Chapter 701: Mother or Baby?

Panda Live's assets are actually very few—just some servers, office equipment, that sort of thing.

Domain names, software, and the like are worth very little; the copyrights aren't worth much either. Total assets don't even reach a hundred million. This whole platform burns cash to trade for traffic.

So the debts owed by Panda Live are almost impossible to repay.

And when these things are auctioned off, if there's any repayment, it goes first to the employees' wages, then the streamers' wages, and then taxes.

Suppliers, creditors, and investors are very likely to lose their money, so right now the investors and suppliers are all anxious.

As for the shareholders, don't even think about it—they're very likely to bear joint liability. Take Pusi Capital's investment of 150 million, for example; it's very likely to go down the drain, and they'll still have to bear responsibility.

Because Pusi Capital is the actual controlling party, Xiao Wang controls Panda Live's operations through Pusi Capital.

Right now Panda has no money on its books; the streamers have basically all left. It's very hard to keep operating—no money for technical support, can't even afford the storage and bandwidth fees for service providers.

And Fang Hong's goal isn't just to become Xiao Wang's personal creditor—he also wants to get a grip on his Pusi Capital.

One Panda alone isn't enough to make Xiao Wang kneel.

At this stage, all the major live-streaming platforms are absorbing Panda Live's legacy—not just their traffic and streamers, but also their esports business.

The fall of a powerful competitor, for them, further consolidates their position in the industry.

Of course Swan Castle didn't take over esports; it's still left to the market, only controlling the copyright source. Like in the previous life, Tencent controlled the whole chain from games and tournament operations to live-streaming distribution.

That would leave the industry lacking innovation and would eventually kill esports.

Whether Fang Hong's approach can delay esports' decline, he doesn't know, but at least it's a brand-new path—control the copyright, leave the rest to the market.

Of course Panda's current situation also brings those sky-high copyright fees and sky-high streamer fees back to a more rational level.

Then no one can bear the competition, right?

The major live-streaming platforms have also negotiated copyright licensing agreements with Swan Castle. Depending on traffic, they have to pay Swan Castle a guaranteed minimum fee of 100 to 300 million per year.

For a big platform like Huya, the guaranteed minimum is 300 million; for a platform like Douyu, it's 200 million; the rest are basically around 100 million.

This is essentially an entry threshold fee, helping them shut out any latecomers trying to enter this business.

Want to enter this business? Pay the protection fee first. Everyone works together to maintain this market nicely—whoever pirates gets reported. Nobody wants another competitor, after all.

This is a fixed fee; on top of that, they have to hand over 10% of the revenue split—meaning for every 10 yuan viewers tip streamers, 1 yuan goes to Swan Castle. Basically a tax.

Tips, ads, subscriptions—all of it counts.

Swan Castle still has a conscience; in the previous life Tencent took about 20%.

Of course this fee comes from the sheep—the streamers themselves. They can take 60% to 70% from the streamers, so they won't lose out.

The basic copyright agreement is just like that. Swan Castle suddenly takes in another few hundred million, and within a short time can bring in over a billion—another considerable sum of income.

It didn't give Douyin game streamers special treatment either, just a slightly lower split—around 50%.

They paid the money, so of course they have to consciously maintain this market ecosystem—otherwise who would pay them in the future?

Doing this, Swan Castle sent lawyer's letters to those platforms secretly streaming their games, and also reported them—this is something that must be cracked down on.

It can be said this ruling brought about a reshuffling of the live-streaming market. The top players are just those few: Huya, Douyu, Douyin, Bilibili, Kuaishou, CC Live, and so on.

All the other live-streaming platforms will go bankrupt and be cleared out by the market.

Panda was destined to be cleared out; now they're just waiting for it to go through bankruptcy liquidation.

"This Xiao Wang guy really just had a good dad. If he didn't have a good dad, someone would definitely teach him a lesson." After going back and forth with Xiao Wang online, Liu Tianxian grumbled.

She was propped up on the sofa, a cushion behind her back, her belly out.

"Aren't you right now teaching him a lesson?" Fang Hong took a grape, peeled it, and fed it to her mouth.

"I don't have that kind of spare energy, okay? I saw him cursing you the whole time, so I said a couple of words. Otherwise I wouldn't bother with him at all." Liu Tianxian chewed, one cheek puffed out.

She saw her man staying silent, so she stepped in to back him up. Someone had to put this guy in his place, let people know they weren't so easy to push around.

"Alright, don't be angry. Soon he won't be able to keep it up. I'll make him come apologize to you." Fang Hong peeled another piece and gave it to her.

"I'm telling you, I just can't stand that smug look on his face." Liu Tianxian pouted.

"That's enough, that's enough. When you get angry the baby might not be happy. Don't make him pop out." Fang Hong rubbed her belly.

"If he pops out, good—ow!"

Before Liu Tianxian could finish, her expression changed. She cried out in pain and grabbed Fang Hong's arm, her nails seeming about to dig into the flesh.

Fang Hong was grabbed so hard it hurt. He had no time to think about that and hurriedly asked anxiously, "Is it time?"

"Seems like it." Liu Tianxian nodded in discomfort.

Actually she didn't know for sure if it was time; she just felt a lot of pain and a downward pressure—it should be time.

This made Fang Hong very nervous. He quickly grabbed a pillow and placed it under her bottom to elevate it—supposedly this was to prevent the amniotic fluid from flowing back and causing the baby to lack oxygen.

He still knew a thing or two. After all, in his free time he would discuss this kind of knowledge with Liu Tianxian.

Then he shouted "Mom! Mom!" twice in a row and rushed outside to start the car.

Liu Xiaoli and Xu Liyun, who had been doing their own things, heard the noise and also hurried out. They saw Liu Tianxian lying on the sofa moaning in pain, rushed over to check the situation, and then helped her up.

Both of them were experienced—after all, they'd been through it before.

"You go get things ready, I'll help her to the car." Liu Xiaoli gave an instruction and helped her daughter toward the door.

Xu Liyun also panicked, hurriedly grabbing the prepared hospital bag, which contained maternity pads, sanitary napkins, disposable underwear, and such.

Then she grabbed some toiletries and personal hygiene items, plus clothes and the like, picked them up, and hurried after them.

Fang Hong had already parked the car at the door. Seeing Liu Tianxian hunched over, being helped out by Liu Xiaoli, he quickly opened both car doors and went to help support Liu Tianxian.

"Be careful!" Liu Xiaoli said.

At this point Liu Tianxian was making "mm-mm!" noises, grunting and groaning—hard to tell if she was really in that much pain.

After helping her into the car, Fang Hong immediately got into the driver's seat. Just then Xu Liyun came out too, put the things in the trunk, and got in the car.

The family had great chemistry and didn't seem especially panicked—they'd all been prepared long ago.

"Good, the amniotic fluid hasn't leaked too much." Xu Liyun checked.

Seeing Liu Tianxian's face flushed red, clearly in terrible pain, she wiped her face with a towel and asked, "Xixi, hang in there—once we get to the hospital it'll be fine!"

"Mm!" Liu Tianxian nodded.

"Little Fang, drive steady, don't go too fast." Liu Xiaoli saw her daughter's condition was still fine, and instructed Fang Hong in front, telling him not to drive like a plane, caution first.

"Got it!" Fang Hong glanced at the back, saw Liu Tianxian was closing her eyes taking deep breaths, and seemed all right.

At this moment he was also quite nervous, a kind of excitement in his heart, his blood running hot — this was the joy of becoming a father.

Actually they had always been keeping an eye on Liu Tianxian's expected delivery situation; the mother was very healthy, the fetus was also very healthy, no need to rush, it was just this phenomenon.

The most expensive private hospital in Beijing was not Peking Union Medical College Hospital, but United Family; United Family was the most expensive private hospital in Beijing, a single bed in a regular ward cost 7,890.

The premium ones went up to varying prices.

The advantages were of course a private environment, attentive service, high-end medical equipment, and a dedicated medical team.

Since they had booked in advance, the checkups were also done at this hospital; originally she should have been staying at this hospital during this period, but Liu Tianxian found it too stuffy and went home to rest during pregnancy.

The car could drive directly into the hospital; the ward they had booked was not the kind lined up one next to another.

But rather the garden-style ward with an independent courtyard area, the package kind — tens of thousands a day, gone, extremely expensive.

Soon the car drove into the independent courtyard ward area; several female nurses in white coats came pushing a white nursing hospital bed, and stopped beside the car.

They helped together to support Liu Tianxian onto the nursing hospital bed.

Then she was pushed into a spacious, bright ward; a middle-aged female doctor stepped forward and used medical instruments to check the situation.

And Fang Hong and the others stood quietly to the side, seeing Liu Tianxian already drenched in sweat, her sweat-soaked hair clinging to her cheeks — clearly quite uncomfortable.

"Fetal head position, the mother's pelvic conditions are normal, we recommend a natural birth, but the process will be very painful and last a long time; a cesarean is also possible, the time would be much shorter and the pain relatively less." The doctor offered her suggestion, leaving the decision to them.

A natural birth could take several hours, even over ten hours — still very hard to endure; with a cesarean, once the anesthesia goes in, you don't feel much, it's just more troublesome afterward, after all it's a knife.

Fang Hong glanced at the two mothers; the two mothers also looked at him, letting him decide.

"Cesarean, so she suffers less." Fang Hong looked at Liu Tianxian and said tenderly.

Too long a time, afraid she couldn't bear the pain.

"Natural birth!" Liu Tianxian said with difficulty.

Fang Hong stepped forward, crouched by the bed and said: "It'll hurt a lot!"

"I'm not afraid, I don't want a scar left on my belly." Liu Tianxian swallowed, afraid that later when acting or whatever it wouldn't look good — she did care.

"Fine! Then natural birth." Fang Hong's last words were directed at the doctor.

"All right then, let's wait another half hour and see, she hasn't dilated to two fingers yet." The doctor said.

Then there's quite a wait; dilating to three fingers would probably take many hours, and she needs to dilate to ten fingers before entering the delivery stage.

But the further along, the more active it gets, and the time needed becomes much shorter; and this process could only be endured by Liu Tianxian herself.

The doctor equipped advanced devices like ultrasound instruments and a fetal heart monitor; any situation could be handled directly.

After the doctor checked and found nothing wrong, and the nurses had all withdrawn, Fang Hong crouched by the bed again to look at Liu Tianxian.

At this moment Liu Tianxian lay on the hospital bed, hair spread loose, brows furrowed, as if enduring pain.

Fang Hong stroked her face and asked: "Does it hurt?"

"Of course it hurts, in waves." Liu Tianxian said with a sigh.

Xu Liyun and Liu Xiaoli stood at the head of the bed watching, also feeling quite heartache; Liu Xiaoli comforted: "Bear with it, by tomorrow it'll be over."

"I have to hurt all night too!" Liu Tianxian said, depressed.

"Giving birth is just like this, it's like walking through the gates of hell, especially at the moment of delivery it's very painful, but medicine is advanced now, it'll be fine." Liu Xiaoli said.

She first gave her daughter a heads-up, so she'd be mentally prepared.

"I feel like I can't take it already, let's do a cesarean, take him out." Liu Tianxian said through the pain.

"You child, what are you saying — you were the one who chose natural birth just now, and now you want a cesarean." Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but scold.

"I was being thoughtless just now, now I know I was wrong." Liu Tianxian said through the pain.

"Then I'll call the doctor over, have her prepare the surgery for you?" Fang Hong said from the side.

"I was just saying it, I didn't really want a cesarean — how could you take it seriously, silly man." Liu Tianxian said, annoyed.

She was just talking to take her mind off things, and this man actually took it seriously.

"Oh!" Fang Hong nodded.

The two mothers both smiled; these two still had the leisure to tease each other.

Liu Tianxian looked at the man before her and said: "If something happens to me, would you save the mother or the child?"

"How could that be, it won't happen." Fang Hong said.

"I mean if." Liu Tianxian stressed.

"Of course save the mother." Fang Hong answered without thinking.

"Then you don't want our child?" Liu Tianxian asked.

"I do, but if I can only save you, I can only save you first; a child can be had again, I can't lose you!" Fang Hong smoothed her hair.

These words warmed Liu Tianxian's heart; she asked again: "What if the doctor says that after this birth I can never have another? Would you save me?"

"Still save you, I told you, I can't lose you." Fang Hong said firmly.

Hearing this, Xu Liyun fell silent; Liu Xiaoli felt gratified.

The two said nothing — it was the young couple chatting about intimate, private matters.

Liu Tianxian smiled, then asked: "Then what if I want our child to be born? I don't want to lose this child of ours."

"This question is too hard, you're really putting me on the spot!" Fang Hong couldn't answer.

If something like that really happened, he would certainly save the mother without hesitation, without thinking so much.

"Silly, couldn't you just save both?" Liu Tianxian raised her hand and patted his face, no longer putting him on the spot — truly a silly man.

Fang Hong was surprised: "Didn't you say only one could be saved?"

"Who said only one could be saved, I didn't say that! Don't you slander me." Liu Tianxian played helpless.

Clearly, her tone just now had meant exactly that.

"Hehehe!" Both mothers laughed; these two really were making something out of nothing.

"Alright, you two chat. I'll go see if there's anything to eat or drink and bring some back." Liu Xiaoli gestured for them to keep talking.

This child won't be born for a while yet; tonight is going to be a long one.

"Just let them know and they'll have it here," Fang Hong said.

This hospital has everything; there's no need to go outside.

"I brought some fruit and snacks, no need to buy anything else from outside." Xu Liyun took out some fruit—she had prepared for everything.

"It's fine, I'll go buy a bit more from outside and make some phone calls along the way." Liu Xiaoli was really just letting her parents, younger brother and sister, and other relatives know.

That Liu Tianxian was about to give birth—spreading the news; something this big still had to be said.

The three understood what she meant and said nothing more, watching Liu Xiaoli head out the door.

Fang Hong sat on the edge of the bed, holding a small knife to peel an apple, then cut it into pieces and handed them to Liu Tianxian.

Liu Tianxian had propped herself up slightly; if not for the pain, she was really no different from a normal person.

(End of chapter)