"Alright. Then... I'll hang up first."
"Mhm."
The window on the screen went black. The room fell silent.
slang reference to Zhang Yiming sat in his empty office, staring at the darkened window on the computer screen.
Jiang Cheng's window was the last one to go dark.
He suddenly remembered something.
During the meal when he first met Jiang Cheng, he had asked him, "President Jiang, what are your thoughts on TikTok equivalent?"
Jiang Cheng had proposed several plans that he strongly agreed with.
Because of the implementation of those features, TikTok equivalent had captured a significant market share in a short period.
In this crisis, he had once again stepped forward without hesitation...
The next morning, sunlight had just begun to peek through the gaps in the curtains into the room.
Qiu Yihe walked out of Jiang Cheng's room with a flushed and annoyed face, huffing in anger.
She muttered under her breath as she walked, stomping her feet in frustration.
"What on earth is going on... Why does this happen to me every time? I just end up getting taken advantage of without even knowing how..."
"I clearly came over because I was worried he was hurt, but it turned out like this..."
Hearing Qiu Yihe's grumbling, a satisfied smirk curled on Jiang Cheng's lips.
Leaning against the headboard, he had just picked up his phone to flirt with the girls around him when it suddenly started ringing.
Seeing the caller ID was Mario, Jiang Cheng picked up. "Hello."
"Jiang, I've already cleaned up the aftermath of the Snake Woman business. I've also taught a lesson to those guys in Northern Myanmar who dared to intercept your people," Mario said in fluent Thai.
Mario's voice carried a hint of ruthlessness, yet also familiarity. "But I heard that during your time in Northern Myanmar, you completely turned their underground world upside down?"
Jiang Cheng responded calmly in Thai, "Mhm. 30% control of the Northern Myanmar underground forces now belongs to me."
Mario was clearly stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter.
"Impressive! As expected of you! Most of the underground forces here in Thailand were already in our hands, and now you hold Northern Myanmar as well. Once the underground forces of Myanmar and Thailand are integrated, our words will carry immense weight across the entire Southeast Asian Peninsula."
Jiang Cheng nodded, his mood improving even further.
Mario was right.
The two places were so close to each other.
If they joined forces, Jiang Cheng's information network in Southeast Asia would be even faster than official channels.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. Kun Dui, the boss, holds real power in Northern Myanmar, so we can access not just the underground forces but also some official ones. They all follow my orders now. I plan to take him to Tyrande to completely integrate the manpower, channels, and territory on both sides for unified command in the future. What do you think?"
"Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing." Mario's tone was excited. "Come over, and I'll arrange it personally. All the bosses here in Thailand will be there to give you a grand welcome."
Jiang Cheng nodded slightly, then shifted the conversation to business.
"Before I head over, there's something else I need you to help facilitate. A company I hold shares in, TikTok equivalent, has been banned in Indonesia. On the surface it's a content issue, but in reality, local officials are using it to extort money, and there's Western capital involved behind the scenes. Conventional methods won't work."
Mario on the other end of the line was silent for a moment, seemingly in deep thought.
A moment later, his voice was certain. "I know who can settle this. I have a connection with someone in Jakarta who can truly suppress the local thugs and keep the grey circles of officialdom in check, and they carry enough weight."
Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You don't need to trouble anyone else," Mario laughed. "Just come to Thailand, and I'll invite that person as well. We'll have a meal together, integrate the Myanmar-Thai forces at the table, and settle that mess in Indonesia under the table. It'll kill two birds with one stone."
The corners of Jiang Cheng's mouth curled up; his intuition had been correct.
This trip to Tyrande was indeed necessary.
Firstly, to integrate the underground forces of Northern Myanmar and Thailand.
Secondly, to resolve the Indonesia ban issue along the way.
To give slang reference to Zhang Yiming an explanation and seize the voting rights of ByteDance's equity.
"Alright," Jiang Cheng agreed decisively. "I'll make the arrangements and head over as soon as possible, bringing Kun Dui along."
"I'll be waiting for you." Mario's voice was confident. "As long as you're in Thailand, there's nothing that can't be settled."
Two days later, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
In the VIP lounge, Lin Jianwei was boredly scrolling through her phone.
The flight was delayed by forty minutes.
She sat alone by the window, her gaze calmly sweeping over the planes taking off and landing on the tarmac, her expression serene and untroubled.
She had come this time to handle the Lin family's affairs in Southeast Asia.
This kind of overseas assignment wouldn't normally have fallen to her, but she had volunteered for it.
She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she knew it in her heart.
Ever since her chance encounter with Jiang Cheng at the Beijing airport over half a month ago, his image had been constantly flickering in her mind.
Since returning to the country, she had been stuck in Kyoto.
She was the "good girl" of the Lin family, raised as the apple of their eye.
Protected in an ivory tower since childhood, her every word and action had been repeatedly disciplined by her elders.
Even the degree of her smile and the tone of her voice followed strict rules.
She had been used to it.
But after meeting Jiang Cheng, she also wanted to travel around like him.
To see the world outside, rather than being trapped for a lifetime in that strictly regulated courtyard in Kyoto.
So, at the first opportunity, she wanted to run away.
She wanted to see for herself what it felt like to live a life of freedom and spontaneity.
While she was lost in thought, a motorcade suddenly drove in outside the window.
Over twenty black Maybach S-Class cars were lined up in a row.
The car bodies were as shiny as mirrors, stretching along the lawn all the way to the parking lot entrance like a silent black dragon, their presence overwhelming.
As the doors opened, two bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses stood by each car. They were burly with cold, solemn expressions—clearly not ordinary security.
As soon as this display appeared, the entire VIP lounge fell silent, and everyone stared wide-eyed.
Before anyone could take out their phones to snap a picture, several burly men in black suits and headsets pushed open the door and walked in, their gazes sweeping across the room as coldly as scanners.
"Apologies," the leader said in a low voice that carried unquestionable pressure. "This lounge has been requisitioned temporarily. Please cooperate with the relocation."
"What do you mean? I'm a VIP customer—" A middle-aged wealthy businessman stood up, frowning.
"An equivalent lounge will be arranged," the man in black said without a hint of negotiation. "Now, please."
Meeting those cold, emotionless eyes, the businessman swallowed his words.
Soon, the seven or eight people in the lounge stood up one after another and were politely but firmly escorted out.
Lin Jianwei's two assistants immediately stepped forward and lowered their voices. "Miss, should we go and negotiate?"
She glanced at the bodyguards and gently set down her phone. When she looked up, she still had that faint, soft appearance, without a trace of panic.
There was a hint of the composure and confidence unique to children of prominent families in her eyes.
"Go tell them that I'm not leaving. I'll just watch from here. I won't take photos, I won't disturb anyone, and I won't say anything I shouldn't."
She knew her identity all too well.
So what if this was Tyrande?
She was a member of the Lin family.
As an old-money family from Kyoto, their heritage was well-established.
Let alone just a VIP lounge at the airport.
Even if it were the Thai royalty, the other party would never dare to actually do anything to her.