Chapter 31

When the door to the CEO's office opened, the Great Compassion Mantra began playing in surround sound, accompanied by the tapping of a wooden fish.

Following the sound, Shi Jihan saw his brother sitting on the sofa with his back to the door. One hand was pressed in prayer while the other tapped, again and again, on the Merit Fish-Drum Hat he had designed himself. The +1 +1 sounds were coming from there.

Hearing him, Shi Bochuan turned his head slightly. His profile gleamed beneath the light with the holy radiance of Buddha-nature, compassionate as a lotus and still as an ancient well. "Third Brother is here. Sit."

He raised a hand and pointed to the sofa opposite him.

Shi Jihan found the whole thing bizarre. He nodded tremulously and sat down.

Shi Bochuan said faintly, "You sat on the Buddha I worship."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Shi Jihan sprang up and looked beneath his butt. An A4 sheet of paper lay on the sofa—

On it was a Sad Frog sitting atop a lotus.

"Brother..." Pinching the wrinkled sheet between two fingers, he lifted it up, wanting to speak but stopping, stopping but wanting to speak. "You're getting kind of surreal."

Shi Bochuan remained as calm as a chrysanthemum. "I used whatever was nearby. No need to fuss over details."

Shi Jihan: "..."

He had never expected there would come a day when he had no comeback.

A minor oddball meeting a major oddball.

Wonderful. Add an old oddball, and they would be a soy sauce family.

The door opened, and Shen Qinghuai entered carrying a tea tray.

After entering, he first looked at Shi Bochuan and sighed, then looked at Shi Jihan and sighed even louder.

Shi Jihan: ?

No, he refused to accept this. Clearly, his brother was the bigger headache right now.

Shen Qinghuai set tea down for the two of them, then sat nearby and said to Shi Bochuan, "He can say whatever he wants. It's not like I've never had someone curse me to my face before. Why are you getting angry?"

Shi Bochuan said nothing. He picked up his teacup and took a huge gulp. Shi Jihan watched his face twist, turning red.

[Oh my god, he's still mad? Not even Sad Frog can cleanse his soul?]

One second. Two seconds.

Shi Bochuan turned his head and spat every drop of the scalding tea into the trash can.

"Too hot," he said, nearly choking up.

The hot tea had nearly killed the icy CEO.

Shi Jihan's silence was deafening.

He raised a hand. "So what exactly happened? Can someone explain it to me?"

Shen Qinghuai said, "It's actually simple. Haven't we always worked with Zhou Jingcheng's Universal Company? This time, we partnered with a top celebrity, but the other party..." He paused, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Shi Bochuan took over, thoroughly angered. "Not only did he publicly mock the custom-modified formalwear A-Huai designed specifically for him as ugly, but his fans also started viciously insulting and belittling A-Huai online. What they said was extremely nasty, and their wording was downright vulgar."

[Ding. Mission issued: Kill two birds with one stone. While getting Shen Qinghuai's formalwear mocked across the internet for being low-class, completely devalue the artist from Zhou Jingcheng's company. Reward: Malice Points +28.]

Shi Jihan said, [Such a difficult mission? I'm applying for a raise.]

[Ding. Request received. Submitting to the Main System.]

Shi Jihan and Zero-Zero-Zero cried out in terror together, [No, no, no, don't go to it! No raise, no raise! We don't want the money!]

Two bugs were going to show their faces before the Main System and ask for a salary increase? Were they trying to make the main plot collapse into an even bigger mess?

Still, in that short time, Shi Jihan learned the full story from the couple's account and Zero-Zero-Zero's exaggerated embellishments.

A few years ago, Zhou Jingcheng's Universe Culture had promoted Pei Mingxuan into a top celebrity. Shi Corporation happened to be in a publicity period and needed a celebrity to increase its profile, so the two sides reached an agreement at once—you provided traffic, we provided money, and everyone was happy.

Signing the contract and shooting promotional photos had all gone smoothly in the early stages. Yet today, for some reason, Pei Mingxuan had woken up like a crazed donkey and started kicking out at the entire world.

He first attacked Shen Qinghuai's formalwear, saying it was as ugly as "the curtain fabric his grandma used last century." The atrocious taste coupled with bizarre aesthetics made it a complete fashion disaster. Then some bystanders chimed in, saying, "I can't argue if you say that about Shi Jihan, since those clothes weren't made for humans to wear. But Shen Qinghuai? Do you know how many red-carpet looks he's designed that went viral?"

Shi Jihan raised a hand to interrupt. "Why did I get slapped too?"

Shi Bochuan said, "You were merely collateral damage from a passerby's slap. The rest of us were being slapped in circles by a fully charged Thousand-Hand Guanyin."

Because the fans joined in soon after.

The bloody storm stirred up by a top celebrity speaking out was richer and greasier than a butter hotpot loaded with extra sesame paste and extra spice. The fans did not care whether you were blue, white, or yellow—they tore everyone into a boiling red rage.

[I looked at Designer Shen's photos. Such a great figure. Does he weigh three and a half pounds including the box? No wonder he could hook up with Shi Bochuan.]

[President Shi really is true love. He likes ghost marriages.]

[Don't say that. Maybe he's into corpses.]

Shi Jihan said, "Holy shit."

Compared to them, even Zhou Jingcheng looked kind and benevolent. All he had done was Photoshop Shi Jihan into pickled fish.

Speaking of Zhou Jingcheng, Shi Jihan asked, "Isn't Zhou Jingcheng doing anything about this? I was chatting with him this morning. He acted like nothing had happened and didn't mention it at all."

"Then he has an impressively good mindset." Shi Bochuan showed him the images.

In this tsunami-level public-opinion crisis caused by Pei Mingxuan, aside from Shi Corporation, Zhou Jingcheng had suffered the most.

In the fans' mouths, Zhou Jingcheng was a cold-blooded capitalist persecuting their beloved brother, someone who deserved to be nailed to the pillar of shame and die ten thousand deaths.

What Shi Bochuan showed him were the funeral portraits and horrifying Photoshops the fans had made of Zhou Jingcheng. And those were only the ones that could pass review and circulate online.

The guiding principle behind all of it was: Shi Corporation and Universe don't treat people like people. We're only protecting the brother we love.

Shi Jihan was stunned. "This isn't fandom culture anymore. This is religion."

Oh god, a cult.

While Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai went to hold a meeting with upper management, he contacted Zhou Jingcheng.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Are you okay?]

[Maybe he isn't looking at his phone right now,] Shi Jihan told Zero-Zero-Zero. [If it were me, I'd cut the internet cable and never go online again for the rest of my life.]

The other side replied quickly.

[Z: Want some Liuliumei?]

...Six.

With that mindset, he would succeed at anything.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: I'm not joking.]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: I saw the news online. Aren't you angry?]

[Z: I'm okay. A little angry, so I'm doing something very important.]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: What?]

[Z: Writing a proposal to the Education Bureau to increase homework for elementary and middle school students.]

Zhou Jingcheng was going to personally tear away the fans' umbrellas and pack all those childish fans off to do academic work.

They were so easily fired up. It would be such a waste if they did not grow up to do scientific research. A mentor could manipulate people like that with a few words, and they would charge ahead at the front while chanting slogans.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Then that's awful for you...]

The other side slowly typed several words.

[Z: Feeling sorry for me?]

Seeing the "typing..." indicator in the chat box, Zhou Jingcheng smiled, the corners of his lips curving pleasantly. He could probably already imagine the other person flying into a rage from embarrassment, so angry he would jump up and scratch Zhou Jingcheng.

Just like a dairy cow cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Teasing the little fool now and then could send his mood soaring.

He swiped upward with his fingertip, intending to continue editing the proposal, when a message came through from the other side.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Of course. Am I not allowed to feel sorry for someone?]

Zhou Jingcheng froze. The entire draft proposal he had prepared in his mind vanished cleanly, and his thumb hovered over the screen, unable to type a single word.

Shi Jihan was still chattering away on the other end, his little mouth going nonstop.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: They Photoshopped funeral portraits of him! That's way too much. I'm going to order custom ugly photo cards of him and send them to his rivals by the boxful.]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Let his fans pick up memes of their own idol at support events every day!]

Zhou Jingcheng's phone began vibrating madly.

[Also, does he think curtain fabric doesn't have solo stans or toxic fans?]

[What's wrong with curtain fabric? It hangs properly on the wall. How did it offend him? His own body is split fifty-fifty, and he'd look like a mop even in a sack!]

[Brother Huai hasn't even said anything. What right does he have to speak first?]

He was fired up.

Zhou Jingcheng was utterly dumbfounded.

He could not get a word in.

Oh god, the Peashooter had become sentient.

After delivering his important speech, Shi Jihan calmed down a little and gave his concluding remarks.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Xiao Zhou, don't be sad, and don't be upset. Retreat behind me.]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: I'm going online to diss him right now.]

At last, there was an opening for Zhou Jingcheng to squeeze himself in.

[Z: Then, thank you, President Shi, for standing up for me?]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: You're welc—]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: I'm going to prepare now. Talk later, Xiao Zhou.]

Zhou Jingcheng looked at how he had been downgraded to "Xiao Zhou" and did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Secretary Sun opened the door and saw this scene.

A question mark slowly appeared above his head. He did not understand why his boss, who had been radiating low pressure all morning, could become so happy just from writing a proposal to the Education Bureau.

Sure enough, people were always happy when they were doing bad things.

He said, "Boss, the PR department, operations department, and the legal team are ready. Are you going to the meeting now?"

"Okay." Zhou Jingcheng stood up, then added, "Help me finish writing this letter later."

"Huh? All right." Secretary Sun's face fell.