msmithbooks Chapter 13 Protecting One's Own
Chapter 13 Protecting One's Own
Geng Zhi seized this excellent opportunity to elevate the topic:
According to the latest "Survey Report on Marriage and Love Views of Chinese Universities", sampling data shows that about 70% of undergraduate graduates from universities in Beijing and Shanghai are single, and the proportion is even higher for master's and doctoral students, with science and engineering universities showing a significantly higher proportion than liberal arts universities.
"Many outstanding college graduates find themselves in a dilemma of being busy with work and having their social circles shrink drastically after graduation, making it more difficult to find a partner, which has led to the increasingly prominent phenomenon of 'leftover men and women' among highly educated groups."
Upon hearing the straightforward and precise term "leftover men and women," Vice Principal Yang and Professor Gou on the judging panel seemed to be gently poked, their expressions subtly shifting.
They all looked thoughtful, then nodded in agreement, showing their strong approval of Geng Zhi's words.
"President Yang, fellow teachers, the mission of a great university is to cultivate well-rounded individuals who achieve a happy life. This includes not only career success but also emotional fulfillment."
"Harvard University is famous for its 'dating bible,' and Yale and Stanford have very active elite social networks, which demonstrates their comprehensive care for 'people.' Jiaotong University should not only be a cradle of engineers, but also a cradle of the happiest families."
"We, the 'Jiaotong University Matchmakers,' are willing to become the most vivid practice of Jiaotong University's spirit of 'daring to be the first in the world' in the field of humanistic care."
After Geng Zhi finished answering, the meeting room fell silent once again.
Zhu Xiaohu's expression was priceless; he even unconsciously clapped softly. He saw in this young man the essential ability of an entrepreneur to "leverage and create momentum."
When Professor Qi Chuqin first heard Vice Principal Yang's question, he couldn't help but worry for Geng Zhi, but after hearing his answer, he showed a relieved expression.
Professor Gou, from the perspective of business ethics and brand management, gave Geng Zhi a near-perfect score in his mind.
Vice Principal Yang smiled and nodded with satisfaction: "Gengzhi, your thinking is indeed very insightful. We can discuss the project name in more detail later."
With little time remaining in the Q&A session, just as the host was about to invite Professor Qi to ask a question, Vice Principal Yang suddenly interjected curiously:
"Hey, Geng Zhi, which college are you from again?"
Geng Zhi's heart skipped a beat.
He was the only one among the nine groups who didn't introduce himself, hoping to muddle through the competition.
However, his behavior just now was too eye-catching, and even Vice Principal Yang became curious.
Can we say now that we're not from Jiaotong University? Of course not!
If one of the judges finds out he's from out of town, and their scoring falters, then everything will be ruined.
He wanted to use Hao Pengxiang's college name, but his mind went blank, and he couldn't remember which college it was. In desperation, he could only bite the bullet and answer:
"Principal Yang, I'm from the School of Computer Science."
True to his name, he was straightforward, and this time he spoke the absolute truth—he really was from the Computer Science Department of Lanzhou University. After all, Vice President Yang hadn't asked which university's Computer Science Department he was from!
"Oh? Professor Qi, so he's one of your School of Computer Science's favorites! Not bad, not bad at all!" Yang Jinqian smiled and gave Qi Chuqin a thumbs up across Professor Gou.
Qi Chuqin smiled modestly on the surface, but inwardly he was thinking, "Straightforward? Does the Computer Science department even have someone like that? This student seems quite low-key usually!"
He turned his memory bank upside down, but faced with such a distinctive name, he simply couldn't match it up.
The host glanced at the countdown on the big screen and was just about to call on Professor Qi to ask a question when Professor Gou Youqian spoke first, his question directly addressing the business model:
"Straightforward friend, you mentioned that in the early stages, the main source of profit was event registration fees. Could you break down this logic in more detail? For example, what is the financial model for a single event?"
"Thank you... Professor, for the question." Geng Zhi glanced at the nameplate on the judges' panel, which read "Gou," but the title he had heard before seemed to be "Ju." To be on the safe side, he decisively omitted the surname.
"Let's take the Shanghai market as an example. Suppose that every Saturday and Sunday, we organize at least four offline events based on different interest themes. Each event is limited to 50 to 100 people, with an average fee of 100 Dragon Coins per person. Then, the monthly revenue can reach 80,000 to 160,000 Dragon Coins."
"After deducting the venue, materials, and..." His gaze swept casually over the sea of students in the audience, "and extremely low labor costs, the monthly net profit can reach 6 to 12 Dragon Coins or more."
Before Professor Gou could delve deeper, Geng said directly, "Of course, this is just a basic model. In actual operation, the activities will be very diverse, and the themes are not limited to interests."
Gou Yougan roughly understood, but immediately grasped the key point: "This model sounds like it has a low barrier to entry and is easily replicated, especially by people with resources in other cities. Where is your competitive advantage?"
"Professor, you're right." Geng Zhi replied calmly, "Our strategy is to build reputation and trust through offline activities in the early stages, and once we have a seed user base, we will migrate to online in a flash."
"Then, relying on the technological advantages and innovative gameplay of PC and mobile platforms, we will build barriers through economies of scale and network effects to break into new markets."
This answer made Gou Youqian frown slightly.
At first glance, Geng Zhi's answer seems similar to Zhang Xuhao's, which is somewhat like "drawing a pie in the sky," talking about a lot of concepts but not seeming to touch on the most practical details.
But upon closer inspection, it's different.
His straightforward tone conveyed confidence and certainty, and he used professional terms such as "scale effect" and "network effect" with ease, as if he were just applying them mechanically.
For a moment, Professor Gou was unsure: was this student truly far-sighted, or just a particularly good "PPT master" at deceiving people?
At this moment, Professor Qi Chuqin could no longer sit still.
He had already considered Geng Zhi a student of his own school, and seeing that Gou Yougan was still "pressing the issue," he quickly stepped in with a smile to smooth things over:
"Hey, Lao Gou, this is a public roadshow, so some business details are indeed inconvenient to go into detail about! It's understandable that Geng Zhi's answer was a bit general; maybe it involved someone's trade secrets. It's almost time for my questions, isn't it?"
Geng Zhi could clearly hear the protectiveness in Qi Chuqin's words, and he couldn't help but feel happy: This old Qi is someone worth befriending!
Gou Youqian thought it made sense, so he nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
But his interest in the student's straightforwardness grew stronger, and he planned to have a private chat with him after the event.
At this point, the 8-minute countdown for judges' questions set on the big screen had actually run out.
But the host, with his keen eyes, noticed that the judges were still quite interested, so he pretended not to see them and went along with it, giving the opportunity to Qi Chuqin: "Okay, Professor Qi, please ask your question."
Qi Chuqin cleared his throat and looked at Geng Zhi with a kind smile: "Young Geng, I see that you have plans to develop a mobile app. Why do you place so much importance on mobile development?"
He paused deliberately, then added in a considerate tone, "Just briefly explain the direction. If it involves the confidentiality of your product, you don't need to go into details."
As soon as Qi Chuqin said this, Gou Youqian, who was next to him, and Kong Fanqin on the other side turned their heads almost simultaneously, their faces full of "Goodness."
When the first few groups, especially the students from the School of Economics and Management and the School of Medicine, came on stage, Professor Qi asked incredibly sharp questions, covering business models, technical implementation, and risk vulnerabilities, leaving them sweating profusely.
Why is it that when it comes to their own students, they suddenly become so gentle and considerate, even coming up with "trade secrets" for them?
Old Qi, Old Qi, your double standards are too obvious!
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P.S.: Three chapters today! Please read on, recommend, vote with your monthly tickets, and comment to help this seedling grow strong. Thank you so much!