From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Mentioning this matter, Qiqi sighed in despair:

"I've reported it to the police and consulted a lawyer. The police only recognize that paper contracts have legal effect. The contract is legally binding with a signature, so even if I file a lawsuit, I have no chance of winning and will only end up losing money for nothing."

These kinds of problematic contracts are indeed easy to fool people. Even if she had read them carefully, it would be difficult for ordinary people to spot the traps. They are specifically designed to scam newbies.

I pressed further, "Were the other streamers also tricked into signing contracts?"

"A small portion of them joined voluntarily, but the rest were all tricked or coerced into signing contracts, and once they were in, they had no choice in what they did," Qiqi replied truthfully.

I paused for a moment, then tentatively asked:

"If all of you victimized livestreamers unite and file a formal complaint against Xingyao Media, would you dare?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Qi immediately shook her head, her tone filled with panic: "Impossible! We signed first, so we're already in the wrong. We can't win a lawsuit, and a joint report would only humiliate us and force us to pay a huge amount of liquidated damages!"

"Sue me, but exposing me is a different story."

After a pause, I continued, "Xingyao profits from streamer traffic, and the entire internet is watching its reputation. Once multiple streamers collectively expose the shady contract practices, the platform and regulatory authorities will definitely intervene and investigate. Fangheng's company simply cannot withstand a thorough investigation."

Upon hearing my words, Qiqi immediately frowned and fell silent.

I didn't rush or pressure her; I gave her space to think.

I picked up my chopsticks, looked at the exquisitely arranged dishes on the table, and asked:

"Are these vegetables okay to eat?"

Qi Qi nodded absentmindedly: "Okay, eat whatever you like."

I calmly and composedly picked up some food and ate my meal.

In contrast, Qiqi seemed restless throughout.

After about two minutes, she finally spoke, "How confident are you about doing this?"

She asked me that question to test my abilities.

I couldn't tell her either, so I just said, "Are you aware that Xingyao Media, owned by Fang Heng, has been evading taxes for a long time?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Qi looked completely bewildered and shocked, shaking her head repeatedly: "I had absolutely no idea, really?"

Without offering any further explanation, I stated directly, "My plan is simple: all of you victimized streamers, choose the same livestream time slot and publicly recount your experiences of being tricked into signing contracts, exploited by the company, and having your personal freedom restricted. The more realistic your stories and the more tragic your ordeals, the better, to generate significant public attention."

"With the entire internet audience fueling public opinion, the platform couldn't withstand the pressure, and regulatory authorities will definitely come to investigate tax and contract issues."

Qiqi looked troubled: "But our live stream is monitored by company operations staff at all times. We dare not say anything out of turn. If we do, the live stream will be shut down on the spot."

"It only takes one sentence. The operations team won't have time to control the screen and ban it. By then, so many viewers will know, and there will definitely be a lot of clips uploaded to the platform. It's impossible to control the popularity."

Qiqi remained with her head down and brows furrowed, her mind filled with lingering worries.

I saw through her worries and continued to reassure her, "Don't worry, live streaming is a public event, and in front of the entire online audience, company personnel wouldn't dare to physically harm you; at most, they'd threaten you. If they did, their crimes would be compounded."

She sighed and said in a deep voice, "I'm willing to cooperate, but my live stream only gets one or two thousand viewers a day. The traffic is too small to make a splash. Besides, the other streamers in the company have different ideas. I can't influence everyone by myself."

This is indeed a problem.

I looked at her and patiently asked, "What are the other streamers really thinking?"

Qi Qi gave a bitter smile, her eyes full of helplessness, and said, "They're all like me, who wants to be tied up all the time! Besides, the pay they give is too little. To put it bluntly, they're just using us, but no one dares to take the lead in resisting."

"That makes things easier. After you get back, privately add all the victimized livestreamers to the same WeChat group, and then add me to the group. I'll personally speak on their behalf."

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I'll add you on WeChat, and we can connect online afterwards."

I took out my phone, opened WeChat, and Qiqi scanned the QR code to add me as a friend.

Because of the strict management of her company and the limited time she could spend outside, she didn't chat for long before getting up to say goodbye.

Stepping out of the private restaurant, a striking red Mercedes sports car was parked steadily on the side of the road.

I recognized the car owner at a glance, and without the slightest surprise, I walked straight to the car.

He opened the car door and got in, then rolled down the window and looked at Qiqi, who was still standing on the street not far away.

"Remember, don't delay this. Give me a final answer as soon as possible."

Qiqi, standing on the street, stared at me, completely stunned, as I sat inside the red luxury sports car.

I looked away, turned to Su Qing in the driver's seat, and said calmly, "Drive."

Su Qing frowned, looking at me with a blank and puzzled expression: "What do you mean? You specifically called me here just to stop here?"

"Do me a favor, hurry up and go."

Su Qing glanced at Qi Qi suspiciously, then turned to look at the stunned Qi Qi on the side of the street. She pursed her red lips slightly, stepped on the gas, and drove away from the roadside.

As she drove, she asked, "Who was that girl just now?"

"A female anchor signed with Xingyao Media, a company under Fang Heng," I explained simply.

Su Qing frowned slightly: "Why did you ask her out?"

"I have a clever plan," I said vaguely, not intending to explain in detail to her.

Su Qing immediately rolled her eyes at me with disdain and let out a cold snort:

"So you messaged me at the last minute to come over just to borrow my sports car so you could show off?"

That's right.

Just now in the private room, Qiqi hesitated and was timid the whole time, not daring to trust me.

At that time, I secretly sent a message to Su Qing, asking her to drive to Haitang Road.

I didn't explain why, but to my surprise, she, with her easygoing nature, actually came over.

I turned to look at her, smiled, and said, "Thanks. Without the backing of my luxury car, she wouldn't believe I have the ability to fight Fang Heng, let alone dare to join forces with me."

Su Qing rolled her eyes again, her tone arrogant and playful: "You've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve. I'd like to see how much trouble you can stir up and dare to go head-to-head with Fang Heng."

"As expected, Fang Heng's media company will be severely damaged this time."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Who gave you that confidence?"

"Myself."

"So narcissistic, I can't stand it." Su Qing pouted, her face full of disgust.

I gave a wry smile, a sense of irony rising within me: "Interesting. You rich people are so determined about your goals, that's called confidence. We lowly folks refuse to accept our fate, so we call it narcissism, is that it?"

"Isn't that right? Fang Heng can easily use his connections to completely blacklist you in the entire food delivery industry, leaving you with nowhere to go. What can you possibly fight against him?"

"You don't need to say these things to discourage me, it's useless." I said calmly, "I won't sit idly by and wait to die."

Su Qing snorted twice, then said matter-of-factly, "I haven't had lunch yet. I came here out of kindness to help you out, so you have to treat me to a meal to make up for it."

I smiled and teased her, "I dare to treat you, are you brave enough to eat?"

"What do you dare to eat but not eat?"

I chuckled to myself and pointed the way: "Turn right at the next intersection."