The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 279 Zhang Wei: Is it finally my turn to take the stage?
Before the person they were supposed to meet arrived, Yang Muyi and Luo Xiang chatted about career planning for becoming internet celebrities.

"Professor Luo, because you are a university professor and teach law, this identity determines that your future development path will be relatively limited. You can't advertise or sell products. If you want to monetize your reputation in the future, you may only be able to go back to your old profession, training for the judicial examination."

"Of course, the advantage is that you don't need to spend too much extra effort on content creation. You just need to find someone to film and edit your daily classes and post them online, and your account will gradually grow."

At this stage, Luo Xiang doesn't even need to create his own account; he can just find someone to create a profile for him and build his reputation.

After all, Weibo won't be officially launched until next year, while Bilibili is still primarily a two-dimensional anime website.

It's not very meaningful for Luo Xiang to choose a new name now.

As for who to hire to do the slicing—

Yang Muye and Luo Xiang both thought of the same person.

Zhang Wei, courtesy name Yida.

Also known as Zhang San, nicknamed the outlaw.

Zhang Wei is very familiar with Zhang Kai, Xu Kaiyang and other students from the art academy, so he never lacks help when shooting or editing videos.

The key advantage is that Zhang Wei doesn't have to worry about his identity like Luo Xiang does; once his account is established, he can accept advertising and product sales.

The profits will then be shared with Luo Xiang to maximize profits.

Luo Xiang was listening intently when Yang Muye suddenly raised his hand.

Luo Xiang turned his head and saw a man who looked to be in his early thirties standing at the entrance of the lobby bar, looking slightly nervous.

Seeing Yang Muyi raise his hand in a gesture of greeting, the man cautiously glanced back, then lowered his head and quickened his pace to walk over.

He looks like a "walking 500,000".

Yang Muye did not get up to greet the person who came; instead, he simply pointed to the empty seat opposite him.

After the other party sat down, Yang Muyi pointed to Luo Xiang next to him and introduced him: "This is our school's new criminal law teacher. He is also a practicing lawyer. I invited him here mainly to consult on some legal matters, such as what to pay attention to when reporting to the police if I am blackmailed for 100,000 yuan and have audio evidence."

The man's expression suddenly changed, and he instinctively grabbed the armrests of his seat, trying to get up.

If police sirens sound outside at that moment, he would probably get up and run away immediately.

Yang Muyi then took out a voice recorder: "Would you like to hear what's inside?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Yang Muyi even brought in a lawyer; this kind of show of force doesn't seem like he's trying to fool himself.

"Then you probably don't mind me recording this, right?"

As he spoke, Yang Muyi placed the recording pen on the table.

“You know, Liu Ren’s imprisonment has nothing to do with me. I haven’t handed over the evidence to the police yet because I’ve consulted with professionals. This evidence won’t be of much help in convicting Liu Ren, but it’s enough to send you to jail for a while.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man waved his hand in a flustered manner:

“Mr. Yang, as you know, all of these things were done at my instigation by Liu Ren. The articles exposing you online were also published by Liu Ren through someone else. They have nothing to do with me.”

"Look at what you're saying. You can't only admit to being Liu Ren's nephew when he's doing well, can you?"

The man was taken aback.

Yang Muyi has already found out even this connection?

Seeing that he was being driven into a corner, the man named Liu Feng quickly calmed down.

If Yang Muye really wanted to call the police to arrest him, he wouldn't have needed to make a special trip to meet him.

"Mr. Yang, why did you call me here—"

"Aren't you a reporter? I have a news tip I'd like to share with you."

Liu Feng's first reaction was that Yang Muye was trying to smear and spread rumors about him, and to stir up trouble for someone.

"Mr. Yang, I will not do anything illegal or disorderly."

Yang Muye smiled.

The performance is so obvious, as if you're afraid I won't know you're carrying a recording pen in your pocket, right?
"What are you thinking? There's a criminal law professor sitting right next to me. How could I possibly let you do something illegal or disorderly?"

Although Liu Feng looked unconvinced, he kept agreeing.

Yes, yes, yes, you are right!
"Here's what happened: Recently, two singers who specialize in imitating 'Old Boys' have appeared in various bars in Yanjing. They've been performing commercially without permission. I asked around about their prices, and they can earn the equivalent of two months' salary for an average person by performing at three or four venues a night."

A hint of surprise flashed in Liu Feng's eyes.

Having followed Liu Ren for so many years, he still had a certain sensitivity to news.

If you earn a few hundred or a thousand in one night, it's hard-earned money, and no one will say anything.

Earning tens of thousands in one night is truly an exaggeration.

Such a high premium is clearly due to riding on the popularity of "Old Boys".

Otherwise, Yang Muye wouldn't have specifically asked me to "open the box" for these two.

This seems like something that can be done.

The main problem is that Yang Muye still has something on him.

Once this is done, all previous grievances will be wiped clean.

In an instant, Liu Feng made up his mind.

He stood up from his seat and extended his hand to Yang Muye.

"Mr. Yang, thank you very much for providing the news tip. You will see the news report online by tomorrow night at the latest."

Yang Muye stood up, shook hands with Liu Feng, and watched him leave.

After that, he turned to look at Luo Xiang beside him.

"Teacher Luo, I hope what I just said didn't give the other party any ammunition?"

Luo Xiang shrugged.

He stated at the beginning that online box-opening currently falls into a legal gray area in China, lacking legal standards and basis for conviction and sentencing.

Moreover, Yang Muye only provided news leads to Liu Feng, and there was no conflict of interest between the two parties.

This was entirely Liu Feng's "voluntary" act, and even if the recording were produced, it wouldn't implicate Yang Muye.

Yang Muye nodded.

He trusted Liu Feng's expertise in opening boxes.

Similarly, I also trust Luo Xiang's legal expertise.

Professional tasks should be left to professionals.

-

At noon, Yang Muye invited Xu Hongdou to have lunch together at the school's Maple Tree Restaurant.

Last time Xu Hongmi was hospitalized for surgery, thanks to Yang Muye's help in taking care of her, Xu Hongdou promised to treat Yang Muye to a meal when she returned.

Xu Hongdou had originally planned to invite Chen Nanxing along.

But Chen Nanxing had no intention of being a third wheel!
Previously, Xu Hongdou and Yang Muye were not so close, so Chen Nanxing acted as a wingman to create more opportunities for the two to interact.

There's no need for that anymore.

After watching Xu Hongdou leave the dormitory, Chen Nanxing, sitting in front of the computer, showed a relieved "auntie smile".

After shipping the "Wild Bean CP" for so long, things are finally on track.

Yang Muye, wearing a mask, stood downstairs at the girls' dormitory waiting for Xu Hongdou.

I was looking down at my phone when I suddenly heard a surprised voice next to me.

"Yang Muye?"

Yang Muye looked away from his phone screen and followed the sound.

Lin Shaotao was walking briskly towards them.

Jane and Liu Yingxia followed behind.

Both women were carrying several books, and it looked like they had just come back from the library.

Let's return our focus to what's in front of us.

Yang Muyi pulled down his mask and greeted Lin Shaotao. "I was saying I'd come to Shanghai to see you next Tuesday, but I didn't expect you to go back to Yanjing first."

Lin Shaotao was about to ask Yang Muye when he returned, but suddenly realized what he was about to say.

Yang Muyi most likely returned yesterday, but deliberately set the meeting time for next Tuesday.

It's obvious they don't want to meet me right away.

As for the reason——

Lin Shaotao can't worry about that now; his top priority is to resolve the issues involving Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan.

Just then, Xu Hongdou came out of the dormitory building.

She doesn't usually wear much makeup, but today she made a point of wearing light makeup.

Wearing a white knitted cardigan over a blue and white printed sundress, she attracted a lot of attention as she went downstairs.

Stepping out of the dormitory, he instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.

Xu Hongdou walked confidently to Yang Muye.

"I'm fine, let's go."

Yang Muye nodded and pulled his mask up again.

Just as the two were about to turn and leave, Lin Shaotao snapped out of his daze from the stunning beauty of Xu Hongdou and hurriedly called out to Yang Muye.

"We're going to the cafeteria for lunch anyway, why don't we eat together?"

Before Yang Muye could speak, Xu Hongdou spoke first.

"Is Senior Lin going on a date with Senior Jian? We won't be third wheels."

Jane handed the book to Liu Yingxia, stepped forward, and explained with a smile:
"It's not a date, just like the two of you, a normal meal."

This was based on the assumption that Yang Muye and Xu Hongdou's relationship was more than friends but less than lovers, so that Lin Shaotao and he wouldn't be seen as third wheels.

Xu Hongdou began her counterattack without making a sound:
"Which restaurant would you like to go to, Senior Sister Jian?"

"You guys decide, we're fine with eating anywhere."

The speaker was Lin Shaotao.

Seeing that Lin Shaotao had even resorted to the tactic of "persistent pestering," Yang Muye had no choice but to reveal his true intentions.

"Senior Lin, I was planning to talk to you later. I know you wanted to talk to me about Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan. I'll just say one thing: there's really nothing to talk about."

"Because I had already warned them beforehand."

“If they’re just making minor disturbances and not going too far, there’s no need for me to take them seriously.”

"If they go too far and affect my interests, then we'll do what needs to be done, and no one's face will matter!"

After saying that, he left Lin Shaotao, who was still in a daze, and called Xu Hongdou to leave together.

On the way, Xu Hongdou asked with some concern, "Is it really okay to reject Lin Shaotao like this?"

Yang Muye shrugged.

"It's alright. If Lin Shaotao didn't even know his own limitations, he wouldn't be able to sit in the position of president of the college student union."

The implication was that Lin Shaotao's influence wasn't as great as Xu Hongdou thought.

"What I mean is, if we go to court directly, even if we win, it will still have some negative impact on Oldboy, right?"

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything. We'll see on Monday!"

Seeing that Yang Muyi was very confident, Xu Hongdou didn't say anything more.

Watching Yang Muye and Xu Hongdou walk away, Liu Yingxia walked to Jian Ai's side.

"Yang Muye is too arrogant. He doesn't even give face to your Chairman Lin."

Jane turned her head, her brows furrowed in displeasure.

What do you mean by "my family's Chairman Lin"?

She and Lin Shaotao are just dating, not getting married or starting a family, so why say such mushy things?
Liu Yingxia realized she had misspoke and quickly apologized.

At this moment, Lin Shaotao walked over and explained to Jian Ai with an apologetic expression:
"I have to go back to my dorm, so I won't be able to have lunch with you."

Liu Yingxia immediately grabbed Jian Ai's arm:
"Don't worry, I'll stay with you and make sure you're kept a close eye on her so she won't be snatched away by another guy."

In the past, Lin Shaotao would often crack a few jokes with Liu Yingxia.

But Lin Shaotao was no longer in the mood for jokes. He nodded to Jian Ai, turned around, and left.

Liu Yingxia then realized that her joke was somewhat inappropriate.

But she still didn't understand.

Didn't Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan go out to bars to sing and perform?
Even if Yang Muye finds out, at worst I'll just stop singing the songs he wrote and forget about them.

Why did Lin Shaotao look so alarmed?
Jane sighed inwardly.

She had originally wanted Liu Yingxia to persuade Jia Kuan, but now it seemed unnecessary.

Or rather, it was too late.

Lin Shaotao rushed back to his dormitory and ran into Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan, who were about to go out for dinner.

Seeing that Zhou Yiming was still angry that Lin Shaotao had ignored him that morning, Jia Kuan spoke up first:

"Shaotao, it's just in time for you to come back. You haven't had lunch yet, have you? Let's eat together."

Lin Shaotao glanced at the two of them, his expression grave.

"Let's not talk about food now, let's go back to the dorm first, I have something to tell you guys."

Jia Kuan was about to say something that could be more important than eating.

Zhou Yiming suddenly spoke up:
"I also have something to make clear to you."

Lin Shaotao nodded.

"Okay, let's go inside and talk."

The three returned to their dormitory and closed the door.

Zhou Yiming originally wanted to speak directly and make his point clear.

Lin Shaotao, however, raised his hand to stop him first.

“I know what you’re thinking: no matter how much I try to persuade you, it won’t change your mind about continuing to perform in bars.”

Zhou Yiming interrupted impatiently, saying:

“Shaotao, I don’t expect you to understand and support us, but you know that Jia Kuan and I are not as well-off as you. This opportunity to make money is really important to us.”

Jia Kuan, following Zhou Yiming's lead, looked expectantly at Lin Shaotao.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not here to persuade you to stop, I'm just here to let you know that I saw Yang Muye at school today."

Lin Shaotao slowly raised his head and looked at Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan, whose faces showed fear in unison.

"I originally wanted to ask Yang Muye to put in a good word for me and see if he could pay you two to get the song performance rights, but before I could even say anything, he refused outright."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhou Yiming gave a disdainful snort.

"So what if we refuse? Can he sue us?"

"You're really right."

Lin Shaotao looked at Zhou Yiming and said expressionlessly, "From what he said, he's probably already going through the process of suing you two. Just wait, it'll probably be within a day or two before you receive a lawyer's letter or a court summons."

Seeing that Lin Shaotao didn't seem to be joking, Jia Kuan panicked.

"Shaotao, what should we do?"

Lin Shaotao glanced at Zhou Yiming, who was silent with a gloomy expression.

"I have only one suggestion: if this matter really goes to court, you don't even need to hire a lawyer."

"Seriously, don't waste your money. You'll lose even if you take this case all the way to the top."

(End of this chapter)