"Once the company breaks into the top tier, we’ll need to get rid of this batch of streamers. They have no class."
Sun Qing scoffed.
He turned and saw the invitation from Vice President Li.
"Don’t worry, President Li. I’m free. See you tomorrow."
After replying, Sun Qing went to find the big boss of the Douhu Platform, Jin Taian.
Jin Taian was also Sun Qing’s brother-in-law.
A large part of the reason Lin Feng felt the Douhu Platform’s management was a mess was because the company was, surprisingly, still run like a family business.
This Jin Taian believed his own people were more reliable, so he had placed his relatives in the company’s key positions.
One could say that in a company like this, while other issues were unknown, corruption was certainly rampant.
There were also plenty of shady dealings between departments.
In truth, Jin Taian was aware of all these things, but he figured that since everyone was family, he would just turn a blind eye in most cases.
Although the company appeared harmonious on the surface, behind the scenes, the supervisors and heads of various departments didn’t get along at all.
Most of the money squeezed from the streamers flowed into the hands of these relatives.
On the surface, Sun Qing held great admiration for his brother-in-law.
"Brother-in-law, that Vice President Li contacted me again. I’m guessing their interest in financing is still quite strong."
Sun Qing casually pushed open the office door, walked in, and plopped down in a chair.
In his hands, Jin Taian was holding a file with information on Vice President Li and Lin Feng’s company.
"I’ve looked into this investment firm. They’re very legitimate. It would be best if we can close a deal with them. If not, we should still maintain a good relationship. We might need them in the future."
Jin Taian handed the file to Sun Qing.
Sun Qing was also quite satisfied with Vice President Li’s team.
Among all the investment firms, Vice President Li’s was the strongest.
"In that case, I’ll have a serious talk with them this time."
After getting on the same page with his brother-in-law, Sun Qing’s attitude was much more attentive when he met with Vice President Li again.
Vice President Li, however, was just the opposite.
Compared to their first meeting, Vice President Li now seemed somewhat cold.
Sun Qing was baffled.
He didn’t understand why Vice President Li’s attitude had changed so quickly.
When Sun Qing took the initiative to bring up the financing deal, Vice President Li very naturally changed the subject.
His complete avoidance of the financing topic made Sun Qing wary.
Sun Qing preferred a direct approach. "President Li, regarding the financing, I’m not sure where you stand now. Did I offend you somehow before?"
Sun Qing said this with a smile.
But Vice President Li just scoffed, his expression unchanging. "President Sun, I was originally considering a partnership with your company as a favor to you."
"But I never expected your company to be involved in such a scandal!"
"If that’s the case, I think both our sides should reconsider this partnership."
Vice President Li’s words completely stunned Sun Qing.
"What on earth is wrong with our company?"
"President Li, you can’t just listen to rumors. Our company’s development is proceeding smoothly."
"How could there possibly be a scandal like you mentioned? Besides, I haven’t even heard about it. How did it reach your ears, President Li?"
Sun Qing explained hurriedly.
Vice President Li had originally been trying to figure out how to suddenly change his tune.
But then he learned about the streamers from the Douhu Platform causing a disturbance these past couple of days.
That’s why Vice President Li had specifically chosen today—to knock Sun Qing down a peg.
"Stop trying to hide what’s happening at your company. Those streamers ganging up to cause trouble—you don’t call that a scandal?"
"And I heard those streamers are planning to take your platform to court."
"If there’s a business dispute, we really do need to re-evaluate."
Vice President Li said in an indifferent tone.
Sun Qing hadn’t expected Vice President Li to latch onto this matter.
In Sun Qing’s eyes, streamers causing trouble was just a trivial, everyday occurrence.
It would all blow over in a couple of days.
He never thought it would make Vice President Li reconsider their partnership.
However, while this was a commonplace issue to Sun Qing, one he knew would die down soon, to an outsider, it certainly looked like an eruption of the platform’s internal conflicts.
For a moment, Sun Qing was at a loss for words.
"It’s like this, it’s just a small issue. These streamers are just too greedy. It has nothing to do with our platform."
"Our platform has specific regulations regarding revenue sharing and pay."
Sun Qing thought for a moment and could only try his best to explain.
Vice President Li sneered. Now that he had seized this opportunity, he had no intention of letting it go to waste.
He wasn’t about to let Sun Qing gloss over it with a few simple words.
"President Sun, I’m afraid you’re not aware, but those streamers are now threatening to expose the inside story of the Douhu Platform’s ’unwritten rules.’"
"These days, the term ’unwritten rules’ is toxic. Anything associated with those two words gets a bad reputation."
Vice President Li said, looking at Sun Qing meaningfully.
Just as Sun Qing was about to speak, Vice President Li put down his wine glass and said coolly, "Here’s the thing. Your company’s current problems haven’t been resolved, so I think we should put the financing discussion on hold for now."
Sun Qing wasn’t a fool. If Vice President Li really wanted to terminate the partnership, there would have been no need to invite him here.
A moment ago, Vice President Li had stunned him by bringing up the streamer protests.
Now, as Sun Qing gradually calmed down, he quickly noticed something was off about Vice President Li’s behavior.
Sun Qing was a bit of a ruffian himself; in his early years, he had been a street punk.
He only went legit thanks to his brother-in-law.
Sun Qing’s expression darkened, a hint of menace in his eyes. "President Li, just say what you mean."
"If you didn’t want to work with us from the start, you didn’t have to invite me out."
"I like people who are straightforward. Why don’t you just lay out your terms? If we can accept them, there’s no need to beat around the bush like this."
Sun Qing’s aura was overpowering, carrying the air of a gang boss.
But Vice President Li was worldly and experienced; he wasn’t the least bit intimidated by this type of person.
Vice President Li spoke slowly, "A financing partnership is impossible. After all, your company has internal issues, which multiplies the investment risk."
"No one wants to have to clean up your mess if something goes wrong after the deal is done."
Sun Qing’s expression grew even darker.
Vice President Li continued, his expression unchanged, "However, if this live-streaming platform were to become a subsidiary of our company..."
Hearing this, Sun Qing finally understood Vice President Li’s true intentions.
He shot to his feet, staring at Vice President Li in disbelief. "You’ve got some nerve! You actually want to swallow the entire Douhu Platform?"

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