The Overbearing CEO Is Driven Mad by His Frail Canary 23

Chapter 23

The two stood in silent confrontation.

Yu Congyan froze at the doorway, not daring to approach. His remaining rationality told him not to approach an emotionally unstable person, as it might agitate them further and lead to irrational actions.

His expression was grim, standing by the door like a Greek statue. The passing staff all noticed his presence, curious about the sudden arrival of the investor.

“What did you mean just now, ‘it was almost over’?” Yu Congyan softened his tone.

He wanted to convince himself he was overthinking, but the alarming scene in front of him couldn’t be ignored.

Xia Wansheng was still pressing on his wound. Although he had put down the knife, he didn’t dare to apply too much pressure, blood seeping between his fingers.

“Over what?” Xia Wansheng didn’t understand for a moment.

This wasn’t the time to worry about the last dish.

“I’m back!” Xu Yiran rushed in with a staff member, carrying iodine and gauze.

The medical staff quickly cleaned and bandaged Xia Wansheng’s wound. Fortunately, it wasn’t deep, just looked scary.

Xia Wansheng sighed inwardly, glancing at Yu Congyan’s displeased expression.

He wondered if the CEO fainted at the sight of blood.

To prevent the CEO from suddenly collapsing, it was better to cover the wound.

Yu Congyan, whose gaze hadn’t left Xia Wansheng, naturally noticed his action.

Not only was he unwilling to answer his question, but he was even trying to hide the wound.

“Don’t move.” Yu Congyan said coldly.

He had regained his usual aloof demeanor, as if the panicked person from earlier was someone else.

“Oh dear, Xiao Xia, how did this happen?” The director finally sauntered in to make an appearance.

He was just here to express his concern and solidify his good-guy persona.

He then noticed Yu Congyan, whose expression was far from pleasant, even with a hint of… worry?

Those who had spent a long time in the entertainment industry were all shrewd. The director sensed something was off and started to speculate.

Judging by today’s events, the relationship between these two didn’t seem as hostile as he had thought.

The atmosphere during the investment meeting had been tense, almost leading to the cancellation of the program, which had caused an uproar online, pushing the show into the spotlight.

The director was clever. He had initially assumed Yu Congyan wanted to humiliate Xia Wansheng, but judging by his behavior, it didn’t seem to be the case.

If their relationship was truly bad, there was no need for Yu Congyan to come here personally, ignoring even basic pleasantries, asking about Xia Wansheng’s condition right away.

It seemed like he was genuinely concerned about his well-being.

“I’m fine.” Xia Wansheng touched the bandaged wound, a slight pain shooting through his hand, but he gritted his teeth, shaking his head to indicate he was okay.

He wasn’t used to this sudden, overt concern.

“That’s good, that’s good.” The director was seemingly talking to Xia Wansheng, but his gaze kept drifting towards Yu Congyan.

The earlier tension and concern weren’t an act, so there could only be one explanation.

Their previous assumptions were completely wrong.

Yu Congyan invested in this program, even bringing it under his own company, not to watch his former enemy being humiliated.

He simply wanted to find something his canary enjoyed doing.

The director felt a pang of regret.

After returning, he held a video conference, scolding everyone who attended the previous meeting.

“Didn’t I tell you, when relaying information, don’t be like those marketing accounts, just report the facts!” The director slammed his hand on the table angrily.

If they had known this earlier, there would be no need for the full livestream and on-site composition challenge. They could have just filmed a travel vlog with multiple cameras!

Now, they had offended both the investor and the guest.

“CEO Yu didn’t say anything explicitly, and he seemed unhappy whenever Xia Wansheng was mentioned, that’s why we misunderstood…” The screenwriter didn’t dare to speak up, weakly defending himself.

He had not only assumed Yu Congyan wanted to make things difficult for Xia Wansheng, but also that he wanted the program team to take care of Shao Huan. After all, their families were old acquaintances. He had genuinely believed this investment was to support Shao Huan.

“If he really wanted to take care of him, why didn’t Xia Wansheng even know CEO Yu was the investor?” the screenwriter asked.

He wasn’t there, so he naturally didn’t see Yu Congyan’s reaction yesterday. He thought the director was overthinking.

“It’s just a game between them, and you’re overanalyzing it…”

The director suddenly realized why this program hadn’t been successful, what kind of team was he leading?

Regardless of whether it was a cold war or a game between them, the traps they had set wouldn’t just disappear.

They were designed to humiliate Xia Wansheng, not only requiring the guests to compose songs on the spot based on local culture, but also to collaborate, with embarrassing punishments for those who failed.

It was a competition of both skill and survival.

“It’s not too late to fix this. Stop everything you’re doing and come here to rewrite the script, immediately!” the director roared.

Hopefully, it wasn’t too late to mend the situation.

If Yu Congyan noticed something was wrong, this season would likely be the last.

“I have a question, did we inform Xia Wansheng of the program arrangements in advance?” the director’s assistant in the corner raised his hand.

Changing the program flow now would offend the other guests, including the celebrity couple they had worked so hard to invite.

But if they admitted to negligence, they wouldn’t be able to escape blame from the Yu family.

“Yes, arrange for someone to inform him!” The director felt his blood pressure rising.

Until midnight, the program team’s rooms were brightly lit.

“Knock, knock,” someone knocked on the door.

Xia Wansheng looked at the staff member outside, who said they were there to deliver snacks, holding a large bag of what looked like substantial provisions. They even asked if he had time tonight, saying the program team had adjusted the arrangements based on the current situation and wanted to go over the program flow with him again.

In reality, they wanted to inform Xia Wansheng of the missing details so he could be prepared.

Xia Wansheng watched, dumbfounded, as they carried the snacks into his room.

This was a remote guesthouse with limited access and few people, did the director fly over to personally buy these for him?

“Is this… a weather-related care package?” Xia Wansheng asked, confused.

It was the first time he had heard of this term. The weather had been sunny these past few days.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the staff’s attitude towards him had changed significantly after dinner.

Especially the cameramen, who used to practically want to cover their lenses whenever they saw him. Now, whether he was washing dishes or watering flowers, they would surround him, filming from every angle.

Even when he was just sitting in the living room enjoying the scenery, they could find multiple angles to film him repeatedly.

Xia Wansheng was startled several times, realizing they were probably trying to get additional footage.

If he hadn’t gone back to his room to sleep, they would probably have continued filming him for a few more rounds.

However, this made his attempts at slacking off much more difficult.

Yu Congyan, who had just arrived, was also subjected to intense filming. The cameras seemed determined to capture every angle of this young and successful entrepreneur, as he usually only appeared in business magazines.

This was a rare opportunity.

“These are just basic provisions, we’ll also assign you a personal assistant, and you’ll be informed of the detailed program flow within two days.” The director team member outside the door put on the standard eight-tooth smile of a diligent worker.

His expression was impeccable, but he was inwardly cursing the screenwriter who had misjudged the situation.

Not doing proper research was a fatal mistake. Now, right before filming began, they realized the investor’s intentions were completely opposite to their initial assumptions.

And now they had to pull an all-nighter.

They could still make up for these basic procedures, but the livestream format was too unpredictable, what about the competition segment?!

The assistant felt like he couldn’t see a future for this program.

The PR department had already started preparing drafts last night. They had originally planned to use Xia Wansheng as a stepping stone for Shao Huan.

But in this situation, if they did that, what awaited them wouldn’t be explosive online discussions and soaring ratings.

It would be a lawyer’s letter from Yu Corp and their undefeated legal team.

“Okay, thank you for your hard work.” Although Xia Wansheng found it strange, he didn’t think much of it.

After all, he hadn’t been very clear about the program flow before, and the program team had told him to improvise, they probably felt it wasn’t reliable after all.

Just as Xia Wansheng was about to invite them in, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

Someone was taking a shower.

The director’s assistant, who had intended to chat with this newly popular celebrity, instantly changed his expression upon hearing the water.

His standard smile disappeared, replaced by a righteous look.

“Then I won’t disturb you any longer. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask for our help.” The assistant’s tone became increasingly firm.

He had already felt conflicted about targeting Xia Wansheng, and now he realized his situation might be even more difficult than he had imagined.

The director’s assistant gave Xia Wansheng a deep look, as if he had made a decision, quickly and discreetly handing him something.

It looked like a piece of paper.

Xia Wansheng felt a sense of déjà vu.

As expected, he opened it to see the familiar “Qingjiang Legal Aid.”

“…”

It seemed Yu Congyan’s ruthless reputation in the business world was well-deserved.

Xia Wansheng wanted to explain that things weren’t that bad, but the assistant had already left, even giving him a thumbs-up gesture as he turned the corner.

He had thought about throwing it in the trash, but considering the assistant’s kind intentions, he tucked the card into his script as a bookmark.

Yu Congyan had been acting strangely since he returned in the evening.

“Are you carsick?” Xia Wansheng asked, seeing his unusual expression.

The environment here was beautiful, but it was also remote. Even he, a frequent traveler, felt a bit dizzy, and he couldn’t show any signs of fatigue on camera.

“No.” Yu Congyan didn’t want to elaborate.

Migraines and stomachaches from irregular meals were common occurrences for him. It was probably because he was emotionally agitated today, which worsened his symptoms.

Xia Wansheng didn’t give up, stepping closer and reaching out to check his forehead.

“！！！”

He didn’t seem to have a fever.

“Could it be a stomachache?” Xia Wansheng used the process of elimination.

They were standing incredibly close.

Yu Congyan could easily pull the unsuspecting person into his arms.

But he simply closed his eyes, suppressing the strange feeling in his chest.

“Just a stomachache, it’s nothing.” Yu Congyan said.

He was used to it.

The lights in the room suddenly went out without warning, plunging them into darkness.

Xia Wansheng was startled, losing his balance and falling forward, landing squarely in Yu Congyan’s arms.

Yu Congyan didn’t dodge, instinctively catching him.

In the darkness, he suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.

“Sorry, I lost my balance…” Xia Wansheng, clutching his bruised nose, tried to stand up, but Yu Congyan seemed stiff.

He understood, the CEO must dislike close physical contact.

Xia Wansheng professionally distanced himself from Yu Congyan, but the atmosphere seemed to have grown even colder.

The power in the guesthouse was quickly restored. A staff member knocked on the door, explaining it was due to old wiring and the problem had been resolved.

Seeing the two of them in the same room, they exchanged knowing glances, delivering refreshments and thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Xia Wansheng, remembering Yu Congyan’s stomachache, went to prepare a late-night snack, ignoring the CEO’s claim that he wasn’t hungry.

See, this was the fragile CEO from the novel, constantly having stomach problems, often coupled with blood aversion and claustrophobia.

If it weren’t for the hardworking staff, this world would probably have ended long ago.

Xia Wansheng thought for a moment. In the entire book, Yu Congyan never seemed to have any food preferences. Even in his childhood, he was always elegant, proper, and polite in every situation, meeting everyone’s expectations.

To be safe, it was better to make noodles.

He turned on the stove, boiled the noodles, added seasonings, put on an apron, and casually threw some vegetables into the pot.

The aroma of the simmering food filled the air.

A moment later, two bowls of plain noodles were ready. Xia Wansheng called Yu Congyan over for a late-night snack.

The CEO remained coldly silent but thanked him before starting to eat.

Xia Wansheng suddenly felt like laughing.

“There’s a family dinner early next month, my mother has been wanting to meet you.” Yu Congyan suddenly said from across the table.

His tone was filled with unconcealed weariness.

They would probably urge him to find a suitable partner and settle down.

Yu Congyan could never reason with them, but if he didn’t attend such an important event, the media would exaggerate things, inevitably affecting the company’s stock price.

His parents knew this and used it to pressure him.

Xia Wansheng paused, as if to confirm he had heard correctly.

“Ah, I have to go too?” Xia Wansheng asked, puzzled.

Wasn’t this his boss’s family dinner? Why would he, an outsider, be involved?

“My parents are quite open-minded, or…you could go as a friend.” Yu Congyan considered his words carefully.

He assumed Xia Wansheng would most likely refuse.

“Forget it, it was just a thought…”

“Wait a minute.”

Xia Wansheng stopped eating, having caught a key phrase.

What did he mean by “as a friend”?!

“You think we’re just friends?” Xia Wansheng suddenly lost his appetite.

Wasn’t he diligently playing the role of the CEO’s beloved?

The more devoted, the better.

He had even given up hot pot and spicy snacks, only indulging in spicy barbecue secretly.

And to maintain the white moonlight image, he had been reading countless art history books, constantly fighting drowsiness and chugging coffee.

Theater, vocal lessons, desserts…all these highbrow things the original owner had bragged about.

After all his hard work, Yu Congyan thought they were just friends?!

All his efforts had been in vain.

He had been working overtime to level up his skills, only to have the project progress for his five million bonus reset to zero.

Yu Congyan didn’t know what kind of answer the person across from him wanted, hesitating for a moment.

“I…”

Then Xia Wansheng realized he had been too agitated and quickly said: “Sorry, I overstepped.”

Then he fell silent again.

The person across from him seemed to have retreated back into his shell, the earlier vibrancy just an illusion.

A pang of bitterness surged in his heart.

The next day, Xia Wansheng, with two enormous dark circles under his eyes, walked out of his bedroom and almost bumped into Xu Yiran.

“Morning.” Xia Wansheng said listlessly.

He had been informed of a project redo last night and had nightmares about his client chasing him with an array of revisions.

“Didn’t sleep well? Filming starts today.” Xu Yiran said in surprise.

Xia Wansheng nodded, “I know.”

He was even pulled aside by the program team this morning for an emergency briefing on the program flow.

It was the first day of official filming. Although the program team had worked overtime to correct yesterday’s mistakes, many of the traps were inherent in the competition design and couldn’t be changed now.

They could only adapt.

Shao Huan was the most excited today. He had finally orchestrated this perfect opportunity to expose Xia Wansheng’s fabricated persona online.

“We’ll start by gathering inspiration from the surroundings, then we’ll test your on-site composition skills.” The director team didn’t dare to change the program flow now, so they could only proceed nervously according to the original plan.

The director had considered changing the flow, but doing so would offend not only the investor but also the other guests who were already familiar with the arrangements.

They had to stick to the plan, but everyone was tense, afraid of making any mistakes.

On-site composition was a huge challenge. Shao Huan was thrilled, he had finally waited for this opportunity.

“Since we have some free time, why don’t we have a competition?” Shao Huan suggested.

Finally, he could expose Xia Wansheng’s fake persona online!

He could finally have his revenge, Xia Wansheng couldn’t possibly defeat him in his area of expertise.

“Sure.” Xia Wansheng agreed.

There was a similar plot in the original book, where Shao Huan had humiliated the original owner and earned everyone’s applause.

It was after this program that the original owner’s persona began to crumble, going from a somewhat popular celebrity to a universally despised outcast.

The task was to compose a piece inspired by the scenery of Yao Village, then exchange their compositions and collaborate on the arrangement, showcasing teamwork.

“And to make the program more interesting, you can choose an off-site teammate to ask for help if needed.” The program team introduced an additional rule, hoping to give Xia Wansheng a lifeline.

Shao Huan readily agreed. After all, he had been in the music industry for many years and had many musician friends.

“I’m fine with that too.” Xia Wansheng agreed.

But he was faced with a dilemma when choosing his support teammate.

If he chose Old Man Feng, wouldn’t that be too unfair?

Pitting a national treasure against a music novice would be a guaranteed win.

Besides, with his current abilities, he wouldn’t need to use this lifeline.

After much thought, Xia Wansheng decided to put down Yu Congyan’s name.

He remembered from the original book that Yu Aotian’s only weakness was his tone-deafness, and a few foolish villains had mocked him for it, only to be targeted by the CEO, who found incriminating evidence against them and sent them to jail.

His choice was very considerate indeed.

After everyone filled in their support teammate, the program team asked them to call their friends and inform them.

Shao Huan and Xu Yiran both chose friends from the music industry, well-known singer-songwriters.

“Yes, I’m filming a program and might need your help.” Xu Yiran explained.

She was confident in her own abilities; this was just to give her friend some exposure.

The camera turned to Xia Wansheng.

“This is part of the program.” Xia Wansheng briefly explained the situation to Yu Congyan.

Although he knew he could handle the task, he couldn’t appear too confident on camera, so he symbolically mentioned he might need help.

Yu Congyan’s expression turned serious after hanging up the phone.

He couldn’t offer any help in the music department.

The project manager who was giving a presentation in the meeting room panicked: “CEO Yu, the growth rate for this project in the third quarter is indeed lower than expected, I’ll revise the plan immediately!”

He had only slightly embellished the results, how did the CEO notice?!

“Didn’t you contact that record company before?” Yu Congyan ignored him, gesturing to the manager on his left to speak.

He vaguely remembered it was a company with genuine talent, just lacking innovation and the ability to independently handle variety shows.

“Yes, CEO Yu, they’ve been wanting to collaborate with us, but we’ve already invested in several entertainment projects recently, so we haven’t pursued it further.” The manager immediately recalled.

He even pulled out the saved files as proof.

“Tell them we have a collaboration opportunity and ask them to send someone over for a meeting immediately.” Yu Congyan instructed his assistant to clear his schedule.

Although he wasn’t interested in music himself, he did have connections in the industry.

At this time, netizens were also returning home from work, finally tuning in for the first episode of the program.

They were mainly here to witness Xia Wansheng’s downfall. He had never had a proper stage performance before, and now, with the program switching to a live format, it was like putting him on the hot seat.

If he withdrew now, it would be an admission of guilt, if he continued, he would face the collapse of his persona.

He was doomed either way.

Now, with a lifeline opportunity, he chose a name no one had ever heard of.

“It seems he’s completely given up, we’ll probably hear about his withdrawal from the program in a few days.”

“Does Xia Wansheng think he can handle it alone? Half a month ago, he was still online looking for a beginner’s music teacher, he’s only learned the basics at most.”

“Exactly, where does his confidence come from?”

“Well, we’ll see. Xia Wansheng will probably have to ask for help eventually.”

Online discussions continued to ferment, even the PR department, who had been monitoring the program team’s actions, was getting restless.

“Team leader, should we just let public opinion ferment? We can still control it now.” The new recruit in the department said anxiously.

Currently, it was just small-scale negative comments, but if it escalated, it would be unstoppable.

“Don’t panic, let’s wait and see.” The team leader was also nervously watching the livestream.

They only had one chance to clarify, and only the first attempt would have the greatest impact.

Just wait, maybe Xia Wansheng could actually resolve this crisis.

After lunch, the competition officially began.

The rules were to first set a basic tone and melody, then collaborate on the refinement and lyrics.

The program team was very worried about Xia Wansheng, repeatedly asking if he was confident.

The staff weren’t optimistic about him, “This is very challenging, if the livestream becomes awkward, the viewership ratings will suffer.”

They would have to do a lot of audio editing and post-production, increasing their workload.

If the program’s guest lacked talent, they would suffer as well.

“Don’t worry, I can handle it.” Xia Wansheng said confidently.

He didn’t take this level of challenge seriously. After all, his intensive training with Old Man Feng hadn’t been for nothing.

Old Man Feng’s demands for his last disciple were far stricter than the program team’s.

He would often have him listen to the sounds of nature after their morning exercises in the park, then identify the tones of various sounds and figure out how to incorporate them into a melody.

It was like asking him to write a travelogue on the spot after arriving at a tourist attraction.

Perfect pitch didn’t mean instant composition skills.

Xia Wansheng had suffered quite a bit to keep up with Old Man Feng’s pace. Now, faced with such a simple challenge, he felt like he had finally made it.

After quickly finishing his composition, he realized the others were still searching for inspiration.

Xia Wansheng: I hope I didn’t misunderstand the instructions.

He only relaxed after confirming with the director team.

The others were still busy and didn’t notice Xia Wansheng’s progress, but the netizens watching the livestream saw everything clearly.

On-site composition was already a hot topic, and now, seeing Xia Wansheng finish so quickly, everyone exploded—

“Is the program team leaking answers without even trying to hide it? Xia Wansheng can’t even pretend, the others haven’t even started, and he’s already copied the standard answer.”

Netizens were instantly outraged, not believing Xia Wansheng had actually written it himself. They thought he must have gotten the answers from the program team in advance.

“Seriously, can the program team find someone with better acting skills next time? Treating the audience like fools?”

“They don’t care about anything but creating drama, unfollowing this program!”

Everyone was indignant, condemning the program team for prioritizing ratings over fairness.

The PR department: …We’re being wronged!

Not only did they not leak the answers, even the program flow was only finalized this morning.

If they weren’t worried about Xia Wansheng messing things up again, the PR department would be writing articles to defend themselves.

Having completed the task, Xia Wansheng moved on to the next one.

Although the program team wanted everyone to collaborate on the refinement and lyrics, Xia Wansheng hadn’t put his newly acquired skills to the test yet, so he decided to give it a try.

It turned out to be much easier than he had imagined. He quickly had a basic structure, just needing some final touches.

The others, still hard at work, saw Xia Wansheng approaching casually, assuming he was lacking inspiration, and prepared to offer comfort.

Especially Shao Huan, who walked over and patted Xia Wansheng’s shoulder theatrically, saying to the camera: “It’s okay, don’t worry if you can’t think of anything right now, we can collaborate and make this a great song.”

He was already planning how to use his signature, obscure melodies to make Xia Wansheng’s persona crumble online.

He had endured for so long, even pretending to be friendly with Xia Wansheng on camera, all for this moment.

He would expose Xia Wansheng’s true colors to everyone.

“Actually, I’ve already finished, I just came to say hello. I saw a nice view yesterday and wanted to go take a look.” Xia Wansheng said innocently.

He didn’t mean to show off, but Shao Huan was too enthusiastic, so he had to tell the truth.

Ignoring the stunned Shao Huan, he casually greeted the others and prepared to go out.

His expression was relaxed, no sign of the usual anxiety and frustration of someone lacking inspiration.

“Really?” Shao Huan didn’t believe him at all and immediately went to Xia Wansheng’s computer to check his work.

Xu Yiran also joined in.

“You wrote this on the spot?!” Xu Yiran pointed at the screen in shock.

Impossible, even she, after years of dedicated study, couldn’t achieve this level.

The program team must have given him the answers!

“Mr. Xia did write it on the spot.” The cameraman who had been filming him confirmed.

They had been skeptical of Xia Wansheng’s persona before, but now they had witnessed true talent.

Shao Huan stared at the computer screen, realizing with dismay that not only had Xia Wansheng written it quickly and skillfully, but the melody he used was also much more pleasant than the deliberately difficult ones he had prepared.

He was incredibly envious.

Had Xia Wansheng been hiding his abilities all along?!

But how was that possible? He must have found help in advance and pretended to come up with it on the spot.

How cunning!

The more Shao Huan thought about it, the angrier he became. He decided to confront him.

He grabbed Xia Wansheng, who was about to leave, putting on a facade of humbly seeking guidance: “I can’t seem to get this melody right, could you take a look?”

Such a blatant request.

But it was reasonable coming from Shao Huan, after all, his persona was that of a straightforward and approachable rich kid, quite popular with the audience.

“Sure, it won’t take long.” Xia Wansheng readily agreed.

Sunset was approaching, he should still be able to make it to the top of the mountain.

Seeing him agree so readily, the netizens who, like Shao Huan, thought he was faking it, were starting to feel uneasy:

“Could Xia Wansheng actually be talented? Was he just messing with us before?”

“I checked his previous Weibo posts, although there weren’t any live performances, those accusations weren’t completely substantiated either, hard to say.”

Everyone still clung to the hope that Xia Wansheng was just bluffing.

If he had only prepared for the topic in advance, he would definitely be exposed when helping Shao Huan revise his melody.

The netizens watching the livestream held their breath.

Naturally, Xia Wansheng wasn’t fazed by this level of challenge.

“Try a key change chord?” Xia Wansheng suggested.

Although it seemed difficult to incorporate, it would create an unexpected effect.

Without waiting for Shao Huan’s response, Xia Wansheng put on his headphones and started rearranging the melody.

In a short while, he turned the discarded draft into a finished piece ready for release.

He took off his headphones and saw that the sky hadn’t darkened yet.

“Anything else?” Xia Wansheng asked.

If not, he would leave. He had planned to watch the sunset from the mountaintop yesterday, but Shao Huan had delayed him.

“No…” Shao Huan was still stunned.

He had assumed Xia Wansheng’s persona was fake and that he must have gotten the answers from the program team in advance to finish so quickly.

Shao Huan had planned to mock him.

But now he had become the joke.

The netizens watching the livestream couldn’t believe it either: He claimed to be a beginner, but he had secretly surpassed everyone?!

“It’s difficult to reach this level in such a short time, I think his persona might actually be real.” Some viewers started to doubt the previous accusations.

This was a live composition session, a harsh counter to the unsubstantiated accusations, even dragging down those unscrupulous marketing accounts, making them the target of ridicule.

A comment drifted across the screen: “His career fans must be ecstatic…”

“Didn’t he do a livestream before? The one where he held a lottery for his fans. So apart from the cash prize, there’s this kind of reward too?!”

“I remember, I remember! I was complaining to my friend, saying even if someone won the lottery, so what? There are so many fans, others wouldn’t get anything.”

“Now, look at that, slapping the haters in the face, so satisfying!”

The online discussions were heated, with occasional negative comments trying to stir up trouble, but they quickly disappeared without any impact.

The PR department staff were exhausted from staring at the screen, going from extreme vigilance to disbelief, completely in awe.

“Team leader, should we continue working overtime?” the newcomer asked tentatively.

He had been worried about the online sentiment earlier, but now, with a huge weight lifted off his chest, his tone was much lighter.

“No need, contact Xia Wansheng’s agent and ask if he’s willing to share some experience with us.” The team leader waved his hand.

Every move seemed risky, yet executed so smoothly and strategically, there must be an expert guiding him from behind.

Ji Yang, receiving the call from the program team: ???

When did he become the mastermind?