Chapter 122 Cutting the Weeds at the Root: Variety Show Poison, Prevention is worse than Crackdown

On the stage of "The Voice of Heaven", the winning and losing couple undoubtedly succeeded in their challenge.

Wei Haiyuan offered his sincere congratulations and frankly admitted that he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

This dignified response actually won over many fans.

When the show ended and the couple left the stage, the fans cheered non-stop. Even when the winning and losing couple left the building, there were still countless fans crowding around them in layers on both sides of the passageway.

It was a completely different scene compared to when Song Ying arrived in the afternoon.

Fortunately, the relaxed fans and Song Ying's fans, though excited, were relatively rational in their pursuit of their idols and did not cause chaos at the scene.

After greeting and thanking everyone, the winning and losing couple got into the car.

As the RV started moving, Xiao Lu excitedly turned around, "Sister Ying, you're really famous now! Today's trending topics are almost entirely about you and Brother Qin!"

"Did you fan the flames today?"

Song Ying looked at Wen Jinzhao.

Since the team's operations were handed over to Wen Jinzhao, Song Ying has hardly needed Shengshi for publicity and public relations, and has risen several levels directly through her own team.

Not only that.

"How much did it cost to order milk tea for those fans outside? I'll transfer it to you now."

When Song Ying came out just now, she saw everyone holding up milk tea and thanking her with touching expressions. She guessed that it was most likely Wen Jinzhao who did it in her name.

Xiao Lu is an honest working person; she doesn't have that kind of awareness, much less the money to do such a thing.

This practice of rewarding employees to win their hearts is a basic operation for Wen Jinzhao, a high-EQ heiress who has managed companies before.

It may seem like a small act, but in this context, it becomes especially valuable.

This further solidified Song Ying's determination to have Wen Jinzhao take charge of Qingcheng's future operations department.

"Hehe, it's not much, Sister Ying, don't be so formal with me."

Wen Jinchao sipped her milk tea and smiled happily.

Song Ying, however, refused.

“This is different; it’s considered public expenditure. If you hadn’t told me, I would have transferred it directly.”

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you, okay?"

Wen Jinzhao gave a number and then accepted Song Ying's transfer.

The Wen family is not short of money, and neither is the Qin family.

Instead of arguing and being polite, let's be straightforward.

"By the way, Sister Ying, what are you going to do about Ran Chengwang? Just before we came out of the building, he seemed to know about the live broadcast and was threatening to sue Brother Qin for assault."

"Let him sue."

The speaker was Qin Shu.

The car was stuffy. He loosened the buttons on his collar, his sexy Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke, but his face remained as cold as ice.

"I've been wanting to teach this bastard a lesson enough."

He can't sue you.

Song Ying pressed Qin Shu's hand down. "When you hit someone before, I covered the camera with a takeout bag. You can't prove anything just by the sound."

Wen Jinzhao then remembered the paper bag.

"So it was you who put it there, Sister Ying! When I was taking it back later, I thought someone had accidentally put it there. I was wondering what would happen if we didn't capture Ran Chengwang's filth, but when I watched the playback, it turned out that the part where Brother Qin hit someone was missing."

As he spoke, Wen Jinzhao gave Song Ying a thumbs up.

"Sister Ying, that was a brilliant move!"

"I just didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble."

Having been in the eye of the storm in the entertainment industry during this period, Song Ying is all too aware of the power of public opinion.

Even if Qin Shu had a valid reason for hitting Ran Chengwang, the act of hitting someone itself, if magnified, would inevitably bring him controversy.

Now that the Qin family has just split up and Qin Shu has taken over the family business, many of the company's long-time employees are bound to have complaints.

Although Qin Shu himself didn't mention it, his sudden departure in the afternoon was enough to prove that the Qin family wasn't so easy to take over.

The task itself is not difficult to handle; the difficulty lies in how to win over the masses and gain their hearts.

"However, I estimate that Ran Chengwang can't cause any more trouble now."

Hearing Jinzhao's words brought Song Ying back to reality.

"So far, more than ten companies have terminated their contracts with Ran Chengwang for business and endorsement deals. Many variety shows he participated in have voluntarily taken down their episodes and are preparing to edit and re-upload them. Otherwise, if they are officially removed from the air, the entire show will be gone."

"Ran Chengwang is now facing a large amount of liquidated damages, and many of his big fans have also turned against him. I estimate that he won't be in the mood to cause any more trouble in the short term."

Qin Shu shook his head upon hearing this.

"Even a centipede with a hundred legs will not fall down when dead. Such a person will be a menace sooner or later. Especially when he is cornered and desperate, he is very likely to resort to extreme measures."

"So, Brother Qin, what you mean is..."

"Cut the weeds out completely, so that he has no chance to turn things around."

The little deer next to her had recently found some free time and had been reading CEO romance novels. Upon hearing this, she gasped in shock.

"Brother Qin, are you going to kill him to cover your tracks?"

Qin Shu: ...

Song Ying: ……

Wen Jinzhao: ...

What are you thinking about!

Wen Jinzhao poked Xiao Lu's forehead with his index finger. "A society governed by law, okay?"

The little deer touched its forehead, pouted, and whispered "Oh".

Song Ying explained on Qin Shu's behalf, "Ran Chengwang and I have only met twice, yet he has made such outrageous and excessive demands. It is clear that he usually behaves this way, which is why it has become a habit."

"As long as we investigate diligently, we will definitely find something to use against him. Furthermore, if we put a little pressure on him, once those he has bullied see him fall from power, everyone will kick him while he's down, and the new evidence will be enough to make him unable to recover."

"As expected, the one who understands Brother Qin best is Sister Ying. The two of you together are worth eight hundred cunning minds," Wen Jinzhao said with a smile. "In that case, I'll have someone keep an eye on Ran Chengwang from now on. Don't worry, Sister Ying, we won't give him a chance to breathe."

As soon as he finished speaking, the little deer next to him exclaimed "Eh!" and quickly patted Wen Jinzhao twice.

"Look here today! There's a trending topic that looks suspicious!"

Wen Jinzhao quickly went over.

It was that #WinnerWinnerCoupleVarietyShowPoison

"Why does this look so familiar?"

Wen Jinzhao frowned, took the phone from Xiao Lu's hand, and showed it to the operations manager sitting in the front of the RV.

"Did we suppress this trending topic before?"

"Yes, it has been pressed. Please wait a moment, Miss, while I adjust the data."

Two minutes later.

"Last Saturday night, after Tan Mu had an accident on the stage of 'All-Round Trainee,' this topic trended on Weibo that day. It was just that it wasn't the 'Winner and Loser Couple' that trended, but it was Song Ying. However, the title of 'Variety Show Poison' is the same."

Wen Jinzhao returned the phone to Xiaolu with a serious expression.

"check."

"Yes, Miss."

The sound of keyboards clattering filled the car.

Not long after, the operations manager's voice rang out again.

"We found it. The first Weibo post that can be traced to for both entries came from the same IP address, and the subsequent trending topics were all generated by the same online marketing company. The initial Weibo IP address has been verified to be Xiangnan Community on Fuhai Street, and the poster was Ran Chengwang, who was probably using a secondary account."

"That Ran Chengwang! He actually started messing with Sister Ying so early on! We thought that the negative keywords back then were all done by Tan Mu's side, but we didn't expect that he would take advantage of the situation."

The deer angrily punched the back of the chair.

"Brother Qin is right. This kind of person should be eliminated completely, otherwise who knows what trouble he might cause!"

Wen Jinzhao was also very angry, but the most urgent task at hand was to resolve this entry.

"First, let the hype die down, then ban the entry."

"Need not."

Song Ying spoke up, stopping Wen Jinzhao.

She has never cared about operations and public relations, but after listening to Xiao Lu and Wen Jinzhao chat recently, she has come to understand Wen Jinzhao's style of doing things to some extent.

I can roughly guess why Mr. Wen was willing to let his daughter work for him.

“Sometimes, silencing people is the quickest way to achieve results in the short term, but if it is used too often, it will backfire and cause problems.”

After giving these pointers, Song Ying asked about today's events.

Have you heard the story of Yu the Great taming the floods?

"I've heard of it, the story of passing by one's home three times without entering. We learned it in elementary school."

"I'm talking about the methods Yu the Great used to control the floods. How were they different from those of other people?"

"..."

I don't really remember this Wen Jinzhao.

"In short, it's better to guide than to block. This applies to water management, and it also applies to public opinion. You can ban one or two accounts and silence them, but if it happens too often, even if what you've banned or suppressed is untrue information or profanity, the sheer volume will make people think we're abusing our privileges."

"For the general public, privilege is what they hate and resent the most. At that time, even if you are not on the opposite side of them, you will be regarded as a privileged group and attacked as an adversary. The backlash from public opinion at that time will be terrifying."

Whether in the entertainment industry or other fields, there are many such examples.

This is why Song Ying, despite having a good family background, resolutely refused when Qin Shu expressed his willingness to use the Qin family's influence to secure a role for her.

It's not that she's being dramatic.

It's not about trying to create a strong, innocent character.

In this circle, the opponents are often not peers, but netizens who post online under false pretenses.

If someone is treated as a "resource-backed" individual from the very beginning, then all their efforts will be buried and erased, and their public image will be distorted and destroyed in this era of resentment towards the rich and privileged.

Public appeal, to a certain extent, represents an artist's commercial value and reputation, which in turn creates a series of chain reactions.

The time required to clear one's name of this slander is far too long.

Even when faced with questions, because they indeed possessed the qualifications through privilege, the person involved didn't even bother to refute them.

Song Ying didn't like this.

That's why they prefer to rely on their own abilities and take things one step at a time, steadily forging their own path.

Of course, this is also because she has the confidence and assurance to back it up.

They can make a name for themselves through their own efforts.

"The removal of those variety shows or the problems they cause are not our fault. To put it bluntly, I didn't hold a knife to their throats and force them to break the law. So, let this term go. Once it reaches its peak, we can guide it a little and use it to our advantage."

Song Ying held Qin Shu's hand, gently stroking the side of his index finger with her thumb, but her gaze was fixed on Wen Jinzhao.

"Besides, I have something important to announce tomorrow! Ran Chengwang is spending money to give me publicity at this time, so of course I should make good use of it and not let his good intentions go to waste."