Chapter 73

PS: The first few chapters have been revised, with the word "Revised" added to the titles. The revisions will have a certain impact on the subsequent plot development, so please reread them.

The revisions include: The script for "My Wild Girl" is not given away for free but involves investment; and the use of the Arts Channel to test the popularity of "Ghost Blows Out the Light."

I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

...

Mengren and Tianyi have had very little contact, and the only time they did, it ended in a grudge.

A month has passed, but the grudge still lingers, at least in Mai Xiaoyu's heart.

His vengeful nature means he won't consider the matter settled until he gives Tianyi a resounding slap.

However, the Ice Orchard advertisement took a down-to-earth approach, which was far less sophisticated than Dove's.

In the first few days after the ad aired, a few people on the China Advertising Forum mocked Ice Orchard, saying they were blind to choose a small company instead of one of the many 4A advertising agencies in the country.

What was the result?

You fools!

Their comments did not elicit much response from other advertisers. Dove's window display ad was still airing on TV, and the catchy "Shake before drinking Ice Orchard" was refreshing. Many advertisers were waiting for market feedback.

The ultimate measure of an ad is its effectiveness, not its sophistication.

Just like in Mai Xiaoyu's dream, a health supplement ad had even lower sophistication, causing a lot of viewer backlash, with a vulgar slogan about not accepting gifts during the New Year, but damn, it was really effective, with sales circling the globe several times.

Seeing that there was no significant reaction, those few people cooled down, but Mai Xiaoyu remembered them.

He was not familiar with the advertising industry and did not know that the China Advertising Forum was the largest gathering place for advertisers in China, nor did he know that someone was defaming him on the forum. However, Mengren had allies, and Gu Hongzhou called to tell him.

Those few people were using newly registered accounts, and Mai Xiaoyu knew at a glance that they were definitely fake accounts set up by Tianyi.

When the sky is clear, it will rain; when people are arrogant, disaster follows. Let you be arrogant for a few more days, and we'll settle the score in the end!

Today, Li Wendong visited in person. His gifts, his enthusiasm, his smile, and his promotion all indicated that Ice Orchard had achieved remarkable results in the summer fruit drink battle and gained market recognition.

If not now, when will we strike back!

The summer night was clear, with a bright moon and sparse stars.

Late at night, Mai Xiaoyu, wearing his pajamas, sat in front of the computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

He was not writing the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" manuscript for Li Xue but writing an ad review.

Taking off his conman's disguise, he transformed into an international critic.

Using the newly launched Ice Orchard and Fruit One as examples, he wrote a lengthy, detailed comparison, teaching the nose-in-the-air Tianyi what a truly excellent ad is.

The pent-up anger of many days was released with the clacking of the keyboard.

After finishing the thousands of words, he felt an indescribable sense of relief, as if he had eaten a ginseng fruit, unblocking his meridians, and every pore on his body felt relaxed, as if all of Tianyi's people were kneeling before him, repenting and crying...

(Mai Xiaoyu: Hey, that's a bit exaggerated. If you write like this, readers will think I'm very petty!

Cheng Fo: It's just a description, understand?

Mai Xiaoyu: Describe my sister! I'll get my revenge soon. Why can't you let me do it now? The protagonist doesn't wait for revenge, you know? After so many chapters, will readers be satisfied? If they're not, won't the favorites drop? No recommendations? No rewards? You're a fool!

Cheng Fo: If you keep pushing, I'll arrange for someone to kill you in the book and make Yang Xiaoxing the protagonist.

Mai Xiaoyu: Then you'll be the one to flop!

Cheng Fo: Okay, I'm wrong...)

After finishing, the international critic turned back into a conman.

Mai Xiaoyu carefully checked three times to ensure there were no typos, then stared at the pen name "Double Gun General" for thirty seconds before clicking the "Publish" button.

Looking at the clock, it was only 12:30, so he opened the folder named "Ghost Blows Out the Light" and prepared to continue writing the novel.

Adjusting the screen, he started the human copier, but before the warm-up was complete, a sudden, urgent knock at the door almost made him crash.

At this hour, it could only be Liu Tao.

Worried that something had happened to Liu Tao, he quickly opened the door. Seeing that Liu Tao's face was a bit pale, he asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Are you sick?"

Liu Tao was not sick but had been frightened.

The reason for her fright was... a ghost story.

On the night she learned she had passed the second audition, Liu Tao was too excited to sleep.

She didn't want to bother Mai Xiaoyu, so she turned on the radio and accidentally tuned into the "Whispering Fear" program on the Yanjing Arts Channel, which featured the ghost story "Ghost Blows Out the Light."

For the next few nights, she listened to "Ghost Blows Out the Light" at midnight. Tonight's episode had a small climax that scared her quite a bit. Although she knew the story was fake, she became increasingly afraid, feeling as if there was something in the room.

Last time it was "Boys Over Flowers," this time it's "Ghost Blows Out the Light"... Could this be fate?

Mai Xiaoyu said helplessly, "If you're scared, don't listen. Go to bed early."

"But I want to listen."

Sometimes, a girl's mind is hard to fathom.

Even though she was terrified, she still liked to listen to scary stories. The scarier, the more she loved it, even if she was scared out of her wits, she still wanted to keep listening.

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Alright...

Liu Tao was really scared. Lying in bed, she listened to the ghost story from the radio by her bedside, her cold little hand gripping Mai Xiaoyu's hand tightly, showing how scared she was... or how much she enjoyed being scared.

The host was skilled, speaking with a rising and falling intonation that was captivating, creating a thick atmosphere of terror and mystery, which made Mai Xiaoyu frown.

The host was a man, not Li Xue!

Why did they change the host?

Why didn't she tell me?

There must be something fishy going on here.

...

For a conspiracy theorist, the first reaction to any abnormality is to question it.

Guessing the fishy business, Mai Xiaoyu was not angry but rather a bit happy—Liu Tao's agent was settled.

"When did you start listening to this program?"

Mai Xiaoyu asked, but before Liu Tao could answer, he realized the program had ended, and Liu Tao had fallen asleep, still holding his hand.

She lay quietly in bed, her skin rosy and fair, her lips naturally red, her eyebrows naturally black, and a few strands of hair fell across her face, perfectly embodying the phrase "a feast for the eyes."

Mai Xiaoyu pulled his hand away, adjusted the air conditioning, and tucked Liu Tao in. He suddenly remembered the incident when Liu Tao was drunk, and the two of them were on this bed.

Looking at Liu Tao, Mai Xiaoyu felt a stirring in his body. After being beaten, Teddy had become obedient, but he still couldn't resist gently tucking the few strands of hair behind Liu Tao's ear.

His palm brushed over Liu Tao's smooth, white cheek, and the memories of their time together flashed through his mind.

It was sweet, but more importantly, it was warm and cozy, like home.

Mai Xiaoyu cherished this feeling, gently caressing Liu Tao's cheek and leaning down to give her a soft kiss on the forehead.

He couldn't see, but Liu Tao's hands were gripping the sheets tightly...