Time Travel: The Queen's Coronation

After disinfection, Dean Cong's base was put back into use. Dean Cong did not want to pursue those who had made things difficult for him. He just wanted to rescue those poor stray cats and dogs and did not want to waste time on irrelevant people.

I admire Dean Cong's openness and generosity, but even though he let them off, they didn't let him off. Shortly after the base returned to normal, someone poisoned the base, killing several cats and dogs. Dean Cong stepped up patrols at the base to prevent bad actors from delivering poisonous substances.

After a while, the poisoning was under control. However, someone online revealed that the animals at the base were being fed expired cat and dog food, with photos and videos. Furthermore, this revelation, attributed to a former employee at the base, led to suspicions that Director Cong had embezzled donations and exploited public charity.

At this critical moment, a video from inside the rescue center was released. In the video, a person wearing the base's work uniform powerfully kicks a kitten, sending it flying two or three meters. The kitten falls to the ground, wailing and bleeding from the corner of its mouth. People are frantically criticizing Dean Cong online and demanding he return the donation.

No matter how Dean Cong explained, no one believed him. Some people have already filed lawsuits, accusing him of fraud, and others have complained to the Animal Management Bureau. Faced with the torrent of criticism, Dean Cong was left speechless.

Meanwhile, another rescue organization, the Karami Animal Love Base, began to criticize the group, constantly showcasing its clean and tidy environment and friendly staff. Their livestream attracted tens of thousands of viewers, and they also promoted their products, achieving impressive sales.

"Don't you want to explain?" I don't understand why Dean Cong remained silent.

"I've explained it, but is it useful? They only believe what they think! Even if they realize they are wrong in the end, nothing will change! I just need to do my own thing!" Dean Cong said as he wiped the cat cage.

"But doing this will hinder your efforts to help! Can't you see that this is a premeditated and organized smear campaign? They want to drag you down and monopolize this traffic!"

"Then let them take it. I don't care about the traffic!" Dean Cong was still wiping the cat cage.

"You don't care about your own reputation, so you don't care if one day your beloved cats and dogs become tools for others to make money?"

Dean Cong stopped what he was doing and replied with a wry smile, "But if they could give those stray furry kids a home, so they stop wandering and have food and water, that would be great too."

"You're too naive! Do you think they'll still do this if those cats and dogs can no longer bring them benefits, or if the benefits become less? By then, the cats and dogs will just be abandoned again! They only see cats and dogs as tools to make money. They don't really like them like you do and won't sincerely help them. Their help has preconditions!"

"I just want to save those cats and dogs, why do they have to keep targeting me?" Dean Cong was very annoyed.

"It's not that they're after you, but that this business is profitable and they want to profit from it. Human nature is greedy. As long as there's profit to be made, they will flock to it, and at the same time, they will also want to eliminate their competitors and monopolize the profits."

"What exactly do I have to do to make them give up?" Dean Cong punched the wall angrily.

"Your base has such a huge traffic volume. You can use it to sell products through live streaming and take on advertising, just like they do. You can generate sales for advertisers, and advertisers will give you commissions, which will bring in additional income for the base. Furthermore, you and advertisers will form a cooperative alliance, and they won't stand idly by if you encounter any problems."

"But I don't want to make money by exploiting other people's sympathy!"

"How is this exploitation? Your rescue is real. You're just selling goods like a salesperson. Whether others buy or not, or with what mindset, is not your concern. You're not forcing them to buy!"

"But taking advantage of their kindness and compassion is also a form of moral kidnapping!"

"This isn't moral kidnapping! You're not forcing them to do anything. You've made it clear whether they buy or not. Whether they buy or not has nothing to do with you! If you give up this source of income, your base's expenses will be enormous. Where will you get all the money to cover the base's expenses in the future?"

"I can get sponsorship!" Dean Cong said very confidently.

"I might not easily support you then. I'm a businessman, and supporting your base will earn me a kind reputation. But if I support your rivals, I'll not only gain reputation but also profit, because they'll help promote my company's products! The most important thing is, besides me, what other sponsors did you secure before? The subsequent sponsorship was also due to my influence, and others followed suit!"

Dean Cong was left speechless and unable to refute.

"But there are so many rules for livestreaming sales, and I don't understand them. If someone tries to cheat me, I'll indirectly harm the consumers. Then I'll be the culprit. How can I live up to their trust then?"

"So you need to find someone who can! You need to form a team!"

"team?"

"I do have resources ready to help you!"

"Wouldn't that mean I'm using cats and dogs as tools to make money, just like everyone else? How could I possibly do that?"

"You work on your rescue work, helping cats and dogs. The operations team films your rescue process into marketing videos to generate traffic, which in turn attracts other advertisers. Ultimately, your base has a stable source of funds to cover its daily expenses, and advertisers spend their money to increase their own sales. It's a win-win!"

"But having a team will make people think I'm acting according to a script!"

"You just said you didn't care what others thought, but now you care?"

"Will this team cheat me?"

"Why would I try to trick you? Tricking you so that we all go hungry? Then you'll be a team, all on the same team!"

"Then I accept it!"

"I don't understand why you would spend all your money to save these animals. You would lose everything for them."

"No reason, just to follow my heart! I want to save them from the bottom of my heart."

"But you've lost so much for these animals. Is it worth it?"

"Nothing is worth it, I'm willing to do it for them!"

"I just think that as a person, you should first protect yourself. If you are poor, you should take care of yourself. If you are rich, you should help the world. Now you seem to be rebelling, and in order to save them, you have put yourself in trouble."

"How can I put it? You're not a fish, so how can you understand the joy of a fish? Maybe you think I'm stupid for giving my all for those animals, but I want to say they're not animals, they're human companions! I grew up with cats and dogs, and I've long considered them companions and friends! When a friend is in trouble, how can I not lend a hand?"

"All right!"

I later leveraged Zhongding's resources to establish a studio dedicated to helping Director Cong document the process of rescuing stray cats and dogs, editing and posting them online. I also helped Director Cong clarify previous negative news. The incident of kicking a cat did occur, but the employee in question had been fired. Furthermore, this employee, resentful of being fired, deliberately fed expired cat and dog food to the animals, filming a video. This caused reputational damage to the base and led to a lawsuit.

Dean Cong already had a high traffic volume for his rescue work, and thanks to his professional team's management, the traffic remained high, attracting numerous advertisers. His base facilities also continued to improve, while competitors quickly disappeared after being exposed for various fraudulent practices and animal abuse. Without anyone else to disrupt his work, Dean Cong's rescue efforts continued to go smoothly.