Episode 012: The Show Begins!

Fu Lin and his companions had returned.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Su Yunjin, whom Fu Lin had escorted to the elevator, also arrived back at her room. The first thing she did was take a hot shower, after which she called the hotel staff to buy her some anti-inflammatory medicine and ointment for her scrapes. When she finished bathing, the medicine had already been delivered. She applied it, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Just like that, the day passed. The next day, the C-Spot Girl Group variety show officially began!

To set itself apart from other talent shows and to ensure fairness and transparency, the C-Spot Girl Group adopted a live broadcast format. From the contestants' entrance to the arrival of the guests, everything was streamed online in real time.

The broadcast was scheduled to start at seven in the evening. By six-thirty, more than ten thousand viewers had already poured into the C-Spot Girl Group’s live streaming room.

On the black screen, the comment section was flooded with flying messages.

"Su Yunjin, get out of the C-Spot mentor seat!"

"How are you even qualified to be a mentor? In what way are you better than Morning Dew?"

"I'm already disappointed in this show, but I want to see what makes Su Yunjin think she can replace my idol Morning Dew."

"I heard Su Yunjin is some folk singer’s apprentice. Ha! What a joke. Now even folk singers can be mentors? This program is doomed!"

A hundred insults.

A thousand insults.

Three thousand insults.

Within less than ten minutes, the live chat was almost entirely filled with abuse directed at Su Yunjin—without exception, all of it personal attacks.

"Silence all of them at once. That kind of foul language will have a negative impact on our live room," Zhang Zhichang, watching the monitors backstage, commanded the staff beside him.

Su Yunjin herself couldn’t see these insults, so naturally, they wouldn’t affect her mood. Still, as the producer of C-Spot Girl Group, he had to set an example for Seven Peaks Mountain and the Lu family patriarch.

If he allowed people to hurl abuse at Su Yunjin unchecked, even if it wasn’t a large number, he would still bear part of the responsibility.

However, just as Zhang Zhichang gave the order, Lu Yiqing, standing nearby, spoke up, "Wait a moment."

The staff member in charge of the streaming room stopped.

Lu Yiqing continued, "Silence them? Producer Zhang, have you forgotten why we're doing the C-Spot Girl Group as a live broadcast in the first place? It's precisely so we can receive immediate feedback from the viewers.

If we’re going to mute the audience, why not just make it a pre-recorded program?"

Zhang Zhichang was at a loss for words.

Damn it.

Easy for you to say. You’re the son here, your family calls the shots. I’m just an outsider. If I don’t handle things properly, who knows what your father will do to me?

Grinding his teeth inwardly, Zhang Zhichang spoke, "President Lu, don’t you think those words are too much for a young woman? People have feelings. Su Yunjin is new to the entertainment industry; to be abused like this is unfair."

"Unfair? Hah, Producer Zhang, you must have forgotten—this is the entertainment industry, not some sheltered world. Every circle has its own rules. Since she’s come into the industry, she has to play by those rules. Which newcomer hasn’t been scolded? If you want the crown, you must bear its weight. Do I really need to teach you that?"

Zhang Zhichang fell silent. Lu Yiqing turned to the rest of the backstage crew. "Listen up, no audience member will be silenced in the C-Spot Girl Group live room for speaking ill of any guest. That’s a direct order! If anyone tries to tamper with this, report to HR first thing tomorrow and clear out your desk!"

Finally, Lu Yiqing looked straight at Zhang Zhichang and enunciated each word: "Producer Zhang, do you understand now?"

His aggressive tone instantly lowered the morale of the entire backstage group. The staff by the monitors hardly dared to breathe.

Zhang Zhichang was annoyed, but could only nod. "Understood, President Lu."

"Good. We’re live in just over ten minutes. Pull yourselves together—this is the first episode. If you do well, you’ll all have a nice year-end bonus."

At the mention of bonuses, the mood relaxed a little, but no one dared to be genuinely cheerful, only managing a faint smile.

After reassuring the team, Lu Yiqing focused his gaze on Zhang Zhichang again. He placed his hand on Zhang Zhichang’s shoulder. "Producer Zhang, I know you want to protect the newcomers, but there’s a limit to everything. I’ve poured a lot of effort into the C-Spot Girl Group. If one person spoils the whole pot, I won’t be happy. After all, I’m the executive producer. Don’t you agree?"

By emphasizing his role as executive producer, Lu Yiqing was making it clear whom Zhang Zhichang should be working for.

Though he cursed inwardly, on the surface Zhang Zhichang could only bow and scrape. "Rest assured, President Lu, as the producer, I always put the show first."

"That’s what I like to hear. I’ll go check on the other groups. Carry on."

With that, Lu Yiqing turned and left.

As soon as he was gone, the staff around resumed their work. But unlike before, whispers began to circulate among them.

"Producer Zhang is really something."

"What did Su Yunjin give him? He actually wanted to silence the audience for her."

"Good thing President Lu stepped in. Otherwise, we would’ve been a news headline before the first episode even aired."

"Obviously, President Lu wants to squeeze Su Yunjin out. Heh, that woman won’t last long here."

The staff were all waiting to see Su Yunjin’s downfall.

Meanwhile, far from the production team, after Lu Yiqing left, Pei Xuan caught up with him, frowning. "Yiqing, was that really necessary? Scolding Zhang Zhichang in front of everyone—what do you think people will say?"

"Say what?"

"Isn’t it obvious? Everyone in the company is already gossiping about Zhang Zhichang and Su Yunjin. Now you’ll just add fuel to the fire."

Pei Xuan was clearly displeased. He knew well that Lu Yiqing disliked Su Yunjin. But that was a decision made by the previous generation—Su Yunjin herself had done nothing. It was bad enough for her to be slandered for no reason; for Lu Yiqing to target her so openly, it was excessive, not just for a fiancée in name only, but even for an ordinary girl.

"Oh, that? Hmph, that’s none of my concern. I didn’t invite her down from the mountain. If Su Yunjin has bad luck, so be it," Lu Yiqing snorted coldly.

His goal was to force Su Yunjin out, and he would do whatever it took to achieve that.

If Zhang Zhichang wanted to protect her, so be it. Better yet, let them get together—then his old man could deal with it himself.

As long as he could break off this engagement, nothing else mattered to him. As for what Su Yunjin would have to face—how was that his concern? He was only doing what he had to. If anyone was to blame, it was his father and that obtuse Zhang Zhichang.

All the malice Su Yunjin suffered was their doing!