Chapter 145: The Feast of Traffic is About to Begin!

At seven o’clock in the morning, Ye Yuning was already in the office at the base.

Ning Cai and Zhou Wan had also risen early, heading to Ye Yuning’s location ahead of time.

Chen Rumeng arrived as well.

Outside the base, vehicles were parked everywhere. Numerous internet celebrities and streamers, dressed in eccentric outfits, were setting up phone stands at the entrance, ready to start their live broadcasts.

Local media had come in large numbers, along with quite a few tabloids.

This was a feast for traffic; everyone wanted to get a share.

Ye Yuning’s anxiety stemmed from the fact that if today the issue of distinguishing between wild and farmed red-crowned cranes was decisively settled against her, the base would have no choice but to be sold off.

Those red-crowned cranes would have only one fate—to be released into the wild.

All the effort Ye Yuning had invested over the past two or three years would go up in flames.

From acquiring the land to completing the base took a year and a half; from breeding seedlings to being ready for market took over a year.

It had taken two to three years to reach the current scale.

Her father had offered to help, but once he intervened, the nature of the matter would change.

Moreover, her father was currently in a career ascent; if he got involved, would the opposition seize the opportunity to accuse him?

Would they say he, as a public official, abused his position to meddle in his daughter’s business?

That could jeopardize his promotion.

In truth, many of her father’s friends had called, expressing concern, but Ye Yuning had declined all their offers to help.

Who knew if any of those friends were infiltrated by opposing forces?

Political maneuvering was far more ruthless than business competition.

Inside one room, Chen Rumeng met Meng Yanzhou.

She looked at him with delight, a trace of infatuation in her eyes. “Brother Meng.”

Meng Yanzhou nodded. “Shen Xian’s materials said you’d be coming for an interview today. Are you ready?”

Chen Rumeng nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”

According to Shen Xian’s plan, Chen Rumeng would pose as a friend Ye Yuning invited to dinner, while Shen Xian would pretend to be Chen Rumeng’s boyfriend.

In other words, the news would reveal that Ye Yuning invited Chen Rumeng out to eat; Chen Rumeng brought along her boyfriend Shen Xian, who took photos.

Shen Xian considered that both Ning Cai and Zhou Wan had sensitive identities—a president of an entertainment company and a diva. If it leaked that Shen Xian was their boyfriend, the tabloids would explode with gossip.

Therefore, Shen Xian thought the best candidate was Chen Rumeng.

Luckily, Chen Rumeng disliked Shen Xian, so during the interview, she would express disdain and bitterness toward him.

Meng Yanzhou said, “We only need to depict Ye Yuning as a vulnerable figure.”

Shen Xian’s plan was to constantly portray Ye Yuning as pitiable, while Chen Rumeng would emphasize her loathing of Shen Xian.

Ye Yuning was beautiful and would cry tears like falling blossoms, evoking sympathy as a weakling.

Then Chen Rumeng would accuse Shen Xian of going too far.

This way, the conflict would shift onto Shen Xian, diverting everyone’s attention away from the problems with the base itself.

This was the full plan Meng Yanzhou and Chen Rumeng saw.

Both felt confident it was secure.

Yet Chen Rumeng still sensed something was off. “I feel like Shen Xian has some backup plan.”

She frowned. Having worked in Ning Cai’s company for two or three years in media, she was sensitive to public attention.

She felt all of this was orchestrated by Shen Xian. If the plan only aimed to divert conflict, then everything done before had been meaningless.

But how it would reverse next, she could not guess.

“Don’t overthink it. Anyway, Rumeng, I’m very grateful to you,” Meng Yanzhou said softly, looking at Chen Rumeng with deep affection.

Chen Rumeng’s heart suddenly raced; her voice became nervous. “It’s… it’s nothing, Brother Meng, no need to thank me.”

Meng Yanzhou sneered inwardly.

These women at the bottom are really easy to manipulate.

Outside the base, the crowd grew denser as interview vehicles arrived one after another.

The base’s gate was tightly locked; many craned their necks, trying to catch a glimpse inside.

Yu Tianshu also arrived, smiling as he looked at the sea of people at the gate. Sitting inside a business van, he held a glass of red wine in one hand, feeling as if he controlled the world.

“All of this, I created it. This base will soon be mine.”

His secretary promptly flattered him, “Mr. Yu, this move is brilliant—like Qin Shi Huang eating Sichuan peppercorns.”

Yu Tianshu blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Completely winning,” the secretary grinned.

Yu Tianshu laughed heartily. “Full of rhymes. Are you preparing for the graduate exam?”

Liu Ruyun also came, sitting inside her car without stepping out, staring at the base with a slight shiver of anxiety.

If she faced such a spectacle, she’d probably be terrified.

Though Chen Feng and others didn’t come, they had already opened their phones, ready to enter the live broadcast room and follow the developments.

Almost simultaneously, Li Xiurong, Liu Sheng, and others also turned on their phones.

At the Nanzhou City Welfare Institute, the director—an elderly woman—clumsily swiped on her phone, her face full of worry.

A tall girl of about seventeen or eighteen approached. “Director, I believe in Brother Shen Xian. He would never be that kind of person!”

The girl was tall and plainly dressed, without makeup, yet her natural beauty outshone many stars.

The director sighed. “Don’t I know what kind of person your Brother Shen Xian is... Hmm, why aren’t you in class today?”

The girl said, “I don’t have a phone, but the teacher told me about this. How could I stay put?”

“You have the college entrance exam next June. Go back to study. Remember, just believe in your Brother Shen Xian,” the director said kindly.

The girl’s eyes reddened. “But when I hear them slandering Brother Shen Xian, it hurts so much. He’s such a good person…”

The director sighed, rubbing her head. “Study hard. Without Brother Shen Xian, you wouldn’t even have the chance to study. Don’t let his efforts go to waste.”

“I’ll watch the live broadcast and then leave.” The girl sat down but looked deeply worried.

The director looked at her delicate, gentle face and softly asked, “Have you ever dated anyone at school?”

The girl shook her head. “Those kids? I don’t even fancy them. They’re all just immature little children.”

The director smiled knowingly. “Then what kind do you like?”

The girl blushed deeply. “I want to focus on studying now.”

The director smiled silently, thinking to herself, “Silly child, Brother Shen Xian is so smart—he understands your feelings perfectly.”

That’s why he never mingles with you.

Shen Xian had already gotten up, his eyes red. His cold was just recovering, and he had stayed up late writing last night, so he was sleep-deprived.

After a quick wash, he bought a hand pancake on the street and nibbled on it while heading toward the base.

There were still thirty minutes before the live broadcast began!