My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

Chen Yi looked at the location on WeChat: the VIP room on the top floor of Shengshi Mansion in Pudong New Area.

"Check this place."

Chen Yi tossed his phone onto the coffee table. Xiao Fang glanced at the screen and immediately frowned.

"This is a members-only private club with extremely high security. Why are you asking that?"

Xiao Fang raised her head.

"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, Sister Hong is taking Hani there to meet the investors!"

Chen Yi's tone was calm, and Xiao Fang gasped.

"President Zhou of Xingyu Media? He blocked our approval process, and now he wants to see Hani. It's obvious he's trying to control both of you!"

"He can't control it."

Chen Yi went to the kitchen to pour water.

"Brother, don't be impulsive! The internet is full of negative information about you right now. If you show up there tomorrow and the paparazzi take pictures, you'll be forever branded as someone who 'meets with a female celebrity'!"

Xiao Fang followed Chen Yi into the kitchen, and Chen Yi picked up a water glass.

"Paparazzi can't get into private clubs."

"That won't work! Our top priority right now is dealing with the trending topics!"

Xiao Fang was so anxious that she stomped her feet. Her phone, which was on the table next to her, vibrated wildly, and the notification sound from her Weibo follower kept ringing.

Xiao Fang grabbed her phone, her eyes widening suddenly.

"Brother Chi Chi posted on Weibo!"

Xiao Fang's voice rose eight octaves.

Chen Yi put down his water glass! Xiao Fang opened the page and quickly swiped his finger across the screen.

"Nine photos! All of them are group photos of you from childhood to adulthood!"

Chen Yi leaned over and took a look.

The first picture shows him eating candied hawthorn with snot running down his face when he was five years old.

The second picture is of me in junior high school, with a buzz cut, playing soccer in the mud.

The third photo is a makeup-free picture of me wearing my school uniform at my high school graduation ceremony.

The one in the very center is a photo of Chen Chichi with his arm around his shoulder in front of the university gate.

Xiao Fang cleared his throat and read the caption aloud.

"I grew up with this brat. He's looked exactly the same since he was a kid. Anyone who says he's had plastic surgery should go see an ophthalmologist! Besides, he got on the show because of his own talent. If we're talking about connections, I'm the one with connections, not him!"

The comment section exploded instantly.

"Holy crap! My cousin stepped in to refute the rumors!"

"He's been handsome since he was a kid! That buzz cut photo from junior high was amazing, he's got the perfect bone structure for a handsome guy!"

"These marketing accounts spreading rumors about plastic surgery, come out and say something! This photo of him playing basketball in high school is so clear, even the sweat is visible. The curve of his nasal bridge is exactly the same as it is now. Can a plastic surgeon sculpt such bone structure?"

"Chen Chichi is too straightforward; he directly accused himself of being a 'connected person'!"

Xiao Fang's cheeks turned bright red with excitement.

"Brother Chi's move was brilliant! He nipped the plastic surgery theory in the bud!"

Chen Yi's phone also vibrated; a new message popped up in the Wuha permanent guest group.

Chen Chichi: "Cousin, this is all I can do for you! My aunt just called and yelled at me for posting an ugly photo of you when you were five. I'm about to be kicked out of the family tree! (Ծ‸Ծ)"

Chen Yi typed a reply.

"I'll offer you two extra drinks when I go home for the New Year."

Deng Chao posted a screenshot.

"Chen Chichi, you beat me to it! I posted it too!"

Chen Yi switched back to Weibo, and Deng Chao retweeted Chen Yi's Weibo post.

"This guy catches jokes faster than me. He left me speechless several times during the recording. To prove he hasn't had plastic surgery, I can vouch for him: when he ate garlic on the show, his facial muscles looked incredibly natural; the implants would have flown out long ago! We need him, and the audience needs him too!"

Lu Han then reposted it.

"With him around, I'm finally not at the bottom anymore! I've seen Chen Yi's bare face up close, and even his pores are smaller than mine! It's so infuriating (W(￣_￣)W)! See you next time, Chen Yi!"

Xiao Fang, holding her phone, jumped up on the spot in excitement.

"Brother Chao and Brother Lu Han have also joined in! They're using their reputations to endorse you!"

Chen Yi looked at the messages in the group and a smile crept up his lips. In the entertainment industry, there are many who add flowers to brocade, but few who offer charcoal in the snow.

These people are people I can get along with!

Old Wang's message popped up in the group.

Old Wang: "Make way, let the officials handle this."

One minute later, the official Weibo account of the "Five Ha" program posted a long image update.

There were no sentimental words, only eight backstage ratings trend charts and one streaming media play count bar chart.

Old Wang added a caption.

"The data doesn't lie! Last season's peak rating was 1.2, and the scene where Chen Yi carried Hani Kezi down the mountain saw the real-time rating soar to 2.8! You call this 'royal family'? I'd love to serve this 'royal family' every day. The people chosen by the audience, I, Old Wang, must keep them."

The chart clearly shows that whenever Chen Yi appears on screen, the ratings skyrocket.

The number of bullet screen interactions is far ahead of the rest, and the comment section has completely turned against them.

"The authorities stepped in and slapped us in the face! That feels great!"

"It turns out it wasn't the production team promoting him; he alone boosted the show's ratings!"

"Are the investors jealous? Unable to get their own people in, they resort to buying articles to smear others!"

"Resist these filthy capitalists! Give Chen Yi back to us!"

"If Wuha dares to replace Chen Yi, I'll uninstall Tencent Video immediately!"

Xiao Fang's voice trembled as he looked at the real-time data on the tablet.

"Bro! The trending topics have changed!"

The negative keywords that were originally in the top ten trending searches quickly cooled down and were replaced by new keywords.

#Chen He Supports Chen Yi#

#All five huskies are protective of their own#

#Chen Yi's Backend Data Gap#

All three entries were followed by the word "Explosion" in dark red.

"You've gained followers!"

Xiao Fang pointed to Chen Yi's Weibo homepage, where the number of followers was jumping wildly at a rate of hundreds per second.

Three and a half million, four million, four million eight hundred thousand, and over five million!

Overnight, despite the barrage of negative articles across the internet, Chen Yi's fan count actually increased, surpassing the five million mark!

Xiao Fang's phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the number and pressed the answer button.

"Ms. Fang, we can take the order now. The public relations fee is negotiable."

Xiao Fang sneered.

"Discuss my ass! You just said someone from above gave instructions, and now that person is dead?"

Xiao Fang hung up immediately and deftly turned off her phone.

"Let them be unable to reach us!"

Xiao Fang shouted triumphantly.

Chen Yi leaned against the kitchen counter, his expression remaining calm. He did not let his guard down despite the online comeback.

"Bro, you're getting real top-tier treatment now! Five million active fans—that's even more powerful than those idols who came out of talent shows!"

Xiao Fang paced back and forth in the kitchen, while Chen Yi poured out the remaining water from his glass.

"Winning an online war of words is useless!"

Chen Yi spoke.

Xiao Fang stopped in her tracks.

"What do you mean? Public opinion is completely on our side now!"

"Old Wang posted on Weibo to protect me, which shows that he couldn't withstand the pressure from above and could only use public opinion to force the investors to back down."

Chen Yi walked to the sofa, picked up the black windbreaker, and said, "But the approval authority still rests with Xingyu Media."

Xiao Fang's smile froze.

"As long as they hold onto the official seal, the next episode of 'Five Ha' won't be able to be filmed! If it drags on for a month, the audience's enthusiasm will be completely exhausted."

Chen Yi put on his windbreaker and zipped it up.

"So what can we do now?"

Xiao Fang panicked.

Chen Yi picked up the car keys on the table.

"Go and address the root cause."

He glanced at the time on his phone screen.

There are less than ten hours left before Hanikezi goes to meet with Mr. Zhou from Xingyu Media.

Since the investors want to play dirty tricks, let's go and meet them.

Seeing Chen Yi walk towards the door, Xiao Fang quickly followed after him.

"Brother! Are you really going to that private club? What if it's a trap?"

Chen Yi stopped at the entrance and changed into a pair of black running shoes from a Chinese streetwear brand.

"They set up a scheme, and if I don't expose it, I'll be letting down those negative trending topics they paid for."

Chen Yi pushed open the door.

The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on.

Chen Yi put on a black baseball cap, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for the basement.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

A blue virtual screen popped up in my mind instantly.

"Ding!"

"The second phase of the main quest has been activated!"

"Mission Title: Clash of Capital"

"Mission Requirements: In the upcoming battle, completely break through Star Entertainment Media's blockade and seize absolute initiative!"

"Mission Rewards: [Top-Tier Script Library Access] + [Mysterious Connection Card]."

Chen Yi looked at the rewards on the panel and a smile appeared on his lips.