"Did they buy themselves a trending topic?"
Xu Yanxia asked.
"They'd like to, wouldn't they!"
Ye Shu laughed and said, "Late last night, someone first posted complaining about their food being bad. They contacted the site to have the post deleted, and it ended up blowing up into a hot search."
"They tried to suppress it but couldn't, so they put out a statement claiming they were being maliciously smeared by competitors, even issuing a fake-looking lawyer's letter, implying all along that we were engaging in unfair competition and threatening legal action. Then our marketing department just turned around and posted yesterday's video."
"It's been trending for two hours now, since five o'clock. The reposts and comments are already in the tens of thousands, and they simply haven't been able to suppress it!"
Ye Shu laughed heartily, "And it's all organic comments! Lots of netizens are complaining about their food being terrible and overpriced! It's just a chorus of criticism!"
"Let me see,"
Xu Yanxia said, opening the trending topic. Sure enough, their video critiquing Decuilou from yesterday was right there, though the company had already processed their faces and voices, and hadn't shown the faces of those Decuilou staff either.
But based on the dishes on the table and the private room's decor, people still recognized it as Decuilou. Immediately, netizens started venting in the comments.
Some even posted receipts from their past visits there—some from years ago, some from earlier this year, and some from just the past few days—all complaining about how shockingly expensive and awful the food was.
Some self-media bloggers shared their experiences of trying to film review videos there, saying any content with negative remarks simply couldn't be published.
Of course, some netizens' focus was on them, finding her critiques sharp and professional, and very curious about her identity.
But thanks to the company's obfuscation, no one had recognized who she was yet.
"Don't worry, the public's attention is entirely on Decuilou right now,"
Ye Shu told her, "Basically, all the pent-up negative reviews have erupted. Judging by this heat, it won't die down anytime soon today. You can focus on your competition."
"Right,"
Xu Yanxia nodded with a slight smile, "This just shows that the people's eyes are sharp. It seems they really did put all their effort into marketing and controlling reviews before. No wonder their business is failing!"
As she spoke, she handed the phone back to Ye Shu.
But then Ye Shu asked her, "Hey, Xiaxia, what if this blow-up makes them go under? Could our company take them over, give them a complete overhaul like Jiushan, and revive the place?"
"It's not out of the question to consider,"
Xu Yanxia thought for a moment, then said cautiously, "But overall, that restaurant's costs are too high. Plus, it's actually controlled by a company specializing in catering investments. Taking it over would probably involve significant risk."
Who would have thought Ye Shu would say with a worldly and profound air, "Isn't there a saying? The greater the storm, the more valuable the fish! Greater risk also means greater business opportunity!"
"Not bad!"
Xu Yanxia couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, looking Ye Shu up and down, "I've noticed, Shushu, you've been sounding a bit... like Assistant Wen lately. Have you two been chatting privately often?"
"What? We just have normal work communication every day, that's all!"
Ye Shu seemed to blush a little and kept pushing her towards the bathroom, saying, "Alright, we're done with business. Go get washed up quickly, you still have to record the show later!"
True, today was the first day of filming for the Beijing stop, and the schedule was still very tight. Xu Yanxia said okay and went to wash her face.
But just then, Suisui came looking for her again.
"Captain, have you seen the message?"
Suisui said to her with a bewildered look, "The coordinator just said in the group chat that this morning's recording is cancelled, postponed."
What?
This surprised both Xu Yanxia and Ye Shu.
—It was important to know that this program's filming schedule was always very punctual. Furthermore, besides the city competition for the final episode, the Beijing stop still had a finals match to go, making the schedule tighter than other stops.
Without special circumstances, they wouldn't postpone lightly.
Ye Shu immediately opened her phone to check the messages, then said to Xu Yanxia, "It's true, the program coordinator just sent a group message!"
"Did they say why it's postponed?"
Xu Yanxia asked immediately.
—Because she had too much work, Ye Shu had joined all these program group chats for her. Usually, Ye Shu handled communication with the production team for her.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Ye Shu pick up her phone to type, "I'll ask."
She soon told her, "They said there's a last-minute issue with the venue, they need to fix it up again."
"Venue issue?"
Xu Yanxia was somewhat skeptical.
After all, Qiwei was one of the most professional platforms in the country, and Beijing was their home base.
They'd never had issues during all those past recordings in other cities. Now, back on their own turf, something goes wrong?
She said to Ye Shu, "I don't think it's that simple. If it's convenient for you, maybe you could inquire a bit more."
"Okay."
Ye Shu said, "I'll go wash my face and then go out to ask around."
With that, she picked up her phone and left.
Suisui also yawned and said to Xu Yanxia, "Captain, I'm going back to catch a bit more sleep. Call me anytime if anything comes up."
She too returned to her room.
Xu Yanxia then went to wash her face as well.
After freshening up, she heard another knock at her door.
However, it wasn't Ye Shu or any of her other teammates, but a man.
"Miss Xu, hello. Are you free to talk now?"
It was nearly eight in the morning, and the sky outside the window was already bright.
Xu Yanxia opened the door to see a man in his twenties who said to her, "Hello, Miss Xu. I am Teacher Yao's assistant. The thing is, if it's convenient for you, Teacher Yao would like to invite you for a private chat later."
—Teacher Yao was none other than the guest who had successfully challenged and won at the Xi Jing station last episode, Best Actor Yao Yi'an.
It's important to note that apart from the recording last time at the Xi Jing station, Xu Yanxia had not known him before and had never had any private interaction with him.
Therefore, his seeking her out now was quite a surprise.
Just as she was about to ask what he wanted, the assistant proactively added, "Please don't misunderstand. Teacher Yao mainly wants to discuss matters related to this Jing Bei station competition with you, specifically about why today's schedule was postponed."
"If it's convenient for you, he's waiting in the hotel coffee shop. You can bring your assistant along as well."
"Alright,"
It seemed that after so many years in the entertainment industry, he was quite adept at avoiding suspicion.
Xu Yanxia nodded, "See you in a bit."
Fifteen minutes later, Xu Yanxia met the Best Actor Yao in a private booth in the hotel coffee shop.
He was accompanied by the assistant who had come to find her earlier, and Xu Yanxia had Ye Shu by her side.
After a brief exchange of greetings, everyone sat down.
Xu Yanxia got straight to the point, saying to Best Actor Yao, "Your assistant mentioned earlier that you had something about the show to discuss with me?"
"Yes,"
Best Actor Yao nodded with a smile, "Miss Xu, do you know why this morning's recording was postponed?"
Xu Yanxia shook her head truthfully, "If it's convenient for you, you can tell me directly."
Then, he said to her, "Because capital intervened at the last minute and replaced today's challenging guest."
