Chapter 163: Countdown to Chaos

New Year’s Eve Gala? The idea of our leaders hosting a New Year’s Eve show is already…

…couldn’t help whispering, ‘Han Lijun still wants to gamble on the ratings of the gala,’

in his view.

As long as the recording is completed and airs normally, this New Year’s Eve show will pass muster—there’s no way we can compete with the top-tier stars, the real A-listers, on ratings.

“Sure, even if you toss a stone into a cesspit, you’ll hear a clatter. But if this gala goes completely unnoticed, all that money was wasted!”

Han Lijun frowned.

“So what are you suggesting?”

Ren Long paused.

To be fair, their boss had a point. Even though Yan City TV couldn’t rope in top-tier stars this time, they still secured plenty of third- and fourth-tier celebrities whose fees added up quickly.

Even if it isn’t a smashing success, having some buzz is hardly a bad outcome.

“Alright then. Go talk to the celebrities we booked and see if they’d be up for a live broadcast. If they refuse, we’ll switch from the recorded format to live.”

Han Lijun said.

“Live broadcast?”

Ren Long was instantly stunned.

It’s been said in the industry that a live New Year’s Eve show has an eighty-percent chance of turning into a disaster—with endless criticisms once things go awry.

“Exactly, live broadcast. As far as I know, other TV stations air recorded versions. If we go live, it might actually become more exciting.”

Han Lijun asserted.

To be honest, he had planned to take it easy for the gala. But after witnessing Mingsha Tourism build a ‘Yellow Crane Tower’ in just one week to enhance an experience for their clients, his resolve wavered.

If they can pull that off in seven days, Yan City TV had no reason not to push a little harder—hence the idea of a live show.

“Well…”

Ren Long thought for a moment. “Boss, a live broadcast will surely boost our ratings, but those artists might not agree. A mishap could tarnish their reputations.”

“That’s why I want you to talk to them first. I don’t foresee major issues. Even though we aren’t booking A-listers this time, they are proven talents—like the Tiger Leopard Band, for example.

They’ll deliver live performances without a hitch.”

Han Lijun continued.

“Alright, I’ll reach out to them soon. But boss, keep in mind that live and recorded shows have different appearance fees.”

“That’s fine! As long as they agree, we can increase the fee.”

“Okay then, I’ll go handle this. And as for Haofang Culture—”

Ren Long interjected, “Leave Haofang Culture aside for now. Just one thing: those actors who stir up trouble by manipulating social media should be blacklisted by Yan City TV. Anyone who gets ousted yet claims there’s a conspiracy is absolutely unusable.”

“Understood!”

Tides Turn

Two days later, two posts suddenly exploded on a major entertainment forum.

One post read, “Yan City TV officially announces that this year’s New Year’s Eve Gala will be broadcast live for the audience.”

In reaction,

comments from netizens were mixed.

Some immediately started hurling insults, arguing that Yan City TV hyped up its gala as high-quality and sophisticated, only to fill it with third-rate celebrities, and now they’re relying on a live broadcast as a gimmick—completely unacceptable!

Others, however, felt this was great. They argued that a disaster live is far more entertaining than a pre-recorded show and that they’d definitely tune in.

The second post, however, was about Haofang Culture.

It claimed that all roles for Haofang Culture’s third drama had been cast and that the official launch ceremony would be held soon. This post generated far more buzz than the comments on Yan City TV’s live gala announcement.

“Finally, it’s starting!”

“Absolutely!”

“But did they change the lead actor in the end? If not, forget it.”

“There’s no way they’d change him now!”

“Why not?”

“Simple. Just yesterday, Hu Xiao’s name appeared on Haofang Agency’s list of signed artists. Since Hu Xiao is already with Haofang Agency, how could they possibly change him?”

“What? Hu Xiao signed with Haofang Agency? So what does Haofang Culture mean—do they not care about the fans at all?”

Several viewers were quite upset by this comment.

In their view, if casting decisions stirred controversy, Haofang Culture should have listened to their fans and replaced Hu Xiao with a bigger star instead of doing their own thing—even signing Hu Xiao to their own company.

“Well, maybe a bit. And Xu Xin is still the president of Haofang Agency, so no changes there!”

“So self-righteous!”

“Heh, now I’m beginning to believe what Feng Xuan’s agent tweeted earlier!”

“It seems Haofang Culture is getting too arrogant. At the very least, they should reposition Xu Xin. From what Feng Xuan’s agent revealed, there’s a hint of personal grudges here.

And look at the roster Xu Xin signed—the Tiger Leopard Band and Hu Xiao are all relatively unknown. It even seems like she’s at odds with Haofang Culture. With Mingsha Tourism’s clout, I can’t imagine they couldn’t secure some A-listers!”

“Ah, fame and fortune tend to make people conceited. And it appears Xu Xin’s connections over there are pretty solid.”

“Let’s wait and see. If this drama turns out to be a shoddy production, I’ll be the first to unfollow Haofang Culture—and Mingsha Tourism along with them.”

“Me too!”

Yan City, Third Ring

Scrolling through the barrage of comments and messages on his phone, Feng Xuan hesitated for a long moment before finally looking up at his own agent.

“Li Ying, things are getting out of hand. The number of fans supporting you keeps growing—I’m afraid something might go wrong!”

Feng Xuan murmured.

He never expected one of Li Ying’s offhand remarks to stir up so much trouble—more than the scandals of some mid-tier stars’ divorces or affairs.

“Go wrong? Isn’t having more fans a good thing? Some stars would kill for such opportunities!”

Li Ying frowned slightly.

In her eyes, there wasn’t a single flaw in their plan.

In fact, Haofang Culture’s boss should be thanking her for unmasking the internal traitor rather than waging a public feud.

“Li Ying, I’m just worried we might end up facing a lawsuit again!”

Feng Xuan rubbed his temples.

Ever since returning from Mingsha, even though both public opinion and comments were largely supportive, the silent stance from Haofang Culture has made him increasingly uneasy.

If nothing is done about it—

Just because Haofang Culture has remained completely silent on the matter, as if nothing had ever happened, is highly abnormal.

“A lawsuit?”

Li Ying raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. I heard that a well-known online influencer, Wu Nan, who’s been stirring up positive momentum, recently received a court summons. Mingsha Tourism is claiming 210 million yuan in damages. Even if the final amount is lower, the figure alone is chilling!”

Feng Xuan added.

A friend had discreetly informed him, and now Mingsha Tourism’s reputation for demanding over a hundred million in claims has spread. The very mention of Mingsha Tourism has become a taboo on various media and personal blogs.

After all, anyone associated with negative news about Mingsha Tourism makes sure never to share it—lest they end up paying a fortune to contribute, unwittingly, to Mingsha Tourism’s legal battles.

“This…should be okay, right? It’s a different matter altogether! Did Xu Xin even do the right thing?”

Li Ying paused.

Although her words were firm, her eyes no longer held the earlier certainty.

“It’s hard to say. Mingsha Tourism isn’t to be trifled with anyway.”

“Let’s not panic. This surge of attention is too valuable to waste. With this buzz, you’re bound to get plenty of drama offers. Once you secure a role, I’ll delete that tweet.”

“Alright then.”

Mingsha County, Hongsha Gang Village 256

Zhu Qiang glanced at the construction site at Oasis 3 while juggling phone calls.

“Zhang Lu, what do you think should be done in this situation?”

“What should we do? Her actions are a blatant fabrication of facts that have seriously damaged Haofang Culture’s reputation. Some comments under her post could even serve as evidence for a lawsuit!”

Moments later, a confident male voice replied over the phone.

“Oh, then I’ll leave it to you. This is all on you now!”

Zhu Qiang quickly responded,

“No worries. Once I wrap up Wu Nan’s case and free up some time, I’ll handle this. Wu Nan might not end up paying the full 210 million, but I’ll make sure he bears the consequences.”

“Thank you so much!”

“No thanks necessary! As Mingsha Tourism’s part-time legal advisor, it’s my duty.”

The man’s voice followed up,

“I’ll come visit you when I have time.”

Zhu Qiang added,

“There’s nothing we can do. With Mingsha Tourism and Haofang Culture growing so large, the legal department has become indispensable. Even though we’ve hired professionals, we still brought Zhang San on as our part-time legal advisor.”

After all, whether it’s Mingsha Tourism or Haofang Culture, they’ll take on any case thrown their way.

“Zhu Qiang, you’re too kind. I’ll sort out the case materials for court on my end.”

“Alright!”

After hanging up, Zhu Qiang slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Choosing not to respond immediately didn’t mean Mingsha Tourism was indifferent. Xu Xin—who else but the boss’s Second Sister—had selected a role that perfectly matched the male lead’s aura. There was nothing wrong with that.

Moreover, if a company’s project relied on fans for guidance, it would crash almost instantly.

“Zhu Qiang, the landscape trees for Langya Pavilion have arrived. Take a look.”

At that moment, a man wearing a hard hat approached.

“The landscape trees are here? Then have the workers transplant them into the large greenhouse first. Be careful during the work; that greenhouse is made of special, extremely expensive material—don’t damage it!”

“Don’t worry, Zhu Qiang!”

Time sometimes seemed to crawl, and sometimes it flew—especially as the year’s end approached. It felt as if time were like air: inhaled, yet barely noticed as it passed!

Before they knew it, it was December 31st—the last day of the Gregorian calendar. So many moments needed to be shared on social media, for once this day passed, a whole new year would officially begin.

Likewise, whether in everyday life or online, everyone’s mind turned to one word: New Year’s Eve!