How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 485

Calling a Press Conference, But No Reporters Show Up_How is it that a mere ride-hailing driver has some money?

At the Alphabet Dance Group headquarters in Beijing, Wang Liliang, a prominent figure in the industry and a representative and committee member, had met Zhang Yiming, the chairman of Alphabet Dance [a fictionalized version of ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok], during official meetings. Through introductions from industry colleagues, the two gradually became acquainted.

Wang Liliang: “Chairman Zhang, good evening. Have you eaten yet?”

Zhang Yiming: “Haha… Not yet. Is there something you need, Teacher Wang, that prompted your call?”

Wang Liliang: “It’s like this: I’d like to ask Chairman Zhang for a favor—to shut down a few accounts. Do you think that’s possible?”

A company as large as Alphabet Dance is particularly sensitive about its reputation.

Unless users have violated platform rules, they are generally reluctant to arbitrarily ban accounts.

But!

If someone has connections, or if there are directives from higher authorities, banning an account is simply a matter of execution, regardless of whether violations have occurred.

So, it’s not that Zhang Yiming couldn’t help Wang Liliang; the key was to determine which accounts he wanted to ban.

Zhang Yiming: “Who has offended Teacher Wang to the point that you want their accounts banned?”

Wang Liliang: “I would like Chairman Zhang to help ban the accounts of artists under Starlight Entertainment, including the company account itself. In the future, if there’s anything you need, Chairman Zhang, please don’t hesitate to ask, and I will certainly reciprocate.”

Zhang Yiming: “Which company? Starlight Entertainment?”

Wang Liliang: “Yes, Starlight Entertainment.”

Zhang Yiming: “Hello? Hello! Hello! Huh? Why is the signal so bad?”

Wang Liliang: “Huh? Chairman Zhang, can’t you understand what I’m saying? Zhang…”

Before Wang Liliang could finish, Zhang Yiming hung up.

“What’s going on? Is the signal bad?” Wang Liliang muttered, quickly moving to the corridor and calling Zhang Yiming again.

Instantly, Wang Liliang was stunned because Zhang Yiming had blacklisted his number.

Damn it!

Why did he blacklist me too?

Could it be that Alphabet Dance and Starlight Entertainment have a strong cooperative relationship?

Still unwilling to concede, Wang Liliang sent a WeChat message to Zhang Yiming, only to discover he’d been blacklisted there as well.

It was truly infuriating. Wang Liliang felt a pressure in his chest, unable to rise or fall, making him extremely uncomfortable.

“Damn it, I don’t believe it. How powerful can Starlight Entertainment be? My thirty years of accumulated connections can’t deal with this!” Wang Liliang said to himself, refusing to give up.

Subsequently, Wang Liliang called Su Hua, the president of Kwai [another short-video platform, similar to Kuaishou].

Wang Liliang: “Hello, President Su. Can I ask you for a favor?”

Su Hua: “Haha… Teacher Wang, you’re too polite. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll definitely do it if I can.”

Wang Liliang: “I’d like to ask President Su to ban all the Kwai accounts of the artists under Starlight Entertainment, denying them any opportunity to showcase themselves. I don’t know…”

Su Hua: “Hello? Hello! Hello? Are you talking? You must have a problem with your brain, calling and not saying anything. Blacklisting you, you bastard.”

Wang Liliang: “…”

Damn!

Did he have to act so fake?

Wang Liliang: “President Su, you…”

Before he could finish, Su Hua hung up.

What’s going on here?

Entertainment companies need to curry favor with social platforms; after all, they rely on these platforms to increase their exposure to hundreds of millions of users.

So, if Zhang Yiming and Su Hua aren’t afraid of Yang Chen, there must be a significant alignment of interests between them.

If video platforms have a connection with Starlight Entertainment, then Weibo [Chinese Twitter] shouldn’t, right?

Continuing his calls, Wang Liliang next contacted Cao Wei, the chairman of Weibo.

Wang Liliang: “Hello, Chairman Cao, can I ask you for a favor—to ban all the Weibo accounts of the artists under Starlight Entertainment?”

Cao Wei: “Ban accounts? No problem!”

Wang Liliang: “Haha… Chairman Cao is the best.”

Cao Wei: “Haha… Of course, I’m the best. What, did you call someone else before, and they didn’t help you?”

Wang Liliang: “Yes! I called the presidents of Douyin [Chinese TikTok] and Kwai, and they were unwilling to help. I can understand that those video platforms have a connection of interests with Starlight Entertainment, so if they don’t help, they don’t help. Fortunately, Chairman Cao’s Weibo has no such connection.”

Cao Wei: “Haha… So that’s how it is. Banning accounts is just a matter of a word. If you want me to do it, just wait and see.”

Wang Liliang: “Okay, okay, thank you for Chairman Cao’s help. Great kindness is hard to express in words. In the future, if you need me for Weibo Night [Weibo’s annual awards ceremony], just give me a call, and even if I’m on the moon, I’ll come back immediately to participate. Later, I’ll bring all my friends in the Beijing circle [influential people in Beijing’s entertainment and political scenes] who haven’t opened Weibo accounts to open them, to show my appreciation.”

Cao Wei: “Haha… You’re welcome, you’re welcome. Then I’ll hang up; I’ll have someone ban the accounts.”

Wang Liliang happily hung up, feeling very satisfied.

Hmph!

Just wait for Yang Chen to call and apologize.

A few minutes later, Wang Liliang’s agent called.

Agent: “Hello, Teacher Wang, why was your Weibo account banned?”

Wang Liliang: “What? My Weibo account was banned? Are you sure!”

Agent: “Can I not tell if it’s banned or not? Your Weibo has been permanently banned, and all the content has been cleared.”

Wang Liliang: “Oh dear, Cao Wei, that bastard, how did he explain it to his subordinates? I asked him to ban the accounts of the artists under Starlight Entertainment; why did he ban my account?”

Wang Liliang hung up and called Cao Wei again.

Wang Liliang: “Hello, Chairman Cao, you made a mistake.”

Cao Wei: “No mistake. Didn’t you say to ban your Weibo account? Didn’t I fulfill your request? You have to fulfill your promise and bring all your friends in the Beijing circle to open Weibo accounts.”

Wang Liliang: “I asked you to ban the accounts of the artists under Starlight Entertainment, not to ban my account.”

Cao Wei: “No, you said to ban your Weibo account. Besides, why should I ban the accounts of the artists under Starlight Entertainment? They haven’t violated any regulations; they’re using it normally. Why should I ban their accounts?”

Wang Liliang: “Then I’m also using it normally; why did you ban my account for no reason?”

Cao Wei: “Didn’t you specifically call me to ban your Weibo account? You’re really unreasonable; I’ve never seen such an unreasonable person. Blacklisting you, you bastard!”

With that, Cao Wei hung up and blacklisted Wang Liliang.

Wang Liliang was speechless, stunned for more than ten seconds, and then called Cao Wei again, only to find that he had indeed been blacklisted.

Damn!

Wang Liliang angrily slammed his phone on the table.

As an experienced veteran, Wang Liliang knew Cao Wei was deliberately toying with him.

In that case, Weibo also has a strong connection with Starlight Entertainment.

What to do?

What other company has no connection with Starlight Entertainment but can still exert control?

If private companies can’t handle it, then he’d have to go public—involve the government.

Wang Liliang immediately called Li Shanping, a big shot in the Beijing circle. This figure was very powerful; whether a movie could be released depended entirely on his opinion.

Li Shanping could be considered the top big shot in Wang Liliang’s Beijing circle. The bosses of any entertainment company or company involved in film and television investment had to give him face. Everyone in the entertainment circle called him “Master Li” when they met him.

Although both belonged to the Beijing circle, Wang Liliang was, after all, an actor, and his status was three levels lower than Li Shanping’s.

Actor, director, investor, and then Li Shanping.

Therefore, if Wang Liliang wanted to see Li Shanping, he might not be able to make an appointment himself. He’d have to find a director or investor familiar with the Beijing circle to contact Li Shanping before he could possibly see “Master Li.”

Directors like Zhao Yugang weren’t worthy of making an appointment with Li Shanping; only big directors like Xiaogang Pao Guo Xiaogang could make an appointment.

Wang Liliang then called Guo Xiaogang and said, “Gangzi, what are you doing?”

Guo Xiaogang: “Playing in New York. What’s wrong?”

Wang Liliang: “Brother, I’ve encountered something and need to meet Master Li. Can you help me make an appointment?”

Guo Xiaogang: “What’s the matter? It’s so serious that you need to see Master Li?”

Wang Liliang: “Oh… Don’t mention it; I feel annoyed just talking about it. When you come back, I’ll treat you to a drink, and I’ll tell you slowly. You help me make an appointment with Master Li first.”

Guo Xiaogang: “Damn! Is Master Li so easy to make an appointment with? I have to bring gifts to his door to show respect, and then he might come out. My flight back is tomorrow night, and after I go back, we’ll go to his door together to see him. Is that okay?”

Wang Liliang: “Oh… Okay then. Then we’ll talk when you come back. Be careful.”

Guo Xiaogang: “Okay, thank you for your concern, brother; I’m hanging up.”

“Oh…” Hanging up, Wang Liliang sighed helplessly.

At this point, Wang Liliang was already regretting his actions. He never expected things would be so difficult.

But things had progressed this far, and regret was useless. He couldn’t issue an announcement admitting he harassed Chen Yanni, could he?

That would be social suicide; he’d never be able to face anyone again.

His agent, panicked, quickly came to Wang Liliang’s house to ask him what was happening.

Wang Liliang trusted his agent greatly, so he told him the truth.

The agent looked at Wang Liliang speechlessly and said, “Teacher Wang, I usually turn a blind eye to you playing with those young actors, as long as you don’t cause trouble. I thought you understood some principles. You can play with young actors without a background at will, and you don’t have to worry about repercussions. But you knew Chen Yanni’s boyfriend is the boss of Starlight Entertainment; why did you continue? He’s the head of an entertainment company that consistently produces hit film and television dramas. You underestimated him too much, didn’t you?”

Wang Liliang: “So what? Logically, with my status and connections, should I be afraid of an entertainment company boss? I just didn’t expect those platforms to have connections with Starlight Entertainment, making them unwilling to help me. But it’s not a big problem; I’ve already called Guo Xiaogang, and he’ll take me to see Li Shanping when he returns. As long as Li Shanping is willing to act, what if he’s the boss of Starlight Entertainment? I’ll make him do whatever I want. If he dares not listen, the movies produced by his company won’t be released. I’ll see how his company can continue to operate and who will cooperate with them.”

If he put it that way, there was nothing wrong with it.

However, the agent felt Li Shanping probably wouldn’t truly help Wang Liliang suppress Starlight Entertainment; he’d most likely mediate a reconciliation.

The boss of Starlight Entertainment hadn’t done anything wrong; he was just protecting his girlfriend from harassment. No matter how awesome Li Shanping was, he couldn’t be unreasonable and suppress people by abusing his power, right?

Agent: “Those are things for later. Right now, your Weibo account has been banned, and netizens are discussing you. Many believe your account was banned because of the scandal with Chen Yanni, and everyone is scolding you for being an old cow eating young grass [an older man pursuing a much younger woman].”

Wang Liliang: “Damn Cao Wei; he banned my account, and I can’t even explain myself.”

Agent: “Like this, I’ll arrange a press conference, and you can clarify the scandal with Chen Yanni in front of the reporters. Okay?”

Wang Liliang: “You’re the agent; you decide.”

The agent nodded and sighed helplessly.

He’s already old and still doesn’t let people rest easy. I don’t know what to say to him.

Thirty years of accumulated honor and status—does he have to ruin it over a woman?

The agent immediately sent invitations to familiar media outlets; a press conference would be held at the Jinghai Hotel at nine o’clock the next morning.

To avoid any mistakes at the press conference, the agent wrote a speech for Wang Liliang in advance.

The agent also anticipated potential questions from reporters and prepared targeted answers.

The two worked until four in the morning before finishing, and the agent slept at Wang Liliang’s house for two hours.

Before eight o’clock, the agent arrived at the Jinghai Hotel press conference site to check the layout.

At eight forty, Wang Liliang arrived.

However, he didn’t go directly to the press conference site but waited in the lounge.

When it was almost nine o’clock, Wang Liliang came to the press conference site.

To his shock, except for a few staff members, the reporter seats were empty.

At that moment, the agent was calling the head of the Penguin News Department [a major Chinese news platform].

Agent: “President Chen, didn’t you promise to come? Why hasn’t anyone arrived yet?”

President Chen: “Oh, there’s no need to come; we’ve already written the news report and will publish it later.”

Agent: “Haha… President Chen is really kind. Can I see the draft?”

President Chen: “It will be posted on the Penguin News official website later, and we’ll also remind users with pop-up windows. You can watch it then.”

Agent: “Okay, okay. Thank you, President Chen; let’s have tea another day.”

Hanging up, the agent called the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Weekly again.

Agent: “Editor Li, why haven’t the reporters from your Entertainment Weekly arrived yet?”

Editor Li: “No need to go; we’ve already written the news report and will publish it later.”

The agent was puzzled; how could they have already written the report?

Agent: “Can I see the draft you wrote first?”

Editor Li: “No need to see; you have to trust our professional ability.”

Agent: “Okay! Then thank you, Editor Li; I’ll log in to your official website later to see it.”

Subsequently, Wang Liliang’s agent called the heads of other media outlets who had accepted invitations but hadn’t sent anyone, asking why. The answers were the same: they had already written the draft and didn’t need to come.

The agent sensed something was wrong. How could all the media have already written the draft?

Wang Liliang saw the agent was no longer calling, so he walked over and asked, “What’s going on? Why hasn’t a reporter come yet?”

Agent: “I called them and asked, and they all said there was no need to come to the scene; they’d already written the draft and would publish it later.”

Wang Liliang: “Isn’t that nonsense? They don’t know what I’m going to say; how can they write the draft in advance? Can the draft they wrote even be sent out? We haven’t seen the content; what if it can’t be released?”

Agent: “They’re already preparing to send it; what can we do? Let’s wait patiently for a while.”

The two sat quietly, constantly refreshing the web pages of various media outlets, waiting for the news reports to be published.

The hotel staff whispered nearby.

“What’s going on? Didn’t they say the press conference would be held at nine o’clock? It’s already nine thirty, and not a single reporter has come.”

“Could it be that they don’t plan to come at all? But the reporters from all media units not coming together is too abnormal.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a press conference being held with not a single reporter attending. What kind of press conference is he holding? I think the reporters know what’s going on with him and are unwilling to help him fake it. His Weibo account has been banned; doesn’t that explain the problem?”

“I really like Chen Yanni; the little girl is so young and beautiful. This old guy is already fifty; he looks old enough to be her father, and he still dares to have ideas about her.”

“Tch, there are no pure little girls in the entertainment circle. Maybe Chen Yanni took the initiative to throw herself at him?”

“If she took the initiative, how could Wang Liliang’s account be banned, and why would no reporters come to the press conference? He must have harassed Chen Yanni and angered the boss behind her, and they used their connections to fix him.”

“That’s possible. Anyway, no matter what the truth is, Wang Liliang’s image in my heart is completely ruined. I always thought he was a high-ranking artist with both virtue and talent who didn’t mix in the circle, but I didn’t expect him to be involved in this kind of messy thing. It’s a pity; his acting skills are still very good.”

…

Soon, Penguin News took the lead in publishing its report.

Wang Liliang and his agent were stunned when they saw it because the report described him as a demon who used his personal status to sexually harass young actresses.

Wang Liliang couldn’t sit still and said, “How can they write like this? I said I wanted to see what they wrote!”

The agent calmly opened the websites or apps of other media outlets, and the content of the reports was almost identical, essentially denouncing Wang Liliang as a wolf in sheep’s clothing—an artist with virtue and talent in public but a predator who strong-arms young and beautiful actresses in private.

Wang Liliang’s mentality collapsed and said, “Look, look, these media are writing nonsense. Why didn’t you ask to see it when you called them before deciding whether to let them send it out?”

Agent: “Do you think I can control how so many media units send out reports? And don’t you think this is very strange? So many media units are absent from our press conference at the same time, and they’ve also sent out reports with similar content. Isn’t it clear someone is manipulating things behind the scenes?”

Wang Liliang: “Who? The boss of Starlight Entertainment? Does he have this ability? Not to mention media like Entertainment Weekly, can an entertainment company boss dictate to the news department of a large group like Penguin News how to send out reports?”

Agent: “Then he spent money. There has to be a reason; otherwise, so many media wouldn’t be absent simultaneously and send out reports with such a high degree of similarity. I’ll call those media heads again to ask what’s going on.”

Wang Liliang nodded and listened to the agent calling the media heads.

The agent first called President Chen of Penguin News but found he’d been blacklisted. Sending WeChat messages also prompted that the other party wasn’t his friend and he needed to add him before chatting.

“Hey! Why did you blacklist and delete me!” the agent said speechlessly.

Wang Liliang immediately said, “I’m familiar with this; Zhang Yiming and the others blacklisted and deleted me like this. I’m really convinced. How much money did these people receive from Starlight Entertainment? Why are they so obedient?”

The agent made a round of calls, and all the media heads who had accepted his invitation had blacklisted and deleted him.

Finally, he heard a bit of news from a friend in the media circle.

“I heard that Yang Zhen, the CEO of Starlight Entertainment, called the heads of various media outlets and asked them to ban Wang Liliang. I don’t know the specifics; I just heard this much.”

The agent told Wang Liliang the news, and Wang Liliang was so angry he nearly broke down, roaring, “I’m wondering why these media platforms listen to an entertainment company CEO! How much money can they earn from Starlight Entertainment!”

Agent: “Find Master Li; there’s no other way. If Master Li can’t handle it, everything you’ve accumulated for thirty years will be destroyed.”

Wang Liliang: “Damn, are they playing with me! Okay, this time I’ll make them beg me to show mercy!”

Now Li Shanping was Wang Liliang’s last and only hope. If this big shot couldn’t help him, his thirty years of fame would truly be ruined.

As a popular young actress, Chen Yanni’s schedule was very full.

She’d only come to date Yang Chen, and Yang Zhen had specially requested a day off from the crew for her; otherwise, she should have immediately returned to filming after the event.

The two hadn’t done much these past few days, just stayed home admiring stockings.

Yang Chen sent Chen Yanni to the high-speed rail station and left after watching her check in.

At the same time, Guo Xiaogang returned from the United States.

Wang Liliang arrived at the airport early to wait, and the two went directly to find Li Shanping as soon as they met.

Guo Xiaogang: “Teacher Wang, you’ve played too big this time; even Weibo has been banned. Haha…”

Wang Liliang: “Don’t mention it; I ran into an ignorant boss.”

Guo Xiaogang: “I heard Starlight Entertainment spent a lot of money to buy off major media and platforms to teach you a lesson. You’ve suffered a big loss this time.”

Wang Liliang: “I prepared a few bottles of red wine and Taizi [expensive liquor], and a Rolex. Gangzi, you must help me persuade Master Li to take action this time. I’ll thank you again later.”

Guo Xiaogang: “Haha… Why are we brothers talking about this? I’m going to cast you as the male lead in my next play. Just use everything you’ve learned to play this role well for me.”

Wang Liliang: “Don’t worry, brother; I’ll play it at half price and do my best to play this role well.”

“Haha…” The two laughed heartily.

Simultaneously, the Nobel Prize Committee officially sent a reply letter to Starlight Technology.

After repeated experiments and evaluations by professionals, it was determined that the quantum entanglement research results submitted by Starlight Technology were true and effective.

Now the project had officially entered the annual Nobel Prize in Physics evaluation list, awaiting the award results in October.

Starlight Technology Group had successively produced two major achievements—quantum chips and quantum entanglement—within three years, and its strength had been officially recognized.

The Quantum Research Group of the Longke Academy [a fictionalized version of the Chinese Academy of Sciences] came to the door, hoping to sign an all-weather strategic cooperation agreement with the Starlight Technology Quantum Team.

In the future, the two parties could exchange opinions on key issues and projects at any time and even directly cooperate in research.

As the boss of Starlight Technology Group, Yang Chen certainly had to attend the signing ceremony.

The Longke Academy specially arranged the signing ceremony at the Quantum Information Center of Tsinghua University on the day of the opening of new students.

Yang Chen had already gone to Tsinghua University to give a simple speech to the graduates of the School of Integrated Circuits, so it didn’t matter if he went again.

The graduates of Tsinghua University, as long as they don’t sleep all day, will never end up driving a ride-hailing car, so there was no need to deliberately hide his identity from them.

However, Yang Chen’s old rule was that he wasn’t allowed to show his face in photos and videos to the outside world, but everything else was fine.