Chapter Seventy-Seven: Adding Fuel to the Fire

In the meeting room of the Internet Department at East Sea Broadcasting Station, Liao Yuan had been summoned. He listened attentively to the relevant report by Assistant Director Chen Muen and asked, “Has Director Fu made any statements?”

“Fu Yuntao? So far, he’s remained silent.”

Chen Muen shook his head. “Given the current situation, keeping silent is the best strategy. Han Yu has over sixty million followers on Weibo, while Fu Yuntao has less than a million. The gap is overwhelming—they’re simply not in the same league.”

Lai Yibai rubbed his chin, scrutinizing Liao Yuan with a playful click of his tongue. “So you really did write ‘The Rest of My Life’? When Director Xi mentioned it to me before, I could hardly believe it. Seems Director Xi knows you best after all...”

Liao Yuan frowned, steering the conversation elsewhere. “What’s the station’s position on this matter?”

“The station’s position?” Lai Yibai was momentarily taken aback, then grinned. “What are you worried about? Of course we’re supporting you! Don’t sell yourself short. You’re the station’s star anchor right now! No matter how powerful Han Yu is, would he dare take on our station? We’re under the Cultural and Broadcasting Bureau, which oversees culture, radio, film, and television. Challenging East Sea Station means challenging the Bureau itself. That’s courting disaster! Rest assured, even if they had the audacity of a bear or a leopard, they wouldn’t dare touch you.”

Chen Muen also offered a gentle smile. “No need to worry, Mr. Liao. The issue isn’t really about you; the main conflict is between your sister and Fu Yuntao. The media’s current stance is a collective outcry, calling for a change of director for ‘Produce 101’ and so on. As for Meiqi, media criticism is much less prevalent. She’s performed admirably, and her fan base is substantial—this support shouldn’t be underestimated.”

Liao Yuan nodded thoughtfully, falling silent.

In truth, he didn’t much care whether Meiqi ultimately debuted or not. Though he didn’t have much influence in hand, if he truly set his mind to it, there were at least a hundred ways to make Meiqi famous.

What concerned him now was whether Meiqi had been wronged.

Then, right in front of Lai Yibai and the others, Liao Yuan took out his phone, connected to the internet, opened his Weibo app, and tapped on his notifications.

Both the repost and comment counts had long since maxed out at 99+.

He didn’t dare open the notifications; last time he did, his phone had crashed—a lesson he hadn’t forgotten. So he navigated directly to his main page and checked his first post.

That post, from half a month ago, was a photo of him in the studio during a live broadcast. Now, its reposts had reached forty thousand, but the comments had shot up to a staggering two hundred seventy thousand!

He opened the comment section.

The most popular comments were almost entirely insults hurled at Liao Meiqi.

And all from women.

Moreover, their profile pictures had something in common: either Han Yu or Xie Yuxin. Their vitriol was devoid of substance.

These were the so-called rabid fans.

Of course, there were Meiqi and “Ghost Blows Out the Light” fans among them, but they were hopelessly outnumbered, so any news about “Ghost Blows Out the Light” was pushed to the far margins.

After watching for a while, Liao Yuan shook his head and remarked, “This crop of trolls is really lackluster.”

Lai Yibai and Chen Muen exchanged bewildered glances.

Liao Yuan then opened the Weibo posting box and began composing a new post: “Hello everyone, I’m anchor Ayuan. Meiqi is indeed my sister. When a sister is bullied, a brother cannot stay silent.

So, from today onward, for every additional one million votes Meiqi receives on the three major video platforms, ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ will air one extra episode per day. Lastly, please ignore the filth and continue to support Meiqi.

As for the film and television rights to ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light,’ let me clarify:

First, the rights are not given away for free—Director Fu paid for them, and I’m very satisfied with the price.

Second, I respect Director Fu’s abilities and am willing to entrust the rights to him. I believe he can produce a work that book fans will love.

Third, regarding a certain megastar mobilizing sixty million fans to slander my sister—I’m really, really scared. I’ve never seen such shamelessness. Very impressive, you have my attention now. The world is vast; we shall meet again!”

No sooner had Liao Yuan posted his Weibo update than both Lai Yibai and Chen Muen’s phones buzzed furiously, as notification after notification flooded in.

After reading the contents, Lai Yibai looked blank and stammered, “What did you just write?”

“A challenge,” Liao Yuan answered nonchalantly.

Chen Muen was stunned. “You… you’re challenging Han Yu?”

Lai Yibai felt a headache coming on. “Liao, what are you thinking?”

Liao Yuan looked puzzled. “Didn’t you just say the station has my back? That guy insulted my sister—I have to hit back!”

Lai Yibai felt her head throb. She drew a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, “You’re just adding fuel to the fire and escalating the conflict!”

He sighed. “That’s life. Where there are people, there’s a martial world. Once you’re in it, you can’t always decide for yourself.” Rising, he continued, “By the way, Director Lai, you know just how terrifying rabid fans can be—especially sixty million of them. Who knows how many eggs I’ll have thrown at me when I come to the office tomorrow. For the sake of my personal safety, I request your approval for a temporary leave of absence.”

After a pause, Chen Muen countered, “Mr. Liao, are you doing this on purpose?”

“I would never joke about my own safety,” Liao Yuan replied.

Lai Yibai opened her mouth, then gave a wry smile. “I can approve your leave, but what about ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’?”

Liao Yuan smiled. “I’ve already pre-recorded a month’s worth of shows. Don’t worry, Director Lai—the contract is signed in black and white. Once the storm blows over, I’ll be back. If it doesn’t, I’ll email you the rest of the episodes in advance.”

Even after Liao Yuan left, Lai Yibai and Chen Muen were still completely bewildered.

Of course, Liao Yuan had his reasons for acting this way.

First, the offline events for the “One Emperor Four Kings Tournament” were about to begin, and regular work hours would make scheduling impossible.

Second, his sister Meiqi’s recent unexpected trouble had inspired another idea.

Why leave your fate and your family’s fate in the hands of others?

Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to take destiny by the throat and be the master of your own fate?

That was why Liao Yuan took an early leave.

He was not afraid of the station’s disapproval. While the Cultural and Broadcasting Bureau might not take Han Yu seriously, the power of seventy million rabid fans was nothing to scoff at. One wrong move and it could spark a mass incident—who would take responsibility for that?

So, letting Liao Yuan take leave was almost certainly the best option.