People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 461 Press Conference Scene (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Three days later, in Midtown Manhattan, on the 42nd floor of the LW Group headquarters building, in the newly rented office space.

With its expanded workforce, LW Group now has five floors of office space in Manhattan, and this press conference was held in the multi-purpose hall on one of those floors.

Li Wei, dressed in a casual suit, arrived at the venue about an hour before the press conference.

On the dark gray backdrop of the lobby, only LW Group's logo and a line of text were printed: Truth is more powerful than lies.

The podium is a custom-made matte black acrylic panel, and the microphone holder is already filled with microphone labels from various media outlets.

Facing the podium were more than 200 chairs, each with a bottle of LW sports drink and a smaller, unwrapped glass bottle of premium beverage.

In addition, there was a newsletter and a pen with the LW logo.

The media check-in area was located at the elevator lobby exit. Reporters arriving there could immediately see an entire wall of LED screens displaying LW's information and photos. Next to it was a long table laden with exquisite refreshments, including handmade sandwiches, juice, coffee, desserts, and fruits.

This display of force left many reporters who had just stepped out of the elevator lobby stunned for a few seconds.

Most companies hold crisis public relations press conferences in a very rushed manner, trying to save as much money as possible.

I've never seen a company like LW that's so slow and unhurried. It's more like a new product launch than a crisis PR press conference.

CNN, FOX, ESPN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Reuters were all present. Dozens of financial media outlets and sports bloggers were seated in the back rows, and even a few YouTubers with millions of followers across the internet were invited.

These reporters had no idea beforehand that Li Wei had organized such a large-scale operation.

"Aren't you sports media? What are you doing here?"

"What does this have to do with you gossip news media?"

"What are you political media outlets doing here? Isn't that president in the White House, who can't keep a secret, more newsworthy?"

The reporters exchanged pleasantries and chatted amongst themselves, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

Just as the reporters were munching on snacks, Li Wei strolled out from the side, carrying a cup of coffee.

An ESPN regular who had interviewed Levi before recognized him at first glance and greeted him warmly.

"Mr. Levi!" He stood up and extended his hand. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Li Wei held a coffee in one hand and shook hands with him in the other.

Immediately, the seven or eight reporters around noticed Li Wei and crowded around, like a fan meeting.

However, looking at the smile on Li Wei's face, they found it very strange.

"Hey, Li Wei, how have you been lately?"

"King, what's your response to the accusations online?"

Is someone deliberately targeting you?

Li Wei didn't rush to answer these pointed questions; he simply smiled and shook hands with everyone, whether he knew them or not.

It looks as steady as an old dog, but it's actually even more steady than an old dog.

A female reporter from Bloomberg observed for a while and finally couldn't help but speak up: "Mr. Levi, if I may be so bold, you don't seem nervous at all?"

As soon as she said that, the reporters around her realized what she meant.

The reason Li Wei looks so strange is because he looks too relaxed.

He looked cheerful, walked with a light step, and his shoulders slumped naturally, as if he were just going downstairs to have a normal breakfast.

"Nervous?" Li Wei shrugged. "What do I have to be nervous about?"

The reporters stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

In just three days, LW Group's secondary market valuation evaporated by nearly $20 billion, distributors froze contracts, senators proposed legislation, and Netflix's planned promotional activities were also halted, leading to speculation that this was due to the recent media storm surrounding Levi.

Any founder in this situation would have been serious and on high alert.

But Li Wei seemed to still have the leisure to pick up his coffee and take a sip.

"If I told you now why I'm not nervous," he said with a laugh, "wouldn't that be considered a leak of the information at the press conference later?"

After he finished speaking, the surrounding reporters exchanged glances, none of them quite understanding whether Li Wei was bluffing or if there was any truth to it.

"We look forward to your remarks later, Mr. Li Wei," a voice said from the sidelines of the reporters.

Li Wei glanced over and recognized a reporter he'd never seen before: "Which agency are you from?"

"The New Jersey Daily Report, sir," the reporter said, his shirt wrinkled and his face looking like that of a poor, honest man, with crumbs of dessert on his chin, indicating he had eaten quite a bit. "Thank you for the invitation, LW, sir."

"Is the taste alright?" Li Wei asked.

The reporter was clearly surprised that Li Wei was interested in this matter, and paused for a moment before saying, "Very, very delicious, sir."

Li Wei pointed at him, then touched his own chin. The reporter realized what was happening and hurriedly patted his chin, his face turning red: "Sorry, sir, I haven't had breakfast yet."

"No allowance? Why don't you have some breakfast before you come?" Li Wei looked at his wrinkled shirt, guessing that he didn't have the money or time to iron it.

"Our allowance is only 30 yuan a day," the reporter said apologetically. "I still have to take the subway home at night."

A reporter from The Wall Street Journal in the front row turned around and said, half-jokingly and half-comfortingly, "You'll get through this. I used to work for The New Jersey Daily. You'll be able to establish yourself in New York someday."

Li Wei looked at at least a dozen media outlets, all of which were tabloids like this, and nodded.

He snapped his fingers at the PR director, who was checking the procedures behind the scenes, signaling her to come over.

The PR director immediately rushed over with a tablet in hand: "Mr. Li Wei."

Regarding the travel expenses, Li Wei said, "All media reporters present, regardless of their status, will be treated equally. Each person will receive $2000, which will be distributed after the event. Go ahead."

All the reporters' eyes widened upon hearing this, and the young reporter from the New Jersey Daily even felt his heart stop for a second.

$2000, that's more than half a month's salary for him!

"Mr. Li Wei," he said, pausing for a few seconds after watching the PR director leave, "this won't affect how I write the article."

The other reporters nodded, but deep down they still appreciated Li Wei's kindness.

Li Wei chuckled, didn't even look, and threw the paper cup behind his head. As if it had eyes, it obediently flew into the trash can, eliciting cheers and applause.

"Don't worry," he said, turning around. "Just write it however you want."

After saying that, he nodded to everyone, "Excuse me, I need to do my makeup first," and then leisurely walked towards the backstage.

"A $2000 travel allowance," one reporter remarked. "Only Mr. Levi would be so generous."

"Could there really be a plot twist?" another reporter asked.

"Go on in, the press conference starts in half an hour," a Bloomberg reporter said. "You'll know soon enough."

Kim Ha-eun pushed open the door to the dressing room, holding an iPad in her hand.

"The online live stream has already started," she said excitedly. "It's being streamed simultaneously on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LW's official account, and your personal account. The number of viewers has already exceeded 230 million."

Li Wei glanced at the numbers, and a thought flickered in his mind.

With over 200 million online viewers and follow-up reports from more than 200 media outlets at the event, the event is expected to reach at least tens of millions of people.

Li Wei couldn't help but laugh when he thought about it.

He has now accumulated 213 million followers out of 1000 million, and this wave of exposure will likely gain him at least several hundred thousand more.

Thanks to Lilly, if it weren't for their meddling, I wouldn't have had this opportunity for promotion.

"Alright!" He glanced at his light makeup. "Let's go!"

The moment Li Wei stepped onto the stage from the side of the stage, the entire audience fell silent.

"Good morning, everyone," he said with a smile, glancing around the press conference room. "Such a grand event makes me quite nostalgic."

"The last time I had so many media outlets and cameras on me," he said, glancing at the online viewership that had soared to 240 million. "It seems like the day I announced my hiatus."

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, and several sports reporters slapped their thighs.

"However, I have no intention of taking a break today," Li Wei tapped the podium. "In fact, I'm afraid some people will be unhappy after I say these words."

In Indianapolis, David Sterling and Dave Lex were also watching the live stream.

David Sterling happened to be looking directly at Levi on the screen, and a bad feeling welled up inside him.

"Over the past three days, a so-called whistleblower has been circulating online, claiming that our LW Group's third new product currently under testing is a scam," Li Wei said calmly. "The other party also attached a third-party test report that looks quite convincing."

The reporters below the stage held their breath, afraid that their breathing would be too loud and they would miss every word Li Wei said.

"All I can say is," Li Wei shrugged, "that their test report is genuine."

The room erupted in uproar, the whispers of the reporters filling the entire venue with a buzzing sound.

"But," Li Wei tapped the podium, "where did their so-called 'products' come from? Actually, we deliberately gave them to them; what they received were just placebos that had been switched."

The buzzing stopped abruptly, and Dave Lex of Eli Lilly turned to look at David Sterling, who was starting to sweat.

"The reason they couldn't detect any effective ingredients," Li Wei said, looking at the reporters below the stage, "is because from the second week of the clinical trials, we identified the spies they had sent and replaced all the test products the spies were taking with placebos."

"So, you might be wondering," he said to the camera, "who exactly are 'them'?"

"They are Eli Lilly and Company, the pharmaceutical giant headquartered in Indianapolis!"

David Sterling jumped up from his chair.

At the press conference, the reporters' shouts rose and fell like a wave, engulfing everyone present.