such as crossing into the toy industry.

As for the platforms like Momo and Tantan, he had indeed considered them.

But entering the market now would indeed be too late.

Others are already well-established, backed by substantial capital, and competing would be tough.

Besides, would someone like Cheng Zhu be familiar with apps like Momo and Tantan?

Not familiar, not at all!

Of course, to claim that the platform he wanted to create was entirely pure would also be nonsense.

Cheng Zhu looked at her and said, “It’s about short videos.”

Now in 2014, entering the short video market was still feasible.

There wasn’t TikTok yet, but Kuaishou was already in existence.

However, Kuaishou’s rapid growth phase actually starts from the middle of next year.

Entering the market before TikTok would still be promising because although the paths are different, if delayed further, it would only get tougher.

Cheng Zhu had previously run an Internet celebrity company and a live-streaming sales company, so he was quite familiar with the major short video platforms.

He also understood some of the intricacies involved.

And the potential market size was self-evident.

Short video platforms are not just targeting the domestic market; they are aiming for the global market!

Chen Jieyu looked at him and asked, “Is it like Kuaishou?”

Cheng Zhu hesitated for a moment, then said, “It’s hard to explain in a few words, but it’s somewhat similar.”

This somewhat reassured the adviser, making her think that what he was planning was slightly more legitimate than she had imagined.

“I’ll lay some groundwork for you next time I see Dean Zhang,” Chen Jieyu said.

Cheng Zhu held her left hand with his right and gently patted her hand with his left, deliberately saying, “I’m counting on you, really counting on you.”

“I want you to know, this is not just some small project worth a few million or ten million,” Cheng Zhu said.

As he spoke, Chen Jieyu felt a bit nervous; the pressure was building.

She was just an ordinary adviser; how much could she earn in a lifetime with her meager salary?

“Are you planning to invest that much money?” Chen Jieyu asked.

“These kinds of projects can’t just rely on me alone,” he said, “But I’m definitely not going to invest a small amount; rather, I’m willing to use most of my assets to give it a try.”

These words made her catch her breath.

She felt the weight of responsibility even more for the upcoming dinner at her teacher’s house.

“Have you really thought this through? Are you that optimistic about the future of short videos?” Chen Jieyu was perplexed.

Now, everyone seemed very optimistic about live streaming.

She often saw various live streaming platforms top the news and trends.

It seemed major streaming platforms were rapidly growing, with investors flocking in.

Some streamers were already famous, earning much more than before.

As for short videos?

Not many people were paying attention!

“I’m very sure,” Cheng Zhu nodded earnestly.

Chen Jieyu doubted whether she was capable of handling such responsibility, looking at his expression.

Cheng Zhu seemed to notice her concerns and suddenly changed the subject.

He reached out and patted the “killer bag” on the table, smiling, “So, you should understand now that my bringing this bag to bribe you for this task isn’t too much, right?”

“A bag costs just a few bucks, but the finder’s fee for such a big project usually isn’t just a little.”

Chen Jieyu looked at him, thinking internally, “Why bring up the bag again, trying to make me feel good about accepting your bribe?”

He was also kind of shifting concepts.

Often, bribes are given because you clearly know how much money you can make afterward, and the other person also knows how much value they can bring by helping you.

“I’m telling you, if it were someone else helping with this kind of favor, they might not even care about a small bag, thinking, ‘Is that all you brought to bribe me?'” Cheng Zhu laughed.

At this point, he started focusing on Chen Jieyu’s beautiful eyes beneath her gold-rimmed glasses.

Having experienced the ups and downs of the business world, he knew one thing well–high-end interpersonal relationships often just need the most primitive ways of interacting.

He grinned, his body gradually leaning towards her, and said, “So, I’ve also prepared another type of bribe, to bribe you, my teacher.”

…

(ps: Second update, asking for monthly tickets.)