Cheng Youyou had just unpacked a delivery and was taking a break, sipping on her milk tea.
Upon hearing Liu Meng’s words, Cheng Youyou almost choked, “What do you mean ‘job gone’? Do I even have a job?”
Liu Meng then explained to Cheng Youyou about her recent efforts in negotiating endorsements.
After finishing, Liu Meng was still immersed in a state of indignation: “You were doing so well, why did you stop negotiating? This time, it’s even worse than before. In the past, although your jobs would sometimes inexplicably fall through, at least you had signed contracts. But this time, without even finalizing the contracts, you lost your job.”
Cheng Youyou remained calm. She speculated that the system had exerted its influence, and this time it had become aggressive.
It seemed she didn’t have much time left, so she needed to spend her money even more diligently.
Cheng Youyou sighed, “Forget it.”
She had already died once before and witnessed the power of the system. There was no need for her to confront it head-on.
Liu Meng continued, “But, having the contract snatched away before it’s signed, isn’t that…”
“Enough,” Cheng Youyou interrupted Liu Meng. “At least this time we didn’t sign the contract yet. If we had and then lost the job, we might have ended up losing money again.”
Cheng Youyou comforted Liu Meng, “It’s okay. Compared to before, at least this time we don’t have to pay any money.”
This kind of situation had occurred before. Cheng Youyou used to fail to fulfill the terms of her work due to personal issues, and it always ended with her having to compensate the other party.
Liu Meng still wasn’t giving up, “How about we lower the price and snatch back this endorsement deal?”
Cheng Youyou replied firmly, “No.”
She knew it was the system playing tricks, so she didn’t want to fight against it.
Cheng Youyou knew she didn’t have much time left. Instead of wasting time arguing, she thought it would be more enjoyable to spend her money.
Since Liu Meng’s persuasion was ineffective, she brought up another matter. The first episode of “Go For It, Tycoon” had already been produced and would be aired tomorrow night on Dragonfruit TV.
This was Cheng Youyou’s first time participating in a variety show, so Liu Meng attached special importance to it.
Liu Meng repeatedly reminded Cheng Youyou over the phone, stressing that after the program aired, Cheng Youyou must post a Weibo related to the show.
Based on the feedback from the first episode, Liu Meng speculated that Cheng Youyou’s popularity would rise after the show aired. Cheng Youyou’s cooperation in promoting the show afterward would likely attract a significant amount of traffic.
Cheng Youyou was showing signs of becoming a minor celebrity, and Liu Meng couldn’t afford to miss such an opportunity.
Cheng Youyou agreed casually, but her heart wasn’t in it.
Right now, all she could see were the advertisements for the grand opening of the Starlight Plaza shopping mall, which were popping up on TV.
Starlight Plaza was the most iconic luxury department store in the world, housing all the top luxury brands.
Many top luxury brands would debut their products at Starlight Plaza, and some limited edition items from prestigious brands would only be sold there. As a result, many international socialites would fly in by private jet to make purchases.
Cheng Youyou had heard numerous legends about Starlight Plaza, but she had never been there herself.
But now things were different. With money and confidence in hand, she felt compelled to go and broaden her horizons.
Cheng Youyou wanted to indulge herself and spend money extravagantly as quickly as possible. Was there a better choice than Starlight Plaza?
Cheng Youyou checked the public account of Starlight World, where it clearly stated: “The store’s anniversary celebration is tomorrow, and all purchases earn ten times the points.”
Cheng Youyou needed to splurge, and she also loved discounts. With both factors combined, Cheng Youyou’s enthusiasm was off the charts.
She immediately made plans to attend the anniversary celebration at Starlight Plaza tomorrow.
Cheng Youyou set aside the task of unpacking the delivery she was working on, opting to go to bed early to rest up. She wanted to approach tomorrow’s grand opening with full energy and excitement.
On the other side, Ding Yaxin wasn’t idle either.
Just a moment ago, her agent informed her that “Go For It Tycoon” was about to premiere. This was a great opportunity for publicity and grabbing attention, so Ding Yaxin had already purchased some publicity drafts to boast about herself.
Ding Yaxin planned to have her water army praise her appearance, as her performance on the show didn’t offer much to talk about.
Now, she was just waiting for the show to begin.
“Go For It, Tycoon” unexpectedly gained popularity during the live broadcast phase, elevating its status on Dragonfruit TV. Now, the show had its own dedicated promotion team.
On the day before the program aired, the promotion team began to intensify their efforts.
Having learned from Cheng Youyou’s previous experience of being criticized for individual promotion, the team decided to post group photos or videos featuring all members when promoting on social media.
The production team had indeed noticed Ding Yaxin’s purchased press release, but neither the production team nor Director Wang paid it much attention.
After all, Ding Yaxin’s press release also revolved around the “Go For It, Tycoon” program. Therefore, the program’s promotion team not only tacitly accepted this behavior but also reposted a few praises for Ding Yaxin’s press release.
The program team also tagged Ding Yaxin, with the caption: “Looking forward to the performance of our flying guest1a “flying guest” (飞行嘉宾, fēixíng jiābīn) refers to a guest who appears on the show for a short period of time, often just for a single episode or segment., Ding Yaxin, on ‘Go For It, Tycoon’.”
Seeing the words “flying guest” tagged specifically for her, Ding Yaxin felt a pang of discomfort.
After the last program ended, her agent informed her that her flying guest duties were over, and she wouldn’t be recording for the show anymore.
Ding Yaxin didn’t manage to snatch away this job from Cheng Youyou, and for her, it remained a thorn in her side.
On the day of the program airing, Ding Yaxin stared at the TV screen intently, trying her best to find faults with Cheng Youyou.
Even if she couldn’t replace Cheng Youyou, Ding Yaxin still wanted to trip her up somehow. She couldn’t let Cheng Youyou’s popularity soar too high, or else it would be even harder for her to compete for Cheng Youyou’s jobs in the future.
But when Ding Yaxin watched the entire program, she was close to losing her mind.
The more closely she observed, the more she realized that Cheng Youyou had much more screen time than her, while she herself had very little throughout the entire show.
After the program finished airing, she even calculated the screen time of each guest appearance.
In the end, after summing up, she realized that her screen time was the least. Including group shots, she only appeared for 13 minutes, while Cheng Youyou occupied a full 30 minutes.
A whole 30 minutes, Cheng Youyou had the longest screen time among all the guests in the entire program.
What’s even more frustrating is that both the live chat and comments were filled with praise.
Just reading the live chat made her angry, and when she checked Weibo, she was even more furious.
After this episode aired, it immediately trended, and beneath the trend, a casual search would bring up all sorts of praises for Cheng Youyou’s variety show performance.
【Haha, Cheng Youyou is so good at turning things around.】
【Cheng Youyou really knows how to play the game.】
【Honestly, when I saw her splurging, I was worried, but turns out she had a trick up her sleeve.】
【Looking forward to the next episode because of Cheng Youyou.】
【I just love people like Cheng Youyou, who seem relaxed but effortlessly come out on top.】
【Looks like bronze, but actually a king.】
【Cheng Youyou makes me self-reflect, rejecting the grind, and effortlessly owning a happy life.】
【Who says victory and ease can’t coexist?】
Ding Yaxin searched everywhere, she looked through many comments in a row, but she hardly saw any praising her.
After all, she was someone who spent money to buy beauty endorsements. She withdrew from the trending topics and entered her name in the search bar. This time, all the results that popped up were related to her.
An entertainment influencer posted Ding Yaxin’s Weibo.
【Ding Yaxin has always been beautiful, she’s like a dazzling presence in many shows. I really admire her beauty and I’m looking forward to her debut on “Go For It Tycoon!】
【Ding Yaxin’s ethereal beauty shines wherever she goes. I’m in love! If possible, I’d trade my ten pounds of fat for Ding Yaxin’s fairy-like face!】
These are all from the water army Ding Yaxin paid big money for.
Under these Weibo posts, there are also meticulously edited photos of Ding Yaxin that she sent to the water army. In each photo, Ding Yaxin looks stunning.
After seeing these Weibo posts, Ding Yaxin felt relieved; indeed, the money was well spent.
However, when she clicked into the comments, her happiness faded.
【She looks good, but the photoshopping is too obvious.】
【After watching the variety show, I don’t really think she’s attractive.】
【This must be paid publicity. Honestly, after watching the variety show, she’s far behind Cheng Youyou.】
【Yeah, I even specifically watched the program, Cheng Youyou outshines her by a mile.】
【Cheng Youyou is the real beauty.】
【The post meant to promote Ding Yaxin, but everyone’s talking about how gorgeous Cheng Youyou is, her skin is practically glowing.】
【If it weren’t for the comparison with Ding Yaxin, I wouldn’t have realized how stunning Cheng Youyou is.】
Despite being a press release meant to promote Ding Yaxin, the comments are all about Cheng Youyou’s beauty.
Ding Yaxin couldn’t swallow this insult.
Ding Yaxin also notices that apart from the press release she paid for, there’s no presence of her on Weibo after the show aired.
She barely got a chance on variety shows and can’t fade into obscurity like this.
After Ding Yaxin confirmed that her beauty isn’t making waves, she switches tactics to grab attention.
And soon enough, a new topic emerged on Weibo.
#Ding Yaxin Injured During Recording#
Clicking on this trending topic reveals a Weibo post by a major influencer.
【Am I the only one who noticed that Ding Yaxin didn’t appear in the group photo at the end of the program?】
Accompanied by a photo of the entire group, everyone is present except for Ding Yaqin.
After a while, the water army began to act.
Under this Weibo post, many comments emerged.
After a while, the water army began to act.
Under this Weibo post, many comments emerged.
【I heard that Ding Yaxin fell into a pit while recording this program, and she fell quite badly.】
【Wow, she’s so strong. She never mentioned it, big sis is really tough.】
【I love this kind of strong sister.】
【In the entertainment industry, everyone praises beauty, but what we really like is a strong and resilient girl.】
【Ding Yaxin has suffered so much grievance and never said a word. She’s really amazing!】
【She’s much stronger than some vase-like figures.】
Upon seeing these Weibo posts, Ding Yaxin smiled slightly.
Then, she pretended and posted a Weibo: “It’s okay, not very painful, basically almost healed.”
Accompanied by a picture: her leg wrapped in a cast.
In fact, Ding Yaxin’s leg had already had the cast removed, her condition wasn’t too serious, and the cast only needed to be fixed for two weeks.
But in order to garner sympathy, Ding Yaxin posted her previous photos.
After a while, the “Go For It Tycoon” program team also reposted the Weibo: “Ding Yaxin is very strong, recording the program without any complaints.”
This further solidified Ding Yaxin’s image as someone who perseveres despite her injury.
Ding Yaxin saw that her popularity value had increased significantly on the system panel, although it was still not as high as Cheng Youyou’s. However, there was now a rising trend.
She even had a position on the hot search list now. The topic #Ding Yaxin Injured During Recording# continued to soar, with many words of encouragement and comfort flooding in the comments.
Now, Ding Yaxin had also made it onto the hot search list.
She was not inferior to Cheng Youyou, not at all.
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