RoleplayNovel Chapter 69 My pig farm doesn't even need you
Chapter 69 My pig farm doesn't even need you
The cold air in the office seemed to seep into her clothes through the gaps. Sun Shan clutched the report full of ugly data, her fingertips trembling.
With channels restricted, public opinion completely destroyed, and new data plummeting, his Guangyao Studio has absolutely no way to turn things around, relying solely on its resources and connections.
The only way to stop the losses is to go to Ding Sanshi to report the truth and ask the company to mediate.
But as soon as the thought of going to report came to his boss, he immediately had second thoughts. He hesitated, his feet pacing back and forth, unable to take the first step toward his boss's office.
Sun Shan knew perfectly well that even if the boss used his resources to negotiate, it was still uncertain whether he could lift Xun Teng's traffic restrictions and reverse the project's decline.
But receiving a severe scolding was almost a certainty.
Although the boss said he could confront XunTeng head-on, what if the wolf really comes? Will the boss change his mind at the last minute?
They wouldn't actually offer themselves up as prostitutes, would they?
Sun Shan's throat tightened, his face filled with conflict and fear. He sighed deeply, gripped the report in his hand, and hesitated for a long time before finally stepping out of the office.
Seeing his dilemma, the deputy beside him whispered a word of advice:
"Mr. Sun, there's no way to avoid this. The longer we drag it out, the greater the losses to our channels will be, and the consequences will only become more severe."
Sun Shan gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with regret. He had acted rashly and impulsively, and now he had to face the mess himself.
The deputy was right. If we dragged it out, the project would be completely dead, the entire studio would take the blame, and he would be even more responsible. Going now would at least leave a sliver of hope for salvage.
He trembled as he straightened his crumpled shirt, folded the appalling data report in half and clutched it tightly. He took a deep breath and dragged his heavy steps toward the chairman's office on the top floor.
The corridor, which was only a few dozen meters long, took him longer than a century to walk.
All the way there, my mind was filled with the worst possible outcome:
Dismissal, demotion, being publicly blamed, being cut off by the group, industry blacklisting...
The thought that he had been used as a "scapegoat" by XunTeng made him feel even colder inside.
Yang Yi's approach to extortion is that of a powerful figure, characterized by meticulous planning, strength, products, and a strong foundation.
He was trying to scam a big shot; it was pure suicide.
Finally, he stood at the door of the chairman's office.
His fingertips trembled as he raised his hand to knock on the door.
A calm voice came from inside: "Come in."
The calmer things seemed, the more panicked Sun Shan felt.
He knew that before the storm, there is often silence.
The atmosphere in the chairman's office was heavy and so quiet it was almost suffocating.
Sun Shan hung his head, his shoulders tense, and dared not look up to meet anyone's gaze. He trembled all over, looking as if he had committed a terrible crime and was heartbroken.
Ding Sanshi looked at him quietly, his brows furrowed.
Having navigated the business world for decades, he possesses an exceptional ability to judge character and situations. The fact that he could frighten Sun Shan to such an extent suggests that Xun Teng's retaliation has landed with pinpoint accuracy.
While the pig farm may not be as large as Xunteng's, it has been deeply rooted in the industry for many years and has a solid foundation, so it will never easily back down from a challenge.
Seeing this, he softened his tone, intending to calm people down first and reassure the extremely frightened Sun Shan.
"Don't worry, the company will never give up on you."
A simple, calm, and powerful sentence instantly suppressed the panic and despair in Sun Shan's heart.
With the boss's promise to cover everything, Sun Shan's long-tense nerves finally relaxed a little. She quickly raised her head, her voice trembling with a mix of sobs and relief.
He intermittently recounted the entire incident, the collapse of public opinion, the censorship and blocking of all channels, and his own speculation on the logic of "making an example of someone."
After hearing the whole story, Ding Sanshi frowned and asked, "Are you saying that Xunteng didn't take advantage of the weaker bee colony's misfortune, but instead went to great lengths to make an example of you?"
Sun Shan nodded hurriedly, barely daring to breathe.
The office was silent for a while before Ding Sanshi looked up and stared at Sun Shan for two seconds before saying, word by word:
"The fact that they dare to openly attack people in my pig farm means they are certain that I cannot protect you."
Why are they so sure? You must have missed reporting some information to me.
Sun Shan's mind went blank, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head.
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found that his throat felt like it was being choked, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
The boss is right.
Xunteng isn't stupid. Anyone who dares to mess with pig farms will have to think twice. Unless—they have a trump card, a trump card that Ding Sanshi can't turn against.
But the problem is... what did he fail to report?
Sun Shan frantically searched his memory, recalling every email, every meeting, and every decision made since the project's inception, wishing he could turn his memory upside down.
Nothing.
I can't remember anything.
Ding Sanshi looked at the bewildered Sun Shan and knew that he wouldn't get anything out of her by asking.
In his current state, let alone reporting on his work, he probably has to think for ages about what he ate for breakfast.
He still needs to go find it himself.
"No rush, think about it some more." Ding Sanshi picked up his thermos and took a sip of tea. His tone was unhurried, as if he were chatting with a neighbor. "Let me see that 'Ten Deadly Sins of Bees' that you sent me first."
He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, with a hint of curiosity. "I'd like to see how you managed to come up with all ten."
Sun Shan dared not be negligent. He hurriedly rummaged through his briefcase and pulled out the document, handing it over with both hands, his posture as respectful as if he were presenting a memorial to the emperor.
Ding Sanshi took it, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and read on with great interest.
On the first page, his brow was slightly furrowed.
On the second page, his eyebrows were furrowed.
On the third page, the corners of his mouth turned down.
Page 4...
"Snapped!"
Ding Sanshi slammed the documents on the table, his face as black as ink. He took off his glasses and slowly wiped the lenses—
Sun Shan had seen this action before; the last time he saw it was the day the boss berated a secretary until she cried and resigned.
Ding Sanshi put his glasses back on and took a deep breath.
He finally understood. Why did Xun Teng act at this particular time? Why did they act without the slightest hesitation?
The answers are all in these ten points.
The accusations listed by Sun Shan—monopolizing popularity, maliciously reducing the scope of content, deliberately controlling comments, and stirring up trouble—are all applicable to XunTeng and NetEase, except for the fourth one which barely touches on the issue.
This isn't an insult to Hive; it's taking their own and XunTeng's dark history, copying it, and then trying to pin it on Hive's head.
Ding Sanshi grew angrier the more he thought about it, until he laughed out loud. He grabbed the document and threw it at Sun Shan, scattering the papers in mid-air and crashing to the ground.
"Is this the article you wrote to launch the group buy?"
"Did you consider whether your stance was tenable when you wrote it?"
Sun Shan shrank back, wondering what he had done wrong.
"Which of these ten points doesn't apply to XunTeng and hog farms?" Ding Sanshi spoke slowly, each word deliberate and deliberate, like a dull knife cutting flesh. "Are you actually criticizing swarms of bees, or are you using this opportunity to satirize XunTeng and hog farms?!"
"If the bee colony simply replies with a casual 'XunTeng did it too,'" Ding Sanshi tapped his finger on the table, making a loud thud, "public opinion would immediately be directed at XunTeng. Why wouldn't XunTeng make an example of you?"
"With your skill level, you might as well go work at my pig farm and raise pigs!"
"President Ding...I..." Sun Shan's voice trembled, like a spider's web broken by the wind.
"Don't call me." Ding Sanshi picked up his thermos and took a big gulp, which burned his teeth—but he endured it without making a sound, because if he cried out now because of the heat, his momentum would completely collapse.
He pointed with the cup lid to the documents on the floor. "Pick them up. Go through them again. From day one in Cologne, not a single word can be missed."
"If you can figure things out clearly, I should still be able to protect you..."
Sun Shan's face turned pale upon hearing this. President Ding had previously said that he would "absolutely not give up."
But he didn't dare to argue with Boss Ding, so he could only bend down and pick up the papers scattered on the ground.
As I was picking them up, my fingers touched one of the pages—it happened to be the third one he had written.
He froze for a moment.
What was the third point about again?
"BeeSwarm uses player word-of-mouth to create a mythical image, deliberately cultivating a public opinion atmosphere that 'anything from BeeSwarm is a masterpiece,' thereby indirectly suppressing competitors..."
Sun Shan stared at the line of text, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—isn't this exactly what the pig farm used to do?
Back when Fantasy Westward Journey was popular, didn't they promote it in the same way?
He suddenly looked up at Ding Sanshi.
Ding Sanshi was holding a thermos, his gaze passing over the rim of the cup as he looked at him coldly.
That look, translated, means: Have you figured it out?
Sun Shan suppressed the thought, lowered her head, and continued picking up the papers.
Never mind, let's pick up the paper first.
He neatly stacked the stack of papers, held them with both hands, placed them back on Ding Sanshi's table, and then took two steps back.
Ding Sanshi didn't look at him. His gaze was fixed on the "Ten Deadly Sins of the Bee Swarm," and his fingers slowly traced the lines on the paper as he read.
"You say XunTeng plagiarized? Fine, they did plagiarize." Ding Sanshi's voice wasn't loud, but every word made Sun Shan's eyelids twitch. "You say Beehive staged an accident? Fine, that kid Yang Yi is indeed a master of staged accidents."
"But if you pile all these things together, label them as the 'Ten Deadly Sins,' and post them—" Ding Sanshi glanced at Sun Shan, "what do you think netizens will think?"
Sun Shan's lips moved, but she didn't dare to make a sound.
Netizens might say: "Oh, is NetEase getting desperate? Their own 'Terrorist Hunt' game turned out like that, instead of thinking about how to fix it, they're resorting to insults?"
Ding Sanshi laughed in exasperation as he spoke, threw the documents on the table, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the ceiling.
"Do you know how I feel right now? It's like your mom got into an argument with someone at the market, couldn't win, and then pushed you out there—'Come on, come on, you talk to him.'"
Sun Shan's face turned bright red, and she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
"And what did you do?" Ding Sanshi sat up straight, pointing at the table with his finger. "You went up to him and handed him a brick, dragged your mother in front of him, and said, 'Come on, smash it here, or I'll look down on you.'"
Sun Shan lowered his head: "President Ding, I... I didn't think that much at the time."
"Didn't think that much about it?" Ding Sanshi's voice suddenly rose. "You, the head of a studio, didn't even think before posting? Why didn't you think about what would happen to your three mistresses?!"
Sun Shan shuddered and almost lost his balance.
He subconsciously glanced back at the doorway—it was tightly closed, so the soundproofing should be decent.
"Don't worry, no one outside can hear you." Ding Sanshi glanced at him, his tone returning to its usual unhurried manner.
"You think I don't know about your petty affairs? I'm just too lazy to care. Men, if they have a little money, it's normal for them to have trouble controlling their spending."
He paused, then changed the subject, "But if you can't control your mind, then there's no hope."
"Alright, stop standing there and go back." Ding Sanshi waved his hand, his tone impatient as if shooing away a fly. "I don't have any other options right now, I can only passively deal with it and see how things go."
"If there isn't much public backlash, I'll try my best to protect you."
Sun Shan's face turned pale. She turned around and dragged her leaden legs toward the door.
In less than twenty minutes, it went from absolute to as much as possible?
As I reached the door, my hand rested on the doorknob, and I suddenly stopped.
"Mr. Ding."
"Um?"
"Um..." Sun Shan said in a muffled voice, his back to Ding Sanshi, "If... if Xun Teng doesn't give a clear answer, what... what will happen to me?"
Ding Sanshi did not answer.
The silence behind him was deafening, making it hard for Sun Shan to breathe.
"Go out and close the door behind you." Ding Sanshi's voice came from behind, calm and without a trace of emotion.
Sun Shan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, turned the doorknob, and went out.
Ding Sanshi stared at the closed door, expressionless, for three or four seconds before picking up his thermos and leisurely taking a sip.
The tea was no longer too hot; it was just right for drinking.
He smacked his lips, then suddenly chuckled and shook his head.
"No brains, yet trying to be overly sentimental," Ding Sanshi muttered to himself, his tone unreadable, whether it was disdain or something else. "'What will I do?'—What can I do to you?"
He placed the thermos on the table, the bottom of the cup hitting the solid wood table with a dull thud.
"If XunTeng wants to take you down, can I stop them? Even if I could, it wouldn't be worth it."
Ding Sanshi leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his stomach, and looked up at the chandelier on the ceiling. The light was blinding, and he squinted, going over the whole incident in his mind—
Sun Shan's article "Ten Deadly Sins of the Beehive," XunTeng's complete channel blockade, and the back view of that kid standing at the door asking "What will happen to me?"
It looked pitiful, like a dog chained up in the rain by its owner.
"If only he had consulted me before posting, he wouldn't have made such a big mistake," Ding Sanshi muttered to himself, his voice as calm as if he were talking about what was served in the cafeteria that day. "Now look what's happened, he's coming here to get all sentimental."
"You think I'm reluctant to part with you?"
"I just can't bear to see that project fail. Money was invested, people were poured in, and now it's all gone!"
"Even my pig farm doesn't want you!"
Ding Sanshi leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples with his thumbs.
After rubbing for about half a minute, he opened his eyes, picked up his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and found a number—Little Ma's.
My finger hovered over the dial key for a moment.
"No rush."
He placed his phone face down on the table. "Let the public opinion swirl for a while. It's not too late to talk about it after everyone has forgotten about Sun Shan."
"A pig farm can afford to raise one idiot, but it can't afford to raise an idiot who has offended both Xunteng and Beehive to death."
Ding Sanshi reached out and pressed the call bell on the table.
The secretary pushed the door open and came in.
"Bring me the personnel budget sheet for Guangyao Studio in the third quarter." Ding Sanshi said calmly. "And while you're at it, inform the finance department that Sun Shan's year-end bonus—no need to calculate it."