No, come on, say it already!
At that moment, even the most mild-tempered fans couldn't help wanting to reach through the screen and grab Fang Zheng for a beating.
You couldn't keep us hanging like this!
After doing this several times, just as the viewers in the livestream were about to go crazy, Fang Zheng finally spoke.
"Everyone, this issue is very serious—so serious that it could determine whether you'll be able to see any new anime in the future."
Hearing the extreme gravity in Fang Zheng's voice, quite a few fans shuddered inwardly.
Sure enough, Big Shot Fang's finances were in terrible shape. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a rush to launch the membership payment system, or, one could even say, launch it recklessly.
At this thought, many fans secretly broke out in a cold sweat.
They followed Fang Zheng because they were deeply fascinated by anime, having already fallen hopelessly in love with it.
If... if their Big Shot Fang really could no longer make anime because of financial problems, it would be nothing short of a bolt from the blue for them.
Having experienced the emotion and heaviness brought by Star Dream, and enjoyed the fiery passion of Akame ga Kill!, they could hardly imagine how they would live in a world without anime to watch.
Were they supposed to rely on those television shows and movies overrun by fan circles?
Most of the fans subconsciously shook their heads. The reason they liked anime was because of the emotions it conveyed to them. Whether laughter or tears, they were all incredibly pure, without any interests mixed in.
But could fan circles give them that?
"Big Shot Fang, is it because the company's finances are in bad shape?"
"Don't give up! I've already renewed my membership for a year. Keep going, Big Shot Fang!"
"Big Shot Fang, we can't do without you! If it's because of financial problems, we can crowdfund a donation to A Company, so don't give up on yourself!"
"Waaah~ I'm going to the forums right now to bring people over for Big Shot Fang!"
"..."
The barrage rolled by as countless fans sincerely worried about Fang Zheng and A Company's financial situation.
The fans weren't fools. Compared with other platforms, whose memberships were insanely expensive and which were flooded with advertisements, A Company could practically be called the conscience of the industry.
A Company had given them an excellent viewing experience, but it had done so at the cost of sacrificing its own profits.
It was no exaggeration to say that, with anime's current popularity and A Company's rapid rise, if Fang Zheng were willing to insert advertisements into the platform, the advertising fees alone would be enough to make his hands go soft.
But Fang Zheng hadn't done so. He had pushed tens of millions in revenue right out the door.
Everyone knew that Fang Zheng's purpose was simple: he wanted to give users a good viewing experience.
Now that they had heard Fang Zheng publicly reveal for the first time that the company's finances were difficult, many fans felt he wasn't getting what he deserved. The events on the forums that day made them even angrier.
"Sigh~ There's nothing I can do. I've been livestreaming for so long, but no one in the room has given me even one tip. Without tips, my mentality will collapse. Once my mentality collapses, I'll lose my inspiration. Without inspiration, naturally I won't be able to make new anime."
Fang Zheng wore an extremely mournful expression, as though he had suffered some grievance comparable to snow falling in June.
As he spoke, Fang Zheng spread his hands and said solemnly, "Tell me, isn't this problem very serious?!"
"..."
"..."
The livestream had originally been filled with scrolling comments, and the fans had been rushing to comfort Fang Zheng, afraid that he really wouldn't be able to hold on and would give up making anime.
But after hearing Fang Zheng's so-called problem, all the fans took a deep breath and forcibly resisted the urge to smash their keyboards. Though they were trembling all over with rage, they still had to comfort themselves.
Don't get angry, don't get angry. This is the Big Shot Fang I like. I absolutely can't get angry!
Quite a few fans had turned ashen-faced, their expressions so gritted and murderous that people instinctively kept their distance.
Just moments ago, they had been terrified by Fang Zheng's words and had anxiously comforted him. Yet in the next moment, they all felt as miserable as if they'd eaten a fly, barely avoiding being angered into unconsciousness.
Some fans even felt they needed to reflect on themselves. They had known Fang Zheng for more than a day or two, so they should have long understood what kind of person their Big Shot Fang was.
They shouldn't have held any expectations for Fang Zheng. How could a Big Shot Fang who dared to argue with his fans and repeatedly fool around with netizens suddenly become so serious?
Absolutely impossible!
"Big Shot Fang, stick your head over here. I'll give you a buff!"
"I've got a big treasure I want to show you!"
"Give me back the emotion and worry you stole from me~ Bastard!"
"Big Shot Fang, I've already booked a ticket to Modu. Tomorrow morning, I'll personally go to Qinghui Building and give you a big surprise!"
"..."
Facing the fans' threats, Fang Zheng didn't take them to heart at all.
As the saying went, once you had too many lice, they stopped itching. He had messed with these fans so many times already, hadn't he remained full of life all the same?
Besides, if something happened to him, who would make anime for these hungry fans?
So Fang Zheng's confidence was more than a little excessive~
"Wait, why has no one tipped me yet? Could it be that the problem I mentioned just now wasn't serious enough?"
Watching Fang Zheng test the limits of his own death wish, quite a few fans sitting before their computers rolled their eyes.
If they hadn't been separated by a screen, they would absolutely have pelted this guy to death with their money. Wasn't he complaining that they weren't tipping him?
"Wait, Big Shot Fang, you scared us and played the victim just to get tips?"
"I'd love to tip you a few cents, but damn it, there isn't even a recharge channel. How am I supposed to tip you?"
"Holy crap, now that the person above mentioned it, I just realized it too. Big Shot Fang has been talking for ages without noticing that the livestream doesn't even have a recharge channel!"
"Pfft-hahaha, look at Big Shot Fang's expression. It's hilarious~ Hahaha!"
What?!
No recharge channel?!
Fang Zheng's mind went blank, and he even crashed on the spot.
After fiddling around on the computer, he found that, just as the livestream viewers had said, there really was no recharge channel.
"Hey! Put me through to the programming department. Ask them what the hell is going on with this livestream. How can it not even have a recharge channel?" After being reminded by the viewers, Fang Zheng finally reacted. He angrily picked up his phone and made the call in front of the livestream.
"Also tell their department manager that their department won't be getting year-end bonuses this year!"
Fang Zheng put down the phone, lightly coughed twice, and said, "That's right. All of this was part of my plan. I deliberately said those things because I knew the recharge channel hadn't been activated."
"A selfless and public-spirited person like me would never trick my own fans out of their money. Isn't that right?"
Watching Fang Zheng's expression transform in an instant into one of selflessness, righteous passion, and generosity, the fans might really have believed him if they hadn't known everything that had happened before.
But now... heh.
Whoever believed him was an idiot!
"The recharge channel opened right after you finished saying that. Your mouth says no, but your body sure is honest~"
"Damn, the website's technicians work fast. Looks like their year-end bonuses are pretty substantial!"
"To keep Big Shot Fang from going bankrupt, brothers, charge!"
"Brother above, give us your contact information. If there's money to be made, we'll all share it. Don't hog it for yourself!"
"..."
Not long after Fang Zheng finished speaking, the recharge channel opened in his livestream. It was nothing more than a payment-program issue. With online payments so advanced nowadays, it couldn't really be considered a technical challenge.
Seeing that the atmosphere in the livestream had been stirred up enough, Fang Zheng chuckled inwardly, knowing that it was time to get to the main topic.
"Everyone, before we begin today's main topic, let me first thank the fans and users who spoke up for A Company today." Fang Zheng straightened his expression, and his face once again became serious.
"As for A Company's delay in releasing Akame ga Kill! today, I think everyone understands the reason perfectly well. According to our original plan, we intended to strike while the iron was hot and use the release of Akame ga Kill! to encourage users to become members. But what happened this afternoon was very unpleasant!"
A Company had issued the membership payment announcement at noon, right during the peak period when people were resting and browsing the internet. As a result, many A Company users received the news immediately.
At first, many users didn't think much of a membership fee of a dozen or so yuan a month. After all, paying to watch videos had already become a very common practice in this era.
But then something strange happened. Starting shortly after two in the afternoon, a large number of posts criticizing A Company suddenly appeared on the A Company forums. Every one of them was saying that A Company had started exploiting its users for money.
Many users initially didn't believe these seemingly out-of-nowhere accusations. But as time passed, the comments not only failed to die down; instead, they quickly grew more intense.
This left many users feeling uneasy. It was at this point that Zhang Siyu realized something was wrong and hurriedly went to find Fang Zheng, hoping to control the comments on the forums.
But Fang Zheng stopped her.
In his view, A Company was merely a platform where he released his anime works, making it convenient for users to find and watch the anime they liked. It wasn't a tool for him to make money.
Fang Zheng's goal for A Company was simple: it only needed to support itself. He didn't expect A Company to bring him much profit.
"A Company has rejected all advertisements, and its membership fee is also the lowest on the entire internet. I believe that, on behalf of ACG, I've shown enough sincerity."
In the livestream, many viewers felt uncomfortable beneath Fang Zheng's gaze, which seemed to pierce through the screen and strike directly at the depths of their souls.
"But A Company's environment doesn't rely solely on me or ACG. More importantly, it depends on everyone's conscious efforts to maintain it and preserve the good atmosphere of communication on A Company. Don't let it become corrupted!"
A Company was the first online video platform on the entire internet devoted primarily to anime. Although it had very few anime works at present, its excellent atmosphere for user interaction had been established from the very beginning.
After all, everyone who downloaded A Company liked anime. They shared common topics, so communicating with one another was relaxed and pleasant.
After hearing Fang Zheng's words, many viewers in the livestream lowered their heads in thought.
What happened today had sounded an alarm for them. To put it bluntly, the people who had spread unfavorable comments during the day had been organized and acting according to a plan. No one knew what their objective was.
But unless one was an idiot, everyone knew they were paid posters.
Since A Company had been founded, Fang Zheng had rejected advertisements and refused to allow any other forms of works onto the platform. After users opened A Company, there was nothing on the interface except anime.
Simple—purely, absolutely simple!
Without Fang Zheng needing to make any declaration, many fans and users could feel his original intention: to turn A Company into the anime cultural sanctuary they loved.
He wanted to give people who truly loved anime a pure haven where they could take shelter at any time amid the noisy, restless online environment.
So when many fans heard Fang Zheng's words, they consciously began reflecting on themselves.
Before you continue