Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

Longquan Winery, Chairman's Office.

Zhou Jianjun stared at the financial news that had just popped up on his phone, his face turning pale.

"In-depth Value Analysis and Risk Warning Report of Longquan Winery - The Twilight of a Century-Old Brand".

The report was signed by a company he had never heard of called "Qingying Capital".

But the content is sharp and incisive.

Declining product quality, chaotic internal management, inflated brand premium, and fragile cash flow.

Every word shattered his last shred of dignity.

He knew that this was Gu Ming's doing.

That young man taught him a lesson he would never forget in just one hour.

"Ring ring—"

The landline on my desk rang; it was the finance director calling.

"Hello Mr. Jay Chou, the one million from Star Media has been transferred as you requested."

"OK, I understand."

Zhou Jianjun hung up the phone, his chest heaving violently.

He lost.

The defeat was complete and humiliating.

But he was not willing to give up.

What right does some greenhorn have to ride on his head? He's a seasoned businessman who's spent half his life in the business world.

If we can't outmaneuver you in business, then we'll resort to the most primitive method: undermining your resources!

Zhou Jianjun's eyes turned sinister.

He picked up his phone and found a number.

The phone is on.

"Hello, is this Xiao Tong?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was a girl's, which surprised me a little.

"Excuse me, are you... perhaps Jay Chou?"

"Haha, yeah, you're amazing, you even recognized my voice."

Zhou Jianjun adopted a kind and amiable tone.

"Xiao Xiao, I heard your song 'The Sky Over Hegang,' and you sang it so well! You have great talent; it's a waste of your abilities for you to stay in a small place like Gu Ming's."

His performance began.

"Listen to me, Xiao, how about you be your own boss?"

"Okay, I'm planning to invest in you and let you set up your own studio. All the resources will be yours, and you'll keep the lion's share of the profits. I guarantee you'll get ten times more than you did with Gu Ming!"

He offered a bait that he believed he couldn't refuse.

Xiao Tong was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, her voice filled with hesitation and flattery.

"Mr. Zhou...isn't this...not really appropriate? President Gu has been very good to me..."

Zhou Jianjun interrupted her directly, his tone very disdainful.

"Oh dear, look at you, he's just an opportunistic kid, who knows how long he'll stay famous. Come with me, I can get you on a much bigger stage!"

"Okay, let's talk face to face. Name your price, and I'll do whatever you ask for as long as I can afford it."

Another silence followed.

"...Okay, then...shall we set a time?"

"Then let's do it tomorrow. You can just come to my office."

"No, Mr. Zhou," the voice on the other end of the phone became wary, "I'd better go to Star Media to see you. President Gu has an appointment with you to sign a contract tomorrow, and I don't want him to suspect anything."

Zhou Jianjun smiled.

The fish has taken the bait.

"Okay, I'll do as you say. See you tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jianjun's sinister expression turned into a smug sneer.

He could already picture Gu Ming's furious yet helpless expression when he discovered that his most popular artist had been poached.

But what he didn't know was...

It was in the Star Media office, just a few kilometers away.

Xiao Tong was holding up her phone, and the call was on speakerphone the entire time.

Gu Ming sat opposite her, amusement on his face.

Every sentence in the conversation just now was spoken by Gu Ming using lip movements.

Xiao Tong put down her phone, let out a long breath, and still looked a little scared.

"Mr. Gu, he... he really wants to poach me."

"He wasn't trying to dig you out at all; he was just courting death."

Gu Ming picked up his phone from the table and pressed the stop recording button.

He looked at the audio file with the same expression he had when examining a trophy.

The next day, at the Star Media office.

Zhou Jianjun arrived ahead of schedule.

He straightened his tie, striking a victorious pose.

When Zhou Jianjun saw Gu Ming come out of the inner room, he immediately put on a fake smile.

"Mr. Gu, by the way, what happened yesterday was my mistake as an elder. Please don't take it to heart."

He wanted to use his status as an elder to lightly brush aside yesterday's conflict.

"The one million has arrived in the account, let's sign the contract today."

Gu Ming didn't say anything.

Gu Ming simply walked over to the sofa opposite Zhou Jianjun, sat down, and then took out his phone in front of him.

Zhou Jianjun's smile was a little stiff.

He didn't understand what Gu Ming meant.

then.

Gu Ming pressed the play button on his phone.

A voice that Zhou Jianjun knew all too well came through the phone clearly.

It was his own voice.

"Hello, is this Xiao Tong?"

"I'll invest in you to set up your own studio..."

"Ten times more than what you got from Gu Ming!"

The recording echoed through the office.

The color drained from Zhou Jianjun's face instantly.

His smile froze on his face.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

My mind went completely blank.

Recording... This kid, he actually recorded it!!

How dare he?! How could he possibly do that?!

Zhou Jianjun's face went from deathly pale to liver red, and finally to ashen.

He tried to explain, but found his throat tighten and he couldn't utter a single word.

Humiliation, anger, fear...

All emotions eventually turned into a cold, indifferent feeling.

He knew he was finished.

In front of this young man, all the methods and scheming he was so proud of became a joke.

"Smack."

Gu Ming turned off the recording.

Gu Ming raised his head and calmly looked at the elder in front of him who had already suffered a mental breakdown.

"Jay Chou."

Gu Ming spoke up.

"To be honest with you, you can't poach any of my people at all."

His voice was soft, yet it struck Zhou Jianjun's chest with tremendous force.

Gu Ming picked up a new contract from the side and pushed it in front of Zhou Jianjun.

"Mr. Jay, this is the revised contract. Please take a closer look."

Zhou Jianjun subconsciously looked down.

Other terms remain unchanged.

However, an extra line of handwritten text appeared on the final total cost.

"Party B (Longquan Winery) shall pay Party A (Star Media)'s artist Xiao Tong an additional amount of RMB 200,000 for mental distress, lost wages, and damages for breach of trust in this cooperation."

The total amount changed from one million to one million two hundred thousand.

The handwritten "two hundred thousand" stung Zhou Jianjun's eyes.

This is not a negotiation.

It is a trial.

It is punishment.

Zhou Jianjun suddenly raised his head and looked at Gu Ming.

He saw a pair of completely expressionless eyes.

There was no mockery or anger in those eyes, only coldness that chilled him to the bone.

At this moment, the arrogance, smugness, and ruthlessness in Zhou Jianjun's eyes finally disappeared completely.

Instead, there was pure, unmasked fear.