Model to Holywood

"A website for short video sharing? Everyone can be a director and an actor? This idea is amazing!"

After a while, the apartment's living room went from one person to two.

The new arrival was Chen Shijun's old friend, Chad Hurley, a young white man in his mid-twenties with black hair.

The two sat on the couch, drinking and chatting.

Chen Shijun briefly explained his concept for a short video website.

"Chen, who came up with such a genius idea?" Hurley asked curiously.

Chen Shijun smiled sincerely, "Chad, do you think the idea is great too? Then quit your job. Let's do it together."

"Quit my job?"

Hurley shook his head repeatedly, "I'm not crazy. Quit just because I heard a good idea? People must have thought of this before, either in academic journals or sci-fi novels, but making it a reality is extremely difficult. 

How many internet users are willing to share now? 

The technology for video file parsing has just come out. Can short videos even play smoothly on a computer?

And what about the internet speed? It took me three hours to download a movie earlier. Will users spend half an hour loading a boring video? 

And there's the copyright issue. Have you thought about all this?"

"Yes, I've thought about it. Don't forget, I'm in tech development, so I know how hard this is."

Chen Shijun affirmed, "But Chad, there's one thing you need to understand. Is there anything worth doing that doesn't come with challenges? Once we start, we tackle these problems, and then they won't be problems anymore.

But if we don't do it, these problems will always stay with us, and someone else will solve them eventually. Then they'll succeed, and we'll be standing on the sidelines, clapping.

But what if we're the ones who do it?

Then we'll be ahead of everyone else.

Chad, do you want to be a trailblazer or a bystander?"

"…"

Chad Hurley frowned and stared at him in surprise, "Chen, since when did you get so persuasive?"

Chen Shijun adjusted his glasses and smiled, "When people are at critical moments, they can unleash potential like never before. Right now, I'm in that state. Chad, have you made up your mind?"

Chad Hurley shook his head, "Chen, your idea is fantastic, and your words are very inspiring. I'm willing to help, but quitting my job…"

*Bang!*

Suddenly, Chen Shijun slapped a check onto the table.

"One hundred thousand dollars?!"

Chad Hurley was stunned, "Where did you get this money?"

"This is the first round of funding from an investor, and there's more to come."

Chen Shijun grinned.

"Chen, I have a question."

Chad Hurley blinked.

"Ask away!"

"When did you come up with the short video idea?"

"Today!"

"When did you secure the investment?"

"Today!"

"Oh my god! You might be the fastest person in internet history to get funding."

Chad Hurley exclaimed.

"No, actually, the idea and the investment came from the same person."

"Who?"

"Want to know? Are you willing to join me?"

Chen Shijun tapped the check on the table, "We've got the idea and the funding. What are we missing? Just a few like-minded people. That investor gave me five seconds to think it over. Now, Chad, I'm giving you one minute. Are you in or not? In or not? In or not?"

"Oh, Chen, you're a devil!"

"Chad, are you in? I know you've wanted to start something for a long time. Now the chance is here. Are you in or not? In or not?"

"…"

Chad Hurley stared at the check, then suddenly slammed the table.

"I'm in!"

"Haha, welcome, Chad!"

Chen Shijun pushed the computer over, "Come on, write your resignation letter!"

"Huh? Do I have to do it right now?"

Chad hesitated, "I have a girlfriend, you know. I'm not like you, a single guy."

"Is having a girlfriend so great? If you lose her, you can find another one. If you lose your job, you can find another one. But if you miss this opportunity, where will you find it?"

"Chen, are you possessed by the devil?"

"No, not the devil—an *evil* spirit. I met one today."

Chen Shijun chuckled.

"Evil spirit?"

"Yes!"

Chen Shijun patted his shoulder and laughed, "Chad, we're friends. I'll be honest with you—the idea and the investment both come from Mr. Luca Kelly."

"Luca Kelly?"

"Brittany's boyfriend, bestselling author Kate's brother, the supermodel, Luca Kelly."

"Him?"

Chad blinked, "Isn't he just a model? What's he doing investing in Silicon Valley?"

"Yes, he came up with the idea. He said he wanted to post some work videos on a site but couldn't find one, so he thought of creating one."

"Really?"

"Do you know what the advantage of working with him is?"

Before Hurley could answer, Chen Shijun continued while holding a cigarette, "First, he's well-funded. He's an actor and a model, making millions annually. His sister is a bestselling author, and he knows a lot of rich people. So there's no need to worry about investments."

"Nice, go on!"

Chad nodded. Money was the most important thing.

"Second, he understands the industry. He's already shared a lot of great ideas with me, and I'll explain them to you in detail later. He's aligned with us, so working with him will be a pleasure."

"Well… I haven't met him yet, so I'll reserve judgment for now."

"Third, he's a supermodel. He knows lots of supermodels and big celebrities—his sister Kate, his girlfriend Lima, Ambrosio, and other Brazilian supermodels, as well as stars like Britney, Jennifer Aniston, and Jessica Alba."

"Wow! They're all stunning. I envy him."

"Stop interrupting. Luca said that once the website is built, he'll invite the Brazilian model squad to become video bloggers, regularly posting videos about their lives and work."

"Wow! That's amazing! A bunch of supermodels posting short videos will definitely attract a lot of people."

Chad Hurley said excitedly.

"And it's not just the supermodels. There's also Britney, Jennifer, Jessica, and so on. Can you imagine? With so many celebrities involved, will the site lack popularity?"

"Yes, yes! Chen, we have to do this. We *must* do this!"

Chad Hurley excitedly shook his shoulder.

"Yes, we will. So…"

Chen Shijun opened the document and made an inviting gesture.

"I'm in! I'm quitting!"

Chad Hurley typed furiously on the keyboard and hit send in a flash.

"Oh my god, Chen, what did I just do? I quit my job! I just came here for a drink, and now I've quit my job. You really are a devil. No, Luca is the devil. I actually quit my job. This is unbelievable!"

Chad Hurley was stunned. He had just come to find out why his friend had quit, maybe to talk him out of it.

But how did *he* end up quitting too?

"Chad, welcome aboard!"

Chen Shijun reached out his hand with a grin.

"Thanks, you devil's accomplice!"

Chad laughed and cursed but still shook his hand excitedly.

"Hahaha!"

"By the way, Karim also wants to start his own business. Should we get him to quit too?"

"He just got married; better not."

"Haha, no worries. We can ask!" 

(End of Chapter)