Chapter 63

Chapter 10: The Charm of Chu Tian

Lin Feng, current assets: one internet city (sealed), six "murder clubs" (sealed), one barbecue restaurant (sealed), one flower tea processing plant (profitable), and an online trading platform (losing money). He had 750,000 yuan in liquid funds, of which 500,000 yuan was used to pay the initial installment for the Chu Zixuan Chu Feng Internet City store and all its shares, leaving him with 250,000 yuan.

Lin Feng's strongest opponent now was Deputy Mayor Hu Xiaoli, who was in charge of urban management, transportation, public security, safety, justice, and industrial and commercial administrative management. Hu Xiaoli was the cousin of Hu Xiaobing. This powerful figure had sealed most of Lin Feng's assets. Lin Feng knew that it would be a pipe dream to try to bring down Hu Xiaoli on his own. However, taking the opportunity to give Hu Xiaobing a taste of his own medicine and seeking justice for the injured residents was not a problem.

Of course, Lin Feng's deeper intention was to openly challenge Deputy Mayor Hu Xiaoli—since Hu Xiaoli had sealed his companies, he would drive Hu Xiaoli's cousin's chemical factory out of Liao Yuan District.

Lin Feng's visit to Chu City TV Station was ostensibly to advertise his online trading platform, but secretly, it was to get acquainted with the station director.

Lin Feng paid 30,000 yuan for a week of non-prime time 30-second ads on Chu City TV and invited the station director, Meng Dong, for a casual dinner.

Meng Dong was quite curious about this young boss who had just signed a contract. Establishing an online trading platform was the newest industry in all of China. Although he had heard of eBay, it was created by a Harvard graduate. This native Chu City resident dared to be the first to try it, which piqued Meng Dong's interest. Perhaps he could do a special interview, an inspirational program. With this thought, Meng Dong and Lin Feng went to the rotating restaurant at the Hai Lian Building. However, if Meng Dong had known that Lin Feng had offended the deputy mayor, he might not have come today.

This meal, while changing the course of his life, also brought him endless troubles. Years later, when Meng Dong looked back, he couldn't clearly say whether it was right or wrong.

It was their first meeting, so they were cautious in their words and actions. However, as the alcohol took effect, the atmosphere gradually relaxed, and Lin Feng cautiously shared his entrepreneurial history with Meng Dong.

As Meng Dong marveled at Lin Feng's business acumen, Lin Feng knew the time was ripe.

"Director Meng, I have an idea, but I'm not sure if I should say it," Lin Feng said, raising a glass to Meng Dong.

"Go ahead, Lin Boss. To start a business from scratch at such a young age is truly admirable. I believe your idea must be a good one," Meng Dong put down his glass.

"Ha ha, Director Meng, every day after watching the news, I love to watch the news on Chu City TV. However, I find that the current local news, apart from introducing a bit of urban development, is rather empty and fails to attract the attention of ordinary people," Lin Feng threw out a bait.

"Then what do you suggest, Lin Boss?" Meng Dong's heart stirred, sensing something.

"Ha ha, why not create a program that focuses on people's livelihoods during dinner time, introducing things happening around ordinary people's lives? I believe this would be a program that people would love to watch," Lin Feng said, then fell silent, waiting for Meng Dong to digest it.

Meng Dong listened, closed his eyes, and carefully considered Lin Feng's proposal. After calculating the ratings and potential gains and losses, he slapped his thigh, "It's a deal! Lin Boss, this suggestion is good and feasible."

Meng Dong calculated that airing the program during dinner time, starting at 6 PM, would avoid the cartoon time slots after 5 PM and not conflict with the 7 PM news. Moreover, there were few attractive TV dramas during this time, and with the whole family gathered around the TV while eating, it could be considered a prime time slot, second only to 8 PM.

Seeing Meng Dong hooked, Lin Feng threw out another bait.

"Director Meng, this program could also include a segment to help people solve practical problems in their daily lives. I believe people would pay more attention. And it could be broadcast live to enhance audience interaction," Lin Feng tempted.

Meng Dong became increasingly excited, forming more ideas about the nascent program. Without further ado, he excused himself and returned to the TV station to hold an emergency meeting.

At the meeting, Meng Dong proposed Lin Feng's idea, which was immediately approved by everyone. Although they anticipated that certain departments might give "special attention," the potential ratings made the risk worth taking.

After a series of discussions and negotiations, Meng Dong quickly selected the on-screen host and the field reporter, allocated funds, and ordered the program team to prepare for live broadcasts. The program was named "The Charm of Chu Tian."

The next day, when Lin Feng and Wang Meng watched "The Charm of Chu Tian" at 6 PM in the hospital, Lin Feng knew his plan was halfway successful.

Lin Feng's plan was to expose Hu Xiaobing's chemical factory through the TV station. Since Hu Xiaobing had a deputy mayor cousin, Lin Feng wanted to see if he could suppress the public opinion of the entire city. Of course, this couldn't be rushed; he had to wait for the program to be digested in Chu City. First, he needed to see how the leaders at all levels viewed the program. If it was shut down immediately after airing, Lin Feng's plan would be useless, and he would have to think of another way.

"Brother Wang, you don't need to go after Hu Xiaobing for the next few days. Take a break," Lin Feng was afraid that Wang Meng's continuous actions against Danya Chemical would backfire when the news was reported. Of course, it would also avoid the heightened attention from the Liao Yuan police station. If it escalated to the city bureau and a special investigation team was dispatched, it would be bad for everyone.

Although Wang Meng always assured Lin Feng that his skills would prevent anyone from tracing his actions, this was a last resort, a "life-or-death" move. Lin Feng didn't want to do this unless absolutely necessary.

Wang Meng's withdrawal relieved Hu Xiaobing and Deputy Chief Li. Although they knew this was related to Lin Feng, they had no evidence. Apart from sending security guards to the hospital every day, they could do nothing. Although Hu Xiaobing had used his cousin's power to seal Lin Feng's "all" assets, he couldn't sustain this for long.

Wang Meng's withdrawal was also seen by Hu Xiaobing as a sign that Lin Feng's assets were sealed, cutting off his financial resources, and he was unable to hire experts to deal with him.

Little brat, I'm waiting for you to come and beg for forgiveness!—Hu Xiaobing, feeling triumphant, began to imagine the day Lin Feng would kneel and apologize to him.

Three days passed, and everything seemed calm on the surface. Apart from focusing on the development of his online trading platform, Lin Feng spent every evening at 6 PM watching "The Charm of Chu Tian" to see how long the program would last under the initial scrutiny of the leaders.

To Lin Feng's delight, "The Charm of Chu Tian" received widespread praise from the ordinary people of Chu City. Many enthusiastic viewers called the TV station, praising the program for speaking for the people and doing things for the people.

Over the three days, the program continuously aired stories reflecting the hardships of the people. Although it involved some sensitive departments, it did not receive any warnings or orders to shut down from the leaders.

Lin Feng also called Meng Dong to inquire about the program. Meng Dong not only did not receive any warning from the leaders but also received high praise from Mayor Yu Haowei, who believed that Meng Dong had done a good thing for the people of Chu City.

Meng Dong was not the type to take credit. While receiving high praise from Mayor Yu Haowei, he also told Yu Haowei about the behind-the-scenes hero, Lin Feng. Yu Haowei thought for a moment, smiled mysteriously, and said nothing more, only telling Meng Dong to continue running the program and not to give up easily. If there were any problems, he could come to him.

Hearing this from Meng Dong, Lin Feng couldn't be sure of Mayor Yu Haowei's attitude or whether he knew that Lin Feng was the one whose company was sealed by Deputy Mayor Hu Xiaoli. However, Lin Feng was confident that the program, if everything went as planned, would continue. And his plan could be executed as scheduled.

However, at this moment, Lin Feng saw someone he never expected to see in Chu City.