Although Twitter has not yet formed a profit model, its commercial value has begun to stand out.
And it conducted its first round of financing in July 2007.
Perhaps that's why Chen Pingjiang's timing for coming to the US was so precise.
In the spring of 2008, Twitter frequently experienced downtime, mainly due to a surge in users.
Rumor had it that Twitter was already preparing for its second round of financing at this time.
After a period of negotiation, Tianyuan Capital, under Chen Pingjiang, also got on board.
The American Spark Capital led the investment, with Tianyuan Capital co-investing 10 million US dollars, holding a 10% stake.
A week later, Chen Pingjiang and others returned home ahead of schedule.
Bu Housheng was left in North America, responsible for a series of investment tasks.
Besides serving as a director for relevant companies, he also had to lead the game studio being established in North America and ensure good coordination with Facebook.
In addition, Chen Pingjiang gave him an extra task.
"I believe you can see without me saying that the subprime mortgage situation here in America is getting worse and worse. Even major investment banks like Bear Stearns couldn't escape, and I estimate Lehman Brothers isn't far behind."
Bu Housheng, who was very familiar with American investment banks, frowned and said,
"No way? Lehman Brothers is the fourth largest investment bank. If it falls, it will trigger a series of domino effects."
Chen Pingjiang smiled,
"Don't spread this news outside. You stay here, and buy at the bottom if necessary."
Currently, the S&P 500 index is still okay, but it will start to plummet in July-August, and fall ridiculously after Lehman's collapse.
If not now, then when is the time to buy at the bottom?
Many people thought the subprime mortgage crisis started in 2008, but in reality, signs appeared as early as late 2006.
After a year of continuous deterioration in 2007, Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy finally became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Just yesterday, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points and announced a 0.6% GDP growth for the first quarter.
By July, stock prices will fall to their lowest in 50 years!
......
Having spent about ten days there, he was utterly fed up with Western food.
It only got better after returning home.
The North American game studio will not simply copy the domestic Renren Farm but will make improvements.
The most obvious difference is that it will be a bit more complex than the domestic Renren Farm.
First, there will be more types of vegetables that can be planted, as well as a series of realistic farm tools like seeders and harvesters.
As your level increases, the farm's area can gradually expand, and you will have more things to decorate your farm with.
This game, named Farmville, allows for considerable freedom in placement and features a paper doll system, enabling users to design their own appearances, which is another difference from the domestic farm game.
In fact, the improved version of Farmville was so popular on Facebook that it swept away all competitors that year.
By March 2010, FarmVille had reached over 80 million users, making it the most popular application on Facebook, while the number of users who joined FarmVille Fan also exceeded 20 million.
The total number of FarmVille users accounted for approximately 20% of Facebook's total users, surpassing 1% of the world's population.
While Chen Pingjiang was abroad, there was no shortage of news about him on the Chinese internet.
"Yesterday, I saw Chen Pingjiang, the big boss of Renren.com, in Los Angeles Chinatown. He's even handsomer in person."
A student studying abroad captured a photo of Chen Pingjiang entering a restaurant.
A stack of comments followed below.
"Why did Chen Pingjiang go to the US? Could he have emigrated?"
"How is that possible? He just went to discuss business, okay?"
"Don't you read the news published by Renren.com? CEO Chen went to the US to invest in several companies, including a game company."
"Awesome, pride of the nation, his business has gone abroad."
"…"
To some extent, Chen Pingjiang was a bit like Wang Sicheng 1.0, enjoying considerable popularity among the under-40 demographic in China.
However, unlike the latter, Chen Pingjiang's image in people's minds was more positive.
The first thing Chen Pingjiang did after getting off the plane was to take his people to a barbecue restaurant for a hearty meal.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford Chinese food abroad, but it was too far away, and going back and forth every time was too much trouble.
His wolfing down the food scared the owner, who thought, 'This guy is dressed nicely, but why is he eating like a starving ghost reborn?'
Apart from the financial crisis, the year 2008 also marked another event with a profound impact on later generations.
On April 1st, China Mobile Communications Corporation launched 3G 'China Standard' TD-SCDMA socialized service testing and trial commercial use in 8 cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, and Qinhuangdao, with the number prefix 157.
This marked the official launch of the commercial application of China's 3G standard, TD.
In January 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology finally approved the three major operators to launch 3G services, with each operator simultaneously obtaining operating licenses for both CDMA2000 and WCDMA standards.
This marked the end of the 2G era and the advent of the 3G era.
And in September 2008, the first commercial Android phone, the HTC G1, was released.
All of this strongly indicated the imminent arrival of mobile internet.
Once the proportion of smartphones increases, the impact will feed back into the mobile internet market.
This also meant Renren.com had to plan for mobile internet ahead of time.
......
On May 2nd, Chen Pingjiang and his group finally returned to the company, first heading to the catering group for a meeting.
To be honest, ever since the impulse before the New Year, Ge Mengshi had felt some regret.
Chen Pingjiang was the big boss, and they often met face to face.
Although Ge Mengshi repeatedly told herself not to make the same mistake again, the more they met, the more awkward it became, and the more awkward it became, the more she recalled the madness of that night.
Morally, Ge Mengshi felt she couldn't ruin Chen Pingjiang's relationship.
Emotionally, the more Ge Mengshi suppressed herself, the more Chen Pingjiang's image lingered in her mind.
Reason told her to pretend nothing had happened, to return to her previous life, and that they would just be passersby in each other's lives, with no consequences between her and Chen Pingjiang.
But many things are not so easily endured.
"Since Renren Group Buy launched, our three brands—Miaochao, Taiyi Sauerkraut Fish, and Xiao Chen Barbecue—have all seen varying degrees of growth, with monthly sales increasing by thirty percent.
After financing, our brands have expanded into surrounding cities and domestic first-tier cities, and renovations are currently underway at a fast pace. Brand IP image development continues to progress, with good results so far…"
As Ge Mengshi reported, Chen Pingjiang stared intently at her, causing Qin Suqin and others to chuckle, until Ge Mengshi herself felt a bit embarrassed.
With that, Chen Pingjiang cleared his throat slightly and said,
"You've done very well. First, accelerate the layout in first-tier cities, proceed steadily, and then start expanding into second-tier cities next year. Here's a key point for you."
"The era of mobile internet is fast approaching. What is mobile internet? Simply put, mobile phones will function as computers in the future. We can go online, visit Renren Group Buy, make payments, and do many things with just a mobile phone when we go out.
As the usage of Renren Group Buy increases, it will in turn boost the sales of the catering group's various brands. Therefore, planning ahead can only be right, not wrong."
After returning from abroad, Chen Pingjiang decisively disseminated knowledge about mobile internet within the company.
Compared to brick-and-mortar businesses, internet companies would be the first to experience this wave of transformation.
It was imperative that everyone in the company took it seriously to stand invincible.
That night, Chen Pingjiang didn't return to his own place but instead brought a bottle of red wine to Ge Mengshi's apartment.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Who is it?"
Accompanied by a flurry of footsteps, Ge Mengshi opened the door after a moment.
Upon seeing Chen Pingjiang, Ge Mengshi's gaze was exceptionally complex.
There was joy, entanglement, restraint…
"Why are you here?"
Ge Mengshi asked curiously.
Chen Pingjiang leaned against the doorframe, shaking the red wine in his hand,
"To have a drink with you."
"It's too late, I have to work tomorrow, how about another day?"
Ge Mengshi "rationally" refused.
Unexpectedly, Chen Pingjiang swiftly moved past her, slipping into the room amid Ge Mengshi's gasp.
"You…"
"What do you mean, 'you'? I drove all this way, working hard, and you won't even let me in the door. Do you still consider me your boss?"
Chen Pingjiang feigned anger.
Ge Mengshi was almost defeated by Chen Pingjiang's shamelessness.
After a moment of internal struggle, she walked to the kitchen and got two wine glasses.
After pouring two glasses of wine, Chen Pingjiang stood up and, to Ge Mengshi's surprised gaze, walked over and directly turned off the lights.
Then, in the dimness, he pulled out the candles he had already prepared and lit them.
This small ambiance quickly took hold.
Ge Mengshi's face, illuminated by candlelight, was exceptionally serene.
Ge Mengshi was somewhat exasperated yet also pleasantly surprised; she had never experienced anything like this before.
"Is this how you usually pursue girls?"
After a crisp clink of glasses, Chen Pingjiang swirled his cup a few times, then took a sip of red wine and said,
"Then you're mistaken. I'm usually the one being pursued; why would I need to put in effort? You're the first girl to enjoy this service."
Ge Mengshi didn't follow Chen Pingjiang's words but instead sighed,
"I've been trying to avoid you, so why did you still come?"
Chen Pingjiang put down his wine glass and looked at Ge Mengshi with burning eyes:
"Don't lie to yourself. Ask your own heart what it truly wants. Life is only a few decades long, why make it hard on yourself? So there's no need for so many burdens and thoughts. Anyway, you won't find a partner anytime soon, so what's wrong with communicating more with a younger man?"
Ge Mengshi smiled and shook her head helplessly,
"Do you know that what you just said sounds like a jerk?"
Chen Pingjiang raised an eyebrow and said, without blushing or skipping a beat,
"I don't think so."
Ge Mengshi was truly defeated by Chen Pingjiang's shamelessness, and she sighed inwardly.
Alright, since there's no escaping, then let's just give in.
She was smart enough not to ask what to do about Yan Yan, because it was unnecessary, and talking about it would only spoil the mood.
At twenty, she would have asked, but not now.
The two were like old friends reunited after a long separation, chatting about interesting things that had happened to them and daily life, until after a bottle of wine, Ge Mengshi's face was flushed and she was slightly tipsy.
Soon after, Ge Mengshi lightly untied her clothes, and her warm body leaned against Chen Pingjiang.
(End of Chapter)