Rebirth: Spoiling the Obsessive Film Emperor Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Broadcasting the Variety Show  

Sally raised an eyebrow slightly. "President Yin, you seem quite concerned about Xiao Yu. Could it be... you’ve taken a liking to him?"  

Yin Chengjue frowned. "Don’t talk nonsense. He’s an artist signed under our company. Of course, I have to look out for him."  

Sally’s face was full of disbelief. "Oh, please. Our company has so many artists, yet I’ve never seen you take such good care of any of them—even going so far as to personally dance as his backup."  

She chuckled. "Don’t think I didn’t notice. That masked guy the whole internet is searching for? I’ve watched you grow up, President Yin."  

Yin Chengjue: "...Aren’t women supposed to dislike revealing their age?"  

Sally: "..." Should she refute her age or her gender first?  

Yin Chengjue didn’t give her a chance to explode and continued, "Rong Yu has great potential. I won’t let a rising star slip away, and I believe you can see that too."  

"You’re not wrong. Xiao Yu is indeed a talent. Toner sent me his new commercial the other day, and I immediately reserved that perfume," Sally said with a smile. "President Yin, we’ve really struck gold."  

Yin Chengjue lifted his chin proudly. "Hmm!"  

"Linlin told me the variety show she directed will air in three days. We should start organizing some pre-release promotions. Do you have any special ideas, President Yin?"  

Yin Chengjue tapped his fingers on the desk. "Nothing too elaborate. First, have Linlin cut a trailer and release it. Then, let those young masters share it themselves. That’ll generate more buzz than paying for water armies or buying trending tags."  

After all, with his involvement in the show, those young masters—who weren’t short on money—wouldn’t mind promoting themselves and inviting their friends to watch.  

Even without buying trending tags, the show’s popularity wouldn’t be too dismal after airing.  

Sally immediately understood Yin Chengjue’s intention and smiled. "You’re as thoughtful as ever. Let’s do it that way. I’ll discuss it with that little girl. This is Xiao Yu’s first variety show—if we do it well, it’ll bring him a lot of attention."  

Qin Linlin worked efficiently. That very night, she released the promotional trailer for Don’t Look Back in the Dark, along with promo photos of the two comedians and the famous host, tagging their Weibo accounts.  

Half an hour later, Rong Yu’s promo photo was also released, drawing in his fans.  

Apart from these three, the others were represented by black silhouettes, sparking endless speculation among viewers about which other guests might appear on the new show.  

The editor Qin Linlin hired was clearly experienced. The trailer for Don’t Look Back in the Dark was cut to be thrilling, featuring screams, frantic running down hallways, and heavy breathing, paired with the hotel’s eerie setting and flickering light effects. It looked less like a variety show and more like a horror movie adventure.  

This style quickly attracted many curious onlookers, raising expectations for the new show.  

What really shocked netizens, however, was that most of A City’s wealthy second-generation heirs reposted the trailer. Though their captions were generic—"Looking forward to the premiere"—it was enough to grab attention and push curiosity about the show to its peak.  

Three days passed in a flash. Don’t Look Back in the Dark premiered on KuBao Video at 8 PM sharp.  

Yin Chengjue had been waiting in front of his computer early.  

Unfortunately, Rong Yu was still in closed-door training for the stage performance in Hey Brother, Let’s Debut!, so he couldn’t watch it together. Otherwise, Yin Chengjue would’ve wanted to video call him.  

He hadn’t stayed until the end of the recording due to Feng Chengda’s incident. When he later asked Qin Linlin about it, the little girl refused to spoil it, telling him to wait for the broadcast.  

Yin Chengjue didn’t mind waiting. Now, the moment had finally arrived.  

Who ended up winning? Did Rong Yu, the "killer," triumph against six opponents? Or did the players from the other two mission routes complete their objectives?  

After the opening sequence, the screen showed an empty living room. Then, the door opened, and Liu Qingling and Yang Ji walked in together, exchanging humorous banter that had the comment section flooding with "LOLs."  

Soon, the door opened again, and Hua Yun, Wei Shu, Xiao Xiao, and Qin Ke entered one after another.  

These young masters were often seen at parties and social events but had never appeared on screen before.  

The comments paused briefly before exploding with questions.  

—Holy crap! So many different types of handsome guys! Are they celebrities? How have I never seen them before? Am I that out of touch?  

—Um, maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t the guy with glasses look like the eldest son of the Hua family?  

—Hahaha, no way! Why would Hua Yun, a rich heir, join a variety show? Does he need the money?  

Before this comment could fade, Hua Yun’s self-introduction played:  

"Hello, Teacher Liu, Teacher Yang. I’m Hua Yun, and this is Wei Shu..."  

—No way! It really is Young Master Hua!  

—And the guy next to him is also a rich heir! What’s up with this show? Why invite a bunch of young masters?  

—Probably just for fun. They’re bored and want to experience being celebrities.  

—Who cares? Just enjoy the eye candy!  

After introductions, three more figures appeared—Yin Chengjue, Rong Yu, and Lei Miao, who had arrived last.  

Yin Chengjue had been appearing frequently on trending lists lately, so many recognized him. However, most had only seen his photos from the Yin Group’s official website. Seeing him alive on screen sent the comments into another frenzy.  

—What kind of connections does this show have? Even Yin Chengjue is here?  

—Wait! Shouldn’t the real shock be how ridiculously handsome Yin Chengjue is? He looks way better than his official photos!  

Once all nine players had gathered, Qin Linlin’s voice instructed them to board the prepared bus outside.  

The filming continued on the bus, where viewers soon got their answers.  

The camera shifted to Yin Chengjue, who was telling Liu Qingling that the show had a limited budget. They were the only two paid guests, while Rong Yu, as a newly signed artist, was there to fill the numbers.  

The stunned expressions on Liu Qingling and Yang Ji’s faces turned the comment section into a sea of "LOLs."  

—So real! The truth is out: the show couldn’t afford A-listers, so they roped in bored rich kids to make up the numbers.  

—And they still didn’t have enough, so the investor, President Yin, had to step in himself. Hahaha!  

Within minutes, the show’s popularity skyrocketed—not just because of curiosity about Yin Chengjue and the unique guest lineup, but also thanks to the influence of the wealthy heirs.  

The streaming platform also had a tipping feature, similar to live-streaming platforms, but with strict verification. Only adult accounts meeting financial requirements could tip, and each ID was limited to one tipping-enabled account (others could only comment). This was to prevent underage spending. If tipping exceeded a certain amount in a short time, the account would be frozen for 24 hours, during which refunds were allowed.  

Accounts with too many refunds would be flagged and permanently banned from tipping.  

Given these restrictions, most viewers stuck to comments, especially for new shows with smaller fanbases.  

So, when fireworks and explosion animations suddenly lit up the screen, many were confused.  

Who’s spending money so early in the show?  

Then it hit them—Oh, right! The young masters on the show! They don’t care about money!  

Even if the show was terrible, with these human ATMs around, popularity was guaranteed. Just tipping alone could push it to the top.  

As the audience marveled, the bus segment ended. The crew handed out blindfolds and led them into an old-looking hotel.  

The camera followed them inside before the crew exited and locked the door behind them.  

Faced with darkness, the nine remained calm, with the young masters even seeming excited.  

Qin Linlin’s voice announced the rules:  

Nine players, divided into three groups with three competing mission routes.  

Cooperation came with risks.  

When they destroyed their mission clues after reading them, some viewers were confused.  

—I don’t get it. Why destroy their own clues? Shouldn’t they be looking for teammates now?  

—Duh! Ever played Werewolf? Hiding your role lets you bluff. Revealing it makes you a target—other teams will sabotage you!