CHAPTER 185: CHAPTER 180: THE PENGUIN IS VERY DARK

Mu Yunchu’s first reaction was that this Yang Ni had a questionable orientation—disgusting.

Looking at the comments below, they almost matched her thoughts exactly.

"This must be Penguin’s doing," Xiao Du sneered.

"Penguin? How could it be them? Shouldn’t it be Yuehua?"

Mu Yunchu was stunned by Xiao Du’s words. She couldn’t understand why Penguin would do such a thing.

"This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go." Xiao Du casually settled the 3,000-plus meal bill and then dragged Mu Yunchu to a nearby café.

Being pulled along like this, Mu Yunchu’s heart began to race uncontrollably, a mix of sweetness and anxiety. In her 21 years of life, she had never been led by a boy’s hand.

She herself was like a flower in a greenhouse, basking in the best sunshine and love.

...

"Xiao Du, according to your theory, Penguin is retaliating against ’Domain Company’ because their artist Fan Chengcheng dropped out."

"No, Penguin may be unhappy about it, but there’s no need for them to go all out over something like this."

Xiao Du’s face grew solemn as he continued analyzing, "Moreover, Penguin has already made Domain Company suffer enough; Yang Ni’s center spot has already been stripped away."

Mu Yunchu frowned. "Then why did you say it was Penguin’s doing earlier?"

"I said it was Penguin, but not out of retaliation—it’s to prop up Yuehua’s Double Beauties while simultaneously creating buzz for the show," Xiao Du explained.

"... I still think it’s Yuehua behind this. Penguin, such a big company, wouldn’t stoop this low," Mu Yunchu mused.

"Look at these photos. They’re all high-definition, clearly taken with professional cameras. Have you forgotten? When we went to visit the shoot, professional equipment like this was strictly prohibited," Xiao Du sneered coldly.

Mu Yunchu took another careful look—it was indeed as Xiao Du said.

If Yuehua were responsible for this, then these commuter photos must have been taken under the guise of being fans—with just mobile phones.

However, judging by the angles and the light-shadow interplay, these were clearly taken from a distance without the subjects’ knowledge using professional gear.

"So isn’t Penguin just destroying Yang Ni with this?" Mu Yunchu was indignant about such behavior.

"Maybe! But this is an internal struggle within their own company. Still, I doubt Penguin would let Yuehua’s Double Beauties have the monopoly—they’ll push out someone to compete against them," Xiao Du replied.

"Are you suggesting Ye Yuwei? But why can’t they have the monopoly?" Mu Yunchu seemed puzzled by Xiao Du’s reasoning.

"Maybe Ye Yuwei, maybe not—this kind of show can never let anyone dominate completely. Only by constantly unearthing new points of interest and suspense can the show maintain its buzzworthiness," Xiao Du elaborated.

"By the way, we need to prepare for trolling countermeasures. Who knows what other disreputable tricks Penguin might pull next," Xiao Du added.

The entire internet was already engulfed in chaos at this point.

[Penguin Headquarters]

Wan Kai glanced at the data report handed over by his secretary, feeling highly satisfied.

Yang Ni had already become the trending topic across all platforms.

This indicated that a lot of people were tuning into this program.

Just then, Yang Xiaoyue walked in from outside. "Mr. Wan, what’s going on with Yang Ni? This could cause an interruption in Meng Meixuan’s center position, diminishing the show’s suspense."

Yang Xiaoyue had pieced together what had happened from events earlier, but she wouldn’t openly confront Penguin.

"I’ve already considered the issue you’re worried about. But let me assure you, Meng Meixuan will not face a center-position interruption," Wan Kai said casually while sipping his coffee.

"Not possible?" Yang Xiaoyue was immediately flustered.

"Let me ask you—who’s leading the conversations around this show right now?"

"Isn’t it Yuehua’s Double Beauties?"

"No, it’s Lv Fangxin."

Wan Kai handed over a report to Yang Xiaoyue as he spoke.

"From the information we’ve gathered across all platforms, half of the show’s hype centers around Lv Fangxin," Wan Kai remarked.

Upon seeing Yang Xiaoyue’s stunned expression, Wan Kai laughed, "Meng Meixuan may seem widely discussed, but that’s only within the fan circle. Meanwhile, Lv Fangxin has broken into wider audiences—even non-stanners are following her."

Yang Xiaoyue instantly understood Wan Kai’s point.

For a variety show to truly succeed, it needs to cross over into multiple audience segments.

Lv Fangxin’s rise hinted at exactly this kind of breakthrough.

Wan Kai’s expression became significantly more serious, "The company has already decided, and the next focus will be on Lv Fangxin."

Yang Xiaoyue hesitated. Such a move by Penguin would conflict with her vision for the program.

"Mr. Wan, our ultimate goal is to form a group that operates for three years. Lv Fangxin’s poor singing and dancing skills make pushing her as the center position inappropriate," Yang Xiaoyue voiced her concerns.

Wan Kai chuckled, "Your concerns are valid. But the company only plans to harness her appeal for the show itself—whether she ends up hated or loved is entirely up to us."

Yang Xiaoyue felt reassured upon hearing this and proceeded to outline the plan she had discussed with Sun Miao.

"We can implement this in phases: first, we’ll promote Lv Fangxin as widely as possible; later, we’ll leak information about her laziness and tendency to cry unnecessarily."

"Mr. Wan, how should we deal with Galaxy’s two members?"

"Lu Bingbing will be easy to deal with, but Ye Yuwei is trickier. The fact that she’s gained so many fans despite her minimal screen time shows she’s got some talent," Wan Kai mused.

"It’s not time to completely cut ties with Galaxy yet. While their group doesn’t have much influence outside fan circles, their fandom can still be leveraged to hype our program," Wan Kai added.

[Shendu, Domain Entertainment]

The mood was tense as the company boss Wang Yuan met face-to-face with his deep-collaborator, Qi Yu Entertainment’s boss Gao Yong.

Their company artists Wang Miaomiao and Yang Ni had been involved in back-to-back scandals, leaving them extremely unsettled.

"Have you tracked down who leaked those rumors? Was it Penguin?" Gao Yong asked with a frown.

"Not Penguin. We got inside info and reviewed the surveillance footage from the day the trainees were commuting—the photos were taken by Yuehua’s photographers," Wang Yuan said, clenching his fists angrily.

"How did you obtain the surveillance footage?" Gao Yong remained skeptical.

Wang Yuan shot him a cold look, "Although Yuehua rented the hotel as a trainee dormitory, the internal security is still managed by the hotel itself—so we gained access to the recordings."

Wang Yuan handed his phone over as he spoke.

Gao Yong opened it to find a covert recording, showing someone at a computer reviewing images from a camera.

"Though we bribed insiders, they didn’t give us the actual footage. Instead, they let us see it—and we recorded it ourselves," Wang Yuan explained.

"Damn it—so it really was Yuehua. That woman has lost her mind, hitting us so brutally." Gao Yong was livid but didn’t have a straightforward way to retaliate.

His funding came from Taiwan, so he lacked solid footing in this area, cementing his partnership with Wang Yuan as his best option.

"Humph! If Yuehua wants to play dirty, don’t blame me for using their own tactics against them," Wang Yuan hissed coldly.

[Shenghai]

Yuehua Company glowed under bright lights late into the night, with all the senior staff in attendance.

Among the 30-some individuals gathered, the graceful yet stern Pan Ting wore a gloomy expression—she knew Penguin had played them.

The photographer was indeed from her company, but they’d resigned days ago.

She had initially believed Penguin had allowed their personnel into the base for filming due to their esteem for Meixuan and Zixuan. Now she realized they’d been thoroughly exploited.

During the shoot, her original plan had been to subtly stir up a CP dynamic involving Wu Zixuan and Yang Ni,

hoping to establish Wu Zixuan’s irresistible charm. But before any of her strategies could unfold, trouble had already erupted.

Earlier today, the trending photos and posts about Yang Ni had made her realize Penguin was inciting conflicts among the camps.

"Everyone’s here now. Share your views on this situation!" Pan Ting said confidently to the entire room.