Xinghai Trade Union

In the next week and a half, Ye Cheng's primary focus was on gathering information about the live broadcast union.

With the emergence of Douyin, numerous live broadcasts began appearing on the platform, such as the well-known Glory Era, Goddess Face, Infinite Media, and others. These platforms had amassed a cadre of influential internet celebrity anchors.

At this point, live streaming hadn't commenced, so the main source of income for internet celebrity anchors was through gifts and traffic advertising.

However, the impact of live streaming on product sales became apparent during the Double Eleven event in 2018, garnering significant popularity. (In reality, live streaming became popular during Double Eleven in 2017. (The author adjusted the timing for plot purposes.)

Thus, the concept of live streaming hasn't fully materialized yet.

Ye Cheng could potentially emerge as a leader in this field.

Once he could secure a group of promising anchors and initiate live broadcasts featuring products, the impact would undoubtedly be substantial, as would be confirmed in the following years.

The advent of live streaming had already begun to affect existing e-commerce platforms to some extent.

"There's still plenty of time," Ye Cheng mused.

Today was Friday, December 29th.

Following that was the three-day New Year's Day holiday.

Although Lin Yuanyuan had submitted her resignation, she hadn't officially resigned yet, waiting until mid-next month.

After all, enduring over a month without a salary was difficult for her.

Last weekend, Ye Cheng and Lin Yuanyuan visited Xinzhou Qiankexiafu Real Estate and purchased a house overnight.

Lin Yuanyuan managed to negotiate the price down by 30,000 yuan.

After making the down payment, Ye Cheng still had over $15 million left.

Additionally, he had Lin Yuanyuan transfer 50,000 yuan to his mother-in-law, ostensibly as a loan from his brother-in-law to buy a car. Though it was labeled as a loan, he didn't anticipate getting it back.

However, Ye Cheng had no intention of returning to his previous life.

He didn't want to cause embarrassment for his wife.

Furthermore, he hadn't spent much on his marriage, hence his mother-in-law's complaints.

Ye Cheng also sent 50,000 yuan to his family.

Out of the over 500,000 yuan for the house payment, 30,000 yuan had been saved by his father, who worked as a plasterer and discreetly sent it to Ye Cheng.

But with a picky sister-in-law at home, any revelation could lead to significant conflict within the family.

Nevertheless, Ye Cheng couldn't voice his concerns.

During his college years, his father had fallen seriously ill, and it was his eldest brother, Ye He, who had supported the family single-handedly, even financing his own education through part-time work.

Thus, Ye Cheng held his eldest brother in high regard.

The primary reason for not involving his eldest brother in bitcoin speculation was his fear of the potential risks involved.

In a previous life, his eldest brother had developed a gambling addiction, nearly leading to a divorce with his sister-in-law.

With his sister-in-law's propensity for gossip, it wouldn't be long before everyone knew about Ye Cheng's Bitcoin profits.

Consequently, Ye Cheng preferred to support his eldest brother in more stable endeavors in the future rather than entangling him in high-risk ventures.

At that moment, Ye Cheng's phone rang.

Glancing at the screen, he noted it was an unfamiliar number.

Nevertheless, a smile played on Ye Cheng's lips as he answered the call.

"Hello, Mr. Ye speaking."

"Hi, Mr. Ye, I'm Li Renbo from the Xinghai Union. Are you genuinely interested in acquiring our union?" The voice on the other end inquired with curiosity.

"Absolutely, I'm quite serious about it. It might be better to discuss this in person rather than over the phone. How about we arrange a meeting?" Ye Cheng suggested it with a smile.

The Xinghai Union wasn't widely known at present; it was merely a small-scale B-level union. However, three years later, it would evolve into an S-level union boasting tens of thousands of signed anchors, including several superstars.

Currently, the union is struggling financially, on the brink of collapse.

Established initially as a grassroots initiative by some anchors on the bullfighting live broadcast platform, no one anticipated its remarkable growth.

Yet, Ye Cheng's interest in acquiring the union stemmed primarily from Li Renbo, one of its founders, and his exceptional managerial skills. Under his guidance, several anchors had achieved remarkable success.

For instance, the immensely popular food tour anchor [LG King] had originally struggled to gain traction with low-quality content. However, after joining the Xinghai Union, Li Renbo revamped the approach, elevating the content's quality, which led to a massive surge in popularity. By the time of Ye Cheng's rebirth, the anchor had amassed over 20 million followers.

Li Renbo's reputation and track record in the industry made him a highly sought-after figure, catalyzing the rapid expansion of the Xinghai Union.

To Ye Cheng, acquiring the Xinghai Union wasn't merely about acquiring a studio; it was about securing Li Renbo and his team's talents.

Despite the uncertainties surrounding the recent acquisition of the union by a wealthy individual named Qin Xi and the subsequent retention of Li Renbo, Ye Cheng was confident in his ability to convince Li Renbo to join him.

...