Chapter 26 No one would ever turn their back on money!

Zhang Fan gestured toward the soft pressure of her chest against his arm.

"No matter how big the issue is, let go first."

"My daughter is still at home; it wouldn’t be good for her to see this."

Zhao Xiaolu, however, was extremely urgent. "Oh, this is no time to worry about such trivialities. A little contact won't kill anyone. I’m a woman and I don’t mind, so why do you?"

"Listen to me!"

After relaying the station manager’s words in full detail, Zhao Xiaolu looked at Zhang Fan with concern. Even a man like Zhang Fan, who had seen his share of storms in life—having traveled to over a hundred countries and encountered almost everything—could not help but show a look of shock.

Today, he had truly learned something new. Zhang Fan’s brows furrowed tightly.

"What a joke. I pay my employees high wages; what does that have to do with them? They want to exploit workers with a few thousand in salary, and they won't even let me allow my employees to live a decent life?"

Zhao Xiaolu sighed. "Mr. Zhang, I know this is absurd. But as it stands, they are simply afraid that your influence will grow too large, allowing you to expand your company. In this day and age, having traffic is half the battle won. If they don't suppress you soon, their monthly costs will at least double."

Zhang Fan’s expression turned cold. He slammed his fist against the door frame with a loud bang.

"Preposterous! I have never heard of anything so shameless. They want to destroy me for no reason?"

Zhao Xiaolu gave a bitter smile. "When you stand in the way of capital's interests, even if it’s just a single dollar, you become an enemy of that capital. Furthermore, you are driving their labor costs up by double or even more—that’s a difference of millions, even tens of millions. Isn't that more painful to them than killing them?"

Before Zhang Fan could speak, Zhao Xiaolu gritted her teeth. "Mr. Zhang, I will not maliciously edit the interview video. On the contrary, I am going to release exactly what you said on the official account of the Shanghai Evening News. My job isn't important; my family is wealthy enough that I don't need this salary to survive. However, once this video goes out tonight, you will face even more trouble by tomorrow morning. Your peers will certainly not let this rest. You must be careful!"

Zhang Fan patted her shoulder firmly, his expression solemn. "I am deeply moved by your gesture. Thank you!"

"From today on, we are comrades on the same front!"

Hearing the word "comrade," Zhao Xiaolu trembled slightly. "Agreed!"

Seeing her rush away, Zhang Fan did not feel anxious. If soldiers come, block them with generals; if water comes, cover it with earth. I’m not afraid of you. Since he had already decided to provide his employees with benefits far exceeding those in the United States, those benefits would only increase, never decrease.

That night, Zhao Xiaolu posted the full, unedited video. A few minutes later, the station manager called, but she didn't answer and simply turned her phone off.

The next morning, every major platform exploded. A quick glance revealed that every trending topic was related to Zhang Fan.

"Shocking! This young entrepreneur boasts that he will make employee benefits rival those of Americans!"

"Rumor has it that his actions have angered many internet business owners in Shanghai. What will be his fate?"

"The welfare of the working class has finally arrived!"

Online, the discussion surrounding Zhang Fan reached an unprecedented level. Any given video had over ten million likes. The situation had fermented to such a point that it could no longer be solved by mere deletion. Zhang Fan opened the comment section of one video, where the top comment had over four million likes.

*FlyingCat: [Guys, if anything happens to Boss Zhang, I will never forgive those who target him!]*

*[That’s right, brothers! We must unite! We will not allow Boss Zhang to be framed!]*

*[We are all seasoned netizens; we know how to handle public opinion. From now on, be very careful with any negative news about Zhang Fan and learn to discern the truth!]*

*[Those who carry firewood for the people must not be allowed to freeze to death in the snow!]*

Zhang Fan felt a warmth in his heart. It seemed his actions and intentions were recognized by everyone. This was a wonderful thing. As for the enemies hiding in the shadows, they were not worth mentioning.

Meanwhile, at the Lin Group headquarters, in the chairman's office: As the largest internet conglomerate in the country, the Lin Group’s reach extended into every sector: grocery delivery, ride-hailing, online shopping, gaming, novels, movies, and more. Wherever the internet touched, the Lin Group was there.

Fifty-year-old Lin Changfeng, with his greying hair, frowned as he looked at Zhang Fan’s profile. "He served as an executive at a Fortune 500 company for over a decade. For the past year, he’s been making a living as a delivery driver and construction worker. Suddenly, he can afford to pay employees fifty thousand a month? What exactly is this Zhang Fan trying to do?"

His son, Lin Ruozhi, wearing an expensive suit with his legs propped up on the desk, looked like a typical spoiled rich kid. He glanced at the file with disdain. "Dad, you're so boring. You’re the boss of China’s largest internet company; why are you paying attention to trash like Zhang Fan? Someone like that—if you find him annoying, just crush him. It’s no different than crushing an ant."

Lin Changfeng glared at him. "Shut up! He is currently a sensation across the entire internet. Kill him? How could you even think of that! Why am I concerned? Use your pig brain! If Zhang Fan really manages to grow his business, like the 'Shou Donglai' retail chain, and captures a massive market share in Shanghai or even nationwide, how terrifying would that be? Our labor costs would have to rise to match him!"

"Currently, the Lin Group has 110,000 employees globally, and we pay out 90 billion in wages annually. If he pulls this off, we might have to pay 130 billion, or even 180 billion!"

Lin Ruozhi still didn't take it seriously, pouting. "It remains to be seen if he can even make his project work. What’s the big deal? He’s just a flash in the pan; he’ll cool off sooner or later."

Lin Changfeng remained expressionless. "In any case, we cannot let him be. Once the hype dies down a little, do everything in your power to prevent any of his projects from successfully hitting the market. Do you understand?"

Lin Ruozhi rolled his eyes. "Understood, understood."

For some reason, Lin Changfeng felt very anxious. Especially after watching the interview video, his unease grew. His Lin Group only had a net profit of 150 billion after taxes. If he really had to pay an extra 90 billion in wages, what would he have left to earn? That would be a blood loss! That was cold, hard cash; even if he saved it and didn't use it, leaving it for his descendants, he couldn't just give it to employees for no reason! That would be a sin!

No! I must find a way to get a grip on Zhang Fan’s weak point. Got it!

Lin Changfeng made his decision immediately. "We cannot let someone like Zhang Fan continue to be active. Son, leave immediately, go to the Zhang Group, and talk to him about an acquisition. No one says no to money, and Zhang Fan is no exception. Isn't he running a business to make money? As long as our offer is sincere, he will naturally give in. Go!"