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CH 064 Shen Chen Comes To Beijing
As Liu Yao spoke, he smiled at the uncomfortable looking guests in the private room, raised his eyebrows and asked, “Everyone, there is no issue with what I said, right?”
“No. No. Mr. Liu’s words are particularly true. Right you are. We are here to seek reconciliation.” One of the editors, who had a particularly serious case of receding hairline, replied with an ingratiating smile.
You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )
Liu Yao snorted and stretched out his hand to greet Tao Mu to sit down next to him. As if offering treasures, he took out a set of car keys from his pocket and pushed them in front of Tao Mu: “Aren’t you learning to drive. I have discussed with your Xiao Qi Dad, and I will just buy you a car. If I have something to do and can’t drive over to pick you up, it will save you the trouble of having to commute between school and Houhai.”
Tao Mu recognized that it was the keys to a Porsche car at a glance and frowned. He was about to refuse——
Meng Qi said, “This is what I and your Yao Dad want. If you want to really treat us as dads, just accept it. How can the son refuse a gift from the dad to his son?”
“Yes, yes. Don’t the ancients say that one should not refuse the gift of an elder. If you really treat us as your dads, you can’t refuse.” Liu Yao echoed Meng Qi’s words next to him. Anxiously, he put the car keys directly into Tao Mu’s hand.
“You don’t have to feel apologetic about the money for the two of us. Thanks to you, I and your Xiao Qi Dad will soon be able to make up for this bit of money.” Liu Yao said, eyes slanting towards the dozen or so editors next to them, saying with a half-smile: “Everyone, is that right?”
“Yes, yes.” What else could the editors-in-chief say, they could only agree with smiles.
“Fine then. You are all refined civilized people, and we are not here to be pretentious. Let’s talk, what kind of truce do you want.” Liu Yao leaned on the back of the sofa with his legs propped up. The cigar holder used to put on airs during business meetings was held between his index finger and middle finger, though there was no intention to ignite it.
Even so, the dozen or so editors were still scared by this intimidating gangster aura, looking at each other and unable to speak.
When they were lured by Yao Wenxiao and took the bribe money to slander Tao Mu and Night, they didn’t expect Liu Yao to be so difficult. Actually already having sent someone to keep watch on Yao Wenxiao a long time ago and gathered evidence on Yao Wenxiao’s bribery to them. Moreover, he also even managed to hire Beijing’s best lawyer who specialized in financial compensation to sue them from the perspective of infringement and illegal gains.
——How many gossip weekly entertainment newspapers were there in the circle, and who among them did not make money by reporting celebrity rumors and celebrity scandals? The celebrities themselves and the reporters also have a complementary relationship. Celebrities relied on reporters to gain attention to increase their popularity, while newspapers and magazines relied on reporting on celebrity news to increase sales and increase advertising costs. Therefore, under normal circumstances, celebrities dared not fall out with the media, for fear that the media would block and blacklist them out of anger. In the past, even if there were celebrities who became angered, they would only accuse them of violating the celebrity’s privacy and damaging the celebrity’s reputation. Even if the lawsuit was won, their magazine would just issue an apology and that was it. Anyway, the news media had always had the power to “report the facts.” Even if the celebrity was angry, there was nothing they could do about it. So the media was never delayed in making money and making gimmicks.
But it just happened that Tao Mu was different from others. First, the fact that more than a dozen media outlets accepted bribes to discredit Tao Mu was found, and more than a dozen media outlets were charged with accepting bribes for malicious dissemination of rumors and unfair competition. He also accurately counted how many times the dozen newspapers and magazines were tracking and reporting the false news about “Tao Mu Selling His Body”. Compared with the usual sales and advertising expenses, each newspaper and magazine that directly published and disseminated Tao Mu’s portrait illegally, infringed on Night and FlyNews’ trademark and reputation rights, illegally obtained huge commercial profits, and thus were brought to court by Tao Mu. In addition, one must not forget to calculate the huge losses suffered by FlyNews and Bullet Screen Network, as well as the National School Beauty And Hunk Selection Contest because of these false reports.
Because it involved multiple crimes such as unfair competition and illegal publishing, if Tao Mu’s lawsuit was really won, they would not only face huge compensation, but even go to jail.
The situation was already so critical. The other was the knife and I am the fish, so what else was there to say.
“We are willing to publish a public apology, and have it stick to the top for a month or half a year.” It was the receding hairline guy who spoke first.
It must be said that most people love to think of beautiful things when they are ugly.
Liu Yao sneered, and said unceremoniously: “I know that you refined and civilized people have a problem, thinking that your mouths and pens are very valuable. But in my opinion, your shabby newspapers are really not even worth 130 million.”
“How about, I’ll just call Lawyer Zhou. And you can talk about it with him yourself?”
One hundred and thirty million was what Liu Yao hired the black-hearted lawyer to propose to the court the total compensation that these dozen media outlets owed to Tao Mu, FlyNews and Night. Considering that Liu Yao let him earn a million before, and that the lawyer would get a 10% share for every lawsuit won. So long as the lawsuit was won, the lawyer would easily receive 14 million. This couldn’t be a better deal at all.
So right now, it was not Night and Tao Mu himself who most looked forward to winning the lawsuit, but this certain vicious and merciless lawyer.
Of course, all the editors-in-chief here also understood this. So hearing this, he shook his head and waved his hands quickly, and said in horror: “No, no, no, no need. We are very sincere, we are very sincere. It’s just——”
The receding hairline guy had a bitter face and wished to cry: “We really can’t afford 130 million. Didn’t you buy a magazine before, Boss Liu? You should know that our magazine doesn’t make money. Everyone is busy everyday but it’s just enough for food and clothing. We can’t even muster up 13 million, let alone 130 million!”
Liu Yao snorted coldly. These words he had no doubt about. At the beginning, when he bought a magazine that was on the verge of bankruptcy, it cost only half a million. And this included two months’ rent. But he couldn’t just let go of these dozens of media outlets that spread rumors so easily. He was not here to do charity.
Since they dared to provoke him and bullied their little pup, they must have the consciousness of going to jail.
Liu Yao said to Tao Mu: “What do you think should be done?”
Before Tao Mu could speak, Meng Qi added unhurriedly: “FlyNews has such a good momentum of development that FlyNews Entertainment should also be expanded. Haven’t you been worrying about the shortage of manpower recently. Just merge these dozens of newspapers and magazines into FlyNews Entertainment. We’ll just lose out a little bit. Who let them be too poor and can’t afford 130 million yuan!”
The editors-in-chief of more than a dozen media outlets looked at Meng Qi in fright. They didn’t expect that this gentle looking man who always smiled so warmly like the spring breeze was the one with the blackest heart.
To annex more than a dozen newspapers and magazines in one go, this was asking for their lives.
Before more than a dozen editors-in-chief had time to speak, they heard Meng Qi casually say: “We will just be a little bit aggrieved, and save them from prison.”
Editors-in-chief: “
..” Alrighty, the other was already the knife while I am the fish, so what more could be said? Nothing!
Thinking about it the other way around. Their dozens of newspapers and magazines were originally third-rate gossip weekly magazines in the industry. If not, they would not have been bribed by Yao Wenxiao’s pittance and committed such a ‘clever’ thing in the first place.
Look at Weibo for example, and the other first-rate newspapers and magazines backed by big capital. No one had taken Yao Wenxiao’s work. They knew that Tao Mu and FlyNews were not common, so they just didn’t bother to dip their toes in this muddy water.
Now that the development momentum of FlyNews was so good, even the development of FlyNews Entertainment was soaring. Maybe their futures would be more promising after these dozens of newspapers and magazines were merged into FlyNews Entertainment.
The dozen editors-in-chief looked at each other depressedly for a while, comforting themselves.
Tao Mu frowned. Before he came, he did not expect that Yao Dad and Xiao Qi Dad had planned this way. But if FlyNews Entertainment annexed these dozen or so newspapers, what would happen to the losses of Night? There were so many people in Night, it was not right to just let them be scolded for so many days for no reason.
Liu Yao chuckled: “You don’t understand this? These dozen newspapers have spread rumors for so many days, and even facilitated the discussions among netizens for so many days. Now the name of Night is practically known to everyone, at least in the area around Beijing. There is no club hotter than us. You may not know this, but after Night became famous, many netizens and your little fans have come here out of curiosity. There are more than ten chain bars under my hand, and the business is incredibly booming now. Especially the club here in Houhai which is full every night. With such good publicity momentum, if we were to spend money to advertise, it would have taken tens of millions.”
Tao Mu was dumbfounded. It could actually be understood in such a way.
“Why not?” Liu Yao rubbed Tao Mu’s hair and replied naturally: “We are dad and son, already a family of three, so don’t you keep on quibbling with me. As your dad, how can what I do for my son be called a loss?” A father’s love was a high as a mountain.
“Besides, doesn’t your Xiao Qi Dad have shares in your FlyNews Entertainment. It’s all from our own family, so what are you doing delineating it so clearly.”
Tao Mu looked at the happy appearance of his Yao Dad and smiled. His phone then suddenly rang.
Tao Mu took out his mobile phone and looked at it, and was momentarily stunned before he subconsciously rejected it. Two seconds later, the phone rang again.
“What’s wrong?” Meng Qi asked, “Whose phone number?”
The name “Shen Chen” was about to blurt out subconsciously. Fortunately, at the critical juncture, Tao Mu suddenly realized that he had already been reborn.
How could a stranger who was reborn back ten years ago and had no relationship with the Shen family know Shen Chen’s mobile phone number?
“I don’t know. Unfamiliar call.” Tao Mu directly blocked it: “It may be an intermediary or some harassing call.”
“That’s also possible.” Meng Qi said, pulling out dozens of acquisition contracts that were already prepared from under the coffee table. First handing it to Tao Mu: “Look at what other terms need to be added.”
These dozens of contracts were also drawn up by Liu Yao, who asked the ruthless lawyer Zhou. Although he was greedy for the 13 million yuan in the lawsuit, Lawyer Zhou also understood that with the background of these dozen newspapers, they definitely wouldn’t be able to come up with so much money. So his main target was Yao Wenxiao’s Yuxiao Media. These dozens of newspapers and magazines were just appetizers.
Based on the professionalism of a first-class lawyer in Beijing, the acquisition contract he drafted naturally fully took into account the rights and interests of FlyNews Entertainment, and Tao Mu had no need to modify it at all.
Meng Qi smiled, and then pushed the contracts to the dozen editors-in-chief: “When you have finished thinking about it, you can sign it.”
Editors-in-chief: “
..”
During this period, Tao Mu’s cell phone kept ringing. The phone number was changed from Shen Chen’s number to father Shen’s, and finally to the two secretaries and assistants. There was a sense of “I will not give up unless you answer the phone.”
Tao Mu had no choice, he really resented that the current smartphones did not have a blacklist system, otherwise he would be able to block all unfamiliar numbers outside the phone book. But now, Tao Mu, who didn’t want to shut down his phone, had to answer the call.
“Hello, Mr. Tao. I am Shen Chen, Shen Yu’s elder brother. We have met before. I am deeply sorry for what happened recently. Shen Yu is the youngest son of the Shen family, and Shen Yan is the only daughter in our family and so they have been spoiled since childhood. I want to apologize face to face for the trouble caused to you.” Shen Chen never talked nonsense and was always straight to the point.
“No need.” Tao Mu was in a good mood now, and did not want to pay attention to the Shen family: “As long as they don’t come again and——”
“Do you want to deal with the Sheng’an Group?” Before Tao Mu finished speaking, Shen Chen spoke again.
“What?” Tao Mu was caught off guard and couldn’t help repeating qhat the other said.
“I know that you have a very close relationship with Mr. Song. I also know that Yao Shengan has an old grudge with Song Ji. I made a private guess, based on Mr. Tao’s disposition, you might not mind suffering wrongs yourself, but you will never let the people around you be wronged.” Shen Chen said, praising Tao Mu a little: “I admire Mr. Tao’s personality. I wonder if Mr. Tao is willing to make a friend in me.”
Tao Mu’s heart sank. He didn’t know what Shen Chen meant by his words.
“Fine.” After pondering for a moment, Tao Mu said in a deep voice: “It is an honor for me to befriend a talent like CEO Shen.”
“I booked a private room in the Imperial Restaurant, and I welcome your arrival tonight.” Shen Chen said with a smile.
Father Shen looked at his eldest son who just hung up the phone, frowned and asked, “Do you really want to join forces with surnamed Tao to deal with the Sheng’an Group? Is it possible?”
Shen Chen smiled slightly: “Of course it’s impossible with just Tao Mu and FlyNews. But Father, don’t forget. Tao Mu is also Li Xiaoheng’s business partner. Xiaoheng Capital is shorting oil in the international market. The situation is so tense, but Li Xiaoheng can still take time from his busy schedule to be concerned about Tao Mu being discredited by more than a dozen gossip magazines. He even specially accepted media interviews to help Tao Mu clarify. It can be seen that Li Xiaoheng values his business partner very much. If Tao Mu asked Li Xiaoheng to unite with Xiaoheng Capital and even the Li family to attack the Sheng’an Group, do you think Li Xiaoheng would refuse?”
Father Shen pondered for a long while, and sighed: “The Shen family and Yao family are family friends. Before, when the Shen Group had a problem with our funds, most of it was borrowed from the Sheng’an Group. Our two families can also be considered to tacitly be in agreement.”
“We are family friends and business partners. But it may not be the case any more in the future.” Shen Chen sat on the leather sofa in the hotel room, leaning forward slightly, pouring a cup of Longjing tea, and handing it to father Shen. But there was a cold arc of indifference to his smile: “Yao Shengan, is a sly, treacherous and calculating old fox who has deep and sharp vision. He is now eyeing the real estate industry and is trying his best to get the Sheng’an Group into the Shanghai city housing market. The land in the Pudong New Area before, if it weren’t for Yao Shengan’s own desire to own it, even if the two tigers compete, we might not have lost to the Luo Group.”
“Father, the foundation industry of Sheng’an Group is catering. Their cash flow is already more abundant than that of the Shen Group’s. With Yao Shengan’s vision, if he really wants to enter the real estate industry, will the Shen Group really have the confidence to beat the Sheng’an Group in the bidding field at that time?”
“Shanghai City is too small. One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Since the Shen Group can guarantee the dominance of one family, why should we tolerate two tigers competing?”
Hearing what his son said, father Shen fell silent. After a long while: “That said. But can you guarantee that surnamed Tao will be reliable? Will he tell Yao Shengan your thoughts and sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight instead?”
“What can he tell Yao Shengan? Tell him I admire him for provoking the behemoth that is the Sheng’an Group?” Shen Chen chuckled, “Father, don’t worry. Since Tao Mu can create FlyNews in such a short time, as well as make Li Xiaoheng treat him with trust and respect, he is a smart man. Since he is a smart man, he will not do stupid things.”
“But he has such an unpleasant relationship with Yan’er and Yu’er——”
Shen Chen waved his hand: “It’s just children having a temper. It’ll be fine when misunderstandings clear up.”
“Because they are all children, it’s not easy to persuade them. Otherwise, where did the saying that young people have an energetic temper come from.” Father Shen gave a wry smile and suddenly said: “Yan’er and Yu’er were spoiled by me and your mother. In everything they only know to follow their own temper and never consider the overall situation. I’m afraid that you won’t be able to have much help in the future. Do you blame me? “
Shen Chen smiled slightly, and poured another cup of tea for father Shen: “Father has no need to worry. Didn’t we agree? It is enough just for the eldest son of the Shen family to preside over the overall situation. Let Yan’er and Xiao Yu accompany you two elders. They can also help me show more filial respect to you and mom.”
“That’s true.” Father Shen smiled and looked at his handsome and steady eldest son. He felt gratified: “I am satisfied with having such an excellent son like you. Our family really doesn’t need Yan’er and Yu’er to worry too much about company affairs. If the two younger ones are like you and put their minds on the company every day, your mother and I will be lonely.”
Shen Chen smiled slightly and offered tea again: “It’s all this son’s fault for not being unfilial.”
Father Shen took the tea and sighed silently. His son has matured, and being too talented could also be a headache. As a father, he had to comfort himself from time to time. Fortunately, there was only one headache for him in their family. It was better to have only one branch of the tree thriving than brotherly strife.
“If you want to get rid of the grievances between Tao Mu and the Shen family, Yan’er and Yu’er must make amends personally. Yu’er is easy to convince, he has always been soft-tempered and obedient. It’s just that Yan’er is too proud, I’m afraid she won’t lower her head.” As father Shen spoke, he also felt a headache again. He just said that there was only one headache in their family, only to slap himself in the face right now. Fortunately——
“Yan’er is most afraid of you as the elder brother. So this matter will be left to you to talk to her about.” Father Shen shook his hand and handed the problem to his son directly. He stood up and said, “I’m going to see your mother. You say, children fighting among themselves is understandable, but why did she join in the nonsense as well.”
Shen Chen got up and saw his father out of the hotel room. When he watched his father enter his mother’s room, he said lowly to his confidant and secretary, “Call the eldest miss and Yu’er over.”
Shen Yan, who had been waiting in her room nervously, trembled when she heard the knock on the door. She hugged Shen Yu and said, “Xiao Yu, big brother, he pampers you the most. If he scolds me later, you must help me.”
“En.” Shen Yu nodded vigorously, and held Shen Yan’s hand: “Sister, don’t worry. I definitely won’t let big brother scold you.”