Chapter 601: Live Streaming Retirement!

The month of June in Jingzhou was already somewhat sweltering, but for the people of Jingzhou, this summer was no different from any other.

If one had to say, it seemed the young ladies on the streets were wearing even less?

The big brother took a couple of extra looks, and before he could even sigh, his wife beside him had already arched her brows in anger; no need to guess, the big brother's home would surely be very harmonious today.

Life seemed no different from before, but for the onlookers on the internet, the internet of the past two years was vastly different from the past.

In the previous online environment, foul-mouthed people were everywhere, not to mention those who would start a small essay at the drop of a hat.

To put it bluntly, let alone in this current internet society, even in ancient times, when it came to matters between men and women, it was just too simple to ruin someone...

The most classic example was the Lay Scholar of the Six-One.

That was in the past; the modern internet society is even more terrifying, where the view count of a small essay within a few hours could reach an astonishing number.

The power of the small essay has been infinitely magnified, followed by endless internet violence, and the first reaction of a normal person is not the legal route, but explaining, but self-proving innocence.

Although self-proving innocence is ridiculous in the eyes of the law, in reality, once a small essay appears, you are bound to have to self-prove your innocence.

And then there is the classic content: once you have cut open your stomach to prove yourself, no one cares anymore.

The county magistrate's wife doesn't care who the county magistrate is, and the crowd engaging in internet violence doesn't care if you are innocent.

However, two years ago, a handsome guy emerged, using criminal private prosecution time and time again to let everyone know that, as it turns out, things could be done this way, and those who write small essays will also weep bitterly in the face of criminal law.

It's just that, although Guo Qifeng now has the thought of retiring from the internet, he is still hesitating; making money is something that really gets addictive, and he cannot let go of this current lifestyle.

Time passed slowly in such torment; Guo Qifeng and his team had been keeping an eye on the public opinion online, and by late in the day, they felt slightly more at ease.

"Qifeng, the situation online has stabilized a bit now; no matter what those people say, they truly have no evidence, and A Yi's video cannot be used as evidence," the manager said.

Guo Qifeng nodded; it was fortunate that the other side was targeting too many anchors this time, and no one would directly admit to such things.

It's just that there was one point: the other side said they would help him file a lawsuit, but Guo Qifeng actually wanted the internet water army to go to jail more than anything right now; what kind of nonsense is this? When they were negotiating, they were so arrogant, saying they were the most reliable at getting things done.

And it ended up like this?

If it weren't for the fact that the internet water army industry is being hit so hard now, he would have starved these guys to death long ago!

But there was no help for it; he was the one who found them, and he was the one who paid the money, so no matter what, he couldn't do that, so he could only play deaf and dumb; in any case, the other side had no evidence.

"Qifeng, the other side just urged us again; let's think about how to film the next video, even if the rhythm online is like this, we can't breach the contract!"

The manager said, "You don't need to worry, I don't believe that A Yi can really produce evidence; there are so many things, how can he prove them? Could he have filmed everything? Doing that would be insane."

Guo Qifeng nodded; the contract for the next shop to visit had already been signed, and although the rhythm was so big now, the client hadn't said no, so they had to do it.

"Then let's prepare; we go to Jingzhou tomorrow!"

Of course, Guo Qifeng did not know that during this process, the reviewers of major websites were losing their hair like crazy, and the Guangming Branch had already filed a case for investigation.

Inside the already closed Shaoxi Restaurant, Manager Deng looked at the store manager Li in front of him and said, "Lao Li, I have already asked someone about this matter; the problem is a bit serious, but after paying the fine and making rectifications, it will be fine."

"You don't need to worry about other things; you just need to watch the shop for me, and before long, the shop will be able to reopen."

Upon hearing this, Manager Li was very happy and said, "That's good, Manager Deng, but how long will this take? We are losing a lot just by being closed for one day."

"Don't worry, as long as the penalty decision comes out, we can open in no more than a week at the latest; I am also urging them, and one more thing, we..."

Manager Deng hadn't finished speaking when a knock on the door sounded outside.

Manager Li then walked to the door: "Who is it? Our shop is closed right now, we are not open for business..."

Manager Deng, sitting inside, looked at the door; what was Lao Li doing? Why did he open the door without finishing his sentence?

Just as he was about to say a few words, he saw that the few people who walked in were all wearing uniforms.

Those uniforms had a very "criminal" feeling.

"Eh, comrades, is there something you need?" Manager Deng hurriedly stood up and asked.

The ones who walked in were several police officers, and one of them said, "You are Deng Yuejin, right? ID number..."

Manager Deng nodded and looked suspiciously at Manager Li beside him; Manager Li was even more confused and shook his head, indicating he didn't know why these police officers were here either.

Neither Manager Deng nor Manager Li thought about anything else.

After all, in the catering industry, there are many people who do this kind of passing off inferior goods as superior.

Especially in buffets, or barbecue shops; some of the meat sold in barbecue shops, not to mention the seasonings, that is where a lot of the technology and ruthless work is...

Generally, as long as it doesn't cause problems for people or result in a large-scale food poisoning incident, basically nothing will happen, just a fine.

"And you, Li Xiangnan, right? ID number..."

"You two are suspected of the False Advertising Crime and are now being summoned for a criminal case according to the law; come with us," the police officer said, looking at the two.

What is this? False Advertising Crime?

Manager Deng looked at the police in front of him, completely bewildered; there is such a crime?

Not to mention Manager Li beside him, who was equally bewildered; he had never heard of this crime either, and listening to the name, it couldn't possibly have anything to do with them.

"Comrade, False Advertising Crime... we haven't even done any advertising, let alone false advertising!" Manager Deng said hurriedly after reacting.

He didn't think about resisting; as a boss with a big business, Manager Deng knew better than anyone that in the face of this situation, resistance is the lowest form of action.

The police officer said a few words and then said, "I won't say much more; you two come with us, and there is another one, Liu Pingze, where is he?"

Even Lao Liu is in trouble?

Manager Li looked at Manager Deng with some hesitation, but saw Manager Deng speak without a second thought: "He is at his home now, his home is at that... I still have his phone number, I can help ask."

Manager Li was stunned; Boss, you are a bit too fast!

Manager Deng, however, didn't care about that; he felt a bit of danger from the police officer's words, so no matter what, he had to cooperate with the police's work!

He didn't look at Manager Li beside him; he couldn't even see the situation clearly—confession brings leniency, resistance brings severity!

Having done business for so many years, he had done quite a few illegal things, and he relied on this keen sense; when you need to be cowardly, you must be cowardly; what is saying nice words? As long as he can settle the matter, he, surnamed Deng, can kneel down and kowtow twice!

As for a lawyer... you think this is what kind of place? In a criminal case, the role of a lawyer is really not as big as you imagine; it's just that according to the law, there must be a lawyer.

The police officer was taken aback upon hearing this, seemingly not expecting this Manager Deng to be so cooperative, and the words "confession brings leniency, resistance brings severity" that were about to follow were directly swallowed back.

"Then, then you just ask where he is; you know the consequences of tipping someone off!"

Manager Deng nodded repeatedly and hurriedly took out his phone to contact Manager Liu...

Half an hour later, at the Guangmingfeng Police Station, the three people including Manager Deng were all sitting on the Regret Chair.

Store Manager Li and Manager Liu, who had originally felt that it should be fine, were now extremely obedient, yet Manager Deng was even more obedient!

"I ask you, you invited many Anchors to visit your store previously; what kind of method did you use, and were those Anchors aware of the situation in your store?"

Manager Deng was now telling everything he knew without reservation; after sitting on this thing, he already knew that this matter could not be settled easily.

Therefore, he said directly: "It was just giving them money, and then they would come to visit the store. Basically, all these store-visiting ones charge money now; the only difference is whether their eating manners are decent or not."

"And then? Those few famous Anchors, they were aware of it. At the very beginning, we didn't say anything, but they discovered it..."

The police officer in front of him heard this and said again: "Who are the famous Anchors, and what did they say after they discovered it?"

Manager Deng thought carefully and said: "There is one called Xiao Guo, who has the greatest fame, and there is another one called... Basically, we only dealt with their teams, and then their teams told me that I had to add some more money..."

"Just adding money? Once you added money, they agreed?"

"That is for sure. To put it nicely, they are Anchors and Self-Media; to put it not so nicely... anyway, right now, if it wasn't settled, it was definitely because the money given wasn't enough."

"Oh right, among them, that one called Xiao Guo, the people in his team even said that if we didn't add money, they would go and report us..."

Manager Deng tried hard to make himself look very sincere; he had basically said everything he could.

The police officer was stunned upon hearing this, then his expression turned serious and he said: "Are you sure what you said is true?"

"It is absolutely true!" Manager Deng's face was full of earnestness.

Of course it was true; although the other party was smiling and saying it at the time, as if they were joking, they did indeed say it, and I didn't know they were joking.

Anyway, I felt that they were being serious...

There was actually an unexpected harvest; the two police comrades' faces were written all over with happiness!

The interrogation continued; according to the words of the leaders at the Guangmingfeng station, today they must dig out everything that could be dug out!

Time flew to the next day; Guo Qifeng and his team arrived in Jingzhou and went all the way to the restaurant where they were prepared to film the video.

This was also a popular store for internet celebrities, serving Japanese cuisine, and its name was Yangjie Cooking House; it was now in urgent need of making a name for itself.

The owner, Yang Jie, looked at Guo Qifeng in front of him preparing, and his expression was not good.

He certainly knew about the recent rhythm, but he was prepared to take a gamble; the other party was currently only being criticized for poor choices in store visits and having character issues.

And this kind of matter is generally very difficult to take down such a big Anchor.

Facing the camera, Guo Qifeng swept away the gloom of the past, and with a face full of smiles, he said: "Dear family members, today I am taking everyone to eat at a Japanese restaurant, also in Jingzhou. It is said that the price-performance ratio is extremely high, and the owner learned the craft over there; it is absolutely authentic!"

"Today, I will take everyone to taste it..."

The video filming was in full swing, and Guo Qifeng felt that he had found his previous state again.

Just at this moment, a staff member beside the manager suddenly said with a strange expression: "Look here, A Yi posted a long video, saying that he has produced evidence."

The manager frowned, and Guo Qifeng, who was filming the video, also stopped his movements and looked over.

"What is he saying? Qifeng, you continue filming yours. What evidence or not? Can posting a long video be evidence? Who doesn't know about this matter? He has no way to prove... one hundred and seventy-something hours?"

The manager looked at the phone and was directly stunned; when he saw that duration, he felt as if he had gone blind, but the facts showed that it was indeed that long!

Let's look at the title: The entire process of evidence collection and organization, welcome to point out loopholes.

Guo Qifeng couldn't be bothered to film the video at this moment; he stood up and walked over to look at the video that was so long it made one sluggish, his expression blank. He didn't need to guess now to know that that A Yi had definitely done it flawlessly.

But, one hundred and seventy-something hours, how many days is this? With so much content, what exactly is he aiming for!

Look at the heat on the internet again; it was already boiling.

"Wugou Feijian": Damn, I will definitely never dare to say A Yi is short and weak again. This damn thing, I don't even dare to click on it!

"Yuan Jie": I am thinking now, I should kowtow to A Yi again...

"Xiao Shufu": I feel that for this kind of evidence, even Xiao Guo himself probably doesn't want to click on it...

Similar comments emerged one after another; they knew A Yi was a pervert, but they didn't expect A Yi to be this perverted!

The other party had just said yesterday that his video might not necessarily be true, and as a result, he brought out the original version today, and the introduction even said something about guaranteeing there was no editing at all...

With this length, it is basically impossible for anyone to watch it through.

The pressure instantly came to Xiao Guo here; many people were there asking what Xiao Guo had to say now.

Guo Qifeng had nothing to say now; what was there to film a video for? The other party's video, which could be called the longest, almost smashed everything about him to pieces.

There was no way to refute it; this was ironclad evidence!

In court, he could refuse to admit it and could let a Lawyer debate, but the internet doesn't care about these things.

The team members looked at each other; how could they still handle this, how could they respond?

Guo Qifeng looked at the manager, and the manager shook his head and said: "There is no way; even if you say anything now, it is useless."

The public opinion on the internet was too boiling, so Yang Jie also knew about it. Just as he walked over and hadn't even opened his mouth to say anything, the manager spoke up: "Manager Yang, don't say anything; I know your thoughts."

"We can refund the money, but I have a suggestion here; listen to it and see if it works."

"Under such public opinion, Qifeng probably won't be able to be an Anchor anymore, or he will have to wait a few years to start over. At least for now, it is definitely not possible, so he must retire from the internet."

"We are planning to let Qifeng retire from the internet via live stream. Look, how about doing it here at your place? Is that okay? For such a big Anchor to have his final live stream, the heat will definitely be extraordinary."

"And it doesn't ruin his persona; it's just a small moral issue. Retiring from the internet via live stream like this, Netizens will also speak up for him. We also understand that A Yi; he eats soft but not hard. It has already reached this point, what else can he do?"

Yang Jie fell into deep thought upon hearing this; the other party put it this way, and it felt like it might actually work!

Even if public opinion is like that now, Xiao Guo's fan base is still large. Retiring from the internet via live stream under such circumstances, the heat will definitely explode!

People will always sympathize with those "weak ones," whether it is real or acted out.

Xiao Guo is forced to retire from the internet; as long as he retires, his reputation might become good again.

Under such circumstances, his own store will definitely be able to have very high heat!

Anyway, the money has already been given, so let's do it this way.

"No problem, let's do it this way. When will you start?" Yang Jie said.

"We will start in a while. This kind of thing must be fast, otherwise others will question his sincerity," the manager said naturally.

Things had reached the worst situation; Xiao Guo was going to retire from the internet, and their Company would lose a hen that laid golden eggs. However, even if he was retiring from the internet, they still had to earn all the money they could.

Someone in the team is already rushing to finish the draft.

"Teacher Guo, when the time comes, just say it like this. Yes, it still has to be the same as before; put on a sincere, apologetic look, and express that you are reluctant to leave everyone, but there is no other way..."

Public opinion on the internet is in an uproar, and Chen Xutong really doesn't know what to say now.

All she can do is keep refreshing the other party's account, wanting to know how Xiao Guo will respond.

After waiting for a good while, a notification popped up.

"Xiao Guo started a live stream?"

She clicked in quickly, and Chen Xutong was stunned when she saw the name of the live stream room.

"Sincere apology to everyone, retiring from the internet after this live stream!"

Looking at the live stream screen again, Xiao Guo seems to be streaming from inside a restaurant.

"Hello everyone, my fans, I am Xiao Guo. Everyone has seen A Yi's video, and I have nothing to say. So now I sincerely apologize to everyone. Let this live stream be my last one; I will retire from the internet after this."

"Originally, I was here in Jingzhou today to film a video for everyone at this Japanese restaurant called Yang Jie Cuisine, but unfortunately, since things have reached this point, I have no choice but to retire from the internet."

"I am reluctant to leave everyone, reluctant to leave the Guo Family Army group, and reluctant to leave these fans who have constantly supported me, but I really have no other way. If you are wrong, you must admit it. I did indeed engage in deception; this is my fault..."

Chen Xutong stared blankly at the live stream. Originally, she still had a bit of resentment in her heart, but it completely vanished upon hearing this; she just felt that Xiao Guo was being bullied too miserably!

It's just pretending to be a victim of Internet Violence, is it really necessary? Do you have to force someone to retire from the internet?

And inside the live stream room, such comments have already started flooding the screen.

"Forcing someone to retire from the internet, right? This is A Yi's style, isn't it? He was like this before too!"

"Xiao Guo shouldn't retire from the internet, okay? This is just a minor moral issue. I don't understand why everyone demands that an Anchor have zero moral flaws. How is that possible!"

"He shouldn't retire. Ask him what A Yi can do; isn't he just capable of posting a video?"

Similar comments are flooding the screen, along with all kinds of gifts. For a live stream, the latter is the main event...

Things like leeks, if not harvested in time, will turn old and yellow. This is the last chance to rake in money.

Thus, Xiao Guo, who would usually tell everyone not to send gifts during live streams, thanked everyone for the gifts this time.

Behind the scenes, the manager nodded continuously while watching the rising popularity; anyway, this person was already useless.

It's just that it's unknown whether the person being pushed next will be able to make it.

Through the efforts of several parties, the entry "Xiao Guo live streams retirement" successfully made it to the trending searches, to the point that some people were very confused when they saw the name—who the hell is this, and why does it feel like they are very famous?

The popularity kept getting higher, but Xiao Guo's live stream never stopped.

Even though it felt like he had nothing left to say, the live stream continued.

And amidst this bustle, inside the Guangming Road Police Station, several police officers were yawning.

They were busy with interrogations last night; once the others were done, they could rest, but they couldn't—there was too much work to be done.

And they had only just slept for a little while today before being called up.

"I say, Chen Li, what are you doing? What time is it? We still have to set off for Modu later to make arrests. What's wrong, is the station too busy to handle things now?" Lao Wu complained there.

Chen Li took out her phone, opened a live stream interface, and said, "New news, you don't need to go to Modu. That Xiao Guo came to Jingzhou today, and he's live streaming right now."

"What? Are you sure it's that Guo Qifeng?" Lao Wu said as he leaned in to look. Sure enough, the other party was still crying with teary eyes in the live stream room; it was truly heartbreaking.

"Wait, why is he crying? We haven't even made a move yet; did the news leak?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Li immediately laughed: "What are you talking about? He's conducting a retirement live stream. You guys don't know, but that neighbor of ours did another inhuman thing today..."

"As if he has ever done anything human. What? Over one hundred and seventy hours? I really can't believe he could actually do that!"

Lao Wu said there with a bewildered face.

"So, he's going to live stream his retirement. He's reluctant to leave his fans and his family, so naturally, he has to cry."

"That's perfect, let's head out and bring him back!"

Not having to run to Modu is great...

Inside the restaurant, Guo Qifeng was actually tired of talking, but the manager kept signaling him to keep going.

There was no other way, so he had to cry. Fortunately, when it comes to acting, everyone is a professional.

"I am really reluctant to leave everyone, but I really have no choice. If I don't do this, I have no way to give everyone an explanation..."

The owner, Yang Jie, on the side was even more satisfied. Given the current situation and this level of popularity, it's so worth it, isn't it? For someone running a business, everyone hopes their shop has higher visibility, especially these internet-famous shops.

Just as he was rejoicing, a sound rang out at the entrance. He took a look and discovered several police officers pushing the door open and walking in.

What is going on? Yang Jie quickly walked up and said, "Hey, hey, officers, wait a moment. Is there something going on?"

"We are in the middle of a live stream here."

Lao Wu looked at Guo Qifeng, who was crying and shedding tears in front, nodded, and said, "That's right, it's him. We are here specifically for him. Oh, right, not just him, but those few people over there as well."

Although Xiao Guo did all of this, he has a team, and the team must also bear corresponding responsibilities.

Just here for him?

Yang Jie stood there stunned, but didn't know what to say. What happened to Xiao Guo? Are they here to make an arrest?

As the police officers walked over, the others in the team saw them too. Xiao Guo, who was busy crying, was even more confused, but he was in the middle of crying, and this emotion was truly not easy to switch...

Before the manager could say anything after stepping forward, Lao Wu had already spoken: "Are you Guo Qifeng? Turn off the live stream first."

Police officers suddenly appeared in the live stream, and they were demanding that the live stream be turned off. Instantly, the live stream room was in an uproar.

Chen Xutong typed a message with lightning speed: "What is this for? Why are they making him turn off the live stream? Is live streaming illegal these days?"

Xiao Guo didn't know what to say. The manager said from the side, "Officer, what is this about? Did Xiao Guo do something? Why do we have to turn off the live stream? Our live stream is very important..."

Lao Wu nodded upon hearing this and said, "Alright then, no need to turn it off. Guo Qifeng, right? You are suspected of the False Advertising Crime and Extortion. You are now being legally served a Criminal Summons by the Jingzhou City Guangming Branch. This is the Criminal Summons Document; sign it here."

"After signing, come with us."

As the words fell, Guo Qifeng was stunned, the manager was stunned, and the audience in the live stream room was even more speechless.

Chen Xutong rubbed her ears hard; she felt like she had misheard. Xiao Guo was actually suspected of a crime? And it was something like False Advertising Crime and Extortion!

How is this possible? When did Xiao Guo ever do any advertising? He is a rich second generation; his family is so wealthy, how could he possibly go and do advertising?

At this moment, the agent could no longer care about anything else, stepping forward directly to say: "Comrade, isn't there some mistake? How could it be the False Advertising Crime?"

Lao Wu glanced over and said: "You are the agent in the team, Xu Youguang, right? Oh, right, yours is here."

As he spoke, he took out an identical Criminal Summons Document; the agent was equally stunned, looking at the Criminal Summons Document with an expression of disbelief—how, how could I have one too?

Seeing this scene, the other few people in the team stopped talking; some wanted to sneak away, but they did not anticipate someone behind them grabbing their arms, and Silver Bracelets were instantly cuffed on.

These days, police arresting people is not like what you see in movies, letting people just slip away or leave through the back door.

That is impossible; for an arrest that has already been confirmed, the scene is controlled first, and places like back doors or other exits all have people watching them. If you could still slip away under these conditions, then you might as well just go back and wait to be reprimanded...

Although the conversation was very brief, everyone in the livestream room heard it.

What is going on? Didn't Xiao Guo say he never had a team? How have an agent and a team suddenly popped up now!

Lao Wu, however, paid no mind to this, stepping forward to demand that Guo Qifeng sign the document; once the signature was finished, he was going to take him away.

"Comrade, Comrade, I really don't know anything, can you please not arrest me? They were the ones who made me do it, I don't know anything at all..."

Under these circumstances, Guo Qifeng finally collapsed; he had originally wanted to go back and live a good life, but how did he end up getting involved with a Criminal Case?

In front of the camera, Guo Qifeng cried with snot and tears, looking truly heartbroken.

Compared to before, this time the crying was extremely realistic!

Seven thousand words updated. I went to the hospital last night; my heart was aching with a piercing pain, and everything went black before my eyes. Lao Jiu has been writing books for a year and has gained fifty jin, now weighing two hundred and forty jin. I stay up late, drink, and smoke, which is why I suddenly stopped updating yesterday without even having time to ask for leave. I need to finish the book quickly and then properly lose weight to recover my health. The doctor said that if I continue like this, I am prone to sudden death...