I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

Wu Zheng ruffled his sparse hair into a mess and raised the megaphone, ready to speak.

"I apologize to all the audience and friends here, there's been an unexpected situation."

Wu Zheng bowed deeply to the camera lens, his tone full of frustration.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the recording of this episode in Wuhan has now concluded! Thank you for your support!"

The director cut off the signal.

The moment the screen went black, the live stream chat was filled with question marks.

The fans watching at the scene let out bursts of groans, saying they hadn't seen enough.

Song Yuqi's black van had long since sped away, leaving not even a taillight behind.

Bai Lu stood on the beach, completely dumbfounded.

She had mentally prepared herself, just waiting for Song Yuqi to leave so that she could naturally take over the center position of the red team and interact wildly with Jiang Che.

But Old Wu didn't follow the script and directly announced the cancellation of the broadcast?

Are we going to throw away the buzz and traffic?

The Five Ha Men's Group disbanded on the spot, and everyone went home.

Bai Lu returned to her van, and as soon as the door closed, she slammed the limited-edition bag onto the leather seat.

"What kind of nonsense is this?!" She was so angry that her chest heaved as she pointed at her manager and started cursing.

"Song Yuqi left, and instead of taking the opportunity to give me more screen time, he just canceled the show?"

"Did I turn down other gigs to become this punching bag?"

The agent huddled in the corner, not daring to utter a single word.

Bai Lu couldn't swallow her anger any longer.

She took out her phone, skillfully selected a number, and dialed it.

That was her backer, Mr. Liu, a senior executive in the Greater China region of one of the major brands that sponsored Wuha.

The moment the call connected, her domineering tone vanished completely, replaced by a sticky, stringy voice.

"Mr. Liu, you have to stand up for me."

"Today on the show, they ganged up on me and ostracized me. That Song Yuqi was especially arrogant and kept making things difficult for me."

The sound of paper documents being flipped through came from the other end of the phone; no one answered.

Bai Lu made a tough decision and administered a drastic measure.

"Mr. Liu, Song Yuqi has gone back to South Korea to work on her group's comeback. She won't be back for at least half a month."

"Could you put some pressure on Wu Zheng? Make me a regular cast member for the next episode and kick Song Yuqi out completely."

There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Immediately afterwards, a cold laugh rang out.

"Bai Lu, have you lost your mind?"

Bai Lu was stunned by this rebuke: "President Liu, how could I...?"

"Do you think I'm some kind of charity-spending benefactor? Who do you think you are, daring to ask me to mess with Song Yuqi and Jiang Che?"

Mr. Liu slammed the pen in his hand heavily on the table.

"The buzz they've generated these past few days has caused the company's products to sell out on all major platforms, and their e-commerce warehouses are completely empty."

The stock hit its daily limit up in just one morning! I'm practically worshipping these two gods of wealth right now!

"But you promised before..."

"That was before! Things have changed. Capital only looks at performance, not your tears."

Mr. Liu interrupted her without hesitation, "If you dare to mess with them behind their backs, I'll be the first to kill you. From today onwards, don't make this call again."

"Beep beep beep—"

A dial tone came from the receiver. Bai Lu held the phone, mouth agape, stunned for a long time.

On the other side, Wu Zheng was sitting on the high-speed train on his way back, frowning as he discussed with the assistant director how to handle the next editing.

The assistant director slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Director, what about the next episode?"

Just as he was worrying, Wu Zheng's phone rang.

Upon looking at the screen, the name of the major investor, "General Manager Liu," was flashing.

Wu Zheng sneered inwardly.

Bai Lu is really quick.

He cleared his throat, his tone serious, "Mr. Liu, I'm busy right now. Is there something you need?"

"Old Wu, you've worked hard."

Mr. Liu's attitude was so kind and friendly that it even made Wu Zheng feel a little uneasy. "I'm calling here specifically to express my opinion to you."

"Please speak."

"That White Dew solar term has no deep connection with our brand."

"If she causes trouble on the show, cut it out if you need to, kick her out if you need to, don't worry about saving face for me."

Wu Zheng was stunned: "Huh?"

"Old Wu, the Wuhan episode was absolutely amazing!"

"Our board of directors just finished a meeting and decided to add another ten million in sponsorship fees to Wuha!"

Wu Zheng understood everything now, slapped his thigh, and laughed so hard his face was full of wrinkles.

After hanging up the phone, Wu Zheng felt his back straighten up.

I was just about to share the good news with the guests when my phone screen lit up again.

It was an unread text message sent by Bai Lu's agent.

[Director Wu, Bai Lu has suffered such a great injustice, and General Manager Liu is also very unhappy.]

If we cannot secure a permanent position, your group may need to reconsider the sponsorship offer.

Wu Zheng stared at the text message and chuckled.

They're making a mountain out of a molehill, thinking they're some big shot.

"Xiao Zhao!" Wu Zheng turned around and shouted at the publicity coordinator sitting in the back row.

"Right now, immediately, at this moment, issue a statement on the official Weibo account."

"We've announced that due to scheduling conflicts, Ms. Bailu will no longer participate in the recording of any subsequent stops on the Wuha website. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors."

The assistant director, listening nearby, grimaced: "Director, so ruthless? No mercy whatsoever, just kicking him out straight?"

"Nonsense, the big spender has already said to kick her out, why would I keep her around and support her throughout the year?"

Wu Zheng snorted and touched his bald head. "In this industry, whoever can boost ratings is the boss."

Less than ten minutes later, the official Weibo account of Wuha posted a message.

There were no formalities, no attempts to persuade him to stay; it was all done cleanly and decisively.

Netizens who saw this Weibo post before it was even removed from the trending topics immediately started popping champagne in the comments section.

Old Wu showed his true colors today! That was a perfect performance!

[Good kick! I was so annoyed by how that woman was trying to steal the spotlight on the ship today; finally, I don't have to look at her industrial-looking face.]

[Hahaha, capital is abandoning us too quickly! It must be because Mr. Jiang and Ms. Song are too good at driving sales!]

Three hours later, at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

Jiang Che, wearing a black baseball cap and carrying a shoulder bag, emerged from the VIP entrance.

He took out his phone and turned it on. The screen vibrated repeatedly, and a series of notifications popped up.

#Top trending topic: #WuhanStationofWuhaShowCancelled#

Second on the trending topics list: #SongYuqiRecalled#

Third on the trending topics list: #Wuha officially announces Bailu's departure#

Jiang Che glanced at the third item casually, without even raising an eyebrow.

Clear all these random push notifications with a single click.

He had no interest in even glancing at the mess that woman had made.

The pickup van was already parked by the roadside. Jiang Che opened the car door, got in, and threw his bag on the passenger seat.

Open WeChat, and the group that Chen He renamed "The Five Bachelors' Singles' Seminar (excluding Lao Chen and Lao Deng)" has 99+ unread messages.

Jiang Che scrolled up.

Chen He sent a screenshot of the official Weibo account's termination statement into the group.

Chen He: [Did Old Wu take the wrong medicine today? So tough, he just kicked that member of the royal family away?]

Deng Chao: [I just asked around with some friends in the industry. Bai Lu, that idiot, tried to find a sugar daddy to put pressure on him, but the sugar daddy turned around and gave Old Man Wu a sponsorship of 10 million.]

The iron fist of capital strikes so loudly, hahahahaha!

Lu Han: [Serves her right! Who told her to be so scheming all day long, buzzing around Lao Jiang like a green-headed fly, it's so annoying to look at.]

It's a testament to Lao Jiang's good temper that he didn't lose his temper on the spot today.

Wang Mian: [The main reason is that our lyricist and Teacher Song are just too incredibly popular.]

After a few people finished gossiping about Bailu, the group chat was quiet for about half a minute.

Soon, Lu Han jumped out again.

Lu Han: [Hey, let's get down to business. Yu Qi's gone for at least two weeks now. You all know how insane the competition is on music show stages in Korea.]

Deng Chao: [Yeah, this girl is really working hard. I saw she had dark circles under her eyes today; working non-stop like this takes a toll on her body.]

Lu Han: [So, I've got an idea. Since our show's been on hiatus for over two weeks, everyone's pretty free anyway. How about we organize a get-together, fly to Seoul to visit her on set, and show our support?]

The suggestion immediately sparked a lively discussion in the group chat.

Chen He sent a meme with shining eyes: 【That's great! I'll take my family to Seoul for a family trip; we can't waste this two-week vacation.】

Deng Chao: Count me in! The Empress said yesterday that she was going to South Korea to get a cosmetic procedure.

Let's go backstage and get her a few support coffee trucks; we have to give her the full patronage she deserves.

Wang Mian: [Since all the bosses are going, I have to be their bag carrier. Perfect timing to go to Seoul for some authentic Korean BBQ.]

The group chattered away, quickly discussing the itinerary, airfare, and materials for visiting the set to show their support.

They acted completely on a whim, even arranging to bring a few bottles of Moutai to welcome him.

Once they had finalized their landing dates, Lu Han suddenly tagged someone in the group chat.

Lu Han: [@Jiang Che, the four of us are going, what about you? Don't play dead, I know you've gotten off the plane.]

Immediately afterwards, Deng Chao also joined the queue.

Deng Chao: [@JiangChe, are you going or not?]

Chen He: [@Jiang Che, hurry up and say something. We can do without anyone else, but we can't do without you.]

If you don't go, what kind of nonsense is it for a bunch of old fogies to go and cheer you on? Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock?

Wang Mian: [@江Che+1, Sir Ci, don’t be afraid, rush! 】

The car was so quiet that the only sound was the whooshing of the air conditioning vents.

Jiang Che leaned back in the leather seat, staring at his phone screen.

Outside the car window, traffic flowed on the Shanghai elevated highway, and colorful neon lights constantly flashed past his face.

The image of that girl blushing and confidently taking his hand by the East Lake flashed through his mind earlier that day.

Those two eye-catching little tiger teeth, and the refreshing citrus scent emanating from her, carried on the lake breeze.

Actually, he didn't even finish writing the guitar accompaniment sheet music for today's song "Romantic Love," so it was indeed a half-finished product.

The four old foxes in the WeChat group are still frantically spamming the chat with messages to queue up.

[Lyricist, give me a straight answer!]

Jiang Che stared at the screen full of mentions, his thumb hovering above the input box on his phone keyboard, hesitant to tap.