THE REBATE SYSTEM OF SUDDEN WEALTH CHAPTER 32

Chapter 32: Trending
That evening, Gu Wanrong sat in the Tiffany Hotel restaurant, enjoying her dinner while overlooking the Huangpu River.
The restaurant was quiet, only the sound of the pianist’s music breaking the silence.
As she savored the ambiance, a sweet female voice interrupted. Three exquisitely made-up young women were approaching her.
“Excuse me, can we take a picture with you?”
“Who are you?” Gu Wanrong asked, uncertain. She didn’t recognize them.
“Sister, we saw you on Douyin! We’re fans!” One explained, her eagerness at odds with a strange intensity in her eyes.
Gu Wanrong knew she hadn’t posted any selfies on Douyin.
“Okay, let’s take a photo, but please don’t post it online,” Gu Wanrong agreed, wanting to quickly finish and see the Douyin video they mentioned.
The three women checked their makeup before taking several selfies with Gu Wanrong.
Afterward, Gu Wanrong apologized and returned to her room.
The three women, small-time Shanghai influencers, portrayed themselves as affluent Shanghai-born and raised young ladies on Douyin, regularly visiting luxury stores and hotels. Their online persona was carefully curated by their management company.
They had seen Gu Wanrong’s video, which was trending, with many comments about her beauty, fashion, and wealth. Recognizing the Tiffany Hotel, they decided to meet her in person to leverage her popularity and maintain their online image. Their meal was split evenly.
They disregarded Gu Wanrong’s request not to post the photo. They believed that a wealthy girl wouldn’t be able to control what was posted online.
Back in her suite, Zhou Lihua was sorting Gu Wanrong’s afternoon purchases. The suite was large enough to accommodate the numerous luxury items.
Gu Wanrong tossed her bag onto the sofa, grabbed her phone, sat down, and opened Douyin. The first video in her local recommendations was of her.
It had hundreds of thousands of likes and tens of thousands of comments.
The video showed a girl in a light-colored dress with long hair. The camera slowly zoomed in on her exquisite beauty and flawless figure, making everything else fade into the background.
Comments included:
  • “My wife is so beautiful, amazing figure!”
  • “She’s stunning even standing still! That frown makes me want to hug her.”
  • “Perfect, next life, please sculpt my face like that, Nüwa.”
  • “Director, look! Li Qingzhu, the most beautiful woman in China, looks exactly like this.”
  • “Is that a multi-million-dollar Van Cleef & Arpels necklace?”
  • “She’s a rich girl for sure.”
  • “She’s not spending her parents’ money at that age.”
  • “Maybe not her parents’ money (grin).”
  • “Does anyone know this beauty?”
Some comments were positive and admiring, some identified brands and prices, while others were less friendly.
Gu Wanrong went to the uploader’s page, “observe.” He had posted six videos of her, from getting out of the car to entering the hotel, plus a photo video. All videos had high view counts. The videos were exquisitely shot.
Gu Wanrong’s popularity soared, leading to more views and people searching for her personal information.
Although her information was encrypted by the system, the risk of someone she knew revealing her details online was high. This would affect her real life.
She messaged “observe” privately, offering to pay for the videos’ removal.
He refused. As long as the videos remained, they would generate traffic, increasing his account’s value. He chose continuous growth over a one-time payout.
Gu Wanrong was angry. He had rejected her offer for compensation. If it weren’t for wanting to avoid further spread of the videos, she would have sued him for unauthorized use of her image.
“Lawyer Luo, I need your help,” she called Luo Qingquan, explaining the situation.
“Ms. Gu, we can file a complaint to take down the videos and send a cease and desist letter to ‘observe’. However, this won’t remove the videos immediately,” Luo Qingquan said.
“Are there other options?”
“Does the video have any connections with high-level figures or businesses?”
“Um… LVMH has a partnership with Douyin, and I have a 9% stake in LVMH. Would that work?” Gu Wanrong replied, after a pause.
Luo Qingquan was shocked.
Tong Shenyi had mentioned Gu Wanrong’s connections and influence, but never her LVMH shares.
LVMH’s 47% stake was held by Bernard Arnault; no one else was allowed to hold more than 4%. Gu Wanrong holding 9% made her the second-largest shareholder.
Stunned into silence, he finally said, “Yes, of course. I’ll handle this. But may I ask if Mr. Tong knows about this?”
“Oh, I got the shares a few days ago and forgot to mention it,” Gu Wanrong realized, having forgotten to tell Tong Shenyi.
Luo Qingquan repeated the three words in his mind and said, “Ms. Gu, please don’t forget to tell him this time.”
Gu Wanrong promised to tell Tong Shenyi immediately and then informed him about her LVMH shares.
Tong Shenyi replied: “President Gu, is there anything else you haven’t told me?”
Gu Wanrong sensed his weariness and replied nervously, “Does the Ruyi Zhai auction count?”
Gu Wanrong: [Invitation image]
Tong Shenyi: “President Gu, let me go with you tomorrow.”
Tong Shenyi: “I’m booking a flight now.”
Gu Wanrong, puzzled by Tong Shenyi’s actions, but still feeling uneasy, booked another suite at the Tiffany Hotel and sent the details to Tong Shenyi.

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