Chapter Twenty-Seven: Arriving with Purpose

The top-tier actresses were out of his reach, and those in the middle tier were reluctant to clash with the male lead’s massive fan base. As for the bottom-tier ones, he still needed to choose carefully.

No one was truly irreplaceable. With the resources Song Qingyun currently held, he had no fear of failing to find someone to promote.

"Forget it. Since Agent Zhou doesn't like it, you’ll just have to miss this opportunity. It’s a real shame; you know how many people wait their whole lives for a chance like this."

In truth, he was growing increasingly unimpressed with these actresses—they were too old, and where was the fun in that?

He wondered if there was any activity in his private chat groups. Those tender, young streamers were his latest obsession. Unfortunately, with the winter break in full swing, these little things were being kept on a tight leash, and many had vanished.

Perhaps he should send a message to Little Watermelon later. These little things would do anything for a few dozen yuan in red envelopes, unlike these actresses, whose ambitions reached higher than the sky.

After saying this, Song Qingyun turned and left, looking utterly uninterested. He didn't even spare Xu Meiqi another glance, showing not a shred of attachment.

Xu Meiqi seemed genuinely disheartened by his words, but the moment she remembered his revolting touch and those blatant suggestions, she felt as though she had narrowly escaped a disaster, feeling no regret at all.

"Thank you... Teacher Zhou."

In public, Xu Meiqi always maintained a distance from Zhou Yifan. Even though people in the company had vaguely sensed that their relationship was out of the ordinary, she still respectfully addressed him as "Teacher" every time.

Zhou Yifan’s gaze finally landed on her. "Don't pay any mind to that. Just do what you need to do. I have to go upstairs in a moment; if you aren't feeling well, you can head back first."

He was here to connect with some target executives, but he couldn't afford to neglect his existing connections either. Zhou Yifan couldn't afford a moment of rest tonight.

Xu Meiqi nodded, unable to hide a smile. Other agents pushed their streamers to sacrifice everything to socialize and please others, but Yifan—well, he was her boyfriend. "Alright, I understand."

Scenes like this would play out countless times throughout the night, though not everyone was as lucky as Xu Meiqi.

Liang Feng had been wandering the hotel’s mid-level banquet hall for an hour. Looking at the atmosphere of the venue, he felt completely out of place.

To run his self-media business, he needed this circle. Not to mention, if he wanted to expose the facade of "Breaking the Cocoon," he needed the support of the Yellow Lantern faction. Liang Feng understood this clearly, yet he was truly irritated, his head buzzing with noise.

"A night of light snow is best for contemplation."

Looking down at his phone at a private message from Lin Ke on the Breaking the Cocoon software, Liang Feng couldn't help but smile.

It was the end of the year.

The trending topics were filled with one event after another, and the "Domestic Entertainment is Alive" hashtag had garnered over a hundred million hits. Companies were conducting performance reviews or holding year-end celebrations, filling the air with chaos and incessant noise.

Despite his extreme reluctance, he had to brave the damp, slushy snow to attend this Yellow Lantern vanity fair, putting on a honey-tongued, backstabbing act so his small studio could survive.

When he arrived, he had recorded a small vlog, filming his mud-caked shoes.

The true winter had yet to arrive. Salt-like snowflakes drifted to the ground, quickly turning into puddles, mingling with the city's inescapable grime and the heavy, hazy smog. It was filthy and exhausting to behold.

Not to mention, once the temperature dropped late at night, these swampy patches would quickly freeze into sheets of ice. By tomorrow morning, there was no telling how slippery the roads would be or how bad the traffic would get.

The thought alone was maddening.

Yet, Lin Ke had sent him that sentence.

Accompanied by a close-up photo of a tiny snowflake, it showed that even the mud-like, salt-grain snow possessed beautiful six-sided ice crystals.

Under the light of an ordinary streetlamp, it could emit a sparkle like a diamond.

Liang Feng’s chaotic heart felt a moment of tranquility.

What kind of pure heart must one have to perceive such things?

His fingertips hovered over the reply box, ready to say something, when a sudden voice interrupted him.

"Teacher Liang, I have heard much about you."

Liang Feng looked up at the man before him, not recognizing the unfamiliar face. However, one of the main purposes of the Yellow Lantern banquet was to expand one's circle, so Liang Feng had no reason to decline.

"You are too kind. May I ask who you are?"

"I am just a small editor for a self-media outlet, so it is only natural that Teacher Liang wouldn't recognize me. My name is Yun Hai; here is my business card. I have been following your 'Discerning Truth from Falsehood,' and I am here to learn from my senior."

Yun Hai didn't look old, perhaps twenty-five or twenty-six, and the design of the card in his hand was quite novel.

In the center was the logo of his public account, followed by his name, a degree from an overseas Ivy League university, and a WeChat ID. On the back of the card was the standard QR code found at the bottom of most public accounts.

"Hello." Exchanging cards was a matter of etiquette, so Liang Feng handed over his own. It was the first time he had ever seen someone hand out a card that didn't even include a phone number.

Yun Hai began with flattery: "Teacher Liang, you are truly incredible. Your studio runs only one public account, yet in just a few years, you've managed to contend with a behemoth like Breaking the Cocoon. It’s simply mind-boggling. Everything I learned in my classes abroad proved that it’s impossible for an individual to stand up against capital."

Liang Feng keenly detected a hint of hostility. "I have never sought to contend with anyone, nor am I qualified to contend with any behemoth. I simply wish to speak the truth."

Yun Hai nodded. "True enough. You are a top graduate from a prestigious domestic media department; naturally, you possess the grand vision of 'the Fourth Estate' that a journalist should have. It’s just that the internet is so foul and chaotic right now, like a battlefield. I fear that what some believe to be 'acting on behalf of heaven' is nothing more than being used as a pawn by others."

Seeing that the man had stopped pretending, Liang Feng smiled. "What is it you actually want to say?"

He had dealt with the Breaking the Cocoon Group no fewer than ten times; if he could be scared off by a few words, "Discerning Truth from Falsehood" wouldn't be where it was today.

"No, no, no, Teacher Liang, you’ve misunderstood." Yun Hai waved his hands repeatedly. "I am not representing Breaking the Cocoon. As I said, I am just a small self-media editor. I have always admired your account and genuinely want to learn from you."

Liang Feng frowned, unsure of what this man was up to.

Yun Hai continued, "It’s just that, as you know, for self-media outlets like ours, once you raise the banner of justice, it becomes very difficult to turn a profit. No matter how righteously netizens support you, an article with over a hundred thousand views might not even get four or five digits in tips. And the moment we try to take on soft-sponsored content or push products, our followers drop faster than running water—because once your 'credibility' drops, it can never be recovered."