Without hesitation Jiang Cheng picked up his phone and fired off a message ordering Wang Sheng to launch a full-scale cleanup operation immediately.
Next he scrolled through his contacts, found Li Songbo's number, and dialled it without a second thought.
When he heard Jiang Cheng explain the reason for the call, Li Songbo was visibly startled.
"I haven't heard anything about that yet, but I did just take another call."
The moment the words left Li Songbo's lips, Jiang Cheng's mouth curved in a half-smile. "Don't tell me it was from Company?"
"Hahaha, Chairman Jiang, you read minds! Yes, it was Company asking me to help cool down the hot search."
"They want you to pull the topic?"
"Exactly."
"So what did President Li say?"
"Naturally I refused. Our platform is built on user relationships—sharing, spreading, and accessing information. The buzz around those topics is driven by the data."
Li Songbo sounded righteous, but everyone knows the platform controls the data.
Otherwise what's the point of site operations?
Yet Li Songbo's stance left Jiang Cheng momentarily puzzled.
Last time, when Jiang Cheng had asked him to remove a trending topic about himself, Li Songbo had agreed instantly.
Now he was hiding behind site policy.
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. He refused to believe a man as shrewd as Li Songbo didn't know why he was calling.
"President Li, are you saying…?"
Before Jiang Cheng could finish, Li Songbo cut in: "Chairman Jiang, please don't misunderstand. I just wanted to keep you informed. We're family—no need to stand on ceremony, like I said yesterday!"
Li Songbo had no wish to offend Company, but he knew the situation looked grim for them.
Rumours linking Jiang Cheng and Su Wan were nothing more than a fleeting affair; in a few days the fuss would die down.
Company, however, faced far more serious trouble—tax issues and contract disputes.
Once exposed and amplified by public attention, those problems wouldn't fade with a bit of online gossip.
Li Songbo's decision to refuse Company and side with Jiang Cheng was the product of careful calculation; he had his own interests to protect in this tangled web.
"President Li, you won't bury Company's hot search, yet you'll bury mine…?"
Jiang Cheng knew Li Songbo's words carried deeper meaning.
The man wanted him to understand that he had rejected Company's olive branch for Jiang Cheng's sake.
"Ha! Straight to the point as always, Chairman Jiang. To be honest, our Social Media Platform is in a tight spot—facing a forced funding round much like Fierce Cat TV. Most shareholders oppose any increase in my stake, yet Ali is pushing to invest again."
Jiang Cheng grasped the implication at once.
Social Media Platform's promotion is inseparable from e-commerce.
If Ali doubled down, Li Songbo's position as largest shareholder would be jeopardised—he might even be reduced to a figurehead.
"Back in '13 we took Ali's 586 million dollars and gave up eighteen percent," Li Songbo continued. "They already have significant say inside the Company, and now they want more. I can't let that happen."
Jiang Cheng needed no persuasion to invest in Social Media Platform.
It had become the world's second-largest micro-blog service.
Its user stickiness surpassed even Twitter's, and beyond Ali it had tied up with JingDong and other e-commerce giants.
Though yearly profits might not rival TikTok's, the investment would deliver steady, sizable returns for years—money in the bank.
Jiang Cheng mused that increasing his stake would let Xingchen Entertainment and Xingchen Media handle their artists' PR with ease.
Still, he kept silent for a moment before asking: "How much equity are you offering in this round?"
"We haven't announced details yet. The draft is five billion dollars for ten percent."
Given the share price surge on Wall Street since Ali's 2013 deal, the figure was reasonable.
"Ten percent, President Li? That hardly feels sincere."
"Chairman Jiang, dilution has to be approved at a board meeting…," Li Songbo said helplessly.
"I'll pay more, but I want a larger share."
"That could be difficult."
"Where there's a will there's a way. Think of it this way: the more I buy, the safer you are. Didn't you say we're family? Together we can outvote anyone on major decisions."
Jiang Cheng had used the same line on Wang Congcong—to great effect.
Now it swayed Li Songbo.
"If you're serious, Chairman Jiang, I'll find a way and get back to you."
"Good. I'll wait for your call."