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Chapter 132
The trending topics for "Good Drama PK Competition" landed in the top ranks just minutes ago.
This wasn't the first trending topic the production team had purchased, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. So when the trending topics suddenly appeared, netizens who were accustomed to this weren't surprised.
#BattleAtThePeakOfGods#
#YuanXinranVsGuanYaoyao#
#YuanXinranDeadlyGaze#
Е̂ ń u m̃ а̄
It was already evening. Many viewers had just finished watching the edited clips from Actor Training Camp. Now, with trending topics from another similar variety show popping up, people inevitably grew curious.
So with three parts curiosity and four parts anticipation, they clicked into the related topics.
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And then...
That's it?
In the edited video from Good Drama PK Competition, two female celebrities stood opposite each other—one playing a mad empress relegated to the cold palace, the other playing a revenge-seeking consort gone dark.
Their dialogue was extremely intense, emotions highly charged, seemingly "acting their hearts out," but no matter how you looked at it, something felt off about the scene.
Е n̄ um̀ а̂
The lines weren't clear enough, emotions too externalized, with absolutely no atmosphere building.
Compared to the brilliant performances in "Actor Training Camp," these two actresses' performances were merely superficial, the difference immediately apparent.
[This... explosive acting? Are you serious?]
[I don't feel at all like they're passionately acting against each other. Are you sure this isn't just awkward acting?]
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[This kills me—is that it? Can't even compare to Actor Training Camp's Group F competition.]
[Hahaha, compared to the other show, it's like heaven and earth. Don't know where they got the nerve to boast like this.]
Е̇n ů_ṁā. ǐd̂
[Judges, stop arguing. Both contestants' acting skills are equally mediocre, equally terrible—what's there to argue about?]
Comments soon flooded in like a tidal wave, with the paid complimentary comments standing out awkwardly among them.
The director's mind went blank as he viewed the page. He refreshed the page by pulling down, and more mocking comments poured in.
The water army they had hired to create hype not only failed to guide public opinion but had actually triggered more backlash.
"How could this happen... Why are viewers from 'Actor Training Camp' coming over here?" the director was somewhat dazed.
Yao Bianliang's variety show should have already flopped. Logically, there shouldn't be so many active viewers.
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Besides, why couldn't these viewers just discuss in Actor Training Camp's comment section? Why were they flooding into their show's comments and viciously comparing against their production?
If these comments weren't so disorganized, the director would have suspected they were water army hired by Yao Bianliang.
[I wasn't going to comment, but seeing how the production team is fooling viewers, I really can't hold back anymore.]
[Yeah, you call that explosive acting? The Bi Yi-style explosive acting method?]
[If any of these contestants went to Actor Training Camp, they'd be criticized by my Sister Liang until nothing was left.]
[Today's variety shows are getting more and more outrageous. In the past, they'd at least make an effort by inviting some actors with real skills. Now they don't even bother with formalities—just throw in a bunch of traffic stars, and fans still insist their acting is good.]
En̄ um̀ ǎ.ї d̈
Director: "..."
They'd done this kind of thing before without viewers reacting so strongly.
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How had the entire world seemingly changed in just one day?
"The problem lies with 'Actor Training Camp,'" the assistant director sighed. "I just checked, and Yao Bianliang's variety show's popularity is continuously rising. Not only that, but their contestants' acting compared to ours..."
The assistant director paused, momentarily at a loss for words.
Finally, he could only say: "Sigh, you'll understand when you see it."
Е̃ ň u̇m а
The director's mood grew increasingly heavy as he quickly walked to the computer. The assistant director had already opened the livestream of "Actor Training Camp," which was currently showing contestants acting against each other.
As the competition progressed, contestants from each group took the stage in sequence. By now, it was Group A's turn.
Glancing over, the director was momentarily stunned: "These people... are all variety show contestants?"
Leaving everything else aside, just in terms of appearance, 80% of them didn't meet talent show requirements!
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Especially the young man standing in the center C position—his looks could only be described as neat and clean. In the entertainment industry, where good looks were everywhere, he'd be impossible to find in a crowd.
"Click"
Wе b nо̃ v̄е̄ l Ѐn̂ ūm̂а
With a light sound, the stage lights brightened, and applause mixed with cheers rose from below.
All the contestants on stage suddenly underwent a dramatic change in demeanor.
Schemes and plots, intrigue and mystery—their conversations were filled with the glint of knives and swords.
As the young man dressed in ancient robes slowly walked onto the temporarily constructed platform, the background music gradually rose.
He turned, his long hair sliding off his shoulders, his eagle-like black eyes carrying a hint of sharpness and killing intent, looking down upon the world.
There was no one beneath the high platform, but when he stood there looking down, he truly became the young emperor himself.
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The other contestants stood below the platform. Although many of them were far older and more experienced than him, they were completely overwhelmed by his presence.
[Ahhh, he's so cool! His face isn't conventionally handsome, but combined with that aura, he's absolutely stunning.]
[Hard to imagine he's just a shy boy in everyday life...]
[That No. 22 female contestant is also performing very well, almost creating a sense of equal standing.]
[So powerful, this variety show is truly a gathering of masters.]
The director opened his mouth and turned to look at the assistant director beside him: "This contestant... what's his name?"
W е̊ḃ n оv̇ ĕl̈ Е́n̈ u m а̇
Where on earth had Yao Bianliang dug up this talented performer?
The assistant director sighed, his voice bitter: "His name is Yang Gu'an, a pure newcomer who just graduated."
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Director: "..." Just a newcomer?
The assistant director continued: "His performance is among the most outstanding. However, there are quite a few contestants with acting skills similar to his."
The director froze for a moment before seemingly deflating as he slowly sat back in his chair.
Only now did he finally understand why netizens had reacted that way after seeing their purchased trending topics.
E nu mа̊_. і ḋ
In "Actor Training Camp," any randomly selected person could match their star contestants, and there were plenty of excellent contestants who could easily outshine their so-called talented performers.
How could they compete with that?
"We got it wrong..." the director's voice was somewhat hoarse.
They had been wrong from the beginning—acting skill should never have been a marketing point of contention!
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Yao Bianliang's side was all about acting, with every contestant possessing extremely strong abilities. Moreover, the mentors' professional critiques and the fair nature of the competition gave this talent show tremendous appeal.
In their variety show, contestants spent most of their time thinking about hype and marketing, putting hardly any effort into acting.
Е̂ n u̇ m а̄ .i d
Compared to the other side, their acting wasn't even in the same league.
Viewers weren't blind—how could they not taste the difference?
Watching as discussions about Actor Training Camp continued to multiply under their Weibo trending topics, the director's mood grew increasingly depressed.
They had invested so much money, buying trending topics, hiring water army, making a big show—and in the end, they were just doing Yao Bianliang's promotional work!
Was this trending topic promoting their Good Drama PK Competition?
Looking at this situation, it was like they were giving free publicity to Actor Training Camp!
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"Temporarily stop buying trending topics and water army, and pause the marketing accounts too." The director couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and immediately called the relevant department staff.
They had completely flopped this time and absolutely couldn't throw more money into this bottomless pit.
But... he didn't know if pulling back now was still in time.
"Actor Training Camp" originally had little popularity, but this time, they had completely turned the tables by riding on Good Drama PK Competition's popularity. Would they ever have the capital to compete with them again?
The director had no confidence, feelings of panic and helplessness slowly spreading through his heart.
If even Lu Group couldn't suppress Yao Bianliang's momentum, what ability did he have to handle this situation?
W̌ е́b n.ӧ v̊ еl Е̃n um̃ă
"Ding dong"
A soft sound indicated a new message notification on his phone, clearly displaying the caller's name in the center—Lu Group, Chairman Lu's special assistant.
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The director's heart sank as he immediately answered: "Special Assistant, we're having some issues with our marketing..."
"Enough, we already understand the situation," the special assistant's voice carried a hint of anxiety. "Stop all related marketing immediately, especially for Yuan Xinran and Guan Yaoyao—remove all their trending topics."
The director was slightly stunned.
Even if they had been unexpectedly outdone by Actor Training Camp, there shouldn't be such urgency.
Е̌n úm а
The special assistant's tone clearly conveyed unease and haste—the situation probably wasn't as simple as he had imagined.
"Special Assistant, has something happened?" the director carefully inquired.
The special assistant took a deep breath: "Someone posted about the huge sums of money underage fans have spent on voting, and the situation is trending toward becoming a major issue."
They had deliberately pitted the two female contestants against each other not only to create heat and topics but also for another important reason—to encourage fans to spend more money.
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Now, as the conflict between the two sides intensified, fans on both sides had seen red.
To help their idols defeat the other side, fans' voting amounts grew larger each time.
Е ǹu̇má .i d
Originally, this would have been a welcome development, but unexpectedly, the situation later became difficult to control.
"I understand... I'll arrange it right away." Cold sweat broke out on the director's forehead.
No one knew better than him that in their show, underage fans accounted for half the audience—and that was based on statistics that included fans using their parents' accounts.
The actual proportion of minors was likely even higher.
This was inherently a sensitive topic. If it blew up, they would be in serious trouble!
After hanging up, the director's fingers were still trembling slightly.
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He could only hope... this storm wouldn't grow too large.
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
In the following days, "Actor Training Camp's" popularity experienced explosive growth.
The viewership on competition day doubled, and subsequently continued to rise, directly surpassing the constantly marketed "Good Drama PK Competition" in popularity.
A group of new-generation talented actors successfully advanced, among whom Yang Gu'an, who played the young emperor in the preliminary round, became an instant hit.
Though his screen time wasn't much, it was enough for everyone to remember him firmly.
Е n u ma
As for Yao Bianliang, her attention in the variety show was noticeably less than these contestants.
After all, she was just a mentor. Though she appeared on screen frequently, this wasn't her main stage.
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"Director Hua, I'm really sorry, but I currently don't have plans to film a movie... Yes, we'll definitely stay in touch if there's an opportunity in the future."
Yao Bianliang hung up the call and let out a long breath.
She had almost lost count of how many invitations she had received.
During this period, busy with the studio and variety show, she hadn't filmed anything new for several months.
Ӗ n̄ u_m̃ a. і̆ ḋ
Such a long gap would be normal for other actors. But for Yao Bianliang, an actor known for her dedication to work, it was enough to surprise everyone.
"No, I can't delay any longer." Yao Bianliang's finger lightly tapped the table.
After completing the variety show talent competition task, she would have a two-year vacation. But this new film had significant differences from "Sigh of Floating Life."
"Sigh of Floating Life" was just a small production with an investment barely over 100 million yuan, focusing on song and dance, not requiring a long production cycle.
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However, the new system task would be a major production with an investment of over a billion yuan.
Whether it was script writing, team building, or post-production, everything would take a long time.
W ѐ bn оv̆ е́ l Е̂num̂ а̊
For this type of film, a production cycle of five to six years would be normal—preparation work couldn't be delayed any longer.
"Host, if the film production cycle is long and time gets pushed back, wouldn't that be better for you?" the system didn't quite understand.
According to Yao Bianliang's plan, she would briefly retire from the industry and fade from public view for five or six years. When the new film was released, the public would barely remember her, which would be perfect for making the film flop.
If that was the case, there was no need to rush.
Yao Bianliang shook her head, her eyes thoughtful: "I have other plans this time."
This time, she didn't intend to simply make a film.
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She needed to prepare two strategies!
The phone made a "ding dong" sound as the screen lit up, displaying a message notification from Mo Youqian.
"You urged me to transfer funds the other day—do you have ideas for the new film?"
This period had been a wonderful time for Mo Youqian.
Although "Actor Training Camp" had become popular, it didn't involve voting or rankings and had minimal commercial aspects, naturally meaning it wouldn't make much money.
But for such a large-scale variety show, the investment was enormous.
Е̂ n umа̊.і́ d
So far from making money, it wouldn't even break even for a very long time.
This further strengthened Mo Youqian's determination to collaborate with Yao Bianliang.
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He absolutely had to invest in Yao Bianliang's new film!
"Yes, I have some ideas," Yao Bianliang nodded. "I'm thinking of... trying a Chinese mythology-themed film."
Mythology theme?
Mo Youqian was stunned, then his heart stirred.
Ẇ ëbn_о́ v̆ е ĺ Enú mа
Currently, there weren't many live-action mythology films—most were animated.
In earlier times, there had been excellent live-action mythology films. But as time passed, adaptation difficulties, strict censorship, huge costs, and a smaller market—many reasons had made mythology films increasingly rare.
Moreover, the story structures of traditional Chinese mythology differed greatly from modern film narrative modes, which severely tested creators' artistic standards.
If they chose to make a mythology-themed film, never mind anything else—losing money would probably be relatively easy.
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"Indeed, it's a good theme." Mo Youqian also thought it was feasible.
"So, what type do you plan to film?" Mo Youqian asked. "Journey to the West? Investiture of the Gods?"
E ñǔ m̊ а̄_
Yao Bianliang shook her head: "No, these themes definitely won't work."
She wasn't joking—these popular themes had a large audience base, and she certainly wouldn't run into that line of fire.
Mo Youqian thought for a moment: "The Legend of the White Snake, or... The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?"
There weren't many adapted mythology themes, and these were the only ones he could think of at the moment.
Yao Bianliang's lips curved slightly upward: "None of those."
She paused, then slowly said: "I plan to... film The Classic of Mountains and Seas."
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Mo Youqian: ?
Mo Youqian paused for several seconds before understanding Yao Bianliang's meaning.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas—she actually planned to film The Classic of Mountains and Seas. Before this, Mo Youqian had never even considered such a theme.
"Is that feasible?" Mo Youqian frowned slightly.
His understanding of this content wasn't extensive.
Yao Bianliang: "Mr. Mo, the fact that no director or film company has attempted to create a work based on The Classic of Mountains and Seas all these years already explains the problem."
Ě n uṁ.а
Logically, The Classic of Mountains and Seas wasn't unknown, and game companies had tried to develop games with this theme. If this theme had any potential, directors would have already made it into films.
Simply put, filming The Classic of Mountains and Seas was a thankless task.
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First, The Classic of Mountains and Seas lacked a complete main storyline, and even its mythological system was incomplete.
Rather than a "mythological work," it was more like a "geographical work." It merely detailed various strange beasts and their geographical environments. Even for adaptation, without a plot, there was no starting point.
If filmed entirely according to the original text, the final product on screen would be nothing more than a documentary without highlights.
Second, the content of The Classic of Mountains and Seas was extensive and diverse.
Ė n̊ um̌ а .і̃ d.
The thick volume encompassed various magnificent and magical imaginations, as vast as the Milky Way.
Just throwing out some strange beast settings would give anyone a headache, let alone mixing so many strange beasts together.
No main storyline and chaotic content—these were the difficulties in adapting The Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Of course, the most important problem was the special effects.
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If they didn't want cheap effects, they would have to invest huge sums of money in countless detailed models and set up countless beautiful special effects.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas contained over 400 strange beasts, 40 states, more than 550 mountains, and over 300 waterways—it was an enormous universe.
Е́ n̈ü ḿ ä
If they truly wanted to adapt it, they couldn't just select a few random strange beasts.
So this was a bottomless pit. Investors would need to pour in endless money, with no guaranteed return.
With so much leisure time, why not do something better, rather than this thankless task?
Mo Youqian was quite interested, but he truly couldn't imagine how Yao Bianliang planned to make this film.
"A Classic of Mountains and Seas theme... what would it look like when filmed?" Mo Youqian carefully asked.
His impression of The Classic of Mountains and Seas was limited to concepts like "ancient legends" and "mythological beasts." As someone who hadn't read the original text, he didn't even know what the various strange beasts looked like.
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But Yao Bianliang just spread her hands: "I don't know."
Mo Youqian was slightly stunned: "What?"
"I also don't know what it will look like when filmed," Yao Bianliang said somewhat helplessly. "Right now, I don't even have a script."
Mo Youqian fell silent.
Fine, bold and willful.
But thinking about how a Classic of Mountains and Seas film would require many special effects, allowing him to pour in lots of money to see it disappear, Mo Youqian's heart grew excited.
W̊e̊ḃ ṅо̄ v е̃.l Е̊n̊ ūmа.
"Alright, if you have any new ideas later, feel free to contact me anytime."
Mo Youqian paused, then added: "Also, there's a gathering next Wednesday with many famous directors and screenwriters attending, which might help with your new film."
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Yao Bianliang responded absent-mindedly: "We'll see when the time comes."
After chatting a bit more, they ended the conversation.
It was getting late. Yao Bianliang went online to check for news about the variety show.
Sure enough, "Actor Training Camp's" popularity remained sky-high, completely outshining Lu Group's Good Drama PK Competition.
Ẁе́ ḃnоvе̇l Е̂ǹ um̃а̃
Let alone popular contestants like Yang Gu'an—even Yao Bianliang as a judge was seeing a noticeable increase in popularity.
Yao Bianliang even saw her name under many hot topics, with netizens leaving comments expressing adoration for her professional evaluations.
This gave Yao Bianliang a slight feeling of sadness.
"Sigh, I'm already starting to prepare my new film, why hasn't Lu Group made any moves yet?"
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Yao Bianliang's finger lightly tapped the table as she wondered.
This didn't seem right.
Ёn ŭ m̌ӑ. id́
Earlier, due to state media speaking out, the capital groups led by Lu Group temporarily abandoned their suppression, but clearly, they wouldn't let things slide.
Now, with her variety show creating such a big stir, these people had no reason not to act.
Could they be holding back for some major move?
"Ding dong"
The phone alert sounded, and Yao Bianliang casually opened it to see a new message from Assistant Chen.
"Sister Liang, I've found out what you asked me to investigate," he said. "Good Drama PK Competition has had some scandals, and they're frantically suppressing the news, so they probably don't have the energy to deal with us right now."
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Yao Bianliang: "..."
What?
She had been waiting for her enemies to launch an attack, but now, before the competition even began, they were already struggling to protect themselves?
Yao Bianliang's finger trembled, and she took a moment to steady herself before slowly typing: "What exactly happened? Explain more clearly."
Yao Bianliang certainly knew that since the "Best Music Producer" project had lost money, Lu Group's financial situation hadn't been great. Good Drama PK Competition was currently their biggest pillar.
If this variety show also ran into trouble, it would be like losing both arms—Lu Group might struggle to maintain its position as the top conglomerate.
Eṅ ū m̆ а
Thinking of this, Yao Bianliang's heart turned bitter.
Everything was in disarray, completely in disarray!
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Not only was the original novel's male lead useless, but now even the novel's top conglomerate had become useless.
How was she supposed to proceed?
Assistant Chen sent a new message: "The trigger for the crisis mainly relates to a new voting model Lu Group recently introduced—brand voting."
Brand voting, as the name suggests, deeply linked brands with variety show contestants.
Ӗ.ń um̂а . і ḋ
For fans wanting to vote for their idols, they had to log into the brand's platform, like, comment, share, or even purchase support items to gain votes.
For the brands, this promotional method could deepen their impression on consumers. For the variety show production team, whether through advertising sponsorship fees or commissions from fans purchasing support items, it was a continuous stream of income.
Fans wanting to quickly gain votes needed to not only spend time but also spend money aggressively.
"The problem arose with fans spending money on support items," Assistant Chen sighed. "Someone exposed the amounts underage fans were spending, and because the sums were so large, it attracted considerable attention."
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"After that, people also discovered that fans had bought so many support items they couldn't use them all, so they piled up and were even thrown into landfills in batches."
Support items varied widely—clothing, food, and beverages.
E n û m.а . і̇ d̂
Clothing was relatively manageable—at worst, you could buy it and give it away. But food and beverages had expiration dates, making it undoubtedly difficult to process large quantities before they expired.
So, food they couldn't eat simply had to be thrown away.
Yao Bianliang: "..."
Inducing underage fans to vote AND wasting food—this was like stacking all the negative buffs together.
"What were they thinking?" Yao Bianliang couldn't understand. "Didn't Lu Group know how high the risks were with this approach?"
Voting was already blatantly about making money. Brand voting further expanded the scope of money-making, using deeper schemes to extract money from fans.
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Assistant Chen sighed: "Sister Liang, this is actually because of you."
Originally, variety shows had many ways to make money, and Lu Group didn't need to adopt the "brand voting" model.
However, because of Yao Bianliang's series of operations, "Best Music Producer" had flopped, and they urgently needed capital returns.
In this situation, they needed to create new tricks for the "voting" segment—thus, brand voting, product voting, and other methods were born.
Hearing Assistant Chen say this, Yao Bianliang realized what had happened.
In the original novel's plot, Yao Xinxin had returned as a guest to the fourth season of "Good Drama PK Competition."
Е̄ň um а
At that time, "Good Drama PK Competition" was flourishing, without these new tactics—everything was perfect.
Yao Xinxin had even gained countless fans in that variety show.
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But now, due to her butterfly effect, the plot had completely deviated from the main storyline.
Thinking of this, Yao Bianliang felt a heartache that made it difficult to breathe.
"Did I go too far?"
Once this thought emerged, she couldn't suppress it anymore, and her inner unease grew stronger.
W е b́ n о v èl Е̃ ňům̌ а
According to the original plan, she was to challenge the authority of capital groups like Lu Group, provoke their wariness and hatred, and finally be blacklisted by them.
Now, she had indeed challenged Lu Group's authority and provoked their wariness and hatred, but...
It seemed like Lu Group might be destroyed by her.
Yao Bianliang: "..."
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No, surely not that bad.
They were still the country's top conglomerate. Even if two major investment projects had failed and all subsequent strategic plans had fallen through, they wouldn't immediately collapse, right?
Е̂ nu̇ḿ ӓ . і̄ d
And currently, these scandals were being suppressed by Lu Group, so they might not even come to light.
As long as they suppressed these scandals and acted more cautiously in the future, "Good Drama PK Competition" might not necessarily fail.
The system hesitated, finally unable to help saying: "Host, I think this is quite precarious."
Poor Lu Group—silently holding their breath for them.
"System," Yao Bianliang's mouth twitched, "building yourself up by tearing others down isn't a good habit."
Lu Group had deep foundations and shouldn't collapse so easily... right?
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