The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 305 Poaching right under our noses... Failure!
On QQ, Bai Yang typed out his suspicions to He Huan.

In the chat box, He Huan quickly replied:

"No doubt about it, this is definitely Panda TV's reverse marketing strategy. The next step will definitely be for Panda TV to come out and clarify, which will naturally give the website another round of advertising."

Bai Yang thought so too.

But I felt really frustrated.

I always feel like the other person manages to get there first.

"Actually, you can think about it from a different perspective; it might not be a bad thing."

Bai Yang stared wide-eyed at the computer screen.

She's starting to doubt which side He Huan is on.

Just as he was about to type a rebuttal, He Huan sent another message.

"Think about it, if you were the one to report this first, wouldn't that be exactly what they wanted, and you'd be giving them free advertising?"

Bai Yang paused for a moment, then typed:

"Like the case of the exorbitantly priced dog-finding incident reported last time?"

"Yes, we agreed last time that we would use that news as an opportunity to expose the unhealthy trend of keeping female college students as mistresses, but it ended up helping Ye Luming make a name for himself by accident."

Although Bai Yang knew that He Huan was telling the truth, he was still somewhat unconvinced.

I did so much preparation and research, and now I'm just going to give up like this?
He Huan immediately guessed Bai Yang's thoughts:

"What, you still want to make the best of a mistake and use this post as an opportunity to interview the founder of Panda TV?"

Bai Yang's fingers quickly typed out a line of text on the keyboard.

"why not?"

"No, why are you so stubborn? You know they're just waiting for the media to take the bait, and you're still handing yourself over and giving them free advertising?"

"Who says that conducting an interview in person necessarily means advertising for the other party? We can certainly question whether this post was staged by the other party and demand an explanation from them to the public."

Upon seeing Bai Yang's message, He Huan finally understood.

"So you're trying to use this interview opportunity to expose this reverse marketing tactic?"

Upon seeing He Huan's reply, Bai Yang's spirits lifted, and he even typed faster.

"You still understand me."

As soon as he sent the message, He Huan poured cold water on it:
"What if the other party denies it? They might even accuse us of defamation and spreading rumors, or even take us to court?"

"What, are you scared?"

“It’s not a question of whether you’re afraid or not, but I’m worried that if you do this with your news, you won’t even need the other party to sue you; you’ll get past the station first.”

Without any evidence, accusing someone of hiring online trolls to self-deprecate or engage in reverse marketing is a highly controversial and potentially legally damaging news story that the station would never allow to be broadcast.

"Don't worry, I don't need you to teach me how to report the news objectively and fairly. I just want to raise this question directly to the interviewee during the interview. As for how the other party responds, that's their business. We are only responsible for presenting the matter to the audience objectively, fairly and comprehensively. This is the real way to protect the public's right to know."

Seeing that Bai Yang only wanted to expose the problem and not arbitrarily conclude that the other party was engaging in reverse marketing or hiring online trolls to smear themselves, He Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Your idea is not bad, but I still maintain that even if you ask in person during the interview, the station may not allow the broadcast of such suspicions without substantial evidence.”

Bai Yang had already devised a solution to this.

Panda TV is based in Beijing, so no matter how far its reach extends, it can't reach Shanghai.

Cross-regional oversight has always been an unwritten rule in the domestic media industry.

For example, the famous news program "XX Observation" in a certain province is often joked by people in the industry as "observing everywhere except its own province".

Compared to local news, TV stations are generally less restrictive when reporting on news from other places.

Bai Yang is confident that this interview will be completed, and as long as there is no external interference, the station will definitely approve it.

She even had a reporter in mind to interview Panda TV.

"You think that person wouldn't be me?"

"Of course it's you, why would it be me?"

While teasing He Huan, Bai Yang also kindly reminded him: "You haven't been transferred to the variety show department yet, so you need to stand firm at your post until the very end, you know?"

He Huan is now being called the "most beautiful reporter" by netizens. If she were to interview Panda TV now, they would definitely be happy to do so.

He Huan replied angrily:

"If I had known the director suggested we switch shifts today, I should have agreed. You only need to sit in the studio and say a few words, while I have to run around outside until my legs break!"

Bai Yang quickly typed a reply:
"Just think of it as a paid trip to Yanjing. I'll talk to the director tomorrow, and he'll definitely agree."

"roll!"

He Huan replied with a "knocking on the head" soybean emoji, and then went offline.

-

The next morning, Bai Yang excitedly found He Huan sitting in front of her computer at her workstation.

"The director has agreed. You can contact them to schedule the interview and book your flight. It would be best to leave today."

He Huan turned her head and glared at Bai Yang with annoyance.

Even the donkeys at the village entrance aren't treated like this.

He Huan put down a sticky note with a phone number on it.

"This is the phone number of Tang Ruo, the founder of Panda TV. I have investigated and found that Tang Ruo is a second-generation rich kid. His second business is located in the garage of his family villa. I estimate that if he were to be interviewed, he would choose that location as well."

This "food" was practically fed directly into He Huan's mouth.

Although He Huan wouldn't be grateful at all.

Despite her inner grumbling, He Huan still picked up her phone and dialed the number on the note.

The call connected, and a man's voice came from the other end.

"Hey?"

"Hello, are you Mr. Tang Ruo from Panda TV?"

"Yes, I am."

"Mr. Tang, hello, I'm He Huan, a reporter from Shanghai TV."

Before she could finish speaking, Tang Ruo's delighted voice rang out.

"Are you really He Huan?"

"Hmm... Mr. Tang knows me?"

"Of course I know you. I saw your report on that high-priced dog search. I bet there are far more people who know you online than through TV news these days."

He Huan composed herself.

"Mr. Tang, it's like this, I saw a post on Tianya Forum yesterday about—"

"Don't believe it, that post is a fabrication. We now suspect that it was posted by a competitor. We have contacted a lawyer to collect evidence and are preparing to resolve this matter through legal channels."

He Huan raised her head and looked at Bai Yang, who was frowning and silent.

Let me tell you, their preparations are more thorough than you imagine; they've already pinned the blame on their competitors.

—Panda TV hasn't even launched yet, who knows where the competitors will come from.

"Mr. Tang, I read that post and I have a few questions that I can't explain over the phone. Would it be convenient for us to come to your home for an interview?"

"A television interview?"

"Correct."

"When?"

"The sooner the better, tomorrow would be best." "Is today okay?"

what?
He Huan almost thought she had misheard.

I glanced at my watch; it was already past ten o'clock.

Even if you book the fastest flight now, you won't arrive in Yanjing until the afternoon or even the evening.

We can't exactly conduct interviews overnight, can we?
“Mr. Tang, it’s definitely too late today. Even if we set off from Shanghai, the earliest we can come to see you is tomorrow morning.”

"You don't need to go to Beijing. I'm in Shanghai right now. We can meet anytime we want."

He Huan was stunned again.

I thought I was going to Beijing on a business trip, but it turned out the other party was right at my doorstep.

Isn't this too coincidental?

“Mr. Tang, since you are in Shanghai, you can decide the time and place. I can leave at any time.”

"Let's meet at 2 PM at a milk tea shop across the street from the main gate of Southeast University."

"Dongda?"

He Huan asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Ms. He, didn't you come here last time when you interviewed about the case of the exorbitantly priced lost dog? Is there a problem here?"

He Huan took a deep breath.

"No problem, then let's meet at the main entrance of Dongda University."

After hanging up the phone, He Huan immediately looked up at Bai Yang.

“This is no coincidence. Tang Ruo must have come to see Yang Muye,” Bai Yang said with certainty.

She is now 100% certain that the post on Tianya last night exposing Panda TV was written by Yang Muye.

The cow/sheep mini-game initially became a viral sensation across the internet thanks to its viral marketing strategy.

In the realm of marketing, Yang Muyi always manages to bring various "surprises."

"So what do we do now? Should I still go and interview Johann Adam Schall von Bell?" He Huan asked helplessly.

To be honest, Bai Yang is also very conflicted right now.

The fact that Tang Ruo was able to give interviews so openly shows that he is not afraid of being criticized by the media.

Even being criticized by the media is part of the marketing process.

This feeling of being led by the nose made Bai Yang extremely unhappy.

The problem is that this interview has already been reported to the director, and He Huan has also made an appointment with Tang Ruo on the phone, so she can't not go.

Yang Muyi will probably be there too.

Even without meeting him, Bai Yang could imagine the smug look on Yang Muye's face that said, "I love that you can't stand me, but you can't do anything about it."

Damn it!
Bai Yang subconsciously clenched his fist.

-

At 2 p.m., He Huan and the cameraman arrived on time at the milk tea shop opposite the main gate of Southeast University.

There were only three customers in the shop.

Just as Bai Yang had guessed, Yang Muye was also present, and he had even invited Ye Luming to come and watch the excitement.

The remaining man looked a few years older than Ye Luming, and his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He Huan had seen Tang Ruo's photos online and immediately recognized the man as the person she was going to interview today.

"Hello, Mr. Tang!"

He Huan took the initiative to shake hands with Tang Ruo, while ignoring Yang Muye and Ye Luming who were standing to the side.

Anyway, the two of them won't be captured on camera during the interview later.

"Ms. He, I don't think I need to introduce these two friends to you again, right? You should know them both."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ye Luming's voice rang out.

"We've more than just met; we had dinner together the night before last... Miss He, it's nice to see you again."

He Huan forced a smile and nodded at Ye Luming.

At the same time, his gaze swept over Yang Muye, who remained silent to the side.

"Miss He, let's begin."

Tang Ruo took the initiative to sit down at the table.

He Huan sat down opposite Tang Ruo, and the photographer behind them pointed the camera at the two of them.

Yang Muyi and Ye Luming stepped out of the camera's view, found a place to sit down, and watched the commotion while drinking milk tea.

"Mr. Tang, after the collapse of the 'Let's See' website, many people thought you would never be involved in the internet industry again. What prompted you to start a second business?"

As He Huan spoke, he handed the microphone to Tang Ruo.

"Regret and resentment."

Looking at the camera lens, Tang Ruo's expression was sincere and earnest: "The regret is that although the internet celebrities incubated by 'Let's see' brought the website traffic to its peak, all of this was built on deception. This is also the reason why I finally decided to reveal the truth to everyone and shut down the website."

"I'm not resigned to this because my methods were wrong. I shouldn't have used deceptive methods to incubate and cultivate internet celebrities. However, using internet celebrities to drive website traffic is the right direction, which is why I decided to start my second business. This time, the direction and methods are correct, and I believe I can succeed."

He Huan couldn't help but interrupt and ask, "What do you mean by the correct method?"

"We do not engage in any crooked practices or fabricate false personas to deceive everyone. Every streamer who broadcasts on Panda TV undergoes strict identity verification by the website to prevent any fraudulent activities."

"At the same time, we have also brought in strong external support. After the website goes live, a large number of well-known internet celebrities will join, such as the familiar Old Boys, Plastic Brothers, and Sisters Who Make Waves. Of course, in the future, we will also discover more ordinary people to join the ranks of contracted anchors on the website."

At this point, Tang Ruo suddenly looked up at the photographer behind the camera.

"Can we pause for a moment?"

The photographer put down the camera, completely bewildered, while He Huan looked at Tang Ruo with the same expression.

"Mr. Tang, do you have any questions about the interview?"

"No, no, there are just a few things I can't say in front of the camera."

After confirming that the cameraman had turned off the camera, Tang Ruo looked up at He Huan:

"Ms. He, based on my experience in discovering and nurturing 'the wandering Da Vinci,' you seem to be very well-suited to be an internet celebrity. I wonder if you have any plans in that direction?"

His eyes were sincere, and his tone was earnest.

It doesn't look like he's joking at all.

He Huan was dumbfounded on the spot.

I came to interview you on behalf of the TV station, and you actually poached our employees right in front of the camera?

When others do something like "biting the hand that feeds them," at least they put down their bowls before cursing.

You're already poaching people halfway through the interview?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tang, I'm very satisfied with my job at the TV station and have no interest in becoming an internet celebrity."

"Miss He, please don't refuse yet, let me explain—"

"Mr. Tang, let's continue."

As He Huan spoke, she turned her head and gestured to the photographer next to her to turn on the camera.

Before Tang Ruo was fully prepared, He Huan had already thrown her first sharp question at her.

“Mr. Tang, you keep saying that Panda TV will learn from the failure of the ‘Let’s see’ website and will not resort to deception again. But now there are suddenly a lot of posts attacking and smearing Panda TV online. It’s hard not to suspect that this is another premeditated and self-directed hype by you!”

(End of this chapter)