“Sorry, the matter about asking for money was ordered by Boss Guo. I don’t have the authority to decide. Besides, even if I did manage to get the money, I’d have to hand it all in. I wouldn’t be able to keep any of it myself.”
Tang Yuanyuan immediately explained.
She knew that because of this incident, Gu Chen must have formed a bad impression of her.
But she had signed a contract and had to follow the procedures, otherwise she’d be in trouble herself.
“Holy crap, then what’s the point of you earning money?”
Gu Chen really hadn’t known.
Her eyes went wide.
Putting so much effort into livestreaming and selling embarrassing items like inflatable dolls, and in the end, she didn’t even get a penny for her trouble?
Boss Guo had claimed that the money was for the streamers to ask for individually.
He made it sound so high and mighty.
Sure enough, not a single word out of his mouth was true.
“Yeah.”
“For our streamer income, except for a small base salary, after deducting fees from gift revenue sharing, we get at most ten percent. When you add it up, it’s only enough for food and rent each month.”
Tang Yuanyuan let out a sigh.
Gu Chen was speechless listening to this.
This wasn’t just a predatory contract—it was a full-blown indenture.
This was the kind of sweatshop that would practically glow with golden light…
No wonder Long Fei hadn’t been wrong.
To be able to stick with a company like this, unless you’d signed a five-year contract with a huge fine for breach of contract, no one would put up with it.
She had to admit, that took serious willpower.
And Tang Yuanyuan was one of the company’s top streamers.
The others must have it even worse.
“Then why don’t you all resist? Report it together, protest?”
Gu Chen blurted out without thinking.
“It’s useless. Boss Guo has long planted people among us. The slightest sign of trouble gets crushed. Long Fei tried to organize once before, but she was found out the next day. It’s really hard to pull off.”
Tang Yuanyuan said helplessly.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”
Gu Chen nodded.
That method was indeed ruthless—making the underlings compete and fight among themselves, so the people at the top could suck them dry in peace.
“Mm. Long Fei already called me and said you’re her friend. So I was planning to talk to Boss Guo later and voluntarily withdraw from the product sales. Pick the cheapest streamer you can, so you’ll have to pay less money.”
Tang Yuanyuan finally revealed the reason she had specifically come to find him.
“You know Long Fei?”
“Yeah. Long Fei helped me out a lot before. We’re close. Even though she left, we still keep in touch. Since you’re her friend, I’ll try to help you as much as I can.”
The two of them had pretty much signed up as newbies around the same time, and they were about the same age, so there was a natural affinity.
Plus, Long Fei had a bold and generous personality.
Back when the veteran employees were bullying and harassing them, Long Fei was always the one to stand up and push back, so everyone really liked her.
But because of the contract issues, most people could only choose to endure.
After all, the company really did spend money on promotion and helped them build up a fan base.
Everyone thought they could just tough it out for five years, and once the contract expired, they could look for another company to develop with.
But Long Fei’s personality couldn’t wait that long.
She had a falling out the very first month when her salary came.
She would rather bear the huge liquidated damages than compromise.
“Alright.”
“But no need to trouble yourself. I already have a plan. Actually, there’s someone who’s about to sign a contract with Boss Guo. When the time comes, could you look out for her? Make sure no one harasses or bullies her, okay?”
Gu Chen thought for a moment and decided she didn’t need to step in.
Since she was Long Fei’s friend, she should be trustworthy.
He might as well invite her to join the plan.
“What? You know it’s a trap—why would you let someone sign?”
Tang Yuanyuan looked at him in surprise.
“Of course I have a reason. Let me explain.”
Gu Chen looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then briefly laid out the plan.
As for how to execute it, Ivy should be able to handle that.
After all, back in her hometown she’d mingled in high society.
She should be pretty good at handling people.
Then he directly called Ivy out and introduced them so they could get to know each other.
He told Ivy that if she had any questions about what came next, Tang Yuanyuan could help out, but she shouldn’t be too obvious so as not to arouse suspicion.
“Okay, got it. If we can bring down Boss Guo, everyone will be free.”
Tang Yuanyuan quickly agreed to join in.
All of them were fed up with the exploitation. She nodded solemnly.
After settling that, they led Ivy upstairs.
When they entered the office, Boss Guo finally saw the blonde model he had been drooling over.
“Oh my god!”
When he saw her in person, his last shred of doubt vanished.
He had been worried that the photos were just good angles or retouched.
But the real person was in no way inferior to the pictures.
What was most unique was her height—close to six and a half feet. That was definitely a huge selling point!
“Boss Guo, how is she? Satisfied?”
Gu Chen saw the guy practically drooling and felt disdain inside.
But on the surface, he still put on a friendly expression.
“Mm-hmm, very satisfied!”
“If you’d done this earlier, we wouldn’t have had to get so tense before.”
Boss Guo’s expression changed instantly, becoming polite.
He hurriedly invited Ivy to sit down and then started his sales pitch.
It was the same old spiel anyway.
He said that if she was willing to sign, the company would go all out on promotion.
They would make her the flagship streamer.
She was sure to become super famous, with a bright future ahead.
If it was a girl with no real social experience, she might actually get fooled by this kind of sweet talk.
“Boss Guo, I’ve never been a streamer before. I don’t have any experience in this area. I don’t know if I can do it well. I don’t have much confidence.”
Ivy glanced at Gu Chen and deliberately acted like an innocent, naive girl, speaking slowly.
“Don’t say that. Everyone starts from zero. Nobody comes out of the womb knowing it. And Miss Ivy, with your great looks and your Chinese being fine too, you’re sure to blow up. How about this? I can give you the best terms—just sign for five years.”
The corner of Gu Chen’s mouth twitched.
A five-year indenture, and he called it a good deal.
He didn’t know how thick one’s skin had to be to say something like that.
He cleared his throat twice, signaling Ivy how to respond next.
“Thank you for your kindness, Boss. But I really have no experience. Let’s not rush the contract signing. I’d like to try it out first. If I find that I’m not suited for it, then there’s no need to bother you, right?”
Ivy naturally knew there was a trap and refused to sign immediately.
Although she wasn’t afraid of this kind of thing, she didn’t know how long she would be staying here.
So if she could avoid getting into trouble, she’d better not.
“I see.”
“Alright, that works. I’ll arrange some training for you first, and you can decide later.”
Boss Guo was a bit suspicious inside, but he didn’t push it.
After all, a model this good didn’t come along every day.
It would be a shame to let her go.
He might have dismissed anyone else.
But for a woman this exquisite, he really couldn’t bear to.
“No problem. Thank you very much.”
Ivy nodded and stood up to express her thanks.
The clear, slightly naive look in her eyes didn’t even seem like an act…
Then came the details about training.
He said that for convenience of communication and management, the company would arrange accommodation for her to make things easier.
She had no objection to that either.
The negotiation went very smoothly.
He said he would assign her a dormitory shortly and would even arrange for a dedicated person to take care of her.
They immediately exchanged contact information.