42: The setting sun strikes!

[Deep Sea Network Technology Acquires 35% Stake in Sunset!]

[Competitive Creation Acquires 42% Stake in Silver Star Streaming!]

[Jiang Chuan's True Identity! It Turns Out He's Not a second-generation rich!]

[Famous Tycoon Jiang Chuan Facing Prison for False Advertising?]

These news reports had just been published and immediately shot to the top of the trending searches; it was clear someone was pushing them from behind.

Combined with Starlight's existing popularity, more and more people discovered these reports, and the buzz snowballed larger and larger.

[Investigation reveals Starlight Chairman Jiang Chuan comes from an ordinary family and has no investment firms providing capital.

He does not possess the strength to support such high-value financial activities. Netizens should beware of being scammed!]

For a moment, those who had planned to sign up as Streamers hesitated upon seeing the news online.

If they wasted a month only for Starlight to have no money to pay salaries, wouldn't that be a total loss?

However, this didn't decrease Starlight's download numbers; in fact, they increased significantly.

Netizens didn't have any skin in the game. Entering a lucky draw was great, and even if they couldn't win, they could still go to Jiang Chuan's stream to watch the drama.

"I'll never lose!"

The viewers who were in Xiao Yi's stream at the time tried desperately to explain online, even posting screenshots of Jiang Chuan buying a patek philippe.

But as soon as they were posted, they were deleted. They didn't even make a ripple before sinking into oblivion.

Weibo was flooded with negative news about Jiang Chuan, and some pieces of evidence were even leaked.

Looking at these reports that seemed like eyewitness accounts, netizens felt that Jiang Chuan might truly be a fraud.

Thinking they had been tricked, many turned their embarrassment into rage, blindly following the trend to attack him.

"This Jiang Chuan is a liar! Everyone, don't believe him!"

"Pretending to be a second-generation rich? What a freak!"

"People like this should be locked up!"

Dong Changhai looked at the news online with a calm expression. Dealing with such a small company gave him no thrill at all; it was dull.

He had Sunset take over all the Streamers they poached. He didn't think a bunch of college students could become popular, and with such high liquidated damages, they weren't worth it at all.

Scrolling through the Weibo comments, his gaze reflected in his glasses was cold. With a forced smile, he said:

"The firewood is piled high enough. It's time to add the spark!"

One wave followed another.

Netizens felt they had already had their fill of gossip and couldn't take any more!

But then a truly explosive piece of news broke: over thirty Streamers signed to Starlight simultaneously posted videos on Weibo announcing their departure from Starlight to join Sunset!

The netizens who were still trying to argue on Starlight's behalf saw this, and their lingering hopes finally died.

The fact that so many Streamers were leaving Starlight even if it meant breaching their contracts spoke volumes.

As the Streamers were posting their videos, Sunset's official Weibo, which had been silent for a long time, finally made its move!

First, it congratulated the Streamers on joining, and then it immediately announced a support plan for new Streamers.

If a new Streamer reached a thousand concurrent viewers, they could receive a thousand-yuan bonus! They even attached a statement of the company's current liquid assets.

The mass of Streamers quitting Starlight flocked to Sunset Live Streaming. Although the conditions were harsh and the bonuses small,

at least Sunset had the funds. Now backed by a top-tier company like Deep Sea, they didn't have to worry about their pay being withheld.

Xin Xin arrived at Starlight early in the morning, but when she saw that Deep Sea had actually acquired Sunset's shares,

she turned and left without hesitation. Was there even a choice between Deep Sea and Starlight? There was no comparison.

Jiang Chuan was completely unaware of all this. He was currently sitting in front of the computer with Lin Shuyi, who was wearing a small dress, to start the stream on time.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jiang Chuan."

"Hello everyone, I'm Xiao Yi."

The fans in the stream had been waiting for a long time, ready with their popcorn to watch the drama unfold.

As soon as the stream started, the viewer count hit 10,000+, and the gifts never stopped.

The Starlight effects kept lighting up, turning the entire stream interface blue.

"These effects are so beautiful!"

"What happened next? Hurry up! I can't wait!"

"They look so good together, their visuals are top-tier!"

"I heard you're not a second-generation rich at all, is that true?"

Looking at the urging comments, Jiang Chuan said despondently:

"I really do like Xiao Yi, and I was genuinely confessing that day. Unfortunately, I was rejected."

Lin Shuyi had already memorized the script perfectly and said shyly:

"I'm not ready for a relationship right now. Jiang Chuan is a very good person, but I just want to focus on streaming for now. There's nothing I can do."

The 'CP' fans were mostly girls, and they were greatly disappointed by the news, but the other fans felt differently.

They were all fans of Xiao Yi's looks, and they were overjoyed by this outcome. Xiao Yi is still mine! Get lost, Jiang Dog!

Jiang Chuan forced a smile and said, "Even though we can't be together, we're very good friends. When I started the company, Xiao Yi came to help me immediately. I'm very grateful to her!"

Lin Shuyi waved her hand and said loyally, "We're best friends! Of course I'd come to help you!"

"What a lovely friendship, I'm crying from envy!"

"Jiang Chuan is a liar! Don't believe him!"

"I won! How do I claim my prize?"

Jiang Chuan ignored the increasing number of hateful comments and offered his congratulations:

"I see a viewer asking how to claim their prize. Congratulations! Keep an eye on your private messages; a staff member will contact you."

The two chatted in the stream for half an hour. The viewer count climbed from 10,000+ all the way to over 100,000.

Initially, the atmosphere in the stream was quite good, but later it was filled with people trying to stir up trouble, completely drowning out the fans.

Jiang Chuan glanced at his watch and decided it was about time. He left the stream to Xiao Yi and walked out of the room.

Many people were gathered outside, all looking worried. Clearly, the current situation was not optimistic.

"Follow me."

Jiang Chuan led everyone to the elevator down to the first floor. He went to the technical department, pushed open the door, and asked:

"Xiao Ke, how's the data?"

Tang Ke had been monitoring the data and immediately replied:

"The data is very good. Downloads have reached four hundred thousand, concurrent users are staying around two hundred and eighty thousand, and the retention rate is very high."

Jiang Chuan sat in a chair, looked at the large screen, and nodded. "The peak will be tonight; these numbers are already quite good. Which stream has the highest retention rate right now?"

Tang Ke said without hesitation, "Aside from your and Xiao Yi's streams, Liu Jiayi has the highest retention."

Jiang Chuan took out his phone and opened Liu Jiayi's stream.

She was currently on stage singing, wearing a short skirt. Her long legs were very eye-catching. The viewer count was stable at around five thousand, and the number of comments was also very high.

"Holy crap! This stage! It's as good as any music variety show, isn't it?"

"This equipment and lighting are definitely top-tier!"

"Who in their right mind comes here just to listen to the singing?"

Jiang Chuan scrolled through the top few streams; most were dancers or singers. As expected, 'thirst' was the strongest motivator!

Combined with the 'money-powered' stage design and equipment, viewers wouldn't leave the stream until they hit 'sage mode'.