Five years ago, when Sean Lowell dropped out, live commerce wasn't yet mainstream.
Platforms like Taobao, JD, and Mogujie hadn't tried live commerce yet.
Live streamers selling a billion worth of goods in a day were still considered fantasies back then.
Gordon Sterling wanted to monetize "The Jilted's" traffic at that time, but he needed traditional liquor sales channels first.
Building channels himself was unrealistic for Gordon, who had plenty of business acumen but no financial support.
So, Gordon brainstormed and first thought of partnering with a spirits group that had mature liquor sales channels.
Around five years ago, the chairman of The Winters Group suddenly passed away.
The Vaughn siblings' mom, Talia Tate, also ended up in the hospital at the same time with an undiagnosed condition.
Leo Vaughn had just reached adulthood when he interrupted his studies in Scotland to return home and inherit the Winters Spirits Group.
Although Leo was legally an adult when he returned,
to nearly all of the shareholders, at barely eighteen, he was still just a kid.
Especially since Winters Spirits sells alcohol, not toys.
The general manager didn't take Leo, the "still green" kid, seriously at all.
The general manager's faction wanted to take advantage of Winters' passing and Talia's severe illness.
Claiming that The Vaughn-Tate Couple couldn't act as the board chair, they planned to take over the company and reshuffle it.
Unexpectedly, Winters left a will suddenly before passing, handled by a law firm in Scotland and notarized domestically.
The will was not only airtight but detailed a very thorough succession plan.
If the founder passed after the Vaughn siblings reached adulthood, all his shares were to be equally divided between his twin children.
Whether Talia was gravely ill or capable of acting as chairman of Winters Spirits' board instantly became irrelevant.
After hearing the will read by a Scottish lawyer accompanied by domestic notaries, the furious general manager resigned and took a bunch of key staff with him.
Leo faced internal and external crises when he unexpectedly returned home to take charge of Winters Spirits.
With eighteen-year-old shoulders, he assumed both the general manager and board chairman roles.
Although Winters Spirits' staff had mostly left, they still had top-tier wine and spirits sales channels, just few distilleries willing to cooperate.
The general manager didn't just take employees but more importantly, the company's distributors.
The crisis Leo encountered became an opportunity for Gordon Sterling, who self-proclaimed as "The Jilted's agent."
Gordon and Leo hit it off quickly, launching the "Celestar Baijiu Annual Top100" event to revive Winters Spirits from the brink.
"The Jilted's agent" cooperated with Winters Spirits Group throughout the process, without The Jilted himself participating at all.
Gordon would handle 99.99% of everything, as he promised.
But 99.99% isn't 100%, and if Sean Lowell never appeared in "real life," The Dump Me Alliance fans would definitely feel distant.
Don't Cowherd and Weaver Girl still meet once a year?
To avoid disrupting Sean Lowell's "practice," Gordon thought of using one-way soundproof glass rooms.
The whole venue design and stage of the first Celestar Baijiu Annual Top100 were orchestrated by Gordon.
Even overseeing the soundproof glass rooms, Gordon used his Michelin-like physique to monitor thoroughly.
............
Seeing the triple delightful kill of Mejai's Soulstealer hitting like throwing buns to dogs, Artie Vaughn turned around, opting to turn a blind eye.
It's her and Summer Fairmont's phone time, not something any master can butt into.
If one dares to say plotting wealth and murder, they must accept The Pouting Siren's indifferent treatment.
But, however, Artie found her Summer wasn't all that reliable sometimes.
Artie just roasted Sean Lowell and was about to change angles to continue her phone chatathon with Summer Fairmont when she heard the busy signal indicating the call was hung up.
Cool Miss Summer Fairmont figured Artie was busy, so she'd finish her tasks first.
That way, she'd have plenty of time later to hear The Devilish Lolita "talk for five minutes, pout two hours."
Artie hesitated a bit.
Should she follow Summer's untimely coolness and hang up?
Or should she keep pretending the call is ongoing?
Just at this moment, Sean Lowell circled over to face Artie: "Can I make a phone call to Summer Fairmont? I have a few questions for her."
Artie smugly waved her phone in Sean Lowell's face: "In your dreams! Haha, the plotting and murderous Missy is offline now."
Sean Lowell's question quickly turned Artie Vaughn's mood from cloudy to clear skies.
That's what besties are for.
They know the perfect moment to hang up, letting Artie let out all her lingering little feelings.
Sean stared at the phone screen, no longer in call mode, lost in thought for a full ten seconds, until Leo Vaughn and Gordon Sterling came back from handling the ambulance situation, and Sean still hadn't snapped out of it.
Sean's heartbreak is Artie's emotional sustenance.
The Pouting Siren quickly made a new decision, "Brother, your sister just sat on a plane for more than ten hours, and she's exhausted. Are you taking your sister home, or are you having dinner with someone else?"
Artie stressed the words "yourself" and "someone else."
Initially, Artie said she'd tag along for dinner just to settle an old score of "seeking wealth through treacherous means."
Now that all grievances were settled and all little complaints aired, The Devilish Lolita genuinely didn't see the need to have dinner with people she didn't like.
Although both Artie and Leo faced the upheaval of losing their father at eighteen,
Artie's nature was never restricted.
She didn't have to use the world's most irresistible smile to persuade the few remaining elders of the Winters Spirits Group, who refused to offer any help to Leo like he did.
Leo always smiled graciously at everyone, whether happy or sad, always maintaining that smile.
Compared to Leo, Artie is much luckier.
Artie lives her life very autonomously, in the way she most wants to.
She can act coquettish when she wants and be rebellious when she feels like it.
With a caring brother in front and Summer Fairmont watching her back.
"Master Sean Lowell, I see your hair… hmm… why don't we rearrange…" Leo was a bit embarrassed.
He is the Nation's Gentleman; when had he ever spoken against his word or acted against it?
Most importantly, Sean comes out of seclusion only once a year, and it's to support Winters Spirits.
Sean hadn't even responded when Gordon couldn't hold back: "Oh, ho-ho, since when did the Nation's Gentleman learn to burn bridges after crossing them?"
"I'm worried…" Leo wanted to properly explain to Gordon, but he just didn't give him the chance.
"The Dump Me Alliance has 19.8 million fans, why is it that 'The Jilted' only dines with you, Leo? Why is it that he only stands up for your Winters Spirits? Don't you know how to read the room?" Gordo was rarely more furious than his weight: "We're not going to the dinner, and the Lowe-Fairmont Tipples release in three days isn't going to need the grand presence of your Winters Spirits. Do you think we're still in the era where streamers can't push products and need offline channel support?"
Gordon was genuinely, genuinely angry. He had secured Dean Churchill as a guarantor and repeatedly promised a complete 360-degree care for Sean.
Only then did they get Sean to appear once a year for Winters Spirits' annual gala for tasting,
A feat only slightly simpler than a journey to the sky for ancient people.
All this while, Gordo regarded "trust" as important as his weight.
Even if he verbally abused his roommates, if he brought 'The Jilted' along as "agent," he would certainly take good care of Sean.
He'd just used his "hulking" frame to block the light, so Sean could sleep more peacefully.
That's just a tiny part of Gordon fulfilling his promise.
And what's the result?
With Artie's two jugs of water, all of Gordon's past efforts might be wiped out, maybe even putting him on the "untrustworthy list."
Gordon couldn't imagine how to explain to Elder Ford and Dean Churchill if he brought back a cold-stricken Divine Palate.
In fact, worried about Sean's health, Gordon had already decided to cancel tonight's dinner.
But if so, only he, the "superagent," and manager of 'The Jilted' could say it.
Since when could 'The Jilted's dinner be arranged or canceled on a whim?
"Don't think that just because you're fat, you won't get kicked!" Artie was righteously thinking she was justified no matter what now, she still didn't know that Master Sean being unwell would turn into a significant issue.
Artie could accept insults from Gordon, no matter how harsh, because she's a Devilish Lolita educated as a lady.
But the Pouting Siren couldn't accept someone disparaging her brother, the best brother in the universe.
Just like she couldn't allow anyone to badmouth the best best friend in the universe, even if it was just disparaging the family whiskey of Summer Fairmont.
"Go ahead and try kicking!" The enraged, iron-like fat straight man wasn't one to mess with lightly.
Gordon and Artie's inplanned showdown left Leo and Sean unsure of how to intervene.
Even if the today's almanac said all things are favorable, pouring oil on the fiery brawl between the angry Pouting Siren and enraged Gordo wasn't feasible.
"Could you show me the bottle in the bag?" Sean asked Leo, who was holding the pink killer purse for his sister.