Chapter 35 Politeness

The following morning, the production team convened all members of Group A to announce the latest developments regarding the live broadcast incident.

"After careful consideration, it has been decided that all live streaming rooms of Group A will remain closed for 24 hours to thoroughly investigate the violations and conduct internal rectification."

Looking at the instantly listless crowd below the stage, the director suddenly smiled, "At the same time, the priority of the popular vote for the venue selection in this competition is cancelled."

These words immediately brightened the previously gloomy atmosphere considerably.

This means everyone is back on equal footing, which is certainly good news for Group A, which is currently at a disadvantage.

"We'll let you know the specifics later," the director reassured them. "This is already a very good result. To be honest, the official website was flooded with complaints last night, and many fans were indignant on your behalf."

Everyone suddenly realized that it was due to public pressure.

Someone couldn't help but mutter a complaint: "They must have been cursing those leaders terribly. They always resort to a blanket approach when something goes wrong. If it weren't for our fans, who would care about our lives..."

With no live-streaming assignments, Ling Wei had a rare moment of leisure. She took a walk alone on the beach, watching the tides rise and fall.

Her phone rang, and the name "Qu Mingyuan" appeared on the screen. She glanced at it and let the ringtone continue in the sea breeze until it automatically ended.

After a long while, she slowly typed a text message: "Sorry, Director Qu, I was busy just now. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The reply came quickly: "Compensation measures regarding the shutdown of the live stream have been arranged, and a detailed plan will be provided later. Don't worry."

【Okay, thank you for your concern, boss.】

On the other end of the phone, Qu Mingyuan stared at the message that popped up instantly, his fingertip pausing on the screen for a moment.

The overly formal reply made him realize something was amiss.

He hesitated for a moment, then pressed the dial button. Some things were better said directly.

"beep--"

The phone rang only once before being abruptly disconnected.

Immediately afterwards, a new message popped up:

[Sorry, boss, my phone accidentally fell into the sea, and now the microphone seems to be malfunctioning; I can't hear clearly. Please let me know via text message if you need any instructions.]

Qu Mingyuan stared at the text message, momentarily stunned. Holding his phone, he stood there, a rare look of bewilderment on his face.

He sensed a deliberate distance in her words; she seemed to be... avoiding him.

In the afternoon, we visited Wanghaiyu Island.

The live stream remains shut down, and the island has returned to its former tranquility.

On the path to the restaurant, Ling Wei spotted a group of familiar figures in the distance.

Under a tree in the distance, the director was standing next to a man in a light gray shirt, giving a report while occasionally swiping on a tablet computer.

The sea breeze brushed against the man's neatly pressed collar. He stood under the shade of a tree, one hand draped over his coat, the other hanging naturally at his side.

As Qu Mingyuan listened to the report, his gaze fell on the tablet, and the sunlight refracted a faint halo on his simple wristwatch.

When the director mentioned a certain statistic, he nodded slightly, a subtle gesture that immediately caused the director to tilt the tablet a little closer to him.

Just as Ling Wei was about to turn around, she suddenly saw him raise his hand and lightly tap a spot on the tablet with his fingertip.

The movement caused the reflection of his watch to brush past her eyes, making him raise his eyes as if sensing something, his gaze passing through the swaying leaves and landing on her figure.

Ling Wei immediately turned around and took a quieter side path to avoid it.

When she returned to the temporary dormitory, she briefly told Lu Xiaoxiao and the others, "I'm going out to look for inspiration for music arrangement," and then left with her phone and earphones.

She strolled to a rocky area on the east side of the island.

The area is elevated and far from the main road. The huge reefs have been eroded by the wind and waves, and the only companions are the sea breeze and the sound of the waves. It is the most undisturbed place she can find.

She found a relatively flat rock to sit on, put on her headphones, and although the production team had not yet issued an official notice, Ling Wei looked around at the island scenery and had a vague premonition about the competition.

As she slid her fingertips across the audio track app on her phone screen, the strong sea breeze whipped her hair and billowed her clothes, but she was completely oblivious, immersed in the world of creation.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she vaguely felt that the wind around her seemed to have subsided, as if it had been blocked by something invisible.

She subconsciously looked up, and what came into view was Qu Mingyuan's figure, which had appeared at some point.

He was half-squatting in front of her, leaning slightly forward, using his body to shield her from most of the sea breeze.

He gazed at her quietly, his emotions like those of a reef shrouded in sea fog, indistinct and unclear.

Ling Wei's gaze met his briefly before she looked away, nodded as a greeting, and then lowered her head again to fiddle with her phone.

My fingertips slid aimlessly across the audio track interface, and a certain note was dragged and bounced back and forth.

"Why hasn't he left yet?" she wondered to herself.

The system whispered a reminder: "Looks like he wants to talk to you."

Ling Wei was practically going crazy: "I have nothing to say! Don't you feel embarrassed? You already rejected me, and now you're showing up again with such a shameless attitude! How can he possibly have the nerve to do this?!"

System: "...To be honest, I just love your spirit of never fighting internally."

After a brief standoff, Ling Wei finally resigned herself to her fate, took off her headphones, and flashed a standard social smile: "Good afternoon, Qu Ting."

She looked up at the sky and saw the position of the setting sun; it was almost evening.

Qu Mingyuan: "Um, are you free now?"

"Please feel free to speak in the hall." She smiled politely, pretending not to see the other person's outstretched hand to help her up, and stood up nimbly on her own.

Qu Mingyuan's hand paused in the air for a moment before slowly retracting and hanging at his side. He straightened up, and the sea breeze immediately filled the gap between the two of them again.

"The Group A live stream will remain suspended..."

“Understood.” Ling Wei interrupted with a smile, every word radiating understanding. “We fully understand the production team’s decision and respect the overall arrangements of our superiors. Please rest assured, our team will absolutely obey the overall situation.”

This airtight official statement left Qu Mingyuan momentarily unsure whether to continue.

“If the leader has no further instructions,” Ling Wei took a half step back, her smile still perfect, “I’ll go back and prepare for the performance. Thank you for your concern, leader. We will definitely adjust our state and won’t let you down.”

Taking advantage of Qu Mingyuan's momentary daze, she turned and left, her steps quickening as she deftly inserted the earphone into her ear, faintly hearing her name.

The system weakly reminded you: "He's calling you from behind."

Ling Wei almost ran: "Huh? Really? The wind is too strong, I can't hear you."

system:"......"