While Kuang Ming was relieved about Xu Gui's side, the production team was in a terrible state.
"Director, netizens are calling our production team eunuchs and palace maids..."
"Huh? Why eunuchs and palace maids?" "
Uh, they're saying we're just there to serve royalty."
"..."
Everyone fell silent. So, it seems only netizens know how to insult people; they can insult without using a single swear word.
"Director!" Everyone turned to the director.
The director, who had been deep in thought, suddenly sighed and said in a deep voice, "Don't call me director, I'm the assistant director now."
The assistant director sitting beside him: ??? You're the assistant director, then who am I?
"Sigh!" The director rubbed his temples, feeling mentally and physically exhausted. He knew from the beginning that Xu Gui was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode any day.
And now, he had exploded.
However, the other party did indeed bring tremendous popularity to their program. Even now, with netizens hurling insults at their production team, they're still not at a loss overall, after all, this is real buzz.
In this era where traffic can be monetized, this kind of popularity is something other programs would kill for.
However, they can't let netizens continue to hurl insults like this; this matter still needs to be resolved. If they keep going like this, they'll incur public wrath, the director thought, stroking his chin. There's just one thing the director genuinely felt was unfair to their production team.
How could Xu Gui be considered royalty they're promoting?
Have people selectively forgotten how he was vilified by the Tang and Qiu families when he first joined their program? If they haven't forgotten, how can they blatantly claim Xu Gui is royalty?
The assistant director, seeing the online criticism, felt panicked. He looked at the director anxiously and said, "Old Huang, you need to think of something!"
The director, surnamed Huang, simply glanced at the assistant director and calmly replied, "Why are you so anxious? Let them criticize. Other production teams don't even have anyone to criticize them for."
The assistant director was speechless.
The director said, "You guys keep an eye on the online situation and try to control it a bit. Don't let these netizens report things indiscriminately... Several entertainment companies have called me."
Speaking of this, the director also felt a headache coming on.
In the afternoon, netizens were reporting Xu Gui for illegal business operations and tax evasion, but after Xu Gui's fans joined in, the situation became completely muddy. No one knew who was behind those IDs; now everyone was attacking indiscriminately, reporting anyone they could find. They'd probably reported every name in the entertainment industry.
As the "instigator" of all this, Xu Gui was criticized, but the production team wasn't spared either. Although the director felt wronged, the whole thing stemmed from their program, so from the afternoon until now, the director has received numerous phone calls and insults.
And it wasn't just other people who were criticized; netizens were also attacking them, including fans of other celebrities in the industry.
These fans' thoughts are understandable; after all, it was because of their terrible program that their idols suffered this undeserved misfortune. They were attacked and reported indiscriminately, even though it had nothing to do with their show.
Therefore, it's all the fault of the program "360 Trades"!
The criticized director: Uh, it seems I really can't deny this.
The director sighed and said to the assistant director, "I remember Xu Gui's agent is here. I'll go talk to him now..."
The assistant director nodded, "Okay."
The director went to talk to Xu Gui's agent, and that night was destined to be a sleepless one. Countless people in the entire entertainment industry couldn't sleep, but Xu Gui, the catalyst for all of this, slept very well.
Yes, her sleep quality was always this good, so when she woke up the next day, her face was as radiant as ever, and with her bright eyes, anyone who saw her could tell she had slept very well.
Compared to her, the production crew and the other nine guests all had thick dark circles under their eyes, looking as if they had been drained of their life force by demons the night before.
Xu Gui couldn't help but be a little surprised, and blurted out, "Did you guys go thieves last night?"
The others: "..."
Everyone looked at her resentfully, thinking: Whose fault is this? If it weren't for you, would we have gone "thieves" last night?
Su Ya looked at her, her tone sour, and said, "You look quite energetic. You must have slept very well last night, right?"
Xu Gui seemed oblivious to the malice in her words and nodded in agreement, saying, "I did sleep very well last night. The hotel's most luxurious room, with a high bed and soft pillows, it was so comfortable."
Hearing this, Su Ya's expression twisted instantly. She glared at Xu Gui resentfully and said, "You can sleep so soundly, causing everyone so much trouble. Don't you feel any remorse?"
"Why should I feel remorse?" Xu Gui raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over the guests present, and asked with a smile, "You can't compare to me, so is it my fault?"
Morally blackmailing me?
Sorry, she's a tortoise, and tortoises don't have human morality.
"I think instead of questioning me, you should reflect on yourselves," Xu Gui said, her words sharp and cutting. "Reflect on why you're so bad. If you tried a little harder, your fans wouldn't be so upset."
As a seasoned internet user, she had spent half the night in bed browsing Weibo and knew what was going on, as well as the thoughts of the other nine guests' fans.
In short, the fans were upset because their idols were not only inferior to Xu Gui, but the gap between them was so large.
Xu Gui: Just because I'm too good, you blame me?
What kind of logic is that?
After saying that, Xu Gui glanced at Su Ya and launched her final attack: "However, these things don't really concern you, Su Ya. After all, you were the last among our guests yesterday."
As soon as Xu Gui finished speaking, someone in the crowd suddenly laughed. Because the atmosphere was so quiet, the laughter was deafening.
Su Ya's face flushed red instantly, her eyes glaring angrily at Xu Gui.
"Xu Gui, you..." She was furious, and suddenly took a step forward, seemingly about to do something to Xu Gui. However, before she could act, a voice suddenly came from the restaurant entrance: "What are you doing?"
Everyone was startled and turned around to see the director standing at the restaurant entrance, looking at them with an imposing air.
At this, everyone quieted down, and Su Ya calmed down as well.
"Director, is there something you need?" While everyone was quiet, Zhao Yang took the initiative to speak to the director.
The director's gaze swept lightly over Xu Gui and Su Ya, who were standing there. The atmosphere between the two seemed tense, but the director didn't say anything. Instead, he answered Zhao Yang's question: "I came here because I have something to inform you..."
After the director finished speaking, everyone gasped, and their gazes towards the director changed.
"The thing is," the director glanced at Xu Gui subtly, and said, "We've already communicated with your company and agent. Now it's up to you. If you have no objections, we'll pass this on."
Su Ya's mind went blank because of what the director had said. Hearing this, she subconsciously questioned, "Why?"
The director found it somewhat amusing. He said calmly, "There's no other way. The gap between you and Xu Gui is just too big. We had to make this decision. Otherwise, Miss Su, do you have any better ideas?"
Su Ya was speechless, then felt a burning sensation on her face, a mixture of shame and anger—the director's words showed them absolutely no respect. He was practically pointing a finger at her and saying, "Who told you you couldn't compare to Xu Gui?"
At this moment, Zhao Yang shook his head and said, "Director, I have no objection to this."
With the Best Actor speaking, the others exchanged glances and echoed, "We have no objection either..."
The director nodded and said, "Then it's decided!"
He then glanced at Xu Gui, who had already found a seat and met his gaze, flashing him a wide smile.
The director: "..."
His lips twitched slightly, his weariness deepening.
He knew it; with Xu Gui's monopolistic skill, this situation was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, she was the only one on the show who could tell fortunes; she could charge whatever price she wanted. Fortune telling has always been popular with the wealthy, as the richer people are, the more superstitious they tend to be.
Really skilled feng shui masters command millions or tens of millions in invitations from the rich, and their abilities might not even be as strong as Xu Gui's. So, from the beginning, the director had roughly foreseen this situation.
He hadn't expected that Xu Gui would drop such a bombshell so early in the show, almost ruining their production.
The director muttered to himself, turned, and left, leaving the guests still flustered. Their eyes couldn't help but drift towards Xu Gui, who remained calm and collected, not forgetting why he was at the restaurant, scanning a QR code on his phone to order.
Yuan Lu, standing beside him, felt incredibly uncomfortable, the complex emotions in their gazes making her feel like she was being stabbed in the back.
As the eldest among the guests, the movie star Zhao Yang glanced at Xu Gui but said nothing, continuing to eat his breakfast. Since even he, the most senior person, hadn't commented, the others naturally didn't either, and dispersed.
Su Ya, however, stood there, seemingly extremely resentful, finally giving Xu Gui a resentful look before leaving.
As she left, she didn't see the thoughtful look Xu Gui gave her, a look that held both doubt and seriousness.
While the guests were having breakfast, the production team had already published what they had just discussed with the guests online. Because of yesterday's events, many netizens' first action upon waking up was to continue their insults on the production team's official Weibo account, so they were among the first to see the announcement.
After reading it, netizens were like: ?? What is this?
[No, what does this mean? What does it mean that, considering the fairness of the show, Xu Gui will not participate in the competition with the other guests? I really...]
[My god, this announcement from the production team is practically saying that the other nine guests are completely inferior to Xu Gui, completely outclassed by him, so to prevent the fans of the other nine guests from getting upset, they chose to kick Xu Gui out of the competition? Hahaha, isn't this an insult?]
[And this, what does it mean that after communicating with Teacher Xu, Teacher Xu chose to withdraw from the competition with the other nine guests and instead chose the "earn 100 million" challenge? Isn't this an insult to the other guests?] [
To summarize, the show's announcement means that the other nine guests are no match for Xu Gui, so they're making her withdraw from the competition and challenge her to something more difficult.]
[It's confirmed, the show's producers have really gone mad. Are they complaining they're not getting enough criticism, so they want more? This is blatantly saying the other nine guests are inferior!]
[Ha, I'm so angry I'm laughing. This idiot show!]
[Actually, I can understand the show's actions. What else can they do? Xu Gui clearly has an overwhelming advantage; she's earned four or five million in a single day. How can the others compare?] [If you want fairness, then you can only remove Xu Gui from the competition with the other guests. But if it's fair to the other guests, it's unfair to Xu Gui. So, the only way is to compensate Xu Gui by putting her in a separate track. That would be fair.]
[Actually, I think this change is unfair to Xu Gui. She's clearly the winner among the other nine guests and would definitely get the first-place reward. But now she's been singled out and given the challenge of "earning 100 million." To achieve that challenge, you basically need to earn over 7 million a day. Even if Xu Gui is incredibly talented, she can't possibly achieve that, right?]
[However, the production team also said that to show fairness to Xu Gui, if she can complete this challenge, the final reward will be increased by half… meaning, if Xu Gui can earn 100 million, she'll get a 150 million cash reward, plus sponsorships from other brands. It's not a loss for her.]
[But do you really think Xu Gui can do this challenge?] [
After reading what you all said, I actually think the production team really tried their best to be fair. You fans shouldn't act like your idols are being insulted by the production team. Ask yourselves honestly, can your idols earn money as fast as Xu Gui?]
[Actually, the production team is also in a tough spot. Is this the first show in history to have to change the rules on the very first day of filming?]
[Mainly because Xu Gui is too incredible! Earning over five million in one day, is that even possible for a human? The production team was pushed to the limit!]
...
Regarding the production team's rules, netizens went from initial outrage to gradual acceptance.
Seeing the online comments slowly improving, the staff who had been monitoring the online sentiment breathed a sigh of relief—it wasn't for nothing that they hired so many online trolls to guide the narrative.
That's right, the production team also launched an online troll offensive; otherwise, how could the online sentiment have changed so quickly?
"Director, how did you come up with this solution in such a short time?" The assistant director looked at the director with great admiration.
In a short time, the director came up with a solution that maximized the fairness of their program. Well, although it seemed to belittle the other nine guests, their earning power was genuinely inferior to Xu Gui's; they had to admit that.
In short, while this rule change still had some points to criticize, it was the best solution they could come up with so far.
Assistant Director: Why didn't I think of such a good solution! Is it because I'm not as smart as the director that I can only be an assistant director?
What's most remarkable about this whole affair is how the director managed to convince the ten guests. Agreeing to this was practically forcing the nine guests to admit they were inferior to Xu Gui. And how could Xu Gui possibly agree to such an impossible challenge?
The director's answer to these questions was: "As long as you offer a certain benefit, many things are not unacceptable to the other party."
Besides, it was obvious that the nine guests were inferior to Xu Gui. Even if they didn't change the rules, that was a fact. It was just that the production team had laid bare this fact, and the truth is often hard to accept, like bitter medicine.
As for why Xu Gui agreed…
"Our production team added 50 million to the 100 million reward!!" The director's voice trembled as he said this. He really wouldn't have given up such a huge benefit if he hadn't been desperate.
Fortunately, earning 100 million in half a month is practically impossible. Even if Xu Gui was incredibly capable, she couldn't possibly earn that much money in such a short time.
The director could only console himself: if Xu Gui failed the challenge, then everything he promised would be meaningless.
However, despite thinking this, the director felt his eyelids twitching, a bad premonition creeping into his heart.
"No way, no way, Xu Gui can't be that incredible, can she?"
the director cried out inwardly.
Just then, a staff member suddenly said, "Director, Teacher Zhao contacted us, they said..."
*
Meanwhile, Xu Gui and her team had finished breakfast and left the restaurant, packing up to go out and "work."
Yang Haolin, Xu Gui's cameraman, carried the filming equipment. He hadn't turned it on yet, but looked at Xu Gui hesitantly, asking softly, "Teacher Xu, are you really going to participate in this 100 million challenge? Isn't that too challenging?" Xu Gui
casually replied, "Since it's called a challenge, what's the point if it's not challenging?" Yang
Haolin: That makes sense.
"But, what if you can't complete it?" he whispered.
Xu Gui replied confidently, "I won't fail!"
Yang Haolin sighed. He couldn't understand where Xu Gui's confidence came from. She had only earned about five million yesterday, a hundred million away from her goal... She was certain she would win if she chose to compete with the other guests, but now she was taking such a huge risk to participate in the challenge.
"Isn't there a saying: opportunity and risk go hand in hand? If I want the best reward, I naturally have to bear the corresponding risks!" Xu Gui said calmly.
Last night, after the director discussed this matter with Kuang Ming, Kuang Ming came to ask for Xu Gui's opinion. After listening, Xu Gui didn't even think about it and directly chose the director's suggestion.
She was decisive and straightforward, as if she hadn't even considered it. The director was stunned and couldn't help but ask her, "Don't you want to think about it more?"
Xu Gui replied, "Why should I think about it? It's an extra fifty million in reward. I think this is something I can do."
Director: ...You're really confident.
Anyway, Xu Gui wouldn't refuse the director's suggestion, and it was thanks to this that the director's idea could be successfully implemented. After all, the change in the rules was actually most disadvantageous to Xu Gui. If the rules hadn't been changed, Xu Gui would have been guaranteed to win first place in the competition, but now she had to risk failing the challenge.
Kuang Ming didn't object to Xu Gui's choice either. Of course, unlike Xu Gui's confidence that she could definitely complete the challenge, he felt that even if Xu Gui failed, it wouldn't be a bad thing for her.
"...Just the gimmick of 'challenging to earn 100 million' will bring you huge attention!" Kuang Ming said at the time. "Many people will be curious about how you're going to complete this challenge!"
The traffic that this gimmick brought to Xu Gui was already considered a gain for her. Don't forget, Xu Gui was a newcomer without any works yet. At this time, only by generating the most buzz and topics could she attract the attention of investors and be willing to invest money in her.
When Kuang Ming said these words, his eyes were incredibly gentle when he looked at Xu Gui; it was the look of someone looking at a god of wealth.
Yang
Haolin didn't understand Xu Gui's thoughts, but as her photographer, all he could do was support her.
"Teacher Xu, I believe you can do it!" he encouraged her.
Xu Gui smiled and thanked him.
She was about to leave when Fu Xia arrived, waiting for her in her van—Fu Xia was Xu Gui's biggest source of income, and she herself was very enthusiastic about this matter, having arrived early in the morning.
Before leaving the hotel, Xu Gui went to the old lady's place and got a large bottle of plum juice, which the old lady had personally brewed. Yuan Lu took it, put it in her bag, and planned to freeze it in the mini-fridge in the van.
After giving Xu Gui the plum juice, the old woman didn't return to the kitchen. Instead, she looked at Xu Gui hesitantly, "You..."
Xu Gui looked at her, her bright eyes calm, as if she understood the old woman's meaning. She said, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm very confident I can complete the challenge! You believe me!"
The old woman's eyes softened. She said, "Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."
Xu Gui's eyes crinkled, and she nodded, "I understand!"
After parting ways with the old woman, Xu Gui and her group went outside, only to encounter Su Ya and her group at the door. Upon seeing Xu Gui, Su Ya's brows furrowed, making no attempt to hide her hostility.
Xu Gui, seeing her, couldn't help but frown.