Magic City, International Conference Center.
The 3rd Magic City Annual Internet Summit was grandly held here. This was an extremely important gathering for the Dragon Country's internet industry following the financial crisis.
At 8:30 in the morning, both sides of the red carpet outside the venue were already crowded with media reporters. Holding their array of cameras, they aimed at the entrance, waiting for the arrival of the big shots who dominated the internet world of Dragon Country.
"Look! It's Boss Ma from Ali!" someone in the crowd of reporters suddenly shouted.
Ma Yunyun was seen wearing a suit, walking onto the red carpet with a face full of smiles, and casually answering a few questions raised by the reporters.
"The financial crisis? In every crisis, there is an opportunity! Not only has Ali survived this year, but we will also develop even better in the future!"
Immediately after, Pony Ma also arrived.
Compared to Ma Yunyun's outgoing and bold nature, he appeared much more reserved, merely nodding to a few familiar reporters.
Subsequently, Baidu's Li Yanhong, NetEase's Ding Sanshi, Xinliang's Cao Weiguo, Shengda Entertainment's Chen Sheng, Souhu's Zhang Yang... familiar faces appeared one after another.
The reporters discussed animatedly while taking photos.
"The standard of this year's summit is really high. I heard the city leaders are coming too."
"Of course. Under the financial crisis, the internet is seen as a new point of economic growth. The higher-ups attach great importance to this sector."
"..."
Just then, a black Maybach slowly pulled up to the red carpet.
The car itself was eye-catching enough, but when the woman who stepped out appeared in everyone's line of sight, even the experienced reporters fell into a brief silence.
Liu Yutong wore a black women's suit today, paired with a light gold silk shirt underneath, looking capable yet feminine. She wore a large pair of sunglasses that covered more than half of her face, revealing only a fair jawline and pale lips, giving her an air of deep mystery.
On her left was Zhang Dalong, and on her right was a woman with a completely different aura.
That woman was also dressed in a black suit. She had a standard oval face, curved eyebrows, and eyes that smiled. When she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, making her look sweet and lovely. She was none other than Yu Xin, the general manager of Wanhui Preferred, a subsidiary of the Wanlonghui Group.
Yu Xin wore exquisite light makeup today, with her eyeliner slightly flicked up, adding an imperceptible touch of charm to her sweetness. She walked beside Liu Yutong, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the media and onlookers on both sides of the red carpet, a sweet smile always on her face.
When the reporters' cameras focused on them, Yu Xin even tilted her head slightly, flashing an even brighter smile at several camera angles and waving gently. Her lively personality formed a sharp contrast with Liu Yutong's quiet composure.
"Who are these two ladies?" a young reporter whispered.
"I don't know them. Are people like this on the invitation list?"
"Looking at their aura, they are definitely not ordinary people."
"..."
Liu Yutong didn't linger on the red carpet for long. She gave a polite nod to the media area and walked straight into the venue with Yu Xin and Zhang Dalong.
Only after their figures disappeared into the venue entrance did the reporter area begin to buzz with discussion.
"Quickly look it up, who was that just now?"
"Could she be a representative from some investment firm?"
"Never heard of her. We basically know all the heads of famous domestic investment funds."
"I know, I know who the one with the sweet smile is. She's Yu Xin, the general manager of Wanhui Preferred. She was on the BS Province news channel before. As for the other one, I have no idea, but I heard the big boss behind Wanhui Preferred is also a woman. Maybe it's her?"
"Really?"
"What about that middle-aged guy?"
"That guy seems to be Zhang Dalong, the general manager of the recently explosive Weibo. That farm game was made by his team."
"Damn, you just reminded me! I haven't harvested my crops today yet, and they're all rare cherries. I hope they don't get stolen!"
"You actually have cherries? Bro, add me as a friend."
"No way!"
"..."
By 8:30, hundreds of internet company executives, investors, and industry experts had already gathered inside the venue.
The internet summit wouldn't officially start until 9:00, so everyone was currently greeting each other, exchanging industry information, or looking for cooperation opportunities.
When Liu Yutong and her group walked into the main venue, many eyes instantly turned toward her.
There were looks of curiosity, scrutiny, astonishment, and confusion.
"Boss Ma, do you know her?" Ding Sanshi, holding a cup of coffee, nudged Ma Yunyun beside him.
Ma Yunyun narrowed his eyes to study her for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Never seen her before, but looking at her posture, she has quite the background."
"Could she be an investor returning from overseas?"
Li Yanhong also joined the discussion. "I recently heard that a few overseas funds want to buy the dip in Dragon Country's internet sector during this winter, especially the internet companies listed overseas."
"Let them buy the dip, I'm just afraid they'll short us..."
"..."
The group's topic of conversation unknowingly drifted away.
In a nearby resting area, Qin Zhenhua was also chatting with several business partners from the Chaoshan gang. When he saw Liu Yutong walk in, his expression noticeably became unnatural.
This scene was coincidentally noticed by his friend next to him, who was in real estate.
In fact, not everyone attending the internet summit was an internet professional; many people from traditional industries liked to come to expand their networks, and Qin Zhenhua's friend was one of them.
"Chairman Qin, is she the one you mentioned earlier?"
Qin Zhenhua nodded. "That's her."
"Apart from being a bit young, she indeed looks extraordinary. But what is she doing at an occasion like this today?"
"What kind of question is that? If you, a real estate guy, can come, why can't she?"
"Hahaha... true enough."
At exactly 9:00, the summit officially began.
The leaders of Magic City gave their speeches, followed by the heads of industry associations, and then keynote speeches from several internet tycoons and up-and-comers.
Starting with Ma Yunyun, it went all the way until Yu Xin and Zhang Dalong took the stage to share the businesses they were respectively in charge of.
Only then did the audience clearly understand their identities. Especially after learning that these two were at the helm of Wanhui Preferred and Weibo respectively, many people visibly started to take them seriously.
In particular, the two Mas and Xinliang's Cao Weiguo paid the most attention to them.
Ma Yunyun's attention stemmed from the fact that Wanhui Preferred's model had a potential competitive relationship with his Ali to some extent. Ali was also considering entering the group-buying track to accelerate its layout.
Pony Ma focused mainly on the person. He hadn't expected to meet this former subordinate of his, who used to speak very little, right here. He was even more surprised that the other party had created Weibo and that innovative farm game in just a few short months.
Hmm... not bad. We must definitely borrow some ideas from it.
Of course, it would naturally be best if he could directly poach his old subordinate back, or acquire his current company. Constantly borrowing ideas easily drew criticism, and he cared about his reputation, after all.
Cao Wei from Xinliang was also keeping a close eye on Zhang Dalong, his expression heavily laden with solemnity. A similar project that his company had just recently approved had actually been preempted and completed by someone else. Furthermore, it had attracted twenty million registered users in just two short months. This sheer speed put him under an immense amount of pressure.
This microblogging platform was destined to be Xinliang's greatest enemy!
As time ticked by and the internet tycoons finished their speeches, the summit drew to a close. Lan Die, accompanied by several core members of the Wanlong Society, approached these internet moguls one by one with an invitation, using the exact same phrasing for each.
"Mr. Ma."
"Mr. Cao."
"Young Mr. Ma."
"Mr. Ding."
"Mr. Chen."
"..."
"Our Young Lady has already booked a restaurant and invites you all to gather there."
The group of internet tycoons were all taken aback upon hearing this. After learning that the invitation came from the Chairman of the Wanlong Society Group, they pondered for a brief moment before nodding in agreement one after another.
Both Wanhui Youxuan and Weibo, the new darlings of the internet industry, were controlled by the Wanlong Society. For this reason alone, they had no excuse to refuse.
What is more, they had vaguely heard that the ultimate fate of a certain Boss Huang was the handiwork of the Wanlong Society's leader. This made it even more impossible to decline.
And just like that.
In the new year following the financial crisis, a top-tier dinner gathering of the internet world came into being.
