Chapter 333: Year-End Gala: The 85 Flowers Appear One by One

Beijing, Weibo Night

As Yang Mi led Liu Shishi and Tang Yan into the venue, she was blinded by the glitter of stars everywhere.

“So many celebrities.”

Liu Shishi and Tang Yan visibly grew nervous.

The former had been in the industry for years, but only gained minor fame this year after the Hu Ge version of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” aired.

The latter had even less presence and fame; without Yang Mi bringing her and the “Chinese Paladin 3” crew’s connection, she might not have even made it into the venue.

Yang Mi was also nervous—though she was the most famous of the three, she still didn’t stand out at tonight’s Weibo Night.

But since it was at least half her home turf, and she didn’t want to lose face in front of the two younger girls, she put on a calm, effortless air.

“Lots of familiar faces—come on, I’ll take you to say hello.”

Yang Mi led Liu and Tang around the venue, weaving through the crowd.

She wasn’t just boasting—this was the first-ever Weibo Night, and everyone from Yi’an who could make an appearance had come. Yang Mi was an Yi’an artist; even if she wasn’t close to them, a quick greeting and small talk was no problem.

“Brother Chao, Sister Li.”

“Brother Qiao, these are my friends.”

“Shishi, Tangtang, you both know Brother Zhilin and Sister Yongyi—Brother Zhilin is especially kind and always looks out for us at the company.”

Yi’an artists were well-connected because of their closeness to Dong Xuan and Qin Lan; the networks on both sides were familiar.

“Brother Dawei, how’s Teacher Guan lately? I bought some maternity and baby supplies when I was in Shanghai—I’ll send them over to Teacher Guan later.”

“Sister Yang Xue, Yaya, where are you sitting?”

“Sister Yan, Sister Lan isn’t here tonight—we’re counting on you.”

“Sister Xiaolu, your skin’s even whiter.”

“...”

After going through this round of greetings, Liu Shishi and Tang Yan, who had little experience and few connections, looked at Yang Mi with growing admiration and awe.

MiMi wasn’t bluffing—she really was well-connected!

Yang Mi felt exceptionally pleased—bringing Liu Shishi and Tang Yan here was the right decision.

If she’d come alone, she’d have spent the whole night just greeting and small-talking, pretending to be humble and exhausted—now she got to show off and secretly enjoy it.

Tang Yan, quick-witted, noticed Yan Li chatting with several big-name patrons near the main seating area and nudged Yang Mi.

“Yan Zong is here too, MiMi—take us over to get some face time with him.”

Yang Mi was tempted but hesitant, and couldn’t help teasing Tang Yan: “You’re from Chengtian—what’s the point of brushing up to Yan Zong?”

“So what if I’m from Chengtian? Tong Dawei, Li Xiaolu, Wen Zhang, Ma Yili—all of them are from Chengtian, and they all came, and they’re all close to Yan Zong.”

Tang Yan countered—she was just a low-profile employee at her company, didn’t care about the rivalry between the two firms, and had nothing to lose.

Liu Shishi stayed silent, only gazing hopefully at Yang Mi.

Yan Li was a major industry figure only a few years older than them—a role model of their generation. Many young people had a filter of admiration, reverence, or curiosity toward him.

Add to that his status and influence—getting a chance to brush up to him was better than coming here for nothing.

“...Alright, I’ll try.”

Yang Mi didn’t want to lose face, but Yebuganshuosi , so she left herself room—she began edging toward Yan Li while mentally preparing her words.

At that moment, Yan Li was speaking with Mr. Zhou from 360.

Nowadays, some entrepreneurs were active on social media—even openly feuding with each other.

The most famous were Pan Shiyi and Ren Yuanqiang, nicknamed “General Ren,” both highly active on blogs, the former once calling himself the Blog King.

Celebrity accounts, too, had their hierarchies.

Despite their massive fanbases, stars’ influence paled next to that of entrepreneurs and business titans.

The most popular blogs belonged to Xu Caiv and Han Han, but in many eyes, the platform’s face and ceiling were figures like Pan and Ren.

After Weibo’s rise, it actively courted entrepreneurs and business leaders to raise its user ceiling.

Pan and Ren from the blog era had also registered on Weibo, but due to their early accumulation, their main battlefield remained on blogs; later, Sina lured them over, making them representatives of Weike, and they reduced their blog appearances.

Yet, new talents emerge with each generation!

With Yan Li, a rising star in the business world, personally joining Weibo, the platform’s status automatically rose. Combined with its superior mechanics and status as the hottest social platform, it drew many entrepreneurs.

Among them, some particularly distinctive and active ones were targeted by Weibo’s promotion and packaging, gradually forming what came to be called the “Four Heavenly Kings.”

The first was Li Kaifu, former Microsoft Vice President and current President of Google China.

He joined Weibo early and was among the first business figures to be active—his posts were packed with Ganhuo , freely sharing entrepreneurial experience, career advice, and tech trends, with high interaction and a massive following.

The second was Mr. Shi from Giant Network, a veteran entrepreneur who adopted a mischievous style, skilled at creating buzz and occasionally dropping small topics, drawing steady attention.

The third was Mr. Lei, currently in investment, who cultivated a warm, approachable persona, interacted frequently, and was exceptionally active—once dubbed the “Weibo Workhorse.”

The fourth was Mr. Zhou from 360, born to be a net celebrity, following a blunt, combative path—bold in speech and eager to fight.

Sometimes, Mr. Zhou directly used Weibo to issue corporate declarations, expose rivals, and mobilize users, turning Weibo into a battlefield for business warfare, attracting many spectators and supporters.

Besides these Four Heavenly Kings, many other business figures and entrepreneurs were active on Weibo.

But due to their status, activity level, persona, popularity, or other special reasons, they hadn’t been chosen as Heavenly Kings.

For example, Mr. Liu from JD.com—he used Weibo too, but lacked status and distinctive traits, and recently had been busy fundraising, so he’d been ignored by netizens.

And Mr. Wang from Vanke—he was quite active and had undeniable status and fame, but in May he caused a major scandal and was boycotted by the public, so Weibo excluded him.

Yet, if you asked who was the “most unfortunate,” it had to be Yan Li.

In terms of popularity, fame, status, activity, influence, and fan count, he ranked among the top two on Weibo—even among entrepreneurs.

Yet, to avoid suspicion, he couldn’t receive any Weibo titles or honors.

He had to pay to host the gala and award prizes to others, while he himself could only painfully take the stage as Weibo’s Chairman and CEO to give a speech.

Yan Li spotted Yang Mi and the others lingering nearby, restless—but he couldn’t abandon Mr. Zhou to speak with them, so he continued chatting.

Only after Mr. Zhou went to the restroom did Yang Mi seize the chance to approach.

“Yan Zong.”

Tonight was Yan Li’s Zhuchang ; many came to greet and brush up to him—he was used to it.

After Yang Mi introduced Liu and Tang, Yan Li nodded and asked casually:

“Has ‘Chinese Paladin 3’ wrapped?”

“Yes, just wrapped not long ago.”

This drama started filming around the same time as “Three Kingdoms,” but the latter took much longer—it’s only halfway done now, while half the cast of this one has already wrapped.

They three weren’t famous yet, and their work offers were limited; Yang Mi had a few more, but without filming, they mostly just sat idle.

So after wrapping, they had time to gather and come along with Yang Mi to Weibo Night for the fun.

“Good, take this chance to rest—you’ll be busy next year.”

Yan Li’s casual remark made Yang Mi’s lips curl upward; the two beside her glanced at her with envy.

An artist being busy meant they were hot!

This year Yang Mi was still entangled in her contract with Rongxinda, but Yi’an was already heavily promoting her.

She’d starred in “Contract Lover,” “The Legend of Chu Liuxiang 2,” and “Chinese Paladin 3”—and it looked like Yi’an would keep pushing her next year.

Yang Mi had finally entered the fast lane—if she landed one or two successful projects along the way, she’d instantly become a top-tier rising star.

“Thank you, Yan Zong.”

Yang Mi quickly thanked him. Yan Li smiled: “It’s because you’ve worked hard yourself. When you move smoothly, the company naturally won’t hesitate to promote you.”

“That’s thanks to the company’s cultivation, and Yan Zong giving me the opportunity—I’m only where I am because of you.”

Yang Mi wasn’t great at much, but her tongue was sweet—no wonder she’d won over Dong Xuan and Qin Lan. Even though Yan Li had heard plenty of flattery, this still felt pleasant.

After all, everyone prefers to help those who are sensible and obedient!

“Enough standing around here—you’ve got an award coming up soon, go prepare.”

Amid the crowd, Yan Li exchanged a few words with Yang Mi and waved her off. Yang Mi didn’t dare linger—she said a word to Liu Shishi and left.

Liu Shishi and Tang Yan were disappointed—they’d hoped to chat with Yan Zong, but all they got was a brief glance.