Chapter 19: Poverty Limits Your Imagination
After Xu Qingfeng’s post went live on Weibo, the platform immediately responded.
An account suspension package was delivered.
Netizens, eagerly watching the unfolding drama, were the first to notice something unusual with Xu Qingfeng’s account.
[Due to violation of relevant laws and regulations, this user is currently muted.]
#XuQingfengDoubleBan# instantly soared to the top of trending topics.
“I swear, this guy’s an expert—banned twice in one day, who else can top that?”
“He’s panicking, definitely panicking.”
“This is hilarious. Zhang Hongbo never got banned since his debut, and now Xu Qingfeng?”
“Laughable. Can’t handle criticism so they just ban the account, right?”
“Weibo, say something!”
“Stay strong, Xu Shen!”
“The only conscience left in the entertainment industry.”
“Bro, try not to go out at night from now on. Watch out for those dump trucks.”
Xu Qingfeng scanned the comments, already mentally prepared.
He knew Weibo’s tricks all too well—account suspensions, comment controls—these were tactics he himself had employed before. Only now, the tables had turned against him.
That night, the entertainment circle was anything but calm.
Though the whistleblower was muted, the impact he ignited continued to ripple through the industry.
Celebrities scrambled, each using their connections to seek official stances.
By morning, the worst news arrived.
“A thorough investigation to the end.”
The storm was coming.
This time, nobody would escape.
The only silver lining was the tax bureau’s stance on this cleansing campaign: “Punish the past to prevent future errors; cure the illness while saving the patient.”
In other words, stars caught evading taxes could be leniently treated if they paid back taxes and fines.
At eight in the morning, chaos engulfed the entire entertainment industry.
The inspection team returned to Starshine Entertainment, and another settled into Harmony World.
A seismic upheaval rocked the industry as dozens of prestigious companies came under scrutiny.
News outlets buzzed like scouts, reporting progress to the public.
[Harmony World under investigation]
[Inspection team stationed at Starshine Entertainment]
[Tianyi Entertainment being investigated]
Weibo’s trending list unified unprecedentedly, dominated entirely by celebrities.
---
Previously, stars splurged just to hit trending; now, they bitterly hated seeing their names there.
This crackdown exposed many illustrious figures: renowned directors, triple award-winning actors, top-tier young stars, famed divas, and powerhouse male singers.
Countless idols’ rose-tinted images were brutally shattered, sparking public outrage.
That day, dozens of entertainers hastily dissolved hundreds of companies.
The massive move triggered another wave of gossip.
“Holy crap, one person owns thirty companies?”
“What are these companies even for?”
Someone explained, “What else? For tax evasion—shuffling money left and right, until it all ends up in their own pockets.”
“Madman Xu was right, none of these people are good.”
Company dissolutions, investigations, fundraising—chaos reigned across the entertainment world.
The spectators were ecstatic, hearing of one actor’s probe, then a diva’s exposure; Weibo felt like a festive carnival.
Each time a heavyweight name was revealed, Weibo’s servers briefly crashed in a show of respect.
---
At Weibo headquarters:
“Reporting us? Heh, young people sure have spirit.”
“Heh, Xu Qingfeng got muted, and the party’s still lively.”
“That’s right, he’s lost all value.”
“He’s really out of control. Does he not realize who provides his popularity?”
“Let’s teach him a lesson.”
With a few casual words, Weibo sealed Xu Qingfeng’s fate.
Celebrities, after all, meant little against capital.
Online, some onlookers, reveling in the chaos, began betting on how much tax these stars would have to pay back.
“I’ll bet over a billion.”
“You’re clueless. At least tens of billions.”
“Pfft, you’re poor. Tens of billions? That’s pocket change. Starting at a hundred billion!”
“Stop mocking each other. Poverty limits your imagination.”
“Rumor has it, this audit of celebrity tax evasion is near 50 billion yuan in back taxes, late fees, and fines!”
The news sent shockwaves across the web.
Everyone knew the entertainment industry was rotten, but not to this extent.
“Damn, how much has Xu Qingfeng contributed to the country?”
“Some might not grasp 50 billion’s scale. To put it simply, a city of five million people doesn’t even rake in that much tax revenue in a year.”
“That’s impressive. I checked—our city’s annual tax revenue is only 30 billion.”
“So these bastards stole an entire year’s tax income from a city of five million?”
---
“Damn those rookies!”
“I pay taxes on every screw I tighten, and these newbies evade them?”
“Working like cattle for a hundred thousand a year—50 billion would mean working from the Stone Age to Cyberpunk era.”
“Ban these rookies!”
The staggering 50 billion figure struck a nerve with everyone.
Angry netizens clamored for harsh punishment against tax-evading stars, flooding Weibo with reports.
Yet, disappointingly, Weibo remained unmoved, leaving these stars as untouchable as ever.
The law’s failure to prosecute the masses was laid bare.
In contrast, Xu Qingfeng was ruthlessly silenced just for exposing the truth.
This move ironically earned him a wave of sympathy.
Elsewhere, Xu Qingfeng sat deep in thought, the system’s constant chime echoing in his mind.
[Successfully exposed 1 person, physical fitness +1, lottery chances +1.]
[Successfully exposed 1 person, physical fitness +1, lottery chances +1.]
Repeated twelve times.
The system’s prompts kept coming, and Xu Qingfeng felt his physical prowess soaring.
He had assumed only personal reports counted, but judging by the reward count, the stars exposed today were attributed to him as well.
Though the numbers didn’t fully align—over seventy stars had been revealed online, yet he only received twelve rewards.
After analyzing the system, Xu Qingfeng understood its judgment criteria.
If he reported personally, each individual counted as one; but in cases of mass accusations without evidence, the system raised the difficulty.
Only one company counted per reward, and only if the back taxes exceeded 100 million yuan.
With a physical fitness increase of twelve, Xu Qingfeng clearly felt his strength surge, energy coursing endlessly through him.
He grabbed a glass cup, wrapped it in a towel, and squeezed it with all his might.
Under his bodyguard’s baffled gaze, the glass shattered into shards.
The bodyguard exclaimed, “Holy crap!”
“Boss is incredible!”
At that moment, the contract from Justice Breadfruit also arrived.
In just a day and a half, the other party had drafted the contract—clearly not a whim, but long prepared.
Yet the terms made Xu Qingfeng pause; the generous offer felt almost too good to be true.