Chapter 533: Chapter 407: Another Wave of Turmoil
Meng Ran’s sudden accident shot straight to the top of the trending searches.
After all, the accident occurred while so many people were watching the live broadcast, it was impossible to suppress the heat of the topic.
Regarding Meng Ran, although she is popular and has many fans, she also has a common weakness found among talent show artists. They enjoy high popularity within their own circles and fan groups, but in reality, they are strangers to most people.
This time, her fall from the stage triggered immense attention.
The focus directly overshadowed other celebrities who were performing at the New Year’s Eve party at the same time, including Lily, whom Meng Ran had always been somewhat wary of.
Meng Ran’s agency also reacted quickly.
On the way to the hospital after Meng Ran fell, Wan Tianlang was already communicating with the company’s PR department about how to guide public opinion: "Now you need to concentrate on promoting the spirit of perseverance, continuing to sing and perform for everyone even after Meng Ran fell off the stage. You know what I mean? I don’t want those empty promotional slogans; I want to make people genuinely moved by Meng Ran’s action! Professionalism, strength, and dedication, I want these three key words to stick in everyone’s mind."
An accident, with the addition of time, can turn into a story.
Wan Tianlang is a shrewd person; on one hand, he felt sorry for Meng Ran’s injury, on the other hand, he keenly sensed that this was a good opportunity. If used correctly, it might prove to be quite beneficial.
This was not something he needed to discuss with Meng Ran.
Meng Ran had to listen to him on work matters.
"Brother Lang, I saw a lot of fans are concerned about me online, should I post something on Weibo to let them know I’m safe?" she said.
Wan Tianlang shook his head and said, "Wait a bit, right now everyone’s attention is on you. Let the heat build up for a while, and when it’s about to die down, then come out to reassure everyone."
Meng Ran hesitated, looking at Wan Tianlang, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, unspoken.
...
Zhou Yun and Song Chi returned to the dressing room to wait for their turn.
The party was still going on.
They would not perform until around 10:30 PM, and there was a lot of time before then.
Normally at this time, the performers wouldn’t just sit idle; with dozens of artists attending this kind of event, everyone would take the opportunity to mingle, make small talk, and take photos together.
Besides these, there were also interviews by the organizers.
All these behind-the-scenes moments would be released through various channels to increase the impact of the New Year’s Eve concert event.
For the broadcasting platform, the significance of a New Year’s Eve concert is not just about ratings and advertising profits.
Whether a concert can be held, how well it can be organized, which celebrities can be invited, and to what extent it can be executed, these all serve as a window to fully display a platform’s comprehensive strength.
Why do many platforms persist in organizing these events even at a loss?
The underlying meaning cannot be explained in just a few words.
Suddenly, Zhou Yun’s phone rang; at almost the same time, Song Chi’s phone also rang.
Zhou Yun and Song Chi exchanged surprised glances.
The caller for Zhou Yun was Zhou Lan, while Song Chi was being called by Yuan Chengbao.
What a coincidence.
Zhou Yun answered the call and asked, "Sister Lan, you were looking for me?"
"Yes, I have a reminder for you, about Meng Ran falling off the stage. If someone asks for your opinion, you must not express any views."
"Ah?" Zhou Yun frowned in confusion. "What’s going on?"
Zhou Lan said, "Some people online are blasting Binjiang TV, accusing them of negligence at work, resulting in Meng Ran’s stage accident, and demanding that Binjiang TV apologize to Meng Ran."
Zhou Yun: "Is that so? Who is criticizing online?"
"I don’t know," said Zhou Lan. "But it’s probably not someone from Meng Ran’s side. Meng Ran’s company has many years of partnership with Binjiang TV, and their relationship is tightly knit. Not just Meng Ran, but many artists from her company have various collaborations with Binjiang TV’s programs. In this matter, Meng Ran’s company might give Binjiang TV trouble in private, but they would certainly not challenge them publicly."
Zhou Yun: "But the accident is the crew’s fault, right?"
"Yes, but that’s not important," Zhou Lan said. "I suspect someone is behind the scenes, trying to exacerbate the conflict between the two parties."
"I understand. If someone comes to ask for my opinion, I should refrain from commenting, right?"
"Xiao Yun, not if someone comes to ask, but they will definitely come to interview you," Zhou Lan said. "When Meng Ran came backstage, were you and Song Chi there? Someone uploaded a video online, and now many people have seen you two helping Meng Ran. Not just Meng Ran’s fans; everyone who has seen the video is praising you. This normally would be a good thing, but now someone is intentionally stirring up trouble between Meng Ran’s side and Binjiang TV, using the stage accident as a talking point. I’m worried if this is not resolved quickly, it might escalate further. You two are the only celebrities currently shown assisting Meng Ran, and you might eventually be pressured to speak up and won’t be able to remain silent."
Zhou Yun immediately understood Zhou Lan’s point.
She said, "I understand. I will also tell Song Chi. Regarding this matter, we will not publicly express any opinions."
"Good," murmured Zhou Lan. "Actually, this matter boils down to Binjiang TV’s program team’s mistake. If really pursued, Binjiang TV should indeed issue an apology statement to Meng Ran."
Zhou Yun said, "Of course."
"Right now, we don’t know whether those who are using Meng Ran’s name to criticize Binjiang TV are Meng Ran’s rivals or Binjiang TV’s rivals," Zhou Lan said. "If it’s the former, then the matter could be easier to resolve, just needing Meng Ran’s side to come to an agreement with Binjiang TV. But if it’s the latter, calming the storm won’t be so easy. Over the past two years, competition among TV stations for New Year’s Eve concerts has been intense. Acts of sabotaging each other also occur frequently."
"Right now, all the TV stations are still busy with their concerts; they probably don’t have the time or energy to deal with this, right?" Zhou Yun said.
"That’s uncertain. No one knows. We’ll see how Binjiang TV handles this," Zhou Lan said. "Regardless, this has nothing to do with us, so make sure not to arbitrarily answer other people’s questions."
"Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yun looked towards Song Chi.
After a while, Song Chi also ended his call.
The two exchanged a smile.
"Was it also a reminder to be careful about what you say?" Song Chi asked, raising the right corner of his eyebrow.
Zhou Yun nodded, "It seems I don’t need to repeat it to you then."