Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 776 The Charm of Journalism
The World Internet Conference in Wuzhen is about to be held.

Looking at the details on the invitation, as is customary, a speech and a roundtable discussion are still required this time.

It's nothing more than singing praises, making appearances, running advertisements, and showcasing the influence of opinion leaders to the outside world.

Old Ma wasn't very interested in this.

During this time, he had been thinking a lot and felt that he should take this opportunity to have a good talk with Xiao Ma and Chen Mo in person.

What exactly does Xiao Ma mean?
He also wanted to use a delaying tactic with Chen Mo to buy some time.

Despite its success in the retail and gaming industries, WeChat Pay is also putting considerable pressure on Alipay.

As for Li Yanhong, after signing what he considers an 'unequal' treaty with the other side, he no longer deserves to be seated at the table.

Perhaps after talking with the two of them, the landscape of China's internet should be settled in the next two or three years.
Inside a members-only high-end bespoke salon, Leng Ning was carefully adjusting Chen Mo's attire.

"As the rotating chairperson of the support group, I've prepared a complete outfit for you on behalf of all the sisters."

A smile played on her lips as she proudly displayed the clothes in her hands: "This is a custom-made suit that Sister Fuzhen specially air-freighted from Seoul, the Italian handmade shirt that Mengmeng chose, the limited-edition tie that Tiantian picked out, the crocodile leather belt that Feifei prepared, the Oxford shoes that Lingling sent from Taipei, and finally, these glasses are a gift from me."

When Chen Mo put on this outfit, Leng Ning's eyes lit up.

The well-tailored suit accentuated his tall and straight figure, while the black-rimmed glasses added to his refined and scholarly air.

"How do you know my size so well?" Chen Mo asked, adjusting his tie with some surprise.

Leng Ning scoffed, her eyes flashing: "Don't even mention clothing sizes, we all know your other measurements, don't we?"

Chen Mo shook his head helplessly.

He learned about this mysterious WeChat group called "momo默默" by chance from Qi Mengmeng.

Despite applying to join multiple times, he was consistently rejected by his female confidantes.

These days, I can only occasionally get some "insider information" through my most considerate friend, Mengmeng.

Based on the information we have, this group, besides keeping you updated on his recent situation, is mostly about the sisters helping each other with their careers. Leng Ning and Mengmeng are always by his side, Yifei and Jingtian are deeply involved in the entertainment industry, Lingling is in charge of the business in Taiwan, and Fuzhen is expanding and strengthening her business in South Korea.

In business collaborations, Fu Zhen, with the most experience, naturally became everyone's "big sister".

The rest of the time, Tian Tian and Yi Fei chatted about all sorts of gossip in the Chinese entertainment industry: who is a lesbian, who has a sugar daddy, who is a seemingly innocent girl on camera but actually a delinquent, etc.
"Let's go eat later, don't leave tonight."

"Are you going to eat or eat me?" Leng Ning pushed up her glasses, her eyes slightly upturned, and a hint of charm flashed between her brows.

Damn. Sure enough, she's a girl with glasses, quite a contrast.

The next morning, as soon as Chen Mo arrived at his office, he took out his treasured premium goji berries from the cabinet and brewed himself a cup of health-preserving tea.

The three months of rehabilitation training have been quite effective. Lu Qi has recovered and been discharged from the hospital. As long as he avoids strenuous exercise, he will be fine.

Now he has joined the group's "Tianji Pavilion" as a senior advisor, participating in the company's strategic decision-making.

In general matters, Chen Mo would intentionally or unintentionally lean towards him, observing and correcting any deviations in the process.

As a world-class manager, Lu Qi has demonstrated remarkable abilities.

Amazingly, Lu Qi adapted to his new role in just half a month. He not only provided many valuable suggestions for the group's operations, but even the marketing strategy for the battle between "Gods and Demons" and "Onmyoji" originated from an inspiration he casually mentioned.

One of Chen Mo's personal suggestions is that he needs a professional assistant.

Since Leng Ning went from being his secretary to board secretary, and then to senior financial director, Chen Mo has maintained a "no assistant" work mode.

He was already used to this work mode. He had thought about the assistant issue before. The advantage of not having an assistant is that it allows for one-on-one communication, direct control of information, avoidance of information filtering, higher efficiency, and greater flexibility.

After all, with the existence of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, group affairs are already subject to a certain degree of isolation and screening. If there were an assistant, he was worried that he would not be able to see the specific details of frontline affairs.

Clearly, this approach is no longer suitable as the Beyond Group grows larger and its corporate affairs increase.

Lu Qi suggested forming a three-person assistant team:

Administrative Assistant: Responsible for daily tasks such as scheduling, email filtering, and meeting minutes.
Coordination Assistant: Handles cross-departmental communication and reporting.
External Liaison Assistant: Liaise with government, media, and key partners
After careful consideration, Chen Mo adopted the suggestion and specifically instructed Xu Peixin to find a suitable candidate within the group, emphasizing the gender requirement, since a female secretary was too dangerous for him.

In certain niches in Chinese society, roles such as drivers and secretaries often hold core secrets, and the selection of such personnel must be extremely careful.

Therefore, the selection process requires careful consideration and multiple rounds of screening, which is not a simple matter.

With the Wuzhen Internet Conference just around the corner, Chen Mo finished up the group's current work and brought the overall situation to a close before starting to memorize his speech—a speech draft prepared by Tianji Pavilion on a given topic.

At this year's conference, as a leading figure in the internet industry and a pillar of the younger generation of business leaders, Chen Mo's schedule was packed. He felt that being in the spotlight meant he needed to be cautious and discreet, rather than making sensational statements.

This idea aligns with the opinion given by the Tianji Pavilion.

Moreover, Chen Mo had another crucial task this time: to find an opportunity to meet with Pony Ma and see if the latter was interested in the ride-hailing industry.

He had another question for this guy: when exactly did this petty person block him?

On November 12, NetEase's "Onmyoji" official account released a heartfelt statement in an attempt to salvage the reputation of its players.

Response to False Remarks from Competitors: Culture Knows No Boundaries, Craftsmanship is Fundamental

"Recently, we have noticed that some competitors and online commentators have questioned the 'Japanese cultural background' of 'Onmyoji,' even misinterpreting it as 'cultural invasion.' In response, NetEase Games hereby solemnly declares the following:"

1. Culture knows no borders; high-quality content belongs to all humankind.

Onmyoji has always aimed to "create a world-class Eastern fantasy work." Although its inspiration comes from Japanese Heian period legends, its core expression is just as it is.

These are universal human emotions: cherishing bonds, reflecting on good and evil, and being curious about the unknown world.

Just as Harry Potter, which blends European fantasy, is still popular worldwide, and Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach are popular in China, the charm of Onmyoji lies in its ingenuity in transcending cultural barriers, rather than being confined to regional labels.

2. Respecting cultural origins while committing to innovation and integration.
We deeply understand that the vitality of culture lies in exchange and re-creation. Therefore, in the creation of *Onmyoji*, we have always adhered to the following principles:
Rigorous research: We have hired Japanese folklore scholars as consultants to ensure the authenticity of the research on yokai culture (such as Ōtengu and Shuten-dōji);

Localization and innovation: We will continue to launch characters familiar to Chinese players (such as the "Nine-Tailed Fox" skin in collaboration with "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms themed storyline). In the future, we will deepen our cooperation with institutions such as the Dunhuang Museum to promote the digital inheritance of traditional culture.
Global Perspective: The game will subsequently be launched in the Japanese, Korean, European and American markets, becoming one of the examples of Chinese cultural enterprises "telling Eastern stories well".

3. Players' choices are an endorsement of quality.
The success of Onmyoji is not due to a single cultural symbol, but rather to:
An ultimate audiovisual experience (Japanese aesthetics × top international voice actors);
A profound emotional narrative (the bond between shikigami and players);
Continuous content innovation (gameplay, collaborations, social value).

We believe that players have the right to choose works that truly move them, rather than being held hostage by their "cultural background".

4. Oppose malicious competition and call for a return to the industry's original purpose.

NetEase Games calls on its competitors to stop misleading public opinion by inciting cultural antagonism, and to focus competition in the gaming industry on product quality and user experience.

We are willing to join hands with our partners to explore the global market and let Eastern culture shine more brightly on the international stage.

The journey of Onmyoji is a cultural dialogue rather than a confrontation.

In the future, we will continue to embrace diverse cultures with an open attitude and repay the trust of every player with better content.

NetEase Games' Onmyoji team

April 12, 2016

This seemingly unremarkable statement actually hides a deeper meaning. Its outward appearance is impeccable—it showcases cultural inclusivity while also considering player sentiment; it proclaims a global perspective while emphasizing in-depth localization.

Ultimately, they successfully shifted public opinion's focus from the sensitive issue of "cultural conflict" to "quality pursuit" and "cultural integration."

The effect was immediate, and many players found the arguments reasonable after reading them carefully, resulting in a significant cooling of public opinion.

When Sun Ziwei shared the statement with Chen Tong, Chen Tong, a veteran of Chinese media, nodded after reading it. This seasoned veteran, who had seen it all, couldn't help but nod slightly, acknowledging the competence of NetEase's public relations team.

After all, NetEase was once a leader in the online media industry, and its strength in the battle for public opinion remains.

In Chen Tong's eyes, this statement was a display of the charm of words. A change in perspective completely changed the feeling it evoked. The entire rhetoric not only resolved the current crisis but also packaged Onmyoji as a "cultural bridge," thereby elevating the brand's status.

In Chen Tong's view, this is a model of wordplay.

By skillfully shifting the narrative perspective:

Avoiding the sensitive minefield of "cultural invasion," shifting the focus to game quality and player experience, seizing the moral high ground of "healthy industry development," cultivating a responsible corporate image, laying the groundwork for future actions, and proactively mitigating potentially escalating nationalistic sentiments.
However, no matter how grand the narrative, it cannot change the established facts.

It's like a Chinese-language film where less than 20% of the cast are Han Chinese, and the rest are all foreign friends with black eyes and yellow skin. No matter how nice the surface sounds, the core is already crooked.

Chen Tong then responded, "We're professionals at this. Leave it to me, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

The next day at work, Sun Ziwei saw a new email from Chen Tong lying quietly in his inbox.

After reading it, I feel that these news reporters really know how to distort the truth.
Making games is still the most fun.

He then forwarded the email to the operations manager in charge of "Gods and Demons".

Less than 24 hours after the statement from Onmyoji was released

The counterattack of "The Record of Gods and Demons" descended like thunder, letting the world witness the sharp edge unique to the other shore.
(End of this chapter)