Age of Legends

Chapter 316 Waiting for the ultimate move

The TV show "The Golden Mediator" was taken off the air, much to the delight of the people of Fuzhou. Of course, the term didn't exist at that time, but that was roughly the situation.

"Seven-Day Promise" has become a variety show that has broken into the mainstream on the provincial TV station. Its influence in Fuzhou is also extraordinary. In addition to talking about prime-time TV dramas, people are also discussing the future development of this so-called "reality show" during their leisure time.

For Zhang Chen, the reconnection with advertisers was undoubtedly exciting, as it meant a return of cash flow.

However, it hasn't returned to the level of "Emotional Mediation Room".

Of course, advertisers aren't stupid; they're still watching the long run. The show's popularity is only temporary, and whether it can be sustained is indeed a question.

With so much attention now on them, the provincial TV station is also worried about this, so they've repeatedly made requests to ensure its success, changed the prime time slot, and even have higher-level leaders review the edited footage. It seems they've developed a certain obsession with "possibly appearing on the same list as Hunan TV."

As for Jiang Rong, Zhang Chen felt that he had probably wronged Yang Xiaole the most. He had only met her a few times, had a simple hot pot meal with her, and then dumped her into the program crew and the single apartment.

During the recording, Yang Xiaole privately called Jiang Rong to complain a lot, so the special effect bubbles and close-ups of her inner thoughts on the show were not entirely Zhang Chen's random additions; many of them were genuine reflections of her inner thoughts.

However, Yang Xiaole will undoubtedly become famous through this program, which will greatly benefit her career development in the future. In Zhang Chen's era, she could have become a live-streaming e-commerce influencer and taken off. So, it can be considered a way to make up for it.

What worried Zhang Chen the most was Jiang Rong mentioning the high-level meeting within the provincial TV station, where the support from the propaganda department leaders helped to correct the wrongs. He feared their program would still face some targeting and obstruction, and that Meng Lihui would cause more trouble.

She added that when the leader came to talk to her that day, she thought it would be a case of officials protecting each other, but unexpectedly, the leader actually listened to her advice. Zhang Chen felt that this was mostly not due to the leader's personal will, but rather because Wu Yue's problems were too obvious, attracting attention from higher-ups, or perhaps Meng Lihui's own position was unstable. Of course, Zhang Chen still advised Jiang Rong to try her best to maintain this relationship if possible, since it was considered outstanding among the leaders, and she might be able to speak up in the future. However, he didn't hold out much hope for it; it was just official business, and she shouldn't try to use it to climb the social ladder.

The most urgent task now is to produce good episodes and stabilize the existing fanbase, which remains a challenge. Only when we are strong can we truly benefit from others' support; otherwise, their support is ultimately just a mirage.

With this matter brought to a close, no one was happier than Zhao Tao. After the "Seven-Day Agreement" was launched, the pressure from the news that was originally aimed at them was greatly reduced, and the other side's media offensive receded like a tide.

Upon inquiry, it turned out that Meng Lihui, who was in charge of this matter, had suffered a setback. Naturally, the news department couldn't follow up either. With Meng Lihui, who was in charge of everything, no longer following up, her henchmen lost their incentive, and no one was willing to continue such a thankless task. If the other party were a legitimate company involved in the matter, they would definitely engage in various forms of extortion. But the other party was Zhao Tao. Without real power, who would really offend him to the point of no return?

With Zhao Tao's situation cleared up, some of his brothers sensed the change in circumstances. Bu Ruijie entered his office and finally let out a sigh of relief: "Brother Tao, finally things have calmed down. For the past few days, there have been inspections every few days. The industry and commerce bureau, tax bureau, post office, and fire department have been checking us all over, like they were scheduling their shifts!"

He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Someone's been reporting us and targeting us every day—those media bastards. If it weren't for us brothers holding things together, this whole thing would have fallen apart long ago. Was this all orchestrated by you?"

Zhao Tao paused for a moment, then looked at Bu Ruijie's eager gaze, considered for a moment, and said, "I said, everyone hang in there, we'll get through this. This situation won't last too long."

Bu Ruijie nodded solemnly as if he had received the expected answer, "That's right! But I still can't stand Liu Qi's arrogance. Tell me, when can we make him stumble?"

Zhao Tao had hoped Liu Qi would stumble, but this man was different from the other gangsters Zhao Tao had encountered before. His methods were unpredictable and he wouldn't engage in direct confrontation; instead, he would constantly lure Zhao into making mistakes and driving him to the brink of despair. If Zhang Chen hadn't disrupted the provincial television station's power structure, they might still have been blocked from Shengfeng's future by manipulated reports and public opinion.

Moreover, Zhang Chen said that Liu Qi had gone too far and was going to break down on his own. But the key point is that even Zhao Tao wanted to say to Bu Ruijie, "You ask me? Who should I ask?"

However, as the backbone of Shengfeng and all its brothers, Zhao Tao could not appear to be in a state of uncertainty and confusion about the future.

Bu Ruijie insisted on getting to the bottom of things, and after thinking for a while, Zhao Tao finally came up with a sentence that could shut him up.

"Wait for the ultimate move."

After his break, Bu Ruijie left Zhao Tao's office and drove to the Guangdu District branch, where Qian Junyi, Hong Yao, and a few others were waiting for him.

"What did Brother Tao say?"

"He's waiting for his big move," Bu Ruijie said irritably.

"Waiting for the ultimate move...waiting for what ultimate move?" Hong Yao asked.

"How would I know what big move he's going to make? But it's like playing Age of Empires. Every time Brother Tao sets up a plan and says he's going to pull out a big move, you don't need to ask. He'll definitely pull out a brilliant tactic at the end, always catching you off guard. It's either a massive cavalry charge or a berserker flooding your base. So I believe Brother Tao has a big move! He must have a countermeasure. Even if you ask him now, he won't tell you."

"Bu Ruijie said with certainty. So soon, not only within Shengfeng, but also among people in society who were paying attention to the conflict between Zhao Tao and Liu Qi, similar conversations would occur while playing mahjong or poker in teahouses."

"Just wait, Liu Qi's good news is coming soon."

"What... Zhao Tao is going to make a move?"

"I heard that Zhao Tao is waiting for his big move."

"Waiting for the ultimate move? Aren't we saving up for the ultimate move?" Someone stared wide-eyed and tilted their head as they shuffled the cards.

Then the other person mysteriously stretched out a finger and pointed it to the sky: "Wait... for the ultimate move."

"Wow!" The listener pondered for a moment, then revealed a look of awe that seemed to understand but not quite.

Anyway... just wait and see.

That summer, rumors circulated in Fuzhou...

Zhao Tao was waiting for a powerful move to fall from the sky.

……

That summer, despite the turbulent and ever-changing television market in Rongcheng, Zhang Chen continued to live his life as usual, preparing for the college entrance examination.

It was similar to, yet different from, the previous life. In the previous life, Huang Huifen and Zhang Zhonghua had already started a fruit stall, working from dawn till dusk every day, while Zhang Chen was left to roam freely without any supervision.

It's pretty much the same now. Huang Huifen is busy with work at the construction site and the company every day, while Zhang Zhonghua is constantly running between the new factory and Nanguang Company for meetings. Zhang Chen has continued to live a leisurely life.

When I went out this morning, I saw Shen Nuoyi on the bus that passed by the door. The girl was standing by the window in the crowded room. Even though the space was cramped, she stood out so much that everyone around her seemed to lose focus.

Her lips were red and her teeth white, with a touch of coolness and vitality that seemed to linger on her face in the early morning.

The aloofness that kept strangers at bay crumbled the moment she saw Zhang Chen emerge from her house. She wasn't surprised, as if she had already anticipated that if Zhang Chen came out of the complex at that moment, they might bump into each other. And if they did, this was how she would react.

She gently looked up from the car window, her eyes fixed on him at a 45-degree angle. Then, a subtle smile appeared on her lips, as if to say, "I'll go ahead first, my disciple, you may continue your journey at your own pace."

Like a fleeting morning breeze, it has passed by.

This is the turmoil she caused because of him.

This is a scene from that summer.

During the long break, Zhang Chen stood under a shady tree, eating an ice cream he had rushed to the school store to buy early in the morning. Standing under the canopy-like banyan tree, biting into the ice cream on the flower bed covered with shade, he watched the crowd of people moving like ants, and heard the rustling of voices and the chirping of cicadas and the rustling of leaves in the lush green school forest in the distance.

Then, a woman half a head shorter than her appeared beside her. Her hair was loose, with small curls at the ends tied with red fruit hair clips. She wore a small tank top with lotus leaf pleats, white denim shorts, and white socks and sneakers on her shapely, fair legs. The wind carried the pleasant scent of jasmine as she ate the same ice cream.

Zhang Chen was silent for a moment, and then when he looked over, Zhuang Yanyue seemed to only then notice the tilt of his head next to her. She smiled, raised the ice cream in her hand, and said, "What a coincidence."

Further away, men and women who witnessed this scene first whispered among themselves, and then gradually began to jeer.

This is also a scene from that summer.

(End of this chapter)