"What on earth is Zhang nglong trying to do?" Seeing that Weibo post by Zhang nglong, Hu Bufan imdiately panicked.
All these big brands like Louis Vuitton, Porsche, Lanco—they might be big and successful, but in front of Zhang nglong, they're no different from the small vendors on the street.
His presence was like opening a seven-star restaurant in a snack alley—if he wanted a shop to go out of business, then it would go out of business.
Zhang nglong's post was essentially a command. Although it didn't state the consequences, thinking with one's butt was enough to know that if they chose not to terminate their partnership with Hu Bufan, it wouldn't be long before they'd have to worry about more than just finding a top influencer to endorse their brand—they'd have to worry about whether their company would survive at all.
"Brother Zhou, the director of Porsche's Huaxia division just called to say they want to terminate their partnership with Brother Fan!"
This news ca just minutes after the post was made.
"That's not acceptable, we have a contractual agreent. They can't just terminate it unilaterally, or they'll have to pay a penalty of 50 million!" Zhou Zong imdiately said.
"Brother Zhou, they say that Brother Fan's improper behavior has damaged their brand's reputation. They don't just want to terminate the contract, they're even demanding 20 million in damages for defamation."
"What? They want compensation? Ridiculous!" Zhou Zong slamd the table angrily, "Right now, Zhang nglong is just making up charges out of nowhere. If there really was such an issue, we wouldn't need him to deal with it—the relevant departnts would have already been in touch. There's no such thing as damage to reputation!"
"We absolutely can't be suppressed by him!" Zhou Zong imdiately said, "Have the PR departnt release an article right away to counter Zhang nglong's claims. Those chat logs provided by those people have no credibility whatsoever. We have to fight against this sort of slander!"
"Yes, Brother Zhou!"
Zhou Zong slumped onto the sofa, out of breath, thinking that even if the situation continued to fernt, there would be a more gradual process.
Who knew that Zhang nglong wouldn't reason with you and now, even without definitive proof, directly threatened all the major brands to terminate their contracts with him. How were they to defend against this?
"I believe those brand representatives aren't idiots. In the current situation, Zhang nglong doesn't have solid evidence. They can't terminate our contract without any concrete proof that Fan is so-called 'disreputable artist', they wouldn't dare to really terminate the contract!"
But they were still wrong. Indeed, so brands hesitated and didn't respond imdiately, but many other brands chose to terminate their contracts right away.
"Tengxun Video announces the termination of their brand endorsent advertising with Hu Bufan!"
"Wangyi Music announces the termination of their three-year brand endorsent deal with Hu Bufan!"
Minutes after Zhang nglong's ssage was posted, Wangyi and Tengxun's official Weibo accounts each released their ssages.
Tengxun and Wangyi, with their 14 gas, were raking in money hand over fist. What's just tens of millions in penalties? If it needs to be paid, then it's paid!
Moreover, paying the penalty was only a temporary situation. Ma Hua and Ding Sanshi were well aware that once Zhang nglong set his mind on doing sothing, he would carry it through to the end, and he never engaged in aningless or immoral acts.
They were sure that Hu Bufan must have done sothing. Although they had no evidence now, they believed that sooner or later, Hu Bufan could be exposed by Zhang nglong!
By then, if the disreputable artist's charges were proven true, not only could they get back the penalty they'd paid, but they could also demand the corresponding damages from Hu Bufan according to the contract.
And now, a small temporary price was a small price to pay for winning Zhang nglong's favor—a deal that was definitely profitable without any loss!
Holding a similar view were the majority of Huaxia's brands as well as so foreign ones. In just three short days, nearly 20 brands forcibly terminated their partnerships with Hu Bufan!
Facing such a trend, even a portion of Hu Bufan's fans started to panic.
Although Hu Bufan always said that these were just rumors, to date, Zhang nglong hadn't received any legal notice. Doesn't this indicate that they simply didn't have the courage to sue Zhang nglong?
The brands, one after the other, terminated their contracts—was it not just fear of Zhang nglong's threats, but because they had gotten wind of sothing?
Gradually, even without concrete evidence, public opinion started to lean more towards Zhang nglong's direction.
"Not bad, at least they have so brains," Zhang nglong looked at the announcents from the brands. "Hong Yi, how many brands are left that have not terminated the contract?"
"There are still seven foreign brands including Lanco and Givenchy," replied Hong Yi.
"It seems that so people are still harboring illusions," Zhang nglong sneered. "If they are not taught a lesson, they'll think that my words are a joke."
...
"Mr. Hubert, it's , Zhang nglong!"
The owner of Givenchy was so startled by the call that he nearly jumped.
"Zhang... Mr. Zhang..."
"Mr. Hubert, it seems you haven't taken my words to heart, have you? Has Givenchy beco too proud, or is Zhang nglong unable to wield a knife anymore?"
"Mr. Zhang... well, uh, there's still no definite outco regarding Mr. Hu's affairs, right? We can't terminate the contract with him for violating moral standards and damaging the brand unless it's a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding?" Zhang nglong laughed coldly. "So, you're not terminating the contract, is that it? Then I'll just have to call the Dorellas family and let them talk to you."
"What... the Dorellas family?" This na sent a shiver down Hubert's spine. Was this a na that could be casually ntioned in Europe?
"I dare to ask, Mr. Zhang, what relation do you have with the Dorellas family?"
"Their family's head is a servant in my household!" Zhang nglong said. "If you don't believe , I can have the head of their household call you shortly, but I don't guarantee they will be as friendly as I am."
"I... I'll arrange the termination right away!"
Where would Hubert dare to doubt any longer? First of all, not many people knew about the Dorellas family, and the fact that Zhang nglong could so casually divulge this na ant he was indeed on that level. Hubert would rather err on the side of belief than disbelief!
"If I don't show you so color, you really think I'm just farting, huh?" Zhang nglong
...
"Givenchy announces the termination of its endorsent contract with Hu Bufan!"
Following Givenchy's announcent, other brands such as Lanco and Louis Vuitton also chose to stand together, and of course, whether their owners discreetly called Hubert is unknown. But if they knew about Zhang nglong's connection with the Dorellas family, they would probably be scared out of their wits, right?
Thus, all the brands that had endorsent deals with Hu Bufan had ended their partnerships with him.
"Snap!"
At this mont, Hu Bufan was like soone who had all his strength drained, collapsed on the sofa.
Even though the breach of contract paynts had earned him a good sum, he was well aware of what he had done, and though he had covered his tracks cleanly, guilt still haunted him. If by any chance solid evidence was found one day, he would have to pay back every cent of that money, even potentially providing hundreds of millions in compensation!
The best strategy in the Thirty-Six Stratagems is to retreat!
An idea arose in Hu Bufan's mind. In Huaxia, he was definitely no match for Zhang nglong. Even if nglong couldn't find conclusive evidence, just by spending money, he could crush him completely, turning his life into sothing akin to imprisonnt.
The best option for him would be to return to California!
"Notable! Disaster has struck!" At that mont, Zhou Zong ca over. "We're finished this ti!"
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