After the producer said, "Oh no, we shouldn't have asked that," there was a moment of silence in the office.
Then the others exchanged glances, and the corners of their mouths turned up in unison.
No one responded, but everyone's expressions said it all:
We are you.
This producer was brought in after " Walking the Flower Road Together " became a hit. The previous producer was transferred to another project, supposedly because the higher-ups felt the show was too important now and needed to send someone more "experienced" to manage it.
The one sent, however, had an unknown amount of experience, but was certainly adept at picking the peaches (i. e., getting the job done).
How the show was filmed and how the guests were arranged were all handled by the directing team and the original crew. His biggest contribution was saying at every meeting, "I think this direction is right."
Someone had advised him against it before he made the call:
"It's only been a few hours, and you're already calling to confirm? Don't you trust the guests?"
He didn't listen at the time, and now he regrets it.
But he didn't take it too seriously. After all, it was just a phone call to ask, nothing serious.
Cheng Che probably won't care.
Then his phone rang.
He glanced at the name on the screen, his expression changed, and then he answered the call.
The voice on the other end of the phone was so loud that even people nearby could hear it; he cursed for almost two minutes, the gist of which was:
Are you fucking insane? Cheng Che just released a video of his haute couture show, and the whole internet is praising it. You call him and ask, "Did something happen?" What are people supposed to think? Who would dare work with you in the future?
The producer's face went from white to red and back to white. After the other person finished yelling, he swallowed hard and said in a very soft voice:
"I'll handle this. I'll invite other top celebrities to participate to guarantee high viewership."
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, then a soft "Mmm" was heard, and the call ended.
The producer hung up the phone, stood there for two seconds, then pushed open the door and left.
The atmosphere in the office immediately relaxed as soon as he left.
Some people leaned back in their chairs, some put down their pens, and some picked up their cups and took a sip of water.
"Invite other top celebrities?" someone chuckled. "Will the other top celebrities come?"
Everyone laughed when he said that.
The reasoning is very simple.
The reason why top celebrities are top celebrities is because they have class and prestige.
When Cheng Che was around, it wasn't shameful for others to come as guest stars; they were just "riding on his coattails."
Riding the coattails of trending topics is common practice in the entertainment industry; everyone tacitly agrees to associate themselves with whoever is popular.
But Cheng Che withdraws and they take over, things will be different.
This position was unwanted by Cheng Che, and you took it, which is tantamount to telling everyone: you are not as good as him.
This is what top celebrities fear most.
They can lose endorsements, they can avoid trending on social media, but they can't be told 'you picked up someone else's leftovers'.
It's not shameful to find a bargain, but it's shameful to find a bargain from Cheng Che. By taking over his bargain, you're admitting that you're inferior to him.
Will shows with stars less Cheng Che be able to achieve high ratings on " Walking the Flower Road Together "?
And do you think those sisters from [ Star Journey ] will let them off the hook? I bet the comments section will be flooded before the show even airs.
These words may sound harsh, but the facts speak for themselves.
Then the news got out.
First, an account claiming to be an "insider on the show" posted a message saying, "A top celebrity has withdrawn from a variety show for unknown reasons."
They made it sound so convincing, even fabricating details like "an internal meeting to discuss replacement candidates."
When the sisters of Star Journey saw it, they didn't believe it at first, but then they got angry when they discussed it in the super topic.
What do you mean he quit? Who said that?
[The production team needs to speak up!]
[How could our Che Baby possibly quit? He was doing so well filming!]
Is someone causing trouble?
The first group of people rushed to the official Weibo account of the program.
Please provide an explanation!
Who is spreading rumors?
Did you do something?
Why did Cheng Che quit? Explain clearly!
The number of comments grew from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands, and the program's official Weibo account frantically began deleting comments, but for every comment deleted, ten more would appear.
Ten minutes later, the comment section was closed.
Then Cheng Che Studio account posted an update.
The wording was very polite, essentially saying, "Due to scheduling conflicts, Mr. Cheng Che will be temporarily withdrawing from the remaining recordings of ' Walking the Flower Road Together.' We thank the production team for their consideration and look forward to future collaborations." It included an old photo of Cheng Che from the show, without any further explanation.
This post effectively confirmed that he had "quit".
Weibo exploded again.
# Cheng Che # immediately topped Walking the Flower Road Together trending searches.
The comments section contained all sorts of opinions.
So you've really quit? Why?
[It's probably due to scheduling conflicts. He has filming to do next, as well as playing in Wimbledon US Open; he's really busy.]
[But wasn't filming going well before? There must be a reason for the sudden withdrawal.]
Did the production team do something to upset him?
[I saw that insider's revelation, saying the production team called him to ask if something had happened. Who would be happy in that situation?]
[Holy crap, is this for real? That production team really doesn't trust anyone!]
Then some new haters arrived.
[Hilarious, they got kicked out of the show but still acted so graciously]
[The scheduling conflict means they just don't want him anymore.]
[ Cheng Che's fans were so full of hype before, but they've been proven wrong now.]
[He can't even get on variety shows anymore, and he's still a top star?]
As soon as these words were posted, they were attacked by other trolls.
Are you stupid? He just sat in the front row at the LV haute couture show, and the LV president personally came out to greet him. You're telling me he can't be on variety shows?
[There's a threshold for being a hater; your kind is dragging down our overall level.]
He quit because he didn't have time, not because nobody wanted him. You need to understand the difference.
If you're going to criticize, at least do it properly. This kind of mindless criticism is a disgrace to us critics.
The troll was so angered that they deleted their comment.
Then a passerby started explaining the facts.
Without Cheng Che, " Walking the Flower Road Together " is basically half dead. He's the biggest source of the show's popularity; all the other guests combined can't match his individual talent. If the production team can't find a replacement of equal caliber, a 50% drop in ratings would be the least of their worries.
[Besides, top celebrities won't come to take over. After Cheng Che leaves, whoever comes in will just be picking up the scraps, and they can't afford to lose face.]
So this show will either have to find some less-than-stellar performers to fill the gap, or it will have to be completely revamped. It's impossible for it to ever regain its former glory.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Cheng Che sat in the front row of the LV haute couture show, completely unaware of all this.
The fashion show is in progress.
Models walked down the runway, wearing new pieces from LV's Fall/Winter Haute Couture collection. The cuts were exquisite, the fabrics were thick and heavy, and the colors were dark, exuding a quiet elegance.
The LV president sat next to him, occasionally turning his head to say a few words, introducing the features of a certain design or the details of a certain process.
Cheng Che listened, nodding occasionally and asking a question now and then.
The lights shone on him, and the flashes from the surrounding cameras never stopped from beginning to end.
Qin Lie sat in the back seat, his phone screen lit up, with messages from China popping up one after another.
He glanced at it but didn't rush to deal with it.
He had mentioned his withdrawal from " Walking the Flower Road Together " to Cheng Che before, and Cheng Che had agreed.
There are too many things to do: Wimbledon, the US Open, filming, endorsements—one after another, there's no time to fly around recording variety shows.
The " Walking the Flower Road Together " team conveniently provided an excuse, so we went along with it and withdrew, saving ourselves the trouble.
He locked his screen, looked up at Cheng Che in the first row, and smiled.
This person, sitting next to the CEO of LV at a fashion show, caused a huge stir on Chinese social media because he withdrew from a variety show.
He himself didn't even look at his phone.