“It has actually been split into upper and lower parts…”
In the apartment, Ran Keqing frowned.
At the end of the upper part of the talk show, there was indeed the footage of Wen Ying admitting she was a shareholder in a medical aesthetics company. The insider Ran Keqing had bribed had not lied to her.
Yet the situation was not at all what she had imagined.
Ran Keqing was, after all, the eldest daughter of Huanyu. Having grown up immersed in the industry, she knew its tricks well. If the programme team truly wanted to destroy Wen Ying, they would not have divided an interview targeting her into two parts. They would have released all the content at once and delivered a final verdict.
Now not only had the programme been split, the upper part had ended precisely where Wen Ying admitted to being a shareholder. Given the usual habits of these people, the lower part would surely contain a reversal.
That was how television programmes worked.
If they did not keep the audience hooked, how could they secure ratings?
“Sister Keqing, something is not right here!”
Luo Hao was even more anxious than Ran Keqing.
Ran Keqing pondered for a moment. “I will make a call and ask.”
She stepped out onto the balcony to phone someone and returned only after several minutes.
“It is because of Yuan Fenghui. She has been doing ‘ideological work’ with the programme team, trying to have some unfavourable recorded content removed.”
Ran Keqing emphasised “ideological work”, and Luo Hao naturally understood what it meant.
Threats and inducements, breaking through one by one. As a top agent, Yuan Fenghui’s methods were truly formidable.
While inwardly cursing Yuan Fenghui as a vile woman, Luo Hao also felt intense envy for the artists signed to her. If he had been under an agent like Yuan Fenghui, with his qualifications he would surely have shot to fame like Yun Chen, rather than the now-faded Miracle Group… bah, bah, bah, the Miracle Group was already passé.
“So the content of the lower part is still not settled?”
Luo Hao looked at Ran Keqing expectantly.
Ran Keqing gave a cold laugh. “No matter how capable Yuan Fenghui is, her platform is still too small. Whatever benefits she can promise, which of them can I not deliver?”
The resources of Huanyu and Tianjiao were not on the same level.
As long as the Xie family did not help that Wen girl, Ran Keqing felt certain of victory.
The thought arose, and she could not resist stepping back onto the balcony to make another call.
Snatches of conversation drifted in. Luo Hao lowered his head and smiled.
Being born into the right family was, of course, an impressive skill.
People like Xie Qian, like Ran Keqing.
Some people, perhaps, used up all their luck at birth, choosing the right background but forgetting to bring a brain. Such people deserved to be used as pawns.
Miss Ran was quite a handy gun.
…
The Xie family home.
As soon as the talk show aired, Xie Yuping received two phone calls.
The first was from Xie Jinghu, ranting that Wen Ying was outrageous. If she wanted to be a writer, she should just write. Why get involved in a medical aesthetics company and meddle in the Silan affair?
Now look what had happened. Her past had been exposed, and she was accused of guiding public opinion for personal gain.
Not only was her own persona unstable, others would mock Xie Qian for poor judgement.
“Big brother, I am worried the television people will keep digging and drag you into it.”
Xie Jinghu was still concerned for Xie Yuping.
Though Xie Yuping would not directly help him, with Xie Yuping there, no one dared bully the Xie family casually, and Xie Jinghu’s company remained secure.
Xie Yuping knew Xie Jinghu was a scoundrel. When speaking to scoundrels, one could not be indirect; they always had their own peculiar interpretations.
He was blunt, delivering a soul-piercing mockery. “Third brother is truly thoughtful, even knowing to worry about me. But there is no need. After all, Little Wen is only Xie Qian’s girlfriend. Even if she were the boss of the recently unfortunate Silan company, not just a shareholder, the television station could not reach me. Do not overestimate them. Your business with that Zhuo woman is known to all, yet I have never seen the television station come interviewing at the Xie home.”
Even over the phone, Xie Jinghu’s face flushed crimson.
“Big brother, that is not what I meant…”
“Then what did you mean? A grown man. Can you not be more broad-minded? Always fixating on your son’s girlfriend. Are you not afraid of misunderstandings?”
Xie Yuping scolded without mercy. Xie Jinghu hung up, crestfallen.
The second call came from Old Madam Xie.
The old lady’s purpose was the complete opposite of Xie Jinghu’s.
“I may be old, but my mind is not yet muddled. The girl has earned so much from writing books. Why get involved in a medical aesthetics company? It must be because she has been dragged into our family’s mess.”
Xie Yuping was rather surprised. “You know about it all?”
He had never mentioned Xie Jinghu and Zhao Dong’s sordid affairs in front of the old lady, yet she knew everything.
“I know, but I pretend not to.”
Old Madam Xie sighed. “Sometimes ripping off the fig leaf entirely is not necessarily good… Enough of that. Let us talk about Little Wen. Has she offended someone?”
Previously, public opinion had been unkind to Wen Ying, but the establishment of the Dream Building Fund had turned the tide.
Clearly a favourable situation, yet the CCTV talk show insisted on digging up her scandals. The old lady smelled a conspiracy.
The host had said someone had tipped off the programme team.
The old lady secretly guessed that the “tipster” mentioned by the host was most likely connected to the Zhuo family.
Only such shady people would do something like this.
The tipster was from the Zhuo family, but the one wanting to use this to bring Little Wen down was someone else.
Xie Yuping and the old lady were thinking the same thing.
Silan had gone bankrupt, Zhao Dong had left the country, yet the Zhuo family of three remained.
Zhuo Chen had originally held twenty per cent of Silan’s shares. With the bankruptcy, those shares had vanished.
Zhuo Chen must hate Wen Ying to the bone.
No, the person Zhuo Chen truly hated was Xie Qian.
Unable to touch Xie Qian, he vented his anger on Wen Ying. Little Wen had indeed been implicated by the Xie family’s scandal.
“Do not worry. There is still the lower part to air. I will have people keep an eye on it. No one will be allowed to splash dirty water on Little Wen.”
Xie Yuping promised.
The old lady praised him repeatedly. “We do not bully others proactively, but we cannot let our own child be bullied either.”
This time, Xie Yuping did not consult Wen Ying again.
The girl was fine in every way, except her skin was too thin. She wanted to handle everything herself and disliked asking elders for help.
…
Shanghai, Tianjiao office.
Wen Ying, Yuan Fenghui, and Xie Qian watched the upper half of the talk show together.
Countless people who saw the episode called to express concern for Wen Ying.
After it aired, their phones rang in turn. The three of them tacitly switched them to silent mode.
“Someone will tell Ran Keqing that the content of the lower part is not yet finalised.”
Yuan Fenghui wore a mocking smile. “How could Miss Ran miss such an opportunity? She will surely try every means to ‘revise’ the yet-to-be-aired content, ensuring the final lower part completely destroys you.”
Tianjiao versus Huanyu. Tianjiao truly had no chance of winning.
Yet Yuan Fenghui was unafraid.
Because she could mobilise all of Tianjiao’s resources, while a behemoth like Huanyu was not dictated by Ran Keqing alone.
“President Ran is a shrewd businessman. He will not allow Ran Keqing to act recklessly without limits.”
Wen Ying was rather curious. “Then what does President Ran consider the limit?”
Yuan Fenghui glanced at Xie Qian. “Not provoking the Xie family is the limit for a shrewd businessman.”
Wen Ying felt somewhat displeased. “The Xie family cannot be provoked, so I am just a soft persimmon to be pinched at will?”
Xie Qian smiled. “That is Miss Ran’s thinking. You are a cultured person. Cultured people do not stoop to the level of the uncultured.”
Ran Keqing could not alter the content of the lower part.
The editing had been finalised long ago, after Wen Ying finished recording.
Yuan Fenghui could mobilise all of Tianjiao’s resources, and Xie Qian could mobilise all of Jiaxin’s.
There was one more point Ran Keqing had probably overlooked: this was CCTV.
How a programme was edited was not something CCTV would allow others to dictate. That was its pride and its bottom line.
