My name is Lin Zhi, with "Lin" as in "two trees" and "Zhi" as in "the Weaving Maid."

The lunch went quite well, lasting a full two and a half hours of conversation.

Once it was over, the company would handle the coordination with Hunan TV, and Cao Cheng wouldn’t interfere.

……

Back in the presidential suite.

Cao Cheng found The Fourth looking aggrieved.

“What’s wrong?” Cao Cheng asked, amused.

The Fourth shot him a sidelong glance. “We haven’t eaten.”

“……”

Cao Cheng chuckled. “I was discussing business with a bunch of guys at lunch, so I didn’t call you. Couldn’t you have ordered something yourself? Where’s Lin Zhi? Are you hungry?”

Lin Zhi nodded obediently from the side.

She hadn’t eaten either.

Since The Fourth hadn’t said anything, she didn’t dare order.

Too timid.

The Fourth grumbled, “I thought you’d bring us leftovers.”

“Leftovers? Who wants that?” Cao Cheng rolled his eyes, then picked up the phone and ordered two full-course meals from the hotel.

Lin Zhi quietly sighed in relief. Thankfully, the young master had returned early—if he’d been any later, she might have starved to death.

Then again, girls were used to dieting, especially Lin Zhi. Staying slim was practically an obsession in her industry.

……

Soon, the food arrived.

A table full of dishes.

Mostly small plates, plenty of variety, though the portions were a bit lacking.

Enough for the girls, though.

Over the meal, they discussed variety shows. The company would handle the coordination, with The Fourth in charge.

Truth be told,

Cao Cheng had far more than just these three shows under his belt—he had a whole lineup.

Some existed in both his dreams and the real world (Blue Star), and Cao Cheng had already secured the copyrights, ready for production anytime.

Others existed only in his dreams, with no real-world counterparts. Whether they hadn’t been created yet or simply didn’t exist, Cao Cheng didn’t bother investigating. He just treated them as “original” and planned to sell the rights later.

“Oh, right.”

The Fourth suddenly remembered something. “Zhejiang TV reached out. They want to buy the rights to Running Man.”

Cao Cheng frowned. “How do they know I hold the copyright? Did those little jerks tell them?”

The Fourth nodded between bites. “Probably. Their offer’s pretty generous, though.”

“Then handle it however you see fit. If the terms are good enough, let them produce it. We’ll just kick back and collect royalties. But we have to oversee quality control—at least half the production team should be ours. We can’t let some hacks ruin the show.”

Cao Cheng added, “If it’s gonna flop, it better flop after we sell it.”

That was his bottom line.

Because if a show tanked after being sold, the emotional backlash would be massive—and it’d keep paying out year after year.

As long as the show kept airing, the emotional dividends would keep rolling in.

“I don’t get you sometimes,” The Fourth muttered.

She had no intention of selling The Voice.

Neither did Sister Li.

The show was still at its peak, bringing in steady revenue and discovering fresh talent to sign.

It was a virtuous cycle.

Great reputation.

Lucrative endorsements.

Plenty of profit.

Sure, it didn’t make as much as Cao Cheng’s stock plays, but it was Miracle Media’s cornerstone.

And yet,

Cao Cheng sold it without hesitation.

The Fourth nearly lost it. Sister Li looked like she was about to quit.

Luckily, Cao Cheng suddenly unveiled a whole new batch of copyrights and “original” (read: borrowed) shows.

Not exactly plagiarism—just repurposing.

No point letting good ideas go to waste, right?

Besides,

Cao Cheng didn’t need the money from these shows anymore.

When The Fourth said, “I really don’t get you,” she meant it. She couldn’t fathom why he’d sell.

But no matter how she pressed, Cao Cheng just smirked and said, “I’ve got my reasons,” driving her up the wall.

……

After the meal,

Cao Cheng asked, “I’m inviting the Great Detective cast to hang out tonight—get familiar before filming. You coming?”

The Fourth shook her head. “No, I’m heading back to Zhonghai. Gotta finalize today’s deal. Unlike you, I don’t have time to lounge around. Oh, and you’d better increase my shares.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll increase them,” Cao Cheng humored her.

The Fourth had dropped in unannounced.

Now she was leaving just as abruptly.

Before going,

She pulled Cao Cheng aside, suddenly gripping his collar and yanking him close—face-to-face, barely ten centimeters apart.

Breaths mingling.

The Fourth warned in a low voice, “Keep it in your pants. If you mess around, I’ll—”

Cao Cheng abruptly dipped his head.

The Fourth couldn’t dodge in time. Her face flushed crimson.

Her legs nearly buckled.

Cao Cheng grinned. “Does this count as messing around?”

“Asshole.”

The Fourth huffed, releasing him with a shove. “Next time… if you dare take liberties, I’ll drop you with a roundhouse kick. Hmph.”

With that, she strode off.

Cao Cheng watched her go.

The number had returned to ninety-four.

Maybe it had been since this morning.

Either way…

Some things couldn’t be severed completely, no matter how hard you tried.

……

Once The Fourth was gone,

Lin Zhi exhaled in relief.

The pressure from her had been overwhelming.

That glance swept over her so briefly she didn’t even know where to put her hands.

The sky was growing dark.

Cao Cheng said, "Go freshen up. You’ll meet the others from 'Great Detective' later to get acquainted."

"Mm."

Lin Zhi returned to her room to touch up her makeup.

She used her own brand of cosmetics.

A light touch was enough.

Being naturally beautiful was just unfair—no need for heavy makeup to cover flaws when you were already flawless.

After nightfall,

a few celebrities checked into the hotel.

After a short rest, the group arrived one after another at the reserved private room.

Some were already familiar with each other, while others were meeting for the first time.

Still,

they were all seasoned professionals, so no one felt particularly awkward.

There was only one permanent female cast member: Lin Zhi.

The other female guests, no matter how many episodes they appeared in, were either semi-permanent or one-time participants.

So,

aside from Lin Zhi, there was one other female guest—someone from the Taiwan region.

Cao Cheng had actually respected the dream by not replacing her. Instead, he’d recommended her in advance, and the production team, following the young master’s suggestion, had extended the invitation.

It wasn’t until Cao Cheng arrived with Lin Zhi

that everyone in the room stood up.

"Hey there, hometown buddy! Finally showed up, huh~~~~" Bei Ning laughed, teasing in some indistinguishable regional dialect.

"Hometown buddy, you wearing lifts again today?" Cao Cheng shot back in the same nonsensical accent.

Bei Ning’s face darkened. "Hometown buddies meet, and the first thing you do is take a shot at me? Really, hometown buddy!"

"Hahaha…"

The room erupted in laughter, instantly easing the atmosphere.

They were all entertainers, after all.

Suddenly having a big-shot investor in their midst naturally made them a little tense.

Bei Ning had spoken up first, seemingly just greeting Cao Cheng, but really, it was to break that stiffness.

The guy had both IQ and EQ in spades—and they were sky-high.

Then there was Teacher He, the so-called "sunshine man," warm and considerate, making everyone feel taken care of in his presence.

"Teacher He, long time no see." They’d met and talked before during a collaboration.

"Mr. Cao, still as dashing as ever."

"Pfft, as if he’s better-looking than me," Bei Ning scoffed, feigning offense.

"Get out of here," Teacher He retorted with a laugh, waving him off playfully.

The mood gradually relaxed.

Cao Cheng then greeted the two others—Little Zhangwei, the tailor, and Guigui from Taiwan, along with another male actor.

Names weren’t important.

Cao Cheng introduced, "This is a new artist from our company, debuting through this variety show."

"Hello, everyone. My name is Lin Zhi—'Lin' as in the double trees, 'Zhi' as in the Weaving Maid. Please take care of me in the future." Lin Zhi was polite and poised.

"Ah, this young lady’s got something special, doesn’t she? Lovely name, and I can tell just by looking—dance background, right?" Bei Ning grinned.

"Teacher Sa is right," Lin Zhi admitted, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

She was used to Cao Cheng by now, so his presence didn’t intimidate her. But facing so many celebrities and hosts she’d only ever seen on TV? That was another story.

"Teacher He, hometown buddy, you two are giants in hosting. Make sure to look out for her," Cao Cheng said with a smile.

"Don’t worry, hometown buddy. Even if Teacher He drops the ball, I’ve got her covered. Guaranteed screen time," Bei Ning declared.

Teacher He laughed in mock outrage. "What do you mean, 'if I drop the ball'? Asking for a beating."

Amid the banter, they took their seats.

Soon, with Teacher He and Bei Ning steering the conversation, the group was chatting lively.

With these two around, there was no chance of awkward silence.

Even without trying to be funny, their natural rapport kept the atmosphere warm and engaging.

The topic turned to the variety show.

Cao Cheng was one of the head writers.

In fact, the whole show was his brainchild.

Naturally, Bei Ning had questions.

Like—why him?

Bei Ning was still with CCTV, and he already had his own programs. More importantly, he wasn’t deeply involved in variety shows—last year’s "Lecture" was about it.

The rest were news segments or interviews.

Or CCTV events.

Truth was,

he hadn’t made the shift to variety yet.

His entertainment sense was slightly lacking, but not by much.

Some said it took a certain "Old Ma" to unlock his comedic potential, but honestly? The guy had always been a riot back in school.

It was just that after graduation, he’d become a serious news anchor, covering legal affairs—hardly the place for antics.

Only after transitioning to variety would he truly shine. No need for anyone to "unlock" him; he’d do it himself.

"Hometown buddy."

Cao Cheng answered seriously, "You know CCTV’s just starting to pivot, right? Trying to appeal to younger audiences, boost relatability and influence. A lot of shows are experimenting now."

Bei Ning nodded.

Teacher He nodded too.

They were both aware of the shift.

"So when I laid out my requirements to CCTV’s higher-ups, they greenlit your involvement immediately. Know why?" Cao Cheng asked.

Bei Ning shook his head. "Why?"

Cao Cheng raised an eyebrow: "Because I said your professionalism is top-notch, representing the new generation of CCTV hosts. Once this gets out, it’ll elevate the public’s perception of CCTV hosts—showcasing their expertise. Plus, you’ve got range—you can be serious or playful, especially when you’re seriously playful."

"Pfft!" Teacher He burst out laughing.

The others nearby struggled to hold it in.

Beining put on a stern face: "Friend, we’re not that close. Please refrain from slandering me—that’s illegal. You should know I used to host Legal Report. So unless you give me a proper explanation today, I’ll make sure you learn firsthand what Legal Report is all about."

His act had everyone in stitches.

It also suddenly clicked what Cao Cheng meant by "can be serious or playful, especially when you’re seriously playful."

It was the perfect way to sum someone up.

Beining’s deadpan delivery of what seemed like a serious line ended up being hilariously effective.

The effect was surprisingly good.

Even Teacher He looked impressed.