Chapter 158: Tacit Consent

Lin Chuan was furious. He really wanted to hear what kind of elaborate excuse Yuan Ye could come up with.

"Go ahead!"

"Well, to be honest, Chuan, before the online voting was launched, I was completely in the dark. I only found out about it afterward. The investors didn't consult with us at all. Taking advantage of the Lunar New Year holiday, they've already negotiated with the other six, leaving only you out..." Yuan Ye explained.

Hearing this, Lin Chuan's expression turned even darker and more frightening. You knew nothing about this in advance? Are you trying to fool a ghost? Even if the sponsors wanted to choose the candidates themselves, they should have at least given the television station a heads-up.

Great! Now, with a simple "I didn't know," you want to wash your hands of the whole thing? There's no such easy way out.

Lin Chuan let out a cold smile, his lips parting as he was about to speak, when Yuan Ye suddenly burst into a roar from the other end.

"It's simply too outrageous! No matter what, they shouldn't bypass our television station and you, the person directly involved, to hold a public vote online like this! It's too much. I'm going to have a talk with them later. They must give me a reasonable explanation..."

Lin Chuan snorted softly. He only realized today that ever since this guy Yuan Ye became the station director, he had become far more slick and smooth-talking than before, or at least much better at hoodwinking people.

"Ahem... Chuan, calm down a bit. As soon as I hang up this phone, I'll go right over to talk to them. This is completely unacceptable... Oh, but on second thought, there is one thing I forgot to mention. That was my lapse in judgment as well."

At that moment, Yuan Ye's attitude and tone instantly shifted back to being calm and collected, as if the outburst from just a moment ago belonged to an entirely different person.

This attitude... isn't the transition a bit too fast?

Lin Chuan didn't speak. He just let out a deep, affirmative grunt.

"Actually, when the other party approached me, they made a specific request... and that was, no matter what kind of program was finalized in the end, Little Yang must be included. That was the sponsors' sole requirement, and an inflexible condition that could not be changed..."

"Let Little Yang join the show?" Lin Chuan frowned, his expression sinking somewhat.

Prior to this, Lin Chuan had explicitly stated that he didn't want his son to attract too much attention, nor did he want him to become some kind of child star, which was of little use.

As long as his son could live like an ordinary child, going to school happily every day and growing up with joy, that would be better than anything else in the world.

Yuan Ye was naturally well aware of Lin Chuan's thoughts. Because of this, he felt very conflicted about the matter, but... he had no choice.

"Chuan, I think letting Little Yang participate in the show isn't necessarily a bad thing. Think about it: you are a star yourself, and how many people are secretly watching you? Under these circumstances, can Little Yang possibly remain unaffected? Of course not. Since you've already stepped onto this path in the entertainment industry, you should know that for the people around you to live the ordinary lives they used to is practically impossible..."

Yuan Ye paused for a moment, then continued to persuade him: "Not to mention anything else, just take my own experience as an example. Ever since you became famous, whenever I go out, I always feel like someone is following me... And what about Wang Yue? How long has she been in Kyoto? Barely a month? Maybe not even that... But in this month or so, how many times has she made the news?"

One had to admit that Yuan Ye's tongue was becoming increasingly formidable. With a rapid-fire delivery of a few sentences, he plunged Lin Chuan into deep contemplation.

Indeed, among the things Yuan Ye had said, a portion of it made a lot of sense.

Lin Chuan had thought that keeping his son out of the public eye would act as a protective measure, shielding him from external interference and the scrutiny of those around him.

In reality, however, that was not the case. In a place like the entertainment industry, what was the most gossipy? Journalists, of course. In their eyes, the more hidden and secretive something was, the more valuable it was to dig up.

You don't want your son to receive attention and disturbance? But these reporters stubbornly focused all their attention on Lin Yiyang instead.

To put it simply, during New Year's Day, the little fellow told a story about *The Wizard of Oz*. If it had happened to an ordinary person, what would that prove? It wouldn't prove anything at all.

At most, some parents would think the child was smart and would undoubtedly amount to something when he grew up.

However, when it happened to Lin Yiyang, it was completely different. After all, he was Lin Chuan's son. Every single move he made was watched closely by many people, and precisely because of this, the little guy accidentally became famous online over *The Wizard of Oz*.

Besides him, there was another person: Wang Yue.

All along, Lin Chuan had never uttered a single word about his wife. Because of this, it only served to heighten the curiosity of his vast fan base and the reporters.

The topic of who Lin Chuan's wife actually was had consistently remained in the top ten of internet trending searches.

Therefore, whenever any woman appeared by Lin Chuan's side, those reporters would rush over without stopping to fiercely hype up the story.

As for Yuan Ye's feeling that someone was following him, Lin Chuan subconsciously chose to ignore it.

"Chuan, if you ask me, you should just take this opportunity to take Little Yang out for a good time. Don't look at this program as work; treat it purely as a vacation... Well, the first stop has already been decided. If nothing unexpected happens, it will likely be abroad. This was proposed by the sponsors, and once the production team enters the preparation stage, they will inject a second round of sponsorship funds..."

"When does the voting end?" Lin Chuan neither agreed nor refused.

However, the moment he asked this question, Yuan Ye on the other end of the phone was practically grinning from ear to ear. The two of them had been friends for over twenty years and knew each other extremely well, so upon hearing this question, he knew that Lin Chuan had tacitly accepted.

"Hehe, it ends the day after tomorrow. But the celebrity dads participating in the show are basically already locked in. The reason we launched this online vote in the first place was mainly to use the opportunity to do some publicity and advertising," Yuan Ye said with a smile.

"Alright, give me a call when it's truly finalized. Little Yang is about to wake up, so I'm hanging up now." With those words, the call was disconnected.

Back in the office, as Yuan Ye listened to the busy tone coming from the phone, the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.

"Is everything settled?"

At that moment, a woman's voice rang out.

"Hehe, with me taking charge, is there anything that couldn't be settled? But speaking of which, why are you so insistent on investing in this show? What on earth are you thinking?" Yuan Ye frowned, looking at the woman sitting on the opposite sofa.

Upon hearing this, the woman smiled calmly: "Didn't I already tell you before? I want to use this show to break our brand into the domestic market."

"Is it really that simple? There's nothing else?" Yuan Ye was even more puzzled.

The woman did not answer. She turned her gaze toward the window, looking at the rising sun, a mysterious smile playing at the corners of her lips. (To be continued.)