Just then.
A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating Chen Guoqiao’s face.
His greasy, fleshy face instantly looked even oilier.
Combined with his current expression, anyone who didn’t know better would think they were filming a horror movie.
After all, it wasn’t every day you saw a middle-aged, balding man who was so fat and ugly, with such a lecherous expression.
"President Chen?"
Behind Chen Guoqiao, a short, thin man in his thirties stood anxiously, looking hesitantly at his CEO.
’What’s with the long silence? Why has President Chen suddenly stopped talking?’
Bao An, risking a scolding from his volatile boss but genuinely concerned for the company’s future, mustered his courage and spoke up:
"Shouldn’t we do something?"
He was worried that if they didn’t act quickly, it wouldn’t be long before their Little Broken Station would be completely replaced by Douhu, even if it didn’t fall into Lin Feng’s hands entirely.
If this continued, who would even remember that Little Broken Station ever existed?
Chen Guoqiao shot him a careless, venomous glance and curled his lips into a smirk.
"What’s there to panic about? He’s just some kid in his early twenties. What’s so scary about him?"
"You’ve been my assistant for so many years. Have you not seen your fair share of arrogant young punks like him?"
"How long has Lin Feng even been on the scene?"
"What good is all this momentum?"
"His foundations are still weak."
"Go, make the arrangements. Find some dirt on Douhu. I don’t need to teach you the rest, do I?"
"But..."
"What? You can’t even handle something this simple?"
"No, that’s not it! It’s just that... finding dirt on Douhu is difficult!"
Bao An was in a difficult position.
Douhu was now developing under Lin Feng’s management.
Forget about major scandals, you couldn’t even find a single blemish. How were they supposed to smear them when there was nothing to smear?
"Tsk!"
Chen Guoqiao was getting impatient.
’Since when did his assistant become so timid, so scared of a mere kid?’
"If there’s no dirt, can’t you just make some up?"
Chen Guoqiao’s brow furrowed, the fleshy folds on his face jiggling with the movement. His eyes narrowed into thin slits, making him look utterly ridiculous.
"Do I really need to teach you how to do this?"
"You’ve worked for me for so many years. If you can’t even handle a small thing like this, what am I paying you for?"
If this assistant weren’t still somewhat useful, and if he didn’t know so many of his secrets, Chen Guoqiao would have gotten rid of him in a fit of rage long ago.
Bao An shivered in fear. He was good at reading people, and this was the first time he had truly angered Chen Guoqiao. He fidgeted, unable to stand still.
Chen Guoqiao let out a breath, glared at Bao An, and waved dismissively toward the door.
"Alright, get out! If you mess this up, you’ll have me to answer to!"
"Yes!"
Bao An breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded hastily, then turned and ran out to arrange for the matter to be handled.
At that moment, Chen Guoqiao had no idea.
But he would soon come to regret making such a decision, regret offending the young man he saw as just a kid—Lin Feng.
That’s just how this industry works.
Entertainment companies put everything about themselves on display for the public, including their every move and every word.
Therefore, every streamer on Douhu, from the moment they decided to start streaming, was prepared for the possibility that they might one day become famous and likely lose their privacy forever.
Before Lin Feng officially took over Douhu’s operations, the streamers signed with the platform more or less all had a scandal or two.
There were even a few who were practically built on scandals.
These people became famous precisely because of those scandals.
As the saying goes, "any publicity is good publicity." To get famous, they would willingly create their own scandals, expose themselves to the public, and accept the ensuing backlash.
But ever since Lin Feng took over and Lin Xiaoman became the head of the Streamer Alliance, they began to clean house. They got rid of every single streamer under Douhu who had too many scandals or was famous for them.
With such decisive measures, Lin Feng changed the culture at Douhu in record time. He also issued a public announcement: from now on, they would never hire any streamer with a tarnished record.
This was also why Douhu was gaining more and more fans, users, and signed streamers.
Of course, there was another reason: the power of idols, something Lin Feng had discussed with Lin Xiaoman before.
In Lin Feng’s view, for a platform to truly take off and maintain lasting exposure, it had to rely on its reputation. On that front, he had already succeeded.
That’s why Bao An was in such a tough spot after receiving Chen Guoqiao’s orders.
Fabricating scandals out of thin air was risky. If it failed, the party that created the scandal would be drowned in the spittle of furious netizens.
This was a characteristic of the fast-paced internet age. Anything could be blown out of proportion by netizens, and a single misstep could get you viciously flamed.
Part of the reason Little Broken Station had grown to its current size was by using fabricated scandals to boost its own popularity.
The moderators behind Little Broken Station usually turned a blind eye to these things. As long as it benefited the platform, they wouldn’t ban it.
Chen Guoqiao had a team behind him, one he used specifically to deal with his rivals.
The moment they received his order, the team leader acted decisively, commanding everyone to move immediately.
They were to go through all of Douhu’s current livestreams as quickly as possible and find anything that could be used as a point of criticism, no matter how small.
Next, he contacted the leader of the troll army they always worked with.
He told the trolls to be on standby.
As soon as they made their move, the entire troll army was to unite and relentlessly attack these weak points.
Seeing the team leader so motivated, Bao An breathed a sigh of relief. If this failed, he would surely become the target of his boss’s wrath.
He thought about what happened to the last person his boss had "taught a lesson" and couldn’t help but shudder. He didn’t dare to dwell on the details.
...
Thunder cracked and lightning flashed.
The thunderstorm raged all night.
It wasn’t until six the next morning, as everyone began to stir from their sleep.
Lin Feng held Su Ruoxi, basking in their shared warmth and her pleasant scent, feeling content.
[DING...]
[Please make a choice within one minute, Host]
[One: Leave your girlfriend and head to the company to handle urgent business.]
[Two: Go back to sleep.]
Lin Feng’s eyes snapped open. ’What kind of choice is this?’
’And this long-unseen choice format... why does it feel so much like the very first time the system had taken control?’
His intuition told him that if he chose to go back to sleep right now, something unpredictable would happen.

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