readease Chapter 958 A theatrical star descends to earth
Chapter 958 A theatrical star descends to earth
“If my Ant Financial doesn’t go public, banks won’t feel threatened. Without a sense of crisis, they will continue to monopolize this business. For example, if a bank embezzles depositors’ assets, and the depositors can’t reason with the bank afterward, even going to the bank to complain won’t help, then they certainly won’t dare to continue depositing their money in the bank. So where will they deposit it? For another example, before Alipay, ordinary people had to queue at the bank to pay their water and electricity bills. Those bankers and high-ranking officials didn’t have to pay themselves. Why was that? Wasn’t it because they had a monopoly and felt that nothing mattered?” Feng Yun added.
This made sense, and Chen Xi agreed.
"So, after all that you've said, you just want to change the banking system?" Chen Xi smiled.
"Of course! If the banks don't change, I'll change the banks!"
"Okay, you said it. Don't go back on your word later! So, the goal of all this is to change the bank, right?"
"That's right!"
Feng Yun spoke with conviction, and Chen Xi didn't say much, but simply nodded.
"We've talked for so long, but you still seem unhappy. What's wrong?" The two talked about everything under the sun, but Feng Yun kept a straight face the whole time. Chen Xi didn't think he had offended him, so he was very puzzled.
"Take a look at this." Feng Yun took out his phone, tapped a few times, and then pushed it in front of Chen Xi.
A bold headline popped up on the screen: Sun Ge, a rising star in the cryptocurrency world, spent tens of millions to win a charity lunch with investment tycoon Warren Buffett, but then backed out at the last minute, citing a sudden kidney stone attack.
"Look at this mess. They don't do anything productive all day, all they do is act like clowns on the internet, buying trending topics and grabbing attention." Feng Yun picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, his face even darker than before.
"This Sun Ge has been making quite a splash in the crypto world lately. I heard that his Wave Coin has raised a lot of money." Chen Xi glanced at the screen and smiled knowingly.
"He's clearly ripping off other people's hard-earned money. Back then, he begged and pleaded his way into our academy's first class, and at the opening ceremony, he insisted on taking a group photo with me. Then, the moment he turned around, he developed the photo and hung it prominently at his company's front desk, issuing press releases worldwide claiming he was my only disciple. When have I ever taken on a student who incites others to speculate on worthless cryptocurrencies? The group's legal department has sent him warnings several times, but instead of stopping, he's used this wave of hype to continue stirring up trouble in the US. Now, whenever investors in China mention him, everyone grits their teeth and calls him 'Sun the Chopper,' the one who fleeces the韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting investors).'" Feng Yun rubbed his temples in frustration. Mentioning this cheap student had clearly caused him a lot of trouble.
On the surface, Chen Xi nodded in comfort, but deep down he was overjoyed.
In his previous life, Sun Ge was more than just a sensation in the world of hype; he was practically a star descended from heaven in the entire internet world.
This guy made his fortune by buying Bitcoin in the United States, and then returned to China to start a bottomless cyber harvesting spree.
As soon as Tron was launched, he precisely dumped all his coins at the highest price point into the hands of Chinese retail investors, cashing out billions and flying back to San Francisco, leaving behind the legendary story of "never bowing to regulators before leaving."
What's even more outrageous is that this person's hype-mongering reach is ubiquitous.
No matter which celebrity or major company goes bankrupt, or a disaster strikes somewhere, Sun Ge always announces on social media that he will generously donate. However, every time it turns out to be all bark and no bite. Once the hype dies down, not even a single penny of the transfer record can be found.
What was most astonishing in his past life was that he spent millions of dollars at an art auction to buy a banana that was taped to the wall, and even peeled and ate that priceless banana without batting an eye in front of the global media.
As long as there's traffic, Sun Ge wouldn't even blink an eye, even if it meant tearing off his face and stomping on it.
"Haha." Chen Xi laughed, her body trembling. She gently pushed the phone back and poured Feng Yun a cup of hot tea.
At this moment, the Sun Ge they were talking about was on the other side of the ocean.
In the lobby of Ferrari's headquarters in Los Angeles, three leather sofas formed a semicircle.
“Mr. Jia, we’re going to directly integrate the decentralized nodes of WaveChain into the underlying system of Farago’s car infotainment system. Every car owner, as long as they’re driving on the road, is providing distributed computing power to the global network. This is what we call Web3 empowering car manufacturing. In the future, people will not only not need to spend money to buy a car, but they can also earn digital assets every day while lying down.” Sun Ge gestured vigorously in the air with both hands, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Mr. Sun’s words hit the nail on the head regarding the technological singularity of the future. Ferragamo was born to disrupt the traditional ecosystem. We will use this comprehensive reconstruction of artificial intelligence to completely suffocate those conservative gasoline car companies.” Jia Riting said with a smile.
Musk, who was sitting next to him fiddling with a Starship rocket model, let out a laugh that was hard to decipher.
"Elon, the way you're operating Martian Coin is still a bit too conservative," Sun Ge said, fixing his gaze directly on Musk.
"Do you have any good ideas?" Musk casually tossed the model onto the table and leaned back.
“It’s simple. All you have to do is announce on social media that from now on, spaceship tickets to Mars will only be accepted in full with Mars Coins. Then I’ll work with you to build the world’s largest geek guild and launch a space destruction mechanism that sends physical tokens to the moon. We can even detonate a satellite containing a digital hard wallet in orbit, using that stunning visual spectacle to stimulate the speculative nerves of all mankind. The price of Mars Coins could definitely increase tenfold in a single day. However, my main purpose for coming here today is to meet that person at the Florida seaside estate through Elon.” Sun Ge put down his coffee cup and lowered his voice.
"What do you want to see the leader for? He's busy preparing for the next election, playing golf at the club every day, he doesn't have time to meet with people in the crypto world." Musk shrugged.
"Isn't he currently collaborating with you and promoting that 'Reliable Coin'? Elon, please tell him for me that I, Sun Ge, am absolutely confident that Reliable Coin will become a global phenomenon within three months. I will utilize all domestic and international media resources to deeply integrate Reliable Coin with his slogan. As long as he can grant my Wave Chain a compliance license, I have a way to amplify his online reputation dozens of times, making him the greatest leader in American history." Sun Ge spoke with some excitement.
Listening from the side, Jia Riting's eyes gleamed, feeling that this newcomer in the cryptocurrency world was almost catching up with his own peak in storytelling.
Musk stroked his chin, not immediately refusing, but instead pulled out his phone and started swiping rapidly across the screen, it was unclear whether he was texting the blond, chubby man.
On a luxury golf course in Palm Beach, Florida.
A salty sea breeze swept across the smooth lawn. A large, blond figure swung his club, sending the white ball tracing a skewed arc before it plunged into the distant bunker.
"A perfect shot. The sunlight was too bright, but that was definitely masterful technique." The blond, chubby man handed the club to the caddie next to him and adjusted his red baseball cap.
Several Wall Street hedge fund tycoons and traditional military giants standing nearby applauded, their faces beaming with undisguised admiration.
“Master, the old man’s poll numbers are very close in all the states lately, especially among blue-collar workers in swing states. They seem to be starting to take an interest in his old faces in the traditional establishment.” A representative of the military-industrial complex, holding a glass of iced whiskey, stepped forward and whispered a reminder.
“That old man who can’t even read his lines properly won’t amount to anything. As long as you completely overwhelm him with funding and public opinion, our chances of winning the next election are firmly in our hands. As long as I remain in this position, the comprehensive tax cuts and relaxed financial regulations I promised you last year will be delivered double. As usual, the military budget will continue to increase, and your factories can just keep operating at full capacity.” The blond fat man took a white towel and wiped the sweat from his face, his obese body sinking into the leather seat of the luxury golf cart.
"How do we appease those rednecks at the grassroots level? There are constant frictions along the eastern border, and the people are getting impatient with these overseas messes." The chief of staff next to him handed over a vibrating encrypted satellite phone.
"What the rednecks want is very simple: cheap gasoline, reopened coal mines, and hefty tariffs on foreign goods that have taken their jobs. Just shout a few slogans in the square, paint them a picture of a return to their former glory, and these guys will come to vote in their pickup trucks at their own expense. As for the friction on the eastern border, that's not a bad debt; it's our best bargaining chip." The blond fat man sneered and pressed the answer button on the phone.
Soon, the voice of Ukraine's newly appointed young leader, filled with trepidation, came from the other end of the phone.
“Listen, my friend, the weapons and huge amounts of aid that America gave you are ready to be loaded onto ships at the port. However, I need you to do me a small favor. Go and thoroughly expose the dirty laundry that old man’s precious son has been making money off your local gas company. Do it cleanly, compile it into a flawless investigative report and release it directly to the media. Once this dirt explodes across America, that guy’s political career will be completely over. It’s good for both of us, you know what I mean.” The blond fat man leaned back casually in the car seat.
After receiving a firm guarantee from the person on the other end of the phone, he hung up the phone with satisfaction.
Just then, his personal phone lit up, displaying a long message from Musk, containing Sun Ge's grand plan for the reliable cryptocurrency and the hype surrounding traffic across the United States.
The blond fat man stared at the words "magnify the leader's prestige dozens of times" and "the greatest in American history" on the screen, and his cheeks immediately relaxed into a smile.
"This Eastern kid that Elon brought in is interesting. Although he's a speculator who trades worthless cryptocurrencies, this kind of trick is right up the alley of those young internet users." The blond fat man tossed his phone to the chief of staff next to him and grabbed a Coke with double the ice.
“Tell Elon to have that young man come to my Mar-a-Lago estate for a private meeting next week. As long as he can hype up ReliableCoin to the point where the whole of America is chanting my name, that so-called compliance license is nothing more than a matter of me signing an executive order.” The blond fat man gulped down his cola.
Two weeks later...
Inside the newly renovated office building of the Xinlu City Internet Industrial Park.
This is the office building that Chen Xi obtained from Song Quan through preferential policies.
The second floor is the main interview screening room.
Zhao Lingshan, Saori, and Jin Nana sat side by side behind a large, long desk, each with a thick stack of resumes in front of them.
Because live streaming is so popular now, and Tianya Network is so well-known for its advertising, coupled with its generous base salary, all sorts of self-proclaimed talented folk geniuses have practically worn out the doorstep of the entire building.
"Next, number seventeen, Wang Dachui." Jin Nana rubbed her aching temples and called out towards the door.
A young man with a standard bowl cut, wearing tight loafers and cropped pants strode in with an air of nonchalance.
The young man strode to the center of the hall, stood still, clasped his hands together, bowed deeply to the three beautiful female judges, then took out a large red plastic fan from his pocket and flicked it in the air with a loud snap.
"Hello, three beautiful bosses. I'm Xiao Chui from Xinlu, and I'm known as the Michael Jackson of Xinlu on short video platforms. My motto is: as long as you give me a little red heart, I can jump up to ninety-nine on the strawberry."
As Wang Dachui spoke, his legs began to slide wildly back and forth to some unseen rhythm, his trouser legs swinging in the air.
“Wait, Michael… no, Little Hammer… no… Wang Dachui, stop for a second. I want to ask you, if you were to do a live stream, how would you attract viewers to buy our agricultural products in the live stream?” Zhao Lingshan twirled the pen in her hand, looking the other person up and down.
"This is too easy, boss. Audiences these days love excitement. I plan to do some extreme challenges in the strawberry greenhouse, like moonwalking. For example, crushing fifty strawberries with one hand in a minute, or headbutting strawberry-laden vines. If a guy sends me a sports car, I'll perform swallowing three pounds of strawberries without spitting out the seeds right there. That'll generate buzz, that'll be a huge boost in sales." Wang Dachui closed his fan, put one hand on his hip, and his face was full of confidence.
"But how are we supposed to promote agricultural products if you squeeze strawberries like that? After watching the spectacle, are people going to buy the strawberry jam you've crushed?" Saori asked, her bright eyes wide with curiosity and confusion.
"That's the strategy. I'm crushing props, but the ones being sold in the links are the real thing. That's called visual impact." Wang Dachui patted his chest.
"Then let me ask you. Since it's live-streaming e-commerce, how do you guarantee the product quality? If the strawberries delivered by the farmers are of different sizes, or if they spoil during transportation, how do you, as the streamer, plan to explain this to your fans?" Jin Nana opened her notebook and looked at the other person with a serious expression.
"What's there to explain? Just shout in the live stream, 'Family members, this is a gift from nature, a pure, natural product with no industrial traces.' As for the broken ones, that's the logistics company's responsibility. Let the fans argue with the courier's customer service, and we'll just cry in front of the camera and shout, 'We feel sorry for our family members, put pressure on the manufacturer.' These days, being a live streamer is all about acting skills, isn't it?" Wang Dachui waved his hand, looking like a know-it-all.
He thought to himself that his business logic was exactly what bosses wanted to hear.
After all, isn't the purpose of a live streaming company to make money? His answer was perfectly tailored to their interests.
As long as the company's interests are protected, he'll definitely be hired. (End of Chapter)