novellhall Chapter 33 External Brain
Chapter 33 External Brain
Lin Shen's words might seem superfluous in a mature team, but for Meituan, a startup still in its infancy, they seem like invaluable advice.
He didn't mention any impractical new technologies; all the solutions revolved around the technology stack that the Meituan team could quickly understand and implement. Each one, it can be said, directly addresses Meituan's most pressing pain points.
Of course, more importantly, he provided clear priorities and actionable "next steps".
As for Li Feng, he believed that based on the development of this person in later generations, he should be able to understand the ideas he was talking about at this moment.
At this moment, Li Feng's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He even felt that he had sobered up a lot. He took the notebook and summarized: "The first step is to put in 'insurance', the second step is to monitor and alarm to save time, and finally, to establish new rules for the new code."
"That's right, if we do it this way, we'll eventually be able to resolve our technical debt." He slammed his hand on the table excitedly, drawing the attention of people at the next table.
"Junior, seeing you today was truly worthwhile! I had some ideas before, but none as systematic as yours. At least now I have a real grasp of things. After this recruitment drive, I, as the temporary technical lead, can actually provide them with some direction!"
Lin Shen waved his hand: "Brother Feng, don't praise me. I'm just an outsider with a clearer perspective. In practice, there will definitely be many pitfalls to be encountered." He observed Li Feng's state, carefully considered his words, and knew whether what he had just said was valuable, which reflected Li Feng's choice.
"Actually, Brother Feng," Lin Shen lowered his voice slightly and leaned forward a bit more as he said, "After hearing what you said, I feel even more strongly that what Meituan is doing, although difficult, has a particularly promising future."
The ability to move such complex offline services online and scale them up is a significant barrier to entry, thanks to the experience gained and challenges overcome in the process. I personally have high hopes for this company.
Seeing Li Feng's serious expression, he revealed his true intentions: "But I still have a long way to go at Tencent, and it's impossible for me to leave for the time being. However, I really hope to have a deeper connection with Meituan and your team, not just as an alumnus or with occasional technical exchanges."
Li Feng's expression hardened: "What do you mean?"
Lin Shen took out a bank card from his wallet, gently placed it on the greasy plastic table, and pushed it between the two of them.
"This is all the savings I've accumulated since I started working, fifty thousand yuan." His voice was clear and calm. "I know, and I can roughly deduce from what you said, that for Meituan, which is about to receive Series A funding, this amount of money is not even a drop in the bucket. You guys are definitely getting tens of millions, while my fifty thousand is almost laughable."
Seeing Li Feng's somewhat surprised expression, he continued, "But it represents my sincerity, and it also represents my vote with my own savings. I don't ask for any special treatment, I only hope that Meituan will develop smoothly in the future."
In this round of financing, or in subsequent rounds, I hope to have the opportunity, in my personal capacity, to co-invest in a small amount, according to fair market rules, even if it's a very small share. Consider it my "standing ticket" in this internet investment arena.
Then, he put forward the core cooperation proposal: "If you think it's suitable, Brother Feng, you can mention me to your CEO Wang. I am willing to become an unconventional 'external technical consultant' for Meituan."
Of course, all of this is within the scope of our respective rules. I am not on the payroll, do not participate in daily operations, and do not handle core data. I will only be involved in discussions when you encounter major technical choices or when you need an external perspective to brainstorm ideas and review solutions, like now.
At Tencent, I face the challenges of a massive user base and delivering an exceptional user experience. The underlying solutions to many fundamental problems are actually interconnected. Perhaps I can offer some different perspectives and approaches.
Lin Shen added, "Actually, this is also a learning opportunity for me. I want to get to know in depth how startups rise from the mud."
For Meituan, this might mean having another relatively calm "thinking partner" with some different battlefield experience.
Win-win!
After Lin Shen finished speaking, he picked up his beer and took a sip, giving Li Feng time to digest and think.
The barbecue stall was still noisy, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier of silence between the two. Li Feng looked at the ordinary bank card on the table, and then at his junior with clear eyes and a meticulous mind. He was more shocked than when Lin Shen admitted that he was the head of Tencent Pioneer Lab.
He knew he had underestimated Lin Shen, but he hadn't expected to have underestimated him by this much.
Well, he was weighing the options in his mind.
This 50,000 yuan is not only a gesture, but also a token of goodwill that binds us to shared interests.
The value proposition of being an "external technical consultant" is, frankly, more appealing to him than anything else; it's a bridge to building long-term, deep connections.
Lin Shen's proposal was both realistic and shrewd. He clearly defined the boundaries and explicitly expressed his expectations for future benefits. This was far more important than his initial thought of "getting to know a young executive at Tencent."
"Junior..." Li Feng hesitated for a long time, then steeled himself, took a deep breath of the cumin-scented air, stood up and patted Lin Shen's shoulder hard, "I'm convinced! Really! With your brain, it's a waste to be a tech guy, you should be doing strategic investment."
He picked up the bank card, rubbed it for a moment, and then solemnly placed it back in front of Lin Shen: "Keep this money for now. Until we come up with a solution that matches your sentiments with President Wang, I can't accept this money on behalf of the company, nor can I let you just leave it here."
But his eyes were extremely serious, even with a hint of excitement: "However, I can actually make some decisions about the 'extra-staff technical consultant' idea. Don't worry, I definitely won't let you suffer any losses, and I'll pay you on a per-use basis."
We desperately need an external brain like you! I will report today's events to Mr. Wang verbatim, without missing a single detail. I believe Mr. Wang will be very interested; he loves making friends with people who have ideas and vision.
Li Feng raised the refilled bottle, his eyes gleaming with the light of someone who had found a kindred spirit: "This looks promising! Wait for my word! Come on, let's have a drink to celebrate this 'unofficial consultant' proposal!"
The two bottles clinked together again, making a crisp sound.
The barbecue lasted until late at night. The two chatted a lot, from funny stories from school to industry gossip, from technological trends to management insights. Their relationship as alumni and colleagues quickly solidified over smoke and beer. As they parted, Li Feng gripped Lin Shen's hand tightly: "Junior, keep in touch! I'll definitely be using WeChat a lot, and I'll even help you find some bugs!"
"I couldn't ask for more," Lin Shen said with a smile.
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Sunday afternoon, "Garage"
There has been no new progress on the Meituan issue for the time being, but Lin Shen is not anxious.
He knew the seeds had been sown and he needed to patiently wait for them to sprout.
His main focus must be on WeChat, the ship that is currently accelerating.
Lu Chuan lay face down in front of the whiteboard, making corrections and revisions with markers until finally settling on a set of weighty numbers.
As of midnight tonight, WeChat 1.0 has been online for a full seven days.
First week results: 92,000 users.
Behind it is a growth curve that started straight up but continued to steepen afterward. It was a cold start miracle achieved without any external traffic and purely based on the product's own appeal.
What's even more alarming is the underlying data: nearly 70,000 daily active users, a day-two retention rate that remains strong at close to 90%, and a seven-day retention rate that is firmly above 80%.
This means that the vast majority of users not only came, but also stayed and got used to it.
They send more than four peer-to-peer messages here every day, and more than 60% of them are keen to use the "long press to speak" voice function, experiencing the imperfect yet vivid communication experience brought by the "emotion compression" algorithm.
"Brother Shen," Lu Chuan turned around, his voice brimming with excitement despite his efforts to control himself, "We...it seems we really succeeded? It's only been a week! We're almost at 100,000!"
Lin Shen nodded and analyzed the data one by one.
He saw the impressive retention rate and the healthy, active daily message volume.
He was particularly pleased with the shift in user perception; the first batch of users seemed to have transformed WeChat from a "free messaging tool" into "my chat tool," which showed that WeChat's core value had been accepted.
But he looked deeper and discovered some problems: the server's peak load warning light had briefly lit up, which Sun Hui resolved in time, but it sounded an alarm for capacity planning.
In the user feedback list, voices such as "too few features," "want group chat," and "cannot send pictures" began to converge into clear demands.
More complaints come from older devices struggling on the fringes of modern technology, whose limited memory makes running WeChat feel sluggish.
"It's not 'successful'," Lin Shen said, his voice carrying a timpani-like penetrating power, "it's 'standing firm'. In this week, we've proven that the path of 'extreme simplicity, smoothness, and respect for users' is viable, and can be followed very quickly. Users have cast their vote of confidence in us with their time and their fingers."
His fingers tapped the two core retention rate numbers on the whiteboard. "This is the highest praise, and also the greatest responsibility."
Then, the fingertip moved to the labels "too few features" and "compatible with low-end devices," "but users' patience and novelty have an expiration date. They stay because the basic experience is good; they ask for more because they have actually started using it and expect more. Our pace must respond to needs without being led astray."
He turned to Cheng Xiangdong and Sun Hui: "Version 1.1, 'Hidden Connections,' priority and schedule remain unchanged. But the compatibility issues and memory management problems exposed this week must be treated as the highest priority technical debt and must be settled within a limited time."
Over two days, we worked together to improve the group chat function and remove these potential problems.
Our current strategy is simple: smooth and stable operation is paramount. For older machines that simply can't handle the load, I allow for more drastic performance downgrades without wasting time, but the bottom line is basic message sending and receiving—it absolutely cannot crash!
"Two days is enough!"
Fixing some high-level bugs wouldn't take them long; in fact, the two had already begun assigning tasks in their minds.
Just then, Lin Shen's phone, which was on the table, started to vibrate.
The name flashing on the screen is: Li Feng.
Lin Shen's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. He walked to the window and answered the call.
"Junior, looks like you weren't idle on Sunday either? Tencent's drive is comparable to our startups!" Li Feng's voice came through, carrying a relaxed smile. "I just parted ways with President Wang and immediately called you."
"Has President Wang reached a conclusion?" Lin Shen asked directly.
"We were talking about you. Mr. Wang pays a lot of attention to your WeChat account." Li Feng mimicked him: "Ninety thousand users, purely organic growth, nearly 80% seven-day retention... You're a force to be reckoned with, and your product intuition is ruthless."
This data has already spread within a small circle in the industry. Mr. Wang said, "The person who can make this kind of product must have an extraordinary perspective."
He paused for a moment, then got to the point: "Regarding your proposal of 'external technical consultants,' President Wang has given his approval. Once we've completed all the procedures for this round of financing and the funds are in place, we'll officially launch it."
The business model will follow your proposed approach, focusing on business. Consultations will be conducted on a per-session or per-project basis, with formal agreements and marketing fees paid. Mr. Wang believes that your expertise—both at the forefront of Tencent's competitive front and capable of pinpointing the real pain points of our startup—makes a collaboration worthwhile, even if it involves some risk. "Of course," Li Feng emphasized, "everything will be within the rules. We won't touch sensitive information. We must maintain this; we don't want to experience the arrogance of your 'Nanshan Invincible' team."
This outcome was more decisive and commercially viable than Lin Shen had anticipated. Meituan clearly assessed the value and risks quickly and made a pragmatic choice. The 50,000 yuan was not invested for the time being, but a more stable and commercially valuable cooperation channel was opening up.
"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Wang and Brother Feng." Lin Shen said sincerely, "Once everything is ready on your end, we can discuss it in detail. I am indeed very interested in O2O (online to offline)."
"Then it's settled!" Li Feng said readily. Then, he lowered his voice, revealing a friendly reminder, "But junior, I have to say something: you're practically in the spotlight now. Your WeChat data is too dazzling, it's attracting attention."
Lei Jun and Xiaomi are probably moving faster than you think. We've heard rumors that MiTalk's public beta launch might be brought forward, and it's aimed at you guys. You...are you really not planning to take any promotional resources at all? Are you just going to tough it out?"
Lin Shen's eyes narrowed slightly. Li Feng's message confirmed part of his suspicions. "Thanks for the reminder, Brother Feng. I understand."
After hanging up the phone, the sunlight streaming through the window was perfect. Lin Shen walked back to the whiteboard, and the team's eyes were all on him.
For him, getting on the Meituan bandwagon was a positive development, but Li Feng's final reminder was the information he needed to process most at that moment.
MiTalk is launching ahead of schedule.
This means that the battle drums of direct competition may sound sooner than he anticipated. If WeChat is temporarily in the lead due to its user experience advantage, then it must maintain that lead.
However, Xiaomi's initial brand and channel strength should not be underestimated.
It seems it's time to raise the bar for social media apps significantly, and give Xiaomi a good whack.