Reaching the age of thirty, my income randomly doubled

September, the autumn breeze is gentle.

Chen An'an started Grade 11, and the family's Er Piya was soon about to begin middle school.

As for Xiao Le, who had already graduated from university, she and her elder sister were both assigned to work in Golden Mountain.

The only difference was the department.

Sharing the same office, one must not assume the only disparity is in salary—social class differences are becoming increasingly evident.

Xiao Le was assigned to the Business Development Department, which was deliberately arranged by Chen Pingsheng. The Business Development Department mainly focuses on investment strategies and planning, as well as market research and analysis.

Additionally, it handles client acquisition and relationships.

It's not to say that the capability of the second generation inherently surpasses others, but their natural advantages are undeniably prominent.

Xiao Le quickly adapted to the role, largely because she had studied under Chen Pingsheng for three years, and also spent three years at Tengying Group.

The network connections she cultivated within this environment are simply incomparable for most people.

This is precisely why top-tier investment banks favor hiring second-generation heirs—the difficulty for average individuals to build such high-level networks is akin to ascending the heavens.

For second-generation heirs, it's different; they've been exposed to various social circles from a young age.

September 2.

In order to help Teng You Media achieve a market value of 500 billion USD,

Chen Pingsheng sold 1% of his TikTok shares, valued at 3 billion USD, to Teng You Media.

This gave Teng You Media the dual privilege of being both a referee and a player. TikTok's valuation for this year is set at 300 billion USD.

The 1% stake was sold to Teng You Media at the standard price, and Teng You Media raised funds by issuing new shares.

With 3 billion USD in hand, Chen Pingsheng then donated 1.5 billion USD to three top universities in Magic City.

Fulfilling his 20-year-long commitment to donate no less than 10 billion USD annually to Magic City.

Suffice it to say, for a university to rise as a top-notch institution, funding is undeniably indispensable.

Among the primary sources of funding are local subsidies, national policy support, and donations from various sectors of society.

Of these, societal donations constitute the most variable component.

For instance, Lei Jun's donation of 1.3 billion USD to his alma mater, and the establishment of a "Genius Class" named after him, illustrates the magnitude of such influence.

Chen Pingsheng, however, chose not to promote himself intentionally. All donations were made not in his personal name, but under the brand name of Tengfei New Energy Cars.

In the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai region, the impact was notably significant.

Moreover, his 1.5 billion USD donation was a one-time deposit—completely bypassing any installment plans.

Once the donation and share sale were finalized, his secretary, Zhang Wanyi, came to see him.

She proposed acquiring a fruit-novel website under TikTok to carve out a segment in the short drama content market while also refining its content strategy.

Short dramas had started developing in 2016, evolving from the initial amateurish productions to progressively higher quality over the years.

It could be said that the format was increasingly trending toward the concise and intense storytelling akin to Korean dramas.

This year, a series of high-quality, blockbuster short dramas emerged.

Examples include "In Calligraphy," "Palace Maid Fuyao Chronicles," "Marrying the Crown Prince," "The Rise of the Royal Consort," among other premium short dramas.

Market analysis and judgment indicated that short dramas were unquestionably leading in the lower-tier markets with unstoppable momentum.

Short dramas have distinct characteristics—they focus entirely on gripping plots, with exceptionally fast pacing. Compared to lengthy TV dramas which often dilly-dally without conveying much in the way of a storyline, short dramas are far superior in capturing viewers' attention.

The barrier to their widespread adoption was merely the fact that many people had not yet been exposed to them.

Put it this way: if traditional TV dramas don't adapt, they will inevitably be phased out like the proverbial frog slowly boiled in water by the rapidly advancing short drama format.

If movies don't adapt, TikTok's short videos might easily leave them doubting their future relevance.

Zhang Wanyi's assessment proved to be entirely accurate—the future of entertainment would revolve around the fast-paced platforms of short videos and short dramas.

This alignment was deeply intertwined with the fast-paced lifestyle of modern people. After an exhausting day at work, who would have the patience to watch long-winded performances?

Especially when many productions are loaded with padding just to inflate profits.

Tengying Entertainment would certainly maintain investments in traditional TV dramas and films, but it would also significantly expand its short drama development and app investments.

Currently, the biggest players in the web novel content market are two companies.

One is under Tencent, with a valuation in the hundreds of billions; the other is owned by Douyin Group.

Zhang Wanyi hoped he could personally handle the negotiations for this acquisition.

If she went herself, there was a strong likelihood the other party wouldn't agree. But with Chen Pingsheng involved, even in smaller deals, it's hard not to give face.

Accompanied by Zhang Wanyi, Chen Pingsheng flew to Singapore to negotiate in person.

This was crucial for Teng You Media's entertainment business development.

It could also deepen the short drama strategy in the influencer market.

Otherwise, ordinary influencers tend to rise rapidly but also disappear just as quickly.

This volatility undermines long-term profitability.

Chen Pingsheng also owned numerous businesses in Singapore, though this visit was primarily for observation. The actual negotiations were left to Zhang Wanyi.

One must admit, short videos have already reshaped the entertainment industry's future ecosystem.

This was something Chen Pingsheng hadn't anticipated in the past.

Time passed leisurely, and when he returned from Singapore, a week had gone by.

As expected, Zhang Wanyi achieved the desired outcome, completing the acquisition of controlling rights for 12 billion USD.

The future relationship between the two companies would now be collaborative. Without the support of TikTok's traffic, a free novel website would inevitably perish.

It would have no opportunity to grow, much less any significant profitability.