How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 704

Just as Yang Chen was about to drive away, the mother who had been livestreaming her kneeling journey suddenly cried out, “No! No! I did what you said, I knelt all the way from Tiananmen Square. You can’t go back on your word! Please, I really need the money for my daughter’s surgery. Please, I beg you!”

Yang Chen was immediately stunned. Before he could react, the young mother suddenly lay on the ground with her child, wailing loudly.

“We’re already so pitiful, why do you have to play with us like this! Waaah… Waaah…”

Yang Chen parked his car and walked over, asking, “Madam, what’s wrong? Do you need help? Please be careful with the child.”

The woman cried, “I don’t have money to save my daughter, so I started a livestream to ask netizens for donations, but they don’t believe me. They all think I’m using a trick to get money. One netizen gave me a Carnival gift [a type of virtual gift on the livestreaming platform] and said that as long as I kneel all the way from Tiananmen Square to Peking Union Medical College Hospital, he would cover all the treatment costs for my daughter. But I’ve already knelt halfway, and he suddenly says he was just playing with me. What am I going to do? Waaah… I’m not afraid of being humiliated, but I have no way to raise money to save my daughter. Waaah…”

*So that’s what happened,* Yang Chen thought. He had misunderstood her, thinking she was being so shameless for the sake of livestreaming.

Yang Chen quickly comforted her, “Madam, calm down, don’t scare the child. You can try raising funds on a reputable platform or apply for assistance from a legitimate charity.”

The woman cried, “I’ve tried everything. The platform fundraising takes 70% in commission, and another platform is even more outrageous. A benefactor donated 300,000, but we only received 30,000. I went to the platform to demand an explanation, and they actually said the remaining money was donated to other impoverished people. But the benefactor specifically said the donation was for my daughter’s treatment, how can they deduct so much money for others? But I’m just a nobody, and I can’t do anything about it. I’ve tried every possible way. Now, the only hope is to make money through livestreaming. If I’m lucky enough to meet a kind-hearted rich person who pities us, maybe my daughter can be saved.”

It is rumored that some platforms take 70% commission and have even gone public thanks to the donations of kind-hearted people. It’s a grim reality that preys on desperation.

Another platform is even more ruthless. A benefactor driving a Mercedes donated 900,000 to a girl for treatment, but the platform only gave her 30,000. The whereabouts of the remaining money is unknown. When questioned, they lied and claimed it was given to others in need.

The word “charity” in Dragon Country [a common nickname for China] has been turned into a business by some black-hearted individuals, and it’s a particularly unscrupulous one.

Other people’s lives and deaths are none of their concern. They take what they should take, divide what they should divide, and if a little bit is left for those in need, they consider themselves to have a conscience. It’s a system ripe for exploitation.

Yang Chen comforted her, “Madam, get up. I’ll point you in the right direction, and I guarantee your daughter will receive treatment.”

The woman immediately got excited and quickly asked, “Really? Sir, if you can really get my daughter treated, I’ll be forever in your debt. I’ll do anything you ask.”

“It’s not that serious. Don’t livestream anymore. Take your daughter to Daybreak Hospital now. I’ll call ahead, and someone from the Starlight Charity Foundation will communicate with the hospital. You don’t have to worry about anything; just wait patiently for treatment.

However, I have a condition. I want you to expose the platform that scammed you. If these platforms aren’t held accountable, more people will be scammed in the future. Also, you must expose the netizen who tricked you into kneeling from Tiananmen Square to Peking Union Medical College Hospital. We can’t let people get away with this kind of behavior online,” Yang Chen said.

The woman quickly asked, “Will the hospital accept us? And the charity foundation you mentioned, will they be willing to spend money on us?”

Yang Chen smiled and said, “I am Yang Chen. Daybreak Hospital and the Starlight Charity Foundation are both mine. If I say it’s okay, it’s definitely okay. Just take your daughter there. I’ll call the hospital and the charity foundation, and someone will arrange everything.”

The woman excitedly asked, “Yang Chen? The Starlight Group’s Boss Yang?”

Yang Chen smiled and nodded, saying, “Yes, it’s me. So please believe me, as long as you do as I say, your daughter will definitely receive treatment.”

The woman immediately hugged her daughter and knelt down to kowtow [a traditional Chinese act of deep respect] to Yang Chen, but Yang Chen reacted much faster and stopped her with both hands.

“Madam, don’t do this. I just finished ‘harvesting’ the island nation [likely referring to a successful business venture or investment in Japan], and the Starlight Charity Foundation also made some money. Your daughter just happened to catch up. Let’s go, I’ll take you to the hospital,” Yang Chen said.

“Thank you, thank you. Ya Ya, we’re saved, we’re saved. President Yang is going to save us. Waaah…” the woman cried.

Yang Chen took the mother and daughter into the car and drove straight to Daybreak Hospital in Beijing.

Yang Chen personally went to arrange things, and the president of the hospital rushed over from home to receive them. It was clear that Yang Chen’s influence was considerable.

After settling the mother and daughter, Yang Chen called the Starlight Charity Foundation and asked them to come to the hospital tomorrow to coordinate and arrange Ya Ya’s medical expenses.

Ya Ya is unfortunate, having heart problems before she can even walk, but she is also lucky because she met Yang Chen. A twist of fate that could change everything.

With the Starlight Charity Foundation and Daybreak Hospital working together, if her illness can be cured with current medical technology, it will definitely be cured.

With the child’s treatment settled, the woman can also fulfill her promise to Yang Chen. After lunch, the woman posted a video on her Douyin account [a popular Chinese video-sharing platform, similar to TikTok], sharing her daughter’s experiences since she fell ill, and denouncing certain platforms for their high commission of 70% and for privately donating special donations to others. At the same time, the woman also criticized the netizen who was unwilling to help her but still wanted to play with them.

Finally, the woman used half of the video to thank Yang Chen, the Starlight Foundation, and Daybreak Hospital.

Yang Chen spent 200,000 on DOU+ [Douyin’s advertising service] to promote the video. Since this matter was very touching to the hearts of the people at the bottom, it quickly went viral. Major media outlets rushed to report it, and netizens condemned the relevant platforms and the netizen who played with the mother and daughter.

On a certain fundraising platform:

“I heard that your company takes 70% commission? No wonder a crowdfunding platform can go public. It’s really easy to make money without any investment. Don’t you feel guilty earning this kind of money that will cause you to have no PP [slang for ‘penis,’ implying they’ll have no male descendants] when you have sons?”

“70%! My God! Since people come to the platform to raise funds, they definitely need the money to save lives. You dare to take so much commission from other people’s life-saving money. The landlords in ancient times weren’t as ruthless as you!”

“Haha… Everyone donates money to create a listed company. Isn’t that ironic? It’s because of you institutions that use charity as a front to cheat money that everyone is unwilling to help others now. How many people in need have you bastards harmed in order to make money?”

…

The other platform’s behavior of giving only 30,000 out of 300,000 was also condemned by netizens. The platform issued an announcement claiming that the remaining money had been donated to other impoverished people, but netizens didn’t buy it. The benefactor donated money to Ya Ya for treatment, so why did the platform donate it to others without permission? And whether it was donated to others or divided up by the platform, who can say for sure?

The platform had no choice but to post donation receipts, but lies can’t be turned into truth. In their haste, they forgot to change the date on the receipts, and the issuance of these receipts instead confirmed their fraudulent activities.

The platform immediately deleted the receipts and then issued an announcement explaining that a temporary worker had made a mistake. When she donated the funds to others, she didn’t keep any receipts, so she temporarily made one up, which caused the problem with the date.

But netizens aren’t stupid; how could they believe their explanation?

“You can cheat us of our money, but you can’t insult my intelligence.”

“Is there really no one to take care of this? They’re so blatantly embezzling donations; that’s other people’s life-saving money. How dare they embezzle it.”

“I’m really disappointed in some people. No one is taking care of this kind of thing. No wonder a certain Red Cross is ridiculed when they call for donations. There’s a big problem with this whole area, but no one is taking care of it. Sigh…”

…

The moral bottom line has been lowered again and again by some people. Now everyone is unwilling to donate money or blood. It’s not that everyone doesn’t have love, but the repeated exposures have chilled everyone’s hearts.

At this time, there is an urgent need for someone trustworthy to stand up and bring back everyone’s trust and love.

Obviously, that person has to be Yang Chen again. The weight of expectation settled on his shoulders.

At this time, in the comment section of Yang Chen’s Weibo [a popular Chinese microblogging platform, similar to Twitter]:

“Does Boss Yang’s charity foundation accept donations? I want to donate money to Ya Ya for treatment, and only you are trustworthy.”

“Boss Yang is so rich and can earn billions every day. I believe you won’t embezzle donations. Please post an account number; we’ll donate money to Ya Ya for treatment. In the future, people in need can go directly to the Starlight Charity Foundation. We are still willing to donate money to people in need; it’s just that some people are not trustworthy.”

“Boss Yang is really busy every day, driving a ride-hailing car, ‘harvesting’ foreign countries, and taking care of the poor compatriots in his own country. Come on, give us an account number; we really want to donate money.”

…

Yang Chen saw the netizens’ comments and understood everyone’s feelings. He felt the pressure, but also the opportunity to make a real difference.

Before going to bed at night, Yang Chen posted a Weibo as a response.

“Thank you everyone for your support of the Starlight Charity Foundation. Currently, our foundation has sufficient funds and doesn’t particularly need social donations. When my investments go wrong one day, everyone can donate again. Currently, the foundation’s funds are mainly used to purchase bonds issued by my companies and to run funds and wealth management products, etc. The annual rate of return is about 10%, which basically covers expenses, including donations and foundation operating costs. I also came from humble beginnings, so I especially understand what everyone is worried about and what they want. However, some things can’t be said explicitly, I hope everyone can understand. Ya Ya’s treatment costs will be fully covered by the foundation, and Daybreak Hospital will also provide the best treatment. If the medical technology on this earth can save Ya Ya, I guarantee she will get better.” His words were a beacon of hope in a sea of distrust.