Chapter 11: The Toad Covets the Swan

After dinner, Gu Qingcheng lounged on the sofa in a light camisole, her beauty radiating in the soft evening light. She nibbled on grapes, occasionally feeding one to Lin Fan, who wore an expression of utter contentment—this was the kind of life countless men could only dream of.

“Oh, it’s still early for that…” Gu Qingcheng teased, her eyes sparkling coquettishly as Lin Fan’s large hand traced lazy circles on her thigh.

“Heh heh…” Lin Fan grinned mischievously, about to take things further, when the sudden shrill of a phone shattered the moment.

Glancing at the caller ID, Lin Fan was abruptly reminded of his job. To save for the bride price, he’d once juggled four different jobs a day. His main position was as a supervisor at a small media company called Joyous World Entertainment. The hours were in the evening and the work was light.

Joyous World Entertainment was, in truth, a webcasting company, making its profit off pretty female streamers and men like Lin Fan who lavished them with gifts. The so-called “supervisor” role was really nothing more than an IT support job—if a streamer’s equipment or connection failed, he was the one to fix it.

He had requested a week off from the company’s manager, Wang Dezhi, for his wedding, but it was only the fifth day when Wang Dezhi was already calling. Lin Fan assumed some streamer’s equipment must be acting up again.

Sensing the situation, Gu Qingcheng tactfully left the living room. The phone rang a second time before Lin Fan finally answered.

An irate roar erupted from the other end. “Lin Fan! Are you still working here or not? Does it really take this long to get married?”

“If you don’t show up tomorrow, don’t bother coming at all! If you quit, there’s a line of people ready to take your place!”

Lin Fan’s mouth twitched in annoyance, his expression darkening. Damn it, I live in a mansion now—why should I put up with this fat slob’s yelling?

He snorted coldly, initially wanting to retort, but then decided to toy with Wang Dezhi a bit.

“We agreed on seven days off, didn’t we? The week’s not over. Why are you so anxious? The emperor’s calm, but the eunuch is in a hurry!”

“What? Lin Fan, what’s with your attitude? Are you looking to cause trouble?” Wang Dezhi was taken aback by Lin Fan’s insolence, his anger flaring.

“Oh please, is it worth getting so worked up? Didn’t you just say there are plenty of people for this job? Ha…” Lin Fan let out a sarcastic laugh, deliberately trying to rile Wang Dezhi.

In the past, Lin Fan had always been obsequious, addressing him as Manager Wang and never daring to step out of line. Wang Dezhi, exploiting his position, routinely bullied the naive young female streamers; over half of them had fallen victim to his advances. He was, in every sense, a lecherous parasite—if a girl failed to bring in enough profit, she’d be ruthlessly fired, no matter what had transpired. Those who tried to quit or switch companies were blackmailed for everything they had. Many young women ended up not only penniless, but embroiled in lawsuits and even debt.

It was more than Lin Fan could stand.

For Wang Dezhi to be met with Lin Fan’s sarcasm today was a shock. He exploded. “Fine, fine! You’ve got guts! Don’t come back. You’re fired!”

“Of course I’ll be back. My things are still at the office,” Lin Fan replied coolly before hanging up.

He could imagine Wang Dezhi smashing his phone in fury, and the thought made him grin. No one at the company had ever dared cross Wang Dezhi before. Letting out his frustration felt better than any rollercoaster ride!

But then another thought occurred to him: Had Wang Dezhi been drinking? If angered, would he take it out on some new female streamer?

After a moment’s consideration, Lin Fan decided he should return to the office. He still had a laptop, some books, and tools there.

He informed Gu Qingcheng before driving to Joyous World Entertainment, located in Jiangnan District, right beside a downtown cinema. It was a modest operation, with about forty streamers, most of them between eighteen and thirty, all attractive and talented.

Some, like Xin Zi, were internet celebrities with huge followings. Lin Fan had always liked Xin Zi—rumor had it she was still a university student, with a sweet, natural beauty and a soft, charming voice. Even without makeup, she outshone half the other streamers, rivaling certain legendary screen goddesses.

When Lin Fan arrived, he saw the streamers in their cubicles, already busy with their nightly broadcasts. Though small, Joyous World Entertainment’s talent far exceeded that of larger companies.

A sudden idea struck him: Why not start a media company even bigger than Joyous World?

It wasn’t about the women. Streaming was booming—any half-decent streamer could rake in cheers and gifts just by acting cute or singing a song. Even the least popular girls earned tens of thousands a month. He’d seen the backend stats himself: monthly revenue in the millions, but only thirty percent went to the streamers. The remaining seventy percent lined the pockets of shareholders and bosses—a capitalist’s dream come true.

As he passed the manager’s office, he caught sight of Wang Dezhi berating Xin Zi.

“Even if you’re inexperienced, you could learn from the others. Dressing so modestly, not showing anything—who’s going to watch you?”

“Your earnings are always at the bottom. If this were a big company, you’d have been fired ages ago!”

“Think it over: either dress up and act sexy like the others, or leave.”

Wang Dezhi was a repulsive figure—paunchy, jowly, the very image of a butcher. Before him stood a petite, graceful young woman, beautiful beyond compare in a pale pink dress, her face as flawless as a flower in bloom, captivating enough to make any man’s heart race.

Even Lin Fan found his imagination wandering.

Hearing Wang Dezhi’s words, Lin Fan’s anger surged.

That bastard was at it again—preying on Xin Zi, a toad lusting after a swan. This time, he wouldn’t let him succeed.

He prided himself on his sense of justice—especially now, with money to back it up.

“Um… Manager Wang, I’ll think about it. I’ve only just started here, it’s been a month—I’m still adjusting,” Xin Zi replied, head bowed, voice timid.

She seemed naive, but she understood perfectly well how things worked. Before joining, she’d done her research. Even so, the schemes in the city ran deeper than she’d imagined, and she’d found herself in Wang Dezhi’s sights.

The man already had a family, but as the boss’s brother-in-law, he’d muscled his way into the general manager’s seat, just to exploit the streamers.

“Manager Wang, I’m already dressing quite revealingly, and I’m lively enough on air. The platform just isn’t giving me any traffic,” Xin Zi murmured.