Chapter 40: An Unexpected Visit (Extended Chapter Bonus)

Translator: 549690339 |

Shark, Tiger Fang, and Wolf Fang all emerged around the same time, but their development has varied greatly. Tiger Fang profited the most among the three major platforms by operating hs, Shark had comprehensive growth with the most traffic, while Wolf Fang…

This platform is somewhat too “high-minded”, unlike the pandering Tiger Fang. Wolf Fang has strict control over its content, which resulted in it having the third-highest traffic.

Honest people tend to lose out, and that saying isn’t wrong.

As for the rest of the platforms, they indeed come up like mushrooms after rain, but they lack the support of major capital. Without someone to take over their operations later, most are just a flash in the pan.

Bi Fang was organizing the strengths and weaknesses of the major platforms on paper, but just after writing a few lines, he suddenly heard his phone ring. Picking it up, he saw it was an unknown number.

When he answered the call, it turned out to be an employee from Tiger Fang’s platform. The caller was very polite and direct in expressing their admiration for him, also severely criticizing Shark’s unethical behavior, and then mentioned that a leader wanted to have a detailed talk with him, inquiring when he would be available, offering to reimburse the ticket cost.

Bi Fang was startled, having not expected the other party to react so quickly.

Although he must have gained some fame in the live streaming world by now, not to mention the heat on B Island, it would be strange if other platforms did not know about this talent. But how long had it been since he rejected Shark? They already found out his number?

There must be a mole…

However, what happens to Shark TV now has nothing to do with him. Bi Fang naturally could not refuse, but he didn’t show too much eagerness either. Instantly agreeing to the other party over a single phone call would only put himself at a disadvantage, surrendering his bargaining power for nothing.

Eventually, they set the meeting for the afternoon of the third day in Magic Capital.

After hanging up the phone, Bi Fang stood and pondered for a while; it seemed the other party had done thorough research. They knew not only his phone number but also his address.

Xicheng City is very close to Magic Capital, just over a hundred kilometers away. Taking the highway, it’s only a bit over an hour’s drive, so that’s why the other party set such a tight schedule.

However, the first call coming from Tiger Fang was unexpected for Bi Fang. He thought Wolf Fang would be the one, considering the situation of the three, they would be the ones who needed quality hosts the most to increase their traffic. No wonder they struggle against the other two platforms—they’re really…

No, that metaphor isn’t quite right.

Bi Fang shook his head, casting the thought out of his mind.

Then he remembered Tiger Fang’s live-streaming performance; although the platform was pandering, its traffic was undeniably top-notch. Even if his style didn’t quite fit in, he was confident he could carve out a niche for himself there.

But he still needed to prepare thoroughly. Choosing a platform was a major decision; the more thorough his research, the more assured he could be. Yet before he could start, the phone rang again. Not knowing who it was, Bi Fang directly picked it up.

As he expected, as a new host with great potential, he had already attracted plenty of attention. Now two more platforms had called to invite him, both smaller but sizable live streaming platforms inviting him to discuss in Magic Capital.

Bi Fang agreed to meet with these platforms as well, also scheduling for the third day.

He calculated the timing; it was tight but doable. The headquarters of these live TV platforms, no matter their size, were all clustered in Magic Capital, which was indeed convenient.

In the following two days, Bi Fang holed up in his rented room. Different platforms would have varying degrees of acceptance, and while attracting their interest, he also needed to think in advance about which terms to propose, which could be negotiated, and which were non-negotiable.

Interests are the essential issue. When dealing with interests, one cannot play the saint. You respect your own interests, and others will respect you.

Time quickly reached evening, and aside from some nuisance calls, Bi Fang had received invitations from a total of four platforms. However, there was still no call from Wolf Fang TV.

It seems the live streaming platforms have very acute senses; sensing any movements from competitors, they immediately take action. As for Wolf Fang TV, do they feel they can’t compete with Tiger Fang, so they’re not even trying to poach? Not even being proactive in grabbing opportunities… there really is a reason why they’re falling behind.

Hopefully, the negotiations after tomorrow will go smoothly.

Bi Fang thought he had some fame now and expected finding a new platform to go smoothly, but the actual events of the third day surprised him.

Although Tiger Fang was very interested in him, the conditions they offered were not that great. The salary was high, more than ten million, but they were stingy about giving traffic resources. Even when Bi Fang asked what kind of promotion he would receive during the visit, the other party sounded evasive.

Bi Fang still remembered clearly what the person in charge said.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Bi, but as the outdoor section is not our main focus, giving you too many resources might seem misplaced. Our users also wouldn’t agree to it.”

What a freaking joke!

So making money from Isp is so easy that you’re addicted and don’t plan to stop, huh?

Can’t you be a little ambitious?

As for the other three smaller platforms, Bi Fang met with them out of courtesy, but the offers they made were poor. They even asked him to do live broadcasts for two rounds first to see the response on their platform before improving his compensation and resources. Bi Fang passed on these conditions straight away.

Future improvement in terms wasn’t the issue, but the System’s tasks had a number requirement that he couldn’t wait for two whole rounds. What if he failed the task? Who knew what would happen?

So even when one company insinuated that they had found major capital backing, Bi Fang immediately declined.

Who knew if it was true or not. Regardless of the truth, they put the offer out there first. Bi Fang had seen too many tricks like this before; they weren’t going to fool him.

This left Bi Fang once mired in self-doubt, wondering if he really should go to Tiger Fang TV? Become a breath of fresh air in a sea of pandering otakus?

Bi Fang sighed deeply in his rented room.

Smooth sailing after transmigration, all of that is just a lie.

He only had one live streaming experience so far, and it still wasn’t enough.

It’s not that it wasn’t possible, but after finally proving his potential, was he really supposed to just wait for it to slowly manifest?

Without sufficient resources, he would never be able to truly make a splash.

Bi Fang always considered himself to be someone with a pioneering spirit, a sense of vigor coursing through his veins, always eager to challenge the heaviest dumbbells at the gym and longing for a broader sky.

But now, the situation had suddenly become rigid.

As a child, Bi Fang loved to fantasize about grasslands, deserts, oceans, starry skies, and dreams of a miraculous journey.

When he first climbed out of the cradle, the living room at home seemed as vast as the whole world. When he was panting from crawling from one end of the living room to the door at the other, he cheered jubilantly, feeling that his enthusiasm and ambition could face any challenge, he could go anywhere. But when he quietly pushed open the door, an overwhelming sense of dread still enveloped him.

It turned out the outside world could be so big, so much so that even the yard at home was not a barrier he could break through.

If he couldn’t cross such a broad lawn or climb over his father’s car, how could he possibly leap to the distant stars?

But his enthusiasm and ambition did not wane; being different didn’t require being able to do everything. As long as he lived up to his own life, there would surely be glory waiting ahead.

So after graduation, Bi Fang joined CWCA just as he wished. He had a venue for his passion and ambition, and his dreams came true.

He traveled far and wide on his own feet, shouting with the morning sun, drinking silently by the still waters late at night, diving in and swimming head- down to the opposite shore, seeing whales and encountering panthers, and then one evening, he sat by the bonfire and wrote these experiences into letters to send to a friend.

But the current difficulties truly stumped him; his passion and ambition found no outlet, leaving him to make choices passively.

The outside world is so vast, yet life is not unlimited. There are always places he cannot go to, things he cannot do.

It seemed, this was it…

At dusk, Bi Fang left his rented room. He had come to a decision; Tiger Fang TV it was. He would try his best, and with some luck, he could sign the contract before the next task, and it would be even better if he could take advantage of the schedule to get one over on Lu Wentao. As he approached the door, he hadn’t even prepared to pull out his keys when he looked up and saw a middle- aged man standing at the doorway.

He asked curiously, “May I help you?”

The middle-aged man was looking at his phone by his door. At the sound of Bi Fang’s voice, he looked up startled, scrutinized Bi Fang, and immediately smiled amicably, “Mr. Bi, I’m looking for you!”

“Looking for me?”

Bi Fang was startled and took a closer look at the middle-aged man; quite ordinary, barely over one meter sixty, slightly chubby, impeccably dressed in a suit, hair slicked and shiny, but lacking any vitality—balding, yellow teeth, as if going through a midlife crisis.

A relative of the original owner of the body?

After recognizing him, Bi Fang struggled to remember but just couldn’t recall meeting such a relative. He had combed through the original owner’s memories and hadn’t come across any relatives like this man.

At that moment, the middle-aged man straightforwardly produced a business card and handed it over with both hands: “Hello, I am Wang Yongbo, the Vice President of Wolf Fang TV. I’ve long admired Mr. Bi Fang’s reputation. My apologies for the intrusion.”

Bi Fang’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Wolf Fang TV might be on the decline, but it was still one of the top three live-streaming platforms with thousands of signed hosts. It’s an existence an ordinary person has to look up to.

And the Vice President, definitely one of the key executives of the platform. No matter what, he was one of the big shots in the industry, certainly not someone a mere manager like Wang Weifeng could compare to!

Now that Bi Fang was also mixing in the live-streaming circle, he didn’t dare to be negligent. He accepted the business card politely with both hands and couldn’t help but take another glance at Wang Yongbo, “I apologize, I don’t have a business card at the moment. May I ask what brings CEO Wang here?” Signing a host shouldn’t require someone of this caliber to make a move, right?

Even though Bi Fang had gained some fame, it was already quite impressive for other live-streaming platforms to send a manager to negotiate. This was actually a rare gesture of sincerity, so even if the platform was small, Bi Fang would agree to meet with them.

That’s how society works—you scratch my back, I scratch yours. It’s basic courtesy.

But Wolf Fang, on the other hand, led with a big move?

So it wasn’t that they hadn’t made a move, they were just waiting for him?

As shocked as Bi Fang was inside, he didn’t fall over himself in gratitude. After all, people are creatures of interest.

“No problem, no problem,” Wang Yongbo was easy to talk to. After handing over the business card, he looked sincerely into Bi Fang’s eyes, “What else would I be here for at this time other than that Wolf Fang is eagerly seeking talents! Please, Mr. Bi Fang, I implore you, join us at Wolf Fang TV!”

Wang Yongbo stepped forward and firmly grasped Bi Fang’s hand, the expression on his face extremely earnest, leaving Bi Fang dumbfounded. He instinctively tried to withdraw his hand but couldn’t move it!