Chapter 52: Blocked at the Door

Yang Mengke didn’t even want to look at them. She grabbed Su Bai and walked away. But Zhao Hongbing and Zhou Yanfeng moved forward again, blocking their path.

Seeing their posture, Su Bai realized it was impossible to leave quietly. If possible, he truly didn’t want to get into any conflict right in front of the CCTV building. His own reputation aside, Yang Mengke was just about to apply to be a CCTV host. If a conflict erupted here and left a bad impression on CCTV, it would directly affect Yang Mengke’s future.

“Sir, what’s this? Are you planning to make a scene here?” Su Bai’s tone was already icy.

Originally, Zhao Hongbing and Zhou Yanfeng were looking for an opportunity to provoke Su Bai. Seeing him respond, Zhou Yanfeng immediately shoved Su Bai. “I am making a scene, so what? Just a lousy internet celebrity, acting all high and mighty with me.”

Caught off guard, Su Bai was pushed back a step. He suddenly lifted his head, his gaze cold as he stared at Zhou Yanfeng. He was about to raise his hand, but Yang Mengke grabbed him quickly.

“Brother, don’t!”

Su Bai was considering Yang Mengke’s future, just as Yang Mengke was worrying about Su Bai’s reputation. The place was simply too sensitive. Yang Mengke didn’t want Su Bai, having just cleared up the misunderstanding online, to be dragged into another wave of cyberbullying because of her. That would trap Su Bai in an endless cycle of online abuse, with consequences too grave to imagine.

Zhou Yanfeng was startled by Su Bai’s gaze and stepped back. Then, realizing it, he tried to approach Su Bai again, but Zhao Hongbing quickly pulled him back.

Although the voice was low, Zhao Hongbing’s sharp ears caught it—Yang Mengke called Su Bai “brother.”

“A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Look at this mess.” “Su Bai, you’re Yang Mengke’s brother? You should have said so earlier!” “If you’d clarified your identity at the start, none of this confusion would have happened!”

Su Bai ignored Zhao Hongbing and shot Zhou Yanfeng a cold look, then pulled Yang Mengke away. Zhou Yanfeng clearly noticed Su Bai’s gaze as he left and tried to chase after him, but Zhao Hongbing stopped him again.

“Hongbing, what’s with that guy? Acting all superior with us!” “Should we deal with him? One phone call, and he won’t be able to leave Beijing!”

Zhao Hongbing narrowed his eyes, watching Su Bai’s departing figure with a cold smile at the corner of his lips. All these years, no one had dared ignore him like this.

“Heh, don’t be so rough!” “If the two were lovers, you could do whatever you wanted.” “Our goal is to break them up, after all!” “But they’re siblings—though I don’t know why they’re brother and sister, since they’re not the same gender—if you push things too far, it won’t end well!” “Besides, you were the one being rude first. Next time you see him, apologize proactively!”

With that, Zhao Hongbing drove off in his supercar, leaving Zhou Yanfeng standing there in a daze. He wondered if he’d heard wrong. Was Hongbing really telling him to apologize to that lousy internet celebrity? Could that be right?

Su Bai had considered that, as Yang Mengke entered this industry, she would inevitably attract some unwanted attention. He just hadn’t expected the “flies” to arrive so quickly—and the first one was a big, prominent fly.

He originally thought to help Yang Mengke find a place to stay nearby, but now it was clear he couldn’t just pick any place. At the very least, it had to offer personal safety and minimize harassment. Although he disliked troubling Yu Lan, after weighing it over, he decided to ask her for help.

At the Palace Museum Cultural Promotion Office, Zhang Mingke was racking his brains, clutching what little hair he had left. He’d tried every possible solution, fought for Su Bai as much as he could. But the current outcome still wasn’t ideal.

It wasn’t that the video circulating online lacked credibility; rather, it was that the person who released it was not authoritative, and it hadn’t adequately explained why Su Bai left midway. In fact, Zhang Mingke was beginning to see things clearly. Those people who kept harping on Su Bai’s departure were likely not simply concerned about his character. Other forces had interfered in what should have been a sacred and fair competition.

After much thought, Zhang Mingke decided he should call Su Bai. He had promised Su Bai that “Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth” was flawless, but now Su Bai had cleared up everything he could, and Zhang Mingke’s side had dropped the ball. He felt guilty towards Su Bai.

Zhang Mingke truly admired “Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth.” It was a pity… Alas! Perhaps, years from now, people would realize how absurd their current decision was.

He couldn’t understand how those people could believe the nonsense circulating online—that promoting the Palace Museum’s culture in a universal language was a good choice, that it would let more people understand it. What utter nonsense.

What is cultural invasion? This is blatant cultural invasion! Zhang Mingke could imagine the storm of public opinion that would erupt online once the result was announced. When the backlash came, he wouldn’t be the most affected. After all, he was the official responsible for the song selection.

After much deliberation, Zhang Mingke dialed Su Bai’s number.

“Hello, Su Bai!”

“Hello, Director Zhang!”

“Su Bai, my old friend, I’ve done all I could, alas!”

Hearing Zhang Mingke’s sigh, Su Bai’s heart skipped a beat. Had the Palace Museum cultural promotion song been finalized? That would be grossly unfair. “Entertainment Focus” hadn’t even aired, and now a decision had been made here? If so…

Despite his anxiety, Su Bai forced himself to ask calmly, “What’s wrong, Director Zhang? Has the song selection been decided?”

“It’s not finalized yet, but it’s almost there!”

“Su Bai, the video online that helped explain things for you did prove your talent, but it’s still not strong enough! It’s not enough to change their minds.”

“After all… forget it, no more to say. Tomorrow morning at eight, we’ll hold the final meeting. If you don’t have any last cards to play, I’m afraid there’s no hope.”

“I called ahead to give you a heads up, so you can be prepared.”

Hearing it wasn’t finalized yet, the weight in Su Bai’s heart eased. He chuckled and said, “Director Zhang, you gave me quite a scare!”

“Tonight at eight, the ‘Entertainment Focus’ program on the main channel might give you a surprise. If that explanation isn’t enough, then I’ll have to accept my fate.”

CCTV? Entertainment Focus? That was the highest-level entertainment interview. Could it be that someone interviewed on the show would support Su Bai?

If so, there was still hope!

“What exactly is going on? Tell your old friend.”

“Haha, old friend, it’s hard to explain in a few words. Just watch for yourself. Consider it a surprise!”

Beep… beep…

Hearing Su Bai hang up, Zhang Mingke felt a rush of excitement, then cursed, “That kid… still playing coy with me…”