Chapter 58. A Softened Liu Pingping (Part 1)

Liu Pingping truly was a well-informed woman.

When she encountered things she didn’t understand, she was always eager to learn.

But now, what Li Mo said went completely over her head.

In front of Li Mo, she felt a bit ignorant.

“You’re talking about Yidong Communications?”

“I read something about that online a while ago,” she said.

“Aren’t both of those companies state-owned?”

Li Mo nodded.

“Mom, it seems like you’re still pretty up to date on internet-related matters.”

“Xindian now controls the entire national communications network.”

“Every bit of data people use, every phone call and text message, all of it has to go through Xindian.”

“You could say they’re practically making money while lying down.”

Ma Tengyun agreed.

“My dad holds a senior position in a state-owned enterprise too.”

“But his company’s on a downward slope now. Enterprises like Xindian, though…”

“They can profit just from the country’s communications infrastructure, they’re truly lying down and making money.”

“Even fifty years from now, no matter how advanced the internet gets…”

“Telecom infrastructure will still be irreplaceable.”

“If someone manages to secure a position in Xindian, that’s a lifetime of passive income.”

“But of course, there’s a downside,” he added.

“If you don’t own any shares in the company, most people end up just coasting by, doing the bare minimum.”

“They don’t have the passion or drive like us entrepreneurs.”

Zeng Liqing agreed.

“Exactly. In a company like Xindian, the environment is stagnant. The employees lack any initiative.”

“Unlike our President Ma here, who still insists on customer service chats.”

“He really puts in the effort every day for Penguin’s development!”

Ma Tengyun: “…”

Li Mo tapped his knuckles on the table.

Instantly, the Five Tigers all straightened up and paid full attention.

The last time they saw this serious side of Li Mo…

Was during his first bold venture into the stock market!

Back then…

Everyone thought he’d lost his mind, using leveraged contracts to gamble in the market.

He bet on a contract that looked completely unwinnable.

And yet, it was during that time,

Li Mo created a miracle!

So now, when they saw him make that same motion,

Their spirits surged with excitement.

“Yidong, having split from Xindian, is definitely eager to capture market share,” Li Mo said.

“After all, the CEO of Yidong has to show some results.”

“This is a matter of serious importance.”

“In the beginning, Yidong will face an uphill battle.”

“Right now, everyone with a mobile phone is using a Xindian SIM.”

Everyone listened intently.

By now, they had a rough idea of what was going on.

Mr. Mo was clearly very concerned with Yidong’s separation.

But they still couldn’t quite see how this was related to Penguin’s profitability.

Liu Pingping clenched her delicate hands together, curiosity burning in her heart.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Mo, what exactly are you getting at?”

She felt a bit slow in front of him.

“Mom,” Li Mo replied,

“I’m talking about Yidong because, right now there are over 300 million mobile users in China.”

“And that number is still climbing.”

“That’s why Yidong separated from Xindian in the first place.”

“I’m convinced that mobile will become the dominant force in the internet.”

“Because most people can’t sit in front of a computer all the time.”

“So I plan to collaborate with Yidong…”

“To develop a mobile version of Penguin specifically for their network.”

“Yidong Penguin, users can log into their Penguin account on their phone…”

“And chat with strangers, have conversations.”

“We can even co-create a new SIM card called the Yidong DreamNet Card.”

“Using Penguin as the selling point, it will definitely attract a massive number of young users.”

In that instant, everyone froze.

None of them expected Li Mo to drop such a groundbreaking concept.

Moving Penguin, a desktop software, to mobile?

Once they thought about it, they realized, it was absolutely feasible!

Completely doable!

With this, Penguin’s user base could skyrocket once again!

“But… Yidong is still a state-owned enterprise,” someone said.

“Would they really agree to cooperate with us?”

Zeng Liqing spoke with certainty:

“I think they would.”

“Even though they’re state-owned, they’ve just split off from Xindian.”

“Right now, their market share is zero.”

“If they want to break into the market, they must take an unconventional route!”

“So Penguin would be the perfect partner!”

“At this rate, Penguin’s user base could hit 10 million or even 20 million before the New Year!”

“User growth is never linear, it might just explode on some random day!”

“But Mr. Mo,” someone questioned,

“Even if we partner with Yidong, will they give us money?”

Ma Tengyun quickly smacked Zeng Liqing on the head.

“You idiot! The GPRS network charges for data usage!”

“The real challenge is getting users to start using that network.”

“If people sign up for their SIM card just to use Penguin, Yidong’s already profiting.”

“So giving us a cut wouldn’t be a problem at all!”

“And since they just split off from Xindian, they won’t say no to such a proposal!”

Everyone lit up like they’d discovered a new world!

Mr. Mo’s monetization strategy was absolutely brilliant!

“This is genius! Absolute genius!”

“Partnering with Yidong, launching DreamNet, using Penguin as the anchor to gain revenue share!”

“It’s just too clever!”

The Five Tigers were all pumped up with excitement!

If Penguin could start generating income,

They’d finally break free from all the outside skepticism.

Right now, too many people were doubting Penguin’s future.

So every one of the Five Tigers had been holding back a fire in their hearts!

Liu Pingping’s delicate face flushed slightly.

She felt a rush of emotion rising in her chest.

She couldn’t believe it,

What kind of genius mind could come up with such a plan?

Penguin and Yidong?

Yidong had just barely broken off from Xindian, and no one else had even noticed this emerging telecom player.

But Li Mo…

He had already mapped out how to monetize through Yidong.

He connected the dots between the two, and proposed a clear, actionable plan.

How had she never noticed this brilliant side of Li Mo before?

In her memory, he had always seemed ordinary.

“Everyone, quiet down for a moment,” Li Mo said. “Relying solely on Yidong Penguin won’t be enough to generate profits. Let me tell you the second point.”

Everyone froze again. Li Mo’s first revenue model had already stunned them, yet there was a second?

They couldn’t process what they were hearing. It already seemed unbelievable that Li Mo had come up with a feasible revenue plan. But now he had another?