Chapter 26 1/2

When ten million votes appeared, the audience cheered 666; at twenty million, they shouted (wow, impressive); with thirty million, everyone was excited. But when forty million appeared, some started taking screenshots to spread the news.

Sheng Quan had cast one billion votes.

This directly stunned everyone.

What does one billion mean?

Converted into one-hundred yuan bills, it would take a truck to carry them.

Placed in the bank, the interest alone would be enough for an average family to live on for a lifetime.

If it were a lottery, the first prize was generally around ten million, and one billion represented winning the first prize ten times.

And Sheng Quan had just lightly tapped on the panel and cast one billion votes.

【Ah ah ah ah ah!】

【Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!】

【One billion! One billion!!!】

The audience seemed to have become a chorus of screamers. If they were impressed by forty million before, now all they could see was that one billion.

Jinjiu also stood there in surprise, looking up at the big screen.

Baixing in the backstage area almost choked on the peach in his mouth. “My goodness, one billion! I wouldn’t dare to dream of this.”

The chief director, Zhou Wei, just held onto the hand of the person next to him, his legs going weak. “One billion, it’s going to be popular—absolutely popular!”

“Yeah! A single vote of one billion! God, I can’t even dare to think about it. This will definitely explode across the entire internet!”

“No, it’s not just that!” Zhou Wei was indeed not having an easy time in the industry, but his ability to manage was unquestionable. Otherwise, with just his mouth, he wouldn’t have been able to host a show independently.

He spoke with clear thoughts: “The platform has already been approved in advance. This money will go directly to the national charity organization. Sheng Dong’s one vote means a donation amount in the billions. How do you think the authoritative media will report on it?”

He shook his hands in excitement, speaking faster as he continued, “The entertainment industry has never been liked by authoritative media. Almost every report is critical. But if we can get positive coverage from People’s Daily and other authoritative media, our show, our station, will be acknowledged by the country. No, that’s not right.”

Zhou Wei’s gaze turned towards Sheng Quan on the screen in the audience. Suddenly, he realized, “So that’s it. She had planned this early on. With this one billion, she intended to donate it from the start.”

The subordinate didn’t understand, “From the start, Sheng Dong could have cast fifty million, and it would still overshadow others, right?”

“She doesn’t want to just take the lead; she wants everyone to become her foil. There’s a saying, ‘Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.’ Sheng Dong is not even willing to be the head of a chicken; she decided from the beginning that she wants to be the head of a phoenix.”

Zhou Wei just looked on with admiration and a sense of relief.

Sheng Quan employed a blatant strategy, not even qualifying as a tactic.

She didn’t stop others from trying to steal her spotlight because she knew from the start that no one could surpass her.

Even if someone had the ruthlessness at this moment and was willing to invest over $100 million to grab the spotlight, they wouldn’t have that much liquid capital in hand.

Who would have thought that Sheng Quan would have a billion in liquid capital and would nonchalantly donate it?

At least the two shareholders of Wansheng couldn’t fathom anyone being so audacious.

When they saw this live broadcast segment, they were left in shock.

“Is Sheng Quan crazy? A billion?”

“Why not use that billion for something else? She’s using it to support a little singer? She mentioned liking this one; I would have given her ten!”

The two of them, shaking with disbelief, went to the official website and contacted the national charity platform associated with “The Voice Is All You Need.” They actually found the donation information there.

They exchanged glances, both feeling overwhelmed.

It wasn’t a staged event; Sheng Quan indeed donated a billion.

At this moment, they felt an urge to cry. If only she had mentioned she would donate a billion, they wouldn’t have gone through the trouble.

The forty million they used came from their personal funds, barely scraping together enough of the company’s liquid assets.

They had assumed everyone’s money was tied up in the company, and there wouldn’t be much liquid capital available.

Who could have imagined that Sheng Quan would have a billion in hand?

A high-stakes gamble, lost so swiftly, only served to further contribute to the company’s already declining situation.

“Forget about that for now.”

Chen Xuan was trying to suppress various emotions: “Let’s think about how to apologize to Sheng Quan.”

Anyone who could easily donate a billion wasn’t someone to mess with in their fragile state.

Qizhi understood the stakes, but he couldn’t suppress his anger.

“Would it even help if we went? Gu Zhao is now under Sheng Quan; he might say something to her about us. Just thinking about facing that brat Gu Zhao makes me feel choked up. I can’t swallow this.”

“What else can we do? Start a feud with Sheng Quan directly? Do you dare? She can throw out a billion; is your grudge even worth a billion?”

He Qizhi:… His anger instantly subsided.

“You’re right; let’s apologize and make amends. Pick a day, and we’ll go together.”

As for thoughts like “You caused us a loss of forty million; we’ll have an unending feud with you,” these never crossed their minds from start to finish.

They may not have had much talent for managing the company, but they weren’t lacking in intelligence.

Picking a fight with someone who could pull out a billion dollars in cash would be foolish.

Meanwhile, on the national charity platform, the original donation amount suddenly experienced a significant surge.

As mentioned earlier, the charity in Starlight World was strictly regulated. After a nationwide “misappropriation of charity funds” scandal, all charity organizations were required to be transparent online. Every penny, whether coming in or going out, had to be publicly disclosed.

While this policy had its downsides, it also had significant benefits. People who were initially disinterested in charity became more confident in donating. Seeing their money go to good use, even if it was just five cents, and being able to track it online greatly encouraged repeated donations.

Since the implementation of this policy, Du Xiuli didn’t know what others thought, but as a charity organization staff member, she was quite happy. Witnessing the money reaching those who needed it gave her a great sense of satisfaction.

Today, Du Xiuli was still happy, verifying her work as usual. Suddenly, she heard a voice in the office—obviously trying to keep it low but unable to contain the excitement:

“A single person donated a hundred million?”

Du Xiuli frowned and looked over. “It’s working hours; get back to work.”

“Director, take a look.”

The excited young man approached and said, “On the education donation platform, a large sum suddenly appeared during verification. It turns out that within this large sum, one person donated a billion alone.”

Du Xiuli was also somewhat shocked.

Having assets of over a billion wasn’t uncommon in China, but a one-time donation of over a billion… Who could that be?

“A talent show?”

“Yes, it emphasizes public welfare and is one we’ve collaborated with. Therefore, this money was directly credited. I’ve just confirmed; the process has no issues, and everything is in accordance with regulations.”

The young man was the only one a bit uncertain: “This massive donation can be recognized as exemplary, but since the program acts as a third-party intermediary, should we commend the program or the individual?”

Du Xiuli wasn’t sure either.

Donating over a billion in one go—she had worked in this field for a long time and had never seen such a thing. There wasn’t any procedure to follow.

She decided to go upstairs. “I’ll ask higher-ups; you guys continue working.”

A billion.

Not acknowledging it would be inappropriate.

During the meeting at the organization discussing this unexpectedly large donation, as soon as the program ended, Sheng Quan encountered a siege of media outside the door.

In reality, the media had attempted to corner her twice before, but she had exited through another channel both times, so they missed her.

And this time, she willingly let herself be surrounded by the media.

This was Sheng Quan’s first direct interaction with the media.

Before, there had been media coverage of her, but it was always paparazzi taking secret photos. The headlines they came up with were wildly exaggerated, almost as if they wanted to tattoo “Clickbait” on their foreheads:

“Sheng Quan Surrounded by Beauty, Enjoying a Comfortable Hot Spring Retreat”—She’s in a hot spring while the driver and assistant wait outside.