She's so beautiful, she can do no wrong.

Cao Cheng said a few words.

Finally, he concluded, "Last but not least is the synergy with our show."

"We are Celebrity Detective. Though it’s entertainment-first with celebrities leading the way, the detective scripts are actually quite rigorous."

"They contain the darkness of human nature, murder, crime, and many things that can’t be aired on TV."

"But Lao Xiang’er, you’ve hosted legal programs before. You understand these things."

"Plus, you’re a well-known CCTV host with a natural talent for humor, able to soften the more sensitive topics with levity."

"Especially at the end of each script, you can step in and elevate the show’s message, giving it depth."

"Turning our show from a comedic detective-solving variety into something that educates through entertainment, blends learning with fun, and imparts wisdom subtly."

"Not just something to make people laugh and forget."

"..."

The group seemed enlightened.

They all wore expressions of being schooled—whether genuine or performative.

At the very least, it sounded lofty enough to add gravitas to the show.

Beining raised his glass. "Lao Xiang’er, just for what you said, I’ll drink to that. And since you think so highly of me, I’ll give this show my all!"

Cao Cheng also raised his cup. "That’s your promise. But remember, entertainment comes first—I’m here to make money. So, the moral weight is on you, the rest is on the team. Let’s make this collaboration a success."

They all clinked glasses.

The atmosphere loosened up completely.

Even Lin Zhi gradually joined in, mainly because the other female guest, Guigui, actively struck up a conversation with her.

When the topic turned to Lin Zhi, Teacher He chimed in, "Debuting through variety shows—that makes her the first artist in our country to do so."

Beining, curious, asked, "Really? Then Lin Zhi could claim the title of the first in domestic entertainment."

Beining wasn’t well-versed in this area, but Teacher He knew the details.

Teacher He then explained the differences between domestic entertainment and the industries of neighboring countries like "Little Xiba" (Korea) and "Little Baga" (Japan).

In those two countries, debuting through variety shows isn’t unusual—they even have dedicated variety artists and comedians.

But in China’s domestic entertainment, there’s no established path for debuting via variety shows.

Unless it’s a reality show featuring ordinary people, like dating programs or random street interviews.

Beyond that, celebrity variety shows almost exclusively invite established stars or faded celebrities looking for a comeback.

So,

while variety shows in China can revive careers, they’ve never launched a debut—until Lin Zhi.

The reason they discussed this was partly out of respect for Young Master Cao, brainstorming how to position Lin Zhi.

Once they found a unique angle, they could amplify it endlessly.

With industry veterans guiding her, many things would become much easier.

Then, everyone took turns asking Lin Zhi about her skills—could she act? Sing? And so on.

Lin Zhi was a jack-of-all-trades.

As a standout student at Beijing Dance Academy, she excelled in dance and had striking looks. She’d even appeared in group dances for Spring Festival Gala performances, so she wasn’t a complete unknown.

She’d won numerous awards since childhood.

In music and acting, she’d improved rapidly over the past six months.

Truly a model of versatility.

As for her persona…

She had one.

Foodie.

Loved eating, loved sneaking snacks.

Well.

Or rather, for girls like her, discipline was discipline, dieting was dieting—but occasionally sneaking treats was just part of life.

Especially back when teachers would raid their dorms for contraband snacks.

These traits could easily be turned into a public image.

......

Over the next two days,

Cao Cheng stayed put. His media company’s team arrived to negotiate revenue-sharing contracts with Hunan TV (Mango TV).

They decided to launch Where Are We Going, Dad? first, then consider other projects.

Summer was approaching, and rushing multiple shows at once wasn’t feasible. They’d test the waters with one.

It would also help gauge audience reception for outdoor variety shows.

Meanwhile, Celebrity Detective officially began filming.

The first season’s prelude, also called the pilot episode,

was titled: Gathering of the Great Detectives!

Similar to the original dream version, the premise involved meeting the director when a murder occurs, followed by a ten-minute investigation to score points.

This served as a preliminary ranking.

But it also included character introductions.

For Lin Zhi, her labels were: Dancer, Actress, Campus Belle.

Her appearance would be unfamiliar to viewers,

but undeniably stunning.

A woman in her early twenties, she was the youngest among the detective players, radiating energy.

Cao Cheng had advised her to just be herself—no need to stress. With the company and Young Master Cao backing her, nothing could go wrong.

Beyond basic social etiquette, she could play however she wanted.

Variety shows thrive on authenticity.

After the first round of investigations, unsurprisingly, Lin Zhi scored 50 points—the same as Guigui.

Beining: 88!

Teacher He: 90!

The other male actor trailed at the bottom.

......

After the detectives met,

Teacher He immediately crafted a persona for Lin Zhi, greeting her with exaggerated delight: "Little Sister Lin is here too!"

"Hello, Teacher He." Lin Zhi bowed slightly.

"Long time no see—" Teacher He stepped forward,

but before he could finish, Beining rushed over, playfully shoving him aside and striking a pose.

The two began bickering, making Little Sister Lin cover her mouth as her shoulders shook with laughter.

Even knowing it was an act, Teacher Sa’s sudden antics were hilarious.

In the end, as the youngest, Lin Zhi took the seat at the far end—not as a slight, but as consideration.

Putting her in the center would’ve invited backlash.

Only Teacher He and Beining could occupy the middle seats; everyone else had to settle for the sides.

Once seated,

Teacher He asked pointedly, "You know Little Sister Lin too?"

Beining nodded. "Of course. Everyone knows Cao Cheng is my hometown buddy. When I interviewed him before, I met some of Miracle Media’s artists—Little Sister Lin was one of them."

A casual explanation.

Teacher He feigned realization, then turned to Lin Zhi. "So, this counts as your variety show debut? Aside from past dance competitions, this is your first time on camera like this?"

"Yes, Teacher He," Lin Zhi replied.

Teacher He praised, "I have to admire your boss’s vision. You’ve just become the first artist in domestic entertainment to debut through a variety show. From now on, whenever people talk about variety show debuts, it’ll be Little Sister Lin."

Beining smirked, smug. "That’s why my hometown buddy makes so much money—it’s all in the brains."

Amid the laughter,

the topic soon shifted away from Lin Zhi. Overdoing it would backfire.

Teacher He and Sa knew the rules too well to let the moment drag.

Later, the editors could fine-tune the footage.

In any case,

A few words were enough to let everyone get to know Lin Zhi. She had a background in dance, participated in many competitions, performed on the Spring Festival Gala, and also had acting skills. She was an artist under the management of Young Master Cao of Miracle Media and was the first person to debut through variety shows.

The fragments of her identity information became clear.

It was estimated that the fans wouldn't have any problems with it by then. After all, this program was also a variety show produced by Miracle Media.

It was quite reasonable for an artist of Miracle to debut through this show.

Even without the variety show, as long as the company arranged it, Lin Zhi could also debut by participating in film and television dramas. It was all the same.

Actually, the acceptance level of fans in the domestic entertainment industry was quite high. They wouldn't assume that you were a comedian just because you debuted through a variety show.

After the program ended, Cao Cheng invited everyone to have a meal together.

The next day,

The agent team sent by the company also arrived.

Although the team wasn't large in number, it showed a high level of attention for a newcomer. There was at least a dedicated makeup artist, security guards, and so on.

Moreover, they rented a villa here for a long - term stay.

After each episode of this program drew the identities, there would be a character script to memorize. At least, one had to completely remember the details and the timeline in the script.

Only in this way could one directly immerse themselves in the character during the shooting.

It wasn't much different from shooting a film or a TV series.

And there were only a few days to study the script. So Lin Zhi didn't go back to Zhonghai with Young Master Cao. Not only would it take time on the way, but she also couldn't study the script with peace of mind if she went back to the ecological park.

At least, the first few episodes were very crucial for her.

Whether she could be recognized by the fans and remembered by them depended on these first few episodes.

...

...

In a blink of an eye, it was the end of March and the beginning of April!

The program was broadcast.

Young Master Cao also promoted it a bit.

Now, Cao Cheng didn't need to pick fights with others to generate heat and stir up emotions. As long as he behaved normally, there would naturally be a lot of added popularity.

"A detective variety show?"

"It's hard to imagine how this thing is filmed..."

"Now there is a preview and the first episode, two episodes in total. You'll know how it's filmed after watching. It's quite good."

"Sister Lin is extremely beautiful."

"Sister Lin has a divine appearance. You can say that Old Cao is bad, but you can't deny his good taste."

"Is Sister Lin Old Cao's? Damn it, he... is really despicable."

"Didn't you watch?"

"I watched, but I didn't notice."

"..."

There was soon a lot of discussion about Cao Cheng, and the term "Sister Lin" was accepted and well - known among people.

Naturally, there were also those who said, "I envy the guy surnamed Cao every day!"

There were also some fans of a certain TV station (referred to as "toilet fans" here), who came to make sarcastic remarks.

Anyway,

No matter what cooperation Cao Cheng had with that TV station, since they were fans of Super Girls and Happy Boys, they were always at odds with Miracle Media.

Especially those who defected to Miracle Media from the Super Girls and Happy Boys project, they deserved to be scolded.

So,

Lin Zhi also suffered some innocent disasters. Fortunately, these trolls were just making baseless attacks. They could only attack Lin Zhi for not having any works.

Moreover, the effect of their attacks was poor.

After all, Teacher He had said that she was the first artist in the domestic entertainment industry to debut through a variety show.

Debuting through a variety show... what works did she need?

Wasn't the variety show itself a work?

It didn't make sense to attack her for this.

Moreover,

As Young Master Cao said, being popular even with negative publicity was still being popular.

These little trolls actually helped Lin Zhi generate a wave of popularity.

And it was free popularity.

In the original version of the dream, even Ou Kuaihuo could be "white - washed", just because she was pretty.

So, Lin Zhi was more beautiful, younger, and more lively...

With such beauty, she could do no wrong!