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In Shenhai City, on the 68th floor of the Wealth Tower in the CBD.
''StarryLive'' Headquarters.
At 10 PM, the lights were still bright, as the unique nature of the live-streaming platform required employees to work night shifts frequently.
Zhang Guangjie leaned back in his executive chair, his hawkish gaze fixated on the 32-inch screen in front of him, as if a massive storm was brewing in his eyes, ready to unleash terrifying power at any moment.
This 40-year-old man was tall and thin, with an ordinary appearance, the kind that would blend into the crowd without notice. However, the over 200 employees of Starry Media had a very vivid impression of him.
Zhang Guangjie was the CEO of Starry Media, known for his iron-fisted approach and decisive action. Any employee who was unfortunate enough to fall into his sights for a mistake often faced dire consequences.
Since he took over Starry Media, he has personally fired a dozen employees!
At this moment, the clouds of anger hanging over the CEO indicated that his rage had reached a boiling point.
He was just waiting for a scapegoat to appear!
Ding, Lingling—
The phone on his desk suddenly rang, the red light flashing to show an internal call was coming in.
Zhang Guangjie pressed the answer button.
On the other end, his secretary's gentle voice spoke: "Chief Zhang, Manager Zhao has arrived."
Zhang Guangjie replied, "Let him in."
After hanging up, a moment later, a man with a thin face, small eyes, and a hawk-like nose pushed open the office door and walked in. Upon seeing Zhang Guangjie, he immediately asked respectfully, "Chief Zhang, you called for me?"
Zhang Guangjie nodded expressionlessly: "Sit."
The thin-faced man instinctively swallowed hard and carefully sat down across from Zhang Guangjie.
Zhao Deping was the manager of the Operations Management Department at Starry Media and a prominent figure there. However, when facing Zhang Guangjie, he was as nervous as any ordinary employee.
He was the mouse, and Zhang Guangjie was the cat— one object bests another!
Zhao Deping understood clearly that with just a word from Zhang Guangjie, he could be sent tumbling down from his managerial position.
After sitting down, Zhang Guangjie remained silent, staring at Zhao Deping until beads of sweat began to form on the latter's forehead.
Zhang Guangjie suddenly asked, "Manager Zhao, how long have you been at Starry Media?"
Zhao Deping quickly responded, "Two years, almost two years now."
Since ''StarryLive'' was relatively new, Zhao Deping could be considered one of the senior employees.
"Almost two years, huh?"
Zhang Guangjie sighed, "I remember you transferred over from Whale TV, right? In these two years, you've recruited quite a few talents for the company. Starry Live has grown to its current scale, and you deserve some credit."
Listening to this, Zhao Deping felt a wave of emotions, and he was almost brought to tears. He had thought he had made a terrible mistake, but from Zhang Guangjie's tone, it sounded like he was going to promote him!
He couldn't help but relax, secretly laughing at his own paranoia.
However, the next moment, Zhao Deping's mood plummeted into despair.
"But several employees have reported that you are unilateral and refuse to consider others' opinions at work. Recently, the company has also received complaints from several streamers accusing you of unfair treatment in operations."
Zhang Guangjie looked at Zhao Deping with a mocking gaze and asked, "Manager Zhao, do you have any explanation for this?"
Sweat broke out again on Zhao Deping's forehead as he stammered, "Chief Zhang, those are all—"
"Don't talk about that."
He had just wanted to explain a little when he was abruptly interrupted by Zhang Guangjie: "You need to explain what's going on."
The CEO of Starry Media turned his screen 180 degrees, displaying it for Zhao Deping to see.
Zhao Deping's face turned bright red in an instant!
The screen showed a post from ''Whale TV's'' forum, which Zhao Deping was very familiar with because he had been a high-ranking executive at ''Whale TV'' two years ago.
But this was not the reason for his flushed face; it was the content of the post that had just been opened on the forum.
This post was pinned at the top of the "Lu Family Army" section of the forum, featuring an image and several hundred words of accusations. It detailed how streamer Lu Fei had faced oppression from the super admin at ''Starry Live'', was forced to sign a predatory contract, and ultimately had his account banned with no avenue for complaints!
The Super Admin 002 in the screenshot— wasn't that Zhao Deping himself?
Super Admin 001 was Zhang Guangjie.
Zhao Deping almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
He had completely forgotten about this incident because he had encountered many ungrateful small streamers in the past, and none had ever caused any real trouble.
When it came to oppression, he could do as he pleased; when it came to banning accounts, it was simply a matter of "those who follow me flourish, those who oppose me perish!"
Apart from a few top-tier stars at ''Starry Live'', didn't he have control over all the other streamers?
But Zhao Deping now realized that even among the new streamers, there were hidden talents!
This pinned post was a resounding slap in the face, harshly striking him.
It didn't matter if he had previously been unaware; now that Zhang Guangjie had brought it to light, where could he put his face?
Zhang Guangjie said calmly, "I don't interfere in the affairs of the Operations Management Department because I have great trust in Manager Zhao."
"This streamer named Lu Fei signed with ''Whale TV'' after his account was banned at ''Starry Live''."
"In less than a month, Lu Fei's popularity on ''Whale TV'' has surpassed one million, and he just finished as the runner-up in the recently concluded PK-themed show, currently drawing over 750,000 followers."
"The management department's people have watched his live-streaming performance and described him as a highly talented new singer-songwriter."
"What do you think about this, Manager Zhao?"
Zhao Deping finally understood why Zhang Guangjie had summoned him to the office alone. The complaints from employees about streamers were trivial; what was truly critical was that he had missed out on a promising newcomer.
In light of ''StarryLive'''s efforts and investments to scout for talent, his mistake was simply unforgivable!
Moreover, there was no way to argue— everything was laid out clearly in the post, with images and evidence!
Zhao Deping's mouth was filled with bitterness. He struggled to find a suitable excuse, knowing that Zhang Guangjie was a ruthless character who would not tolerate any nonsense; continuing to resist would only deepen the CEO's disdain.
He lowered his head and said with deep regret, "Chief Zhang, this is all my fault. I will find a way to make up for it!"
Zhang Guangjie sighed, lightly tapping his right index finger on the table, as if in thought.
Zhao Deping felt like a criminal awaiting judgment, filled with dread.
After a long silence, Zhang Guangjie asked, "How do you plan to make up for it?"
Zhao Deping's spirit lifted immediately like a drowning man grasping a lifeline. He quickly said, "There should still be this streamer's information on the server. I will contact him right away and offer him a high-paying contract!"
"And didn't the management department have a good impression of him? Then let's give him an artist contract as well. I don't believe we can't lure him over!"
When it came to poaching talent, Zhao Deping felt like he had been possessed, all his confidence returning in an instant.
Having come from ''Whale TV'', after joining ''StarryLive'', he had already poached over a dozen streamers from ''Whale TV''; he wasn't afraid of anyone when it came to talent acquisition!
Zhang Guangjie nodded and said, "I've already checked. Lu Fei currently has a regular contract with a signing fee of 50,000 yuan. However, ''Whale TV'' will definitely offer him a new contract, so you don't have much time."
Zhao Deping understood that although Zhang Guangjie claimed not to interfere with the Operations Management Department's affairs, he had a strong grip on the company and held a wealth of insider knowledge, so he was very well-informed.
"That's great!"
He immediately stood up and said, "I will contact Lu Fei right away and meet with him tomorrow to discuss the contract!"
Zhang Guangjie added, "He should be in the Capital City. Hurry up and come back; the company is organizing a similar event soon."
Zhao Deping realized that he had finally passed this hurdle and quickly said, "I will arrange for a flight immediately!"
Zhang Guangjie nodded again and said, "Old Zhao, I'm giving you this opportunity. If you mess this up again, I have no reason to silence the internal opposition within the company. Do you understand?"
Zhao Deping felt a chill run down his spine.
He suddenly felt that the office air conditioning was set far too low!
(End Of The Chapter)
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