Stop it, the country really can't fit any more bans on the domestic entertainment industry.

That night, in that secondhand apartment, the couple, both suffering from severe procrastination, fell into a deep sleep.

They figured it wouldn't make a difference if they didn't spend another night.

However, what they didn't know was that the world wouldn't stop because of their procrastination. On the contrary, the moment they closed their eyes, the gears of fate not only didn't slow down, but were instead slammed on the gas pedal.

........................................

Inside the Mushroom House, in the control room.

The lights were on, and the air was thick with smoke.

The chief director, Wang Yuzheng, did not rest. He was sitting in front of the monitor with his legs crossed, a half-burnt cigarette between his fingers, his eyes shining as he stared at the playback on the screen.

Those were recordings made during the day.

On the screen, Li Mo'an stood calmly in front of the pile of iron, while a group of villagers surged up around him like a zombie apocalypse.

They scrambled and pushed, some clutching artillery shells like they were gold ingots; others carrying landmines like they were pancakes. The scene was chaotic and even somewhat out of control.

If it were an ordinary director, seeing such an uncontrollable chaotic scene, they would probably be frowning and worried about a broadcast accident.

But Wang Yu is different.

As a seasoned veteran in the variety show industry, his thought process is, to some extent, similar to that of Li Mo'an.

"Snapped!"

Wang Yu slapped his thigh hard, leaving a red mark, but he felt no pain. Instead, he shouted excitedly:

"Absolutely amazing!"

"This is absolutely brilliant!"

He pointed at the screen, then turned to the assistant director beside him and said:

"Old Liu, look at this scene! Look at the sense of conflict!"

"I was initially worried that with Li Mo'an digging in the ground all by himself, although it's popular now, viewers would eventually get tired of it. After all, who can watch a handsome guy digging in the mud for three days?"

At this point, he took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke rings he exhaled trembling with excitement:

"Now everything's great! The villagers have joined in!"

"What was initially a somewhat monotonous one-person show instantly transformed into a dramatic ensemble piece!"

Wang Yu became more and more excited as he spoke, and even stood up and paced back and forth in the narrow control room.

In his eyes, this wasn't villagers looting props at all; it was clearly viewership ratings beckoning to him!

"Look at Li Mo'an's calm demeanor, his serene expression, as if he were detached from the situation. Then look at the villagers, their petty greed, their vulgarity, arguing heatedly over a lump of iron."

"This stark contrast between movement and stillness, this clash between highbrow and lowbrow appeal, is exactly the kind of exciting element that audiences love to see today!"

The assistant director, listening from the side, nodded repeatedly and gave a thumbs up: "Director is brilliant! This footage, once edited, will definitely go viral."

"It's not just about cutting out footage."

Wang Yu stopped and squinted. His eyes, which were originally somewhat cloudy, now gleamed with a mischievous glint.

His brain was working at lightning speed.

Since the fire is already burning, why not pour a bucket of oil on it?

The topic is currently very popular, and if we don't strike while the iron is hot and push it to its extreme, it would be a crime against the traffic.

"No, natural fermentation alone is not enough."

Wang Yu acted decisively, grabbing the walkie-talkie on the table and pressing the call button, his tone urgent and forceful:

"Publicity team! Can you hear me? Get moving right now!"

"I have two instructions. Execute them immediately!"

"First, contact all the major marketing accounts and online trolls right now to buy me new trending topics! I've already thought of the titles: one is #MushroomHouseDividingHammers#, and the other is #YouDividingHammers#!"

"We need to hype up this outrageous situation and get netizens to watch this dramatic inheritance battle!"

After putting down the walkie-talkie, Wang Yuzheng did not stop.

He turned to look at the producer in charge of on-site coordination, his eyes filled with the fervor of a gambler about to go all in:

"Old Zhang, go to the village right now and find the village chief."

The producer paused for a moment, then asked, "Why are you looking for the village chief so late?"

"Go and discuss something."

Wang Yuzheng's lips curled into a smug smile, and he felt like a genius:

"Tell the village chief that, in order to thank the villagers for their support of the show and to increase the interactivity of the show, our production team has decided to add a segment on short notice."

"Let's call it—Best Creative Award!"

"Best Creative Award?" The producer looked completely bewildered.

"That's right!" Wang Yuzheng waved his hand, "Encourage the villagers to make the most of what they have! Tell them not to just leave those tools they snatched back today, but to use them in their daily lives!"

"Whether you use it as a hammer, a stool, or some other thing, as long as it's creative and imaginative, we'll reward you!"

He paused, then held up three fingers and said very generously:

"Tell them that in three days, the program team will publicly select the most creative usage."

"The winner will receive a 50-pound bag of rice, a 5-liter bucket of soybean oil, plus—"

He gritted his teeth, as if he were going all out:

"Fifty yuan in cash!"

The producer's lips twitched as he listened.

Good heavens, rice, soybean oil, and fifty yuan extra—is this what they call a hefty reward?

But in the countryside, for these simple villagers, this is a real temptation.

"Go now! Go right now! Even if they're asleep, wake them up!" Wang Yu urged.

........................................

Half an hour later.

The quiet village came alive again.

The village chief had a loud voice. As soon as he heard about this good thing that could benefit the villagers, he didn't hesitate. He put on his clothes, grabbed a megaphone, and even had several village officials go door-to-door to inform them.

"Folks! Attention! Attention!"

"The director of that TV show said! Whoever uses those lumps of iron they took home best, whoever uses them cleverly, will get rice and soybean oil! Plus fifty yuan!"

That shout instantly woke up the villagers who had already crawled into bed.

"What? There's such a good thing?"

"You can trade a piece of junk for rice?"

"Fifty dollars? That's enough for me to buy several packs of cigarettes!"

Originally, people were grabbing these things purely to gain a small advantage, thinking they could take them back and sell them as scrap metal, or use them as stepping stones.

But it's different now.

With competition and rewards, the nature of the event changes.

That's an honor, and that's a real benefit!

The villagers' enthusiasm was instantly ignited.

"Honey! Quickly get that iron bar out! I'm thinking of seeing if I can fix a bolt for our pigsty!"

"Oh dear, where's my round cake? I used it to make a spinning top for my grandson, wouldn't you call that creative?"

"Old man, wake up! Get up and think of a plan! We have to fight for that barrel of oil!"

That night, the lights in the village gradually came on.

People were no longer satisfied with simply taking these dangerous items home. Instead, they racked their brains and spent sleepless nights thinking about how to make their use stand out and how to win the top prize in the upcoming competition.

Those deadly weapons that were originally lying dormant underground, capable of destroying everything, are now being given all sorts of bizarre and even heartwarming uses in daily life, thanks to the director's encouragement and the villagers' collective wisdom.

........................................

Meanwhile, in the control room.

Wang Yu was looking at the feedback coming back from the front and at the lights that had been turned on again in the village. He leaned back in his chair with satisfaction and let out a long sigh of relief.

He could already picture the explosive popularity of tomorrow's live stream.

"This is what operations are all about; this is the method."

Wang Yu picked up his teacup, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, and wore a confident smile on his face, as if he were strategizing and ready to win.

He felt like he was possessed by the god of variety shows.

Who else but him could turn a bad hand into a winning one?

"tomorrow......"

He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Tomorrow will definitely be even more exciting."