Page 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 pressed in prayer while the other repeatedly tapped 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 shone beneath the light with a saintly, Buddha-like radiance, compassionate as a lotus and still as an ancient well. "Third brother, you're here. Sit."

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

Shi Jihan only found it eerie. Trembling, he nodded and sat down on the sofa.

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

"Sorry, sorry!" Shi Jihan sprang to his feet and looked beneath his butt. An A4 sheet of paper had been sitting on the sofa—

On it was a Sad Frog sitting atop a lotus.

"Brother..." Pinching the wrinkled paper between two fingers, he lifted it up, wanting to speak but stopping himself, then stopping himself but wanting to speak. "You're getting a little abstract."

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

Shi Jihan: "..."

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

A little crazy meeting a big crazy.

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

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

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

Shi Jihan: ?

No, he refused to accept this. Clearly, his brother was the more troubling one right now.

Shen Qinghuai set tea down for both of them, then sat nearby and said to Shi Bochuan, "Let him say what he wants. It's not like I've never been cursed out 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, his cheeks turning red.

Oh my god, he's still angry? Even Sad Frog can't purify his soul?

One second. Two seconds.

Shi Bochuan turned his head and spat all the scalding tea into the trash can.

"Too hot," he said, sounding almost choked up.

The scalding tea had nearly killed the cold CEO.

Shi Jihan's silence was deafening.

He raised his hand to ask, "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 one of their top celebrities, but the other party..." He paused, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Shi Bochuan took over, clearly furious. "Not only did he publicly mock the custom-modified formalwear A-Huai made specifically for him as ugly, but his fans also started viciously insulting and degrading A-Huai online. Their words were disgusting, and their language was downright vulgar."

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

Shi Jihan said, This is so difficult? I'm requesting a raise.

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

Shi Jihan and 000 shouted in unison, 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 raise? Were they trying to make the main plot even more chaotic?

In the short while that followed, Shi Jihan learned the entire course of events from the married couple's account, along with 000's dramatic embellishments.

A few years ago, Zhou Jingcheng's Universe Culture had launched Pei Mingxuan into stardom. Shi Corporation happened to be in the middle of a promotional period and needed a celebrity to boost its visibility, so the two sides hit it off immediately—you provided the traffic, they provided the money, and everyone benefited.

Everything had gone smoothly in the early stages: signing the contract, shooting promotional photos. But for some unknown reason, Pei Mingxuan had woken up that morning like a rabid donkey and started kicking everyone in the world to death.

First, he attacked Shen Qinghuai's formalwear, saying it was as ugly as "the curtain fabric his grandmother used last century." With such awful taste and bizarre aesthetics, it was simply a fashion disaster. At that point, some bystanders chimed in, saying, "If you said that about Shi Jihan, I'd have nothing to refute. After all, those clothes weren't made for humans. But Shen Qinghuai? Do you know how many iconic red-carpet looks he's designed?"

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

Shi Bochuan said, "You were merely accidentally slapped by a passerby. The rest of us were being slapped in turns by a fully charged Thousand-Hand Guanyin spinning in circles."

Because the fans joined in soon afterward.

The bloody storm stirred up by a top celebrity speaking out was richer and greasier than a heavily spiced butter hotpot. The fans did not care whether you were blue, white, or yellow—they tore everyone apart until they were red-hot with rage.

[Looked at Designer Shen's photos. His figure is really good. Including the coffin, he probably weighs seven pounds. No wonder he managed to hook up with Shi Bochuan.]

[President Shi really is true love. He likes matching outfits for ghost weddings.]

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

Shi Jihan said, "Holy shit."

Compared with them, Zhou Jingcheng looked positively kind. All he had done was Photoshop Shi Jihan into pickled fish.

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

"Then his mindset is far too good." Shi Bochuan showed him the pictures.

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

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

What Shi Bochuan showed him were the ghostly memorial portraits fans had Photoshopped for Zhou Jingcheng. And these were only the ones that could pass review and spread online.

The guiding principle behind everything they did was: Shi Corporation and Universe are inhuman. We're only protecting the idol we love.

Shi Jihan was stunned. "This isn't fan-circle behavior anymore. This is religion."

Oh god, it was a cult.

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

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

Maybe he isn't looking at his phone right now, Shi Jihan said to 000. If it were me, I'd unplug the internet and never want to go online again for the rest of my life.

The other party replied surprisingly quickly.

[Z: Why not have some Liuliumei?]

...Six.

With that kind of mentality, he would succeed at anything.

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

[Why Are You Still Awake?: I saw what's being said 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 elementary and middle school students' homework load.]

Zhou Jingcheng was going to personally become a parasol-ripper and package 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. All it would take was a mentor manipulating them a little, and they would charge into battle while shouting slogans.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Isn't Pei Mingxuan an artist from your company? How did things get this bad between you two?]

[Z: He wants to terminate his contract, but he doesn't want to breach it. He wants me to breach it.]

The tongue-twister-like sentence spun around in Shi Jihan's mind before he understood. In simple terms, Pei Mingxuan had taken all the resources Zhou Jingcheng gave him and risen to fame through them. Now, he had probably found a new backer, or maybe his ambitions had grown and he no longer wanted to be controlled. He wanted to terminate the contract without giving up anything and happily start a new life.

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Then you're really miserable...]

The other party slowly typed a few words.

[Z: Feeling sorry for me?]

Watching the "Typing..." indicator in the chat box, Zhou Jingcheng smiled. The corner of his lips curved into a pleased arc. He had probably already imagined the other party becoming embarrassed and angry, so furious he would jump up and scratch him.

Just like a milk 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, planning to continue drafting the proposal, when a message arrived from the other side.

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

Zhou Jingcheng froze. Every thought he had prepared for the proposal vanished completely. His fingertip hovered over the screen, unable to type a single word.

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

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

[Why Are You Still Awake?: Let his fans find memes of their own idol at every support event!]

Zhou Jingcheng's phone entered a frenzied vibration mode.

[Also, does he think curtain fabric has no 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 proportions are fifty-fifty. 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 bewildered.

He could not even get a word in.

Oh god, the Peashooter had come to life.

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

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

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

At last, there was a gap for Zhou Jingcheng to squeeze himself into.

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

[Why Are You Still Awake?: You're welcome!]

[Why Are You Still Awake?: I'm going to get ready 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 rose above his head. He could not understand why his boss, who had been radiating low pressure that morning, had become so happy just from writing a proposal to the Education Bureau.

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

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

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

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