Chapter 118: Operation Thunderstrike

As the sound faded, Gu Qingming opened his eyes instantly. Seeing that it was already bright outside, he raised a hand to his forehead and found it covered in sweat.

"Why would I have such a strange dream? Have I been reading too many scripts lately?" he muttered, before shaking off the feeling and getting up to take a shower.

Tomorrow was the day of his concert, and he had to be in his best condition to give his fans the best version of himself.

...

With Gu Qingming’s concert scheduled for tomorrow, Shen Qingli had arrived at the company early in the morning to help the staff handle the preparations.

Despite all their warnings, that woman had still posted the matter online. Given that the concert was tomorrow, Gu Qingming was already a trending topic, and the incident was quickly pushed to the forefront of public discourse.

While reasonable, genuine fans supported the company's stance, some obsessive "sasaeng" fans began hiring online trolls to attack them. The public opinion online was sharply divided, and some people, out of pure spite, began spreading baseless, malicious rumors, thrusting Gu Qingming into the eye of the storm.

"President Shen, many sasaeng fans are threatening us, saying we aren't allowed to hold the concert tomorrow, or they’ll bring people to ruin it!" the assistant said, rushing in and placing the reports in front of Shen Qingli.

Looking at the private messages and the aggressive comments online, the assistant asked tentatively, "President Shen, do you think we should postpone the concert? With so many fans attending, and with Gu Qingming there, if anything were to happen, the responsibility would fall entirely on us."

The assistant’s concern was understandable; the sasaeng fans online had become far too arrogant.

Shen Qingli scanned through the messages, pondered for a moment, and then looked at her assistant. "Take screenshots of all these, post them directly on our official website, and issue a warning: if they really want to make trouble, we will take them to court—every single one of them. We will spare no expense or effort to silence these people!"

This toxic culture had to stop. Every artist had a few obsessive fans, but in the past, when they were harassed or threatened, things were often brushed aside because no one wanted to deal with the trouble. This had only made the sasaengs more unscrupulous, daring to do and say anything.

"President Shen, are you sure we should post this? If it incites them further..." the assistant asked, worried. Shen Qingli nodded and continued.

"Coordinate with Gu Qingming’s fan club. Standardize the response and tell them there is a reward for information. Tell them not to be afraid because they have me standing behind them. If they encounter any overly aggressive sasaengs, they can call the police directly, and we will cover all the expenses."

Hearing this, the assistant felt a surge of gratitude. Most artists had to deal with sasaeng fans, but their bosses usually couldn't be bothered, feeling it was a waste of time and money, leaving the artists to just suffer in silence.

"Don't worry, President Shen, I will handle this properly."

After the assistant left, Shen Qingli logged onto Weibo. Looking at the topics surrounding Gu Qingming, she frowned slightly. "It seems like something might really happen tomorrow."

After a moment of thought, she called Gu Qingming’s assistant. "I will arrange for bodyguards to protect him around the clock, and I will be there personally tomorrow to ensure his safety."

After hearing Shen Qingli’s commitment, the assistant felt deeply moved. This was what a boss with real vision looked like.

As the news spread online, many people began to boycott the sasaeng behavior, as such people were truly terrifying. The fan club aligned their stance with the Shen Corporation, and everyone in their groups praised Shen Qingli for being a great boss. This incident also garnered her much goodwill from other artists.

Gu Qingming was practicing in the studio and was unaware of these events. Seeing that the online frenzy hadn't subsided, Shen Qingli contacted the local police. Once the official police announcement and legally binding contracts appeared on Weibo, the sasaeng fans quieted down significantly, though some continued to send threatening private messages demanding the concert be canceled.

Shen Qingli felt annoyed and glanced at Green Cilantro.

[I know what you want, host. Ta-da! A temporary real-name verification tool!]

After being together for so long, a single glance was enough for them to understand each other. Shen Qingli nodded with satisfaction and tossed a large ball of spiritual energy toward it. "Here, eat up."

Green Cilantro’s happy, squealing voice echoed in Shen Qingli's mind, and she smiled.

She refreshed Weibo and saw that the usernames of those sasaeng fans had instantly changed to their real names, with their locations displayed as well. This sudden change caused many of them to immediately delete their posts. The platform staff claimed it was just a system glitch, but it was too much of a coincidence. Many users were saying that even the platform couldn't stand these people spewing nonsense.

Except for the sasaengs themselves, everyone supported the move. The backend staff, seeing the overwhelming praise, intentionally delayed the "fix." Many of the sasaengs' accounts were subsequently banned, which was a huge relief to everyone!

Because of this, the chaos online subsided, the sasaengs calmed down, and the discourse returned to normal.

Shen Qingli finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was thinking about ordering some food, she heard that Xie Jinchuan had arrived.

"Why are you here?!" She looked at the man walking into her office with a food container, her eyes full of pleasant surprise.

"I finished my meetings, and I knew you were busy and probably wouldn't have time to eat, so I made some food for my dear wife," Xie Jinchuan said with a gentle smile. Shen Qingli’s stomach chose that moment to growl ungracefully.

"I’m starving! You came at the perfect time, let’s eat!"

The office glass was transparent, but it had curtains. It was up to Shen Qingli whether she wanted to draw them. She had closed them halfway, but the figures of the two inside were still visible.

Gu Qingming, who had rushed over with a food container after hearing about everything, saw the two figures inside looking incredibly happy. The smile on his face dimmed significantly.

"Big Sister... she already has someone else now."

He whispered to himself, looked at the food container in his hand, and walked away in loneliness.

He would just watch over her silently... he dared not hope for anything more.