Chapter Seventy-Six: The Weight of Mount Tai

The Weibo post had been up for just ten minutes.

Yet in those mere ten minutes, the post had already amassed over a hundred thousand comments, more than twenty thousand reposts, and an astonishing one hundred forty thousand likes.

After a moment.

Bothered beyond endurance by the endless barrage of tags, Fu Yuntao simply turned off his phone. Lifting his head, he looked at Shao Yongping, his expression so calm it was almost terrifying.

Having read Han Yu’s latest Weibo, Shao Yongping was so furious he could hardly breathe.

He hurriedly said to Fu Yuntao, “Brother Yuntao, this was absolutely an accident. Before coming here, I already had a meeting with President Mo and the others. The fact that I’m here now is the result of our final decision. I just didn’t expect Han Yu to…”

“It’s fine,” Fu Yuntao interrupted, rising to his feet. “President Shao, I’m a bit tired. I’ll go rest for now. Liu Hai, see President Shao out for me.”

“Brother Yuntao, this really is a misunderstanding. I’ll go back immediately and have Han Yu delete the Weibo post. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll give you a satisfactory answer!”

Shaoyongping quickly finished and prepared to leave, but Fu Yuntao called out, “Wait.”

Shao Yongping stopped in his tracks and turned back.

Fu Yuntao pointed to the bottles of rum on the table. “Take them back.”

Shao Yongping’s face stiffened. “Brother Yuntao, you have to believe me, this is still salvageable.”

“Take them back,” Fu Yuntao sighed. “I don’t want to say it twice.”

Shao Yongping clenched his teeth, finally picking up the two bottles of rum and leaving in haste.

Upon returning to the company, the entire management department was bustling, every employee busy at their stations.

With a dark expression, Shao Yongping strode straight into the meeting room, only to find everyone there in a state of utter distress.

“Producer Shao is back. How did the discussion go?” asked Deputy Director Ning Ze. Seeing Shao Yongping’s face, he sighed, “I see. Negotiations broke down, didn’t they?”

Shao Yongping said in a low voice, “What on earth is wrong with Han Yu?”

“I have no idea what’s gotten into him. Both he and his manager have their phones turned off, and no one else in their team is reachable either. For now, we can’t get in touch with him,” Deputy Director Ning said with a wry smile. “He’s always been close to Xie Yuxin—they started out as trainees together when our company was founded. Now that Xie Yuxin’s been bullied, Han Yu, as her senior, naturally wants to stand up for her.”

“Stand up for her? He’s ruining her! Idiot!” Shao Yongping fumed. “It’s bad enough if he’s foolish, but what about his manager Feng Lan? She’s over forty; is she being foolish with him?”

“Shh!” Ning Ze tugged Shao Yongping into the corner. “Just let this go. What’s done is done, and there are only two options now. First, damage control—which probably won’t work well. Or second, go to war. If we win, our company will make a name for itself in the industry!”

“What do you mean by that?” Shao Yongping asked.

Ning Ze replied, “President Mo has already instructed Legal to draft an official statement, pressuring the three major streaming platforms to replace the director of ‘Produce 101.’”

Shao Yongping looked at Ning Ze as if he were mad. Pressure the three major streaming platforms?

For the first time, he realized how inflated the company’s leadership had become…

Each of those platforms had powerful investors behind them; the platforms themselves were mere pawns. Lemon Entertainment, let alone the old established management agencies, would never dare provoke them so recklessly.

“Don’t forget, public opinion is on our side now. Fu Yuntao’s in the wrong, and the crowd is condemning him. ‘Produce 101’ is a huge hit already—the platforms aren’t going to risk defying public sentiment just to keep a director,” Ning Ze said with a smile. “He really did rig the contest, after all, making deals with contestants’ families. There’s both testimony and evidence. He’s done for.”

“And what if the platforms don’t go along with you?” Shao Yongping countered. “Do you have any idea how much capital stands behind them? If you go up against them, you’ll get nothing but trouble.”

Ning Ze chuckled. “You’re overestimating them. Yes, they’re backed by huge capital, but there’s plenty of infighting between those investors. Each platform is just a subsidiary, and competition between subsidiaries is fierce. Unless the big boss intervenes, the others would be happy to see the video division falter. The platforms really only control the streaming segment; they can’t throw their weight around the whole industry.”

Shao Yongping laughed bitterly. “Fine, I’ll stay out of this and watch what kind of mess you all make!”

Elsewhere, Fu Yuntao turned his phone back on, scrolled through Weibo for a while, then instructed the production team to resume filming the daily lives of the contestants.

Mentor Yu Lianzhou, clearly having heard the news online, came over and sat down across from Fu Yuntao, expressing concern, “Director Fu, what are you planning to do?”

Fu Yuntao smiled. “A clear conscience fears no crooked shadow. What must come will come; what won’t, worrying won’t help. Also, keep this from the rest of the team. We can’t let it affect their performance.”

The other mentors, including Chen Xiuyuan, stepped forward, smiling. “Director Fu, you certainly have a calm mindset. I stand with you this time.”

Zheng Yongxu added, “We’ve all seen Liao Meiqi’s conduct. I wasn’t there yesterday, but I’ve heard plenty. Honestly, I can’t stand this so-called number one. Just because she’s debuted, has some talent, and a management company behind her, she thinks she can talk back to the director in front of everyone. If this were South Korea or Japan, even superstars would be blacklisted for that. No manners at all!”

Yan Ninane said, “Director Fu, I admire your composure, but I think you have to fight back this time.”

“Yes,” Jiang Lingsu agreed. “This slander isn’t just an insult to you—it’s an insult to the entire production team. You must take action.”

Fu Yuntao nodded. “I will consider it.”

By evening, the incident had spiraled even further out of control. Han Yu’s Weibo post had been reposted over two hundred thousand times, with over half a million comments.

Lemon Entertainment’s official Weibo soon followed with a statement, publicly condemning the production team for underhanded practices and manipulation, calling it a betrayal of fans and grossly unfair to all the contestants. At the end, Lemon Entertainment called on the three major streaming platforms to replace the show’s director.

The post was quickly shared by many industry insiders and Lemon Entertainment’s allies, instantly sparking a massive uproar.

A tremendous wave of public pressure crashed down on Fu Yuntao like Mount Tai.

Soon after, the three major streaming platforms jointly posted on Weibo, announcing the formation of a dedicated investigation team to thoroughly examine the allegations of manipulation on “Produce 101,” promising to release the findings as soon as possible.

Thunder rumbled across the sky, dark clouds gathered over the city, and just as the workday ended, Liao Yuan finally heard the news from a colleague, only then realizing what had happened…

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ps: Yesterday’s “single update” was actually two chapters merged into a four-thousand-word mega-chapter—not a missed update! Thanks to the brothers for your support. The Three Rivers event has been over for three days and I almost forgot to ask for recommendations o(╯□╰)o—so, everyone, fire away!