pjbooks Chapter 88 [The Little Broken Station is Doomed]
Chapter 88 [The Little Broken Station is Doomed]
Chapter 88 [The Little Broken Station is Doomed]
"Mr. Liu, this is a friendly greeting. I'm Crow."
A few days later, Liu Zhuohao met Crow, the contact person he had been in contact with online for some time, at the entrance of the Orange Hotel.
The other person was a somewhat thin young man, wearing an ordinary striped shirt and jeans, with no obvious anime or manga elements on him.
Beside the crow stood a plump, smiling middle-aged man who looked very kind.
"This is Fat Cat from our Commerce Department," Crow introduced. "I'm not familiar with commerce; he's mainly here to discuss future cooperation with you."
Liu Zhuohao stepped forward, shook hands with the two men, and offered them two cigarettes.
He hasn't printed his own business cards yet, and even if he did, he wouldn't know what to write on them.
A stall owner? A blogger with 200,000 followers? Or a future restaurant owner? None of these seem quite right.
"How did you sleep last night?" Liu Zhuohao asked warmly. "Have you had breakfast yet? I remember you landed around 8 PM last night?"
"Yes, it was past nine o'clock by the time I got to the hotel by taxi and checked in." Crow took the cigarette but didn't light it, just held it between his fingers. "I just bought some bread at the convenience store downstairs. Breakfast was the hotel's buffet, it was alright."
Unlike when their cousin came, they didn't have complete control over their itinerary.
They have to use the company's expense report for reimbursement, so although they arrived last night, today is their first meeting.
"That's perfect." Liu Zhuohao invited the two to sit down in the hotel lobby lounge area. "When Boss Chen arrives, we'll go straight to the area near his factory for beef hot pot, with freshly cut beef."
His self-illumination swept across the room, but there weren't many guests in the hotel.
Most of them were tourists from other places.
Locals rarely choose hotels of this level; even when they stay outside, they mostly stay in small guesthouses.
"I see." Crow nodded politely, sat down, and casually started a conversation, "I heard that the beef here is especially tender. I must try it this time."
"The cattle aren't actually local; most of them are transported from Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, and they're raised locally for a while at most," Liu Zhuohao replied naturally. "Our beef is tender because firstly, the butchers are skilled and precise in their cuts, and secondly, we're close by, so transportation is fast."
"From the village slaughterhouse, it is transported by road to various markets in the county town, and then to the customers, it usually takes no more than three or four hours."
"Some discerning diners specifically time their purchases to coincide with the slaughter time, ensuring the meat is still warm when they receive it. It's incredibly tender and smooth after a quick dip in the hot pot."
The two nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. They had only struck up a casual conversation and had no intention of delving deeper.
"Speaking of which, when did Boss Liu start paying attention to our site?" Fat Cat, who had been smiling the whole time, spoke up casually, "Your account level isn't low, but—you don't seem like someone in the industry."
Liu Zhuohao instinctively reached for his cigarette pack, but glanced at the no-smoking sign on the hotel wall and stopped himself.
"I watched it pretty early on, but I'm not really a fan of anime." He chuckled. "Although I can usually pick up on Gintama references, like the ASL concert, um, the anime-themed concert, you know?"
"Yes, I watched a few episodes of it too — um, I also played games, like F, cough, something similar to Honkai Impact 2."
Something like Million Arthur.
"But I live in the three-dimensional world, and you could even say I'm a pretty realistic person."
He almost blurted out the names of games that hadn't even been released yet, such as FGO, Azur Lane, and Kamishiro Yumekatan.
"That's very rational, which is good. After all, the internet is only a temporary haven; eventually, we have to return to reality." Fat Cat and Crow exchanged a glance and followed up on the conversation, asking, "So how did you find out about our site in the first place?"
"It probably started through YY," Liu Zhuohao recalled. "Xiao Yuan's channel was 50831."
"She was studying in Japan at the time, and would occasionally chat and sing with some content creators on the platform. I was somewhat interested in music, so I followed her and gradually learned about their lives as students in Japan —"
He recounted how he went from being a "passerby" to becoming a user of Bilibili.
When talking about these past events in the industry, Crow and Fat Cat were visibly more relaxed, occasionally flashing knowing smiles because of a familiar meme or name.
The conversation gradually shifted from nostalgia to reality.
"—So, we're actually quite apprehensive." Crow sighed, his fingers unconsciously twirling the unlit cigarette. "The site is currently very resistant to the word 'commercialization.'"
"Many users feel that we should be a free resource website powered by love."
Fat Cat chimed in, a hint of helplessness in his smile: "Actually, I can understand. I came from the era when free resources were everywhere. Who doesn't like getting things for free?"
"The problem is that such websites don't last long."
"Since I started using the internet, I've seen too many similar forums and communities collapse. We can't just be communities; we need to formalize them."
His voice lowered, and his tone became serious: "If unauthorized copied content continues to flood the market, the iron fist will eventually come down."
"At that time, all those anime meccas and safe havens will cease to exist."
"This is what we love, and it's the life of many of us—we want it to live, to live a long time."
Liu Zhuohao: "————"
He listened quietly without interrupting.
Liu Zhuohao could clearly hear the anxiety and determination in the other person's words.
This is not just polite talk; it comes from the bottom of my heart.
But the content of these words is very familiar, especially the line "This is what we love," which will become a popular meme in the future.
Unexpectedly, this sentence appeared within Bilibili so early on, and it seems to be regarded as a famous saying by these employees.
As someone who has been through it all, Liu Zhuohao clearly, even profoundly, understands what the two people he is referring to.
Throughout the commercialization process of Bilibili, there have been many voices saying that Bilibili is doomed, and talking about how wonderful Bilibili used to be.
Liu Zhuohao, influenced by these voices, once longed to see just how wonderful the old, broken-down website must have been.
But in reality, when he returned to 14, he realized that if he had listened to those people, Bilibili would have been dead long ago.
It's hard to imagine that a website that's considered niche among students and almost unknown to working professionals could survive and become a behemoth known to many.
When Liu Zhuohao personally experienced these events in this era, he didn't think that the current Bilibili was much more harmonious than the Bilibili of 25 years ago.
There will be a lot of posts flooding the screen, a lot of fans of different bloggers fighting each other, and there will be—
Nothing has changed.
"Your position determines your perspective," Liu Zhuohao suddenly said.
"What?" The crow didn't hear clearly.
"What I mean is that different positions lead to different perspectives on issues," Liu Zhuohao explained. "As a user, of course I hope the videos don't crash, there's plenty of content, and it's all free."
"But as a blogger, or as someone who needs to maintain and operate a website, one will naturally consider how to generate income, how to avoid risks, and how to survive."
The fat cat unconsciously leaned forward.
The crow nodded.
They all understand this principle, and most of the employees at Bilibili are also aware of it.
But users don't understand.
Or rather, they are unwilling to understand.
Like I said, getting something for free is really appealing.
"If we don't monetize, the website might not be able to continue operating, but if we force it, we'll lose users," Liu Zhuohao continued calmly. "So I think the key point might be the content."
"As long as you create good enough content and provide a unique enough experience, users will feel that, for this reason, they are willing to accept some reasonable shortcomings, and even be willing to pay for it."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two of them. "It's like when I go out to eat. If the food is really delicious and the service is excellent, I'm willing to pay a little more."
"But if your food is terrible and your attitude is awful, even if you give me a free coupon, I won't come back next time."
Fat Cat's smile widened, and he said, "Boss Liu has hit the nail on the head. What's giving us a headache right now is how to discover these bloggers who can create high-quality works."
"Most of the people at our station are porters."
"There are too few people who can actually get things done."
The crow also looked at Liu Zhuohao, its eyes filled with more inquiry and seriousness.
After this conversation, the atmosphere between the three of them had changed from the initial polite greetings to a more collaborative discussion.
They all understand that Bilibili has a certain understanding of the platform and that they all like it to get better and better.
Their relationship doesn't seem like that of a platform and a blogger; it's more like that of employees on the same team.
However, in a sense, they are indeed employees.
"When it comes to spending money, there's always someone willing to do it."
Liu Zhuohao casually replied, "As long as you're willing to spend money, there will always be someone racking their brains to come up with ideas and make videos."
The crow and the fat cat seemed somewhat helpless at such a casual remark.
If only it were that simple.
In fact, it's that simple.
This wasn't Liu Zhuohao's own idea, but something that Bilibili had already tried in the future.
—Incentive program.
"----cough!"
The crow was getting into his story when it was interrupted by a light cough from the fat cat.
"Well, we've been chatting for quite a while." Fat Cat glanced at his watch, turned to Liu Zhuohao, his smile still warm, but his tone more formal. "Shouldn't we ask where Boss Chen is? We shouldn't delay our business."
He seemed to finally realize that in that nostalgic atmosphere, he had revealed too much internal information about the station's difficulties and future plans.
"Yes, yes, it's my fault. I was too busy chatting." Liu Zhuohao immediately stood up, a hint of annoyance on his face. "That Boss Chen is something else, he's late for a business meeting—I'll go out and make a call to urge him on."
He walked quickly out of the hotel revolving door with his phone in hand, his enthusiasm instantly fading and replaced by calm.
He dialed Chen Youyin's number, but hung up after only two rings.
This is the signal they agreed upon.
Sure enough, almost simultaneously, Chen Youyin's text message arrived: "How's the situation?"
Liu Zhuohao typed rapidly in reply: "I've already sounded out their intentions, and they are very keen and eager to reach a cooperation agreement."
"The platform is under a lot of pressure and urgently needs non-gaming merchants to enter the market. You can appropriately reduce the commission."
"Of course, if all else fails, I still suggest we finalize the cooperation agreement first."
Chen Youyin's reply was concise and to the point: "Understood, thank you!"
Liu Zhuohao put away his phone and stood outside the door for a few seconds.
He wasn't lying; Bilibili (the site) does indeed need to find game developers (GG) to prove its value to investors.
This is the result I came up with based on my previous information that Bilibili has already started fundraising.
Liu Zhuohao turned and walked back to the lobby, his face once again bearing that slightly apologetic and helpless smile, and sat down opposite Crow and Fat Cat.
"Sorry to keep you both waiting." He clasped his hands together, his tone sincere. "After all, you're the big spender. People who pay money always have a higher status."
"Let's be understanding. I've tried my best to urge him, and Boss Chen said he'll be there soon, but there's a bit of traffic on the way."
Fat Cat nodded understandingly and continued, "Boss Liu, you're too kind. I understand."
"The game companies I've dealt with before were far more arrogant than this."
"That's normal, being the client."
He changed the subject, his smile carrying a hint of pleading, "However, I'll have to trouble Boss Liu to put in a good word for me later, to try and make this cooperation happen."
"While our site is better at handling projects that fail for game developers, when it comes to projects like this local cuisine, we're absolutely serious about putting in the effort."
Liu Zhuohao naturally agreed with a smile, but he knew in his heart that he was not on either side.
He is fighting for his own interests.
Fortunately, Chen Youyin arrived quickly.
Less than ten minutes later, a black sedan pulled up in front of the hotel.
The driver's side door opened, and the first person to get out was a young woman dressed in a smart suit, carrying a thick folder. She quickly walked around to the other side and opened the rear door.
Chen Youyin crouched down as he got out of the car and stood up straight.
He was clearly dressed up today, with his hair neatly combed into a slicked-back style, his suit perfectly pressed, and even his leather shoes polished to a spotless shine.
He stood there, his gaze first meeting Liu Zhuohao's as he stood up inside the hotel's glass doors. He nodded almost imperceptibly before walking in with his female assistant, his steps steady.
"Boss Liu!"
Chen Youyin first greeted himself loudly, his voice full of energy, which even echoed in the rather quiet lobby, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Then, he turned his gaze to the crow and the fat cat who had stood up at the sound, a warm yet distant smile spreading across his face. He spoke in his signature Mandarin, thick with a Chaozhou accent: "Gentlemen, what are your names?"
Without waiting for a reply, he introduced himself, speaking slowly but with each word carrying weight: "My surname is Chen, Chen Youyin."
"Our Chen family has a bit of a reputation around the meat processing plant, mainly doing business related to beef and meatballs."
He gestured to the young woman beside him: "This is my niece, Chen Min. She helps out at the company. She's quite knowledgeable about contract terms and stuff, so let her take a look."
This introduction is brief, but the information is clear.
Faced with Chen Youyin's completely different boss demeanor, Crow and Fat Cat immediately switched modes of reaction.
The two of them abandoned the slightly casual attitude they had shown while chatting with him, and stood up straighter.
The crow stepped forward and revealed its real name.
And next to him, the fat cat was the same.
Neither of them used the nicknames used within Bilibili when negotiating, as they had when they spoke with him.
"Let's go, get in the car first, and we can eat and chat when we get there."
After a brief introduction, Chen Youyin looked over and, with a slight nod, invited the two to get into the car.