Chapter 110: Launching the Broadcast (Please Vote)

After soothing the two big shots from Group Seven, Li He finally felt free.

Zhang Yang saw off the satisfied composer and lyricist, who left with the sheet music in hand, then returned to the office, a bit displeased. “Did you really write this last night?”

Li He nodded confidently. “Of course.”

The cold and elegant senior sister gave him a sideways glance, full of charm. Li He understood what she meant: she didn’t believe him.

There was no way to prove otherwise—it was indeed written just last night. Even if Jesus came to ask, it was still written last night.

That’s my word.

Zhang Yang felt a little weary, wanting to say something but not knowing how to start. Her glance wasn’t at disbelief in his words, but disbelief that he had completed the full version last night and yet didn’t share it with her.

He hid the complete version tight and didn’t send it, but sent the truncated version nonstop to her.

Zhang Yang wanted to pry open Li He’s head to see what little tricks were stored inside. This guy wasn’t just skilled at songwriting and composing—he was also a master at irritating and messing with people’s minds.

After staying in Zhang Yang’s office for a while, Li He finally returned to the familiar territory of Group Seven.

As he entered the workspace, Old Qin immediately blocked his way. His deep dark circles were strikingly obvious; the old comrade must have been working hard nights these past few days.

At his age, he really should know better—staying up late isn’t good for health.

Li He grinned, showing a pure and harmless smile. “Old Qin, long time no see. How have you been lately?”

Old Qin sneered coldly, teeth clenched with fury. How could this guy still have the nerve to ask how he’s been?

He was dumbfounded. How had he never noticed Li He’s thick skin and dark heart before?

Unhurriedly, Li He pulled out his phone and sent the old man a voice recording.

“Old Qin, here’s something good for you.”

Old Qin glanced at the phone and wondered, could it be that this guy suddenly had a conscience and sent him the full version of “Ordinary Road” in advance?

Was he really this kind-hearted?

He couldn’t think of anything else Li He would send as an audio file besides a song.

It had to be that.

Old Qin’s expression softened, no longer clenching his teeth.

Maybe this guy did have some conscience after all. It wasn’t in vain that he introduced his daughter to him.

Old Qin thought he was alright again.

Li He reminded him, “Put on headphones.”

“Right, right!”

The full version was confidential and couldn’t be leaked, especially not to the others in Group Seven.

He still wanted to watch his colleagues scratch their heads in confusion!

Old Qin hurriedly pulled out earphones from his pocket and plugged them in.

After happily listening to a few seconds, Old Qin’s face slowly froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Li He grinned toothily, looking innocent and well-behaved like a good child.

Old Qin glared at Li He with a dark face, then turned and walked away, burning with anger inside, wishing he could beat Li He up on the spot.

So vicious. This guy’s heart was darker than coal—black enough to glow.

He couldn’t believe he had trusted this conscience revelation and introduced his daughter to this rascal.

Such a scoundrel.

Li He happily returned to his own workspace. The old comrade really was adorable—after hearing the recording, his spirits lifted considerably.

Of course, the recording Li He sent to Old Qin wasn’t the full version of “Ordinary Road,” but rather some of Old Qin’s rebellious remarks recorded secretly a while ago.

For example: about Xiao Zhang.

Back at his desk, Li He began considering song choices for the next episode.

It felt like he was on a singing reality show, having to choose songs before each recording... Li He grumbled in his heart.

With experience from the first episode, it would be much easier to blend in for the next episode’s meal and singing—at least he wouldn’t need anyone to guide him.

After all these operations, Li He had accumulated a large amount of negative emotion points, possibly even exceeding previous totals.

However, this didn’t mean Li He could just casually draw prizes. The troublesome system had many quirks, and who knew how many hard-earned negative emotion points would be wasted on a random draw.

To avoid the system’s traps, Li He decided not to draw any prizes.

He would save the negative emotion points and not use them.

Regarding storage, the system was clearly outdated and hadn’t kept up with the times.

Storing negative emotion points within the system was like putting money in the bank—except banks gave interest, while the system gave nothing.

“Garbage system!”

Li He routinely despised the system.

“System.”

At that moment, Li He’s pupils shifted, and a clear, minimalist data panel appeared.

Name: Li He
Age: 22/44
Negative Emotion Points: 1,900,201
Skills: Piano Level 9, Advanced Guitar, Advanced Violin, Advanced Signature, Pu Shu-style Singing

Warehouse: “Canon,” “When You Are Old,” “Ordinary Day,” “Southern Girl,” “The Return of the Condor Heroes,” “Naruto”

Three songs remained unused in the warehouse, all very suitable for solo guitar performance and singing.

As for which song to choose for the second episode, Li He hadn’t decided yet.

In the following days, Li He returned to normal life—idling at work, goofing off, and bantering with Old Qin.

Online, the buzz around “A Life Yearned For” grew ever stronger, and expectations soared.

The show was scheduled to air every Saturday at 8 p.m., simultaneously streamed on online platforms and broadcast on Lu Province Satellite TV, Zhejiang Province Satellite TV, and Hunan Province Satellite TV.

“Slow Rhythm” was set to air every Sunday at 8 p.m., on both online platforms and simultaneously on Zhejiang and Hubei Province Satellite TVs.

The two shows aired back to back, and viewers had long awaited them.

Audience expectations were sky-high.

Of course, amid widespread praise and anticipation, a small minority remained skeptical.

Because of “Guardian.”

Shengshi had made a big investment crossing over into film, which failed miserably. Now they were venturing into variety shows—what would happen?

Some were optimistic; others pessimistic. This was very common in the entertainment industry.

As the date drew near, video platforms had already opened pre-registration for the shows.

One reason was to notify viewers as soon as the premiere aired.

Another was that major platforms fiercely competed for traffic, so both variety shows were broadcast network-wide rather than exclusively on one site.

The number of pre-registrations was objectively high, already reaching levels typical of blockbuster hits.

Moreover, after the official announcement of three regular guests and two guest stars, all five began promoting the show, updating content related to it daily on Weibo and Douyin.

“Fairy Wood Tale”

Teacher He: “This is the most unique variety show I’ve ever participated in.”

Jiang Qi: “Far from city noise, come with me to understand the direction of yearning.”

Xie Shun: “What kind of life do you yearn for? Whatever it is, you’ll find a form you like here.”

Jiang You: “This is a warm big family, drinking tea, chatting…”

He Xi’er: “Come to Yearning, and you’ll see the truest version of Teacher Gabe.”

Clever He Xi’er waited until everyone finished posting on Weibo before sending her pre-edited post.

Not only could she promote the show, but she could also sneak in some praises for Li He.

He Xi’er’s plan was perfectly calculated.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know Li He didn’t have Weibo.

Teacher He even took the opportunity to promote “A Life Yearned For” on his hosting show, truly a conscience of the industry.

“In that show, I finally understood the meaning of ‘living a simple life amid the world’s bustle without the noise of carriages and horses.’”

Li He saw all the guests’ promotions and thought they were all so fake, not genuine at all.

As the show’s chief planner, Li He also posted a short video on Douyin to promote the program.

“What’s Teacher Xie Shun like when cooking? Is his food tasty? Find out on ‘A Life Yearned For.’”

One must know how to focus on the key point.

The guests’ promotion was obviously effective, demonstrating their fan loyalty and public goodwill.

With continuous buzz from the production and guests, viewers’ desire and anticipation for “A Life Yearned For” soared sharply.

On the day before the premiere, Friday, the production dropped a bombshell that ignited the entire entertainment industry and pushed the show’s popularity to its peak, utterly overshadowing the rival “Slow Rhythm,” which had been polished for half a year.

“‘A Life Yearned For’ boasts a luxurious director team.”

“Director: Wu Guang
Assistant Director: Li Minshan
Chief Planner: Gabe
…”

Chief planner: Gabe.

This news exploded the entertainment circle.

“No way, is this real? Gabe is the planner?”

“‘A Life Yearned For’ is made by Teacher Gabe?”

“Gabe’s got too many side jobs—singing, running a variety show. Don’t forget you’re a songwriter! When will you release the full version of ‘Ordinary Road’?”

“Gabe knows too much, he must have cheats!”

Everyone was shocked. This news was mind-blowing.

Gabe singing was one thing, but him planning the entire variety show? Ridiculous.

What else couldn’t Gabe do?

The answer came soon: giving birth.

The Friday night announcement was a huge blow to “Slow Rhythm,” completely overshadowed.

While everyone was discussing, Jiang Qi messaged her best friend Chen Xueling, urging her to watch “A Life Yearned For.”

Chen Xueling was cautious—after the recent controversy over the truncated song, she wouldn’t fall for anything so easily.

“The show’s chief planner is Teacher Gabe.”

“What?”

Chen Xueling sat up abruptly on the sofa. Gabe was the chief planner?

What a joke.

Jiang Qi: “Check Weibo and Douyin yourself. Oh, and Gabe appears on camera in the show, full face.”

Chen Xueling didn’t usually check Weibo or Douyin at night, preferring yoga and dramas, hence Jiang Qi’s reminder.

After hanging up, Chen Xueling looked at the official notices but still couldn’t believe it.

“Gabe is actually the chief planner!”

What couldn’t Gabe do? He could compose, write lyrics, arrange music, sing, run variety shows, and play guitar.

Plus, he was handsome.

Time flew.

Saturday arrived.

So many people had been waiting for this day. Online pre-heating was intense, and audience expectations were at their peak.

All the viewers tormented by the truncated “Ordinary Road” seemed to have found a vent, flooding the streaming platforms.

At 8 p.m. sharp on Saturday, the show began.

“Started.”

Thanks to her best friend’s reminder, Chen Xueling eagerly anticipated Gabe’s first on-camera appearance. She had no filming obligations these days, so she sat in front of the TV early, waiting.

Meanwhile,

After work, Old Qin, Zhang Yang, Liu Kang, and others returned home and immediately logged into their subscription video platforms to see how “A Life Yearned For” would turn out.

Unlike provincial satellite TV, these platforms allowed viewers to use live comments to express their immediate reactions.

The show started.

After the first minute of sponsor ads, the title “A Life Yearned For” appeared against a cartoon countryside backdrop, followed by footage of the three regular guests being picked up by the production team.

Leaving the city behind, returning to the most primitive rural life.

The mountains stretched endlessly; even through a screen, one could feel the beauty of nature.

There wasn’t much footage of the journey, and soon the three guests arrived at the Mushroom House.

They arrived full of enthusiasm, only for Director Wu Guang to announce the show’s rules.

“Self-sufficiency.”

Here, the currency was corn. You could get whatever you wanted from the production, as long as you had enough corn.

Teacher He was dumbfounded.

“Look at Teacher He’s bewildered expression. He can’t have not known that participating in a variety show means cracking corn!”

“Feels like these three were all tricked by the production!”

“Only Teacher Xie Shun dares to bargain with the production. By the way, who plays rock-paper-scissors with Xie Shun?”

“Where’s Gabe? What about ‘Ordinary Road’?”

“Calling Gabe, calling Gabe!”

The three guests then went to the cornfield, braving the sun and diving among the stalks.

Respected music veteran Xie Shun, seasoned host Teacher He, and rising singer Jiang You seemed to forget their identities and personas here.

They showed their truest selves.

By noon, they returned to Mushroom House. Xie Shun prepared to cook lunch—a segment that viewers eagerly awaited.

However, after searching for a long time, Xie Shun couldn’t find a pot. The production then informed them that if they wanted a pot, they had to exchange corn for it.

“Seriously, is this ‘A Life Yearned For’?”

“The production is really brave, pushing Teacher Xie into a dead end.”

“Their morning’s work bought half a pot and half the ingredients for lunch—ridiculous.”

At this moment, the guest stars arrived—they were there to order dishes.

Yes, guest stars could order dishes, which Teacher Xie would cook.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth.

Viewers could clearly see Xie Shun’s face fall upon hearing these two dishes.

“Jiang Qi and He Xi’er are really brave!”

“Why does Teacher Xie look so frustrated? He has to cook the meal himself, now two guests come and order the most difficult dishes.”

“Teacher Xie has it so hard.”

The contrast between the composer’s status and his image brought great humor to the show, along with unique cartoon emojis that made Xie Shun appear approachable and friendly.

This also let the audience know that the composer was actually easy-going and reasonable.

The three regular guests worked cheerfully.

At this moment, the guest stars’ car entered the mountain village and arrived at Mushroom House.

—

P.S. Posting first, edits to follow.