Chapter 82 Planning

be people trying to sell themselves as good young men behind the scenes. Those who still want to criticize Tang Wu's future and hold onto unrealistic fantasies should now disperse. So this family banq...Chapter 82 Planning

The car sent to pick them up arrived at the underground parking lot of Merlion Tower. Su Cen and his group took the elevator to the seventeenth floor, where the headquarters of FaceBook Chinese was located. Along the way, the elevator stopped at different floors, passing by office workers in suits.

Merlion Tower housed many foreign multinational corporations among the world's top 500 companies, whose collective strength was undeniable. Their management styles and corporate cultures had been refined over time; one could tell from the strict manners of those who came and went. Su Cen felt the advantages of choosing this place for FaceBook Chinese to establish its headquarters. Unlike in an ivory tower school, here it fully embodied the atmosphere of being at the heart of Xujiahui's commercial district.

Although it was still 2002, the cars coming and going were mostly white Fords Escort and Santana sedans instead of Mercedes-Benz or Audis that would soon be all over the place. People wore neatly tailored suits and followed trends blindly, many unsure about their future—whether they'd become wealthy by buying a house or struggle through days due to an economic crisis, or perhaps get a raise or promotion in their career.

Su Cen was no exception; he had changed much, so from this moment on, he didn't know what would happen next. He had leveraged his rebirth advantage to become a businessman but not yet a great entrepreneur. Would he and Tang Wu walk together forever Could friends around him still laugh and chat freely in bars or at home years later

He only had three more years before graduating from Nankai University, concluding the university era of his reborn life—it would be 2005 then. What would happen during this period Would someone leave his life Would the foundation he built stand firm amidst the waves or crumble—would everything be just a magnificent yet fleeting illusion

When the curtain fell on the rejuvenated youth after rebirth, would those who knew him and those he loved change completely with the progression of life

"Mr. Su, we've arrived."

The elevator door chimed crisply as it opened at the seventeenth floor, and the voices of two manager-level staff from FaceBook Chinese nearby reverberated in his ears, pulling Su Cen back to reality from his unanswered musings.

Walking through a long corridor, the first thing that catches your eye is the company logo, a large red Guan Yu facial mask of an opera character. Below it are four square frames in Chinese red with the Chinese characters "臉譜中文" (FaceMap Chinese). Following behind Su Cun were Qiao Shuxin, two vice presidents, and three department heads; such an entourage was enough to make anyone feel nervous without even trying to exude authority.

For Su Cun, besides the logo at the headquarters' entrance, the three well-groomed girls working at the reception desk were also eye-catching. In a place like FaceMap where there are many male shut-ins, seeing these three girls was quite pleasing to the eye.

The three receptionists at the door had already stood up with some nervousness. Having been trained in proper etiquette, they placed their hands in front of their abdomens and smiled, but couldn't hide their nervousness and excitement.

They started working after undergoing formal training through a professional talent placement agency two months ago. After starting work, they had heard many stories about the boss within the company. As the first batch of employees personally recruited by Su Cun, he left a deep impression on many of the older employees who entered the company at that time. Stories about him were widely circulated in the company.

No matter how you put it, being a college student at Nanjing University at twenty years old and the founder of Face.com made him quite an interesting target for office gossip. Just these keywords alone would be enough to give some influential office ladies plenty of material to discuss endlessly.

Su Cun's group walked straight past the reception desk, entering a wide open office area. Along the way, many people looked over at them curiously. The entire office space was mostly open except for one meeting room and several private offices required by company management. Su Cun admitted to having some influence from Google’s office layout design while also following American Face.com's philosophy. When Mark Zuckerberg first started his venture, he rented a Palo Alto apartment with a swimming pool; the upper floor became a café, and the lower level was used as an office space where they wore slippers and drank coffee every day. This casual atmosphere, reminiscent of being at home, was transplanted over by Su Cun. Although Qiao Shuxin did not approve of this approach, believing that offices should be meticulously organized like those in mechanized military operations of Fortune 500 companies where each employee operates precisely and strictly in their position. However, it was clear that FaceMap Chinese belonged to a company named after the surname Su; thus, Qiao Shuxin could not change this fact.

Many people paused what they were doing as they looked at them from behind the partitions. Red and green sofas lined an open corner, with Sony gaming consoles set up across from them. There were boards used to record inspiration ideas and small conference areas for departmental groups scattered around everywhere, while programmers and maintenance staff monitored data in front of their computers.

At first glance, everything looked disorganized, but it was actually well-organized. "Let's not worry about this now; the biggest challenge we face is to quickly produce results. The US investment group was already unhappy with our use of American funds to create a social network in China. We currently have no impressive data on user behavior metrics, website PR values, market share, or active membership counts. On Chinese soil, it feels like we are tying ourselves up in a cocoon. Most importantly, many people do not see our network as a community but merely as an inconvenient communication tool compared to QQ. This completely fails to showcase the advantages of Facebook."

Arriving at the staff cafeteria, Su Cun faced the view outside the large windows and accepted the tea from his secretary, nodding and saying, "The Internet always pretends to be about consultation, sharing, education, and learning but actually sells entertainment and socialization. What's most important now is to launch a model that combines entertainment with social applications; this will truly highlight our strengths. Where are Zhang Guo and Victor from the R&D department I want to meet them."

The two skilled experts from the R&D Technology Department quickly came over to Su Can. At present, there were more than 150 employees working at the Chinese office of Facebook in the Metropolis Building's 17th floor. This was no small number, meaning that the entire Facebook headquarters looked like a big community with various exhibition and leisure areas included. In this large community, Su Can could accurately point out two people whom he had barely got to know. Even the vice president who accompanied him was secretly shocked; an executive so high up in status was able to understand his employees better than himself. No wonder someone as young as him could establish such a capital company.

Zhang Guo and Victor stood before Su Can. On their way from the office to the restaurant, they were met with envy when the boss who was only known by name suddenly named them directly. This made them feel quite virtuous.

Zhang Guo scratched his head, his eyes shining brightly at this moment as he looked towards Qiao Shuxin and said憨實地,"As long as Brother Qiao is around, he will know who I am no matter what name I go by."

"Victor, you were once a well-known columnist for domestic computer magazines. Qiao Shuxin told me that your skills in programming are very solid, and your technical skills are quite strong. Since 1999 up till now, you have published over two hundred related articles and earned nearly 50 thousand yuan from them"

The young man named Victor was about thirty years old, wearing glasses and dressed in branded clothes, looking very well-groomed. However, he was extremely thin and looked rather disheveled, clearly someone who lacked presence. At this moment, he used the middle finger of his hand to push up the nosepiece of his glasses with a rare air of self-satisfaction and said,"Let me correct that. If I include some sensitive articles that brought in grey income by touching on certain people's taboos, it would be 300 thousand yuan."

"Very good. I need your confidence." Su Can nodded. "From now on, you two will become vice directors of the technology department. You can assemble a team and work on three things for me: Firstly, develop an instant messaging client for Facebook in Chinese. Secondly, based on what I mentioned earlier about entertainment and social applications, create embedded software called 'applications,' which can be games, calendars, contact lists, astrological readings, personality tests, music, book reading, movie video sources, etc. You should immediately start working on the development of these application software programs." This was Su Can applying his experiences from the future to this time to make Facebook Chinese extraordinary, and he needed to throw in some private knowledge as well.

A gentle nudge.

The group found it hard to grasp such advanced concepts. Although there were already a lot of these technical prototypes now, few people could summarize them so clearly and intuitively. Someone asked,"I would like to ask what the purpose is for developing this type of application software What are its direct benefits I must admit that I can't see where the focus lies."

Su Can explained,"Increasing user stickiness and member activity is just one aspect. Once these applications mature on Facebook Chinese, they will become a common trend and wave, allowing us to act as an endpoint platform providing software development individuals or companies with the means to sell their applications through our store. We would earn value-added services from this."

Su Cen threw out this advanced concept and, without giving the others a chance to adjust their thinking, continued, "Human creativity is limitless. Only by bestowing openness and sufficient freedom can we extend its lifespan. We cannot monopolize all applications; therefore, we could establish a market where other individuals and companies display their ingenuity. All we need to do is charge platform fees to make money, which would be more than enough."

"Furthermore, the 'robot dog' technology that failed on Facebook should be reactivated on FaceBook Chinese immediately." If his previous two strategies left people in a daze, Su Cen's final proposal stunned everyone present.

Qiao Shuxin frowned. "The robot dog was Facebook’s biggest blunder this year. It has already caused controversy in America because the program shares your browsing history and personal preferences with friends, leading to concerns over privacy rights. This is now the most sensitive issue facing Facebook, affecting its user base expansion. With FaceBook Chinese needing to expand, wouldn’t introducing the robot dog be like adding the last straw"

Su Cen sighed. "On the contrary, this reflects a difference in national conditions and distinguishes FaceBook Chinese from Facebook."

Compared to America's fear of privacy breaches, such an approach that quickly engages people in social activities could be exactly what is needed for China’s Facebook.

After everyone had left, Su Cen sat alone in the executive office. On his desk was a bouquet from a provocatively dressed girl, likely a ceremonial welcome as CEO of FaceBook Chinese; he also found an invitation to dinner that evening discreetly tucked inside the flowers.

Su Cen threw the card away and chuckled, not wanting to delve into whose idea this was. As the sun set, he packed up and left FaceBook Chinese to head for Nan University to prepare for his enrollment.

Behind him, the Merlion Building stood in red light, symbolizing a power about to break through its cocoon.analyze it, from the many incidents surrounding the establishment of Facebook Chinese to its current calm state, Tang Wu's grandmother played a significant role. Considering her special status, even i...