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

The door to the guest room at the end of the corridor clicked shut.

Chen Yi put one hand in the pocket of his black work pants and turned to walk towards the stairwell.

Five minutes after the power outage, the red lights of the three fixed cameras above their heads lit up again precisely, emitting a faint hum of operation.

Xiao Fang hid at the corner of the stairs, sweating profusely as she held her phone.

"Brother!" Xiao Fang whispered as he leaned closer, "You're finally out! Boss Li just arrived at the inn and stormed straight into Old Wang's room! It's so noisy inside, you can hear it even on the first floor!"

Chen Yi didn't stop walking.

"Mr. Li? The producer from Tencent Video?" Chen Yi asked.

"It's him!" Xiao Fang stamped her feet anxiously. "He's been trending at number one for over two hours, and the sponsor's phones have been ringing off the hook with calls to the platform's business department. President Li is definitely coming to confront us; he might even terminate the contract and cut ties with us!"

A cold smile appeared on Chen Yi's lips.

He strode forward and headed straight for Lao Wang's office.

Before they even reached the door, Mr. Li's extremely penetrating roar had already pierced through the wooden door.

"Director Wang! I don't care about your bullshit about a mole! The investors are concerned with public opinion!" President Li slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup rattle. "Right now, the entire internet is condemning Chen Yi for workplace harassment and the production team for forcibly creating a romantic pairing! If you can't come up with a clarification plan within two hours, I'll have the legal department issue a statement immediately, cutting all of Chen Yi's scenes out!"

Old Wang's voice was filled with extreme frustration.

"Mr. Li, calm down! This is clearly Xingyu Media's doing! I have the original footage; all we have to do is release it..."

"Then release it!" Mr. Li interrupted directly. "Can you release it? Do you dare to release it?! Sister Hong's termination letter has already been delivered to my desk! If you release the original footage, Hanikezi's fans will tear down the guesthouse in Dali!"

Old Wang was completely stumped.

Outside the door, Chen Yi reached out and grasped the metal doorknob, then pushed the door open and entered.

"President Li is in a bad mood." Chen Yi said calmly as he strode into the room.

The arguing in the room stopped abruptly.

President Li turned his head and pointed at Chen Yi's nose.

"How dare you show your face here?" President Li's face was full of anger. "Do you know how much trouble you've caused! The platform's S-level variety show this year is about to be ruined by this scandal!"

Chen Yi ignored the finger pointing at him.

He walked to his desk, pulled out the folding chair, and sat down with an air of authority.

"Terminating the contract and cutting ties will at most save the platform a penalty fee." Chen Yi leaned back slightly, his gaze sweeping over President Li's face. "I'll give you a plan that will break all online viewership records. Want to hear it?"

Mr. Li was stunned for a moment, his hand frozen in mid-air.

"What do you mean?" President Li frowned.

"President Zhou spent tens of millions hiring online trolls to push this trending topic to the top of the charts." Chen Yi tapped his finger on the table. "Such a huge pool of traffic, are you just going to throw it away like this?"

Old Wang, who was listening nearby, was terrified.

"Chen Yi, don't do anything reckless!" Old Wang quickly exclaimed. "The entire internet is watching us. One wrong move and we're doomed!"

Chen Yi turned to look at Old Wang.

"Old Wang, do you have the password to the official Weibo account?" Chen Yi asked.

"Yes, what's up?"

"Post an update." Chen Yi slowed his speech, emphasizing each word, "Just say thank you for the online oversight. The 'Five Ha' production team will not tolerate any malicious editing or spreading rumors. The full version of the unreleased footage from the Dali Old Bridge will premiere online as an exclusive bonus during the season finale."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Xiao Fang stood by the door and gasped.

Old Wang's eyes widened like copper bells.

"Are you crazy!" Old Wang jumped up. "Release the full version? That means all those scenes of you two exchanging glances will be broadcast! The rumors about him being a kept man will be debunked, but the secret relationship will be confirmed! Sister Hong will definitely kill me!"

Mr. Li also looked at him like he was crazy.

Chen Yi chuckled softly.

"Who said it's solid evidence?" Chen Yi retorted.

Old Wang was stunned.

"Isn't the way variety shows create on-screen couples all about post-production editing and plot twists?" Chen Yi put forward the core logic: "What was leaked was malicious editing. Once the full version is released, it will prove that I didn't force her, and the label of workplace bullying will be completely shattered."

Chen Yi looked at President Li.

"As for the longing in their eyes?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. "The filming of this entire season has only just begun. You have a full twelve episodes to use the camera to gradually build up the rumor of 'one-sided pursuit' into an extreme tug-of-war of 'mutual attraction'."

Mr. Li's eyes suddenly lit up.

"When we get to the final episode," Chen Yi's fingers stopped tapping on the table, "the audience has followed us all season, savoring all the sweet moments. If we release the full original footage of Lao Qiao now, they'll only see it as the ultimate sweet highlight; who will care about workplace harassment?"

Old Wang swallowed hard, his mind racing.

"Moreover," Chen Yi threw out his final trump card, "if we officially announce the full version at the end of the season now, the tens of millions of dollars that President Zhou spent on online marketing will essentially be free pre-launch publicity for the new season of 'Five Ha'. The entire internet will be scrutinizing our show with a magnifying glass, looking for every little clue."

"This is called immersive online variety show watching." Chen Yi leaned back in his chair. "President Li, is this a worthwhile investment?"

Mr. Li's breathing became extremely heavy.

As a pure businessman, he was all too aware of the terrifying traffic that such reverse operations could generate.

Use the money from the haters to promote the platform!

They transformed a deadly scandal into the biggest suspense of the entire season!

"Damn it!" President Li slammed his hand on the table, this time excited. "This move is absolutely ruthless! Old Wang! Get the PR department to prepare the copy immediately! Post it directly on the official Weibo account!"

Old Wang was so excited that his hands were trembling.

He reached for his phone, but his elbow slipped, causing the thermos on the table to tip over, spilling most of the goji berry water all over the script.

Old Wang didn't even bother wiping it; he grabbed his phone and rushed out of the office to find the publicity manager.

Chen Yi stood up and straightened the cuffs of his black shirt.

"Mr. Li, the trending topic issue is resolved." Chen Yi looked at the producer. "Next, it's time to settle accounts with the mole."

Chen Yi turned to look at Xiao Fang at the door.

"Xiao Fang, contact the legal team." Chen Yi's tone was extremely cold and hard. "In the name of the 'Five Ha' program team and Tencent Video, formally file a criminal lawsuit against Liu Qiang for leaking materials on charges of 'stealing trade secrets' and 'infringing copyright'."

Xiao Fang immediately straightened her back.

"clear!"

"Tell the lawyer to follow the trail." A dangerous glint flashed in Chen Yi's eyes. "I want to hold the mastermind accountable. Send a lawyer's letter directly to the president's office of Xingyu Media."

Chen Yi strode out the door.

The strategic retreat has been laid out.

The moment Mr. Zhou saw the official announcement, he should have known what true despair was.