Chapter 34 Turbulence Begins

Ling Wei looked at the person in front of her with tightly pursed lips and a taut jawline. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, forcibly suppressing the anger rising in her throat.

The fact that she could make me so angry, yet I didn't just replace her, is quite surprising considering her usual "delete the material and you can get lost" attitude towards people she doesn't like. In a way, I'm treating her differently.

"Director Zhou, the reason why 'City Chase' became a phenomenon back then was because it was unique."

Ling Wei's voice suddenly calmed down, "You engraved 'challenge yourself and never give up' into every segment, making the audience tear up for a challenge and even spontaneously go to the landmarks in the show to take photos. At that time, you created not only a program, but a cultural resonance."

Zhou Han was stunned, not expecting her to bring this up suddenly.

"But what about now?" Ling Wei looked directly at him. "Ten years have passed, and imitators are emerging one after another. The audience has long seen through the 'challenge-setback-overcome-sublimation' formula. Your designed segments are still exciting, and everyone still wants to know how the guests will pass the challenges."

But the outcome was already a foregone conclusion; it was nothing more than another celebration of sportsmanship.

She stepped forward: "The show's core remains brilliant, but the audience's mindset has changed. What they want now is not repetitive inspirational stories, but genuine joy, a moment of brilliance, and a touching experience that strikes at their heart."

Her voice was soft, yet every word was clear:

“You can see these changes, Director Zhou, you just can’t bear to let them go.”

Zhou Han stood frozen in place.

The light flickered between his lowered eyelashes.

All his arguments were stuck in his throat; the excessive understanding in her eyes left him nowhere to hide, more so than any sharp edge.

Ling Wei felt she had said everything and there was no point in saying anything more. She lowered her eyes and casually kicked a pebble away with her toe.

"I'll go now."

Zhou Han remained where he was, watching her figure disappear around the corner.

For the first time in the past few days of filming, Zhou Han did not take any action to correct the occasional "brilliant" mistakes made by the guests.

However, he and Ling Wei never spoke another word to each other again.

The tense atmosphere between the two was so cold that it would automatically clear out anyone within a three-meter radius.

Assistant director Zhang Tao is mainly responsible for coordinating the artists' schedules and on-site execution. He is a seasoned expert at reading people.

He could see clearly that Zhou Han had already accepted Ling Wei's words in his heart, but he hadn't gotten over his awkwardness yet, while Ling Wei...

To prevent this rare and promising seedling from freezing or being damaged, he took the initiative to visit her for several days in a row, becoming her regular meal buddy.

Since there was no filming scheduled for that day, Ling Wei went to the TV station cafeteria with Zhang Tao.

While serving the food, Zhang Tao intentionally or unintentionally steered the conversation toward Zhou Han. He sighed when he saw Ling Wei poking at the broccoli on her plate with little interest.

"Don't blame Director Zhou for being so stubborn." He lowered his voice. "Back then, his protégé, whom he personally trained, took his entire core team and jumped ship to Xinghu TV next door to create 'City Challenge King.' They used the same format that Director Zhou taught them, coupled with their powerful celebrity lineup, and they crushed us..."

Ling Wei slowed down.

"That kid has mastered all the tricks that Director Zhou taught him, and now he's doing really well."

Zhang Tao's voice was even lower, "This is a huge blow to Director Zhou. The person he taught with all his knowledge has diluted the concepts he cherished most with the skills he taught, and has become our strongest opponent."

“From then on, he became obsessed with the idea that he had to stick to the ‘right path’ he had created. Any changes were seen by him as bowing down to traitors and compromising with traffic.”

He concluded, "He hasn't run out of ideas; he's just trapped by a knot in his heart."

After listening, Ling Wei understood a little, but not much.

She pouted and said, "Hmph, I hate these kinds of petty men. They hesitate and stagnate over the smallest things."

Zhang Tao: "???"

"Tch," Ling Wei said, getting angrier as she spoke, her voice rising involuntarily, "Anyone who didn't know better would think her apprentice was her ex-boyfriend. He's so hung up on her, he's even forgotten the most basic purpose of variety shows: to please the audience!"

Zhang Tao's eyes began to twitch wildly as he desperately tried to wink at someone.

The system screamed in her mind, "Weiwei, no..."

Ling Wei, who was furious, couldn't stop herself: "If you've been plagiarized by a traitor, why not just turn yourself into a living fossil that can't move?"

What is this? A memorial archway for chastity?

"Don't let us little minions end up as cannon fodder while they're out there playing at their nemesis literature, bah!"

System: "He's right behind you! Aaaaaaahh ...

Zhang Tao closed his eyes in despair, and forced himself to call out behind her, "Boss, you...you're eating here too?"

Ling Wei: "..."

She turned her head and, sure enough, met Zhou Han's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot.

......

Guilty conscience? Not at all! She would dare say that to my face!

Right in front of Zhou Han, she scooped up a huge spoonful of rice and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing vigorously and loudly announcing indistinctly, "Mmm! (Delicious!)"

system:"……"

Zhou Han didn't say a word, picked up his tray, and sat down at their table with a clatter.

Zhang Tao broke out in a cold sweat: "Boss, didn't you say you didn't like the food in the cafeteria?"

Zhou Han shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth, chewed it fiercely, and mumbled a reply: "Mmm! Mind your own business!"

Zhang Tao: "..." I can't enjoy my meal properly now.

The atmosphere in that corner of the cafeteria became extremely eerie.

Zhou Han and Ling Wei seemed to be competing with each other, neither looking at the other, only focusing on eating. They ate so fast it was like a silent race, their cheeks bulging out.

Caught in the middle, Zhang Tao felt like he could hardly breathe. He tried to ease the tension by picking up a piece of food from the side with his chopsticks: "Oh dear, is this... is this a new dish in the cafeteria? It tastes so strange."

Zhou Han gave a barely perceptible smirk, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "That's how new things are, all show and no substance."

Ling Wei immediately retorted, not to be outdone, forcefully poking at a piece of braised pork on her plate: "Oh dear, unlike some old dishes that look substantial but turn out tough, hard, and dry when you chew them, they have absolutely no flavor except for their long history!"

"You ignorant brat!" Zhou Han squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.

“You stubborn old man! You old smoker!” Ling Wei glared back defiantly.

Two gazes collided in the air, almost sparking.

The two of them let out a cold laugh at the same time, then buried their heads and began to shovel rice even more fiercely, as if they had a grudge against rice.

Zhang Tao looked at the few bites of food he had eaten, and then at the nearly empty plates on both sides of his face, and inwardly groaned.

He's not a food buddy; he's clearly a poor zookeeper who's stumbled upon a wild animal's feeding frenzy!

The meal ended in a near-fighting pace.