Chapter Seven: Beyond Even the Healing Hands of Hua Tuo

After recording two episodes in advance, Liao Yuan left, leaving only Xiao Peng on duty. He would have liked to stay and oversee the work during the live broadcast, but his saved manuscripts of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" had been completely used up. If tomorrow's outcome wasn't his dismissal, he would need to complete the workload for the day after.

Returning home, Liao Yuan was faced once again with an empty apartment; his younger sister, Meiqi, still hadn't come back. His brow furrowed.

In his recollection, Meiqi often stayed out for more than a week at a time. Since joining a small talent agency, she was frequently assigned to commercial events and performances, singing and dancing, which meant she was often away from home.

The old Liao Yuan had grown accustomed to this, but now he couldn't help but feel somewhat concerned.

For now, however, he had to deal with his own work before he could spare the energy to worry about his sister's future.

He sat at his desk, opened his laptop, and began typing out the next chapters of "Ghost Blows Out the Light."

The previous plot had described how Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan, inside the tomb in Wildman Ravine, had obtained the "Twin Chisel Bi Disk with Moth-Body and Chi Patterns."

The story was now moving to Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan, who, introduced by Big Gold Tooth, joined an archaeological team heading to the frontier desert in search of the legendary Ancient City of Jingjue.

Thanks to his last meditation, Liao Yuan still retained a wealth of fragmented memories about "Ghost Blows Out the Light."

But to sort through them all in a short time was impossible.

With a novel running into the millions of words, he could vaguely recall some plot points, but the intricate threads and details were beyond his immediate reach.

He had no choice but to enter a meditative state again.

A couple of days’ rest had restored much of his mental energy. Though the aftereffects of meditation were agonizing, he had no other choice. He needed this job—not just for his résumé, but because he didn’t want to owe too many favors…

With that thought, he closed his eyes, seeking that mysterious state of mind.

Time ticked by.

Throughout the long night, in the silent room, Liao Yuan sat motionless before his computer.

At that moment, his brain cells blazed with activity. His thoughts, like sports cars suddenly accelerating on a highway, unleashed their full power and sped toward the boundless unknown.

…

At Donghai Broadcasting Station, the staff in the online media department were already abuzz with conversation early in the morning.

"I barely dared to sleep last night!"

"Same here! When Hu Bayi entered the tomb, I was clinging to my teddy, shaking with nerves!"

"Are you all talking about 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' from 'Tales of the Strange'?"

"That's right, that's right!"

"Wow, is that show really that popular now? Yesterday, when my classmate called, I was totally confused—out of nowhere she asked me for the complete 'Ghost Blows Out the Light.' I had no idea what she was talking about. Then this morning at work, I found out—it’s a midnight program from the second department!"

"Do outsiders think our entire Donghai Broadcasting Station is just the second department? I just opened our department’s service email—I'm baffled! Every message is asking about the next part of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light,' or requesting previous episodes!"

"The midnight slot? Wasn't the second department's midnight show 'Tales of the Strange'? That show’s dead—hardly anyone listens."

"You must mean 'Tales of the Strange: Ghost Blows Out the Light,' right?"

"You know it too?"

"Of course! I kept seeing people recommend it on Weibo these past couple of days. Last night I finally gave in and listened. Wow, I had no idea—it’s really good!"

"There’s even a #GhostBlowsOuttheLight topic on Weibo now. By two or three in the morning, it had over a million views—and the show’s only been running two days."

"Now you can find the first few episodes' audio on quite a few audiobook platforms. If A-Yuan really created this novel, he should sue for copyright infringement."

"A-Yuan? I never knew the second department had such a talented host. Amazing!"

"Oh? What's the host's name? Is it Liao Yuan—"

"Liao Yuan? Wait, isn’t that the pretty boy Director Xi took a liking to?"

The office erupted in commotion.

Director Lai Yibai of the online department pushed open the glass door and saw the scene.

She was somewhat displeased and walked over, asking, "What’s all the fuss about so early? Don’t you have work to do?"

Startled, the staff quickly scattered when they saw their director.

One employee, apparently on good terms with Lai Yibai, stepped up and explained the situation.

Lai Yibai frowned. "Liao Yuan?"

"Yes, Director Xi’s protégé from department one..." The employee grinned and shot a meaningful glance.

"Enough gossip. Get back to work," Lai Yibai waved her off and strode into her office.

Once the door closed, Lai Yibai seemed to transform entirely; all her calm vanished as she raced to her computer, searching Weibo for #LiaoYuan and #TalesoftheStrangeGhostBlowsOuttheLight.

The results were astonishing.

The hashtag #TalesoftheStrangeGhostBlowsOuttheLight, created only two days ago, had already amassed over 1.9 million views, breaking into the Top 100 on the 24-hour trending topics list!

It was at the bottom of the rankings, but this was a midnight audio show—not a TV series or movie, which naturally generated buzz!

Most incredible of all, in just a few minutes, the topic's views had surged past two million!

With that kind of momentum, the #LiaoYuan tag had drawn over a hundred thousand views as well.

"This Liao Yuan... has actually made a comeback?"

Lai Yibai was incredulous.

She didn't know Liao Yuan personally, but she knew that a year ago, Director Xi Yun of the first department had brought a male protégé into the company.

Such backdoor hires had sparked much controversy at the time.

If not for Xi Yun single-handedly reviving the ailing department one, her reputation at its peak and even the station chief favoring her, even her strong recommendations wouldn’t have made it possible.

That controversial protégé was Liao Yuan.

For more than a year, under constant scrutiny, Liao Yuan’s every move was watched.

Everyone had expected that the man Xi Yun so fervently endorsed would be exceptionally talented, but reality proved the opposite.

After Liao Yuan took over the midnight program "Tales of the Strange," an already dying show turned into a graveyard, reaching the point of no return.

No genius host could save "Tales of the Strange."

So, at several recent company meetings, it was decided that "Tales of the Strange" would be axed and replaced.

At the meeting, even Xi Yun did not object, nor did she show any further concern for her protégé’s fate.

Lai Yibai understood her well. That feeling of disappointment was something she’d experienced herself.

Ah, who hasn’t, in their most lovestruck years, met an almost equally handsome scoundrel…

Although, to be fair, Liao Yuan was just a little handsomer than the one she’d fallen for.