Unexpected Situation
Seeing her interactions with Yu Shuman on the show, Qin Ran felt a bit embarrassed. She thought she sounded too delicate, almost like she was being coquettish. As she leaned closer to Yu Shuman, the latter wrapped an arm around her. "What's the matter? Feeling shy now?" Yu Shuman teased.
Qin Ran could only nod slightly, unable to find words.
The show continued playing, showing Yu Shuman waving goodbye to Qin Ran before being dropped off by the production team on a country road, left to walk the rest of the way on her own. The production team cheekily highlighted Yu Shuman's figure with a thick, cartoonish outline and labeled all her clothes and accessories.
A particularly pretty but not very functional straw sun hat;
A beautiful but cumbersome dress;
An attractive but unnecessary shawl;
A heavy, unwieldy suitcase;
The only appropriate item—flat sandals.
The string of labels essentially conveyed the message, "Let's see how you manage to walk this road," in a mischievous tone. But in the next moment, the outlined image of Yu Shuman shattered like glass, and the background music shifted to a stirring, triumphant march. The scene then cut to Yu Shuman effortlessly carrying her suitcase by its side handle, striding confidently down the country road as if it weighed nothing at all.
The series of transitions amused Yu Shuman, who couldn't help but laugh. "The editing is so playful. They really did a great job."
Qin Ran nodded in agreement. The editing was indeed impressive. The director was also very skilled; otherwise, the show wouldn't still be popular in its third season with such a large audience. Unlike live broadcasts, shows benefit from a director's careful planning and the effects created by post-production teams.
Otherwise, why would people still watch the show after having already seen the live stream?
The show continued with its entertaining content. Later, there was a segment of Ling Miaohan walking along a similar country road, which was edited to contrast with Yu Shuman's segment. However, the show didn't intend to create rivalry between the two; instead, they edited Ling Miaohan's journey to appear particularly inspiring.
The camera captured her determination and resilience, successfully portraying the image Ling Miaohan aimed for. However, since it was only the first episode, Ling Miaohan had fewer scenes. As she and another male artist later encountered Xu, all scenes involving Xu had to be cut, which unfortunately meant some of Ling Miaohan's scenes were also removed to maintain the flow of the episode.
The director and editors were very skilled. If not for knowing in advance that another artist should have been present, viewers wouldn't even notice that someone was mysteriously missing from the show.
The show explained the absence of the additional artist with the reason: "Someone was late~."
The first episode included just enough content to be engaging and had a standard ten-episode format—considered short. The filming schedule was tight, so there was plenty of material to work with, making it possible to edit into ten episodes. However, as the series progressed, the scenes of rural life might become repetitive, and stretching the episodes could lead to viewer fatigue, so fewer episodes made sense.
After watching the first episode, Qin Ran and Yu Shuman went to bed, preparing to sleep. Before bed, they each drank a glass of milk as advised by Sister Li, who had told Yu Shuman it would improve her sleep. Since Yu Shuman drank it, Qin Ran followed suit.
After the milk, they slept well and woke up refreshed. However, Qin Ran's phone wouldn't stop ringing, the constant notifications making her head ache. Seeing it was a call from Sister Li, she had no choice but to shake off her sleepiness and answer, "Hello?"
"Boss, how can you sleep at a time like this? The trending topics are exploding! You need to get up and check it out!"
Qin Ran was momentarily stunned. "I'll take a look." She hung up the phone and saw that Yu Shuman had also been woken up. "What's going on?" Yu Shuman asked groggily. Qin Ran checked the time—it was only 4:30 AM—and replied, still a bit dazed, "Sister Li wants me to check the trending topics."
As soon as Qin Ran opened her phone, she saw that the top five trending topics were all about Yu Shuman, and they were clearly negative. The variety show episode that aired last night had also climbed the trending charts. The number one trending topic was "#Yu Shuman Steals Teammate's Spotlight."
The moment she saw these trending topics, Qin Ran's expression darkened. She knew that her issues with Ling Miaohan weren't resolved yet, but she hadn't expected them to go this far, and so suddenly. Ling Miaohan was also part of the show—did they really have to stir up such a storm?
Qin Ran found it almost laughable. She angrily scrolled through all the gossip and realized that Ling Miaohan and Pei Qi hadn't just suddenly decided to take a shot at Yu Shuman; they had planned this long in advance, aiming to completely crush Yu Shuman and take a significant piece of 99 Entertainment down with her.
They weren't just targeting Yu Shuman; they were going after 99 Entertainment as a whole. The second trending topic was "#Is 99 Entertainment's Rabid Dog Style Really What the Entertainment Industry Needs?" 99 Entertainment had a bad reputation in the industry and had offended many people and companies. Now that Pei Qi had fired the first shot, other companies were jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to grab a piece of the pie if 99 Entertainment went down.
After quickly skimming the trending topics, Qin Ran immediately knew that Ling Miaohan's talented hacker brother had made his move. The trending topics included chat records between 99 Entertainment staff and other production teams, including key information about securing roles through investments.
What had originally been a mutually beneficial deal between 99 Entertainment and various productions was now being twisted into a narrative of 99 Entertainment buying roles.
Qin Ran sneered. She had expected that Ling Miaohan's brother would get involved sooner or later. She had said before that if they dared to provoke her, she would make sure Ling Miaohan's dear brother ended up behind bars. Did they really think the internet was a lawless place? Using illegal means to steal company secrets was a crime that could land him in serious trouble.
Now that she was awake, Qin Ran didn't plan on going back to sleep. She called Wu Special Assistant, instructing her to send a car to pick her up. Wu Special Assistant's voice was calm. "Boss, we can handle it." By "we," she didn't just mean herself and Sister Li but also Qin Ran's entire team of assistants and all the senior executives at 99 Entertainment, including President Li.
Wu Special Assistant was highly confident. As a professional manager with such a strong team behind her, if she couldn't handle a mere trending topic, she would resign on the spot. Even though the opposition was well-prepared, Wu Special Assistant didn't believe she would lose.
"I know," Qin Ran had no doubts about this. After all, she had hired these people at a high cost—if they were easily defeated, it would be a waste of her money. But she still needed to go.
"I'm not going to supervise or direct. I just want to see how the other side falls."
"Understood, boss. The driver will be at your building in half an hour."
After hanging up, Qin Ran turned to see Yu Shuman looking worried. "Am I causing you trouble?" she asked anxiously.
Qin Ran shook her head. "Shuman, they're not really coming after you; they're targeting 99 Entertainment. 99 Entertainment has been blocking their way, and they're just using you as a pawn."
Hearing this, Yu Shuman's expression grew more serious. She didn't hesitate to tell Qin Ran, "Ranran, don't hold back because of me. If you have to sacrifice me, then just do it."
Qin Ran was momentarily taken aback. She knew that Yu Shuman wasn't saying this as a way to manipulate her; she genuinely meant it. Having been in the industry long enough, Yu Shuman understood that it was common for celebrities to become scapegoats. She didn't want to see 99 Entertainment, the company Qin Ran had built, collapse because of her.
Qin Ran couldn't help but pull Yu Shuman into a tight embrace. "Shuman, trust me. I can handle this. Besides, 99 Entertainment was built for you in the first place. There's nothing in this world worth sacrificing your dreams for."
Her sincere words touched Yu Shuman deeply. She returned Qin Ran's embrace. It wasn't clear who initiated it, but before long, their lips met in a passionate kiss. They were so engrossed in the kiss that they didn't break apart until Qin Ran, feeling short of breath, tapped Yu Shuman's back and tugged at her clothes, prompting her to finally let go.
When the kiss ended, Yu Shuman still looked a bit unsatisfied. Seeing the desire in Yu Shuman's eyes, Qin Ran felt elated, but also a bit frustrated at her lack of stamina.
After all, by bedroom standards, she should be the dominant one, right? Even if she wasn't the most aggressive, she had at least managed to make Yu Shuman's voice hoarse on occasion. So why was she the one gasping for breath after just one kiss?
Feeling a bit indignant, Qin Ran got up, washed up, and prepared to leave. She initially planned to have Yu Shuman stay home, but by the time she finished getting ready, Yu Shuman was also dressed and ready to go, clearly intending to accompany her.
With Yu Shuman showing such determination, Qin Ran couldn't bring herself to leave her behind. Dumping your partner at home while you go deal with a crisis is how you treat a canary, not your significant other.
Yu Shuman wasn't a canary, and Qin Ran didn't want her to feel like one. That's why, when Yu Shuman had once cornered her, asking if she just wanted to be her sugar mommy, Qin Ran had been quick to deny it, even admitting her true feelings for Yu Shuman. In Qin Ran's mind, they were equals, partners whose fates were intertwined. All her wealth existed for Yu Shuman, so why shouldn't Yu Shuman have a say in the company's decisions?
So, Qin Ran took Yu Shuman along as they got into the car. Even in the early morning, the main roads in Beijing were already bustling with traffic, with some areas even showing signs of congestion.
Fortunately, Wu Special Assistant had chosen an office building in a prime location, with multiple access routes. The driver, familiar with the city's traffic patterns, skillfully avoided the heavily congested areas, quickly bringing the two to the company's entrance.
Qin Ran: You want to cause trouble?