"That's more like it." Tan Dongbang nodded and said in annoyance, "Don't give me any more trouble. My poll numbers have dropped a lot recently. Bai Jiancheng is quite capable. He quietly used the news of that female exchange student's parents leaving for Germany for a lawsuit to gain popularity on social media. He's already surpassed me."
"I know, I know. Don't be too anxious. Who doesn't know what Bai Jiancheng is trying to do by leeching off someone else's popularity? He's treating people like idiots … "Cai Songyin pouted in disdain." Where's our social media manager? Why isn't he starting things up? "
"Starting things up? Do you think they didn't try? But they were rebuked, "Tan Dongbang said unhappily." That post made sense. Indeed, whether Bai Jiancheng is trying to leech off the popularity or has selfish motives, he did help that family. Also, that family isn't related to him, so it makes him seem even more noble. "
"Pfft! Noble character and unquestionable integrity! This year's netizens can't do it. They're so easily fooled! " Cai Songyin slapped the table. "We have to think of a way to turn the situation around. We can't let the Bai family continue to be so smug."
"What else can we do? Someone has ordered us not to continue hyping up our daughter's case. We can't keep up with the popularity. "Tan Dongbang was also at his wit's end.
"That's easy." Cai Songyin was a professor at Media University. Plus, the Cai family was a scholarly family with a lot of influence in the arts world. Several of her cousins had opened film and media companies. Tan Dongbang's sudden rise in popularity on social media was also the result of their secret operations.
"How can it be easy? There's only two months until the vote. Can we still make it? " Tan Dongbang was deeply worried. "They'll definitely continue to hype up that Germany case. I heard that the Bai's paid for the best lawyer from the biggest law firm in America to help that family with the civil case. Foreign cases always drag on for a long time. Now that he's here, who will remember me?"
"Don't worry!" Cai Songyin quickly patted Tan Dongbang's back to calm him down. "Didn't I say not to worry about the media? Let me handle it."
"You really have a way?" Tan Dongbang glanced at Cai Songyin. "You can't go overboard and have the opposite effect. Tell me, what do you want to do? "
"Fine, I can tell you. That's what I plan to do. " Cai Songyin turned on the computer and found an inconspicuous message for Tan Dongbang to see. "Do you still remember Bai Yusheng?"
"I remember, how could I forget! This traitor! Traitors! "Tan Dongbang angrily slammed the table." How much damage has our nation suffered?! "
"Yeah, don't forget, he's Bai Jiancheng's younger brother!" Cai Songyin clicked open a webpage with a smile. "Look, as long as this news gets trending online again, would Bai Jiancheng still have the face to be a candidate for prime minister?!"
Tan Dongbang instantly understood. "That works too? But our country doesn't have a law of association, so Bai Jiancheng's brother's crime has nothing to do with him! The organization has already checked. If there was a connection, how could Bai Jiancheng replace Dou Yongsheng as the acting prime minister? "
"Yes, it doesn't matter in the law, but the election is not about the law. The election depends on the will of the people. " Cai Songyin was very confident when she talked about her field of expertise. "The rise of modern social media has the power to influence the political situation. As long as this news gets out and the Internet Water Army is sent to all the major web portals and major forums to spread the news, normal people won't even think of this. They will only think that Bai Jiancheng's younger brother, Bai Yusheng, committed treason, so Bai Jiancheng should retire from politics to avoid suspicion! "
Tan Dongbang froze, then smiled wryly. "Bai Jiancheng retire from politics? You're overthinking it. That's absolutely impossible. Let me tell you, do you know how powerful the entire Bai family is? "
The Bai family's in-laws and old acquaintances were all over the upper echelons of the Hua Xia Empire. Even Cai Songyin's maiden family, the Cai family, was indirectly related to the Bai family by marriage.
Of course Cai Songyin knew everything. She stood behind Tan Dongbang and massaged his stiff back. Smiling, she said, "I don't need you to tell me. But you have to know that to create public opinion online, you have to ask for a sky-high price and then wait for the other party to pay you back. Otherwise, you won't achieve the desired effect. "
"How so?"
"Well, let's put it this way. For example, if you want to sell something for 1,000 dollars, then you can't ask for 1,000 dollars because the other party will definitely bargain. So in order to sell it for 1,000 dollars, you can ask for 2,000 dollars. If the other party only asks for 500 dollars, then you can sell it for 1,500 dollars. If the other party asks for half, then 1,000 is the price you have in mind. Using the media to create public opinion is the same thing. "
Tan Dongbang understood what Cai Songyin was saying. He frowned and thought about it for a long time before saying, "It's better to be careful. Don't make the netizens hate you, or you'll lose more than you gain."
"I know. I'll tell them to be careful." Cai Songyin stopped. "Do you feel better?"
"Much better. Thank you, Madam. "Tan Dongbang smiled as he squeezed her hand and watched her leave.
In the next few days, before the planned news about Bai Yusheng went online, the Hua Xia Empire's social media was suddenly flooded by He Zhichu, a professor specially hired by B University's Faculty of Law.
It turned out that he was also a partner of the largest law firm in the United States and the most expensive lawyer in the country.
This time, he was helping the average female exchange student's family with the lawsuit. Although the Bai's were paying, he said that the final lawyer fees would be deducted from the subject matter after the lawsuit was won.
This meant that if the lawsuit wasn't won, the Bai's wouldn't have to pay a single cent.
After the lawsuit was won, the Bai's wouldn't have to pay out of their own pocket because the lawyer fees would be paid from the subject matter of the lawsuit, which meant the other party's compensation.
When this news spread, coupled with He Zhichu's cool, cold, and elite profile, it sent the entire social media world, which valued looks, into a frenzy.
Such a good lawyer, such an impressive resume, and so handsome. How could people live?!
Almost instantly, He Zhichu's fan club announced its establishment on Weibo, and Gu Nianzhi miraculously became invisible in the wave. Aside from the people close to her, almost no one knew that she was the main assistant accompanying He Zhichu to Germany for the lawsuit.
Similarly, He Zhichu suddenly became an internet celebrity, which made the Bai's seem too calculative.
The media companies related to Cai Songyin immediately followed up with the report. Other than liking He Zhichu, they also began to set the pace for Bai Jiancheng. They insinuated that he didn't need to spend a single cent, yet he had to wear the label of a "sponsor" and was willing to eat human blood for the sake of the election …
Bai Jiancheng was extremely embarrassed when he saw the report and quickly ordered someone to contact the American law firm to say that the lawyer fees would be calculated separately. Whether or not they won the lawsuit, they wouldn't be missing a cent.
The American law firm didn't dare to act on their own and immediately forwarded the Bai's news to He Zhichu, who was preparing to go to Germany.
As his assistant and teaching assistant, Gu Nianzhi spent most of the past two days at He Zhichu's home helping to pack the professional books and reference materials.
Gu Nianzhi had been a bit cold for the past few days, so she took flu medicine at night and came over. Not long after packing, her head felt incredibly heavy, so she went to the sofa to rest for a while. She didn't expect to fall asleep on the sofa after resting for a while.
He Zhichu didn't wake her up. Instead, he got a thin blanket to cover her body.
At that moment, the American law firm happened to send an email. He saw it and immediately called back to ask, "Mary, what's up?"
"Lawyer He, it's so great that you called back. We don't know what to do either! The Bai's have to charge the lawyer fees separately … "
Mary, the secretary of the American law firm, was having a mental breakdown. She had never seen anyone so desperate to pay!
Why would they be angry if they didn't give it up?!
He Zhichu quietly listened to the entire story and took out his phone to browse Weibo. He immediately understood why the Bai's were doing this.
He sat sideways on the sofa, and Gu Nianzhi slept not far from him. He could reach out and touch her head.
The living room windows were open, and the cool night breeze blew in through the floor-to-ceiling screen. He Zhichu tucked Gu Nianzhi in with the blanket again before speaking quietly on the phone, "They want to pay? Can they afford it? Even if they can, aren't they afraid of people suspecting that they got their money illegally? "
He Zhichu's lawyer fees were exorbitant.
In the past, corporate-law cases only took ten minutes to complete, and the fee was 50,000 US dollars per minute. Ten minutes was only 500,000 US dollars, which was still within the budget of large public companies.
However, civil cases that came with criminal cases could take up to an hour. Calculating all of the Bai's assets, it was probably enough for He Zhichu to win the entire case?
Of course, the Bai's wouldn't go bankrupt for someone else's case.
Mary understood He Zhichu's meaning and asked, "Then what does Lawyer He plan to do? The other party said they can't do it without paying a single cent. You know they have an election, so it's not good for them to be accused of riding on their popularity. "
The law firm was also very picky.
Bai Jiancheng was one of the candidates for the Hua Xia Empire's Prime Minister, and was very likely to be the future Prime Minister. Based on the principle of good business with him, the American law firm wouldn't make things difficult for him.
He Zhichu thought about it and said, "Then I'll give them a friendship price. Just ask for the highest fee from my lawyers."
He Zhichu's lawyer fees were exorbitant, but his lawyers weren't. The highest fee was only 1,000 US dollars an hour.
The Bai's could definitely afford this price.
"Also, we'll definitely want a percentage of the subject matter." He Zhichu didn't do business at a loss. Since he was a lawyer, he had to be more considerate than others.
"Of course. I'll give them a quote. Thank you for your consideration, Lawyer He. "The secretary hung up happily and went to prepare a new contract for the Bai's.
He Zhichu hung up and looked out the window at the night sky. He suddenly missed the taste of black draft beer.
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