After rebirth, I became a great master

Chapter 461 This is your secret.
night.

As expected, Song Yongjun arrived, as if he were going to a meeting alone.

Zhou Haoran booked a small private room and ordered several main dishes, including braised daylily, ginger duck, sea worm jelly, and shrimp in tomato sauce, which cost more than 1300 yuan.

We haven't even ordered any alcohol yet.

Song Yongjun frowned upon seeing this.

"I've seen your situation. You earn a lot of commission from sales, but you can't afford to squander it like this, can you?"

"It's all small change."

"You're not really a corrupt official, are you?" Song Yongjun's expression was stern and complicated. "I know about the Red Star Card project you did before, which received a commendation from the station. I heard that the total amount of that project exceeded 500 million yuan, and there was quite a bit of kickbacks involved, wasn't there?"

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "It's very lucrative, probably a million."

The expenses of the Red Star Card project on the Red Star TV side exceeded the revenue of Zhongbo Software by 100 million yuan.

Where did that million go?

Song Yongjun's eyes widened, and he became furious. "You really dare to tamper with it?"

Zhou Haoran said helplessly, "Director Song, do you think I have the power to tamper with such a big project?"

"Ok?"

Song Yongjun was taken aback.

Zhou Haoran said calmly, "If there was any profit involved, guess who took it?"

Song Yongjun's face darkened; he naturally knew who he was referring to.

"I heard that you used to be very assertive at the general channel, and everyone supported you, which made the director less authoritative than you. Why did you decide to come to the lifestyle channel?"

Zhou Haoran spoke very casually, not at all like a subordinate.

Song Yongjun was a little uncomfortable with his tone, "Just say what's on your mind."

Zhou Haoran said calmly, "I can guess that after Zhan Yushan was promoted to deputy director and put in charge of the general channel, he kept getting frustrated. That's why he set a trap for you, making you the director of the lifestyle channel. On the surface, it's a promotion, but in reality, it's a mess."

"No matter where you heard it from, this is not something you should be involved in!"

Song Yongjun frowned.

Clearly, they hadn't had enough contact with Zhou Haoran and thought he was low-ranking and young.

Zhou Haoran couldn't help but chuckle, "You're pretty bold too. At first, I thought you were just a reckless fool, otherwise you wouldn't have gone to the film studio to cause trouble for me. Later I realized that you were just using a feint to cover your tracks."

"Ok?"

Song Yongjun was slightly taken aback.

Zhou Haoran said, "On the surface, you seem very aggressive, immediately targeting me, a celebrity on the lifestyle channel. But actually, you're just trying to divert attention, making people think you want to use me to establish your authority. In reality, you never intended to harm me, right?"

Song Yongjun immediately laughed angrily, "Where do you get your confidence from?"

Zhou Haoran narrowed his eyes. "Your deceptive scheme might fool most people, but it won't fool me, nor will it fool Zhan Yushan! They already know who you're targeting by investigating the accounts behind my back!"

"Who told you all this?"

Song Yongjun was no longer as relaxed as before, and his gaze towards him became complicated.

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "Do I need someone else to tell me that? Zhan Yushan is a pioneer of the reformists. Reformists, huh... that's good, I quite like them. The advantage of reformists is that they have a strong sense of openness and are better able to adapt to the market economy environment, which can drive the rapid development of Hongxingtai. The disadvantages are also obvious, their accounts are not clean."

Song Yongjun no longer dared to treat him as an ordinary young man.

Zhou Haoran asked, "Your counterattack strategy is nothing more than finding incriminating evidence against Zhan Yushan by checking the accounts. However, the accounts are in disarray, making it very difficult to investigate. It may take a year or two to find out the truth."

Song Yongjun rarely smiled. "Thank you for providing the reconciliation mini-program."

"So, you really found it?"

Zhou Haoran stared at him.

Song Yongjun remained tight-lipped, saying, "You don't need to know."

Zhou Haoran was both amused and annoyed. He said rather bluntly, "Director Song, you think I'm too young to get involved in this kind of thing? I think you're just reckless, immature, and wishful thinking!"

Song Yongjun wasn't angry at all. He said rather ridiculously, "Fine, then tell me, how am I being wishful?"

Zhou Haoran said frankly, "This morning, Zhan Yushan had a talk with me, a very private talk."

"Ok?"

Song Yongjun raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Haoran said, "He said that he had already built the Lifestyle Channel into an impregnable fortress, and you couldn't possibly do anything. You couldn't even pass the three-month probation period, and he expected to step down before the Spring Festival! But now, 'Everyone's Art' is too outstanding and has already generated a strong social effect, becoming your political achievement, which has shaken his plans."

"what happened?"

Song Yongjun was immediately put on the defensive and led by the nose. Zhou Haoran, having seized the initiative, was no longer in a hurry. As the waiter brought out the dishes, he smiled and said, "Let's eat first and chat while we eat."

Song Yongjun was an old-fashioned conservative who lived a very frugal life. He couldn't stand the table full of delicious food and sighed, "Haoran, I don't know if your money is clean or not, but don't do things like this again. How can the two of us finish all this food? It's such a waste."

Zhou Haoran smiled and said, "Consumption is an important driving force for economic development."

"We can't waste it."

Song Yongjun had heard similar arguments from many market-oriented economists, but he found them hard to accept. He was also somewhat awkward during the meal, seemingly reluctant to touch the delicious food.

Zhou Haoran was much more casual, saying while eating, "Zhan Yushan told me that the ratings of 'Everyone's Art Up' are too high, which has become a kind of protection for you and is beyond his control."

Song Yongjun said, "I don't need a program to protect me!"

Zhou Haoran ignored his pride. "He told me to lower the quality of the 'Everyone's Art' program and reduce the ratings to around 10%. He said that by removing my halo, he could proceed with the next step of his plan."

"What did you say?"

Song Yongjun was stunned.

Zhou Haoran said mockingly, "Surprised? You didn't investigate the 'Family Matters' matter?"

"Is this the reason for 'Family Matters'?"

Song Yongjun opened his eyes wide.

Zhou Haoran chuckled, "Director Song, the station manager told me before that the Lifestyle Channel is a monolithic entity, and you can't make a ripple. I didn't believe it, but now I really do. You don't even know the truth about 'Family Matters'?"

Song Yongjun's chewing motion froze.

These two pieces of news truly gave him the creeps.

Then came overwhelming rage!

"The family dramas and the arts program 'Everyone's Art' are both high-quality programs on Red Star TV, and they are state-owned assets!"

Song Yongjun was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged.

Zhou Haoran calmly picked up his food and ate, without any emotional fluctuations.

Once the other party had calmed down a bit, he slowly said, "Director Song, you're using a feint to attack me while secretly trying to audit the accounts... That's a very clumsy tactic. The exhibition director saw right through it. He's certain you won't be able to find out anything in a short time!"

"Thank goodness you're here..."

Song Yongjun's mindset changed instantly. In a daze, he finally realized that the young man in front of him, whom he had always disliked, was his savior.

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "Now you have a head start, which is that you have obtained the reconciliation mini-program I developed, which greatly improves your efficiency in checking accounts. What used to take you a year to check can now be done in three days with the software."

"Do you have any idea?"

Song Yongjun also realized that he was intentionally helping him.

Zhou Haoran put down his chopsticks and said in a deep voice, "It's still your old trick: feigning one thing while secretly doing another."

"Ok?"

Song Yongjun was completely bewildered, but his demeanor had completely changed; he was now the one seeking advice.

Zhou Haoran said, "You're checking the accounts? This is a classic case of 'openly repairing the plank road' (a tactic used to deceive people). You can check as much as you want; Zhan Yushan isn't afraid at all. The accounts are such a mess; according to normal procedures, you won't get the results within several months."

"But I've already got it."

Song Yongjun finally told him the truth and revealed the whole story.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Haoran gained confidence. "Financial evidence alone is far from enough. You need to secure witnesses and allies. I've already paved the way for you."

"What way?"

"My 'Everyone's Art Up,' Director Song, this isn't just a program! This is your scheme!"

"Haoran, tell me your thoughts. What do you plan to do?"

Song Yongjun could tell from his words and actions that he was not a young man at all; he was truly shrewd and capable.

Zhou Haoran said, "First, 'Everyone's Art Up' and 'Happy Family' on the entertainment channel are currently airing in the same time slot, competing with each other. I didn't understand it before, but now I know that this is Zhan Yushan's intentional arrangement to lower the ratings of 'Everyone's Art Up.' Perhaps he also wants to use 'Everyone's Art Up' to suppress 'Happy Family' and thus attack Yi Changping."

Song Yongjun took a deep breath. The complexity of the situation was beyond his imagination. "I heard that when Yi Changping was on the lifestyle channel, he and Zhan Yushan were mortal enemies."

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "The enemy of my enemy is my ally."

Song Yongjun shook his head. "I have no dealings with Yi Changping. He got his position through connections, and I don't respect him."

Zhou Haoran was both amused and exasperated. "Director Song, this is no longer the time for you to play the high and mighty! To help you, even I have to make huge concessions!"

"You're going to back down?"

"Okay, I've decided. We're temporarily suspending the broadcast of 'Everyone's Artistic Awakening'!"

(End of this chapter)