Chapter 116 - Everyone Has a Duty to Combat Piracy
Translated by Eve
Edited by Kitty, Serefina
3. Everyone Has a Duty to Combat Piracy
Xie He became clear-headed at once. He tightly clenched his cell phone and said in a strict tone, “What did you say?!”
Lin Ran’s tone was really frazzled. He said in a low voice, “You’ll understand when you look online. Our film has been leaked. Right now, it’s already been uploaded for free on all the major forums and websites….”
Xie He slammed his phone down after hanging up. He didn’t even have time to pay attention to Ye Jinzhou. He pushed him away and walked to his computer.
Indeed, everywhere on the net, they were talking about this. The film had been downloaded from these sites and forums many times. At this time, even if these sites deleted it, it would be too late because the infinite pirating websites would continue to spread it wildly.
Xie He also downloaded it and indeed, it was the entire film.
Everything went blurry before him. He only felt an intense headache. The hand clenching the mouse was trembling….
Ye Jinzhou stood behind Xie He, eyes cold and lips carrying a smile.
What you have been looking forward to, I will gradually destroy it all….
Xie He was silent for a long time. He then took a deep breath. His gaze slowly turned back to normal. He calmly instructed Ye Jinzhou, “Contact the company’s Vice President and managers. In half an hour, we will hold an emergency meeting!”
After saying this, he got up and changed his clothes. Because he was in too much of a rush, he nearly fell. He could feel something slide down his inner thigh. Xie He’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Ye Jinzhou hurried over to support him. The cold disappeared from his face and there was only worry and guilt in his eyes. “It’s my fault. I was too rough earlier… I didn’t think that this would suddenly happen….”
Xie He grabbed his arm and said in a deep voice, “It’s not your fault. I’m going to go change my clothes. You quickly go notify the other participants.”
“OK,” Ye Jinzhou answered. He comforted Xie He softly, “Don’t worry too much. There will definitely be a way to solve this.”
“Mn,” Xie He replied absentmindedly. He let go of Ye Jinzhou and headed to the washroom.
He shut the door and sighed.
【Xie He：This call came at such a bad time. It would have been better if it came half an hour later.】
【444：……】
Xie He cleaned up simply and then came out, clothes changed. Ye Jinzhou had already finished making all the calls and was waiting downstairs with the car started.
All along the way, he drove with a grave expression, taking Xie He to the company. Just as Xie He was about to push open the door, Ye Jinzhou suddenly pressed down on his neck and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. His black eyes were fixed on him, and his voice was quiet, “Don’t rush. Walk slowly.”
Xie He stared at him dazedly. It was rare to see Ye Jinzhou so steady and serious. Suddenly he felt like the other was extremely gentle and reliable. He paused and then smiled, “I’m fine.”
What could Ye Jinzhou do, ne? He actually thought that he depended on him… it was probably an illusion that would arise when you had someone you loved by your side in difficult times.
He didn’t need his help. He just needed his support and understanding.
Warmth appeared in Xie He’s eyes. He gave Ye Jinzhou another look and then exited the car and rode the elevator to the meeting room. Because he lived so close, he arrived very early.
A while later, the other managers arrived. Lin Ran was stuck in traffic and the last to arrive. The meeting room’s atmosphere was extremely gloomy and oppressive. The glee and happiness from this morning had disappeared. Everyone’s moods had been like a rollercoaster. There were dark faces everywhere.
Xie He’s mood was really terrible. However, he could not let his emotions take control of him now. He had to be rational and calm-headed to deal with this issue.
“Manager Liu, have you investigated the matter?” Xie He’s eyes were piercing. He directly asked the person in charge of the company’s IT department.
Manager Liu of the IT department had a forehead covered in cold sweat. “After being notified, I immediately investigated. The video was uploaded at 5:27 this afternoon at the earliest and was transmitted on XXX Forum. Soon after, it was uploaded on all the major websites. Furthermore, there were posts telling people to go there. We tried to track the uploader, but the other’s hacking skills are high. We couldn’t find them….”
“Continue investigating. Don’t let any traces slip under your eyes.” After saying this, Xie He immediately turned to another person, “Manager Zhang, has the emergency plan been initiated? Immediately contact the in-charges of all the major websites and ask them to quickly remove all the copyrighted material.”
The PR department’s Manager Zhang nodded his head. “I have already assigned people to do that. Some of the sites have already deleted it. We are still negotiating with a few others. Some parties are saying that it has nothing to do with them if it is uploaded by users and that they cannot delete user threads as they wish.”
“I approve of whatever expenses the PR department incurs. If they refuse to delete them, then have our lawyers sue them!” Xie He said in a strict tone.
“Yes, yes.” Manager Zhang wiped his forehead.
Xie He shut his eyes. Not only had he invested almost all of the company’s liquid assets into the film, but he had also taken a large loan out from the bank. If they were to come up with a deficit, it would be an immense hit to the company. The higher his anticipation had been in the past, the greater the despair now…. He was a bit irascible right now.
Lin Ran looked at Xie He, pushed up his glasses, and said, “It has already happened. Right now, our top priority is to think about how we can remedy the situation. Pirated films spread very quickly. The more time that passes, the greater the damage we will incur. I think that we should bump up the release date and attract viewers to come see it at a movie theater. It will minimize the losses.”
This was also what Xie He thought. He nodded. “Yes, I will personally go to several big theater chains and discuss the matter of bumping up the release date with them.”
Xie He paused and then said, “The movie advertisement plan will need to be revised. Everyone, please speak if you have any ideas.”
Ye Jinzhou sat in his usual spot. When he heard their panicked and intense discussion, he lowered his gaze, covering the icy smile within his eyes. He knew that Xie He had invested quite a lot in this film. If the film ended up with a severe deficit, that would cause the entire company to fall into a difficult predicament.
Although large productions made more money, the risk of failure was also big. Rongzhi Media was not the first company to be dragged under by a large production, nor would it be the last.
The meeting lasted until midnight. Xie He arranged and assigned a whole new series of plans and then left the meeting room, exhausted.
After the others left, Xie He said to Lin Ran, “I want to have a word with you alone.”
Ye Jinzhou didn’t follow along this time. He took the initiative to say, “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Xie He nodded and returned to his office with Lin Ran.
In front of Lin Ran, Xie He no longer pretended to be calm. He pulled his tie open and deep worry appeared in his eyes. His voice was frantic, “What do you think happened? Do you think that someone hacked us or that we… have a spy in our company?”
Today, Lin Ran also didn’t have it easy. He clearly knew that Xie He and his boyfriend were spending Valentine’s Day together, but he couldn’t say anything about it. He couldn’t even send his wishes today. He had stayed at home by himself and then had to receive this kind of unfavorable news….
He sighed and said, “I can’t say right now. We have to wait until the investigation is over. However, I think that it is very likely that we have a traitor. After all, very few people had access to the film. Moreover, we didn’t upload it onto any computer.”
“My thoughts are the same. The possibility that there is a traitor is high. This person must be found!” Xie He’s voice was frigid. If he found out who it was, he would not let him off!
Lin Ran said, “I will carefully inspect these people. If there really is a traitor, we cannot let them stay at the company.”
Xie He sighed and looked at Lin Ran with a meaningful gaze. His tone eased up, and he flashed a bitter smile. “Thank you… right now, the only one I can trust is you.”
Those that had the authority to leak the film were all important executive personnel. Right now, Xie He thought that there was something wrong here, so he was suspicious of everyone. However, he would never suspect Lin Ran.
Lin Ran had helped him for so many years. He was his backbone. They had seen this company grow together.
Xie He wholeheartedly trusted Lin Ran. That’s why he had called Lin Ran over to discuss these matters. He didn’t want to alert the enemy.
Lin Ran looked into Xie He’s eyes. He had always known that Xie He trusted him. However, to hear Xie He personally say this in such difficult times still moved him.
They were good friends and were so close. If Xie He knew of his feelings… would this trust change?
Lin Ran swallowed down the bitter taste in his throat. No matter what, this was not the time to think of personal matters. He walked up and hugged Xie He, like a brother or a friend. He gently patted his shoulders and consoled him, “Relax, we will definitely find that person.”
His vision fell onto Xie He’s neck. There were still hickeys that had yet to disappear on that fair skin. It was obvious that he had just done it…. Lin Ran pursed his lips, and his eyes dimmed before he slowly let go of Xie He.
Just now was probably the closest I’ll ever get to be with you.
I really don’t feel willing, resigning myself to this.
【Ding, Lin Ran’s Favourability Value +5. The current Favourability Value is 85.】
……………………………………
After Xie He parted ways with Lin Ran, he went to the parking lot. Ye Jinzhou’s long legs were casually bent as he languidly reclined on the car. The dusky light fell on his body and cast long shadows on the ground.
He saw Xie He come out and didn’t ask him what he had discussed with Lin Ran. He silently pulled the car door open for Xie He and then drove home.
When Xie He returned home, he looked at the extinguished candles and cold food, and he was slightly distracted for a moment.
He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Ye Jinzhou. He turned around and went to the washroom to wash up. When he came out in a bathrobe, the table was already cleared of the cold food. On top was a bowl of piping hot noodles.
Ye Jinzhou smiled at him. “I know that you’re not in a good mood, but you haven’t eaten tonight. You’ve been busy until now, so you must be hungry. Eat a little before going to bed.”
Xie He was indeed hungry. He had no time to think about eating earlier. However, Ye Jinzhou remembered it….
He sat down on the chair and silently ate. He felt the warmth in his stomach and didn’t feel so sad anymore.
Ye Jinzhou sat in front of Xie He and quietly watched Xie He eat. He saw Xie He put down his chopsticks when he finished and said, “Quickly go to bed. I’ll clean up.”
“OK,” Xie He said softly. He returned to his room and lied down, powerless.
Xie He shut his eyes and heard the rustling sounds coming from outside. After a while, his body sank down. Ye Jinzhou lay down next to him and hugged him from behind. Ye Jinzhou didn’t demand anything without moderation like he usually did. He only held him quietly.
Today was both a happy day and a terrible day. However, no matter how terrible it was, when he returned home in the middle of the night, there was someone he liked by his side, ensuring that he wouldn’t be hungry or cold. He would even hug him and give him warmth….
Xie He held Ye Jinzhou’s hand and gently said, “Fortunately, you’re here.”
Ye Jinzhou didn’t reply.
There was an indiscernible dark expression in his eyes within the color of the night.
You don’t doubt me even a little bit?
Whether it was while you were in shock the moment you heard of this or after you thought about it calmly, did you really never doubt me once?
I waited all night for you to question me, but you never did…. All that you said was, ‘Fortunately, you’re here’.
We’ve only known each other for a short amount of time. Why do you believe in me like this?
Such a pity… that you will one day regret meeting me.
【Ding, the target Ye Jinzhou’s Favourability Value +10. The current Favourability Value is 20.】
……………………………………
Xie He worked overtime for the next few days and returned home late each day. For a long time, there had not been a smile on his face.
Although most of the websites had already deleted the video, many people had already downloaded it. Moreover, countless pirating sites still had it. This was out of Xie He’s control…. The worst part was that some people had started leaving waves of negative reviews online. Furthermore, they also gave it low scores on several important movie sites, incessantly decreasing the viewers anticipation.
Xie He was extremely angry. If he had thought that this was just a malicious attack in the beginning, right now it was clear that someone was targeting their company! First, they leaked the film and then they hired a water army to smear this film. This series of actions naturally was for the purpose of making him lose everything!
Xie He called Lin Ran over. “How has your investigation been going? Do you have any suspects?”
Lin Ran shook his head, dark circles under his eyes. He had been busy with arranging the film’s new advertisement plan, dealing with the malicious attack online, and quietly searching for the traitor. He was extremely tired.
Xie He sighed and said, “I have a meeting with President Zhao from the ZD theater chain. I’ll be discussing the issue with the film’s screening.”
ZD was the country’s biggest movie theater chain. It made up more than half of all theaters. If they could screen this movie earlier, they could reduce their losses. Lin Ran nodded, “I understand.”
Xie He didn’t say anything more.
The afternoon passed quickly. Xie He’s state was unsteady.
Close to/Around five o’clock, Xie He arrived at the restaurant and ordered a few dishes, waiting for President Zhao to come. However, President Zhao did not come even as it hit six thirty, despite the meeting being set at six. Xie He began to feel a bad premonition form in his heart.
It was about to hit seven when President Zhao arrived slowly. He was a forty-something middle-aged man. He was slightly balding. He chuckled at Xie He, “Sorry for coming late. I made President Bai wait so long. Allow me to drink a glass in punishment.”
Xie He needed something from the other, so of course he wouldn’t let President Zhao punish himself. He politely welcomed him in and said, “It is fine. Please, come sit.”
President Zhao was not polite. He didn’t even pretend. Seeing that Xie He said that it was fine, he did not talk about punishing himself anymore and sat down irresponsibly. He smiled and asked, “For what reason has President Bai invited me out today?”
Xie He said, “Actually, I have something to trouble President Zhao with.”
President Zhao’s eyes narrowed, “Related to the film?”
Xie He nodded, “Originally, it was set to be released three months later. However, there has been a bit of an accident. We want to move the release date forward. We have to trouble President Zhao with this. Let me toast to you.”
As he said this, he held up his glass of white wine and downed it.
President Zhao did not stop Xie He. He waited until Xie He finished drinking before saying, “It’s a bit difficult for me to bump it up by three months. President Bai, you must know that there’s quite a few movies screening right now. There are also several large productions. Their slots had been decided a long time ago. Right now, to add another film would make things difficult for me.”
How could President Zhao not know about the big matter that had occurred to Rongzhi Media recently? He had long since begun to scheme. He knew that Xie He would come looking for him sooner or later. Originally, it was no big deal to be a bit flexible. After all, he had also had a good impression of this film. He could do Xie He a favour. When the time came, if the box office was high, he could play it a bit longer. If it was low, he could play it less. He wouldn’t suffer a loss. But right now….
When he recalled the face of the SL Group representative he had just met with, he thought, Sorry.
Everyone is a businessman here. We’re here to talk business. If I just make it a bit difficult on you, I can get the benefits the SL Group is offering me. Don’t blame me for not letting sentiments get in my way.
Xie He’s heart thumped. He had also been a businessman for a long time. How could he not know what President Zhao meant? Today’s matter would not be easy to accomplish.
Although he was angry, Xie He smiled. “I know that this would make things difficult on President Zhao… but I hope that President Zhao can help us out. I will remember the favor and be very grateful.”
President Zhao laughed as he looked at Xie He. After a while, he slowly said, “It’s not like we can’t work something out. After all, you’re coming in late. At most, I can only give you 20% of the showings. Moreover, I have a condition….”
20% was too little for a huge production! However, Xie He was not in a rush to reject it. In a low voice, he asked, “What condition?”
President Zhao said, “I want a higher proportion of the sales. If President Bai thinks that this is fine, then I will properly arrange things. If you don’t agree, then let’s cooperate next time.”
Xie He’s expression completely changed.
Originally, the theatre chain had a rather high proportion of the profits already. Right now, they wanted a higher cut while they were only willing to assign them 20% of their showings. They were clearly trying to profit from their misfortune! Xie He could not keep the smile on his face. He used all his strength to prevent his anger from showing. He was quiet for a long time before saying, “I need time to consider it.”
President Zhao was not angry. He smiled and said, “Then decide quickly. To tell the truth, I’ve also seen the film. Not bad. It’s really regretful that such a thing has occurred.”
Xie He flashed an ugly smile and watched President Zhao leave. The hand hanging by his side was clenched deathly tight.
……………………………………
The situation online worsened each day. Xie He went to meet with the people in charge of the other movie theater chains, but none of the negotiations ended happily. People who used to be easy to talk to suddenly changed and showed their despicable faces, trying to profit from their misfortune.
Everything was like an invisible, giant net. He didn’t know when it had been cast on him, but no matter what he did, the other seemed to be waiting for him in front. Waiting for him to face him head-to-head.
Who was it that wanted to ruin him?
In a short few days, Xie He had become wan and sallow.
【444：Wuwuwuwu, Ye Jinzhou is a bad person. QAQ】
【Xie He：……】
【444：Host dada, what are we going to do now?】
【Xie He：We let nature take its course. If we give the company to him, he won’t feel any sense of accomplishment. I’m really too lazy to put on an act…. You should know that it’s really not easy to act like I’m really worried and working really hard but have no way to control the situation, ah. I nearly couldn’t help myself from exposing him. 】
【444：……】
【Xie He：Moreover, from this matter, we ought to all learn a lesson here.】
【444：That you shouldn’t just trust anybody…? QAQ】
【Xie He：No.】
【444：Then what?】
【Xie He：Everyone has a responsibility in combating piracy. If there wasn’t piracy, there would be no harm. 🙂 】
【444：……】
Tonight, Xie He was also out on a business dinner. He drank way too much and got very drunk. Before he got home, he vomited.
Ye Jinzhou supported Xie He back home and gently placed him on the bed. He also helped take off his shoes. He looked into Xie He’s eyes and quietly called out, “Bai Mu….”
Xie He’s eyes were both hazy, his face flushed.
Ye Jinzhou looked at Xie He’s dazed appearance and smelled the liquor all over his body. He reached out and caressed the other’s face. It seemed like the other had thinned down a bit…. He didn’t know why, but seeing the refined, confident, mature man be tormented like this, he actually felt a bit bad for him.
Xie He was obviously not sober. Ye Jinzhou didn’t continue with his facade. He used an indifferent gaze to look at the man beneath him, a complicated expression flashing through his eyes.
He actually felt bad for this person. Impossible.
【Ding, the target Ye Jinzhou’s Favourability Value +5. The current Favourability Value is 25.】
……………………………………
Because Xie He was hungover, he woke up with a splitting headache. However, he forced himself to get out of bed and head to the company. His complexion was terrible.
Lin Ran had come over to Xie He’s office to look for him. When he saw him, his heart hurt a lot. He said, concerned, “If you’re sick, don’t come. If there’s anything, you can always call me.”
Xie He flashed him a wan smile, “I’m fine.”
Lin Ran knew that Xie He was stubborn. He also knew that he could not be at ease, so he didn’t continue trying to persuade him. He turned around and looked at Ye Jinzhou. he told him, “Please help me make twenty copies of this information. Thank you.”
A flash of light flashed through Ye Jinzhou’s eyes. He took the material and left without a word.
Xie He immediately realized that Lin Ran had something to say to him. Moreover, he didn’t want Ye Jinzhou to hear this, so he had used that method to chase him away. His gaze became sharp. “What do you want to tell me?”
Lin Ran looked at Xie He and said, “I suspect that the traitor is Ye Jinzhou.”
The author has something to say:
Recently, quite a few angels have said that their friends, classmates or coworkers have the same name as the characters. 2333 This once again proves that this author is useless in coming up with names and can only choose common ones….Indifferent.JPG…._(:зゝ∠)_
Eve: Ye Jinzhou is a bad person. QAQ I hate you wuwuwuwu.
sere: im cri T.T