Chapter 271: Serves You Right

Chapter 271: Chapter 271: Serves You Right

The production team’s response was a coordinated effort on multiple fronts.

The first to react was the show’s official social media account.

The publicity team immediately drafted a clarification, distancing the show from Chang Mu. They stated they were unaware of what was going on behind the scenes with their guest and that the rest of the situation was under investigation.

Per Director Xu’s instructions, they also subtly mentioned at the end of the post that Chang Mu had been recommended by an investor. Their collaboration had been going smoothly enough, they added, so they hoped to avoid similar incidents in the future...

As soon as the statement was released, the netizens who had been tearing both Chang Mu and the production team to shreds were thoroughly amused:

[Ooh, who does this shady, passive-aggressive tone belong to? Oh right, it’s our own show!]

[The production team are masters of throwing shade!]

[So she got in through connections. No wonder she’s so arrogant. The production team must have been putting up with her for a long time.]

[Isn’t this kind of kicking her while she’s down...]

[Are you dense? She was about to drag all her colleagues down with her, and you don’t think they’re allowed to say a few words to clear their name?]

[I bet the staff absolutely despises Chang Mu. The last episode went off without a hitch, but this time, the trouble started as soon as she arrived. She really is the crab of the entertainment industry—running amok wherever she goes!]

[Hahaha, that crab metaphor is way too accurate!]

[I heard a rumor that this Miss Chang isn’t actually the family favorite. Her father recently cut off her cards, probably because he’s sick of all her antics.]

[It’s strange, though. I’ve met this Miss Chang before. She was a very sweet and gentle person, with the air of a true socialite. How did her personality change so drastically?]

[It just means she’s good at faking it. If Lai Liang hadn’t snapped, Miss Chang would still be playing the part of the beautiful, innocent ’white lotus’ right now!]

...

The official account’s clarification was quite effective.

But Director Xu wanted more than just that.

While the clarification was gaining traction online, he had already personally contacted Chang Mu to tactfully express that it would be best if they parted ways.

In short, Director Xu was telling Chang Mu to pack her things and leave the show. It was a chance for everyone to part on good terms, which would be far more dignified.

Just the day before, Chang Mu had been coldly watching from the sidelines as Lai Liang sank into quicksand. She never expected that today, she would be the one sinking.

Chang Mu clenched her jaw, refusing to back down. She threatened sinisterly,

"Director Xu, I can leave the show. But how are you going to explain that to President Tang? Are you going to say that the moment I ran into a little trouble, you kicked me to the curb to save your own skins?"

President Tang was Tang Ji, the biggest investor in the reality show *Cub*. He might have looked like a carefree playboy, but in reality, his family ran the largest film company in the entertainment industry, making them a titan of the business.

Even though Director Xu was considered a top-tier reality show director, compared to a behemoth like the Tang Family, he was still just an ant they could crush without a second thought.

Chang Mu had gotten on the show through her connection to Tang Ji’s younger sister, Tang Jia.

It was for this very reason—showing deference to her powerful connections—that Director Xu had repeatedly put up with Chang Mu’s behavior.

But now, things were different.

With Mr. Lu’s assurance, Director Xu felt emboldened.

He wasn’t the least bit intimidated, and he replied with a cheerful laugh,

"No need for you to worry, Miss Chang. As it happens, Mr. Lu is also in Guisheng Province, isn’t he? I’ve already spoken with him. He said he would handle the fallout and told us to do as we see fit."

Oh, and by the way, Lu Shixu happened to be good friends with Tang Ji.

It was because of this connection that Lu Shixu had invested a bit of money in *Cub*.

Hearing this, Chang Mu was filled with both vexation and resentment.

Lu Shixu was always appearing and disappearing like a ghost around Cuishui Village. She had tried to get close to him several times but could never find him, to the point that she had almost forgotten he was even there!

’Why did Lu Shixu have to show up at this exact moment just to get in my way and oppose me?’

Chang Mu accidentally bit the inside of her cheek, her mouth filling with the metallic taste of blood.

She knew perfectly well that with Lu Shixu’s backing, Director Xu would never yield to her.

And so, Chang Mu could only spit out one last threat before hanging up.

Director Xu just kept chuckling, not taking her threat to heart in the slightest.

He immediately called the editing room and ordered them to completely re-edit Chang Mu’s segments.

It was destined to be a long night of overtime...

By the time dawn broke the next morning, the production staff all felt as if they were in a daze.

Who could have imagined so much could happen in a single night?

It was then that Nan Zhi and the others found out what had happened the night before.

Nan Zhi had made plans with Qi Pei’er, Fu Chao, and Xie Yu to visit the food factory in town that day.

So, they gathered at Nan Zhi’s house early in the morning for breakfast, and the conversation at the table was all about the incident.

Qi Pei’er couldn’t hide her excitement.

"I knew she would crash and burn sooner or later! Always walking around with that insufferably arrogant attitude. Lai Liang wouldn’t have been acting up so much if she wasn’t pulling the strings behind the scenes. Now she’s finally gotten what’s coming to her!"

Fu Chao, on the other hand, was more curious.

"Why did Chang Mu and Lai Liang have a falling out?"

Lai Liang’s move was clearly an act of revenge, meant to drag Chang Mu down with him.

That meant something Chang Mu did must have infuriated Lai Liang, causing their alliance to collapse.

So Fu Chao found it strange. At a critical time like this, Chang Mu should have been doing everything she could to appease Lai Liang. How did she manage to let things get so bad?

Just then, Xie Yu emerged from the kitchen, carrying steaming hot bowls of Guisheng rice noodles.

"Because of money."

His confident tone made everyone turn to look at him.

Fu Chao’s eyes widened.

"How do you know? Do you have some inside scoop?"

Xie Yu explained calmly,

"I live near Chang Mu’s family. Yesterday, I happened to run into her assistant and overheard her on the phone with a friend, complaining about the whole thing."

In a matter-of-fact tone, he briefly laid out the entire sequence of events.

Fu Chao and Qi Pei’er let out a series of oohs and aahs.

They looked every bit the part of an enthusiastic, gossip-loving audience.

On the other side of the table, four little heads were propped up in a neat row.

Although they couldn’t understand what the adults were saying, it didn’t stop them from enjoying the juicy gossip with great relish.

When Xie Yu finished, Fu Chao gave him a thumbs-up.

"Not bad! You look all honest and upstanding, but who knew you were so good at gathering intelligence!"

"...I just happened to overhear it."

As he said this, Xie Yu pretended to glance nonchalantly toward Nan Zhi.

He seemed a little concerned about his image.

’After all, the part where he "happened to" run into Chang Mu’s assistant, saw her on the phone talking about her boss, and then deliberately slowed down to stand in a corner for a good twenty minutes... wasn’t exactly something he could proudly announce.’

In truth, Nan Zhi also found the story quite interesting.

However, she still pointed to the camera to remind everyone,

"The director just sent a message telling us to be more discreet. The cameras are rolling."

Qi Pei’er waved her hand dismissively.

"It’s not live, just a recording. They can just edit it out. And if they don’t want to... hehehe, that’s fine, too!"

’A good story is meant to be shared, after all!’

’When it came to Chang Mu, she felt no guilt at all about kicking her while she was down!’

’Who asked Chang Mu to mess with my Zhizhi?’