{"id":7481,"date":"2025-09-15T09:32:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T07:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=7481"},"modified":"2025-09-15T09:32:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T07:32:50","slug":"doascc-chapter-78-who-put-the-compulsion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2025\/09\/15\/doascc-chapter-78-who-put-the-compulsion\/","title":{"rendered":"DOASCC – Chapter 78. Who Put The Compulsion"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The last meteor fell to earth.<\/p>\r\n

All the drones returned to base. The deep, dark sky returned to silence. The stadium, which had turned off all lighting for the drone performance, lit up once again.<\/p>\r\n

But the tens of thousands of Haijing citizens present remained stirred for a long time. Everyone was still immersed in the shock and awe of that final, magnificent meteor shower and couldn\u2019t snap out of it for a while.<\/p>\r\n

Online, all the netizens who had watched the drone show via livestream also felt an unparalleled sense of awe.<\/p>\r\n

[That was too beautiful. Too beautiful!!! How was this even designed?!]<\/p>\r\n

[Absolutely incredible! This was my first time seeing a meteor shower\u2014are real ones like this?]<\/p>\r\n

[Of course not. It\u2019s hard to see a real meteor shower on Earth, usually just a few meteors\u2026 Haimeng really outdid themselves this time. How did they even pull this off?]<\/p>\r\n

[The earlier patterns were amazing too. My buddy works with drones and says that drone formation programming is extremely complex. Just the pattern design alone takes a ton of time, and there’s always a risk of failure.]<\/p>\r\n

[\u2026Am I the only one who noticed that final segment of code? I seriously suspect the programmer went insane!!]<\/p>\r\n

[Still, that code pattern, even though I didn\u2019t understand it, was really beautiful. There’s a kind of scientific beauty to it.]<\/p>\r\n

[Aaaah I\u2019m going crazy! My bestie invited me to see it live at Haimeng tonight, but I didn\u2019t want to squeeze in with the crowd, and now I regret it so much I could cry.]<\/p>\r\n

[I was there in person, and I can tell you responsibly\u2014it\u2019s a thousand times more stunning live!!!!]<\/p>\r\n

Some people mentioned the confusion and failure at the beginning of the show, but in contrast to the spectacular turnaround that followed, the initial failure now felt more like a setup for a dramatic comeback. The citizens and online viewers didn\u2019t know the details. According to popular science posts online, if the show had truly failed in the beginning, it would\u2019ve been impossible to reprogram everything on the spot. So everyone assumed the plot twist was intentional\u2014and found it even more interesting because of it.<\/p>\r\n

After the shock faded, cheers and applause like ocean waves rose from the entire stadium and around the Haimeng Mall.<\/p>\r\n

The city center was packed with people, as if everyone had just attended an extraordinary carnival. Some spontaneously raised their hands and began clapping. The elevated mood was contagious. More and more people joined in until a wave of applause swept through the crowd.<\/p>\r\n

Media photographers scrambled to climb to higher ground, raising their cameras to record the rare scene in full.<\/p>\r\n

Some sharp-nosed journalists already realized that the person behind this breathtaking show might be the real headline and tried to rush the control platform for interviews.<\/p>\r\n

However, Meng Yucheng and other Meng Group shareholders were all present, and security personnel quickly surrounded the area, professionally stopping the reporters and maintaining order at the control platform.<\/p>\r\n

In front of the platform, Meng Group personnel and the original drone control team stood frozen in place, dead silent.<\/p>\r\n

Especially those from Meng Yuguan\u2019s faction\u2014their expressions were complex and full of mixed emotions, part joy, part embarrassment, and a bit at a loss.<\/p>\r\n

The joy, naturally, came from the fact that the drone show they had assumed was a failure had actually succeeded\u2014far more brilliantly than they had ever expected.<\/p>\r\n

Everyone present was a seasoned businessperson, and by now, they could already foresee the enormous impact this show would have on the Meng Group.<\/p>\r\n

The massive exposure of Haimeng Mall went without saying. Even without the media outlets specially invited by the Meng Group, the organic buzz generated by citizens alone would flood social media\u2014and with overwhelming praise.<\/p>\r\n

It could be said that the mall\u2019s reputation had been successfully established, along with its high-end image positioning. Foot traffic in the short term would only increase, and as long as operations continued smoothly, the success of this project was all but assured.<\/p>\r\n

But the bigger gain was clearly in the drone market.<\/p>\r\n

The tech industry was undeniably the new trend. Meng Siyun\u2019s earlier investments had been solid, but the costs were equally immense\u2014especially in R&D, which was a bottomless pit. A small lag could result in being eliminated from the market and losing everything.<\/p>\r\n

Acquiring the drone company had been a key part of Meng Siyun\u2019s strategy. He had clashed many times with Meng Yuguan\u2019s conservative faction over this.<\/p>\r\n

But just as the drone business was getting started, Meng Siyun was in a car accident. Although shareholders sympathized with him, they were more concerned about the potential impact on business. Meng Yuguan\u2019s faction had repeatedly expressed that the company should never have invested so heavily in such an unfamiliar field.<\/p>\r\n

Yet tonight\u2019s performance was enough to erase all those concerns. Even those shareholders who didn\u2019t understand technology could tell from the industry reports they\u2019d read what this show really meant.<\/p>\r\n

Meng\u2019s drone business would now take off, with orders flooding in.<\/p>\r\n

The biggest feature of this industry was its high investment, but equally high potential profit. The drone business\u2014and Meng Siyun\u2019s entire emerging tech strategy\u2014could very well become the Meng Group\u2019s next explosive growth area.<\/p>\r\n

Naturally, this was something to be happy about.<\/p>\r\n

But Meng Yuguan and his people had just publicly insulted Meng Feixuan and made it abundantly clear that they intended to kick Meng Siyun while he was down. Now it was incredibly awkward.<\/p>\r\n

Everyone in Meng Yuguan\u2019s faction had red ears and fidgeted uneasily.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Siyun had reappeared for the first time since the car accident six months ago\u2014and what a spectacular comeback. After tonight, his position in the company wouldn\u2019t be weakened by his health\u2014it would rise even higher.<\/p>\r\n

They couldn\u2019t take him down. But now, he had more leverage to take them down.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yuguan\u2019s face turned extremely grim.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yucheng, on the other hand, only glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. He had no intention of arguing right now. The more important person stood in front of him.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cMr. Xie, hello.\u201d Meng Yucheng stepped forward and sincerely shook hands with Xie Ran: “I apologize for our earlier neglect. I hope you\u2019ll forgive us.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

In truth, neither he nor his wife had been outright rude before\u2014there had just been a clear distance due to the status gap, and certainly no warmth.<\/p>\r\n

But now, Xie Ran\u2019s image in Meng Yucheng\u2019s mind had completely changed.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yucheng didn\u2019t understand tech, but he understood markets\u2014and the value of talent.<\/p>\r\n

The drone show just displayed to all of Haijing\u2019s citizens may have been labeled as Meng\u2019s, but in truth, the core technology didn\u2019t belong to Meng Group.<\/p>\r\n

It belonged to Xie Ran.<\/p>\r\n

In other words, if Meng\u2019s drone business wanted to truly succeed, the most important condition was that Xie Ran was willing to contribute.<\/p>\r\n

And if word got out about what had just happened at the control platform, drone companies\u2014and tech firms all across the country\u2014would fight to recruit Xie Ran.<\/p>\r\n

Earlier, he and his wife had thought Xie Ran, a low-born internet celebrity, might not be a great match for Meng Siyun and even worried the shareholders might object.<\/p>\r\n

Now, Meng Yucheng realized how wrong he\u2019d been.<\/p>\r\n

Based on what Xie Ran had just demonstrated, not even an old-money family or a rising tech tycoon would dare treat him with anything less than the utmost respect.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yucheng even began to wonder\u2014maybe Meng Siyun had only fallen for Xie Ran because of his tech skills? Maybe he\u2019d taken advantage of him?<\/p>\r\n

Xie Ran himself showed no change in demeanor\u2014he was still calm and businesslike. He briefly shook hands back: “No worries.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u201cI wonder if Mr. Xie would be interested in taking a position at one of our subsidiaries\u2014the one Siyun is managing,\u201d Meng Yucheng said. Afraid Xie Ran might get poached, he dropped all pretenses and extended a direct inVittation: “You can name your own salary and title.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

That offer was nothing short of shocking. Several Meng Group shareholders visibly changed expression\u2014but no one dared voice a single word of objection.<\/p>\r\n

The engineering team, which had been dazed for most of the night, finally snapped out of it. The chief engineer immediately grew excited and shouted: “Yes, yes, come join us! Be our boss!\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Everyone else: \u201c\u2026\u201d Have some dignity, will you?<\/p>\r\n

But Xie Ran remained unmoved and replied calmly: “No, I have a job.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

That one line changed the atmosphere again. Just moments ago, they\u2019d thought Meng Yucheng\u2019s offer was too generous\u2014but now that Xie Ran had refused, everyone grew even more anxious.<\/p>\r\n

With his skills, Xie Ran was definitely not someone who would go unnoticed. If he wasn\u2019t joining Meng Group, was he going to another company? If so, wouldn\u2019t tonight\u2019s show be helping the competition?<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yuguan noticed this too\u2014and was secretly delighted.<\/p>\r\n

If Xie Ran didn\u2019t accept Meng Yucheng\u2019s offer, it meant he wasn\u2019t an ally of Meng Siyun. Which meant Siyun\u2019s comeback might not be as solid as it seemed.<\/p>\r\n

In fact, if Xie Ran joined a rival company, they could use it against Siyun.<\/p>\r\n

Thinking this, Meng Yuguan\u2019s arrogance returned. He sneered and asked: “So, Mr. Xie, where are you employed?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Everyone turned to Xie Ran, wary.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cBig Face Cat Live,\u201d Xie Ran said casually, and even promoted himself smoothly: “Want my stream room number?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yuguan: \u201c…?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Everyone else also had a giant question mark over their heads.<\/p>\r\n

He\u2019d just rejected Meng Yucheng\u2019s absurdly generous offer\u2026 for livestreaming?<\/p>\r\n

Someone belatedly recalled\u2014oh right, Xie Ran was a streamer. He\u2019d been invited tonight just to promote the event.<\/p>\r\n

But seriously, with skills like that, why was he livestreaming?<\/p>\r\n

And if he had such amazing skills, why was he livestreaming in the first place?!<\/p>\r\n

Everyone seemed to reach this realization at the same time\u2014and were collectively left speechless.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yucheng\u2019s emotions were complex. But for the sake of the company\u2019s future and Siyun\u2019s rise, he wanted to keep trying.<\/p>\r\n

Just then, Xie Ran looked at Meng Feixuan. His gaze lowered slightly, and his voice softened: “But I share my technology with him.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

He meant it quite literally\u2014Meng Feixuan already had this knowledge in his database. With his abilities, he could handle these issues easily. It was shared knowledge between them.<\/p>\r\n

Though Meng Feixuan\u2019s operations were limited by his physical body, Xie Ran would naturally stay by his side. That was a given.<\/p>\r\n

But to everyone else, the meaning was different. They all knew how valuable that technology was, and Xie Ran just casually said he shared it with Meng Siyun\u2014without even setting conditions.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yucheng felt both relieved and stunned. Was Xie Ran being too good to Siyun?<\/p>\r\n

Was Siyun some kind of witch doctor?!<\/p>\r\n

On the other side, Meng Yuguan and his son Meng Sien looked grim. If Xie Ran was sharing technology with Meng Siyun, that was an even bigger threat than joining his company directly.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yuguan\u2019s thoughts spun rapidly as he searched for a countermeasure. But then\u2014<\/p>\r\n

Xie Ran looked at him slowly and said: “Don\u2019t forget what you just said.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yuguan stiffened and pretended to be confused: “\u2026Wh-what?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Xie Ran didn\u2019t bother arguing. He simply gave a slight chuckle and tapped the play button on the computer.<\/p>\r\n

A recording played loud and clear: \u201cIf you can pull this off\u2026 I\u2019ll raise both hands to support Siyun taking the CEO position.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

It was unmistakably Meng Yuguan\u2019s voice.<\/p>\r\n

Meng Yuguan: !!<\/p>\r\n

His faction: !!!<\/p>\r\n

He even recorded it?! So shameless!<\/p>\r\n

Everyone else: Pfft.<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\"This<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last meteor fell to earth. All the drones returned to base. The deep, dark sky returned to silence. The stadium, which had turned off all lighting for the drone performance, lit up once again. But the tens of thousands of Haijing citizens present remained stirred for a long time. Everyone was still immersed in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dramas-of-abusive-scums-causes-comfort","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ontimestory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/scums.jpg?fit=239%2C335&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7482,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7481\/revisions\/7482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}