Chapter 333

Jingcheng, Weibo Night

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

"So many celebrities."

Liu Shishi and Tang Yan visibly grew tense.

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" production team's connection, she might not have even made it into the venue.

Yang Mi was also nervous; though she was the most famous among the three, she still paled in comparison at tonight's Weibo Night.

But at least it was half her home turf, and she couldn't afford to lose face in front of the two younger girls, so Yang Mi 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—there really were plenty of familiar faces; this was the first-ever Weibo Night, and everyone from Yi'an who could show up had come. Yang Mi was an Yi'an artist, so even if she wasn't close, a quick greeting and small talk were no problem.

"Chao Ge, Li Jie."

"Qiao Ge, 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's artists were well-connected, thanks to their closeness to Dong Xuan and Qin Lan; the networks on both sides were familiar.

"Da Wei Ge, how's Teacher Guan lately? I bought some maternal and infant supplies when I was in Shanghai—I'll send them over to Teacher Guan later."

"Yang Xue Jie, Yaya, where are you sitting?"

"Yan Jie, Lan Jie isn't coming tonight—we're counting on you."

"Xiao Lu Jie, 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 awe and shock.

Mi Mi 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 chatting, pretending to be humble until she was exhausted—now she could pretend to be cool and secretly enjoy it.

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

"Brother Yan is here too, Mi Mi—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 good would it do to get face time with Brother Yan?"

"So what if I'm from Chengtian? Tong Dawei, Li Xiaolu, Wen Zhang, Ma Yili—they're all from Chengtian too, and they're all here, and they're close to Brother Yan."

Tang Yan countered; as a low-profile employee in her own company, she had no stake in the rivalry between the two firms and didn't care about any sensitivities.

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

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

Add to that his status and influence, and getting a chance to make an impression was better than coming here for nothing.

"... Alright, I'll try."

Yang Mi didn't want to lose face, but she also didn't dare to commit fully, so she left herself room to retreat, beginning to edge toward Seeing Yan Li while rehearsing what to say.

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

At this stage, some entrepreneurs were also active on social media, even openly feuding with each other.

The most famous were Pan Shiyi and Ren Yuanqiang, nicknamed "Big Cannon Ren"; both were extremely active on blogs, with the former once calling himself the Blog King.

Celebrity accounts, too, had their hierarchies.

Despite the massive fan counts of some stars, their value paled compared to these entrepreneurs and business titans.

The most popular blogs belonged to Xu Cainv and Han Han, but in many eyes, the platform's face and ceiling were these titans—Pan and Ren.

After Weibo's rise, it had consistently sought to attract entrepreneurs and business leaders to raise its user ceiling.

Both Pan and Ren from the blog era had registered on Weibo, but due to their prior accumulation, their main battlefield remained the blog; later, they were courted by Sina and became representative figures of Sina Weike, reducing their blog appearances.

Yet, each generation produces its own talents!

With Seeing 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 attracted many entrepreneurs.

Among them, some particularly distinctive and active figures were selectively promoted and packaged by Weibo, gradually forming what was called the "Four Heavenly Kings."

The first was Li Kaifu, former vice president of Microsoft and current president of Google China.

He joined Weibo early and was among the first business figures to be active; his content was packed with practical insights, freely sharing entrepreneurial experience, career advice, and tech trends, with high interactivity and a massive following.

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

The third was Mr. Lei, currently in investment, who cultivated a warm, approachable image, interacted frequently, and was exceptionally active—once dubbed the "Weibo Labor Model."

The fourth was Mr. Zhou from 360, born to be a net celebrity, following a blunt, combative path—bold, outspoken, and confrontational.

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

Besides these Four Heavenly Kings, many other business and entrepreneurial figures 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, Liu from JD. com—he used Weibo too, but lacked status and distinctive traits, and recently had been busy raising funds, so he'd been ignored by netizens.

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

Yet, if you had to name the "most tragic," it had to be Seeing Yan Li.

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

Yet, to avoid suspicion, he could not receive any Weibo title or honor.

He had to pay to host the gala and award prizes to these people, while he himself could only painfully take the stage as Weibo's chairman and CEO to give a speech.

…

Seeing Yan Li spotted Yang Mi and her group lingering nearby, restless, but he couldn't abandon Zhou Boss to speak with them, so he continued chatting.

After the conversation ended, Zhou Boss went to the restroom, and only then did Yang Mi seize the opening to come over and greet him.

"Director Yan."

Tonight was the Weibo Night, Seeing Yan Li's domain; many came to greet him and get noticed, and Seeing Yan Li was long accustomed to it.

After Yang Mi introduced Liu Shishi and Tang Yan, Seeing Yan Li nodded and asked casually.

"Has 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3' wrapped?"

"Yes, just wrapped not long ago."

This drama started filming around the same time as 'The New Three Kingdoms'; the latter has taken longer and is only now slightly past halfway done, but half the dramas have already wrapped.

The three of them aren't yet famous and have very few gigs; apart from Yang Mi having slightly more, they mostly sit idle when not filming.

So after wrapping, they had time to gather and follow Yang Mi to the Weibo Night for the buzz.

"Mm, take this chance to rest; next year will be busy."

Seeing Yan Li's casual remark made Yang Mi's lips curl upward involuntarily; the two beside her flashed glances of envy.

An artist being busy means they're popular!

This year Yang Mi was entangled in a contract with Rong Xinda, but Yi An was already being heavily promoted.

She starred in 'Contract Lover,' 'The Legend of Chu Liuxiang 2,' and 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3'—by this tone, Yi An will be promoted further next year.

Yang Mi has finally entered the fast lane; if she lands one or two successful projects along the way, she'll instantly become a top-hot rising star.

"Thank you, Director Yan."

Yang Mi quickly thanked him; Seeing Yan Li smiled: "It's also because you're striving yourself—if you're moving smoothly, the company won't hesitate to promote you."

"That's also thanks to the company's cultivation, Director Yan giving me the opportunity, so I've moved smoothly."

Yang Mi might not have many other strengths, but her tongue was truly sweet—no wonder she'd won over Dong Xuan and Qin Lan; even though Seeing Yan Li had heard plenty of flattery, he still found it pleasing.

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

"Enough standing around here—you're up for an award soon, go prepare."

Amid the crowd, Seeing Yan Li spoke a few words to Yang Mi, then waved her off; Yang Mi dared not linger, exchanged a few words with Liu Shishi, and left.

Liu Shishi and Tang Yan were slightly disappointed; they'd hoped to chat with Director Yan, but it was only a brief encounter.