allendalepharm Chapter 292 Be a Capitalist with a Conscience
Chapter 292 Be a Capitalist with a Conscience
The moment the number froze at 100 million, the entire audience erupted.
Some screamed, some cried, some hugged each other and jumped, and some knelt on the ground covering their faces with their hands.
It is very meaningful to be able to raise so much money in one event.
Shen Yuege stood in the center of the stage, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam. She covered her mouth, but sobs still escaped through her fingers.
One hundred million.
One billion.
This number might not seem like much in the financial reports of large companies; Tencent's monthly profits could easily exceed this figure. But at this moment, in front of these 1,200 people, on this stage, on this deep winter night—this 100 million yuan weighs as heavily as Mount Tai.
Because it wasn't a donation from a single company, nor a huge donation from a wealthy individual. It was collected little by little by countless ordinary people, contributing ten, fifty, or one hundred yuan at a time.
It was Old Zhang who saved his cigarette money, the college student who contributed his living expenses, the anonymous user who didn't leave his name, and the strangers who said "Go Sichuan!" in the comments section.
Each person contributes a small amount, but when these small amounts come together, they become a hundred million.
This is the power of kindness.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Ran looked at the number and at the people on and off the stage who were shedding tears. He suddenly remembered a sentence he had heard in his previous life: "There is only one true heroism in this world, and that is to love life even after seeing the truth of life."
At that moment, what he saw was not heroism, but something simpler and more precious than heroism.
It is the kindness of ordinary people towards strangers, the mutual support and assistance in the face of disaster, and the willingness of complete strangers to take money out of their pockets for a common goal.
These things are worth far more than a hundred million.
He picked up the microphone, wanting to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he found his voice trembling. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and then spoke.
Thank you everyone.
There were only four words, but his voice was hoarse and clearly choked with emotion.
No one in the audience laughed at him, and no one thought he had lost his composure. Because everyone knew that behind those four words lay a thousand unspoken words.
Shen Yuege walked over, squatted down beside him, and took his hand. Her hand was trembling, but her palm was warm.
"Lu Ran," she said softly, "we did it."
Looking at her swollen eyes and the tear stains on her face, Lu Ran suddenly smiled.
"It wasn't just us who did it," he said, "it was everyone who did it together."
He turned his head to look at the 1,200 people still standing below the stage, at the dozens of singers on the stage who were crying their eyes out, and at the screen that was frozen on the number 100 million.
"This money," he said, his voice gradually becoming steady, "will become tents, blankets, medicine, classrooms, schools. It will become new homes for those who lost their homes in the earthquake. It will become new textbooks, new schoolbags, and new playgrounds for children."
He paused, then took a deep breath.
"It will become—tomorrow."
Applause erupted again from the audience.
Shen Yuege stood up, walked to the center of the stage, and picked up the microphone. Her voice was still trembling, but she tried her best to calm herself down.
"The donation channel will remain open," she said. "The entry point on the TUTU homepage will be retained. Reconstruction in the disaster area is not a matter of one or two days; it requires our continued attention and support."
She paused, looked down at the audience, her eyes filled with gratitude, emotion, and a resolute strength.
"Thank you everyone for tonight. Thank you for every act of kindness, thank you to everyone who was willing to lend a helping hand to a stranger."
She bowed deeply.
As she straightened up, she looked at Lu Ran, and Lu Ran looked at her too. The two of them, standing a short distance apart, glanced at each other and then smiled at the same time.
That smile contained weariness, emotion, understanding of each other, and confidence in the future.
After the performance, the crowd slowly dispersed.
In the backstage lounge, Lu Ran sat in a wheelchair with his right leg resting on a footstool, holding a phone and scrolling through the data on the TUTU app.
Daily active users: 79 million.
He stared at the number, stunned for a few seconds.
Before going to the disaster area, TUTU had 78 million daily active users. After the incident, it dropped to 62 million. Now, a grand finale, a song, and a fundraising campaign have brought back all the lost users, plus an additional million.
He refreshed the page.
Seventy-nine million five hundred thousand.
rose again.
Refresh again.
Eighty million.
"Yuege," he called out, his voice slightly dazed, "look at this."
Shen Yuege walked over and glanced at the screen. Then she froze.
Eighty million.
TUTU's daily active users have never surpassed this number. At its peak, it reached around 78 million, and then started to decline. Now, after a charity performance, it has not only returned to its peak but also set a new record.
"This..." Shen Yuege didn't know what to say.
"I didn't expect this either." Lu Ran put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling. "I just wanted to put on a benefit performance to raise some money for the disaster area. I never expected..."
I never expected to have such an unexpected gain.
He opened TUTU's comment section and scrolled through them one by one. The comment section was already flooded with discussions about tonight's final.
[User "Sichuanese Xiao Chen"]: I take back what I said before. This competition was well-organized, the song was well-written, and this fundraising event was even better. I am from Sichuan, and I thank everyone on behalf of my hometown. I will never criticize the TUTU platform again.
[User's "Rational Analysis"]: To be honest, I previously thought TUTU was just putting on a show. But after tonight's performance, I'm impressed. Not by their planning skills, but by their sincerity. One hundred million yuan, real money, all open and transparent, every penny went to the disaster area. This kind of company deserves support.
[User "Left-behind Rabbit Alliance - Lao Zhang"]: I've always said TUTU is different, and everyone saw it today, right? Lu Ran is a man who truly gets things done. He's not the kind of entrepreneur who just talks the talk and walks the walk. He went to the disaster area himself, broke his leg, and came back still putting on a charity performance in a wheelchair. I, Lao Zhang, admire this kind of person.
[User "Passerby A"]: To be honest, I didn't have any particular feelings about Lu Ran before. I just thought he was a young man who could write songs and make games. But tonight, when I saw him singing that song in his wheelchair, I cried. Not because he sang so well, but because I saw that he genuinely cared. This kind of care can't be faked.
[User "Tan Yu's Little Fan Girl"]: Tan Yu cried so hard, hahaha! But I cried too! This song is so heartbreaking! I've listened to "Tomorrow Will Be Better" on repeat a hundred times! Go TUTU! Go Sichuan!
Lu Ran scrolled through the entries one by one, a complex emotion welling up inside her.
He knew that the surge in TUTU users tonight wasn't because TUTU was so great, but because users saw the platform's sincerity, saw his sincerity, and saw that the donations truly went where they were meant to go. In this era where trust is scarce, sincerity itself is the scarcest resource.
He recalled a saying he had heard in his past life: doing business, in essence, is about being a good person. The kind of person you are determines the kind of company you build. What you hold in your heart will shape the growth of your business.
Tonight, he proved with a benefit performance that TUTU Technology is not just a company that only thinks about making money. TUTU is not just a traffic platform. It can stand up in the face of disaster and use its influence to do something truly meaningful.
And the users reciprocated this sincerity with their choices—80 million daily active users are the best proof.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Yuege sat down next to him and handed him a cup of hot water.
Lu Ran took the water glass, took a sip, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm thinking about something."
"What is it?"
"I'm wondering what it feels like to be a capitalist with a conscience."
Shen Yuege was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "When did you become a capitalist?"
"Aren't I now?" Lu Ran laughed as well. "I have a company, employees, users, and income. Ten years ago, I would have been called a 'sole proprietor.' Now, I would be called an 'entrepreneur.' Online, I would be called a 'wicked capitalist.'"
Shen Yuege was amused by his words: "So, you 'evil capitalist,' you did a good deed tonight, shouldn't you give yourself an award?"
"I don't need the certificate." Lu Ran shook his head. "I just feel that after making money, it's more meaningful to do something meaningful than just making money."
He paused, then said earnestly, "Yuege, do you know what made me happiest today?"
"What?"
"It's not that TUTU's user base has grown to 80 million, nor that it has raised 100 million," he said, looking into her eyes. "It's the comments. The comments that say 'TUTU is different.' The comments that say 'Lu Ran is really getting things done.' The comments that say 'This kind of company deserves support.'"
"These things are more valuable than 80 million daily active users. Because 80 million daily active users may drop tomorrow, but this trust will always remain as long as you don't betray it."
Shen Yuege looked at him, listened quietly to him finish speaking, and then gently took his hand.
"Lu Ran," she said softly, "do you know what? What you just said was more beautiful than all the songs tonight."
Lu Ran laughed: "Are you praising me or insulting me?"
"I'm praising you," Shen Yuege said earnestly, "I'm praising you for being a capitalist with a conscience."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The night outside the window was deep, but the lights in the lounge were warm. Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the melody of that song echoed in his mind.
"Sing out your passion, reach out your hands, let me embrace your dreams..."
Tomorrow will be better.
He believed that statement.
It's not because of the loud applause tonight, not because we raised 100 million, not because TUTU's user base has grown to 80 million.
It was because he saw that there were so many people in this world willing to lend a helping hand to strangers. They may be ordinary, they may be average, but when they come together, they can create miracles.
At this moment, all he wanted was to be one of these people.
That's it.
...