Chapter 290 - 235: Am I Giving Him Too Much Face?

Chapter 290: Chapter 235: Am I Giving Him Too Much Face?

After getting a handle on the situation, Gu Heng slowly walked toward the back of the director’s console.

At that moment, the network technician sitting to the right of the stream director was typing so fast his hands were a blur, his forehead drenched in sweat.

"Are they still attacking?"

Gu Heng asked softly.

"Yes."

"They haven’t just not stopped, they’ve actually ramped it up."

Even with the group’s chairman, directors, and president all standing beside him, the technician didn’t show the slightest intention of getting up to greet them. He simply couldn’t spare a moment; his hands were glued to the keyboard.

Hearing this, Gu Heng glanced at the monitors, where countless lines of code scrolled madly, then at the larger LED screen filled with a constant stream of hateful comments. Finally, his gaze fell upon the seven girls on stage.

Or to be more precise, on Lin Qingge.

In fact, Lin Qingge had already spotted Gu Heng when he was standing in front of the data screen talking to Chu Zhengxiong.

But with professional cameras covering her from every angle, she couldn’t afford to get distracted and had to force herself to stay focused.

Since the broadcast began, the stream’s traffic had failed to pick up, and the comment section was constantly flooded with hateful and abusive messages. Lin Qingge knew this wasn’t normal, but as the host on camera, she could only remain composed and stick to the plan.

Now, she gazed at Gu Heng, who was only a few meters away.

Unlike Chu Zhengxiong and the others, who looked grim and worried, Gu Heng appeared as calm and unbothered as ever.

Lin Qingge had been under immense psychological pressure, but upon seeing Gu Heng, she didn’t know why, but a strange sense of calm washed over her.

Meeting Lin Qingge’s gaze, Gu Heng offered her a small smile before turning back to Chu Zhengxiong.

"Chairman Chu, you’re sure it’s Qingcheng Entertainment?"

Gu Heng asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I’m sure."

Chu Zhengxiong nodded with certainty. "They’re not even trying to hide it. Their methods are incredibly brazen. It’s a clear message: ’We’re out for revenge.’"

"Alright."

"I’ll handle it."

With that, Gu Heng pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed a number.

Seeing this, Chu Zhengxiong and the others exchanged uncertain glances. They all stared at Gu Heng, wondering what exactly he meant by "handle it."

But despite their surprise and doubt, no one dared to question him.

As everyone watched, the call was quickly answered.

"Chairman Lei, it’s Gu Heng."

Gu Heng’s tone was mild. "I have a small favor to ask. Is now a good time to talk?"

"It is, it is!"

"Chairman Gu, whatever you need, just say the word!"

"Don’t talk about favors, you’re being far too polite, Chairman Gu!"

The enthusiastic voice on the other end of the line belonged to none other than Lei Yibin, the chairman of Wuyou Media, one of the country’s leading MCN agencies.

"Chairman Lei, do you happen to know anyone at Qingcheng Entertainment?"

Gu Heng asked.

"Qingcheng Entertainment?"

Lei Yibin replied, "I’m acquainted with their chairman, Xie Baoquan. Do you need to talk to him, Chairman Gu? I have his contact info, and he’ll take my call."

"It’s a small matter. I’d just like you to pass on a message for me, Chairman Lei."

Gu Heng’s voice remained calm and even, his words unhurried. What he said next, however, left Lei Yibin completely stunned. "Please ask that Chairman Xie for me if I’ve been too lenient with him. If he wants to compare cash flows, I’m game."

As Gu Heng finished speaking, not only was Lei Yibin struck speechless on the other end of the line, but Chu Zhengxiong and the others standing around Gu Heng were also left completely stunned. ℴ

’Holy shit!’

’What is going on?’

’He’s so damn arrogant!’

Chu Zhengxiong had assumed Gu Heng was looking for a mediator, but he hadn’t expected such a hardline stance. It was like he was scolding a dog.

Chu Zhengxiong couldn’t imagine it. If someone had dared to speak to him that way, he would have fought them to the bitter end, even if it meant a bloody, mutually destructive outcome.

’Shake hands and make peace?’

’Call a truce?’

’Impossible!’

’Absolutely impossible!’

When Chu Zhengxiong first heard Gu Heng’s words, his lips moved, and he had to physically stop himself from speaking his mind.

’Whatever. So what if he pisses them off completely? The worst they can do is ramp up the hackers and paid trolls. It’s not like they’re going to fly over to Beichun for a face-to-face confrontation, are they?’

’If they actually did that...’

’That would be perfect!’

’If they dared to show up in Beichun for a fight, he’d personally shove their heads in a toilet. If he didn’t, he’d renounce the name Chu.’

"Chairman Gu, what’s going on?"

"Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Lei Yibin couldn’t believe that the perpetually mild-mannered Gu Heng would say something so aggressive. After a long, stunned pause, he asked cautiously.

"There’s no misunderstanding."

"Just relay my words to him verbatim, Chairman Lei."

"He knows what he did."

Gu Heng’s tone was perfectly level, but the calmer he sounded, the more terrified Lei Yibin became.

"Well..."

Lei Yibin hesitated for a moment before replying, "Alright. I’ll pass your message on to Xie Baoquan right away, Chairman Gu."

"I appreciate it, Chairman Lei."

Gu Heng thanked him warmly. "If you ever have the chance to visit Ji Province, please let me know in advance. Allow me to show you some proper hospitality."

"You’re too kind."

"You’re too kind, Chairman Gu."

This was a chance to get closer to Gu Heng at no cost to himself. Best case scenario, he might even end up with both sides owing him a favor. An opportunity like this was more than Lei Yibin could ask for.

"I’ll leave it to you, then."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Lei Yibin, Gu Heng hung up.

Then, he turned to Chu Zhengxiong and the others, who were all gawking at him, and said with a smile, "Let’s just wait. We should hear something soon."

"Alright."

Chu Zhengxiong had a million things he wanted to say, but he swallowed them all down. He turned his gaze back to the technician’s computer screen and waited.

...

"Xiaoling, come in for a moment."

After hanging up, Lei Yibin didn’t immediately call Chairman Xie Baoquan of Qingcheng Entertainment. Instead, he pressed the call button on his desk, summoning his secretary.

"Chairman Lei."

Zhang Ling walked briskly into Lei Yibin’s office and greeted him respectfully.

Lei Yibin’s expression was serious, and he spoke quickly. "I need you to immediately investigate if Qingcheng Entertainment has made any unusual moves in the past two days. And be quick about it. I want a report in ten minutes, max."

"Yes, sir."

Zhang Ling had worked for Lei Yibin for many years. From his tone, she knew the matter was both urgent and important. Without a moment’s hesitation, she turned, strode out of the office, and got right to work.

Lei Yibin had given her a ten-minute deadline, but Zhang Ling was back in under five.

Since Qingcheng Entertainment’s actions were pure revenge, they hadn’t bothered to be subtle. For an industry leader like Wuyou Media, digging up insider information was child’s play.

The cause, the process, the current situation...

Paid trolls, hackers, verbal abuse, mass reporting, traffic throttling...

Zhang Ling concisely laid out the entire sequence of events.

’Ji Province... It seems I was right,’

Lei Yibin murmured to himself, the situation becoming perfectly clear.

Clearly, this Xingchuan International Group was deeply intertwined with Gu Heng. There was a strong possibility it was one of his own companies.

’Xie Baoquan, oh, Xie Baoquan!’

’Of all the people to provoke, you chose Gu Heng? Is he someone you can afford to mess with?’

Lei Yibin shook his head, motioned for Zhang Ling to leave, then picked up his phone again. He found Xie Baoquan of Qingcheng Entertainment in his contacts and made the call.

...

「Qingcheng Entertainment, Chairman’s Office.」

Xie Baoquan was lounging in his executive chair, watching the Xingchuan 001 livestream as its viewership numbers struggled to climb. A cold sneer played on his lips.

"Hmph..."

’A bunch of savages, daring to poach my people.’

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. ’If I don’t crush this group streaming project of theirs, every Tom, Dick, and Harry will think they can walk all over me.’

Xie Baoquan had already looked into Xingchuan International Group.

Its overall scale was indeed massive, with a market valuation exceeding one billion yuan after its first round of financing.

But for all its size, Xingchuan International Group was an entertainment conglomerate focused on brick-and-mortar businesses. It had virtually no online presence.

Qingcheng Entertainment, on the other hand, was an internet company through and through.

The live-streaming industry, in particular, was their area of expertise.

After assessing both sides, Xie Baoquan came to one conclusion:

’I have the advantage!’

Xingchuan International Group’s poaching had nearly crippled Qingcheng Entertainment.

On top of that, having an entire team poached at once had caused morale to plummet among the remaining employees, who were already grumbling about their pay.

To prevent a mass exodus or another entire team jumping ship, Xie Baoquan had been forced to grudgingly give all his employees a raise to stabilize morale.

Under the circumstances, Xie Baoquan naturally laid the blame for all this at Xingchuan International Group’s feet. Being a petty man, he was determined to get his revenge now that he had the chance.

"Ah Hui, hit them harder!"

"The dirtier the tricks, the better. Even if we can’t get their stream shut down, I want to make them sick!"

Watching Xingchuan International Group’s investment money for promoting the stream go down the drain, Xie Baoquan felt some of his pent-up frustration finally begin to dissipate.

"You got it!"

Just as Xie Baoquan was mulling over other ways to torment his rivals, a call notification popped up on his phone, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Lei Yibin?"

’Why is he calling me now?’

’Did they get someone to ask him to mediate?’

As his thoughts raced, he coincidentally landed on the exact same idea as Chu Zhengxiong had, far away in Beichun.

Though his mind was racing, his hands didn’t hesitate. He immediately answered Lei Yibin’s call.

Wuyou Media was, after all, the industry leader. While Qingcheng Entertainment was a major MCN, it was nothing compared to Wuyou. No matter what Xie Baoquan truly thought, he had to show basic respect to a major power broker like Lei Yibin.

However, he had barely answered the call when Lei Yibin’s first words made his heart plummet. He shot bolt upright in his chair.

"Chairman Xie, you’re in big trouble...!"