Chapter 81: The Mask

With less than a week left before the girls step onto the stage for their performance, the controversy surrounding the alleged covert manipulation by the director of "Produce 101" has grown increasingly intense, with public opinion divided and the uproar spreading far and wide. After a day-long investigation, the three major video platforms jointly posted a statement on social media, detailing the entire story and dismissing the slander from Han Yu and his supporters, declaring that no such manipulation existed within the production team.

Following the release of the statement, "Produce 101" solemnly expressed at the end of their post:
"We are willing to give every girl the opportunity to debut and join a group. To achieve this, we will fulfill all their wishes, and we sincerely hope the contestants will showcase their extraordinary talents to win over the audience. Finally, we have taken note of the fans' opinions, and in the next episode's highlights, we will include individual clips for each member of Class A. Thank you again for your attention to 'Produce 101'!"

After the post was published, the number of comments and shares on all major platforms skyrocketed. In just twelve hours, the combined shares across all platforms exceeded one million, and the total comments surpassed seven million. Such popularity is rare in the entertainment industry, underscoring the success of the "Produce 101" production team; the three major video platforms saw a geometric rise in membership registrations simply by hosting the show.

It is noteworthy that once the investigation results were announced, almost all prominent social media commentators were unanimous in their opinions, effectively guiding the public's perception and gradually diminishing the rumors about covert manipulation by the show's director. Han Yu and the companies behind him also remained silent on the matter.

However, this calm was only superficial. Beneath the surface, tensions simmered.

At Donghai Broadcasting Station, hundreds of fans of Han Yu and Xie Yuxin sat in protest outside the building, infuriating the station's management. Despite calling the police, even law enforcement found themselves helpless in the face of so many middle schoolers. Every night, security would catch a few misguided girls splashing paint. Their goal was simple: to force Liao Yuan to come out and publicly kneel and apologize, with some even hoping to drive Liao Meiqi out of the competition.

On this day, Xu Jingkai, head of promotional planning for the second division, finally lost his patience. Squatting in front of the crowd, he pleaded, "Children, why won't you listen? How many times do I have to tell you? Liao Yuan has already resigned and is no longer with the company. What you're doing is not only exhausting but also fruitless—completely pointless!"

"Bah, old man, stop trying to fool us!"

"That's right! Bring out Liao Dog and make him kneel and apologize!"

"Kneel and apologize!"

"He dared to mess with Han Yu? He must have a death wish!"

"My rotten eggs are cracking from rage!"

"Does he think he can provoke Xie Yuxin, someone like him, just a minor radio host? Come out and apologize!"

The cacophony from the hundreds of kids was lively and relentless. Xu Jingkai was nearly beside himself with anger.

Just then, Jiang Heshu, the director of the second division, cruised past on his scooter and called out, "Old Xu, how many times have I told you? The scooter is the best way to get around! Look at you, driving a car every day—those parking tickets alone are enough to give you a headache!"

Many other colleagues, riding scooters or bicycles, laughed as they entered the premises.

Xu Jingkai took a deep breath, suppressing his fury, glanced at his new car parked by the roadside, and resolutely walked around the crowd into the building.

Because of the hundreds of protesting fans, many staff members couldn't even access the parking lot and had to line their vehicles along the street, where spots were limited. Every evening, employees would find a parking ticket quietly tucked under their wiper.

It truly felt like a heart attack waiting to happen.

Meanwhile, the station's internal complaint line rang incessantly. All complaints targeted Liao Yuan, but despite this, his "Ghost Blows Out the Light" program continued airing daily without interruption—sometimes even broadcasting an extra episode, causing many book fans to become so excited that they contemplated joining the anti-Liao Yuan faction just to pressure the station into airing more installments.

Besides the sit-in protest at Donghai Broadcasting, Tang Dynasty Publishing, responsible for releasing "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Ancient City of Jingjue," faced a similar predicament.

In a couple of days, the new book was scheduled for release nationwide, with a launch event originally planned to feature Liao Yuan. Now, however, Liao Yuan had become the target of public outrage.

The publisher worried that he might be attacked by obsessed fans at the signing event. After much deliberation, they decided, for his safety, to cancel the signing and have the launch hosted solely by the publisher.

Nevertheless, Liao Yuan still received a thousand freshly printed copies of "Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Ancient City of Jingjue," with instructions to sign the title page of each within two days.

This was contractually required, and Liao Yuan, committed to his obligations, diligently and rapidly signed stack after stack.

Fu Xiaoci protested, fearing that this would affect his performance in the upcoming Emperor and Four Kings Competition, but her objections were in vain.

With only a day left before the competition, Fu Xiaoci finally delivered the custom-made mask to Liao Yuan.

He opened the gift box, unfurled the white silk, and discovered a somewhat eerie mask.

"It was custom-made to your specifications. How does it look?" Fu Xiaoci asked with excitement.

Liao Yuan nodded, examining the mask closely.

Overall, it was milky white; though made of plastic, its surface had a porcelain-like sheen. Under the lights, it glimmered with an elite aura, cold and menacing.

The mask was crafted to fit Liao Yuan’s features perfectly, leaving only his eyes visible. On one side, a half-butterfly was painted in gold.

When Liao Yuan put on the mask, an air of indifference radiated toward Fu Xiaoci, making her heart race.

"Well?" Liao Yuan touched the mask and asked, "Can you tell who I am?"

Fu Xiaoci rolled her eyes, then carefully studied his masked face and laughed, "If it wasn’t someone who knew you best, they really wouldn’t recognize you. Now you don’t have to worry about getting attacked when you go out."

Liao Yuan stood before the mirror, scrutinizing the masked figure reflected back.

Cold, solemn, with a half-golden butterfly at the corner of each eye—elegant and dignified.

He looked every bit the gentleman.