In the control room, Director Wang, the assistant director, the producer, and Station Director Chen stared at the corpse on the screen, unable to pull themselves away for a long time.
“Director, say something.” A staff member said in a panic.
Before Director Wang could speak, Station Director Chen pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “Stop the live stream right now, what are you all standing around for!”
“Yeah, with a screw-up like this, why didn’t you shut down the broadcast in an emergency and call us over? To solve the case?” Director Wang’s sharp voice was filled with thick panic.
A perfectly good variety show had turned into a real murder.
Not only was his job on the line, he’d be blacklisted in the industry, and he might even face prison time.
He trembled as he wiped the tears from the corner of his eye. This Crown Prince of the Lu Family had truly screwed them all over!
Who the hell chased after someone by putting together such a crappy variety show?
He had said from the start that it was inauspicious, but they insisted on doing it.
Director Wang’s thoughts were a mess. One moment he imagined himself shedding tears behind bars, the next he hated Lu Jin who was far away in Tengcha, and then he pondered how he could escape blame.
“Director Wang, should we ask for Bureau Chief Wu’s opinion?” the producer said. “He approved this show back then. If we rashly shut it down, what if it backfires and creates even worse public opinion…”
Director Wang suddenly had an epiphany.
They all shared responsibility, but it was still necessary to distinguish between primary and secondary blame.
The incident had already happened. Even if they shut it down, if it sparked public backlash, at least he had consulted Bureau Chief Wu first.
“I said long ago not to do this variety show. Look, one slip-up and we’ve got a murder on our hands.” Station Director Chen looked at Director Wang, who appeared like he was mourning his parents’ death. Even knowing he himself bore responsibility, he still held a grudge over Director Wang bypassing him to gain favor with the Lu Family. At this moment, he couldn’t help standing on moral high ground to accuse him. “Old Master Lu and Bureau Chief Wu must be informed immediately. Have you notified them?”
“Me, notify them?” Director Wang now feared seeing those two the most. Everyone knew they’d fly into a rage upon hearing this.
“You’ve been in full charge of this show all along. Now that something’s gone wrong, what are you standing there like an idiot for? Go notify them!” Station Director Chen said furiously.
Director Wang nodded hurriedly. He was completely out of ideas now and quickly dialed Old Master Lu’s number.
He stammered out the situation over the phone and finally asked, “Chairman Lu, what do we do?”
Old Master Lu stayed silent for a full minute after hearing it.
“Shut it down first. I’ll go smooth things over with the higher-ups.” Lu Congxin said tiredly.
He had just hung up when Lu Jin’s call came in.
“I heard from the staff that you’ve shut down the live stream.”
“What are you yelling about? Is that how you talk to your grandfather!” Old Master Lu said. “Right now, only the people who saw it with their own eyes at the scene know about this, right? Have the staff who went over there seal their lips, so the impact doesn’t spread.”
He really needed to give these people a good lesson. With something this big happening, they didn’t come up with an emergency PR plan right away. They’d dragged it out so long that it was almost impossible to cover up, and only now did they notify him and ask his opinion.
Thank goodness the live broadcast had a delay of half an hour to an hour. Otherwise, if that footage aired, they’d all be in deep trouble.
“It wasn’t Ou Yu who did it.” Lu Jin’s voice sounded urgent. “If it really was him, someone would’ve spilled it last night at the Substitute Life Well, and it would’ve blown up everywhere.”
“But it happened during the show. No matter what, we’ll be held responsible, you understand?” Lu Congxin said.
“Do you know the real-time online viewers from ten minutes ago? One hundred and sixty-eight million, and that’s during off-peak hours. With so many people around the globe watching our show, you think we can just stop it?”
Lu Congxin hadn’t expected a mere variety show to have so many viewers.
Lu Chengze walked in from outside and immediately accused, “Dad, was it you who had the live stream chat shut down? Do you know how much money we’re losing per second?”
“Is money more important than lives?” Lu Congxin said. “Do you even know there’s been a death!”
“Dozens of live stream chats, first- and second-person perspectives all captured it. If it was one of our Program Crew who caused the casualty, those videos would be proof of their innocence.” Lu Chengze said. “We can’t cut the live stream.”
Lu Jin’s voice came from the phone’s speaker. “We know the victim’s identity now. We suspect this is a murder committed by a local resident of the town.”
“We? Has Inspector Fang endorsed that view of yours?” Compared to the idle Lu Jin, Lu Chengze trusted professionals more.
Lu Jin looked at Ou Yu, whose face was pale with fright beside him, and his heart ached with every throb.
“No, Inspector Fang’s side doesn’t have confirmation yet. But I can say for sure this has nothing to do with our Program Crew. None of our on-camera or off-camera staff had any contact with the victim. If we hadn’t come, would this murder not have happened?”
If the live stream chat closed, everyone would demand to know why and naturally link it to Ou Yu’s actions the night before. Even if he hadn’t actually killed anyone, with so many tourists at the scene, the public couldn’t be silenced, and they were masters at spreading rumors. The more you tried to hush it, the more suspicious it seemed, fueling wild speculation.
That would ruin Ou Yu’s acting career.
He was only 26, debuted as a child star at 9, won Best Newcomer at 11, Best Supporting Actor at 15, and claimed the Golden Laurel Film Emperor crown at 19.
He was so brilliant and dazzling, with a spotless reputation.
How could someone like that suffer such slander?
“This real case is under the local Inspection Office in Y Country. We foreigners don’t need to handle it. Of course, when necessary, our Program Crew’s Pursuit Team can provide some professional assistance.” Lu Jin’s voice gradually turned cold and authoritative. “Grandpa, say hi to the Y Country side. The murder doesn’t conflict with filming the show.”
His hand gripped Ou Yu’s tightly, fingers interlocked. At this moment, their hearts aligned for the first time.
Not far away, Xiao Fen watched the scene quietly. The surging crowd nearly swallowed his slender frame, leaving him suffocating in the throng.
“The facts here depend entirely on what we say,” Lu Jin continued. “Fake murder meets real murder, a case within a serial case, recording the most authentic case-solving process by Vice Squad Officers from a neighboring country—pick any angle. As long as we guide public opinion properly, the higher-ups won’t trouble us. This live stream will blow up even more because of the real murder and draw even bigger audiences.”
“That’s blood money. You can’t earn it, or you’ll face retribution.” Lu Congxin said furiously.
“Before calling you, I’ve already notified the Group’s PR department to steer public opinion on this incident, and I called Station Director Chen to keep the live stream chat open.”
“You’ve done all that, so why call me!” Lu Congxin’s chest hurt and felt stuffy; he could hardly breathe.
“To tell you not to interfere.”
This eldest young master of the Lu Family finally showed decisive authority.
“If the higher-ups ask about this, I’ll take full responsibility. Grandpa, this isn’t your era anymore. In the era of universal live streaming, a lot of things can’t be hidden, especially with traffic this massive. Otherwise, go ask the Y Country authorities if they’d agree to ban this live stream amid such astronomical traffic. All we can do is guide public opinion, investigate the truth, and ultimately deliver justice for the victim.”
This was no longer just a variety show from their Group TV station; it was also a platform for this tiny Y Country to boost its tourism economy.
Lu Congxin smashed the phone on the ground in anger.
Lu Chengze crouched down and picked up the shattered pieces.
“What, you support him too?”
“Dad, you should let A-Jin take the reins. He’s not that playful kid anymore; it’s time he shouldered some responsibility.”
Hearing this, Lu Congxin knew his son and grandson were on the same side.
How could he not know? No matter how flowerily they put it, they just couldn’t let go of that billion-plus traffic.
He sighed heavily, propped himself up on his cane, and rose wearily.
“If you all think that way and won’t listen to me, what can I do? You’re still thinking too simply; we don’t even know the higher-ups’ stance yet.” He shuffled toward the door. “I’ll go find some people, see if anyone will give this old man face. After all, it happened in Y Country. As long as it’s not us who did it, H Country can’t meddle too much, and we still have some say in Y Country.”
Then a cold glint flashed in his eyes, as if talking to himself. “If this show drags the Lu Family down, they’ll feel it too. None of them will get off easy.”
A plea in humble tones, followed by a vicious threat—that was the key to bringing the Lu Family this far.
————
Tengcha Town.
Once the call ended, Ou Yu unhesitatingly let go of Lu Jin’s hand. After a few words of comfort from him, he sent the man away.
Xiao Fen was squeezed in the crowd, one hand gripping the caution tape as he watched the murder scene. He glanced over at Ou Yu from time to time. His dazed gaze only focused when it landed on him, then casually shifted away.
This gave Ou Yu the illusion that he was worried about him.
Xiao Fen was indeed a bit worried about how things were going for Ou Yu, if it was handled. If not for Lu Jin’s dislike of him and their constant bickering upon meeting—like they wanted to cut ties forever—he would’ve gone over to Ou Yu too.
He turned his head again and saw Lu Jin had left, seemingly to discuss with the staff. Ou Yu looked his way, a reassuring gentle smile on his face.
Just as Ou Yu started toward him, a man walked out from behind the caution tape and placed a hand on Xiao Fen’s shoulder.
“Big Star Xiao,” Bai Zhu chuckled. “Mind coming with us for a bit?”
Ou Yu watched as Vice Squad Officers took Xiao Fen away. Anxious, he pushed through the crowd to speed up, but the mutual shoving only made the throng denser, pushing him further back.
Xiao Fen looked back over his shoulder and gave him a reassuring glance.
After a few steps, his phone vibrated with a new message.
“I was just about to tell you, the live stream’s continuing.”
“Thanks.” Xiao Fen replied with two words.
“I thought you didn’t care about the live stream.”
If he did, Xiao Fen wouldn’t have stirred up such a huge fuss right from the start. And luckily, his few scattered fans back then were chill, not ones to clash with others.
Even so, his series of moves had stunned everyone. Just the casino incident alone drew dozens of times more online haters than casual or true fans. If not for his strong disguise and holing up early in the United Building, he’d have been doxxed for the bounty.
Though he didn’t know why Xiao Fen went to the casino, after these days of interaction, he knew if this guy wanted money, with his skills, there were at least hundreds of ways without poking the netizens’ nerves.
But as they say, blessing in disguise—he’d even become an official spokesperson now.
“Who can resist this tidal wave of traffic?” Xiao Fen typed. “Even black-hot is hot.”
“You want to go viral that bad?”
Xiao Fen’s fingertip hesitated on the screen.
Just then, Wang Ze’s voice came through the invisible earpiece in his ear. “Teacher Xiao, our live stream is back on now. Please mind your words. Don’t forget, you’re currently broadcasting.”
He had said this at least a hundred times; he was exhausted.
At the same time, in the live stream chat, an admin’s message scrolled by.
【Sorry, dear viewers, we had a brief disconnection due to signal issues. It’s restored now—please continue watching without worry.】
【I was gonna get up with Ouyou, then you pull this—ruined my motivation to get out of bed.】
【I’ve cursed them out dozens of times on the hot search already. Good thing it was just signal. If you’d dared stop broadcasting, I’d have blown up your headquarters.】
【Can’t the Lu Group, such a big corporation, be more reliable? Spend more money on this. Online numbers keep climbing, and I lag every now and then.】
The live stream chat buzzed about the signal issue, but soon they learned the real reason for the interruption.
【Ou Yu killed someone?!】
