Investment Cashback, Billionaire God [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 28 Final Round Performance

Chapter 28 Final Round Performance

Fang Zhuo didn’t directly respond to the harsh conditions, instead asking the middle-aged man:

“You haven’t introduced yourself yet. What’s your position at Bear Live?”

The middle-aged man paused: “I’m the deputy director of the business department.”

The negotiation interface fell silent for a moment. The two young representatives on the other side first froze, then leaned their heads together to whisper.

While exchanging hushed words, they searched for something on another Light Brain nearby.

The middle-aged man glanced at the content on the Light Brain, his expression instantly turning awkward and unpleasant.

Fang Zhuo knew exactly what they were checking.

To resist unfair competition, the Star Federation Entertainment Industry Alliance had issued regulations for live streaming platform revenue sharing three years ago.

While the specific rules varied slightly across different streaming fields, the platform’s commission rate was strictly capped at no more than 65%. Violators would face hefty fines from the industry alliance.

During breaks in Tong Qinglu’s short drama filming, Fang Zhuo had spent three days studying all official entertainment industry regulations.

He couldn’t understand why the people across from him needed to look up what should be common knowledge.

Fang Zhuo tapped his knuckles casually on the table:

“You’re not professional enough. Get your direct supervisor here. I won’t negotiate with you.”

The middle-aged man’s face flushed then paled, several times opening his mouth to speak only to hold back. Finally, he exhaled through his nose and directly left the negotiation screen.

Although the commission rate was indeed outrageous, Fang Zhuo didn’t particularly care

Bear Live’s scale wasn’t as large as the live streaming feature on StarNet’s main interface, with projected additional revenue from this channel being only a few million.

Even if thirty percent more was taken from donations on this single platform, it would mean Mega-Entertainment sacrificing anywhere from several hundred thousand to two million at most.

As for him personally, the impact was completely negligible.

90% of direct live streaming revenue went to the streamers, with another 8% distributed as employee bonuses. His earnings never relied on streaming commissions, but rather the system’s tenfold rebate.

The system’s rebate calculation was ten times the user’s donation amount. This base amount wasn’t subject to taxes or platform commissionshow much the platform took had zero effect on the final rebate.

Meaning if a user donated ten dollars, he would receive one hundred dollars in system rebates, plus four dollars and fifty cents after taxes and platform split.

While Bear Live appeared to increase their commission by thirty percent, it actually only affected 2% of revenue from this single channel.

Fang Zhuo didn’t mind the company losing one or two million, but he refused to cooperate with such unprofessional people.

Realizing their supervisor had spoken incorrectly, the two young representatives’ previously indifferent attitudes completely reversed. They kept bowing their heads and apologizing repeatedly.

Fang Zhuo waited less than three minutes before hearing a door opening through the interface.

The two young staff members stood up in panic, looking helplessly toward the entrance.

“My apologies, Director Fang. The business department failed to communicate upward about Mega-Entertainment’s negotiation email. This was an internal issue within our company.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Dou Zhang, the current deputy general manager of Bear Live. Please feel free to call me Xiao Dou.”

Dou Zhang quickly sat in front of the camera. With faint dark circles under his eyes, he smoothly recited a series of offers:

“Our current revenue split for joint gaming livestream collaborations is fifty percent. Non-exclusive content requires an additional five percent increase, and homepage and splash screen featured slots for twelve hours total 520,000.”

“We have exemption rules for high-quality entertainment livestreams, generally increasing the split by three percent while charging a one-time channel fee.”

“Several new staff in our business department aren’t very familiar with industry alliance regulations. To apologize, we’ll maintain the fifty percent split for this collaboration with your company. You only need to cover the advertising fees.”

Dou Zhang felt like his heart was bleeding internally. He was nearly falling apart.

The unauthorized rejection email from the business department included Giant Entertainment’s first three rounds of quotes. Mega-Entertainment alone had offered over a million just for a single day’s channel fee.

Typically, channel fees for other livestream rooms ranged from one to two hundred thousand. Mega-Entertainment’s initial offer had already exceeded his expectations.

Besides the separate channel fee, Bear Live could also receive a share of gift revenue from the massive traffic generated by Group Broadcast competitions. If they had secured the cooperation earlier, Bear Live would have earned far more than this.

But it was too late for regrets now. He had to personally clean up the mess left by his incompetent subordinates who couldn’t recognize a golden opportunity even when it was handed to them.

Even if they could only profit for one day, the key was to keep their cash cow thoroughly satisfied.

No one was better than him at providing kneeling-style service to partners.

After speaking, Dou Zhang personally swiftly revised the contract on his Light Brain, sending it to Fang Zhuo’s inbox within two minutes.

He maintained a smile throughout, facing the major benefactor with his most amiable expression.

This price seemed much more reasonable. Fang Zhuo glanced at the specific terms: “Do you have other advertising formats available?”

“Yes, yes, of course. We have swipe ads on vertical screen apps and coordinated pushes across three official StarNet accounts. We can also help connect with top influencers signed to four or five platforms for ad placements during their livestreams.”

“But the prices are somewhat expensive. The total for these additional services would be over four hundred thousand.”

Fang Zhuo: “Include them all in the contract.”

The deputy general manager was highly efficient. The updated contract quickly appeared in his inbox again. Fang Zhuo casually made conversation:

“That deputy director is already in his forties or fifties. How come he just joined your company?”

Dou Zhang gave a bitter smile.

He rubbed his nose and inadvertently revealed:

“Sorry to embarrass ourselves. Last night, a minor shareholder in our company just sold their stocks, so some employees from that shareholder’s faction were demoted from core management to the business department today.”

“Before coming to Bear Live, Deputy Director Chen worked at Starry Galaxy for several years. The staff handling the Giant Entertainment business deal were also his trusted subordinates he brought along.”

“I suspect he might hold some personal grudge against you, or perhaps being recently demoted with a pay cut has left him somewhat emotional.”

“But please don’t worry, our platform will definitely dismiss staff who violate industry regulations.”

After signing the contract, Fang Zhuo slightly raised his head.

Putting together the implications in Dou Zhang’s words, it was easy to deduce that Ruan Zihan had previously held shares in Bear Live.

Moreover, his shareholding ratio couldn’t have been very highjust enough to insert a few people into the actual management team.

Those inserted individuals were also incompetent; after working at the live-streaming company for so many years, they hadn’t even bothered to read the regulations. So, as soon as Starry Galaxy withdrew its investment, they were collectively kicked out of the core leadership.

This also indirectly confirmed that Ruan Zihan didn’t have much cash on handto the point where gifting over ten million worth of presents required him to sell stocks at a loss.

Logically speaking, this really shouldn’t be the case.

The entertainment industry is an absolute pillar of the Star Federation’s economy. For a top-tier actor and talent agency owner like Ruan Zihan, earning seven to eight hundred million net annually would be considered low.

No matter how much emphasis he places on investments, someone at his income level should still keep some cash on hand for emergencies and daily expenses.

High-purity hallucinogens are a fixed expense, but even if he were to indulge heavily, it would only cost a few million per month at most.

Fang Zhuo speculated that a significant portion of Ruan Zihan’s income might be used to suppress other artists from the original novel, or perhaps Ruan Zihan had other expensive hobbies.

Regardless, this was good news for Fang Zhuo. He slowly began formulating how to tailor a trap specifically for Ruan Zihan.

Just as they finished signing the contract, the screen began shaking violently.

Dou Zhang solemnly picked up the mobile terminal used for filming and aimed it at the dozens of employees in the business department. Then, all of them bowed deeply toward the camera.

Perhaps sensing that even his position as deputy head of the business department was at risk, Deputy Head Chen’s lips trembled, his face ashen. He apologized while pleading with Fang Zhuo on the screen.

He went on about his elderly parents and his newborn child, breaking down emotionally in front of everyone.

Dou Zhang added fuel to the fire: “Director Fang, rest assured, our company has a non-compete agreement. Those terminated for work negligence are barred from joining any entertainment-related companies for three and a half years.”

The two young employees who had been relatively calm earlier also turned pale upon hearing this. They racked their brains to shower Fang Zhuo with every flattering phrase they could think of, praising Giant Entertainment to the skies.

Dou Zhang couldn’t stand their behavior.

He quickly called in HR to discuss their termination contracts and took over the conversation to continue fawning over Fang Zhuo.

An opportunity to impress the money god like this had to be seized by him personally.

“Director Fang, I’ve sent all my personal contact information to your email. Should your company have any collaboration needs in the future, please contact me first.”

“I’ve set up a special notification for your messages and will be available 24/7 to respond to all your requests.”

“If you’re unsatisfied with the advertising performance of signed influencers, you can also reach out to me. I’ll have the operations team feature the group broadcast ad on the homepage right now and throw in an extra two hours of airtime for free.”

Fang Zhuo brushed them off with a few casual remarks and directly closed the negotiation interface.

With two hours left until the final round of the group broadcast competition, the splash screen promotions across eight major live-streaming platforms all featured the same broadcast room. Even the first pop-up ad on the StarNet homepage was for the Mega-Entertainment group broadcast. This unprecedented spectacle, never before seen in Star Entertainment, instantly trended on hot searches.

Most of the inner venue tickets were gifted to media outlets, fan clubs of various streamers, and top contributors in livestreams, while outer venue tickets were all non-transferable real-name registrations requiring iris scanstruly impossible to obtain.

Occasionally, one or two leaked tickets would be auctioned at astronomical prices on the Star Federation’s largest secondary platform.

[Note: Mega-Entertainment’s offline group broadcast strictly enforces real-name verification. Don’t trust any scalpers. One certified media pass from a top-tier media outlet allows two additional entries. I only have one slot available. Starting bid 30k, minimum increment 5k. Think carefully before biddingonly those with financial capacity should apply.]

[1L: So jealous. Waiting to see which rich guy or gal wins the slot.]

[2L: Grrrr… I equally envy everyone who gets to attend live. My eyes are turning red with envy.]

[3L: My boss spent over 6 million on Momo these past few days. Yesterday, Mega-Entertainment DM’d him complimentary tickets. Let’s just say those who qualify for inner seating are already living lives successful enough to make anyone jealous QAQ]

[4L: Any big spenders who can’t attend willing to transfer inner venue tickets? I’ll professionally record the entire event for yousuper dedicated with enthusiastic feedback!]

[5L: Me first! My backside is still brand new, external hemorrhoids shaped like bunny tailsguaranteed to be adorable.]

Staring at the ticket quietly stored in his Light Brain, Ruan Zihan hesitated about whether to attend.

He initially considered transferring the ticket directly to his assistant, but after seeing these online comments, he inexplicably felt like skipping the event would be wasting money.

His indecision was ultimately resolved by a few messages from Yu Yu:

[Director Ruan, Giant Entertainment summoned all of us separately. They promised anyone who makes it into the top nine will get a cameo role in a short drama. I’ll definitely document everything clearly for you on set. Please help me out now, Director Ruan!]

[Lately, Zhou Zongyun has been getting very close to Director Fang. Director Fang even forwarded him many photos. Don’t let him deceive you, Director Ruan.]

[Director Ruan, they’re about to restrict my Light Brain and terminal access again. Please take care of your health.]

Now this was a truly thoughtful subordinatesomeone who actually cared about his well-being.

Compared to Zhou Zongyun’s flawed rhetoric, Yu Yu’s words felt sincere and genuine.

Ruan Zihan put on sunglasses, a face mask, and a cap, then wore a long-sleeved denim jacket to cover every inch of his skin. Only after ensuring no exposed skin remained did he cautiously leave.

Advertisements for Mega-Entertainment’s group broadcast blanketed every corner of Central City, with large streamer posters even plastered on public Yun Lie transports. Dedicated audience shuttle lines had been added.

Upon exiting the Yun Lie station, two rows of dozens of staff members simultaneously bowed in welcome, handing out various support items to attendees heading to the venue.

“Sir, which streamer do you support? You can claim official merchandise here.”

Ruan Zihan lowered his voice: “Yu Yu.”

An entire bundle of Yu Yu merchandise was handed to himnot just practical items like caps, mugs, and tote bags printed with cartoon designs, but also various photo cards, fans, and hand banners.

The closer he got to the venue, the more silent he became. Mega-Entertainment’s official investments far exceeded expectations, making it difficult to imagine how much money had been poured into all these preparations.

When he took his seat in the first row of the inner venue, he discovered a massive support package placed at every attendee’s seat.

Ruan Zihan opened the support package, which contained not only the usual light sticks but also an instant film camera, a wide-format instant camera, and a large stack of photo paper. At the bottom of the bag, there was even a classic silk scarf from a luxury brand and a thank-you card with his ID printed on it.

The security arrangements were far more orderly than during Chi Yingying’s previous tours. Every security guard in sight was built like a bodybuilder, clearly professionals from a specialized security company rather than temporary hires.

Along the corridors, staff were distributing various chilled drinks and snacks. A simple wave would get you a large bag of treats.

Ruan Zihan’s expression grew increasingly grim.

His previous rivals, who had tried to challenge him, would splurge a few million at first but eventually fade away. He couldn’t figure out where Fang Zhuo was getting all this money.

After all, Mega-Entertainment’s last short drama had been a loss, and renting the Federal Center alone must have cost a fortune…

As he ate the oden handed to him by a staff member, he frowned and rearranged the items in the package. Just as he stuffed the support package under his seat, the entire venue suddenly went dark.

Unlike the ice-themed setting last time, the arena now felt like a dense jungle.

Underfoot, schools of fish seemed to swim by, and the flowing water gradually transformed into wild, overgrown grass.

Flecks of light filtered through the gaps above, and he could almost smell the scent of damp earth.

Then, the entire stage began to ripple like ocean waves. As the green-tinted surge reached its peak, Fang Zhuo appeared in the middle of the grassland, holding a microphone.

“Hello, everyone! Tonight’s rules are a bit special. The final ranking competition will adopt a vote-based elimination system.”

“The rankings will be based on the cumulative activity points from the previous two rounds, meaning all the votes and support from the audience so far will carry over to this final round.”

“After the first round of talent showcases, we will begin a two-minute appeal session, starting with the contestant in last place on the real-time ranking.”

“If, after their appeal, their activity points still haven’t surpassed the second-to-last contestant, they will be eliminated immediately.”

“For every elimination, the next contestant will need to gather 50,000 activity points within two minutes. For example, if two contestants are eliminated, the next will need 100,000 points. Any contestant who fails to meet the required points during their appeal will also be eliminated on the spot.”

As soon as he put down the microphone, cheers erupted throughout the thousand-seat arena, and the live chat exploded with comments too fast to read

[What does this mean? I don’t really get the rules. So the last-place contestant appeals first, and if they don’t surpass the next one or meet a certain threshold within two minutes, they’re eliminated?]

[I can’t breatheMega-Entertainment, why do you always come up with such intense mechanics?]

[Wait, so it’s basically a back-and-forth battle between the bottom two? I can’t imagine how heartbroken I’ll be when my favorite goes up to appeal.]

[Kinda jealous of the sisters who got tickets. I heard there’s official merch and souvenirs at the venue.]

[Even the general admission seats got souvenir packs worth half the ticket price… Brother Fang, you’re truly unfathomable…]

[I scored a skincare set in the souvenir pack! Starting today, I’m Brother Fang’s loyal fan, woof woof!]

[All Jing fans, we MUST vote Jing into the top three from the start! That way, he won’t be in as much danger under this system!!]

The mistake from last round where the Tao family almost stole the tower must not be repeated. We casual fans shouldn’t hold back votes from the startthough of course our veteran supporters can do as they please~]

[Our Tao is beautifully staging a comeback just like this~]

[Why is even Little Bear Live broadcasting this? I switched over to take a lookLittle Bear Platform’s spending power is unexpectedly strong. What’s going on? Are you gamers all this wealthy?]

[Can I just say… hardcore gamers are the most easily hyped up by competitive rules…]

[Holy crap holy crap the talent show segment has started! Who’s currently in twelfth place overall? Is it Yu Yu? I remember he always gets stuck in borderline positions.]

Whether it was an addiction acting up or not, Ruan Zihan felt an abnormal pressure building behind his eyeballs.

He stared intently at the stage, his gaze locked on the massive real-time ranking screen behind all the streamers.

After a whole night of reflection, he finally realized that the blind voting mechanism was what caused inflated votes for the top positions earlier. Now that the rankings were being displayed in real time, the promotion threshold would likely drop.

He had sold another stock overnight and prepared over ten million this timetoday, he would definitely secure Yu Yu a spot in the top six.

Just one step away. He was only one step away.

As the talent show segment concluded, the venue lights brightened.

Combining the activity points from the first two rounds, Yu Yu unsurprisingly ranked twelfth. He nervously gripped his microphone and began his vote appeal.