Chapter 100: Going Live

November 11th—a significant day, an extraordinary Singles’ Day.

In a previous life, Singles’ Day was also known as Double Eleven. On this day, nearly all goods would be offered in time-limited sales, and countless shopping fanatics eagerly awaited this moment with bated breath.

Alas, in this world, there was no online shopping, nor a “Double Eleven.” Yet, what should have been an ordinary Singles’ Day became equally extraordinary today.

From the very first episode of the show “If You Are the One,” heated discussions erupted online. Following that were various promotional campaigns and advertisements that teased viewers with exciting clips from the recordings, whetting everyone’s appetite.

At around seven o’clock that evening, after dinner, every household gathered before their television sets, locking their channels on Spring City Satellite TV, eagerly awaiting this novel large-scale dating program.

For them, it was perhaps just an after-dinner pastime, a way to while away the time. But for Spring City Television, it was far more than that.

Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye, along with all the staff at the station, had poured immense effort and sweat into this program. Similarly, the launch of “If You Are the One” would determine the future of the entire station.

Night had fallen, shrouding the land in darkness.

Yet Spring City Television remained brightly lit; no one had left. They gathered quietly in the lobby, eyes fixed ahead, watching the man who always seemed to bring miracles.

“Today marks the premiere of ‘If You Are the One,’ our station’s first large-scale variety show since its founding... As you all know, the current state of our station is precarious, and whether we can continue depends entirely on tonight...” Lin Chuan said with a composed expression.

The moment he finished speaking, everyone present couldn’t hide their excitement. They believed this dating show would breathe new life into the station. After all, both their idol, Brother Chuan, and the unrestrained Vice Director Yuan Ye, wore confident smiles.

Such smiles, under the present circumstances, carried more weight than any rousing speech.

At that moment, Yuan Ye approached from the side, smiling as he said, “My expectations aren’t high. If tonight’s ratings can break through 1%, that will be a victory for our station.”

“1%? That’s not a high bar? Are you kidding?”

“Exactly. Is Vice Director Yuan drunk? Saying 1% so casually?”

“Tsk tsk tsk, confidence is good, but overestimating ourselves isn’t. Our station has never broken 1%; isn’t this asking too much?”

Suddenly, a low murmur spread among the crowd, voices buzzing in quiet debate.

To be frank, a 1% rating is insignificant to most stations. Especially for a decent variety show, a 3% rating is the bare minimum to be considered acceptable.

But for Spring City Television, even 1% was an insurmountable chasm. They had long relied on outdated movies and TV dramas, with peak ratings barely reaching 0.5%.

Now, relying on a variety show with an uncertain market outlook to hit 1% was truly asking the impossible.

Even with Lin Chuan serving as a free “spokesman,” the prospects seemed bleak.

Just then, footsteps echoed. The crowd turned to see a bald man walking over, arm-in-arm with a seductive woman, both wearing broad smiles.

“Hahaha, Chairman Lin, Director Yuan, what a big day! How could you not give me a heads-up? I came to cheer you all on!” The bald man laughed heartily before reaching them.

Lin Chuan merely smiled faintly, but Yuan Ye’s face darkened as he coldly eyed the approaching duo.

They were none other than the bald man Zhu Qiao and his mistress Shen Hong, whom they had met not long ago. Since the last board meeting, these two had held grudges and were eager to find a reason to embarrass Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye.

And now, at this critical moment, they had suddenly appeared.

Clearly, their intention was not to offer support, but to seize the opportunity to kick them when they were down.

This innovative dating show “If You Are the One” had never been to their liking. In truth, their grievance was not with the show itself but with Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye personally.

After all, who else had fired Shen Hong without giving them any face?

Yuan Ye remained silent, but Lin Chuan, as chairman, knew he had to appear magnanimous before the staff.

“Heh heh, Director Zhu, your timing couldn’t be better. We were just discussing where to celebrate later. Why don’t you arrange something?” Lin Chuan smiled.

The bald man’s expression stiffened. He shot Lin Chuan a furious glare, nearly spitting blood in anger.

He had come intending to see Lin Chuan’s downfall, yet now it seemed he was being invited to dinner. How outrageous! At such a crucial juncture, and Lin Chuan was turning the tables on him.

Most importantly, with so many people present, he couldn’t directly refuse. His face twisted into a scowl of pure vexation.

In contrast, Yuan Ye’s dark face finally cracked into a smile upon hearing Lin Chuan’s words, secretly giving him thirty-two thumbs-up.

No one expected Lin Chuan to have such a sly side. Everyone knew the bald man was a notorious henpecked husband, perpetually strapped for cash, with all financial control in the hands of his wife.

Despite having Shen Hong as a mistress, his pockets were emptier than his shiny scalp. Being asked to host a dinner was practically a financial hemorrhage.

Meanwhile, the previously anxious employees fretting over the 1% rating suddenly brightened upon hearing that Director Zhu would be footing the bill. They smiled broadly.

After all, Director Zhu was a boss. If he were to host, it wouldn’t be at some low-end eatery; surely, it would be a three-star hotel dinner.

The bald man growled silently, and Shen Hong sneered, swaying her slender waist as she approached.

“Oh, Brother Chuan, dinner’s no problem. As long as ‘If You Are the One’ breaks 2% in ratings, Brother Zhu will cover the meal...” she said with a cold smile.

2%? Good grief. This woman was deliberately stirring trouble. Forget 2%, even Yuan Ye’s 1% target was not guaranteed.

In an instant, the previously jubilant atmosphere plummeted; everyone’s faces darkened. Some even muttered silently, “If you don’t want to treat us, just say so. Why drag in a 2% rating...”

Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye were taken aback. Both had confidence in the show’s success, but a 2% rating? They exchanged a glance and read the same thought—this woman was here to cause trouble.

Meanwhile, the bald man was still stewing in worry, now surrounded by notions of “treating” and “dining out.”

Especially when Shen Hong said, “Brother Zhu will cover the entire meal,” he almost exploded with rage.

“You crazy woman! Want to stir up trouble and make me pay for everything? Do you know how much that would cost? No—cost doesn't matter. It’s just a meal... The problem is, I don’t have that kind of money! I just bought you a bag yesterday, and that cost me a hundred thousand yuan... If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have bought it for you.”

The bald man shot Shen Hong a furious glare and whispered harshly, “Are you out of your mind? Hosting them will cost a fortune.”

His voice was low, spoken close to her ear. No one else heard.

Truth be told, no one had the mood to eavesdrop. They had hoped to exploit this occasion to feast at a star-rated hotel, but now that was nearly impossible. Who cared what he said?

Shen Hong smiled indifferently, also in a low voice: “Brother Zhu, why rush? You won’t be paying for this dinner... I already said, only if ‘If You Are the One’ hits 2% will we treat everyone. Do you think that’s likely?”

“2%? That... that’s impossible,” the bald man said, brow furrowed.

“Exactly. Since the goal is unreachable, you won’t have to treat anyone. And then we can cruelly kick Lin Chuan when he’s down, laughing at his ignorance...” Shen Hong sneered.

“Hahaha... So that’s it, baby, you’re so clever, hahaha...” The bald man’s excitement was uncontrollable, his voice rising.

All eyes turned toward the bald man and Shen Hong, many filled with anger at their harsh laughter and words.

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached from afar. Everyone turned to see Du Mo panting as he came forward, handing a report to Lin Chuan.

“Chairman... this is... this is the viewing data reported by the ratings monitoring center...” he said breathlessly.

Everyone was stunned and began whispering among themselves.

There were less than two minutes before “If You Are the One” aired. The monitoring center sending real-time data at this moment—what did it mean?

Shen Hong and the bald man also leaned in, their faces serious, eager to see the numbers.

But before they could get closer, Lin Chuan tucked the report away and cast a grave glance over those present before slowly speaking:

“Everyone, this report from the ratings monitoring center shows that with one minute remaining before the premiere of ‘If You Are the One,’ our ratings have already reached 0.8% and are still climbing...”

The room fell into stunned silence. To have such ratings before the show even began was beyond all expectations, including those of Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye themselves.