Chapter 89: Not Yet Reached That Realm

The planning proposal for “If You Are the One” was unanimously approved by the board of directors, but that was only the first step. Next came a host of tasks: acquiring the rights, securing sponsorships, setting up the recording location, assembling the production team, promoting the show, and much more. Above all, they needed to find a host who could truly carry the program.

In his previous life, the explosive popularity of “If You Are the One” owed much to Meng Fei. His witty and humorous hosting style was widely praised by audiences. His down-to-earth manner was a key to his success, putting both male and female guests at ease and making them feel at home. Moreover, Meng Fei’s life experience was rich, and his insights and analyses resonated with viewers.

Looking across all of Huaguo, there were only a handful of such hosts—so few as to be negligible. Some veteran presenters had abundant experience and could stir up the atmosphere with ease, but as their fame grew, so did their tempers.

Just a few months ago, a well-known veteran host lost his temper on set with a male guest. The guest had barely said a few words and didn’t even know what he had done wrong before the host’s face darkened and he began to mock and taunt him. The atmosphere became unbearably awkward, and it was only thanks to the warm-up director’s intervention that the situation didn’t escalate further.

Even so, the incident was leaked to all the online media the next day, sparking a wave of criticism and mockery from netizens.

As for the new generation of young hosts, they were all rather high and mighty. If the show wasn’t well-known or didn’t attract enough attention, they wouldn’t bother to accept; and if there weren’t any big-name celebrities as guests, they wouldn’t even consider it.

Faced with this, Lin Chuan could only laugh wryly. Finding a suitable host was proving to be even more troublesome than preparing the show itself.

Time flew by; in the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

Lin Chuan sat in the television station’s exclusive office, frowning as he looked over the materials in his hands. Progress was agonizingly slow—so far, no host had been confirmed, no sponsors secured, and even the number of single men and women signing up was pitifully small. Most were still taking a wait-and-see approach.

At this rate, even filming the first episode in November seemed doubtful.

Knock, knock, knock!

There was a knock at the door. Before Lin Chuan could even utter an invitation, the door was pushed open.

Yuan Ye walked in, brow tightly furrowed, and flopped down on the sofa. “Chuan, we’re running out of budget. The recording site isn’t even fully set up, and some equipment needs to be replaced…”

“The funds from Director Zhu and the others haven’t come in yet?” Lin Chuan asked.

“They have, but it’s not much—barely enough to even form a production team,” Yuan Ye said with a disdainful curl of his lip.

Three days after the board meeting, the bald man transferred his promised funds into the station’s account, followed by another sum from Liu Tao. Yet, even combined, the total was only one million. For the station, this was barely a drop in the bucket—utterly insufficient.

“What about sponsors? Not a single one?” Lin Chuan was at his wit’s end.

“Don’t mention it—just a few small ones, like matchmaking services and wedding planning companies. They’re offering peanuts and demanding naming rights. Isn’t that a joke?” The more Yuan Ye spoke, the angrier he became.

Lin Chuan shook his head with a bitter smile. It was clear that funding was now the biggest obstacle. The only way to truly solve it was to find a powerful company willing to provide major sponsorship.

Of course, that was easier said than done. In reality, it would be an uphill battle.

A television station without much fame, a dating show yet to air, and no way to predict its prospects—under these circumstances, no company would be foolish enough to invest a large sum into such a program.

Sitting in the office, Lin Chuan fell silent. Could it be that this show would end before it even began?

Suddenly, Yuan Ye slapped his thigh, startling Lin Chuan.

“What are you doing, jumping like that?” Lin Chuan said irritably.

“Heh, Chuan, I just thought of someone. If you go to him, you might just land a sponsor!” Yuan Ye raised his eyebrows and grinned.

“Me, find a sponsor?” Lin Chuan pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “Could it be… Liu Dashan?”

…

Beining, Manfu Foods Company.

Liu Dashan sat in his office and sneezed twice in a row. In fact, he’d been sneezing repeatedly since yesterday, though he showed no signs of a cold.

There could only be one explanation: someone was talking about him behind his back.

“Who keeps mentioning my name?” Liu Dashan grumbled, wiping his nose with a handkerchief.

Just then, there was a knock at his office door.

“Come in!” he called, quickly stuffing the handkerchief into his pocket.

The door opened and a young, attractive secretary entered. “Mr. Liu, there are two people here to see you.”

“To see me? Who are they and what do they want?” Liu Dashan asked indifferently.

“They’re from the TV station. One’s surname is Yuan, the other’s Lin…” the secretary replied.

“The TV station? No, I’m not seeing them—nothing good ever comes of that. Send them away,” Liu Dashan said, waving his hand in refusal. Just hearing the words “TV station” made his head ache. No doubt they were here to ask for money. He ran a company, but where was he supposed to find money to sponsor them?

As the secretary turned to leave, two men burst in, laughing heartily.

“Ha ha, Mr. Liu, you’re still as decisive as ever—say you won’t see someone and you really won’t!” one joked.

Liu Dashan jumped and looked up. When he saw their familiar faces, he froze as if turned to stone. After a long moment, his stiff features finally relaxed into a smile. He stood, walked around the desk, and greeted them warmly. “Ah, look who it is—Yuan and our superstar! Come, sit, sit!”

The two men exchanged a smile and made themselves comfortable on the sofa, not standing on ceremony. The young secretary, seeing this, swallowed her words and quietly slipped out.

These two were none other than Yuan Ye and Lin Chuan, who had just hurried over from Quancheng.

Liu Dashan had a fair amount of respect for both, especially Lin Chuan. After all, if not for him during the rooftop incident, disaster might have occurred.

Once they were seated, Liu Dashan grinned. “Mr. Lin, you’re a big celebrity now. The internet and newspapers are full of your stories.”

Lin Chuan smiled serenely. “I’ve heard your company’s been doing well too, with a new beverage on the market?”

“Haha, I’m just keeping things going. Competition is fierce these days—if you don’t innovate, you’re out,” Liu Dashan replied with a hearty laugh.

“Mr. Liu, have you considered advertising to boost your profile? As you said, the market is tough and brand recognition is crucial. If you ran an ad or even sponsored a TV program…” Yuan Ye seized the moment.

But before he could finish, Liu Dashan changed the subject with a smile. “I heard you have a son, Mr. Lin? Saw a photo online the other day—handsome kid, looks just like you.”

Lin Chuan: …

“Mr. Liu, our station is preparing a variety show, and we were hoping—” Lin Chuan began.

“By the way, Mr. Lin, when are you releasing an album? Be sure to let me know—I'm a big fan, especially of those few songs,” Liu Dashan interrupted again, not giving them a chance to get to the point.

Lin Chuan could only laugh awkwardly. “Mr. Liu, please just call me Chuan. Actually, we’re here today because—”

“Then I’ll call you Xiao Chuan. Remember He Peng—the one who tried to jump off the building? He’s working as my security guard now. Didn’t you see him when you came up?” Liu Dashan continued, making small talk.

He wasn’t a fool; he knew why Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye had come. But Liu Dashan was, by nature, a penny-pincher. Good relations were one thing, but don’t mention money—talking money ruins friendships. After all, they weren’t that close.

Lin Chuan fell silent, and Yuan Ye sat stone-faced on the sofa, saying nothing.

The atmosphere in the office grew heavy. Liu Dashan opened his mouth to speak, but sensing the tension, thought better of it.

After a while, Yuan Ye glanced at his watch, sighed, and said, “Mr. Liu, we won’t take up any more of your time. We’ll be going now.”

The two stood and turned to leave.

Seeing this, a trace of hesitation flickered across Liu Dashan’s face. After a moment’s struggle, he gritted his teeth and called out, “Wait… we haven’t discussed business yet. Is your station launching a new show?”

At these words, Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye paused and exchanged a knowing smile.

“We’re preparing a dating show called ‘If You Are the One.’ Here’s the information—you might be interested.” As he spoke, Yuan Ye handed over a folder.

Liu Dashan glanced at it, shook his head with a wry smile, and thought to himself, “Clearly, I’m not hard-hearted enough—not stingy enough yet.”