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

Chapter 282 Another Very Difficult Decision
In the hotel room.

Zhou Yiming sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed, smoking one cigarette after another.

The sound of a woman talking on the phone with her lover could be heard from the doorway.

"Don't worry, I'll block the doorway. If he dares to run away, I'll immediately call the police and accuse him of raping me!"

"At worst, I'll just turn myself in. Anyway, I've been arrested before. If this gets to their school, he'll definitely be expelled."

……

Zhou Yiming felt a surge of irritation as he listened to the other party's confident tone.

Just then, I finished smoking my cigarette.

Zhou Yiming stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and reached for the cigarette pack on the bedside table.

The cigarette pack was empty.

Hey!
Zhou Yiming crushed the cigarette pack and threw it hard on the ground.

Just then, a box of Hongtashan cigarettes was handed to me from the side.

"Give!"

Zhou Yiming looked up at the woman who offered him a cigarette.

Tell a joke.

—Even though I smoke, drink, have tattoos, and work as a hostess, I'm a good girl!

Zhou Yiming hated himself for being blind; how could he have fallen for such a scumbag?

Seeing the look of disgust and contempt on Zhou Yiming's face, the woman immediately became unhappy!

You're giving me too much credit, aren't you?
If you won't pull it out, then forget it!
She took back the cigarette pack and casually grabbed the lighter that Zhou Yiming had tossed aside.

After lighting a cigarette, he deliberately started puffing away in front of Zhou Yiming.

Those movements were far more skillful than Zhou Yiming's.

I just took two puffs.

"Ding dong!"

The doorbell rings.

The woman and Zhou Yiming both turned their heads to look towards the door.

Just as Zhou Yiming was about to get up, the woman warned him to stay seated.

The woman walked to the door and first glanced through the peephole at the two people standing outside.

Lin Shaotao, who was in the lead, was not a familiar face, but the woman recognized Jia Kuan, who was standing to the side.

This guy bought the umbrella at the convenience store the night before last.

The woman opened the door halfway and blocked the entrance.

"Where's the money?"

The woman took a drag of her cigarette and glanced sideways at Lin Shaotao and Jia Kuan.

Lin Shaotao gave Jia Kuan a wink, and Jia Kuan unzipped his backpack, revealing stacks of red banknotes inside.

The woman reached for her bag, but Lin Shaotao stopped her.

"The matter hasn't been resolved yet, what's the rush?"

The woman knew that Lin Shaotao's talk of doing things was not the same as what she knew about doing things, and reluctantly stepped aside.

As soon as Lin Shaotao entered the room, he was so frightened by the smoke-filled scene that he quickly covered his nose with his hand.

He went inside and drew back the curtains and opened the window.

The air conditioner was on for quite a while before the air in the room became a little better.

Jia Kuan took a handheld DV camera out of his backpack, while Lin Shaotao took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the woman.

"What?" the woman asked warily.

"Memorize what's written here, read it aloud, and you can take the money."

"What a hassle!" the woman said reluctantly, but she still took the paper and started reading.

She only glanced at it before she started yelling:

"There are too many words, I can't remember them all!"

Lin Shaotao wouldn't tolerate her:
"One wrong word, and you'll lose a thousand yuan!"

"Also, you must hold up your ID card while being recorded to prove that you are completely voluntary and not under any coercion."

The woman cursed inwardly—

I only earn a thousand yuan a night by accompanying Zhou Yiming. If I mispronounce a single word, it's like I've worked for nothing all night!

Driven by the promise of money, the woman eventually memorized everything written on the paper.

In front of the video camera, she held up her ID card and explained that she had voluntarily engaged in the relationship with Zhou Yiming, that there was no coercion or transaction involved, that they had broken up peacefully, and that she would not cause Zhou Yiming any further trouble.

After the recording was completed, Lin Shaotao confirmed that there were no problems before letting Jia Kuan give the money to the woman.

The woman stuffed 80,000 yuan into her bag, slung the bag over her shoulder, and left without looking back.

They also stole Zhou Yiming's lighter.

Zhou Yiming stared at Lin Shaotao with red eyes, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He tried to speak several times but couldn't get the words out.

Lin Shaotao stepped forward and put his arm around Zhou Yiming's shoulder.

"Alright, it's all over now. I'm sure this lesson will stay with you for the rest of your life."

Jia Kuan originally wanted to give Zhou Yiming a good scolding, but seeing that Lin Shaotao had forgiven Zhou Yiming, he could only pretend to be magnanimous and pat Zhou Yiming on the shoulder to comfort him.

"Shaotao, I've already spent over ten thousand yuan of the money I earned from performing in the past two weeks. I have thirty thousand yuan left, which I'll withdraw and pay back to you. I'll pay back the remaining fifty thousand yuan as soon as I have the money."

Zhou Yiming said emotionally.

Lin Shaotao released Zhou Yiming's shoulder: "Keep this 30,000 yuan for now. I'll add another 10,000 yuan for you later, making it 40,000 yuan. Add that to Jia Kuan's 40,000 yuan, and we'll give it all to Xingchen Dahai."

Zhou Yiming was stunned, somewhat unwilling:
"Is this Secretary Ji's intention? We're going to lose all the money we've earned to the stars and the sea?"

“Secretary Ji didn’t want to get involved in this matter at all; it was my idea,” Lin Shaotao replied.

Zhou Yiming was about to say that it wasn't necessary to lose all of it; losing about 50,000 or 60,000 would be enough.

Jia Kuan spoke first:
"Because of us, Shao Tao has already resigned from his position as president of the college's student union. Even so, Secretary Ji hasn't given any leeway. We don't know what punishment the college will give us next."

Zhou Yiming was completely speechless at this point.

I was hoping to owe Lin Shaotao less money, but now I owe him more and more.

The key is that money is easy to repay, but favors are not so easy to repay!

Lin Shaotao reached out and put his arms around Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan's shoulders respectively:

"Don't feel guilty. As long as you can reach a reconciliation with Xingchen Dahai, the college will only give you a college-wide reprimand at most, considering that I resigned voluntarily. It won't be recorded in your files or affect your graduation or employment."

This is a silver lining amidst the bad news.

Seeing that Zhou Yiming still looked dejected and dispirited, Lin Shaotao told him to cheer up.

Before it's check-out time, I'll take a shower, change my clothes, and then go to the airport by myself.

Zhou Yiming was stunned on the spot.

"You're going to—"

"I've already bought the plane tickets for Shanghai, the flight is at 4 pm... I'm not going alone this time, you two are going too!"

Zhou Yiming's eyes widened, and he immediately realized that Lin Shaotao was going to take them to Dongda University to apologize and reconcile with Yang Muye in person.

"Otherwise what? Do you think this matter can be resolved by just making a phone call? Right now, the internet is overwhelmingly in support of Old Boys' rights protection. Starry Sea can sue you two directly, and the court's judgment won't be as simple as just paying 80,000 yuan."

Lin Shaotao wasn't trying to scare Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan.

Once that unboxing post appeared online, Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan had no chance of turning the tide.

They can only be like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

Even Lin Shaotao couldn't guarantee that if he personally flew to Shanghai with Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan to apologize, Yang Muye would definitely give him face.

Lin Shaotao has no choice but to gamble now.

—Betting on the stars and the sea, considering the image and reputation of Old Boys, will not go so far as to kill Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan.

After all, the two sides have an alumni relationship.

Look at the Buddha's face without looking at the monk's face.

If one is unforgiving and ruthless in pursuing one's own interests, it may lead to a reversal of public opinion, resulting in more harm than good.

-

Lin Shaotao and his two companions arrived in Shanghai by plane at around 8 p.m. and stayed at a hotel near the airport for the night.

Early the next morning, Lin Shaotao set off with Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan.

The hotel helped call a taxi. Same old routine.

Lin Shaotao sat in the passenger seat, while Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan sat in the back.

After fastening his seatbelt, Lin Shaotao turned to tell the driver the address.

"Driver, go to the Chengkang Group headquarters building."

Jia Kuan reached out and held onto the back of the driver's seat, telling the driver not to rush off.

"Weren't we supposed to be meeting Yang Muye? What does Chengkang Group do?"

"We'll go find Yang Muye again at noon and have lunch together. I have some personal business to attend to now, so I need to go to Chengkang Group first."

Private matter?

Jia Kuan and Zhou Yiming looked at each other in bewilderment.

But no matter how much the two pressed him, Lin Shaotao refused to reveal any more information.

The taxi dropped the three of them off in front of an impressive building.

Although the location can't compare to Lujiazui or Xujiahui, the fact that Chengkang Group can own such a headquarters building in Shanghai, where land is incredibly valuable, speaks volumes about the group's strength.

After Jia Kuan and Zhou Yiming followed Lin Shaotao out of the car and into the lobby on the first floor, they were both wondering what was going on.

What kind of private business could Lin Shaotao possibly have in a place like this?

The receptionist in the lobby shared the same question.

Seeing Lin Shaotao, dressed like a student, walk over, the receptionist stood up from her computer.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm looking for someone," Lin Shaotao replied casually.

"Excuse me, are you looking for—"

"Lin Shaojing".

The receptionist's eyes widened in even more confusion.

"Mr. Lin is in a meeting. Do you have an appointment?"

Upon hearing the title "General Manager Lin," Zhou Yiming and Jia Kuan, who were following behind Lin Shaotao, both changed color.

They had heard Lin Shaotao mention before that he had an older sister who was six years older than him and was currently helping with the family business.

But you never said your family business was this big!

"No, could you please call her, or her assistant? Just tell her that someone named Lin Shaotao wants to see her."

The receptionist looked up in astonishment.

Lin Shaotao.

Lin Shaojing.

Just by looking at their names, you can tell that the two have a close relationship.

Looking at Lin Shaotao's appearance, his eyebrows and eyes do indeed resemble Lin Shaojing's somewhat.

The receptionist's tone instantly became polite and respectful.

"Please wait a moment, I'll call Mr. Lin's assistant right away."

I had long heard that Lin Shaojing had a younger brother who would become the future heir to the group.

I never expected to encounter this situation myself.

The receptionist finished her call.

Less than five minutes.

A woman in business attire strode out of the private elevator.

He greeted Lin Shaotao from a distance.

"Young Master Tao, why did you come here without giving us any notice?"

Lin Shaotao greeted the woman called Sister Liu with a smile:

"I came to Shanghai to take care of some business, and I thought I'd drop by to see my sister."

"President Lin is in a meeting, it will be over soon, and she asked me to take you to her office first."

As she spoke, Sister Liu looked at Jia Kuan and Zhou Yiming behind Lin Shaotao.

Lin Shaotao's voice followed.

"These are my two best buddies in the dorm."

Sister Liu understood and immediately raised her hand to call over the receptionist.

"Xiao Chen, take Tao Shao's two friends to the VIP reception room to rest."

Lin Shaotao turned to the two of them and said:
"Wait for me a moment, I'll go upstairs and talk to my sister about something, then I'll come down."

After watching Jia Kuan and Zhou Yiming follow the receptionist into the public elevator, Lin Shaotao followed Sister Liu into the private elevator next to it.

Upon arriving at the president's office, Lin Shaotao walked confidently to the executive chair and sat down, even putting his feet up on the desk.

Sister Liu brought Lin Shaotao a cup of freshly brewed coffee and then voluntarily left the office.

Lin Shaotao slumped in his executive chair for a while, then, feeling bored, he sat up, opened his sister's Apple computer, and prepared to go online for a bit.

Just then, my phone rang.

He took it out and saw that it was Jane calling.

Lin Shaotao quickly answered the phone.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm in my sister's office, what's up?"

"Can I access the internet?"

"I'm right here in front of the computer."

"Quickly go to the school's intranet; both of the Old Boys' homepages have forwarded a company announcement."

Lin Shaotao didn't even hang up the phone; he immediately opened a webpage and logged into the school's intranet.

They quickly found the announcement issued in the name of Starry Sea Company.

The title is—

A letter to all Old Boys fans.

"Dear fans, when you see this letter, we have just made a very difficult decision. Effective immediately, we will ban the Sanrenxing Band, which previously caused controversy online by imitating Old Boys' performances in various bars in Yanjing, from performing Old Boys' songs in any form."

“We are well aware of the difficulties faced by grassroots singers, but we also urge everyone to respect originality and copyright. Given the negative impact that the Three People Band’s infringement has had on the internet and among their fans, we reserve the right to pursue their legal responsibilities further.”

After reading the entire announcement, Lin Shaotao had only one thought in his mind.

This is an incredibly difficult decision!

This was a premeditated public relations campaign.

It's hard to say what kind of criticism or even cyberbullying the Sanrenxing band will face next.

However, Lin Shaotao is very certain that the phrase "a very difficult decision" is about to become popular again.

Riding on the wave of news coverage, Old Boys' online fame and fan base are poised for another surge.

The "Starry Sky and the Vast Ocean" group has completely figured out how to use internet traffic.

Lin Shaotao was in front of his computer, pondering a solution.

The office door was suddenly pushed open.

Before Lin Shaotao could even raise his head, the rapid sound of high heels clicking on the ground immediately reached his ears.

A beautiful woman who looked to be in her late twenties walked in briskly.

Upon approaching, without saying a word, he reached out and grabbed Lin Shaotao's ear, twisting it forcefully.

Lin Shaotao was "lifted" from the chair, still muttering "three-in-one" (a phrase used to describe his actions).
"pain!"

"Let go!"

My ears are going to fall off!

As soon as Lin Shaojing let go, Lin Shaotao immediately made way for her and fawned over her, inviting her to sit down.

The bloodline suppression from his older sister was fully revealed at this moment.

"You didn't even tell me you were coming back. You've really grown up, haven't you?" Lin Shaojing scolded as she sat down in the executive chair.

Before I could even calm down, I saw the announcement on my computer screen.

After quickly scanning the entire text, Lin Shaojing looked up at Lin Shaotao, who was standing to the side like a quail.

"Is this why you asked me for 80,000 yuan yesterday?"

(End of this chapter)