Chapter 112: Can't You Go Wreak Havoc Somewhere Else? (Please follow, please vote!)

On Li Shixin’s Weibo, the video of last night’s play had already moved many netizens. In the spirit of raising awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and garnering attention for the patient community, they had shared it far and wide.

After a night of fermentation, Li Shixin’s follower count continued to climb. In just over ten hours, it had grown by more than ten thousand.

At 11:00 AM, the peak time for Weibo activity, the comments section under Li Shixin’s post was buzzing with discussions about "Only You" and Li Shixin himself.

But at that very moment, the video Li Shixin had posted the previous night suddenly vanished. The post, which had garnered over 70,000 likes and 30,000 shares, was now marked as "deleted by user."

"Huh? What’s going on? Where did the video go? I just accepted a recommendation from some netizens and came here for a tear-jerker challenge. What the heck is this?"

"Wait, that’s not right. It was still there just a moment ago! Could it have been flagged and deleted by the censors?"

"Did you leave your brain at home? If a video as positive as this could get deleted, then at least a third of Weibo’s users should be banned, right?"

"Ahem, could it be that Teacher Li’s hand slipped and he deleted it by mistake?"

Amidst the confusion, Li Shixin’s Weibo updated.

"Apology Statement: Regarding the theatrical production 'Only You Is My Unforgettable Attachment' performed yesterday, I sincerely apologize for using the copyrighted work 'Time Thief' as background music without the authorization of Huaqi Culture!

While I express my deep regrets, I am also genuinely willing to pay the price for my infringement. At the request of Huaqi, I have deleted the video involved in the copyright dispute and am willing to cooperate with them to formulate a compensation plan on a reasonable and legal basis..."

As soon as this post went up, the comment section exploded!

"Holy cow! Am I reading this right?! Huaqi Culture? A company with a market value of billions is actually getting petty with an old actor? This is too ridiculous!"

"What is going on here? Who did Teacher Li offend? I watched the video for 'Only You,' and yes, it used the song 'Time Thief,' but is there really a need to be this ruthless?! Does a giant like Huaqi Culture have so little grace?"

"No, I don’t get it. I watched Teacher Li’s video yesterday. After the curtain call, he explicitly stated that all commercial proceeds would be donated. This should count as a charitable act, right? How is it an infringement? Can some expert explain this?"

"As someone working in law, I can confirm it is indeed an infringement because Teacher Li sold tickets for the theater, which is a commercial act. Donating ticket revenue is just his personal charitable initiative; it has nothing to do with the commercial nature of the small theater. If Teacher Li hadn't sold tickets and just did a public premiere, it would have been fine.

"Of course, that’s from a legal standpoint. From a moral standpoint, I think this move by Huaqi Culture is brain-dead!

"A company this huge, picking on an old man in his sixties who is still struggling in Rongdian? If you really want to protect your copyright, go catch the pirates online!

"The revenue from a single pirate site is probably a hundred times that of this small theater! Why be so aggressive toward an old man dedicated to spreading positive energy through drama?!"

"Damn it! Huaqi is really going too far. To be at that age, earnestly performing the plays he loves, and then to run into something like this—I feel so bad for Old Man Li!"

Just as the comment section was boiling over, another post was updated.

"Alas!"

Seeing these two simple words, followed by an attached audio file, everyone clicked on it immediately.

"...Ah, look at me, I’m just a confused old man, truly... I will correct my mistake immediately and offer a sincere apology!"

"...The total revenue from the premiere was 7,800 yuan. Originally, this money was intended to be donated to an Alzheimer’s care facility, but I’ll give it to you as economic compensation first, if you find that acceptable..."

"...The infringement has already occurred. What’s the use of trying to make amends now?"

"...With the legal capacity of our Huaqi Group, do you believe you’ll have to pay at least a hundred thousand?"

"...This matter can be big, or it can be small... The copyright for the play 'Only You' should still be in your hands, right? If you have any intention of selling, why not sign this contract..."

"...Aren't you just bullying people! ...Every line, every detail, is my heart and soul! ...Offering only 10,000 yuan for the copyright is an insult to my character!"

The audio lasted over ten minutes.

After listening to that aged voice—which went from sincere apology to trembling in fear, and finally to righteous indignation after being insulted—and then hearing the other voice, which was smug, aggressive, and finally revealed its true colors, the netizens...

They were furious!

"Holy shit! I knew it wasn't that simple! 'Infringement,' my foot! Huaqi Culture is just here to stir up trouble; their real intention was the copyright of 'Only You' all along!"

"I finally understand what Teacher Li meant by that post. 'Alas'? Teacher Li is being too polite. This is just shameless! You demand over a hundred thousand in compensation for one song, and then turn around and offer ten thousand for the copyright of such a great play?!"

"Heh heh heh... I’ve seen it now, I’ve really learned something today. I thought Huaqi started as an entertainment company, but turns out... they get rich by bullying people! Can't afford to mess with them! Amazing!"

"My hands are shaking with anger. I listened to the audio twice and I feel like crying for Teacher Li. From sincere apology to humbly begging to be let off... he said so much. Even the money he prepared to donate was forced out of him as compensation. But... what about that manager from Huaqi? If he had just insisted on legal rights, I wouldn't have said anything; I respect the law. But this guy is despicable! They are using vile means to bully an old man who just wants to do something for society through drama! Where is their conscience? Where is it?!"

"Converted from a passerby to a die-hard fan of Grandpa Li! I support Grandpa Li unconditionally! Strongly despise the vile behavior of Huaqi Culture!"

"+1!"

"+10086!"

...

The storm on Weibo blew directly into Huaqi Company.

Facing such an uproar sparked by a small copyright negotiation, Huaqi’s Copyright Department was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

Ever since the malicious acquisition became a trending topic on Weibo, even the Public Relations Department had to approach the Copyright Department to understand the situation and begin intervening to draft an emergency response plan.

In a room at the Dihao Hotel in Rongdian, Wang Kexin, with a large bruise on her forehead and an ice pack pressed against it, was livid.

"Manager Liu! I was truly wronged! Really, I followed the procedures strictly!"

"How do I explain the audio online? How should I know how to explain it! Manager Liu, I’m not... yes, I did say those things... No! No! The first half is what I said, but the 10,000 yuan copyright offer is just a smear campaign by that old man!"

"I admit, in order to secure the copyright quickly, I did use some tactics, but there was never any attempt to squeeze him for 10,000 yuan! Manager Liu, you have to believe me!"

"Please rest assured, Manager Liu, I will clean this up. If that old man dares to mess with our Huaqi, if I don't set him straight, how are we supposed to operate in this industry in the future?!"

"Fine, Manager Liu, just watch me!"

Looking at the sunset outside the window, Wang Kexin hissed in pain and narrowed her eyes.

"Stupid old man, if I, Wang Kexin, don’t settle this properly, I’ll take your last name!"

In the Runfengyuan villa district of Rongdian, Zhao Jinzhi looked at the chaos on Li Shixin’s Weibo page and the corners of her mouth curled up helplessly.

She felt a mix of laughter and frustration.

Closing her eyes slightly, she tapped her fingers rhythmically on the armrest of the sofa for a moment before dialing her assistant’s number.

"Go tell the PR department to quell the discussion on Weibo as soon as possible regarding our company using copyright compensation as a threat to suppress creators and snatch copyrights."

"Yes, as soon as possible."

"No need to explain. You can't explain it clearly; it will only make things worse. The longer this lasts and the greater the impact, the worse it is for us. Using force will cause panic among the groups we want to acquire copyrights from, which is detrimental to our copyright operations."

"Do not attempt to argue about whether there was an offer of 10,000 yuan. It’s a dead end. The public will always have extra sympathy for the weaker party and baseless suspicion toward the powerful. The other side is holding the moral high ground; right now, we are the truly vulnerable ones. Even if we put the truth in front of the public, they won't believe it."

"Just say it was a violation of procedures by the staff member, a personal act. I don't care if she was right or wrong, or if she walked into someone else's trap. Being stupid is a mistake in itself. If you don’t use fools to take the blame, are you keeping them as pets?"

"Tell the advertising company and the copyright team: raise the price for the 'Only You' IP. We must get our hands on it. With things having reached this point, if the copyright is snapped up by someone else, we will be in a truly passive position."

"Spread the word: Huaqi is determined to have this IP. Any company that dares to capitalize on this incident is going against me, Zhao Jinzhi. They can weigh the consequences themselves."

After giving the series of orders, Zhao Jinzhi hung up the phone.

She looked at Li Shixin’s WeChat on her other phone, massaged her temples, and sighed softly.

"Do I owe you something?"

"First Liu Xin, then the Copyright Department... can't you go cause trouble for another company?"