Chapter 19: The Fallen Child Star (19) part 2

Xu Weiheng secretly delighted in this, coughed, and with a serious expression asked Yao Rong, “What were you two whispering about earlier? Did you tell Lele to come and kiss me?”

Qin Lele’s initial attitude towards him wasn’t so obedient, but after chatting with Yao Rong for a few sentences, she actually ran over to invite him and even kissed him.

It was truly unbelievable.

Yao Rong spread her hands and told the whole truth: “I just told her that if you liked her, she would be able to come see the spaceship often.”

She only said this much; the rest was all Qin Lele’s own doing.

Xu Weiheng and the live streaming audience burst into laughter simultaneously.

[I can only exclaim: Too clever! Too clever! Little Qin Lele, you’re too clever!]

[You don’t know how much I envy the emotional intelligence of a five-year-old girl right now]

“She’s really smart,” Xu Weiheng praised.

Who could resist that?

After waiting a while longer, before noon, the other three groups also successfully completed their tasks.

The production team’s big meal did not disappoint; they had specially invited a state banquet chef to prepare it on-site.

Just as they finished the sumptuous meal, the sound of a car braking suddenly came from outside, followed by an unhurried knock on the door.

“Who could that be?” Xu Weiheng wondered.

Yao Rong thought to herself, ‘They’re here’, but on the surface, she also wore a puzzled expression: “Let’s go see.”

The cameraman followed Yao Rong and Xu Weiheng to the door.

As he arrived at the entrance of the guesthouse with his camera, Editor-in-Chief He had just stepped out of the passenger seat.

After discreetly glancing at the camera, Editor He greeted Yao Rong enthusiastically with a beaming face: “Ms. Yao, it’s been a while. I’m here to deliver your sample book.”

Originally, the sample book for ‘Starry Sky’ wasn’t supposed to be printed so quickly, but after hearing Yao Rong’s promotional ideas, Editor He immediately made the decision, ordering everyone at the publishing house to fully cooperate with the release of ‘Starry Sky’.

After a frantic rush, they managed to print sample copies just before the first episode’s recording began.

Of course, this visit had been privately arranged between Yao Rong and Editor He beforehand.

Yao Rong exchanged a glance with Editor He and said hospitably, “You must be tired from driving here. Please, come in for some tea.”

“Is it convenient? You seem busy,” one replied.

“Taking a moment for tea won’t delay anything important,” Yao Rong assured.

Editor He’s assistant quickly fetched a stack of books from the trunk.

Inside the courtyard, Editor He opened the stack, handing one book to Yao Rong, another to Xu Weiheng, and keeping one for himself. Additionally, whether intentionally or not, four more books were spread out on the table.

The cameras continuously focused on Yao Rong and Xu Weiheng. With the show’s ample budget, they had purchased the highest-definition live streaming cameras available, clearly capturing the book covers and titles:

“Starry Sky”

Over a million viewers in the live stream could see it clearly.

Xu Weiheng immediately began admiring the novel’s cover and the blurb on the back, exclaiming, “The final destination of a star explorer is to stay among the stars – what a fantastic tagline! The cover design is excellent too.”

He started flipping through the pages: “The paper quality feels nice, and the printing is very clear.”

Then, Xu Weiheng looked up at the camera and explained, “Remember the decorations you saw in my room that day?”

“The HX rocket, H-8 spacesuit, spacecraft – they’re all described in this novel.”

“I love this book so much that Ms. Yao had them crafted as merchandise and gave them to me as gifts.”

At this moment, Editor He couldn’t help but look at Xu Weiheng with newfound appreciation.

He had always thought Xu Weiheng was handsome.

Now he realized the young man was beyond just handsome—he was impressively charming.

Look at the level of praise, the genuine admiration – it was far more effective than what his assistant, who he had specially arranged as a plant, would have done.

So he chimed in with a smile, “Ever since we received Ms. Yao’s manuscript, our publishing house unanimously agreed that this is the most exciting science fiction novel we’ve seen this year. Whether it’s the captivating plot, the depth of emotions, or the level of detail in the descriptions, it’s truly exceptional.”

“That’s why our publishing house has put in tremendous effort to publish this book, aiming to release it as soon as possible. If Ms. Yao finds no issues with the sample copies, the book can officially hit the market in two weeks.”

Being a seasoned editor, He’s praise for the book was far more professional than Xu Weiheng’s.

Yao Rong placed a freshly brewed cup of tea next to Editor He and said softly, “Whatever you arrange is fine, Editor He. I have no issues. By the way, I’ve also completed my second book, ‘Light Years.’ Would you like to take a copy back with you?”

Promoting just one book wasn’t enough.

Given this rare opportunity, it was natural to showcase both books.

After all, it would be a waste not to take full advantage of the show’s exposure.

Editor He clapped his hands in delight, “Absolutely! That’s wonderful news!”

[???]

[Can someone explain what’s going on here???]

The assistant director was thinking the same thing: Could someone explain what was happening?

If he wasn’t mistaken, were Yao Rong and this publishing house editor blatantly using their variety show platform to promote their own novels?

“This… Director, should we call for a cut?” A staff member asked the assistant director, eyes wide with disbelief.

The assistant director frowned deeply: “I’ll go talk to Yao Rong.”

He coughed loudly several times, signaling to Yao Rong.

Yao Rong, holding the book, stepped out of the camera’s view and approached him with a friendly smile, “Director, you needed me?”

The assistant director forced a smile, “Ms. Yao, don’t you think this is going a bit too far?”

Yao Rong smiled good-naturedly, “Editor He’s visit surprised me too. If you feel it’s inappropriate, you can cut this segment.”

Assistant Director: “…”

The publishing house hadn’t paid them, so this segment would definitely be cut from the official version, but the live stream audience had already seen the book. Yao Rong and the publishing house had already achieved their goal.

The assistant director’s face fell, “Ms. Yao, you know what I mean. You’re putting me in a difficult position here.”

Yao Rong’s smile vanished instantly. Her expression turned cold as she gazed at him indifferently.

For some reason, the assistant director felt a chill run down his spine under her stare.

Yao Rong lowered her eyes slightly, reining in her imposing aura, and calmly said, “These past few days while recording, you’ve often tried to set me up while talking. That’s fine, I understand you’re trying to create dramatic moments for the show. But I wonder, is it really so difficult for you to clean up the live stream comments and ban certain IDs? Isn’t it just a matter of giving an order?”

“If it’s that simple, why are you still unwilling to do it?”

The assistant director’s mouth gaped in shock.

That was a private conversation he had with his subordinates. How did she know about it?

“You…” The assistant director wanted to deny it, but she spoke with such certainty. Who knew if she had evidence?

After these few days of interaction, the assistant director didn’t think Yao Rong was someone to be trifled with.

“Alright, alright, I’ll have someone clean up those comments right away. How’s that?” The assistant director conceded reluctantly.

Yao Rong’s lips curved slightly, also taking a step back: “Thank you, Director. Actually, Editor He just came in for a cup of tea. I’ll give him the manuscript, and he’ll be on his way.”

The assistant director’s mouth twitched helplessly.

Now that they’ve finished their promotion, of course the editor could make his graceful exit.

But…

Well, seeing as it was ultimately the production team’s fault for allowing this to happen in the first place, the assistant director had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.