April 15th, Monday.

Ma Yang triumphantly returned to Rabbit Tail Live.

“Oh, Mr. Ma is back!”

“Mr. Ma! Haven’t seen you in ages, missed you terribly.”

“Mr. Ma, how did your thesis writing go?”

Ma Yang proudly patted his chest: “Need you ask? It went perfectly, of course!”

He walked straight to his office and pushed open the door.

To his surprise, he found two people already sitting inside, engaged in conversation. Both had furrowed brows, seemingly troubled by something.

Ma Yang recognized both of them—one was Qiao Laoshi, and the other was Yao Bo from Jin Ding Group.

Ma Yang had heard about the grassroots-level work initiative. After finishing his seclusion, he had seen the related notice, but seeing Qiao Liang sitting in Hu Xianbin’s place, he hadn’t immediately made the connection.

Mr. Ma’s long face was instantly recognizable, so Qiao Liang and Yao Bo immediately stood up.

“Mr. Ma, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

The three shook hands cordially.

Qiao Liang asked curiously, “Mr. Ma, I heard you’ve been in seclusion writing your thesis recently. How did it go?”

Ma Yang confidently patted his chest again: “Need you ask? Of course, I completed it successfully! My thesis followed Qian-ge’s line of thinking, so how could there be any mistakes?”

Qiao Liang couldn’t help but feel deep respect.

Look, just look at what true friendship means.

Mr. Ma could even write his thesis with Mr. Pei—Mr. Pei provided the overall framework, and Mr. Ma elaborated on specific issues.

This also showed their close partnership at Tenda Games.

Mr. Pei was responsible for building the grand framework for Tenda Group, while Mr. Ma served as a fierce warrior charging into battle, implementing Mr. Pei’s ideas in the most critical departments!

For outstanding individuals like Mr. Pei and Mr. Ma, how could a thesis be a major problem?

Clearly, it was a piece of cake!

The reason for the seclusion must have been to ensure his thesis reached the highest standard. Once completed, it would likely be a work for the ages!

Ma Yang didn’t discuss his thesis further, as he considered it foolproof and perfectly fine.

He asked curiously, “I see you two looking troubled, as if you’re discussing something.”

Qiao Liang nodded: “Yes, Mr. Ma, we’re worried about the ‘Managers Speak’ program. Last week, I recorded a new episode of ‘Managers Speak,’ thoroughly dissecting the tactics streaming platforms use to poach each other’s streamers.”

“The response was enthusiastic and brought a lot of traffic to Rabbit Tail Live. It was notably effective in stabilizing Rabbit Tail Live’s streamers, preventing them from being poached or deceived.”

“But the problem is, shortly after I released this video, Mr. Pei issued a notice to all departments, saying the ‘Managers Speak’ program should be suspended!”

“This is perplexing. Since its inception, ‘Managers Speak’ has released three episodes, each generating enthusiastic responses and establishing a tremendous theoretical advantage for Tenda Group in its war against the anti-Tenda alliance!”

“This is clearly our biggest advantage in this battle, but now Mr. Pei wants us to suspend ‘Managers Speak.’ Isn’t that giving up our greatest advantage?”

“Departments that have already recorded ‘Managers Speak’ episodes are relatively better off, but what about those that haven’t?”

“Moreover, some anti-Tenda alliance companies have already begun counterattacking in public opinion. We can’t just let them speak freely online while we remain silent, can we?”

Yao Bo nodded in agreement.

“I’m now the acting manager of Tuoguan Fitness. A while back, Guo Licheng released an episode of ‘Managers Speak’ for Tuoguan Fitness, dissecting Brilliant Fitness’s tactics. Now it seems their desperate ‘Burn the Boats Card’ plan has basically failed. Consumers strongly reject this card, and hardly any have been sold.”

“Not only that, but Brilliant Fitness has also suffered a heavy blow to its reputation and public opinion. Many people’s impressions of this gym plummeted due to their attacks on Tenda, resulting in a significant decrease in customer flow.”

“So they haven’t been sitting idle.”

“On one hand, they’ve lowered the price of their gym membership cards, trying to stabilize the current situation through a price war. On the other hand, they’ve hired some fitness influencers with high salaries and are promoting through video platforms and other channels, striving to create an impression among netizens that ‘Brilliant Fitness offers high quality at low prices.'”

“But looking at these so-called fitness influencers, they’re all ignorant frauds! Any fitness coach from Tuoguan Fitness could expose their tactics.”

“Of course, the word ‘fraud’ might be a bit harsh. They do have some genuine skills, and they’ve built good physiques themselves—otherwise, they couldn’t have become influencers and fooled so many people.”

“But the problem is that these people exploit people’s laziness and desire for shortcuts, constantly teaching so-called quick methods without serious scientific training. They especially target female users who don’t particularly like exercise but still want to maintain good figures, tricking them into signing up for expensive courses.”

“In my view, how is this any different from being a fraud?”

“So I also wanted to appear on a new episode of ‘Managers Speak’ to dissect these tactics, and take the opportunity to introduce Tuoguan Fitness and Jin Ding Group’s newly launched fitness apparel, fitness gloves, fitness drinks, and other related products.”

“But Mr. Pei directly blocked this path for me!”

Yao Bo spoke with great frustration.

He had originally thought Brilliant Fitness’s death throes gave him an opportunity to prove himself, but with the suspension of “Managers Speak,” he suddenly didn’t know what to do.

Of course, he had other means to publicly counterattack online, such as posting on Weibo or producing his own video.

But what perplexed Yao Bo was Mr. Pei’s attitude.

Logically, any other method Yao Bo chose wouldn’t be as effective as “Managers Speak.”

Mr. Pei suspending “Managers Speak” clearly indicated that he temporarily didn’t support this program during this period, and naturally wouldn’t support other forms either.

Yao Bo was somewhat concerned that if he used other methods to do the same thing as “Managers Speak,” would this go against Mr. Pei’s thinking?

It was precisely for this reason that he came to consult with Qiao Liang, who was “reportedly the one who best understands Mr. Pei.”

Both were somewhat confused by Mr. Pei’s notice.

Qiao Liang looked at Ma Yang: “Mr. Ma, you’re Mr. Pei’s close friend and the person who understands him best. Do you think there’s a deeper meaning behind Mr. Pei issuing this notice? What should we as managers do?”

Ma Yang smiled slightly, his face showing a proud expression. Clearly, Qiao Liang’s words about being “Mr. Pei’s close friend” pleased Ma Yang greatly.

“Although I haven’t yet fully grasped the profound meaning behind Qian-ge’s move, I believe you should strictly follow Qian-ge’s orders. Don’t do anything related to ‘Managers Speak’ or similar activities—in other words, don’t dissect other companies’ business tactics at all!”

Qiao Liang and Yao Bo exchanged glances, each seeing confusion and bewilderment in the other’s eyes.

“But Mr. Ma, as acting managers, we can’t just do nothing and idle away our time.”

Ma Yang immediately became displeased: “How can you call this idling away time? This is called maintaining the status quo, understand?”

“Some phases require pioneering efforts, but others only require maintaining what’s been established! Qian-ge’s intention is for you to wait patiently. Look, he only said to suspend ‘Managers Speak,’ not completely cancel or prohibit the program, right?”

“This sufficiently shows that Qian-ge’s decision is targeted at the current situation. There might be some reasons that make Qian-ge feel ‘Managers Speak’ shouldn’t be so frequent right now. Maybe it needs to be stretched out over time, or perhaps released at an appropriate moment. Of course, there might be other considerations as well.”

“So, there’s no need for excessive speculation. Just carefully follow Qian-ge’s requirements and wait patiently. One day, Qian-ge’s deeper intentions will be revealed!”

Qiao Liang and Yao Bo nodded somewhat reluctantly: “Alright, then we’ll wait patiently for a while longer.”

Though he said this, Yao Bo was actually somewhat unwilling.

Because Brilliant Fitness’s campaign was quite massive this time, clearly receiving support from other companies in the anti-Tenda alliance, at least financial support.

Otherwise, Brilliant Fitness couldn’t have created such momentum.

For Tuoguan Fitness, staying put now wouldn’t result in significant losses, but allowing Brilliant Fitness to continue like this would increase risks and potentially become unmanageable in the future!

However, since Mr. Ma had spoken, Yao Bo couldn’t defy Mr. Pei’s orders and had to choose to hold steady.

……

Back at Tuoguan Fitness, Li Yaling immediately came forward: “How did it go, Manager Yao? Do you have any countermeasures after consulting with Qiao Laoshi?”

Yao Bo shook his head: “We met with Mr. Ma, and ultimately decided to follow Mr. Pei’s regulations. We won’t be doing ‘Managers Speak.'”

Li Yaling asked, “So we’ll hold steady and do nothing?”

Yao Bo thought for a moment, then said: “Although we’re maintaining the status quo, we can’t do nothing. Let’s have a few fitness coaches introduce our co-branded products. Things like fitness apparel, fitness gloves, fitness drinks, and so on—give everyone a detailed introduction to the functions of these products.”

“Then give a set to each existing Tuoguan Fitness member for free. New members can purchase at a discount, and non-members can buy at the original price online.”

Li Yaling nodded: “Alright, I’ll find a few fitness coaches with good speaking skills to record this right away.”