Prodigal System in the Flourishing City

Chapter 383: Chapter 382: Evil Wind [2nd Update]

Time passes.

”The Voice” is progressing swiftly with the massive injection of financial and human resources.

It’s worth mentioning that ever since Lu Xiaobu encountered Sun Wanqi, he has lifted the endless loop curse on the official website.

A large group of people was suddenly liberated.

To celebrate, they went to Lu Xiaobu’s Weibo and cursed a couple of times.

Well, they’re cut from the same cloth as Lu Xiaobu!

Time is drawing nearer.

Countdown four days: Blinds’ contestants and alternates have all been confirmed and locked in, these are the final confirmed candidates, after the preliminary auditions and further filtering of those who advanced.

Countdown three days: The contestants’ VCR clips have been finalized.

Countdown two days: The stage is ready.

Countdown one day: Equipment adjustment is nearing its end.

Wow, this pace is incredibly fast, they even finished ahead of schedule.

A whole half month early.

Liang Lan asked Lu Xiaobu whether to start immediately or wait for the originally scheduled time.

How could Lu Xiaobu have the patience to wait?

Get started right away!

...

So.

Today.

Thursday at half-past twelve noon, the scheduled broadcast day for ”The Voice,” eight and a half hours away from the scheduled broadcast time of nine o’clock in the evening!

Recording site.

All the crew members of the show are gathered.

Liang Lan stands there to do one final confirmation of the work.

”Work badges? Audience entry badges?”

”Done, all packed!”

”Post-production of VCR?”

”Director Liang, it’s all done!”

”Lighting?”

”Testing completed.”

”Equipment?”

”Confirmed OK!”

”Coaches and contestants?”

”All nineteen contestants for the first episode are already in the backstage area, three coaches have arrived and are getting into costume in the makeup rooms; we’re just missing Sister Sun. I just confirmed over the phone, Sister Sun is on the way, will be here in ten minutes, her manager says she’s coming already made up, so there’s no need for make-up time. We can start as soon as all coaches are here.”

”Audience?”

”They’re all here, verifying identities, issuing entry passes.”

Liang Lan nods in satisfaction and then looks at Lu Xiaobu: ”Young Master, we’re ready.”

”Ok, let’s begin,” Lu Xiaobu shrugs his shoulders; he’s always been confident in Liang Lan’s competence.

”All departments in position, allow audience entry, get ready to record!” Liang Lan immediately orders.

...

Recording has started here.

But Director Nie is now feeling incredibly stressed.

Although he was aware that the production had been sped up, even finishing half a month early,

He hadn’t really paid it much attention.

After all, finishing early is a good thing, right?

However, he was only informed yesterday that they were ready, and today Liang Lan notified him that recording was starting, and it would be broadcast tonight.

When Director Nie received Liang Lan’s notification, he was frantic.

Do you think show times can be casually changed?

To speak of moving it up so casually, they really do whatever they please.

But then Liang Lan brings out the wager they previously set with Lu Xiaobu.

Director Nie agreed to give ”The Voice” the green light, and if ”The Voice” achieved a viewership rate over 0.8%...

Well, checkmate!

With no other choice, he had to notify a program currently in the prime time slot to make way for ”The Voice.”

Look, the chief director of this show is arguing with him right now.

”Why the hell? Why should I give way to them?! Our program is the best our station has done, with ratings nearly breaking 0.3% these few days. What are you doing?!” Yuan Xu stood in front of Director Nie, discontentedly.

”Didn’t I explain everything to you already? Why don’t you listen?”

Director Nie was getting impatient too.

Yuan Xu had been making a fuss for almost an hour here.

He just wouldn’t listen.

”No way, just no!”

Yuan Xu said stubbornly.

Golden time slot, how could he possibly give it up?!

”It has to happen whether you like it or not!” Director Nie slammed the table: ”Who’s the station head, you or me?!”

After saying that, Director Nie left.

Really taking dough for hardtack?

His heart was also very uneasy; if ”The Voice” didn’t reach a 0.8% rating—oh, didn’t even reach 0.6%, which is double the current ratings of the program—

He might get into trouble too.

Young Master Lu ah, Young Master Lu, I’m really going all out here!

You’ve got to give it your all!

Director Nie had left, leaving only the infuriated Yuan Xu: ”Rich and impressive? Can money alone make a good show?! No matter how rich, such shoddy work won’t cut it!”

Don’t question the ability of people to find fault.

Picking bones out of eggs is the forte of those always envious or angry.

And so, just half an hour later,

a malevolent wind began to sweep through Shimen TV Station!

”A show isn’t just about having money to make it good, since the timing has been moved up, should rehearse well again! What if something goes wrong?”

”Ah, still too young! Too impulsive in doing things.”

”You all see, it might have broken 0.3%, but now, I bet it’s even tough to hit 0.2%.”

”Relying on spending so much money to achieve a 0.3% rating, now even stealing time, really a loss!”

”Don’t know what Director Nie was thinking.”

...

This malicious gossip started internally, with an inexplicable authority.

So, it quickly spread to the outside.

And gradually, the wind of public opinion shifted.

”Did you hear Lu Xiaobu bullied others with his power, stealing someone else’s program time?”

”That’s too much!”

”Does he have that much confidence? So domineering!? Directly taking the timeslot? If the ratings tank, I’d like to see how he’ll explain himself.”

”Yeah, that program of his was never favored by everyone, and now he pulls this stunt, seriously pointless!”

”What the heck is that program? Some lame gimmick of only listening to voices, what’s the point? Other talent shows have good-looking contestants that can sing well too! But what about yours? Just banking on their singing? It doesn’t matter how ugly they are? Why would we watch your show, we might as well watch the others who are pretty and sing beautifully!”

”You’re right.”

”A program that bullies its way like this, not worth watching, probably just toying with us.”

Of course, there were still those who staunchly supported Lu Xiaobu.

”Are you all nuts? So jealous your eyes are red? When has Young Master Bu ever bullied anyone?!”

”Exactly, a bunch of people who don’t know the real story, just gabbing away!”

”Now I see it, you keyboard warriors, doing nothing but stalking Young Master Bu all day, ready to jump out the moment there’s a whiff of trouble!”

”Really brain-damaged!”

...

However, those who supported Lu Xiaobu were still in the minority.

Compared to those blackening Lu Xiaobu’s name, and those who were just watching the excitement, they were much fewer.

The malicious online wind was blowing harder and harder.

Even some so-called industry insiders predicted that the program Lu Xiaobu spent big money on wouldn’t even reach a 0.4% rating.

Yep, these experts all had a good relationship with Yuan Xu.

With these professionals speaking out, the online atmosphere that evening was fueled even more.

For a moment, those supporting Lu Xiaobu couldn’t hold their heads up high.

It was just that Lu Xiaobu himself didn’t know about this yet.

If he knew, tsk tsk tsk.