No matter what it is, it's not about being bad enough, it's about not being famous. Xu Zifan's live streaming platform is something he created himself; its technology is leading-edge, and compared to other live streaming platforms, it's the best in every aspect. Now that his fame has spread and he's known to everyone, isn't this a case of everything being ready and the final push finally coming through?
Xu Zifan then launched a giveaway. Anyone who registered on Zifan's live stream and retweeted his promotional Weibo post was eligible to enter. One hundred people would be randomly selected to receive 10,000 yuan each.
[Xu Shao is awesome! He's giving away cash in a lottery! I've registered, I hope I win!]
[As expected, Xu Shao is as refreshing and unpretentious as ever. I've already registered, please help share and promote this, I hope I win!]
[I'm waiting for Young Master Xu to give me 10,000 yuan to buy a computer. May I be lucky enough to win the lottery!!!]
As soon as the news broke, people both familiar and unfamiliar with him rushed to register accounts on Zifan's live stream, then flocked to Xu Zifan's Weibo to retweet and participate in the giveaway. Many also followed him for future reference. This single giveaway event resulted in Xu Zifan gaining over seven million Weibo followers!
Xu Zifan launched another massive promotional event on his live stream: all new users who earned tips during their first three live streams would keep everything for themselves, without having to share with the platform. Ordinary people might not feel the significant benefit, but famous individuals like celebrities, esports players, and internet celebrities have popularity and influence; a single live stream can generate substantial tips, and with a little effort, the profits can be considerable. This kind of easy money naturally attracted many well-known figures to start their own live streams, all jokingly saying they wanted to take advantage of Xu Zifan. It didn't seem like they were greedy, nor did it seem too serious; it was all just lighthearted banter.
Soon, the hashtag related to Xu Zifan's live stream surpassed "Xu Zifan playing games" to become the top trending topic, a phenomenon truly unprecedented in its kind. Netizens remarked that this rich second-generation's popularity was almost comparable to that of A-list celebrities, with every move he made attracting widespread attention. However, some also noticed a crucial point: wasn't this young master Xu always portrayed as an idle and good-for-nothing playboy?
Last time he posted a video of his calligraphy. While it wasn't up to the level of a master, it was far better than those who had practiced for years. It was clearly the result of a solid foundation and diligent practice. You could even tell from his calligraphy that he has excellent character. Now, his company's live-streaming platform is also a hit, boasting an all-star lineup and an all-esports roster. Its soft advertising is trending at number one on social media—this looks like the company is poised for explosive growth and profitability. And his esports skills are so good; he's professional enough to compete internationally. Just how outstanding is he?
Most people would be praised and proud to achieve even one of these three things, right? Xu Zifan has achieved all three, excelling in all three fields. If that's considered a lack of learning and skill, then most people in the world would be considered ignorant and incompetent.
The general public is neither interested nor aware of the true nature of a rich second-generation heir. Xu Zifan, because he was targeting Xia Shuangshuang—and didn't know how long that would last—was laying the groundwork for himself. Boosting his popularity, becoming the focus of attention, and letting people know his abilities and personality would prevent him from ruining the original owner's reputation when he dealt with Xia Shuangshuang and Xu Hao in the future. What could attract more attention than the entertainment industry? He would maintain his exposure until his mission in this world was complete. Having a girlfriend in the entertainment industry was also a suitable reason for maintaining his visibility; everything was perfectly reasonable, and even Xu Hao wouldn't doubt his motives.
Xu Hao had no doubts, but he disliked the feeling of losing control, so he still asked him to come to his home for questioning.
"Zifan, you've been very busy lately?"
Xu Zifan sat on the sofa facing him, sipping a cup of tea, and said casually, "You're quite busy, aren't you? Busy dating, busy doing live streams, it's quite interesting, but of course, it can't compare to how busy you are, Uncle."
Xu Hao chuckled, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at him, asking, "Why did you suddenly decide to do all this? You even started your own small company? If you like, you can join Xu's Group and help me out. You can help me share the burden. What can you possibly accomplish with a small company like yours?"
Xu Zifan put down his cup and shrugged. "The Xu family has so many rules. Everyone has to wear a suit and tie every day and attend meetings to see clients. Like you, Uncle, when you're busy you don't even come home, always flying around on business trips. I won't go. I'm not going to make myself suffer. Young people have careers that suit them now. The internet is so interesting, of course I want to try it out. But this has nothing to do with the Xu family's businesses, so I'll stick to doing it myself."
Xu Hao's expression subtly changed. A young man? He was only five years older than Xu Zifan. Why did Xu Zifan talk as if he were an old man? The online marketplace is a huge pie; the e-commerce sector has already been dominated by others. Emerging sectors like live streaming and short videos have promising prospects, but they're still in the early stages, and no one can predict their future development. Most importantly, these things are too prone to problems. If someone broadcasts or distributes obscene or pornographic content, the person in charge will be summoned for questioning. A fine is the least of their worries; if they're shut down entirely, the compensation they'll have to pay is anyone's guess.
He was paying attention to this area, but he wasn't particularly optimistic about it yet. He still valued real businesses more. So he didn't think much of Xu Zifan's company and didn't believe it could compare to the Xu family in the future, so he didn't care about it. Instead, he said, "When did you learn calligraphy? I didn't know. Also, you're pretty good at video games. It seems you really enjoy them. I've never heard you mention it before."
"There's nothing to say, it's not a big deal. Uncle, you wouldn't tell people you speak three languages or what you studied, would you? Isn't that normal? You were born into a wealthy family, so you unconsciously learned some things even if you didn't want to, because you had good resources."
Xu Hao felt the same way. Thinking it over, he realized it wasn't a big deal and relaxed. He then asked, "I heard you're very serious about this girlfriend you're dating."
"Are you thinking about getting married?"
Xu Zifan lowered his eyes and poured himself another cup of tea. If Xu Hao knew he didn't care about Xia Shuangshuang, there would be no point in Xu Hao being with her. So he curled his lips and said nonchalantly, "Don't you know me? Why are you asking me this?"
Xu Hao scolded, "You should settle down. How can you keep playing around like this?"
Xu Zifan was impatient to listen to his nonsense. After all this pretense, he had already achieved his goal. He waved his hand, stood up, glanced at his watch, and said, "Uncle, I'm not talking to you anymore. I have an appointment to visit someone on set. I'll come see you another day."
Xu Hao summoned him only to test him, and now that he'd tested him and found him to be the same old man, with no real threat from his skills, he naturally let him go. Xu Zifan was here to lull him into a false sense of security, preventing him from making any hasty moves. Xu Zifan had tried to find loopholes in the company, like tax evasion, but found nothing. Xu Hao was very cautious; he knew how to grow and expand a company. Xu Zifan couldn't use simple, quick methods against him, so he could only lull him into a false sense of security and quietly develop his own power.
Actually, he could join Xu's Real Estate now and demand power, after all, he has shares. But the employees wouldn't trust him, the other board members have a lot of complaints about him, most of the people in the company are Xu Hao's people and would try to trip him up, and Xu Hao would also try to suppress and frame him. Although he's not afraid of any of that, it's still very annoying. Isn't it much more comfortable for him to freely develop his own power outside? Why bother with all this scheming and infighting? Anyway, the shares are there; he can take them back whenever he wants once he's established himself. And at the right time, he can even expose Xu Hao's true colors.
As for Xu Hao misunderstanding that he couldn't let go of Xia Shuangshuang, that was none of his business. He hadn't said anything. Xu Hao was being self-righteous, so he couldn't be blamed. Anyway, Xu Hao wasn't at a disadvantage. In his opinion, Xu Hao and Xia Shuangshuang were a perfect match.
Xia Shuangshuang was the most astonished of all these geniuses. She clearly remembered that in her previous life, Xu Zifan was always a spoiled rich kid. Later, Xu Hao couldn't stand it anymore and taught him a few lessons, but he only intensified his bad behavior, which angered Xu Hao so much that he kicked him out of the house. How could it be that after she was reborn, Xu Zifan had actually started a company, and the company seemed to be doing quite well? How could this be? Xu Zifan could even start a company? She completely ignored calligraphy and e-sports. She didn't think those things were useful. Even e-sports champions didn't earn much money, and there were professional years to go. How could they compare to wealthy businessmen? But Xu Zifan's sudden recognition by the public and being called a capable rich kid was something she couldn't accept.
Affected by this incident, Xia Shuangshuang's acting performance suffered. Although she tried her best to avoid retakes by following the system's guidance, her lack of focus resulted in some scenes being overdone and others underdone, not quite hitting the mark. The director felt it was good enough and gave it a pass, not demanding as much as initially. Because the script had already been changed, he even somewhat hoped that the audience wouldn't like the female lead in the end. Who says that directors with powerful backgrounds can only let things slide? Xu Zifan opened a new door for him. As long as the drama he directed was a hit, he was successful. As for whether the main character or the supporting character was popular, ha, the script was changed at the female lead's request; if she wasn't popular, whose fault was it?
Xia Shuangshuang was completely oblivious to the director's change in attitude. She was still regretting splashing water on Xu Zifan and felt that her actions had contributed to Xu Zifan's success.