Chapter 67: Fame Must Come Early

Words : 1323 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 67: Fame Must Come Early "Still ended up paying tuition fees." Late at night, Lu Liang declined Wang Xiaocong’s invitation and returned home. He waited quietly for the clock to strike midnight, but nothing eventful occurred—just calm silence. Unlike his previous investment in OFO, which came with news of Mobike’s fundraising, this time felt like a stone sinking into the sea. "So, could it be that Chen Rui’s long-form videos are the true mainstream of the future market?" Lu Liang turned on the Little Pink TV app. No matter how many times he tried, he still found it hard to accept the over-the-top, juvenile video content. But Bilibili was full of such content. The creators there seemed to cater to children, though kids didn’t have much spending power. Lu Liang pondered for a long time without reaching any conclusion. He decided to shelve the issue for now and take things one step at a time. After all, whatever industry he planned to dive into, sufficient capital was a prerequisite for freedom of action. For now, his priority was to make money. For instance, set a small goal—earn a billion yuan first. The next morning, Lu Liang arrived at the office. Tang Caidie submitted a proposal requesting to expand the team, suggesting that each department add one or two members. "Sure, hire a few more analysts." Lu Liang glanced out the window and saw Chen Jinchun dozing off. She had probably stayed up until two or three in the morning last night gathering materials for him. The task he had assigned her was quite extensive: investigating all video platforms in the market and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. He also wanted to study the shared-bike market but refrained from bringing it up, noticing she was already overwhelmed. Tang Caidie looked at the pen-biting, tired-looking Chen Jinchun and smiled knowingly. She added, "Mr. Lu, our office space seems a bit small." Their 240-square-meter office allotted 80 square meters to Lu Liang’s personal office and the meeting room. The pantry, restroom, and other basic facilities also took up space. The workspace could only accommodate 10-15 people. While it would suffice even with new hires, it was better to plan ahead. "Find a bigger place nearby. That’ll save us the trouble of moving repeatedly in the future." Lu Liang recalled his visit to Panda Interactive Entertainment the previous day. Despite having a registered capital of only ¥10 million, their office spanned nearly 2,000 square meters. Though it was a Wanda office building, their registered capital had been updated to ¥50 million last week. It wouldn’t make sense for Tianxing to have a smaller office than theirs. At 9:15 AM, pre-market trading began. Some stocks didn’t even make it to the opening, like Teli A. During the ten-minute pre-market session, its price remained unchanged, stuck at the limit-down level until the market opened. For the two-hour morning session, the stock chart was a straight floor-line, without the slightest fluctuation. Lu Liang still held 20,000 lots. Even using institutional fast-trading channels, only a few lots could be sold every three minutes. The despair of retail investors stuck in the stock was palpable. Though he was losing ¥7-8 million daily, Lu Liang wasn’t in a hurry to sell. With a cost basis of ¥10.6 per share, he planned to hold the lots as his base position for the next market cycle. ṞåɴȎ????Е???? With no trades to execute, Lu Liang passed the time surfing the web. He found himself engrossed in watching Wang Xiaocong verbally sparring with “International Fan” online. International Fan and Big Black Bull had announced their relationship with a joint statement: “We’re together.” The entertainment industry and even the public celebrated them. Only Xiaocong left a biting comment: “Just for fun. Some circles aren’t easy to join, no matter how hard you try.” What followed was a heated exchange. International Fan mocked Xiaocong for having a rich dad, while Xiaocong derided her as a "carpet star." Lu Liang was so entertained he registered a Weibo account and liked Xiaocong’s posts, even leaving comments. As the "Commissioner of the Entertainment Discipline Inspection," Xiaocong often fought these battles solo, taking on the entire industry. When Lu Liang used his real name to post a comment, Xiaocong immediately disengaged from the argument and responded to him in the thread: "Is this really you?" Lu Liang replied, "Yes." "Why didn’t you come last night?" "Busy. Couldn’t leave." The two continued their chat as if using private messages, oblivious to the public eye. Meanwhile, Lu Liang’s follower count skyrocketed from single digits to over 10,000, then toward 100,000. Xiaocong had over 20 million followers, regularly giving away phones and red envelopes, which drew a highly engaged audience. Netizens didn’t know who Lu Liang was but inferred from the conversation that he was likely a wealthy friend. Maybe he’d also start handing out gifts once he amassed enough followers. Soon, Lu Liang received a call from Weibo’s operations manager. seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With over 50,000 followers, he was eligible to skip the Yellow V verification and upgrade to a Red V account. The manager explained the perks of Red V, including exclusive support, recommendations, and privileges. "Tianxing Capital, Lu Liang. Occupation: Angel Investor," Lu Liang stated. The manager, taken aback, pulled up Tianxing Capital’s details and discovered it was a big player with ¥50 million in registered capital. His tone became noticeably respectful: "Mr. Lu, please hold for a minute while we update your account information." Soon after, Lu Liang’s Weibo account sported a Red V badge and the updated description: Founder of Tianxing Capital, Angel Investor. "Wow, that was fast!" Netizens reacted quickly: "Investment big shot? Bless me, please!" "I have a project; I just need funding." After authenticating his account, Lu Liang posted his first update: "First time here. Let’s do a giveaway, as is tradition!" "New Apple phones for comments #6, #66, #666, #6666, #8, #88, #888, and #8888." Lu Liang saw this as a chance to emulate Xiaocong’s path. In the internet age, fame brought both scrutiny and protection. The post went viral immediately. His follower count, views, and comments surged exponentially. Within minutes, the comment section had reached tens of thousands. Lu Liang called Chen Jinchun to contact the winners and send the prizes. Later that day, Su Wanyu arrived to tutor Lu Liang for his fifth practice exam. "Teacher Su, what’s for dinner tonight?" Since the last mock exam, Lu Liang had put in 15 hours of extra lessons. This time, he was confident he’d score 425. "Let’s see after you pass," Su Wanyu replied with mock arrogance, though her barely-contained smile hinted at her own confidence in him. After 75 minutes, Lu Liang completed the exam and sat beside her as she graded it. His answers showed marked improvement, though it wasn’t clear if he’d hit the passing mark. The final score: 422. Su Wanyu frowned slightly and carefully reviewed his answers again. She corrected a minor error that had cost him five points: "‘Ditto’ means ‘same as above,’ like ‘me too,’ but it’s more colloquial. Your usage wasn’t wrong." With the adjustment, his score went from failing to a passing 427. Lu Liang chuckled, teasing her: "Teacher Su, isn’t this favoritism?" With a stern face, Su Wanyu retorted: "Mr. Lu, I must remind you not to question my professional ethics."

Chapter 67: Fame Must Come Early

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