Chapter Nineteen: The Women's Legion

A group photo was out of the question; there was no way he would take one, not in this lifetime.
“Sorry… It’s not convenient right now.”
Liao Yuan glanced over the woman before him. She was a stranger, her hair done up in two braids, but he faintly recalled seeing her as the receptionist in the lobby downstairs. He offered a polite smile, stepped aside, and headed toward the elevators.
But after only a couple of steps, he turned back and asked, “I’m not a celebrity. Why do you want a photo with me?”
The disappointment on the young woman’s face was immediately replaced by excitement. “Mr. Liao, don’t you know?”
“Know what?” Liao Yuan looked puzzled.
The woman, barely containing her excitement, pulled out her phone and opened Weibo. “Look, look! Your ‘Candle in the Tomb’ has made it into the top ten trending topics! So many listeners are begging you to come back and continue your storytelling! Your Weibo followers have increased by over two hundred thousand just since the day before yesterday! Wow, you really didn’t know?”
Liao Yuan took out his own phone and gestured apologetically. “Sorry, I haven’t been online lately.”
The young woman suddenly understood. “No wonder you haven’t responded! You should check your Weibo, though—your comment section already has over ten thousand comments!”
Liao Yuan thanked her, ignoring her eager hope for a photo, and walked toward the elevator while connecting to the company’s WiFi and opening Weibo. He pressed the button for his new department’s floor.
He instantly realized that everyone else in the elevator was staring straight at him.
Everyone had witnessed the little scene just now, and all realized that this handsome young man was none other than Liao Yuan, the radio host who was suddenly famous throughout the station and burning up Weibo over the past few days!
Their eyes shone with excitement.
But this kind of attention was the last thing Liao Yuan wanted.
He coughed softly, forcing a smile. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Mr. Liao!”
“Mr. Liao, you’re here at work today? You must be exhausted!”
“Mr. Liao, I’m your most loyal listener!”
“Mr. Liao, I sincerely hope you’ll continue working at our station!”
“Wow, Mr. Liao, you’re really so handsome!”
His simple greeting opened the floodgates.
No one held back their praise; everyone seemed eager to express their admiration for him.
Meanwhile, Liao Yuan finally managed to open Weibo.
But with no signal in the elevator, he waited patiently, listening to the chorus of compliments.
Once he stepped out, he quickly bid everyone goodbye and left the elevator.
He refreshed his phone.
Immediately, he saw the Weibo notification bubble flash with “99+.”
Liao Yuan showed no surprise. In his previous life, every Weibo post he made would garner over a hundred thousand forwards and comments. This mere ten thousand barely registered.
He glanced at the comments, finding that most were pleading for him to continue updating “Candle in the Tomb.”
His private messages were flooded with contacts from radio stations and publishers.
Some were even inquiring about film and television rights!
He checked one such message and saw it was from a variety show director, which immediately sapped his interest. After browsing a while longer, he closed his phone and headed for the network department.
It was working hours, after all.
...
The office hall of the network department.
Xiao Peng stood at the entrance clutching a storage box, trembling as he faced the stares of more than a dozen young women.
Many of them looked him over with a mix of curiosity and scrutiny.
The air was thick with pressure.
Xiao Peng wiped his brow—good grief, the rumors weren’t exaggerated. The gender imbalance here was truly extreme. This was...
This was awesome!
He hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and spoke with a hint of shyness, “Hello, ladies, I just transferred over from Program Department Two as a telephone editor. My name is Xiao Peng…”
“So you’re Xiao Peng?”
From within the crowd, a young woman with a slim figure and neat short hair looked at him in confusion. “Where’s Liao Yuan?”
Xiao Peng’s gaze dropped to her arms, crossed over her chest, pale and soft as lotus roots.
That posture, he’d heard, usually meant “strangers, keep away.”
He swallowed nervously and muttered under his breath,
“I just spoke to Yuan on the phone—he’ll be here soon!”
The woman with short hair nodded. “Then wait here. When Liao Yuan arrives, you can come in.”
“Don’t do this!”
Xiao Peng called out desperately.
But no one paid him any mind. All the young women turned away and got back to their work.
The blow to his self-esteem stung deeply.
He hugged the box to his chest, standing there with an indignant expression.
What the hell?
Did being a telephone editor make him less than human?
He sulked for a while, but as he stood there alone, boredom set in.
With his shifty eyes, he began to peer through the slats of the glass window’s blinds, secretly observing the network department’s workspace.
The more he looked, the more delighted he became.
All around, the young women’s long, shapely legs seemed to shimmer with a diamond-like allure.
Graceful figures stood tall, their skin smooth and delicate, radiant and soft as jade.
Their curves were accentuated by the close-fitting suits unique to professional office women.
And when they bent over, the curves of their hips…
The sight made Xiao Peng scratch his head in agitation, his heart itching with excitement!
Thinking of working in such an environment, surrounded by beautiful women every day, his earlier dejection vanished, replaced by elation.
No wonder this department was famed as the station’s “female army”!
Xiao Peng couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.
He also noticed that every desk in the office was immaculately organized, the files and personal items neatly arranged. Compared to the chaotic mess of his old department—where the men snacked on seeds all day and left trash everywhere after work—this place was a world apart.
Could this be heaven?
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his rising excitement.
But the next moment, he was stunned to find that even the air in the network department seemed sweet!
“What are you doing?”
A voice came from behind.
Xiao Peng jumped, instantly wiping the sly grin off his face. He turned and saw Liao Yuan, and immediately dropped his box to the floor with a thud, rushing forward gratefully for a hug. “Yuan, we meet again! My god, I’ve missed you!”
Smack! Liao Yuan pressed a hand against Xiao Peng’s forehead, stopping him from getting any closer, and frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Maybe I didn’t explain clearly on the phone,” Xiao Peng said excitedly. “The station thinks we’re a golden team, so they sent me over to keep recording ‘Candle in the Tomb’ with you! Yuan, you’re not going to kick me out, are you?”
“You were transferred to the network department too?” Liao Yuan asked.
Xiao Peng grinned and waved his hand. “No way I’d be assigned here permanently! It’s only temporary. Once we finish recording ‘Candle in the Tomb,’ I’ll go back to Department Two. But don’t worry, all the transfer paperwork is in order—Director Lai Yibai personally approved it. That’s the only reason I dared show up today.”
Liao Yuan nodded, not asking further, and took the initiative to push open the glass door to the network department, stepping inside.