The Heiress's Game

In the president's office of Wanyu Culture, CEO Zheng Qiwen sat behind his desk, with four or five cigarette butts already stuck in the ashtray in front of him.

He had a sixth cigarette between his fingers, but he didn't smoke it; he just held it there, and a long pile of ash had accumulated, which he forgot to flick off.

His eyes were fixed on the data panel on the computer screen—after 48 hours online, the number of views had plummeted.

The number of viewers who pre-registered for the second episode was less than 30% of that for the first episode. The two largest words in the bullet screen word cloud were "boring".

The door was pushed open, and Ma Hongbin walked in.

"Mr. Zheng, you wanted to see me?" He sat down in the chair opposite the desk, only sitting on the bottom halfway.

Zheng Qiwen stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray slowly, as if he were crushing something.

He looked up at Ma Hongbin.

"Old Ma, what did you tell me when you recruited me? 'I have the data, I understand the model, I know the secret to Xingyao's success'—those were your exact words. And now?"

He picked up the tablet on the table; the screen displayed a summary of audience feedback after the first episode's premiere.

Rating: 2.4. The top-rated comment is, "Did they spend so much money just to film a celebrity browsing a dressing room?"

"President Zheng, this really can't be entirely my fault—" Ma Hongbin swallowed.

"The promotional period was too short, and coordinating with celebrities' schedules was difficult, so many of my original plans had to be cut. If you give me a little more time, I'm sure I can adjust things. The content for the next two episodes has already been greatly improved—"

"Time?" Zheng Qiwen interrupted him, raising his voice.

"Old Ma, three sponsors have already withdrawn! What more time do you want? Are you going to drag the remaining sponsors down with you?"

Ma Hongbin's face paled for a moment. He lowered his head, then raised it again.

"Mr. Zheng, I have an idea."

No major changes needed, no additional investment required, just invite one person as a guest for one episode, and the ratings will explode.

Zheng Qiwen didn't speak, but just looked up at him.

Gu Mingyue. The most famous socialite in Dahai City, the eldest daughter of the Gu family.

The relationship between her and Chen Cui has caused a huge uproar online. Chen Cui climbed to the top by stepping on her. The popularity of "Walking with Brilliance" today is simply due to its association with Gu Mingyue's name.

If "Shining Life" could invite Gu Mingyue as a guest for an episode, the show would generate a huge buzz—we wouldn't need to promote it ourselves; the media and netizens would be discussing it extensively.

"No matter what she says or does, the ratings will definitely soar."

Zheng Qiwen leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers twice slowly on the table.

He was thinking; he didn't like Ma Hongbin, but he couldn't deny the value of the idea itself.

The feud between Chen Cui and Gu Mingyue is known throughout the internet. If Gu Mingyue could appear on "Shining Life," even for just one episode, the topic would definitely explode.

Viewers will be curious about what she will say, the media will analyze her every expression frame by frame, and the competition between the two variety shows will be pushed to a new level.

This is a risky move, but sometimes a risky move is the only way to survive.

He raised his eyes and looked at Ma Hongbin.

"This plan is acceptable. You don't need to worry about hiring Gu Mingyue; let the content team handle that."

Ma Hongbin's face lit up instantly, but before the relief of surviving a disaster could fully surface, Zheng Qiwen's next words froze him in mid-air.

"As for you, you don't need to come in starting tomorrow. Your severance pay will be handled according to the contract."

Ma Hongbin remained frozen in his chair, his lips opening and closing again.

He wanted to say something, but in the end, all he did was move his lips and say, "Mr. Zheng, thank you."

Zheng Qiwen did not look up.

-----

When Li Chunjing knocked on the door and came in, Gu Yunjin was looking through the new product samples of the clothing line.

Several sample garments hung on a mobile hanger, their fabrics gleaming softly in the afternoon sunlight.

"Miss Gu, Wanyu Entertainment has made a new move."

Li Chunjing sat down opposite her and handed her the tablet.

"The premiere of 'Shining Life' was a flop, and the data was terrible."

Fang Hongyuan planned to fire Ma Hongbin, but before leaving, Ma Hongbin proposed a plan—to invite Gu Mingyue to be a special guest on the next episode of "Shining Life." Wanyu Entertainment was already preparing to send someone to persuade Gu Mingyue.

Gu Yunjin put down the sample garment in her hand and picked up the tablet to browse through it.

"Old Ma has a knack for creating content, but it's too late."

She handed the tablet back to Li Chunjing, and after a moment, she spoke.

"Given Gu Mingyue's personality, she would never look down on such a small variety show."

"If you ask her to be a special guest for a group of celebrities and sit and chat with a group of people she wouldn't even give a second glance to normally, she'll feel like she's lowering her status."

She's the top socialite in the city; her social circle is the front row of Paris Fashion Week, not a variety show recording studio.

Li Chunjing nodded.

"But if she really does go, it will definitely be a good thing for us."

Gu Yunjin pondered, "The feud between her and Chen Cui is known to everyone online."

Whenever she appears on "Shining Life," the show becomes a hot topic.

Netizens will edit together clips from the two variety shows and compare them repeatedly, like archaeologists.

This kind of cross-program buzz is something we couldn't buy ourselves. We shouldn't let free traffic and buzz go to waste.

Gu Yunjin continued her analysis, "Moreover, once she's on a variety show, we'll have a lot of room to maneuver."

To guide public opinion and completely bind her to Chen Cui.

Let everyone remember one thing—Gu Mingyue is no match for her former handbag carrier, Chen Cui.

I want to weld this label onto her.

Upon hearing this, Li Chunjing couldn't help but gasp softly.

She knew her boss was a deep thinker, but every time she heard her calculate a game of chess so many moves in advance, she still felt a sense of awe.

"Then how do we get her to go?" Li Chunjing asked.

"Based on your analysis, she will most likely reject WanYu's invitation."

"It's very simple," Gu Yunjin said casually, as if she were just saying that the weather was nice today.

"I went to see her and spoke frankly to her—'Sister, please don't go on that variety show. That's for minor celebrities. It's too low-class for you.'"

"That's...it?" Li Chunjing asked uncertainly.

"that's all."