radicalducati Chapter 121 Breakup
Chapter 121 Breakup
Chapter 121 Breakup (4k words, first update)
Geng Zhi has a lot to say and many creative ideas to showcase, but he is not the main character at this serious press conference.
All his creative ideas will have to be reserved for his own solo launch event later.
The camera zooms in.
As agreed, Geng Zhi meticulously opened his speech notes, speaking calmly and clearly: "Under the rigorous academic guidance of the research group—"
"Regarding the issues revealed in the report, we attempted several verification methods, and the data shows—"
"We firmly believe that commercial value should be built upon social value. We appreciate the report for pointing the industry in a positive direction."
The entire speech lasted five minutes and seven seconds.
There was no improvisation, no memorable quotes, and not even an extra hand gesture.
Geng Zhi spoke with sincerity throughout, his pace was restrained, and the luster of rationality and idealism was just right.
Next, there will be a 15-minute speech by the leader.
The Women's Federation leadership supported the report from the perspective of "protecting the rights and interests of women and advocating healthy views on marriage and love," emphasizing the importance of honest service.
Following this, the civil affairs leaders affirmed the value of the report from the perspective of "regulating industry management and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the people," and also revealed a regulatory signal that they would "study and improve relevant service standards."
The statements from the two leaders elevated the white paper from an academic level to a social public policy level.
This official stance lends the white paper a semi-official legitimacy and prevents major players in the dating and marriage industry from publicly attacking the report itself.
After the leaders finished speaking, Vice Dean Kong, the host, spoke again: "Thank you for your insightful remarks. Now, we will first invite two specially invited scholars to give brief comments, followed by a Q&A session with the media."
Another 5 minutes passed, and it was finally time for the media to ask questions.
"Next, we will open seven questions for the media. Please feel free to ask questions."
The moment Vice Dean Kong finished speaking, almost all twenty-odd people in the room raised their hands simultaneously, showing great enthusiasm.
He glanced carefully at the reporters' area before pointing to a pre-selected reporter and saying, "Please welcome this lady to speak first."
"Hello, I'm Chen, a reporter from Shanghai TV Station—I'd like to ask Director Liu a question—"
Director Liu replied flawlessly, "Our Civil Affairs Bureau will fully implement—"
"Hello, this is The Paper — I would like to ask Chairman Sun a question —"
Chairwoman Sun replied gently, "Our Women's Federation's work—"
"I am—I would like to ask Vice Dean Liu a question—"
Vice Dean Liu:
6699
The first four questions were all predetermined. In addition to Director Liu and Chairman Sun, Vice President Liu was also asked two questions.
The questions were standard, and the answers were standard; in fact, both leaders read from prepared scripts.
After the fifth reporter finished asking his question, when it came to the sixth question, Vice Dean Kong pointed to Shen Zihan, a reporter from the Shanghai Metropolitan Daily, who was the plant arranged by Geng Zhi.
Shen Zihan: "I would like to ask Geng Zhi, in the phenomena revealed in the white paper, it seems that paid members on some dating platforms are more like prey hunted by algorithms and rhetoric."
"Do you think this fundamental role misalignment is a tragedy of modern technology, or an inevitable product of the will of capital?"
Shen Zihan likened the members of the dating platform to prey, instantly tightening public sentiment, which had just been low.
Geng Zhi's gaze swept across the entire room before focusing on Shen Zihan. He paused for two seconds before speaking, "I believe this is neither the original sin of technology nor an inevitability of capital; it is a choice of values."
"Technology is an amplifier, and capital is a catalyst. When revenue outweighs goodwill, and efficiency tramples on reality, then any tool can be distorted."
Geng Zhi paused slightly before continuing, "The entire effort of the white paper is to call for a return to values: no matter how technology evolves or how business models innovate, the core of marriage and dating services should always be people, trust, and facilitating happy marriages."
"Deviating from this point, even the most brilliant data is just a cold desert."
Instead of publicly criticizing any particular platform, he turned his attention to universal value choices, calling for a return to core values. This was a culmination of his personal philosophy, a powerful statement that instantly solidified his public image.
After the words were spoken, there was a silence for about two seconds, and then a series of loud slaps!
A long and enthusiastic round of applause erupted, surpassing any previous applause.
Even the leaders on the podium nodded slightly. The person from the Civil Affairs Bureau even leaned over and whispered something to Liu Kangping, who nodded repeatedly.
As the applause from Vice Dean Kong and others subsided, he raised the microphone again: "Alright, now we'll ask our last question."
The reporters in the audience all stood up. Their arms formed a small forest, and some even stood on tiptoe and leaned half their bodies out, creating a subtle commotion in the room.
"This is the last one!" Geng Zhi's heart sank, and his peripheral vision unconsciously drifted towards a corner of the reporters' area.
Zheng Yuxi stood there, waving his hands vigorously, standing on tiptoe, his face clearly saying "Pick me, pick me".
Vice Dean Kong hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the most excited Zheng Yuxi's face before finally settling on a short-haired female reporter with exquisite makeup.
Seeing that Zheng Yuxi was not chosen, Geng Zhi felt a little disappointed and shook his head helplessly.
The short-haired woman took the microphone, smiling sweetly, and said, "Hello, Mr. Geng Zhi, I'm a reporter from Sohu. Your report was excellent, and your advocacy for 'truth' is truly admirable."
The female reporter spoke with great respect, but then abruptly changed the subject: "But the reality is that there are hundreds of millions of people in China who are looking for marriage. Online dating platforms, through technology and capital, can facilitate millions of encounters every year. Even if only a small percentage of them lead to marriage, it is still a huge contribution to society."
"However, the offline-heavy model you advocate has a service scale far smaller than the online model. Does this mean that your ideal is a luxurious and inefficient fantasy for solving the relationship anxieties of the vast majority of ordinary people?"
She paused, then smiled slightly: "Are you using the authenticity of a niche group to negate the efficiency of the masses?"
The scene fell silent for a moment.
Geng Zhi felt a slight sinking feeling in his heart, realizing that this reporter was well-prepared and most likely hired by one of the three giants.
He didn't rush to answer, but picked up the bottled water on the table, unscrewed it, and took a sip.
As the water flowed down his throat, he quickly dissected the other person's logic in his mind while organizing his thoughts.
The Sohu reporter's question was very clever.
She has twisted the concept, equating the number of matching logs with social contribution and the resolution of public anxiety. This is a clear case of moral blackmail, highly aggressive, and more likely to provoke critical thinking and conflicting viewpoints among onlookers.
This is as if to say that while major matchmaking companies help couples make millions of couples a year, "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" can't even help 10,000 couples a year. Does it deserve to be called a matchmaker?
Geng Zhi slowly screwed the cap off the mineral water bottle, looked up, and said with a polite smile, "Thank you for raising a very crucial question, which precisely reveals the biggest misconception among some mainstream dating platforms."
Upon hearing Geng Zhi's straightforward remark, Liu Kangping froze on the podium.
We agreed not to mention other dating platforms, did Geng Zhi forget again in his nervousness?
Liu Kangping leaned forward, desperately trying to signal to the other two people with his eyes—but Geng Zhi's gaze didn't even come in their direction.
Even if they saw it, Geng Zhi probably wouldn't listen.
"First," Geng Zhi raises a finger, equating "facilitating contact" with "social contribution," which is a logical fallacy. If contact is based on false information, or even leads to fraud, then the more contact there is, the greater the social harm.
"Second, we have never denied efficiency; what we deny is the false efficiency gained at the expense of authenticity."
True efficiency should be about facilitating high-quality, high-satisfaction encounters per unit of time.
"Third—" He held up his third finger, his tone softening, "Does solving the needs of the masses necessarily mean choosing the traditional model of the three major players in the dating industry? Can't we use technology to innovate a new model?"
Before she could finish her blunt statement, the Sohu female reporter, who had just been rebuffed and left speechless, seized on a loophole and quickly asked, "For example? What new model? Just talk about it?"
Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi was overjoyed, thinking to himself that they had delivered ammunition to him!
He laughed, a genuine and harmless laugh: "This is also a question I've been thinking about. For example, we can advocate for lightweight social networking, scenario-based social networking, and interest-based social networking, the kind that's purely online."
Down in the audience, Shu Beibei and Yang Mingxia exchanged a glance, almost unable to hold back their laughter, and at the same time, they couldn't help but give the boss a thumbs up.
That's an amazing answer.
The boss never mentioned the word "Momo" throughout the entire process, but everyone was silently planted with a "Momo" seed.
Yang Mingxia quickly took out her notebook and wrote down a new marketing idea.
The Sohu reporter wanted to follow up with more questions, but Vice Dean Kong quickly raised his hand to stop her: "Okay, thank you for the question, and thank you for the insightful answer, Geng Zhi. Due to time constraints, the Q&A session will end here. Media friends who are interested can continue the discussion privately afterward—"
In the press area, the reporters who didn't get a chance to ask questions all looked disappointed.
Just then—
"oops--!"
A scream erupted from the reporters' area, and Vice President Kong's words were cut short.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
At the edge of the press area, a young reporter tumbled off his chair in an extremely exaggerated and dramatic manner, landing on the ground with his camera lens narrowly missing the corner of the table.
This person was Zheng Yuxi, who had been unable to get a chance to ask a question.
"Young man! Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" A colleague nearby quickly went to help him up.
"N-nothing—" Zheng Yuxi grimaced as he got up, his face showing just the right amount of dishevelment, but his voice was full of longing, "Host, I just want to ask one last question, it's really short! Is that okay?"
As he got up, his gaze swept quickly over Geng Zhi. The latter didn't even lift his eyelids, but there was an almost imperceptible smile on his lips, and he couldn't help but secretly admire Geng Zhi's wit.
Vice Dean Kong hesitated for a moment.
"Let this poor little brother ask one more question," some people in the audience began to whisper.
The leader from the Civil Affairs Bureau smiled and looked at Vice President Kong: "President Kong, I've seen this young reporter being so enthusiastic for a long time, let's give him a chance."
"Okay—" Vice Dean Kong drawled, "This is really the last one. If anyone else falls, I'll call an ambulance." Vice Dean Kong joked as he pointed at Zheng Yuxi, signaling him to ask.
The crowd laughed.
Zheng Yuxi took the microphone, instantly concealing his embarrassment, and stared directly at Geng Zhi: "I'd like to ask Mr. Geng Zhi: In the business world, the essence of capital is profit-seeking. Does this contradict your earlier statement about 'returning to values'?"
That's another barbed question! Sharp, direct, and merciless.
The room fell silent once again.
Geng Zhi looked directly at Zheng Yuxi, pretended to ponder for a moment, and then replied, "I have never been against capital. Capital is like water; it can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Good capital that can carry a boat pursues a win-win-win situation for users, entrepreneurs, and investors."
He paused, his tone carrying a restrained warmth: "Like an investment institution our 'matchmaker' from Jiaotong University contacted recently. Their philosophy is 'Technology for Good,' investing only in companies that contribute to social value. To be honest, I was very moved and really wanted to accept their investment."
"Wow, have you accepted the investment?" Zheng Yuxi quickly asked.
Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi paused meaningfully, shook his head slightly, and then smiled, saying, "I didn't choose them. The company's development is the result of the team's collective decision. As a co-founder, I must respect the team's collective choice. But I personally always maintain that choosing who to partner with is more important than simply receiving money."
--boom.
These words immediately aroused doubts among the audience and sensitive users online.
"Wait a minute, there's clearly a hidden meaning in what President Geng said!"
"Look at his expression—he really wants to choose that 'technology for good' investor!"
"So, Jiaotong University's matchmaker has chosen another agency? Which one?"
"Am I the only one who realizes he has disagreements with the team? With that female CEO?"
"What? The CEO of 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' isn't General Manager Geng??"
"There's so much information, I need to process it all."
Beijing, CEO's office at Baihe.com headquarters.
Mu Yan stared intently at the screen, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.
Netizens were generally puzzled, but Mu Yan in Xinlang's live stream already understood everything.
Geng Zhi is clicking on Baihe.com, Geng Zhi is cutting ties with Baihe.com, Geng Zhi has completely lost control.
Mu Yan didn't understand.
It was clearly a trap he set himself, a trap to either recruit or kick out Geng Zhi in the future. How did he end up being put on the hot seat, becoming the one ultimately responsible?
Why is that?
He snapped the monitor off.
No one in the room dared to speak; they were all quietly waiting for him to explode.
But this time Mu Yan was unusually calm. He looked at Ma Chunmei and Li Haipeng and said, "You two should go back and rest first. The ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon will proceed as planned. Thank you for your hard work."
Upon hearing this, Ma Chunmei and Li Haipeng were both taken aback. After exchanging a glance, they politely took their leave.
The door closed.
Another long silence followed.
Finally, Han Yulu tentatively spoke up: "President Mu—this outburst from Geng Zhi might not be a bad thing for Baihe.com."
"How so?" Mu Yan asked, frowning.
Han Yulu slowed down her speech, carefully choosing her words: "Originally, Century Home Network was aiming to become the first listed company in the online dating industry. With Geng Zhi's outburst, their listing process will most likely be interrupted."
"We can take this opportunity to respond to the white paper's initiatives as soon as possible, cultivate a clean image in the industry, and overtake others by taking a shortcut. Maybe we can even go public before Century Home Network."
Upon hearing this, Mu Yan thought about it carefully for a moment and nodded: "But being straightforward is a cancer, and we can't let him stay any longer."
"
Han Yulu paused for a moment before speaking again: "Our current shareholding structure is not enough to bring him down; we need Ma Chunmei's support."
"Later, secretly call Ma Chunmei over, but don't alert Li Haipeng," Mu Yan instructed.
"clear!"
"Also, call Geng Zhi and invite him to the capital. Mr. Zhu and I will talk to him one last time in person."