Perfect Superstar.

Xiangnan Shacheng, Xiangnan TV.

Even though it was already past 11 PM, the television broadcast building was still brightly lit, buzzing with activity.

As a leading player in the regional TV industry, Xiangnan TV has established itself as one of the giants in the country over its more than 20 years of development, particularly known for its high-quality variety shows that consistently set industry trends.

In terms of advertising performance, aside from the behemoth CCTV, Xiangnan TV stood out with its abundant resources and flexible systems, allowing its film, television, and variety programs to regularly break viewership records.

However, in recent years, Xiangnan TV has faced stiff competition from rivals like Donghai TV and Jiangning TV.

As a result, the various production teams within the station were under immense pressure.

On the 17th floor of the TV station building, the meeting room was packed, smoke swirling in the air, and tension palpable.

On the wall, the projection screen displayed a paused image from the Capital City singing audition segment of 'The Strongest Singer', with all four judges clearly visible.

One of those judges sat in the meeting room, his face pale and his expression uneasy. For Zhang Xiaoan, a well-known host at Xiangnan TV, tonight would be remembered as a day of disgrace.

Making a mistake isn't terrifying; what's terrifying is making mistake after mistake, especially when it's broadcasted for millions to see!

Lu Chen's elimination from 'The Strongest Singer' had initially seemed trivial. A newcomer trying to stir up trouble? Xiangnan TV could crush him effortlessly.

Just a few hours ago, Zhang Xiaoan had thought so, feeling quite smug about the blog post he had written.

His words had been modest, sincere, and graceful, as he effortlessly trampled Lu Chen underfoot. Together with Chen Zhenni and Zhuang Hao's synchronized cooperation, they had hammered the final nail into the coffin of this naïve newcomer.

However, neither he nor anyone else expected that, just over an hour later, things would take a dramatic turn. The blogger known as Stray Cat had revealed the audition video where Lu Chen was eliminated!

'According to production regulations, such recorded videos should have been edited and deleted immediately. How could it have been leaked? How could someone have gotten their hands on it?'

When Zhang Xiaoan saw the video online, it felt as if a thousand wild horses were trampling through his mind, completely shattering his dignity— it was so embarrassing!

This less-than-five-minute video brutally stripped away the layer of modesty, sincerity, and elegance he had carefully crafted, exposing his hypocritical nature to the entire nation.

On his way to the meeting room after receiving the emergency notification from the production team, Zhang Xiaoan was in a daze.

He knew he was in deep trouble now.

"You're in big trouble!"

Ji Ruicai, the deputy station manager in charge of the program department, slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising in anger. "The station has given you so many resources, and you've created such a huge mess!"

"You tell me, what should we do now? Who's going to clean up this mess?"

The meeting room fell silent. A few irrelevant people were smoking, their expressions grim.

Ji Ruicai was genuinely furious.

He had only just learned about this situation that evening and had no idea it would lead to such severe consequences.

He could tolerate the program team's deceptive behavior, but the atmosphere at the TV station had been toxic for a while. Even as a newly promoted leader aiming to reform, he knew he had to be careful.

What he couldn't tolerate, however, was that the flagship variety show 'The Strongest Singer' had exposed its flaws, allowing a huge scandal to surface. They had been caught with a significant piece of dirt on them, and now they were in a completely passive situation.

It was an absolute disgrace!

Ji Ruicai knew that now wasn't the time to assign blame. The key was to calm the storm and minimize the damage.

Xiangnan TV has been riding high with smooth development in recent years. As the saying goes, "The taller the tree, the stronger the wind." There were countless eyes watching them, and such a scandal was bound to stir up trouble.

Especially since 'The Strongest Singer's' Capital City division was competing directly with Capital City TV's Singing China. It was impossible that Capital City TV had no thoughts on this. The leak of the video might even be related to them.

But there was no evidence to prove this. There were many ways the recorded video could have leaked. Even if Xiangnan TV launched an investigation, it was unlikely they would find out in a short period, especially since the leak had occurred in Capital City, not their headquarters in Shacheng.

Thus, Ji Ruicai urgently gathered the relevant parties for a meeting. The topic of discussion was not to assign blame.

The Deputy Supervisor of the Marketing Department hesitated for a moment before speaking: "We've already contacted Langchao Blog, and they've agreed to control the spread of the situation, but deleting all related blog posts is impossible."

"Also, we're in touch with the Sky Forum. We're doing everything we can to minimize the negative impact."

Xiangnan TV's marketing department is one of the most powerful and influential departments in the station. Whenever an unexpected event occurs, the marketing department steps in with emergency public relations and uses the station's connections to resolve the issue.

Xiangnan TV has had a long-term cooperation with Langchao Blog, and if the issue weren't serious, it would have been easy to suppress.

But tonight's situation was clearly unusual.

The Deputy Supervisor couldn't help but glance at Zhang Xiaoan, his eyes filled with resentment.

What does it mean to have a "pig teammate"? This was it!

He only needed to post a few blog entries and market relations would clean up after him, without knowing how much effort that would cost!

The Deputy Supervisor almost felt like he could swallow Zhang Xiaoan whole.

Ji Ruicai also wanted to lash out, but as a high-ranking leader at the station, he had to consider the bigger picture.

"The situation is already out in the open; regretting it is pointless. We can only think of ways to solve it."

"What you can do now is to focus on continuing to make this show well. No more mistakes!"

"Don't let that Chen Zhenni on the national finals judging panel."

"And Zhuang Hao, notify him to terminate the contract."

"As for the other responsibilities, the station has decided not to pursue them for now. Just keep it in mind."

"Also, Zhang Xiaoan…"

Ji Ruicai's icy gaze fixed on the culprit: "Hand over your blog account and password to the marketing department. You're suspended starting today. You'll be notified when you're to resume work."

Zhang Xiaoan's face instantly turned as pale as paper.

His lips moved a few times as if he wanted to explain, but eventually, he lowered his head deeply.

Zhang Xiaoan knew that he was truly finished. Although he had some fame as a variety show host, there were countless competitors waiting to take his place, eager for him to leave.

Making such a huge mess and still wanting to keep his position? Dream on!

It was ruthless!

Although they said they weren't pursuing responsibility for now, the raised executioner's knife still came down.

Others looked on with a mix of sympathy and sadness, but no one truly felt sorry for him.

As the supervisor of the program department, Ji Ruicai needed to answer to both higher-ups and subordinates. Zhang Xiaoan was undoubtedly the perfect scapegoat, the best target to set an example and intimidate others.

If he didn't go down, would everyone else be dragged down with him?

Having set the tone, Ji Ruicai picked up his cup and took a sip of the now-cold tea.

He tapped his left-hand index finger on the table and said heavily, "Comrades, remember this lesson. Xiangnan TV's current situation didn't come easily. We cannot afford to ruin it!"

After a moment, he asked, "How much of a gap is there between our ratings and theirs?"

Ji Ruicai's question seemed a bit random, but someone quickly responded, "In the last episode, ours was 3.75%, theirs was 3.49%, a difference of 0.26%."

Ji Ruicai nodded: "Only 0.26%, they've already closed the gap, and we don't know how much impact this event will have. You must put all your effort into making the next episode, and redeem yourselves!"

The last four words were heavy, even a final verdict for 'The Strongest Singer' team.

You're all guilty, but we're not punishing you right now for the greater good!

Many people's expressions changed.

However, Ji Ruicai didn't feel there was anything wrong with what he said. Before the meeting, he had already gotten the full picture of the situation, even watching the video of Lu Chen's competition.

Such a talented singer, yet under their suppression, was pushed to the opposing team— this was an unforgivable mistake and a crime against Xiangnan TV!

Ji Ruicai also knew who the real instigator was, but that person had deep connections and strong backing, with close ties to the station's upper echelons. Even if he wanted to go after them, he wouldn't be able to.

Therefore, Ji Ruicai decided to hold off for now. Even if he kept quiet, others would eventually take action, and when that time came, there would be drama to watch. If necessary, he didn't mind giving it another push!

As for Zhang Xiaoan, who was allegedly involved with some leader at the station…

As a newcomer, how could he establish his authority without taking down a heavy target?

With this in mind, Ji Ruicai slammed the cup down on the table: "Meeting dismissed!"

…

Meanwhile, when Xiangnan TV's emergency meeting ended, the battle at Langchao Blog was still raging!

Thousands of Lu Chen's fans, led by the Lu Family Army, launched a massive counterattack under the leadership of Li Mubai and Li Feiyu, successfully overwhelming several forums.

Langchao Blog naturally became the last and most important battlefield.

They wouldn't rest until they fought back all the humiliation they had suffered earlier!

(End of Chapter)

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