Chapter 851: Chapter 355: The Shifting Old Fox

Gu Tongshu is a man who either stays still or moves like thunder, an absolute hawk.

The next day at the office, he brought this up with Zuo Zongcai.

“Another $3 billion?!”

Zuo Zongcai froze in shock, completely puzzled: “What are you planning? What use would Yueyue have for it?”

“Why wouldn’t she need it? She’s investing in Byte’s E-round, which alone calls for $2 billion.”

Zuo Zongcai was even more baffled: “Byte? Isn’t General Atlantic and Softbank Vision already following up on that? When they invited us earlier, you didn’t seem interested.”

For institutions like theirs, whenever there’s a good company or project in the market, everyone knows who’s pursuing it.

Sometimes they compete, sometimes they collaborate, but rarely do they deviate from their initial strategy.

“I wasn’t interested at first, but Su Huai, that kid, has an intensely strong ambition towards Byte. Now that he’s secured his own stake, he’s encouraging Yueyue to jump in, so I’ve changed my stance.”

Gu Tongshu’s eyes carried a hint of sarcastic calm, resembling a cold sneer, though without its full malice.

“Su Huai?!”

Zuo Zongcai’s expression instantly turned serious: “He’s that bullish on Byte?”

“Yeah, yesterday he came to me, flaunting quite a bit. He didn’t explicitly explain anything, but his excitement wasn’t exactly subtle.”

“Strange…”

Zuo Zongcai stood up and returned to his desk to retrieve a file, brows tightly knit as he flipped through it.

“Byte’s core products are Toutiao, Volcano, Jokes, and Douyin. None of them seem especially unique when analyzed–so what’s he so bullish about?”

“Short videos.”

Gu Tongshu directly provided the answer, speaking with firm conviction: “His judgment is that long-form video has reached its peak, and he’s confidently betting on short video becoming the dominant trend of the future.”

Zuo Zongcai pulled out another report, studying it while pondering.

“But the top three firms are steadily increasing their investments in long-form video platforms. Statistically, the direct commercial value and derivative value of the long-form video sector clearly remain at the highest tier…”

The Gu Clan doesn’t have analysts who loaf around idly, and neither do the big three firms.

The long-form video sector encompasses far too much.

“Only long-form video has the ability to fully monetize copyright. Long-form video can create stars–short-form can only create internet celebrities. Besides, isn’t he personally involved in boy bands and girl groups?”

Gu Tongshu smiled meaningfully: “Is there a chance he’s intentionally aiming at mass-producing internet celebrities?”

“And then? What’s the target…?”

Before Zuo Zongcai could finish his question, something suddenly struck him, and his eyes widened further and further.

“Holy crap! Could it be Taobao he’s targeting?!”

Zuo Zongcai really deserved his reputation as a sharp mind, but Gu Tongshu was an even slyer old fox. He nodded affirmatively and declared: “His overarching traffic-pool strategy and large-scale influencer layout–99% certain its ultimate landing point is the rapidly emerging live e-commerce industry, absolutely not some down-market entertainment niche.”

“Damn! What the hell is he up to?”

Zuo Zongcai jumped to his feet, slapped the documents back onto the desk, and began pacing back and forth in the office.

“The guts of this kid! He’s truly a wild one, bold in both vision and execution…”

“Have you paid attention to the supply chain he painstakingly built in the Yangtze River Delta?”

“Of course! Now it’s clear–it’s like he plans to abandon Taobao’s ecosystem and start a fresh venture.”

“Exactly. Internet celebrities are in place, the supply chain is complete, now all that’s missing is a traffic distribution platform. It’s likely Douyin, Kuaishou, or even his own envisioned platform!”

Zuo Zongcai blurted out: “Douyin is certainly the primary target! He’s never intended to invest in Kuaishou–he simply disbanded guilds there and positioned a casual piece on the Kuaishou live-streaming board.”

“I don’t think it’s necessarily just a casual move.”

Gu Tongshu shook his head, speculating uncertainly: “Kuaishou’s live-stream ecosystem is somewhat unconventional. Su Huai might not be dismissing Kuaishou; instead, he could see a higher cost-effectiveness in developing guilds within its streaming framework.”

“I’ll immediately have someone prepare an in-depth report.”

Resolute as ever, Zuo Zongcai issued orders on the spot, arranging for this urgent task.

The research and analysis department receiving the assignment were collectively dumbfounded, utterly clueless about the sudden urgency–this was wildly out of character for Gu Clan’s normal methods.

Who could have guessed the entire ordeal began with two old foxes scheming about a Little Fox?

The report wouldn’t be ready anytime soon, but the two men weren’t idle–they continued plotting.

“Do you think he can pull it off?”

“Judging from Quanquan’s real-world example, there’s a fair chance he can, but the extent of success ultimately hinges on the platform.”

“No wonder he’s pushing Yueyue to invest in Byte…”

“Exactly. Yesterday I felt something was off. After spending half the night thinking it through, I decided to help Yueyue secure the stake.”

“You sure put a lot of faith in him.” Zuo Zongcai smirked maliciously: “You talk like you despise him, but behind the scenes, you treat him like a treasure.”

Even someone as thick-skinned as Gu Tongshu felt quite uncomfortable.

“Ahem.”

He coughed twice to mask his embarrassment and replied guiltily: “That Puppy has a certain knack for business. He may lack manners, but a magnanimous man like me wouldn’t sweat the small stuff. Business is business…”

Zuo Zongcai burst into laughter: “Not just a knack–Su can work 20 hours a day, reportedly running non-stop for days without making a single mistake. I’ve never seen a Monster like that.”

Gu Tongshu couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile: “Otherwise, why would I trust him? He does have some real skill.”

Seeing that smug expression, Zuo Zongcai was thoroughly disgusted. Damn, we get it–your son-in-law is a prodigy. Stop flaunting it! Have you forgotten he once grabbed your collar and pinned you to the ground, pounding the crap out of you?