How can educated people be called thieves

As expected.

Even before the promotional event ended, the content had already reached various parties.

Though everyone had long grown immune to Cao Cheng’s sharp tongue—after all, the debates had been raging for over half a year—this time, his words still managed to break through their defenses.

He directly targeted a certain female singer.

"What the hell is this nonsense?"

The first to lose composure was Hunan TV.

Four years ago, during the second season of Super Girl, it was the gold standard of talent shows.

Chun Chun, Bibi, Liang Liang… The showdown between the top three contestants in the finals achieved a staggering 11% viewership rating.

This show was one of the pillars that cemented Hunan TV’s reputation.

That rating became an unmatched feat.

With the rise of the internet and streaming platforms, future viewership would only decline.

Just like the legendary My Fair Princess, which once peaked at over 60%—no future hit drama could ever replicate that.

But ratings were only part of the story; revenue mattered too.

In any case,

Cao Cheng openly dissed the show, and Hunan TV couldn’t stay silent, especially since Super Girl 2009 was about to premiere. Now, with Cao Cheng’s public criticism, the impact was far from ideal.

"We hope the entertainment industry will see more rising stars. Best of luck to you."

See how classy they were?

Not a single curse word.

But the sarcasm was thick—rising stars? More like amateurs!

This time, Cao Cheng didn’t bother rebutting. The effect was already achieved.

His fame had skyrocketed beyond measure.

This show would undoubtedly surpass the original in every aspect.

...

The promotional event lasted two hours.

Afterward, Cao Cheng invited everyone to dinner, booking out an entire hotel and handing out modest "appreciation fees" to each attendee.

Playing by the rules, of course.

And conveniently harvesting some goodwill.

That night, back at home, The Fourth was restless.

The more she learned about the entertainment industry, the more she felt that the conglomerate behind Hunan TV was an insurmountable force.

Especially with Super Girl’s viewership ratings and market share—they were terrifying.

Cao Cheng’s bold claims today about "crushing" the competition and "quitting the industry" had shaken her.

Even though she had watched the recordings of The Voice and knew the inside details, she still believed surpassing Super Girl would be incredibly difficult.

The landscape was different now.

Had the shows aired in the same era, she’d have absolute confidence.

But these days…

Who even watched TV anymore?

With live streams and replays online, traditional viewership would inevitably be split.

The Fourth wasn’t worried about losing money.

She was worried about Cao Cheng losing—and the blow to his confidence.

The Fourth sighed. "You were way too… too extreme today. What if we don’t surpass them? Are you really going to quit the industry? Sister Ali looked really worried earlier…"

Cao Cheng chuckled. "You don’t have faith either? You’ve seen the show. You were mesmerized. Do you really think it can’t compete with Super Girl?"

The Fourth shook her head. "It’s not about the quality. It’s the era. Streaming platforms will eat into the ratings. Beating them in traditional viewership is nearly impossible."

Cao Cheng smiled, pinching her cheek gently. "You don’t know a damn thing."

"…"

The Fourth instantly flared up.

She jumped up to hit him.

But Cao Cheng easily subdued her, flipping her over his knee and giving her a light smack.

The Fourth immediately settled down.

Only then did Cao Cheng speak softly. "You know me. I never fight battles I can’t win. And even if we lose, I said I’d quit the industry—not you guys. Besides, quitting doesn’t mean I can’t come back later."

The Fourth was speechless. "You’re planning to cheat?"

"Cheat? That’s such an ugly word. A cultured man doesn’t cheat—he works the system."

Cao Cheng wore the grin of a seasoned hustler.

In business, integrity mattered.

But in showbiz? All that mattered was buzz.

Besides,

they wouldn’t lose.

Cao Cheng knew exactly how profitable and captivating The Voice could be.

In the future, among the top 10 variety shows, The Voice would occupy four spots—seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4!

And that wasn’t all.

The first season, which aired three years later in a more internet-saturated era, still pulled a 6.1% rating.

Season four was even crazier, hitting 6.8%!

Now, launching a full three years earlier, with upgraded promotions, higher-profile mentors, better stages, and superior singers—every detail polished to perfection—

If they couldn’t surpass Super Girl,

then what was the point of dreaming?

This promotional event alone was packed with drama, enough to fuel online debates for a month straight, right up until the premiere.

By then, swarms of haters would emerge—alongside armies of fans supporting the mentors and contestants. Little Chensheng, for instance, had a massive following.

This foundation was something the original The Voice in another timeline could never match.

...

The show officially premiered in July.

It was an absolute sensation.

Not just among fans—industry bigwigs, agency CEOs, top managers, A-list celebrities, even film circles were all watching.

Thanks to Cao Cheng’s relentless bragging,

everyone wanted to see if the show could live up to his hype.

The #1 music variety show in China.

The most elite mentors and stage.

The finest voices in the country.

Time flew…

On the night of the premiere,

all of Miracle Media’s executives—though there were only about twenty—gathered in a private hotel banquet room, courtesy of Cao Cheng.

In the company group chat,

the mood was a mix of nerves, excitement, fear, and prayers.

All waiting for the show to begin.

At 9 PM,

the ads rolled.

Wahaha was the title sponsor!

No helping it—at this point, JDB hadn’t launched its campaign, and Cao Cheng hadn’t invested in them.

Meanwhile, Wahaha Group… Cao Cheng and Third Sister’s company had partnered with Hangzhou investors. Taking advantage of the global financial crisis, Cao Cheng had also bought out Danone’s stake in Wahaha.

Making him the largest shareholder.

But purely as an investor—no involvement in management.

This also settled the long-standing "Danone-Wahaha dispute," turning Wahaha into a fully domestic enterprise.

Next year,

this company alone could make Cao Cheng the richest man in China.

The initial sponsorship fee of 100 million yuan? Just moving money from Wahaha’s pocket to Miracle Media’s.

And that was just the beginning.

Once the show took off, ad slots would sell for astronomical prices.

The ad revenue alone would keep Miracle Media thriving.

A true cash cow!

...

At 9:10 PM,

after ads and a preview, the show began.

The moment the four mentors appeared, the impact was immediate.

This was top-tier entertainment.

Three men, one woman—their professionalism eclipsed every other talent show.

Just look at Super Girl’s judges.

The most famous was Jiong Jiong. The rest? A bunch of nobodies.

Well.

No need to trash them—they were somewhat professional. Somewhat.

The mentors’ caliber aside,

as the show progressed, viewers quickly realized this was something entirely different.

Blind auditions!

Chairs that turned!

Only the voice mattered.

Especially the expressions of the four mentors at the moment when the contestants started singing. That look of surprise, that look of admiration, and those expressions of being captivated made the audience cheer with great excitement.

"What the hell is this amazing show?"

"So awesome!"

"No wonder they dare to claim it's the top talent show in the country and say that 'The Voice' is all about good voices. Here, they don't care about looks, age, or gender. As long as you have a great voice, you can make the mentors turn their chairs."

"This show is invincible! It's so good to watch."

"Wow, all four mentors lit up their lights at the same time. It's a situation where four mentors are vying for one contestant, and the choice has actually come back to the amateur. It's so hard to choose! They're all such professional and well - known mentors. Won't the contestant offend someone?"

"This is what a real music show should be. The musical qualities of these mentors really outshine those of similar music shows."

"How lucky it is to join Singer Zhang's team. Singer Zhang will personally give guidance. Even if the contestant gets eliminated in the future, it's worth it in this lifetime."

"Halin is so mischievous. Hahaha. Milk Tea Liu was so annoyed by Halin. Those little annoyed glances she gave are so charming. I wonder who will marry Milk Tea Liu in the future. Love it, love it so much..."

As soon as the show premiered.

After just two amateurs appeared on the show, it had already become a huge hit.

On various online forums and Tieba, a large number of people started to manipulate the comments.

Cao Cheng wasn't a professional in this aspect, but it didn't stop him from understanding these things.

Mainly, he was worried about trolls, so he decided to control the comments for a week.

He didn't care how much it would cost.

Moreover, the format of this show was really far superior to all similar shows as soon as it appeared.

The mentors were the biggest attraction.

Even when they had their backs turned, that look of listening intently made the audience hold their breath. And when a mentor pressed the button and turned around, the sense of exhilaration at that moment made many audiences go crazy...

Not to mention the audience.

Even some well - known artists in the industry were stunned. Was this really that exciting?

Especially those music mentors who had previously declined the offer, like Yang, Na, and Sun... At this moment, they wished they could jump off a building.

Damn it.

They had missed out on such a huge opportunity for success?

The senior management of Mango TV, the hosts, and even the senior management of Tianyu were all staring blankly at the show on TV.

They were professionals, so they could immediately tell how much potential 'The Voice' had.

Many of them knew that there was a swiveling chair on the show, which cost hundreds of thousands to make.

At that time, they didn't have a clear idea of what it represented. They just thought, "Isn't it just a swiveling chair? It's so flashy..."

After all, this kind of show was the first of its kind on Blue Star.

They never imagined that a swiveling chair could be so effective in arousing people's emotions to the peak.

The ratings hadn't come out yet, but many people were already breaking out in cold sweats.

This show was extremely captivating.

The mentors turning their chairs was a major attraction.

The mentors competing for contestants was an attraction.

The mentors' interpretations of the contestants' music were also an attraction.

The contestants' counter - selection of mentors was another attraction.

Even the overall stage design of the show almost outshone an entire era. When compared, one could see that what was 'Super Girl'?

The whole feeling of 'The Voice' could be summed up in two words - professional!

From the lighting to the mentors, the director, the stage, and the sound system... Everything was so high - class.

If,

previously, Young Master Cao had been provoking others everywhere, making people think he was like an upstart.

Then now,

after watching the first episode of the first season, all those in the inner circle had only one thought -

The wolf is coming!

Soon, the ratings were released.

The preliminary collection and statistics of the ratings in 44 CSM cities were quite accurate, although they were just preliminary.

The most accurate ones were the weekly statistical reports and monthly comprehensive data statistics.

But,

the daily real - time updates were enough.

The ratings were 2.71.

The audience share reached over 10%.

It ranked first in the same time slot!

"Are they crazy?!"

As soon as the news came out, people in the inner circle were stunned.

They knew very well what this meant.

Just like in the film industry, professionals could roughly estimate the final total box office from the first - day box office of a movie.

The same was true for ratings.

Without any unexpected circumstances...

It was almost certain that the ratings of the finale would exceed 10. The probability had increased from 0% to over 60%.

The status of 'Super Girl' was in jeopardy.

The wolf,

had really come!