Chapter 25: Working Through the Night on a Proposal—Is This What You Call Useless?

Inside the office, Lin Chen frowned, lost in deep thought.

Never underestimate a single sentence; sometimes, a simple remark can provide a sense of sudden clarity. Lin Chen’s ultimate goal was to make Shanying the industry leader, but they were still a long way from that. The short-video market was a lucrative piece of meat, and far too many people wanted a bite.

While Lin Chen pondered, Lin Qinghe curiously scrutinized Xu Qingfeng. Although she had been the one to sign him, she actually knew very little about him. All the information she possessed came from corporate background checks and online snippets. However, the moment Xu Qingfeng spoke, her brother—a man she viewed as wise and formidable—had fallen into deep contemplation. She immediately realized this man was anything but simple. To have a single sentence render her brother, a standout among young entrepreneurs, speechless for so long was a level of skill she had only witnessed in seasoned industry titans. And those titans were at least forty; how old was Xu Qingfeng? He wasn't even her age.

Lin Qinghe blinked, mentally updating her profile of Xu Qingfeng. An idol with traffic but no substance? A useless waste of space who was nothing more than a pretty face? If he were a waste, then the entire entertainment industry must be filled with them. This was a man of hidden talent. Through their interactions over the past few days, she had grasped his situation: he had no team, was entirely on his own, and was accompanied only by eight bodyguards who were strong in limb but simple in mind. Thus, this idea could only have come from him.

Lin Qinghe rested her chin on one hand, twirling her hair with the other, her gaze darting between Lin Chen and Xu Qingfeng.

Xu Qingfeng, conversely, remained exceptionally calm, sipping his tea while surveying the office layout. Unlike Zhou Zhengyi, who kept a massive, stuffed bookshelf just to show off for the sake of "prestige," Lin Chen’s shelves were modest. There weren't many books; Xu Qingfeng even spotted a few manga volumes and modeling magazines. On the other side stood a glass display case filled with figurines, and next to that were several swords and blades. Simple, unpretentious, passionate, and slightly geeky—this was the first impression the office gave him. Through this space, Xu Qingfeng felt he had finally grasped Lin Chen’s true personality. No wonder he had been so decisive about signing him.

His gaze drifted downward, landing on a pair of straight legs encased in jeans. Xu Qingfeng quietly shifted his eyes away.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze upon him. He looked up to find Pineapple—Lin Qinghe—staring straight at him. Caught red-handed ogling her legs, Xu Qingfeng felt a flush creep up his face. He gave a slight nod and tactically took a sip of water.

Though it felt like a long time, only a minute had actually passed. Lin Chen finally spoke, "Tell me more about the music."

Xu Qingfeng set down his cup and nodded. "I spent yesterday scrolling through a lot of videos. I’m guessing your target audience for Shanying is the younger generation, and the content is mostly trendy. But have you ever thought about how young people prefer to express their emotions?"

Lin Chen looked thoughtful and replied, "By cursing?"

"Cough, cough!" Xu Qingfeng nearly choked. What the hell, cursing? Damn it, that actually made sense.

"Cursing is just one form of expression, but you can't exactly make that your platform's selling point, right? When you're feeling emotional, what do you like to do, Mr. Lin?"

"Sword dancing."

*Come on, man, are you really that stubborn?* Xu Qingfeng gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive. Let me be blunt: the emotional trigger is music! When people drive, they play music. When you take a shower, you probably belt out songs, too, don't you, Mr. Lin?"

Lin Chen replied with a deadpan expression, "I do not."

Pineapple chimed in, "Heh."

*A stubborn one, indeed.* Xu Qingfeng understood. "In my view, if Shanying wants to distinguish itself from platforms like Weiguang, music is the biggest breakthrough. Music appears in our lives with such high frequency—driving, meetings, gatherings. Whenever emotions run high, music just spills out. That is the charm of music."

Lin Chen nodded. "That makes sense."

A minute was enough for him to grasp the concept, though whether Xu Qingfeng’s plan was feasible remained to be seen.

"So, how do you want to collaborate?" Lin Chen asked directly.

"Straight to the point, as expected of you, Mr. Lin." Xu Qingfeng pulled out the materials he had prepared. "I wrote a development plan for Shanying last night. Why don’t you take a look?"

"Last night?" Lin Chen took the document with surprise and sighed inwardly. Business plans required careful, painstaking deliberation; what kind of quality could one write in a single night? Lin Chen shook his head internally, assuming Xu Qingfeng had nothing of value to offer. For a brief moment, he had actually felt a spark of anticipation for this notorious idol, which he found absurd. Still, for the sake of appearances, he flipped open the pages.

As he read, his eyes widened, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.

Lin Qinghe’s curiosity was piqued by Lin Chen’s reaction, and she stretched her neck to peek.

"Core group positioning, focusing on music-based creative short videos, satisfying the strong need for trendy self-expression..."

"...Differentiated positioning... creating memory anchors..."

"Full-screen immersive experience, seamless switching..."

"Music creation as the core, providing standardized music production templates..."

"Viral propagation driven by music..."

Lin Qinghe didn’t see everything, but what she did read was enough to send waves of shock through her. She hadn’t earned her position as a manager just because her brother was the boss; she possessed a keen business sense herself. Even though the document Xu Qingfeng provided wasn't even bound, the contents within were worth their weight in gold.

With Lin Chen paralyzed in thought, Xu Qingfeng began to feel bored again. *It’s so boring. Should I look at her legs?* Before doing that, he had to check her eyes.

As soon as Xu Qingfeng turned his head, he saw Pineapple looking at him with a contemplative expression.

*Can’t look now.* Xu Qingfeng sighed, offered a polite smile, and began picking at his fingernails out of sheer boredom.

Twenty minutes later, Lin Chen let out a long breath. "Do you realize what this plan implies?"

"It implies a plan," Xu Qingfeng replied casually.

Lin Chen was left speechless, and Lin Qinghe let out a stifled laugh.

"Did you write this proposal yourself?"

Xu Qingfeng spread his hands. "It’s not like my bodyguards wrote it, right?"

Lin Chen: "..."

"I think it’s highly feasible. And since you’ve brought this plan out now, aren’t you afraid I might refuse to cooperate?"

Xu Qingfeng shook his head. "This plan has value, but one could also say it has none. It provides the general direction but lacks the specific details, and those details are the core. Even if I didn't say it, you would have eventually realized the general direction yourself, Mr. Lin."

Lin Chen wore a strange expression.

Xu Qingfeng continued, "But time waits for no one. The era might only give Shanying one chance. If you charge through it, you make it; if you can't, the era won't give Shanying another opportunity."