Chapter 58

The bullet comments fell silent for a moment, then a barrage of messages began to scroll across the screen.

[Wait! Does Film Emperor Lu have some kind of misunderstanding about the word ‘reserved’?]

[Hmph, how is Weiwei not being reserved? Let go of Weiwei’s hand!]

[Ahhhhh, I’m dead.]

Ji Wei’s hand was held tightly, and the temperature of his face kept rising, so high that he forgot to ask who exactly was not being reserved.

***

Tomato Television Station’s Esports Youth had started broadcasting. The Deputy Station Director was very confident about this episode; he had invited the professional PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds player, A Ting.

Although his popularity wasn’t very high, he had once achieved a record of 31 kills. But to the Deputy Director’s confusion, the ratings were mediocre, even worse than the last episode.

While he was still pondering why, he received a call from the Station Director. He answered, “Hello, Station Director—”

“What’s going on with Esports Youth? The ratings have been dropping continuously, and now they’ve even fallen below 0.4. I don’t want to say too much, just write a report and submit it!”

The Deputy Station Director felt helpless. The variety show he was in charge of… what the Station Director said was all true. It wasn’t just this episode; ever since Wen Zheng emigrated, Esports Youth had been getting worse day by day.

He had hoped Wen Zheng would return to participate in the show and had subtly asked why. The reason vaguely hinted at was fear of the Lu family.

So, he didn’t insist on him staying.

In recent years, the Lu family had invested heavily in education and charity, but no one truly believed the Lu family was gentle and harmless.

If the Lu family before Lu Ji took over was barely maintaining the dignity of a wealthy family and already showing signs of decline, then the Lu family after Lu Ji took over could be said to be at its zenith.

The bloody storms within were invisible to ordinary people, but one could guess a few things. Everyone said that Lu Ji was ruthless in his actions.

Even though Lu Ji had never announced an heir, and many people speculated that the Lu family would face a crisis of succession, waiting for him to step down to take a big bite, at least for now, no one dared to touch the behemoth that was the Lu family.

And they were deeply afraid.

He came back to his senses and explained to the Station Director, “Esports is just a small circle. The number of viewers can’t be too large. Wasn’t our goal before to gain a good reputation and break out of the circle?”

The Station Director seemed to be persuaded by him and didn’t say anything. The Deputy Station Director continued to shirk responsibility. “I don’t think our station’s programs are bad, it’s just that the market capacity is too small. But I will write a summary report on the shortcomings of the program as soon as possible and submit it.”

He felt his answer was quite good, but he didn’t expect the Station Director to retort with obvious anger, “Blaming the market? Then why are the live stream ratings for The Forbidden City’s Little Shop soaring?”

The Forbidden City’s Little Shop?

The Deputy Station Director was suddenly a bit lost. Wasn’t that a cultural variety show? What did it have to do with esports?

He opened his computer and looked at Weibo. The first trending topic was—

Ji Wei PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

[IKER] As a former professional player, let me say this: Ji Wei’s dynamic visual acuity is too superior, and his grasp of distance is also very precise. Although his awareness and hand speed are relatively weak, it’s a bit of a pity that he’s not playing professionally. I believe many clubs will extend an olive branch to him.

IKER was one of the earliest players in the league. After retiring, he still enjoyed a high reputation in the circle. This Weibo post had been forwarded and commented on over two hundred thousand times.

[Holy crap, God K’s evaluation is so high. Is Ji Wei that amazing?]

[Night Raid on the Widow’s Village] Hand speed is something that can’t be helped, but poor awareness can be improved with an excellent commander, like DOX.

[Landed in a Crate] He seems to be very precise in his painting too, and he’s an academic ace at Yan University. I’m so envious.]

There were even jokes in the esports circle that The Forbidden City’s Little Shop should just film The Esports Little Shop instead. They would definitely be glued to their TVs watching.

Only then did the Deputy Station Director understand. So the audience for Esports Youth had all gone to watch the live stream of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. No wonder the ratings were so low.

He couldn’t help but post on his side account.

[mbjks1269] There’s still a gap between professional players and streamers, right? Esports Youth is obviously much more professional than The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. A Ting, who was on the show this episode, has a record of 31 kills in a single match.

Because he included the topic of Ji Wei and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, someone quickly replied to him.

[Vita Lemon Tea] Ever heard of Cub Wei’s 33-kill win?

[One Lu-lu] Why does this tone sound so sour? Just watch what you like, no one is stopping you. It seems the little shabby shop is really popular now.

[Flounder] A Ting, the one from DOX, right? His gameplay is very stable and calm, but not as entertaining as Ji Wei’s. Who wouldn’t want to watch headshot after headshot? It’s so satisfying to watch, okay?

…

[Moon on the Treetops] From the tone, you must be a fan of Tomato Television Station. This episode of Esports Youth had a rating of 0.4, while The Forbidden City’s Little Shop‘s live stream popularity broke a new high. They must be salty that they didn’t get to buy The Forbidden City’s Little Shop.]

The Deputy Station Director read the comments one by one and understood where the gap was. He noted in his workbook to pay attention to the entertainment value of the program when inviting guests.

But he became unsettled when he saw the last Weibo post. How was he salty? He was just curious, okay? And it wasn’t like their station couldn’t afford to buy The Forbidden City’s Little Shop.

[mbjks1269] Everyone might have a misunderstanding about our station. It’s not that we can’t afford to buy The Forbidden City’s Little Shop, we just didn’t want to buy it after considering the time and popularity.

Only after he replied did he realize that his wording seemed a bit off. When he deleted it, it was already too late. Someone had already taken a screenshot.

[Fish Ball Noodles] The Forbidden City’s Little Shop is indeed not very popular with television stations. A staff member from Tomato Television Station has confirmed it.

[A Little Bit] Holy crap, why? It makes me so angry to see this.]

[Cha Yan Yue Se] I didn’t really believe it was a staff member from Tomato Television Station at first, but since they deleted the Weibo post so quickly, it’s most likely true. It’s a pity for The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. If it could be broadcast on a satellite channel, its popularity would definitely be more than this. Haven’t you noticed that only young people are watching? Its overall popularity can only be on par with Great Nation’s Artifacts.]

Amidst a sea of pessimistic voices, a striking comment appeared.

[Blue Water Star] Don’t worry, they’ve already negotiated a cooperation with CCTV.]

Many people immediately inquired.

[Boiled Chicken] CCTV??? Really?]

[Boiled Pork Slices] Can you be more specific? I find it a bit hard to believe.]

[Garlic Shrimp] Really! I clutched my heart.]

The Deputy Station Director also saw this comment. He didn’t believe it at all. CCTV had more things to consider than local stations. Since their station hadn’t chosen The Forbidden City’s Little Shop, it was even more impossible for CCTV to choose it.

***

After Ji Wei and the others waited for a while, the mall’s manager walked in with a faint smile on his face. He said politely, “Sorry to keep you waiting. You can just call me Brown.”

Ji Wei quickly broke free from Lu Shenxing’s hand, stood up from his chair, and got straight to the point. “Hello, Mr. Brown. We’d like to cooperate with the mall to sell cultural and creative products. I was wondering if you might be interested?”

He opened his backpack. Except for the Palace Museum miniature model, which was too large to carry, he had brought one of every other product. He laid them out on the square table one by one.

But before he could finish, Mr. Brown interrupted him. “I’ve seen your show. Our mall is very interested in your products. We are willing to provide a display stand in a central location on the first floor, and we won’t charge any fees.”

[What kind of ultimate sponsor is this!]

[Wow, this mall has so many people, and the spot is in the center of the first floor. Today’s mission should be completable, right?]

[Ah! I don’t want the live stream to end so soon.]

Hearing Mr. Brown’s words, Ji Wei replied in astonishment, his tone filled with pleasant surprise, “That’s… thank you so much.”

Lu Shenxing, however, frowned slightly.

“But I have one condition.” Mr. Brown’s tone shifted. “Could you please shoot a promotional video for the mall? It won’t take up too much of your time.”

He wasn’t concerned about the small amount of money from selling cultural and creative products. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Angnei was increasing.

If they could play a video of the guests on the mall’s big screen, it would surely attract many tourists to come and watch.

He looked at Ji Wei, waiting for the young man’s answer. He didn’t look at the man in the wheelchair because his intuition told him he would be hard to persuade, and his cold temperament made him unapproachable.

“Does everyone have to be in it?”

Ji Wei asked.

Mr. Brown nodded. “Since you’re all filming the show together, you should all be in it together. I’ve just prepared the script. You can take a look.”

Ji Wei took the script.

Mr. Brown breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, it was easier to persuade someone younger.

[This manager is quite clever. Having the guests shoot a commercial is much more profitable than the booth fee. The advertisers in China must be so envious.]

[Otherwise, it would be hard to complete the mission, right? They’re still short of three hundred and fifty thousand in sales.]

[+1, just shoot it. It won’t take much time anyway.]

Ji Wei looked up and handed the script back to Mr. Brown.

“If you think it’s okay, I’ll contact the photographer right away and arrange the booth,” Mr. Brown said with a smile.

“I’m sorry, I can’t agree.”

Ji Wei said apologetically.

The bullet comments were shocked.

[??? Why? It’s just shooting a video. He even agreed to paint before. Shooting a video is less tiring than painting, right?]

[Maybe Weiwei doesn’t like shooting videos. He’s probably shy. He didn’t even show his face during the live stream.]

[Emmmm, he’s already on a show, what’s there to be shy about? The fans’ forceful defense is a bit of a turn-off.]

[Also confused. Is he really that unwilling to lower himself?]

Mr. Brown was also very confused and almost thought he had misheard. “It’s just shooting a video.”

“It’s a commercial.”

Ji Wei corrected his wording.

Mr. Brown didn’t know why he was so insistent on defining the two. He had no choice but to pluck up his courage and ask the mature man in the wheelchair, “What is your opinion?”

The man nodded slightly, clearly in agreement.

Brown was speechless.

He wasn’t one to pester. Since Ji Wei and the others were unwilling, he wouldn’t force them. He graciously escorted them to the mall entrance.

As they reached the entrance, he asked casually, “Are you going to check out other malls?”

“Leo Mall.”

Ji Wei replied.

Mr. Brown said, seemingly unintentionally, “Leo Mall is the largest mall in Angnei. The manager, Anna, is not easy to talk to, and her views are also very conservative.”

Wilson nodded in deep agreement. Mr. Brown was being very tactful. His aunt was a stern person who rarely even smiled. It wasn’t just that she was not easy to talk to; she was practically unapproachable.

“You might hit a wall if you go.”

Brown gave a reminder.

This was a small attempt to get them to stay. He wasn’t exaggerating. Anna only cared about tangible benefits. He might be interested in the guests’ fame, but Anna wouldn’t be.

“It probably won’t be that bad.”

Wilson said after some thought. Although his aunt was strict, she was still very good to him. Arranging a booth for a friend shouldn’t be a difficult matter.

[So optimistic. I don’t think today’s mission will be completed. It’s almost afternoon.]

[I still can’t understand why Ji Wei is unwilling to shoot a video. Is it that hard to say a few words?]

[Why are we back on this topic again? Maybe the next mall will agree. Let’s just wait and see.]

[Honestly, I’m not optimistic.]

Brown smiled and said no more. He arranged a car for them and watched them leave. The assistant manager beside him couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you being so nice to them? They clearly rejected us.”

Brown shook his head. “They’ll be back.”

***

In the car, Wilson couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, why weren’t you willing to shoot the commercial? That mall just now was pretty good, they sell all high-end products.”

“Mr. Brown is also a very nice person,” Ji Wei added.

“Then why did you refuse?”

Wilson was even more confused.

“Mr. Brown wanted everyone to be in the shoot.”

Ji Wei’s voice got a little quieter. “My partner doesn’t do commercials.”

Even when he had no acting roles, Lu Shenxing had never shot a commercial. In his idol’s eyes, an actor was just an actor.

He didn’t want his idol to break his principles for the show, even though his idol probably didn’t care.

But he cared.

[This Lu fan has been summoned! I didn’t even think about the commercial aspect. Weiwei is so thoughtful. Aww, my brother has such good taste.]

[Ah, I just found out that Film Emperor Lu never does commercials. Was he afraid Film Emperor Lu would have a hard time refusing, so he refused for him? This is so sweet it’s killing me.]

[Wuwuwuwu, what kind of godly romance is this!]

Wilson didn’t immediately realize who his “partner” was. Following Ji Wei’s gaze, he finally understood he was talking about Lu Shenxing, the man who appeared gentle but was actually cold.

Ji Wei’s voice wasn’t loud, but in the enclosed space of the car, Lu Shenxing heard it clearly.

“Weiwei.”

He suddenly spoke.

Ji Wei’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

The man lowered his eyes. “What did you call me just now? I didn’t hear clearly.”