Chapter 217: Chapter 215: This Trending Topic Really... Puts Us on the Map

Jiang Beibei’s face was as sour as if she were constipated. She couldn’t understand why a scene that was supposed to get someone chewed out had suddenly turned into a way to win over fans.

Xie Fu Yao gave a bitter smile. "It looks like Doctor Wen and her team don’t need our help. Let’s just focus on finishing the task."

As they turned back to work on their own rafts, the staff could see the resentment and disappointment on their faces.

"Director! The show is trending on the hot search!"

Xiao Liu rushed over to Director Wen.

Director Wen frowned and looked at the phone in Xiao Liu’s hand.

#DoctorWenLetsGoExploring

#DoctorWenCrossesTheRiverOnAReed

#DoesDoctorWenReallyKnowKungFu

#DoctorWenAlmostDrowned

In short, there was a whole mix of topics, including some absurd ones like her almost drowning.

But the first few topics had shot into the top thirty on the hot search list not long after they appeared!

The momentum was unstoppable!

Director Wen’s heart was pounding. THUMP THUMP THUMP.

Although he felt a tinge of melancholy that the show was only trending thanks to Doctor Wen, it was still trending!

For a new variety show, this was practically a godsend!

It was a testament to their exposure and buzz!

That little bit of melancholy was nothing in the face of all this popularity.

"Director Wen, you truly have the Wisdom Eye, inviting Doctor Wen to our show!"

After some professional analysis, Xiao Liu had already discovered that eighty percent of the viewers in the livestream were there for Doctor Wen.

And all the trending topics were about Doctor Wen, too.

It was more than enough to prove how massive Doctor Wen’s star power was!

Their show was in the bag!

There was no way they weren’t getting a big bonus now!

Seeing Director Wen staring blankly, Xiao Liu continued, "Director, look, Xu Jiali and Song Jiayan are trending too. It’s not on Doctor Wen’s level, but it looks pretty interesting. Some fans are saying they’ve each gained over a hundred thousand followers!"

Director Wen snapped out of it and looked at the topics for Xu Jiali and Song Jiayan.

#MissXuKnowsSelfDeprecation

#SongJiayanRidingCoattails

Director Wen’s mouth twitched. ’These trending topics are really unexpected.’

But clearly, they were both trending because they were on his show. They’d have to remember this favor, right?

Director Wen was gloating inside.

He’d already forgotten that Xie Fu Yao and that Jiang Beibei, the "traffic" stars the investors had stuffed into the show, hadn’t even managed to scrape the bottom of the hot search list.

Director Wen sat in his chair, watching Wen Ying floating in the middle of the lake, feeling that this was an absolute win.

’Doctor Wen truly is the secret to going viral!’

"Director! The hot search! The hot search!"

Xiao Liu came running over again, but Director Wen was now a big-shot director whose show had been on the hot search!

"Xiao Liu, what are you panicking for? I know about the hot search. Isn’t our show already on it? You need to be a little calmer, you know?"

Xiao Liu nodded, then shoved the phone screen right in Director Wen’s face.

#LetsGoExploring

"A separate trending topic for the show itself? Attaboy, Xiao Liu! Keep up the good work, you hear? HAHAHAHA!"

Director Wen was laughing so hard he couldn’t close his mouth.

But Xiao Liu seemed a little uneasy. "Director," he whispered, "why don’t you tap it and read the comments?"

Director Wen tapped it open. The top comments were very conspicuous.

Besides the ones about Doctor Wen, Xu Jiali, and Song Jiayan, there were more...????

[Who the hell is this Jiang Beibei? And she thinks she’s the popular one on this show?]

[How many schemes is Meng Xiaoyi running? She’s completely full of them!]

[That act Xie Fu Yao is putting on almost fooled me!]

[Zhang Jingxing and Xie Fu Yao are two peas in a pod!]

[Where did this Zhao Qi come from? Why can’t I find any info on him?]

[At first, I thought Zhao Qi was probably no good either, but when I saw him about to jump into the water to save her without a second thought, honestly, I saw the light! Now that’s a real man!]

[The Daoist has seen the light! The Daoist has seen the light! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

[Brother Huozi’s fans are here too??? Thanks for showing up!]

[This little variety show... every minor character has eight hundred schemes going on. I’m calling it, this is so damn entertaining!]

[Person above me, are you on a 2G network? This new show has been on the hot search so many times already! Even if it is just riding on Doctor Wen’s coattails!]

[Forget all these messy people. I love Doctor Wen’s group of three the most. They each have their own charm. Love it!]

Director Wen’s expression soured. When the investors stuffed people into the show, the money wasn’t huge, but he had agreed to give their people screen time. After all, he was a new director with a new show.

Who could have expected it to blow up right at the start of the first episode?

And the investors’ people *did* manage to latch onto the tail end of the hot search, but it was basically all hate comments.

In any case, they had completely lost their public appeal.

How was he going to explain this to the investors?

’Whatever, I’m not going to overthink it!’

’The show is a hit now. There are plenty of people who want to invest!’

’Do I even need to worry?’

’They’re the ones who should be worrying!’

Director Wen also felt that these people were nothing but schemes from head to toe.

’Instead of clinging to Doctor Wen for dear life, they’re all busy targeting each other?’

’We’re all thousand-year-old foxes here, so what’s the point of playing games?’

Naturally, Director Wen had no intention of warning them. This way was more fun, and it created more buzz!

By the time Xie Fu Yao’s group had finished building their raft, huffing and puffing, Wen Ying, Xu Jiali, and Song Jiayan had already crossed two-thirds of the river.

The sight of their backs was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Beibei, don’t worry. You’re in the same group as Doctor Wen. As long as you get across before us, you still win."

It was hard to tell what Xie Fu Yao meant by this "comfort"—was he being kind or something else?

Jiang Beibei nodded. That’s what she was thinking, too.

Xie Fu Yao, Meng Xiaoyi, and Zhao Qi pushed their raft to the water’s edge together.

Then they slowly waded in.

"Zhao Qi, you don’t seem very enthusiastic?" Meng Xiaoyi asked with concern.

Zhao Qi’s face was indeed devoid of any enthusiasm.

He came on this show to get famous. And the result?

He’d completely missed his big chance.

"Zhao Qi, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Although Meng Xiaoyi didn’t get a reply, she wasn’t discouraged and asked again.

Xie Fu Yao cursed inwardly, but asked with a concerned tone, "Zhao Qi, are you worried we won’t win? But as long as we try our best, that’s enough, isn’t it?"

Zhao Qi shot Xie Fu Yao a dissatisfied glare. "Don’t feed me that crap. I’m not some rookie!"

Xie Fu Yao was a bit embarrassed. "I... I was just concerned about our team."

"Are we going or not!" Zhao Qi climbed directly onto the raft, holding a bamboo pole to use as an oar.

"Who would even want to be in a group with you? If I were in Doctor Wen’s group, I’d be breezing across the river on a single bamboo pole right now. Look at them, and then look at you."

"I—"

"You what? Don’t bother explaining! Explanations are just excuses, don’t you get it? You think I don’t know what you’re up to? Who are you trying to make the scapegoat now? Weren’t you the one who wanted to be team leader? If we lose, it’s on you!"

Xie Fu Yao, "!!!!"

’Fuck, I gave you an inch and you took a mile? Always running your damn mouth!’

’If this show weren’t live, you think I’d be willing to put up with your shit?’

’Dumbass!’

"What, you’re not going? Then I’m leaving. If you want to be last in the individual rankings, I’ll grant you your wish."