OFR – Chapter 362 Negotiation

That new friend was none other than Li Ran, the chairman of Quanmin TV, the organizer of yesterday’s grand industry event.

It was noon on New Year’s Day. In a lavish Shanghai villa worth at least tens of millions, Li Ran had just returned from paying New Year’s visits to relatives and friends. Now he leaned back on the sofa, excitement written across his face as he stared at his phone.

“Approved! Excellent!”

When he saw the success notification on QQ, a smile of joy spread across his face.

Indeed, after witnessing A Bit Cold dominate the entire stage with overwhelming prestige and popularity at yesterday’s event, he knew this was someone the livestreaming industry could never avoid.

If such a man of wealth and power stayed in the business, then the future of livestreaming would belong to whoever secured Cold Hao—securing him meant securing the whole industry.

On the one hand, Li Ran wanted to discreetly ask about Cold Hao’s future plans. On the other, he wanted to discuss whether, now that Douyu TV had collapsed, Cold Hao might bring the Dusty Splendor team over to Quanmin TV.

After all, Cold Hao and his team had gathered nearly all the popularity, traffic, and top streamers that once belonged to the industry’s giant platform.

Such a massive force, enough to crush any platform, would propel Quanmin TV to an unmatched peak if they came aboard.

Of course, Li Ran knew that persuading Cold Hao would come at a heavy price.

Still, for the sake of Quanmin TV’s future IPO and the promise of mutual benefit, he was prepared to pay it.

“Happy New Year, Cold Hao. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Li Ran, chairman of Quanmin TV. I got your QQ from the Douyu user records at the industry event. I had originally hoped that Haiqing, Zhang Yuyan, or Warm Baby could introduce me to you, to make it less abrupt, but they were afraid of disturbing your rest and ignored me. I don’t know if it’s rude to reach out to you during the New Year, but I truly have something important to discuss with you.”

His words were sincere.

Li Ran believed Cold Hao would respond. Still, he hadn’t expected a reply to come back within seconds.

Such quickness gave him a rare thrill of surprise.

A Bit Cold: “Happy New Year to you too. What do you want to discuss? Just say it directly.”

Faced with such a blunt message, Li Ran thought for a moment, then decided against beating around the bush. Being straightforward was easier anyway.

So he organized his words and continued typing:

“Alright, I’ll be direct then. Forgive me if my wording is clumsy. I believe Douyu TV, once the industry’s leader, has now collapsed. Its enormous popularity, traffic, and streamers have essentially concentrated around you and your Dusty Splendor team. Therefore, as chairman of Quanmin TV, I sincerely invite you and your team to join us. Of course, given your current popularity and the sheer number of streamers under you—comparable to a top-tier platform—no salary in the industry would seem adequate. So…”

“So… would a guaranteed annual salary of 1.5 billion RMB, plus 50% equity in Quanmin TV and dividends, be enough to satisfy you?”

A guaranteed 1.5 billion annual salary, plus half of Quanmin TV’s equity and profits!

In the livestreaming world, this was the highest possible offer. For Li Ran, it was an agonizing decision.

But even at this price, he knew it still fell short of Cold Hao’s true value.

Given Cold Hao’s pride and wealth, Li Ran feared his offer would only draw a scornful reply—or worse, a block. So, wisely, he quickly added:

“Cold Hao, if this doesn’t satisfy you, we can discuss further.”

It was instinct for him as a businessman: always leave room to maneuver.

And this time, his desire was sincere—he truly wanted to bring Cold Hao and Dusty Splendor on board. Even if the price had to rise higher, he was prepared to grit his teeth and do it.

He waited, rare anxiety gnawing at him, for a minute or two.

Finally, Cold Hao replied.

Li Ran’s nerves tightened as he hurriedly opened the chat window.

But when he read the message, his expression froze.

The reply was far beyond his expectations. It was only a single rhetorical question:

A Bit Cold: “Are you sure Quanmin TV can contain Dusty Splendor?”

Li Ran stared at the words, stunned, before suddenly realizing something.

On the surface, it might be mocking Quanmin TV’s smallness. Or perhaps it was questioning whether Quanmin TV could truly accept a team as massive and potentially overwhelming as Dusty Splendor.

But whichever it was, he could feel the gravity and seriousness behind the words.

That seriousness made him sober up as well. After a moment, he replied with equal gravity:

“I am sure. As long as I remain in this position, even if Dusty Splendor’s prestige eclipses all of Quanmin TV, I will keep my word. From beginning to end, that will never change.”

Even as he sent it, he still didn’t understand why Cold Hao had asked such a seemingly pointless question.

After all, just yesterday, Cold Hao had proven—before the entire livestreaming community—that his overwhelming strength could sweep aside the whole industry.

So why ask?

Even if Quanmin TV one day couldn’t hold Dusty Splendor, Cold Hao had more than enough power to make the platform bow. Douyu TV was the bloody proof.

But then, as Li Ran thought about it, his sharp instincts caught something.

His eyes widened, his mouth fell open, disbelief surging to its peak.

He lifted his head, staring at the message from Cold Hao in the chat window, unable to believe it.

As chairman of Quanmin TV, he had never imagined that this man—this living legend whose prestige had reached the pinnacle, who could silence entire boards of directors with his presence—would make such a choice.

“Cold Hao… are you sure? You are the legend of this entire industry! The one standing at the very peak, the figure everyone can only look up to!”

Li Ran’s voice shook as he sent the message, his usually steady tone trembling so badly it broke.