Gu Bai heard the question and couldn't help but scrutinize the journalist thoroughly.

Indeed, there are hardly any journalists without ulterior motives. This guy seems honest and sincere, but his questions are pointed and harsh.

Gu Bai organized his thoughts briefly, then smiled and said to the questioning journalist, "Actually, when you asked this question, I started doubting your professionalism as a journalist. Peng City Evening News is a major media outlet, yet they sent such an unqualified journalist to interview me; it's truly a massive oversight."

The honest-looking journalist flushed with embarrassment at Gu Bai's sarcasm but continued, "Please, Chairman Gu, answer my question directly."

"Since you want to hear it, I'll answer you.

Do you know what kind of award ceremony the Hua Country Gala is? Do you think it's like the Golden Horse Awards or the Hong Kong Film Awards where you rely on the power behind the scenes to get selected?

So let me ask this journalist, how much influence do you think is needed to rig an award at this gala? As long as you can offer one example, I will agree with you and admit that I used the back door to get selected.

Do you dare to say it?"

These words immediately silenced the honest-looking journalist.

This is the Hua Country Gala, led by the Propaganda Department, with awards even selected by leaders in their rare free time. To question Gu Bai about insider dealings in such a setting only shows that this journalist is quite foolish.

All at once, all the journalists cast disdainful looks at this honest-looking journalist.

Gu Bai shook his head. Such interviews are indeed tiresome, no wonder so many leaders just ignored these journalists and went directly into the venue. With the quality of these journalists, they really aren't worth the leaders' time.

Thinking of this, Gu Bai signaled to Gu Yi with his eyes and said as gently as possible, "Alright, it's about time to end this interview."

He finished speaking and turned away, regardless of the journalists' pleas to stay.

"Mr. Gu, just answer one more question!"

"Chairman Gu! Just one more question!"

Following Gu Bai's instructions, Gu Yi stood like a tower, firmly blocking the journalists behind Gu Bai. Despite being jostled by dozens of people, his form did not shift, except for some wrinkles on his suit.

Thus, the journalists could only watch as Gu Bai was guided into the venue by the staff.

After Gu Bai left, a few leaders who had arrived together asked in confusion, "Who was that young man just now?"

"During these times, who else could be making waves except Xiaogu from Shanghai's Black Swan Group?"

"If it's him, that makes sense. A 20-year-old at the helm of a billion-dollar group, none of us can compare to that."

These leaders were all well-known figures in Hua Country's physical industry, yet when discussing Gu Bai behind his back, they couldn't help but express their envy.

After all, when they were 20, forget about a billion-dollar group.

They probably had difficulty even coming up with 100 yuan.

The National Conference Center's exhibition area covers 40,000 square meters and is divided into various halls. However, the Hua Country Gala is being held in the main hall of the conference center.

The main hall is 6,400 square meters and can accommodate 5,100 people at once. However, compared to tonight's attendance, 5,100 is merely a drop in the bucket. Besides invited guests, there are expected to be no fewer than 30,000 self-paying attendees.

However, those who self-pay can only watch from outside, as not everyone is entitled to a seat in such a setting.

When Gu Bai entered the main hall, the scene could only be described as a sea of people.

Almost all the seats were filled.

The staff had already checked Gu Bai's invitation and respectfully said, "Mr. Gu, all invited guests and attendees tonight have fixed seating. Your seat is number 0019. Would you like me to guide you?"

Gu Bai glanced at the dense seating arrangement. If he were to find it himself, the gala would probably start before he found his seat, so he nodded, "Please lead the way."

The staff couldn't help but glance at Gu Yi, who was standing firmly behind Gu Bai, and respectfully reminded, "Mr. Gu, your seat is in the VIP section, equipped with armed security, so there's no need for a bodyguard. You can have your bodyguard wait for you in a designated area."

After saying this, the staff cautiously glanced at Gu Yi, fearing to speak wrongly and get punched. The staff had no doubt if Gu Yi hit them, even if they survived, they'd be crippled for the rest of their life.

Gu Bai nodded slightly after hearing the staff's words and said to Gu Yi, "You go wait for me outside the venue. I'll contact you after the gala ends."

Following Gu Bai's orders, Gu Yi left without hesitation.

A truly emotionless bodyguard robot.

After Gu Yi left, the staff quickly led Gu Bai to seat 0019.

The further they walked, the fewer people were moving around. When they reached the front rows, there were dozens of uniformed armed police, holding black Type 56 rifles, with serious expressions that discouraged people from approaching.

"Mr. Gu, this is your seat."

The staff pointed to a slightly spacious seat and introduced it to Gu Bai.

"Thank you."

The staff was quite excited to receive Gu Bai's thanks, then respectfully took their leave.

No one had yet to sit near 0019. Standing at his position, Gu Bai glanced around and immediately recognized many familiar faces.

Some of them were truly acquaintances, while others were "familiar faces" Gu Bai knew, but who didn't necessarily know him.

Boss Huateng from Tencent.

Ding Sanshi from NetEase.

And Father Ma Yun from Alibaba.

These top internet moguls almost annually claim one or two honors during the gala, but even so, they always find time to participate personally, regardless of their busy schedules.

It's not that they value the honor that much.

But to showcase their attitude.

The market value of internet companies, no matter how high, is virtual, unlike physical industries with fixed assets to support them.

The internet industry is different: a policy change could significantly vaporize wealth instantly.

For instance, in the upcoming 2021, the gaming giant Tencent, due to various reasons such as restrictions on underage gaming, saw its market value evaporated by 2 trillion in just half a year.

At the time, according to the stock market, A-shares for Wuliangye were valued at about 1 trillion yuan, and Kweichow Moutai at about 2.5 trillion yuan.

From this calculation, the market value lost by Tencent over roughly six months was equivalent to two Wuliangye or 0.8 of a Moutai. One can only imagine the extent of Tencent's loss.

Nevertheless, Boss Huateng remained high-spirited, dominating the domestic game market with cash cows such as the PC game "League of Legends" and the mobile game "Honor of Kings," holding over 60% of the market share.

Additionally, at the beginning of this year, Tencent's investment into Pinduoduo officially launched. In the e-commerce sector, after being beaten by Alibaba for so many years, Tencent finally stood up.

Although Gu Bai is at the helm of a billion-dollar group, there's still a considerable gap when compared to these moguls. He merely observed briefly with no intention of any greetings.

Suddenly, Gu Bai noticed another area.

There's another cluster of leaders gathered.

In the midst of these leaders, Gu Bai saw a familiar figure.

It was Principal Wang, who hosted a reception for him last night, now in the middle of these leaders, wearing a docile expression.

One lifted head, and their eyes met.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.