94: Acting on the Rumors (Two extra chapters for the generous contributor 2223689760)

In the hotel conference room of the small town.

Not long after a middle-aged bald man arrived, the Mayor of Annan followed him into the room.

Without much small talk, they started the discussion immediately.

"First, we must minimize the impact. We will explain the situation truthfully to the public."

The Mayor of Annan looked relaxed. He had been stunned when the debris flow occurred within his jurisdiction, but since only one person was missing, it was already a very good outcome for him.

"Secondly, the rescue team will set out early tomorrow morning. Send over the relevant information on the missing person and the approximate location of the disappearance tonight."

"That's all for now. CEO You, if there are no issues, you should hurry and contact your company's PR department to try and minimize the impact."

The Mayor of Annan made a dismissive gesture, and everyone from the Program Production Crew understood it was time for them to leave.

The bald man stood up and smiled. "Alright, I'll go arrange it right away."

After saying that, he led his people out of the conference room.

Inside the conference room, whether they were holding the local mayor accountable or something else was unknown.

"Think about how to release the announcement. The Mayor of Annan is likely displeased with our lack of action."

The bald man said as he walked toward another conference room in the hotel.

"CEO You, we can say it like this. I already thought it through on the way here." Jing Yu approached him with a fawning expression.

The bald man looked at the woman before him with a faint, mocking smile and then nodded.

"Fine, you think it up and you post it. If you handle it well, you keep your job. If not... heh."

Jing Yu couldn't help but shudder, then forced a smile.

"Yes, alright, CEO You."

...Ten minutes later, the Xiushui Mingshan Program Group, which had been bombarded by fans, finally issued an announcement.

"We regret that such a disaster occurred during the recording of the program. Early this morning, after the heavy rain, a debris flow broke out. Guest Gao Xiaofan is currently missing. We have contacted the local government and will carry out rescue activities as soon as possible."

"Currently, the other guests have reached safety. Before the debris flow became unstoppable, the Program Production Crew organized an immediate evacuation. However, because Gao Xiaofan was camping in the wild, we were unable to bring him out in time. The Program Production Crew expresses its regret regarding this—if only he hadn't been outside the village. Let us pray for Gao Xiaofan."

The announcement caused an immediate uproar.

"Brother Wo Zi is finished???"

"The Program Production Crew's statement is total nonsense; they're just dodging responsibility!"

"Exactly! Did you guys not consider the safety of the guests when choosing the location?"

"No way, the Program Production Crew said it was Gao Xiaofan himself who ran out. What are you guys thinking? How can you blame the crew for this? Truly disgusting."

"I've been annoyed with Brother Wo Zi for a long time. He thought he was so capable, and now a rescue team has to save him. It's a complete waste of public resources, okay? And his fans are still so self-righteous. It's hilarious, fam."

The two groups engaged in a mindless flame war. Normally, a group of grown men wouldn't bicker with these women, but now that a living person was gone, some people actually had the nerve to talk about wasting public resources.

Initially, the criticism was aimed at the Program Production Crew, but when a group of out-of-touch Little Fairies jumped in, Brother Wo Zi's fans couldn't take it anymore and turned their fire on them.

Once the announcement was out, no one thought Brother Wo Zi was still alive. It had been so long since the debris flow hit, and with no news yet, something had almost certainly happened to him.

To put it nicely, he was 'missing'; to be blunt, he was dead.

The rescue team was only going to see if they could find a body, and maybe they wouldn't even find that.

For people to still jump out and say Gao Xiaofan ran out on his own was a complete disregard for life.

In the end, the Little Fairies were completely overwhelmed; after all, only a tiny minority of people are that brainless... Inside the hotel, Qu Lang's eyes widened when he saw the announcement.

"CEO You, do you know that our Program Production Crew only avoided this disaster because of the news Qiu Gu brought back?"

"I know. I thought the announcement was fine."

CEO You rubbed his bald head and said with a smile while looking at his phone.

"Gao Xiaofan was the one who told Qiu Gu to come back with the news! Gao Xiaofan didn't make it out."

Qu Lang roared.

iQiyi had only hired him and didn't have a long-term contract, so he didn't have to give a damn about anyone.

CEO You was stunned. "No one told me that. Jing Yu told me it was just news Qiu Gu brought back."

After saying this, he fell into thought.

"Brother Lang, I really didn't know about this. But honestly, one must look forward. We all know there's likely little hope for Gao Xiaofan. We can compensate his family; I'll personally provide one million."

Qu Lang looked at the bald man and sighed, realizing that CEO You probably really didn't know.

"Gao Xiaofan's parents passed away early; he has no family."

After saying this, Qu Lang painfully rested his head on his hand. Such a good Young man, gone just like that, and in his own program.

CEO You opened his mouth as if to say something but didn't.

Cheng Yan said softly.

"Brother Lang, what CEO You said isn't wrong. You're upset, and I'm upset too, but the impact of this incident is right there. By framing it this way, the impact will be minimized, and the losses will be lower."

Qu Lang waved his hand weakly and walked out of the conference room. After a night of turmoil, he was exhausted... Meanwhile, the clamor online continued. Media outlets from all over the country moved upon hearing the news, and reporters stationed in Annan City rushed to the vicinity of Xiushui Village to get first-hand information.

After the Program Production Crew's official announcement was released, various Self-media accounts began to stir up the narrative.

Compared to the official report, these Self-media accounts were clearly much more blunt and direct.

"Brother Wo Zi's situation tells us not to run around for no reason~"

"I'm sure the Program Production Crew back then was very conflicted about whether to wait for Gao Xiaofan~"

"Gao Xiaofan's nonconformity ultimately ruined him~"

Misinformed members of the public were swept up by this narrative and began to point fingers.

He deserves what happened~

Having nothing better to do than go camping outside~

Looking at these comments, Brother Wo Zi's fans were about to explode with rage. Could these people be any more shameless?

Isn't the top priority to go and rescue him?

And there's an issue with the official report, too. It's not right. In the second before the livestream cut out, there was also that cameraman. Why is only Gao Xiaofan reported as missing? Where is the cameraman?

Unfortunately, no one paid attention to the fans' words~

Just as the fans were feeling dejected and unable to vent their frustration, a video was pinned in various fan groups.

A screen recording of a group chat history.

"I never believed for a second that Brother Wo Zi would be in trouble, but I feel I need to go and pick him up..."

"I like to charge in..."

"Wait for my news."

The video was very short, but it gave everyone a jolt of spirit.

"We will contact Brother Quan and ask him to start a livestream. Please do not imitate Brother Quan's actions~"