The outcome of the matter was clear at a glance. Zhong Zhengguo personally explained the situation in detail to his subordinate, Xiao Wenshun, allowing him to understand the ins and outs of the incident.
After learning the truth, Xiao Wenshun did not comment much on the cold treatment Hou Liangping had received, as that was, after all, someone else's family matter, and he had no place interfering.
Moreover, after this incident, Hou Liangping had rendered great service and had finally made a name for himself, truly entering the Zhong Family's inner circle.
Therefore, Xiao Wenshun merely gave Hou Liangping an approving look before turning around and leaving gracefully.
Although he had been the one interrogated, it had to be said that this nephew-in-law was indeed a good official who dared to fight and charge forward.
However, Xiao Wenshun's personal matter ended there, while the corruption storm had only just begun.
With the powerful investigative capabilities of the Heaven's Eye system, a large number of people involved in the case surfaced one after another and were arrested.
From political circles, business circles, and financial circles to the entertainment industry, tens of thousands of people were implicated, and the amount of money involved was even more astonishing, reaching billions.
However, surprisingly, only a small portion were actual money launderers. Most people were implicated because of their hobbies.
Most of them were like Xiao Wenshun. Due to their huge expenditures, although they spent their own money, they were almost identified as money launderers.
Fortunately, most of them could explain the source of their assets with valid reasons, so these people were basically released without charge after routine questioning.
Of course, a small number of people were administratively detained for fifteen days and fined thirty Yuan for committing prostitution-related offenses by participating in offline lewd activities while cosplaying characters.
Such a major case directly shocked all of China and attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society.
This case not only made people realize for the first time the enormous economic value hidden behind the two-dimensional community, but also revealed the astonishing potential of this circle.
Upon hearing the news, large amounts of capital couldn't help but exclaim:
"The money of otaku is really easy to earn~~"
An exquisitely crafted rare figurine could actually sell for tens of thousands of Yuan, and these figurines were merely the tip of the iceberg among countless peripheral products.
Even manga artists from Little Baga did not expect that their free autographs and simple sketches at release events
would be hyped by Chinese otaku to prices of hundreds of Yuan.
Converted into yen, that was equivalent to several Fukuzawa Yukichis!
This sudden discovery made many artists furious.
Who exactly earned all this money?
Damn it, give our money back!
However, while the manga artists complained, this case also allowed the world to see the unlimited business opportunities hidden in the two-dimensional market.
In less than ten years, this field had generated a massive transaction volume worth billions of Yuan.
Moreover, the field was still in its infancy, with many areas yet to be explored.
Whether it was costumes and props for cosplay or pure literary and artistic creations, the two-dimensional industry offered too many opportunities to make money.
When demand far exceeded supply, this industry could truly be called a vast blue ocean.
Faced with such tempting prospects, countless people unwilling to remain ordinary began pouring into this industry, hoping to claim a share of the cake.
Under this trend, numerous entertainment companies and video companies seized the opportunity and established dedicated two-dimensional departments.
Among them, companies with sufficient financial strength chose to directly introduce mature and outstanding foreign animation works.
Meanwhile, companies lacking funds could only choose self-production.
If they lacked artists, they would recruit newly graduated art students to reduce costs.
If traditional 2D animation costs were too high, they would switch to producing 3D animation using computer models.
If they lacked original scripts, they would purchase the copyrights to popular web novels, leveraging the influence of those works to attract existing fans and ensure profits.
Although the final products might suffer from problems such as low technical standards, clichéd scripts, and poor quality,
as long as they carried titles such as "The Rise of XX Animation" or "The Light of the XX World," beat the drums, and generated hype, there would always be tolerant otaku willing to pay for them, allowing these companies to easily make money.
If even that failed and they truly didn't want to take risks, they could simply outsource completed projects and earn small but stable profits.
If they made money, then they had simply struck gold.
If they lost money, then they could treat it as tuition fees. Better someone else suffer than themselves.
In short, this was a business driven by passion, and it had begun its magnificent journey.
As for how long this perfunctory money-grabbing behavior could continue?
No one knew the answer.
After all, these practices would undoubtedly limit future development, eventually leading to consumers no longer buying into them.
But one thing was certain: the earlier one entered the market, the larger the share they could obtain.
Whoever entered first had the opportunity to secure a bigger slice of the cake.
However, for those who merely wished to seize the opportunity and make a quick fortune, such short-sighted behavior was understandable.
After all, they only intended to make fast money.
But those who wished to achieve greater accomplishments and returns had to abandon the mentality of seeking instant gratification.
They needed to steadily build their brand image, focus on product quality, and gradually accumulate a good reputation.
After all, although otaku are easy to deceive, that does not mean they are fools.
They possess keen judgment regarding quality animation works and can easily distinguish between excellent productions and inferior ones.
Therefore, those companies that only sought short-term profits and attempted to fool consumers were destined to reap what they sowed and eventually be eliminated by the market.
...
...
Xiao quietly observed this lively competition, treating it as entertainment in his life.
To be honest, even Xiao himself had never expected that the people of World No. 2 could play with money so skillfully. This was a path he had never imagined.
It had to be admitted that, when it came to making money, Xiao deeply realized that he still had much to learn.
Xiao wondered whether he should recruit a group of top accountants to assist him in acquiring power more efficiently.
After all, two heads are better than one. Because of his own habitual way of thinking, he would inevitably make mistakes and lose large amounts of power for nothing.
Thinking of this, Xiao decided to return directly to the capital and request some talent from his superiors.
Upon hearing this, the Old Fathers-in-law generously pardoned two hundred accounting elites from top firms around the world for him, including several individuals who had committed major economic crimes.
Among these people was even the true mastermind who had single-handedly planned the entire two-dimensional money laundering case.
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSim