Muttering to himself, Cao Weiguo started to grow restless.

He had been waiting for Chen Yan's call all this time, worried that his own urgency would breed resentment in Chen Yan.

But with the situation escalating like this, he truly feared that failing to ask about it could lead to serious trouble.

So, he didn't dare wait any longer, hastily picked up his phone, and dialed Chen Yan's number.

The call connected, but it was busy.

Chen Yan seemed to be on another call.

Cao Weiguo hung up and redialed.

Still, it was busy.

He hung up again and continued calling.

Finally, on the third attempt, the call went through.

Chen Yan really had been on the phone all this time, and so he smoothly took Cao Weiguo's call right after ending another.

As soon as the call connected, before Cao Weiguo could speak, Chen Yan's infectious, comforting voice came through, "Brother Cao. I've been busy just now. I was planning to call you once I was free."

"Turns out you beat me to it. Haha."

Hearing Chen Yan's pleasantries, even if Cao Weiguo was in a hurry inside, he could only suppress that feeling, so he courteously said, "How could I possibly wait for brother Chen to call me? I definitely needed to take the initiative to call."

"But of course, I know brother Chen must have been busy."

"Especially with this... this..."

He subtly shifted the topic to the incident that had just occurred, clearly wanting Chen Yan to spill the details.

Although Chen Yan hadn't met Cao Weiguo many times, he felt this man was reliable and genuinely keen to get on his bandwagon.

So, Chen Yan didn't keep him in the dark.

He spoke frankly, "Brother Cao saw the latest Weibo post just now, right?"

Cao Weiguo hummed in agreement and said, "Was that washed-up celebrity arranged by you? Are those pieces of evidence he presented real?"

Chen Yan laughed and said, "I didn't arrange that. We only discussed these matters with him in conversation, and he felt he had to disclose them to the public."

"As for the evidence..."

While speaking, Chen Yan opened Weibo and checked the celebrity's latest post.

[Director Zhang, since you truly do not repent, then don't blame me.]

[I, Zheng Yi. ID number: 370849196708032366, hereby report with my real name Xu Zhaorong, Xu Zhaoqing brothers, Director Zhang Duan, and many celebrities in the entertainment industry for suspected money laundering, tax evasion, and use of 'yin yang contracts'.]

[Below are some pieces of evidence. Other evidence, I will shortly officially submit to the cultural management department, tax department, and financial regulatory department.]

[I am willing to bear any legal responsibility for my words.]

The nine images attached to this Weibo post contained scanned copies of several different contracts and partial financial transaction records, including corporate annual reports.

It clearly showed the tax and financial issues involved.

This one Weibo post had been up for only over five minutes, but it had already been shared over thirty thousand times, with more than ten thousand comments and even more likes—eighty thousand to be precise.

It seemed that after half a month of incessant slinging matches and the climax of the last few days, this matter had become the hottest topic on the whole internet, with everyone's attention focused here.

This was also part of Chen Yan and Yang Rou's plan.

Because only in this way could they maximize the exposure of this play and truly achieve their goal.

After finishing reading the Weibo post, Chen Yan came back to his senses, smiled at the waiting Cao Weiguo, and said, "As for the evidence, of course it's all real."

On the other end of the line, although Cao Weiguo had his suspicions, he felt a buzz in his head when he heard Chen Yan's words.

He wasn't shocked by the incident itself but because he, being shrewd, guessed Chen Yan's purpose in doing this.

He licked his lips, his voice a bit dry, and said, "Brother Chen, you... you are really turning the heavens upside down."

Chen Yan chuckled, his tone lofty, "Are they even worthy of being called 'heavens'?"

"It's just a cesspool."

"Change the water, and raise a new batch of fish."

Cao Weiguo pondered for a moment, then hinted, "Indeed, they do not deserve the title of 'heavens,' but you should know they are intricately connected with many others."

"Your actions could potentially have far-reaching implications."

Chen Yan replied, "I understand. My actions will only reach as far as the entertainment industry. If someone is unwilling to accept that and tries to reach out, then they can't blame my blade for being sharp."

In fact, Cao Weiguo's concerns were exactly what Chen Yan and Yang Rou were worried about. This was one of the reasons they had been delaying their plan and had not taken action.

Even before moving on this time, Chen Yan was actually hesitant about the scale and scope of what he was about to do.

After all, due to various reasons, he didn't have any official identity.

If things went south, at most, he could resort to using the He family's connections.

But whether the He family would be willing to intervene in such a widespread issue was unknown to anyone.

Moreover, Chen Yan also worried that he owed He Ruifeng too many favours, and as a result, he might end up being sold to He Mengxue to repay his debts.

So, he didn't dare to rely too much on the He family's resources.

However, all hesitations were resolved when the "lucky six-sided die" rolled "All Things Go Smoothly".

Chen Yan trusted the system's power more than the forces of the real world.

This belief went way beyond what normal people could understand.

Thus, Chen Yan felt that in this matter, he might as well play to his heart's content.

If the skies were to fall, after all, the system would "foot the bill."

Of course, Cao Weiguo had no idea where Chen Yan's confidence came from.

Hearing Chen Yan's words, his first thought was: It seems that in this era, it's impossible for a noble son to emerge from a poor family.

Everyone said that this young tycoon from Qin Island started from scratch and built a vast empire.

Now it appeared he had people backing him as well.

Of course, at times like this, having backers wasn't a bad thing.

Thus, Cao Weiguo's heart settled back down.

However, although he no longer worried about this incident, Cao Weiguo still began to worry about his own Weibo account.

He carefully asked, "President Chen, if your plan is successful, then what about Weibo..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Chen Yan understood his meaning.

If all these celebrities were banned, their fans and detractors would also exit the scene, leaving Weibo in a state of traffic vacuum.

If the next line of stars didn't join Weibo and went to other websites, then Weibo's entertainment section would be finished.

So, Chen Yan reassured him again, "We have two idol variety shows that have been shot and are about to go live."

"These people have all been carefully selected."

"They will fill the void in the entertainment industry."

"When the time comes, they will all join Weibo."

Having said that, Chen Yan added a word of advice, "However, Brother Cao, I still have to say something. While entertainment traffic is high, it's really dangerous for a software to be 'hijacked' by them."

"Especially with the unique advantages Weibo has, news on livelihood, science, and society are what need to be the focus."

"The times are changing, and people's spiritual needs are also undergoing changes."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Cao Weiguo mulled it over, then gruffly agreed.

Chen Yan didn't know whether he really took the advice to heart or was just unwilling to contradict him openly.

But he couldn't manage Weibo's affairs at the moment, so he could only give a reminder.

After hanging up on Cao Weiguo, Chen Yan continued working on the phone.

He and Yang Rou didn't plan all this just to let Weibo public opinion decide the case.

Simultaneously with Zheng Yi's Weibo statement, they had already quietly submitted their materials through various channels to the relevant departments.

These departments may be slow and negligent in other matters, but when it comes to such hot news, they are always more efficient than one can imagine.

That same day, several departments had reviewed the evidence that Yang Rou had preserved and obtained over the years.

The next morning, several departments interviewed the Xu Brothers, Director Zhang, and some involved celebrities.

Those who were following this situation closely got the news immediately.

This included Chen Yan, Yang Rou, Cao Weiguo, and... many members of the media.

Thus, without Chen Yan and Yang Rou needing to step in themselves, media outlets started to report the news of several departments summoning the Xu Brothers, Director Zhang, and some celebrities.

Normally, such news would be quickly suppressed by the Xu Brothers, Director Zhang, and the celebrities' backers.

But now, Chen Yan held sway over Headline Technology and Weibo, two significant platforms of public discourse.

Especially since Headline Technology's Toot News and Douyin were becoming the country's largest media platforms.

After a few calls from Chen Yan, these websites, which dominated a large part of the country's public opinion, allowed the news to spread.

The news spread far and wide in less than half a day.

Initially, although everyone enjoyed the spectacle of Zheng Yi's real-name report against Director Zhang and the Xu Brothers, nobody took it too seriously.

Over the years, there really hadn't been such a precedent.

No one knew whether Zheng Yi would truly report them.

Nor did they know whether Zheng Yi's report would make an impact.

But now, the new message told everyone: Zheng Yi did indeed report, and it was indeed effective.

With the internet already in a frenzied state, people suddenly got excited, leaving messages under the Weibo accounts of Lu Man, Zheng Yi, and others.

There were all kinds of comments.

Some were praises, some accolades, some inquiries, and some said they had spines.

Meanwhile, all those in showbiz connected to this incident were in panic.

They hadn't expected that just by standing up for Director Zhang, they would cause such a big issue.

So they started looking for ways to exonerate themselves.

Some contacted Yang Rou, seeking a settlement; others looked to their own connections, and some even ventured to hope that the investigation might just overlook them.

But once some things are set in motion, it's not possible to halt them at will.

After the second and third day of scrutinies,

the departments involved discovered this was a significant and wide-reaching problem.

Many stars and companies in the entertainment circle were implicated, with the Xu Brothers Company and the stars associated with them being the worst offenders.

Thus, they simply formed a joint task force to investigate the matter.

As officials were busily handling the issue, the Xu Brothers and others, after their interviews, finally emerged from the various departments.

Director Zhang and Xu Zhaoqing managed somehow; they knew themselves to be Chen Yan's enemies, so Chen Yan's revenge was expected.

Although furious and wanting to fight Chen Yan to the bitter end, they couldn't quite blame him.

Xu Zhaorong's situation, however, was different.

He had "sought refuge" with Chen Yan.

In fact, part of why Chen Yan's plan was so successful was his "indispensable" contribution, and now Chen Yan had betrayed him by turning around and selling him out. So he was absolutely furious.

Thus, after dealing with Director Zhang and Xu Zhaoqing, convincing them to leave first, Xu Zhaorong immediately called Chen Yan as soon as possible.

The phone barely rang before it was answered.

Without waiting for Chen Yan to speak, Xu Zhaorong asked coldly, "President Chen! Your actions here are rather unkind! I've helped you so much, yet you harm me!"

Hearing Xu Zhaorong's accusation, Chen Yan on the other end chuckled, "President Xu, you're exaggerating. I haven't harmed you."

Xu Zhaorong countered, "Not harmed me? Then why did you let someone report me?"

Chen Yan replied, "I didn't let anyone report you; I reported the Xu Brothers Company."

After a pause, he added, "Don't forget, it was you who asked me to take down Director Zhang and the Xu Brothers Company."

Xu Zhaorong retorted, flustered, "I said you could take down Director Zhang and my company. But! Not like this."

Chen Yan laughed, "President Xu. This matter should be led by me, not whatever you wish to do, right?"

"After all, you begged to cooperate with me. It wasn't me who wanted to partner with you."

Xu Zhaorong's face turned a shade of iron blue as he took a few deep breaths.

After a moment, he said sharply, "I suspect you never intended to collaborate with me!"

"You were using me!"

Chen Yan chuckled, but this time he didn't continue to beguile him and instead spoke earnestly, "President Xu. Don't put it so harshly. Business is like a battlefield. You've outmaneuvered me many times before, and this is just a simple counterattack on my part."

"And honestly, I didn't plan to harm you; I've left you enough dignity."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Xu Zhaorong snorted in derision.

Left him enough dignity?

Ridiculous!

He had intended to "assist" Chenlu Film Company in smoothly defeating his own company, diminish Director Zhang and his company's reputation in the industry, and gradually withdraw his company and Director Zhang from the entertainment circle.

Thus covering up the rotten deeds he'd done over the past decades.

Meanwhile, he would have emerged as a chrysalis into Chen Yan's company to continue as a mogul in the entertainment world.

Who could have expected Chen Yan to not follow the usual course, somehow gathering a mountain of evidence against his own company, with intent to destroy him as well?

Even if Chen Yan said he had left enough dignity, Xu Zhaorong wasn't a fool!

How could he continue to naively take bullets for Chen Yan?

He had to fight back with all he had!

Thinking this, he said to Chen Yan, "Then thank you, President Chen! Thank you for leaving me dignity!"

After that, he hung up with a snap, not even waiting to hear Chen Yan's explanation.

Meanwhile, on Qin Island.

Looking at his phone, Chen Yan's smile was filled with amusement.

After a while, he opened WeChat and sent Yang Rou a message, [The plan is proceeding smoothly; let's move on to the second phase. There's no need to leave Xu Zhaorong any dignity now...]

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