novellhall Chapter 142 Redwood's Deceptive Honesty, Professor Qi Reveals His True Colors
Chapter 142 Redwood's Deceptive Honesty, Professor Qi Reveals His True Colors
Chapter 142 Redwood's Deceptive Honesty, Professor Qi Reveals His True Colors (7k)
Zhu Xiaohu emerged from the Olympic Park Tennis Center, his forehead still glistening with fine beads of sweat.
He played a tennis match with two friends from the investment circle and chatted about the latest developments in the mobile internet industry.
After saying goodbye to his two friends, he got into his car and started heading back to his office in the China World Trade Center.
In the car, Zhu Xiaohu opened his phone, replied to a few work-related QQ messages, and then swiped his finger across the screen to open the Momo app icon on the home screen again.
This is the third time he has opened this app.
The first two times he opened the app, he thought the design style of the Momo app was pretty good, the interface was simple and clean, and the interaction was very smooth.
But at that time, there weren't many users, and all the "people nearby" were in Shanghai, 1000 kilometers away. So he thought he would wait until Momo was promoted in Beijing before seeing how things went.
But when I opened it again today, I found it was completely different.
His eyes lit up after he had only operated it for about ten seconds.
Not only has the total number of users on Momo surged significantly, but there are also users within 10 kilometers of me!
Chaoyang, Dongcheng, Haidian — profile pictures appear in the list, ranging from hundreds of meters to several kilometers away.
Is this natural growth, or was there a special promotion in Beijing?
Zhu Xiaohu could not confirm.
He carefully examined the users' profiles; some used real names, some nicknames, and some still had the default gray icon. Most of them looked like real people.
He then clicked on the [Circles] function and discovered that in the Shanghai section, there was even a [Love Sports] group where users had posted invitations to play badminton together.
There were several replies below the post, with some asking about the time and location, and others saying "I want to go too".
Zhu Xiaohu's heart skipped a beat.
For someone like me who's purely a business person, I might not look for someone to play ball with here, but for the vast majority of ordinary users, it's incredibly convenient!
In the past, to find sports partners, unless you had joined a relevant QQ group or frequented a specific forum, you could only post on Baidu Tieba, leave messages in Douban groups, post on 58.com, or search for people on your own QQ space.
The process is not only cumbersome, but the response time is also slow; often, it takes several days for someone to reply after a post is published.
Now, all you need is a mobile phone to call people anytime, anywhere, and you can also chat instantly.
When you see someone post, you can click on it to leave a comment, add them as a friend, and then schedule a time to meet.
It's so convenient, so incredibly convenient!
What surprised him even more was that he also found a [Feedback] entry point within the app. Clicking on it revealed a default message in the input box:
Would you like to join us in making Momo a better platform? Please leave your suggestions, thank you!
The text at the bottom of the editing box also includes the official Momo QQ group number.
This was the first time Zhu Xiaohu had ever seen such an entry point for collecting opinions, despite using so many apps.
Although its functions are small and simple, it has built a bridge for rapid communication between Momo and its users at minimal cost.
This feature is crucial in the seed stage of a product.
Would you like to work with us to make Momo a better place?
The polishing of this copy, the tone, and the wording emphasize that users are co-builders of the product, naturally giving users a sense of growing together with Momo and making them more willing to participate in providing feedback.
Zhu Xiaohu was shocked to discover that this straightforward Momo was perhaps better than he had expected, much better.
Geng Zhi and his team understand user psychology and know how to refine products. This isn't a product created by burning money; it's something only a team that truly understands the art of product development can produce.
Excellent, truly excellent!
Thinking of this, Zhu Xiaohu couldn't help but get excited.
As he prepared to apply to join Momo's official QQ group to see what users were discussing, he said to the driver, "Xiao Lin, could you drive a little faster? Back to the office."
20 minute later.
As soon as Zhu Xiaohu returned to the Jinshajiang Venture Capital office, he called Kong Min, who had just returned from a business trip, into his office.
"Xiao Kong, how's the promotion of Momo going in Shanghai?"
"Mr. Zhu, I've been quietly observing them up close for a few days and have also surveyed several college students who are working part-time. I've found that although Momo's ground promotion team doesn't have many people, they are very organized," Kong Min replied.
"Oh? Tell me more," Zhu Xiaohu said, sipping his drink, his eyes focused.
"They adopted a phased and targeted promotion strategy. The first phase was campus promotion, focusing on universities —"
"The second phase is the city—and—"
Kong Min gave Zhu Xiaohu a general report on what she knew about how the Momo team expanded from campus promotions to urban business districts, CBDs, and technology parks, and then to bars, nightclubs, and other venues, as well as their online promotion strategies.
Zhu Xiaohu nodded repeatedly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "As expected, it has the genes of [Jiaotong University Matchmaker]. The promotion rhythm is not bad. Starting from the campus, they know how to do on-the-ground promotion and how to penetrate a region."
He paused, then continued his analysis: "They don't lack knowledge, what they lack most is money. With money, they can have manpower and marketing funds to get things running."
Their team is still too small.
"Mr. Zhu, I heard that their team has been bringing in new people these past few days—in operations, marketing, technology, and design. They're probably gradually filling the manpower gaps," Kong Min said.
"Oh? So Gengzhi is about to make its move." Zhu Xiaohu said thoughtfully. "I'll go to Gengzhi's place in a couple of days to check out their back-end business data. If it's not bad, we'll lead the investment."
Kong Min hesitated slightly before asking, "President Zhu, shouldn't we schedule a time with Geng Zhi in advance? Should you arrange it directly with him, or should I do it?"
"I can just contact Geng Zhi directly." Zhu Xiaohu picked up his phone and found Geng Zhi's number.
"Okay, Mr. Zhu, I'll head out now." Kong Min turned to leave.
"Wait a minute." Zhu Xiaohu suddenly waved his hand and called out to Kong Min.
He then remembered that Geng Zhi was different from ordinary people; he was quite cunning. If he called directly, the kid would think that Jinshajiang Venture Capital was eager to invest but also wanted to raise the price.
Zhu Xiaohu hesitated for a moment, then changed his mind and said, "Forget it, Xiao Kong, you should make the appointment. Talk to his secretary privately first and sound him out. Let's do it now."
"Okay, Mr. Zhu." Kong Min took out her phone, found Lü Siyu's QQ, and sent her a message.
5 minute later.
Kong Min looked somewhat awkwardly at her boss, who was humming a tune: "President Zhu, Lü Siyu replied to a message saying—"
"What did you say?" Zhu Xiaohu asked, frowning as he looked at Kong Min, whose expression seemed unnatural.
"Lu Siyu said that when Momo raises its Series B funding, they will give priority to Jinshajiang Venture Capital," Kong Min replied, forcing a smile.
"Hmm." Zhu Xiaohu didn't react at first, nodded, then suddenly sat up straight. "Hmm? Series B? What does that mean? What about this Series A funding?"
"Series A funding—" Kong Min stammered, "Series A funding, Momo has already raised money, and I heard it's quite a lot—"
"How could it be so fast?!" Zhu Xiaohu's eyes widened, his voice rising sharply. "Only a few days? From the last time we met until now, it's only been a week at most, and you've already secured the funding? Signed a contract?"
"Yes, it's signed." Kong Min nodded.
Zhu Xiaohu's expression stiffened slightly. After thinking for a few seconds, he asked, "Did they say who invested? How much funding did they raise?"
"I asked her, but Lü Siyu wouldn't say anything, only that she would announce it at the appropriate time later." Kong Min's voice lowered.
Zhu Xiaohu leaned back in his chair, looking like a deflated balloon.
He couldn't understand how Geng Zhi had secured funding in just a few days.
The valuation I gave him before was already quite high, at $1000 million.
If other venture capital firms offer a similar valuation to Jinshajiang Venture Capital, or even just a slightly higher one, Gengzhi would choose Jinshajiang Venture Capital, whether based on past cooperation and trust or on alumni ties.
Since Gengzhi didn't choose Jinshajiang, there's a high probability that the competitor's valuation was far higher than the $1000 million Jinshajiang offered.
Did they give it a valuation of $1500 million?
Or is it really as Geng Zhi himself wants, with a valuation of 2000 million US dollars?
Which venture capitalist would be so bold as to give money without even looking at the product launch data?
That's unlikely!
Zhu Xiaohu kept tugging at his newly grown stubble, pondered for a while, then looked up at Kong Min: "Xiao Kong, what do you think the valuation Geng Zhi will get?"
Kong Min carefully considered her words before speaking: "President Zhu, I also think that Momo's valuation is at most 1000 million US dollars. But realistically, the valuation given by the competitors is at least 1500 million US dollars, and maybe even 2000 million US dollars."
Zhu Xiaohu nodded: "The reason I was able to offer 1000 million US dollars was partly due to our alumni relationship. But I don't understand, who else could offer so much more than me, their senior?"
"Mr. Zhu," Kong Min said cautiously, looking at Zhu Xiaohu who was still angry, "Geng Zhi also has an alumnus who is also an investor. You recommended him to him last time."
Zhu Xiaohu was stunned.
"Could it really be that foolish and rich Sequoia Capital? Shen Nanpeng!" Zhu Xiaohu suddenly realized.
Depend on! !
He had recommended Sequoia Capital to Gengzhi himself, and if Sequoia Capital did indeed snatch the deal in the end, it would be quite ironic. He must be filled with regret now!
Investors are sometimes like this: they have a great opportunity in front of them, but they don't know how to cherish it. Only when they lose it do they regret it.
The biggest regret in the investment world is missing out.
Missing out on a project might mean missing out on a sector, or even missing out on an era.
Therefore, many investors would rather invest in ten wrong projects than let one project slip through their fingers—but that's another story.
Thinking of this, Zhu Xiaohu quickly picked up his phone and dialed Geng Zhi's number.
A gentle voice came through the phone: "The number you dialed is currently busy. Please try again later."
Without hesitation, Zhu Xiaohu immediately dialed Shen Nanpeng's number again.
The voice on the phone still said: "The number you dialed is busy. Please try again later."
Zhu Xiaohu held his phone, leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling, and remained silent for a long time.
Meanwhile, Shen Nanpeng, who had just flown back to Beijing from Hong Kong, was sitting in the office of Sequoia Capital.
He was scrolling through the Momo app while making a hands-free call to Geng Zhi.
"Xiao Geng, your product experience is pretty good, and I see the user base is also quite decent," Shen Nanpeng said, offering a compliment.
"Yes, looking at it now, it's exceeded expectations." Geng Zhi said with a hint of pride, then urged, "Senior Shen,—"
The DD process needs to be expedited; we need the money coming in as soon as possible.
Shen Nanpeng ignored his bluntness and instead asked, "How much money have you spent on user acquisition and promotion these past few days? How much have you invested in online channels?"
"Senior Shen, we're doing a free promotion!" He spoke frankly and openly.
Shen Nanpeng was slightly taken aback.
Geng Zhi felt that what he said was a bit vague, so he quickly added: "To be precise, it was a zero-cost online promotion. Offline, there were only two full-time employees with five or six or seven part-time employees, plus twelve or thirteen college student temporary workers. The cost was almost only labor costs and transportation and catering subsidies. There were no material costs."
"You haven't done any special online promotion? I see that Momo has users in many other cities, and quite a few of them." Shen Nanpeng said, half questioning and half curious.
Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi confidently replied, "We definitely haven't done any promotion! Has Mr. Shen seen even one of our Momo's guys on TV, in movies, in phone booths, online, in internet cafes, or at tennis courts?"
Pfft—!
Shen Nanpeng was immediately amused by Geng Zhi's straightforward remark.
He indeed didn't see any news about Momo online, and even the straightforward Xinlang Weibo account didn't post any information about the Momo app.
"What percentage of your user lists are bots or fake users?" Shen Nanpeng suddenly asked.
"0." He uttered only one word, his tone straightforward and resolute.
There was a moment of silence on the phone.
Shen Nanpeng had guessed 50% or 30%, but he felt it would be at least 5%.
But the answer Geng Zhi gave was something he never expected.
If Momo really didn't do any online promotion and didn't have any bots, then it means that Momo could naturally spread to other cities, and the network effect would begin to emerge—Shen Nanpeng thought to himself.
But this doesn't seem quite real.
While clicking on strangers' avatars one by one, trying to find some clues about bots, Shen Nanpeng continued to bluff, "Xiao Geng, tell the truth. I know there are bots on Momo."
Geng Zhi laughed.
Investors are indeed cunning!
I didn't even know there were bots on Momo, how did you, Senior Shen, know?
"Dear Senior Shen, if you ask me about the percentage of bots on the day Momo was launched, I'll tell you it was very high." Geng Zhi paused, then continued to explain, "But starting from the second day, all of Momo's bots were taken offline."
"Really?" Shen Nanpeng asked skeptically, his fingers still sliding around.
"Senior Shen, you have to trust logic! On the first day of the cold start, they'll definitely put in some bots to prevent the first batch of seed users from not seeing anything. But we've been online for so many days now, and they're still putting in bots? Aren't we being stupid!"
"Why would it be stupid to deploy robots now?" Shen Nanpeng pressed.
"Think about it, if you're a Momo user and you come across a bot and chat with it, and the bot either doesn't reply for ages or gives answers like it's an AI idiot, wouldn't you get angry and uninstall it?" Geng Zhi asked directly.
Shen Nanpeng didn't speak, but he agreed with Geng Zhi's logic. He didn't question it anymore, and a smile appeared on his lips.
After a brief chat about a few more features, Shen Nanpeng listened to Geng Zhi's explanation of Momo's promotional data.
"To date, the total number of registered users has exceeded 5000, with users from outside Shanghai accounting for over 15%. Student users account for approximately 60% to 75% —"
"In the past few days, the number of daily active users has risen sharply, exceeding 2000. The next-day retention rate is over 65%, the 5-day retention rate is close to 40%, and the private message initiation rate has reached ————"
While looking at the backend data, Geng Zhi synchronized some key data indicators with Shen Nanpeng.
Shen Nanpeng listened with increasing satisfaction, nodding from time to time.
These figures would be considered quite impressive for any social product, especially for a product that has been online for less than a week.
"Excellent, exceeding expectations, especially considering the organic growth online—and word-of-mouth—"
After giving his comments over the phone, Shen Nanpeng immediately changed the subject: "When do you plan to launch the full-scale rollout? Do you need Tang Yan's cooperation?"
"Senior Shen's insight is brilliant. We do indeed need Tang Yan or someone similar to Tang Yan to help us," Geng Zhi answered honestly, but didn't rule out the possibility of a definitive answer.
This was indeed Geng Zhi's true plan; he wouldn't place his hopes on Tang Yan alone, as that was too risky.
If Tang Yan doesn't help, he'll spend money to contact Xinlang, Sohu, and Tencent, and Yang Mingxia has already started preliminary communication with them.
Shen Nanpeng understood the implication in Geng Zhi's words and made a friendly suggestion: "Xiao Geng, if you have some free time these next few days, come to the capital and invite Tang Yan along. We can chat again. Sequoia might be able to provide you with some media resources."
Geng Zhi frowned slightly.
Tang Yan hasn't decided whether to join or not yet. Wouldn't a three-way meeting now expose their secret?
Even though Shen Nanpeng knew that he had lied to Tang Yan about joining Momo as CEO that day, it wouldn't really affect this round of financing, but this—ultimately—was still affecting his "straightforward" image!
Geng Zhi reacted quickly: "I'm sorry, Senior Shen, I'm flying to Hong Kong the day after tomorrow to do a work handover."
Shen Nanpeng on the phone was clearly taken aback: "What work handover?"
"Oh, before I founded [Jiaotong University Matchmaker], I also worked part-time on a game. Now the game company is going to sell it, and as one of the developers, I need to get involved."
Shen Nanpeng: "————"
He suddenly realized that this straightforward guy had quite a few stories to tell, but he wasn't interested in asking any more, so he steered the conversation back on track: "So when do you plan to fully launch Momo?"
"We plan to hold a press conference on March 18 to officially announce the Momo APP to the entire network."
"————If it's only going to be promoted across the entire internet on March 18th, then you're going to lose your bet."
"Don't worry, Senior Shen, we'll give Sequoia Capital a surprise." Geng Zhi added immediately, "If Sequoia can transfer the first $2 million investment to us before March 18th, the results might be even better."
"Okay, I understand. Go to Hong Kong with peace of mind, we'll talk when you get back." Shen Nanpeng said and hung up the phone.
The following day, March 8th, is Women's Day.
As arranged by Mingfan Technology, the company gave all female employees the morning off, and held a senior management strategy meeting in the afternoon, where Geng Zhi will explain the Momo launch event and the promotion strategy for the following six months.
Song Qing and Zou Lu arrived at the office chatting and laughing. As soon as Song Qing swiped his access card, he saw Niu Baoguo had placed small vases on the girls' desks, each containing a bright red rose.
"Good morning! Brother Qing, Brother Lu!" Niu Baoguo greeted the two as he rushed in.
"Good morning, Da Niu!"
"Shouldn't Du Yujiao be the one preparing the flowers? Da Niu, why are you doing it too?" Zou Lu asked curiously.
"The boss gave all the girls the day off today, so he arranged for me to come to the company early to take care of this." Niu Baoguo said, while taking out red envelopes and distributing them to each girl's workstation.
"I'm so envious of those girls! Yesterday was International Women's Day (March 3.7th), and today is International Women's Day (March 3.8th), plus they get a half-day off!" Song Qing said enviously. "When will we guys have holidays to celebrate too?!"
"Song Qing, don't you have Singles' Day to celebrate?" Zou Lu teased.
"Bullshit! I'll find a girlfriend soon, and I definitely won't be single this year!" Song Qing retorted immediately.
"Then let's celebrate Programmer's Day on October 24th!" Niu Baoguo chimed in.
At this point, Niu Baoguo suddenly remembered something and said mysteriously, "The boss also said before that our company is going to do something big on October 24th!"
"What? October 24th? That's still a long way off—"
The group chatted as they went to the tea room to get water and make coffee.
At this moment, Shu Beibei and Yang Mingxia also arrived at the office.
When they arrived at their workstations, they found that each girl had a small vase, a rose, and a red envelope on her desk.
It's exactly the same as when I came yesterday morning.
"Wow, we celebrated International Women's Day on March 3.7th, and now we've also benefited from International Women's Day on March 3.8th! How wonderful!" Yang Mingxia looked at the red roses on the table, very happy.
"Yes, the company is really considerate," Shu Beibei said. "I love it! This overtime was definitely worth it!"
"Today is another day full of energy. Working overtime is for my dream! Yay!" Yang Mingxia cheered herself up.
Just then, Zou Lu, who was the first to return from the tea room, looked at Shu Beibei and Yang Mingxia with curiosity, his brows furrowing involuntarily: "Hey, didn't the boss give you two a half-day off today? Why are you both back at work this morning?"
"The boss gave us the day off, but he didn't forbid us from coming overtime on our own initiative! Hahaha!" Yang Mingxia laughed.
"Uh—I've worked at Microsoft for so many years, and I've never seen a woman voluntarily work overtime." Zou Lu shook his head, expressing his confusion.
Song Qing also returned and saw two girls coming to work overtime. Then he saw Du Yujiao walk into the office and was slightly surprised.
These three girls are all working overtime, but Huang Haitang is just swaggering around in the dormitory celebrating Women's Day. Isn't that inappropriate?
Thinking this, Song Qing picked up his phone and sent a message to Huang Haitang, asking if she had also considered working overtime.
20 seconds later.
Huang Haitang replied to the message, saying that she had started going upstairs and would be in the office in a minute.
Song Qing was speechless for a moment.
The final result was that Geng Zhi gave all the female employees of the company a half-day paid leave, but except for Lü Siyu and Ji Liufang who had to go to class, all the female employees voluntarily came to work overtime.
When it was time to start work, the employees in the office quickly got busy.
Song Qing, who was developing backend data reports, suddenly muttered to himself, "This user data from the capital city named [Yanzi Li San] is so strange! They initiated over 200 chats in just eight hours!"
"Huh? Is it that serious?" Upon hearing this, Huang Haitang quickly turned her head to look at Song Qing's screen. "This is considered an abnormal user, right? I'll call the product manager to take a look."
As Huang Haitang spoke, he called Ma Tongtong over.
Ma Tongtong stared at Song Qing's computer for a while. Her professional instincts with Alipay led her to make a judgment: "This kind of user is likely a sensitive user, and there is a high probability that he is a scammer. We need to mark him to prevent him from deceiving users."
Upon hearing this, Song Qing quickly noted down the user's ID, and then asked, "So how should we handle users like this in the future?"
"Tongtong, you need to establish a clear standard so that the system can identify whether a user is high-risk and automatically tag them," Huang Haitang suggested.
"Yes, we need a set of standards. I'll go discuss it with the boss first," Ma Tongtong said, and then ran to Geng Zhi's office.
Just as Huang Haitang was about to leave, Song Qing, seeing that no one was around, quietly tugged at the hem of her clothes.
"What's wrong? Why are you being so mysterious?" Huang Haitang asked, puzzled.
"I've got something good to show you," Song Qing said, turning his laptop screen toward Huang Haitang.
After looking for a while, Huang Haitang discovered that it was a user with the online name "[Seven Heroes of the Warring States]" who had chatted with several people on Momo this morning.
"What's wrong with this?" Huang Haitang was still puzzled.
"Who were the Seven Warring States?" Song Qing blinked and looked at Huang Haitang with a mischievous smile.
"Qi, Chu, Qin, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han?" Huang Haitang quickly covered her mouth as soon as she said it.
She realized that her boss was using Momo!
In Qi Chuqin's office in the Computer Building of Jiaotong University.
Wang Lei, Lü Sifeng, and several other doctoral students are reporting on the progress of a new national-level project to Professor Qi Chuqin.
After finishing the report, Qi Chuqin casually asked, "Sifeng, is Xiao Geng's Momo promotion going smoothly?"
"Yeah, it went pretty smoothly, exceeding expectations," Lü Sifeng replied instinctively.
While listening to Wang Lei report on the new project, Lü Sifeng was already distracted.
He was indeed thinking about how to further improve the real-time performance and accuracy of the Momo app's location services, so he didn't consider Qi Chuqin's question.
Wang Lei and the other three doctoral students standing nearby were utterly astonished by Lü Sifeng's answer.
The office immediately fell into a deathly silence.
Professor Qi certainly dared to ask the question, but the senior student was equally bold in answering it!
After Lü Sifeng finished answering, he didn't notice anything unusual on Professor Qi's face, but he did notice Wang Lei frantically giving him meaningful glances, which puzzled him greatly.
Until he heard Qi Chuqin's next question: "Is there anything difficult that you need the teacher's help with?"
Lü Sifeng then suddenly realized what was happening.
The boss asked about Geng's project! And I answered by mentioning Geng's project!
It's over, it's over!
He sold out Junior Brother Geng, sold himself out, and also sold out Song Qing, Huang Haitang, and others!
Lu Sifeng's mind was in complete turmoil, and he didn't know what to do.
"Professor Qi, I—we—" Lu Sifeng stammered as he looked at Qi Chuqin, only to find that the boss's expression was surprisingly calm.
After a long while, Qi Chuqin finally spoke: "Xiao Lü, although your teacher is obsessed with academics, I'm not stupid. I've known for a long time that you and Song Qing are helping Xiao Geng with his work."
"When Xiao Geng said he was going to sell all his shares in [Jiaotong University Matchmaker], I was very happy and thought he would really give up. I even felt deeply guilty for a long time, thinking that I had ruined the future of this business genius."
Qi Chuqin [business prodigy] emphasized the four characters.
Everyone in the office could tell that Professor Qi seemed to be being sarcastic, mocking Geng Zhi.
No one dared to speak; they all waited quietly for Qi Chuqin to continue.
Qi Chuqin remained calm, took a sip of hot tea, and continued, "I never expected that he would actually create an even bigger company for me."
"The lab's excellent research atmosphere was completely changed after he arrived."
After Qi Chuqin finished speaking, he glanced around at the few people in the room who had their heads down, and finally fixed his gaze on Lü Sifeng, staring straight at him.
Lu Sifeng was very flustered.
As the eldest disciple, he certainly bears the greatest responsibility, especially since he personally participated in the event.
After hesitating for a long time, Lü Sifeng was about to explain for Geng Zhi when Qi Chuqin spoke up again: "Geng Zhi did well in the preliminary exam, getting second place in the entire college, but so what? His mind wasn't on academics at all, was it? The re-examination hasn't even started yet, has it?"
boom!
The people in the room were all shocked, especially Lü Sifeng.
A series of negative scenarios flashed through his mind: Geng Zhi might not be able to rejoin the Qi Family Army, or even be admitted to Jiaotong University.
After hesitating for a moment, Lü Sifeng cautiously asked, "Professor Qi, you're not going to refuse to accept Junior Brother Geng, are you?"
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