Chapter 42: Taking Advantage of the Opportunity to Rise in Status

“She isn't good at investigating cases, but... she's good at finding things. Let's treat this like a last resort,” Qing Tianfeng spoke, his expression remaining calm.

Upon hearing this, the others nodded in miraculous unison, murmuring amongst themselves.

“Hey, you can't deny it, Jiang Xiaoya has made quite a bit of money scavenging these past few days.”

“Yeah, most people scavenge just to make ends meet, but she’s actually turning it into a fortune.”

“To reach that level of skill just by picking up scraps... she’s something else. That luck is...”

“Exactly, exactly. She manages to find something useful in every piece of junk. I really admire that.”

“But... she really is unlucky. Every time, she gives us...”

“That’s called professional competence, okay? She’s taken over all our business. Just wait until the end of the month when you see your bonus slips; then you'll know what kind of 'benefactor' the boss was talking about.”

*Knock, knock, knock!*

A crisp sound interrupted their tea party.

The excited expressions on the faces below quickly vanished as they manually "muted" themselves.

Qing Tianfeng told them to get back to their work; as for Jiang Xiaoya's tasks, he would arrange them.

Naturally, no one had any objections. Although they had been quite tired lately, the thought of the end-of-month bonuses and the impressive addition to their resumes kept them full of energy.

As the meeting dispersed, Qing Tianfeng remained seated in his chair.

He pulled a cigarette pack from his drawer, lit one, and thought idly.

He had to find a way to make Jiang Xiaoya cooperate with the investigation.

*Sigh, what a headache.*

Jiang Xiaoya had turned off her livestream and her phone, intending to sleep until she was ready to face the world again.

Early in the morning, Qing Tianfeng called her.

Phone off.

At noon, Qing Tianfeng called her. Still off.

At two in the afternoon, Qing Tianfeng called again. Still off.

Beside him, Yu Cuo: "..."

Jiang Xiaoya was truly the first person to play their captain like a monkey.

The air was deathly silent.

Just as Yu Cuo, unable to bear the pressure, was about to make a run for it, he heard Qing Tianfeng's voice ring out above him.

"Track her location for me."

"Oh, right away, Captain."

Yu Cuo didn't dare utter a single complaint. He was terrified that if he spoke too loudly, his vacation for the month would vanish.

***

The production team was facing a similar situation.

Because of yesterday's breakthrough in the arms smuggling case, the popularity of the show and Jiang Xiaoya had exploded like a geyser, sweeping the entire trending list and leaving no room for other entertainers to breathe. Many artists struggling for rankings were complaining bitterly.

Just as they were wondering where this surge of heat would lead, a post suddenly surfaced, piggybacking on the show's name.

Initially, the production team didn't take it seriously. They thought it was just a post from a fan site manager riding the show's popularity—a mutually beneficial industry practice where fans promote the show while gaining engagement.

It wasn't until the post climbed higher and higher that they became alert and carefully read the content.

"This is..."

Seeing the contents of the post, the production staff frowned and turned to ask a colleague in a low voice.

"Is Zhou Yuyu seriously injured? Did the director arrange for someone to visit her in the hospital?"

The colleague shook their head, indicating they didn't know, and called the director over.

Upon hearing the full story, the director suddenly perked up. "We went, didn't we? I went personally. The doctor said the toxic mist only causes temporary fainting and nothing else. Look, those tomb-robbing gangs have already been discharged and taken into custody. What could be the problem?"

"Zhou Yuyu's situation should be more serious. After all, she suffered a chokehold and a physical assault," a colleague explained.

"Those are just superficial injuries. It's not that serious."

The director stared at the post, his brow furrowed. This post was clearly looking for trouble.

"Should we pay to have the post taken down?" someone suggested.

"No need. Why waste money on that? Just keep an eye on Zhou Yuyu's livestream for a bit to see how things are going. If it gets bad, I'll head to the hospital again."

With that, the director entered the lounge.

However, he had barely stepped away before he was called back.

"Director, you have to see this..."

The assistant in Zhou Yuyu's livestream room cried out in disbelief as they watched the broadcast.

Everyone crowded around.

Today, after the police had taken the tomb-robbing gang from the hospital, the other contestants from the show had gradually been discharged and resumed livestreaming. Only Zhou Yuyu, whose condition was more severe, remained under observation.

But the doctor had said her vitals were all normal, and the bruising on her neck and face, while looking bad, were merely superficial.

But what were they seeing now?

In the hospital room, Zhou Yuyu's hair was disheveled, her lips were pale, her face was swollen with bruises, and her neck was a shocking shade of purple. It didn't look like the result of a simple chokehold and a few slaps; one could believe she had undergone prolonged, inhuman torture.

It wasn't just them; the netizens in Jiang Xiaoya's livestream were also gasping in shock.

They say seeing is believing, and they naturally believed what they saw on the livestream. For a moment, the bullet comments were filled with vitriol directed at the production team.

"Is her condition really that serious?"

The assistant cast a meaningful glance at the director.

The exposing post could be considered hyperbolic, but Zhou Yuyu's physical state on the livestream could not lie.

Faced with the questioning gazes of the staff, the director flew into a rage. "Bullshit!"

"I just went to see her today. It's not that serious! It's just for show—it's all for the show's effect! Do you people have brains? You're actually taking this seriously?"

"..."

"Wait, what exactly is she trying to do?"

The director pondered this, feeling increasingly agitated.

The assistant in Zhou Yuyu's livestream suddenly spoke up: "Jiang Xiaoya has stopped her stream, and all the attention has shifted to Zhou Yuyu. Everyone in her livestream is discussing this."

With nothing else to do, the others crowded forward to read the comments in Zhou Yuyu's room.

"Over a hundred thousand people?!"

It wasn't that they were being dramatic; Zhou Yuyu was an ordinary person. Even with a small fan base, it was impossible to have that many people online under normal circumstances.

Good heavens, the comments were a sea of insults.

They were either cursing the production team for being heartless or accusing Jiang Xiaoya of stepping on someone else's blood to climb to the top.

This was the second-highest viewership following Jiang Xiaoya's stream. Because Jiang Xiaoya's screen was currently black, Zhou Yuyu's livestream had become the number one most-watched program, ranking in the top ten across all platforms.

Before they could wrap their heads around Zhou Yuyu's livestream, they noticed a new development while monitoring the trending searches.

"Director, a recording of Zhou Yuyu's livestream is trending. The comments under the post are all accusing our show of pushing Jiang Xiaoya and using the blood of the contestants and Zhou Yuyu as stepping stones to rise."

The director and the others rushed to check. Upon seeing the content, their faces turned dark.

"This was a calculated move."

"Could it be a stunt by our rival variety show?"

"Are you brainless? If a rival show wanted to take us down, would they push Zhou Yuyu?"

"It's possible. By pushing Zhou Yuyu and taking down Jiang Xiaoya, the entire entertainment industry would have room to breathe."

No matter how you looked at it, it was a highly profitable scheme.

"Wait, I get it now."