Chapter 334: Weibo Night: The Women Compete for Favor, Fan Xiaopang Dominates the Stage

At 7:30 p. m., Weibo Night officially began.

This time was chosen primarily to accommodate the satellite TV channels broadcasting Weibo Night, as at 7 p. m., all major satellite channels must air the News Broadcast.

Thus, in this era, any ceremony broadcast live on satellite TV starts at 7:30 p. m.

However, although the ceremony officially began at 7:30 p. m., the red carpet, backstage interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage had been heavily released since the afternoon on Weibo and Tudou. com.

By the time of the live broadcast of Weibo Night, over a dozen related topics had trended on the hot search list.

Nowadays, Weibo still primarily relies on its client app, with users under a hundred million; though efficient, it still lags behind the mobile era.

Moreover, the hot search list had only just been launched, with resources and attention relatively concentrated, and trending topics had a certain heat lag period; Weibo also tended to keep trending topics longer to boost their popularity.

Thus, at this stage, the information turnover rate on the hot search list was not fast.

Updates occurred hourly; ordinary trending topics, barring special circumstances, could remain on the list for half a day or even a full day, and relatively popular ones often stayed for two or three days.

Especially hot topics, along with their related ones, sometimes remained on the list for over a week, though their rankings varied.

This was quite good, perfectly matching the current internet rhythm.

Internet users were growing gradually; if you gave them 5G or 6G pacing before the 3G era had even arrived, many would find it unbearable.

At the same time, this approach greatly elevated the status and power of the hot search list.

Making it onto Weibo's hot search was equivalent to a massive advertisement; while not guaranteeing nationwide awareness, it could significantly boost fame on this platform.

Currently, many had already tasted the benefits, and as Weibo further developed, many would come to regard making the hot search as an honor.

When that point arrived, the possibilities for Weibo's hot search would multiply.

Never mind other things—whether a topic made the hot search, and which one it was—these two points alone could control most entertainers in the industry.

Returning to Weibo Night, under the current hot search mechanism, with over a dozen topics trending before the ceremony even began, the level of heat was evident.

Considering Weibo's loyal users, celebrity fans, gossip netizens, Tudou. com viewers, and satellite TV audiences, the number of people currently watching Weibo Night would count in the tens of millions.

This scale couldn't compare to CCTV's Spring Festival Gala, but it was sufficient to surpass ordinary satellite channel New Year's Eve galas.

Compared to other internet celebrations at the time, which leaned more toward online and small-scale affairs, it was a crushing victory.

At least, other internet company bosses watching Weibo Night were stunned by its scale and spectacle, while simultaneously cursing Seeing Yan Li for cheating.

Weibo Night was called an internet gala, but in reality, apart from Weibo itself, it was an entertainment extravaganza orchestrated by Seeing Yan Li, the entertainment tycoon, through his connections.

One hand held the most popular internet social platform; the other held half the entertainment industry—who could possibly compete?

Indeed, no one could compete!

Seeing Yan Li sat calmly in the center seat of the first row, watching the six hosts on stage.

Zhu Jun, Zhou Tao, He Dan, Li Xiang, Liu Yiwei, Chunni

CCTV's top male host contender, top female host contender, most famous entertainment host, former Hunan TV top female host, renowned host, Jingcheng TV top female host

This was the exact hosting lineup for the Spring Festival Gala or a national event; the stars seated below from both sides of the Taiwan Strait shone brilliantly.

Stars from Yi'an, Huayi, Chengtian, Hai Run… four of the Four Dan and Two Bing had arrived; all four top male stars were present; over a dozen popular artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan had come—those not popular enough didn't even get invited.

Add to that the several Weibo executives, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and special figures in the first row, and many so-called top-tier stars were squeezed into the third row.

Someone like Yang Mi, not popular enough and with a child in tow, barely managed to sit in the fourth row, riding on the coattails of Yi'an's artists.

At this position, unless one went on stage or had special circumstances, the camera rarely caught them; the fifth and sixth rows behind were purely for filling the crowd, mostly just posting a Weibo to show off.

From this perspective, the guest lineup for today's Weibo Night was slightly excessive.

Normally, three or four rows of guest seats would suffice: first and second rows for current stars, third and fourth for fame, with perhaps one more row for filler—high cost-effectiveness, and guests wouldn't come for nothing.

But since this was the first edition, with insufficient experience, Seeing Yan Li intentionally aimed for grandeur.

Waste it if you must—this luxurious feeling was exactly what was needed: first establish the Weibo Night name, raise its ceiling, and crush competitors into despair.

After the opening, Weibo's chairman and CEO, Seeing Yan Li, took the stage to deliver a speech.

For the first Weibo Night, it was necessary to reinforce Seeing Yan Li's and Weibo's presence; placing the speech at the end would mean no one watched, so it had to be delivered early.

Seeing Yan Li knew such segments were unpopular, so his speech was brief, without lengthy rhetoric.

"Respected guests, dear Weibo netizens and television viewers, good evening…"

Dressed in a tailored suit, Seeing Yan Li stood tall on stage, delivering his speech with vigor, drawing the attention of the entire audience and everyone watching Weibo Night onto him alone.

Today, as Weibo's founder and the absolute center of the venue, Seeing Yan Li was surrounded by stars, glowing with glory.

A person's charisma is often influenced by many factors.

In today's environment, Seeing Yan Li's wealth, status, and reputation were displayed without restraint; every move carried the charm of a successful man, drawing admiration, envy, or desire from the audience below.

In the third row, Huo Siyan stared at the stage without blinking, nudged Li Xiaolu, and whispered: "Tonight, find a way to lure him to Palm Springs."

Seeing Yan Li was fine with her, but with Li Xiaolu, she only went to places she trusted—Palm Springs Apartment was their long-term base.

Li Xiaolu's eyes flickered: "How do we grab it?"

So many people were here today; she wasn't even sure how many had connections with Seeing Yan Li—getting him to Palm Springs was difficult.

Huo Siyan thought for a moment, bit her lip: "Figure something out—didn't you have those mascot costumes from Christmas? You can modify them."

"That's that wild?"

Li Xiaolu stared at Huo Siyan in surprise—this woman was crazy herself, and at critical moments, she was even more reckless.

"Just tell me—will you do it or not?"

"I'll do it."

Li Xiaolu glanced at Seeing Yan Li on stage, firm and decisive—this guy felt too good today; just imagining the scenes made her want to rush to the bathroom.

In the same third row, Wang Ou gazed dreamily at the stage, pulled out her phone, and sent Bai Bing a text telling her to wait at home.

She thought for a moment, then sent another message to Wu Jiani—too bad Yang Rong wasn't here, otherwise it would've been safer.

In the fourth row, Jiang Xin held her phone, restless; after thinking, she still sent the message.

With today's situation, she wasn't favored and had no allies; her chances of securing him were slim, but no matter what, she had to try—what if?

In the fifth row, Kim-jie, with Wen Yongshan and Baby, watched Seeing Yan Li on stage and couldn't help but sigh.

"Without coming to the mainland, you don't realize how powerful Master Yan is."

Qin Lan didn't want to relive the blog scandal, and considering she'd still have to film "The Beauty's Scheme," Seeing Yan Li didn't pressure her—he arranged for Kim to bring people over to ride the yacht scandal's momentum.

The effect was decent: before the ceremony, it hit a trending topic, boosting followers for Wen Yongshan and her partner, who'd only just opened their Weibo accounts, and attracting many gossip-loving netizens eager for drama.

This thrilled Kim; Wen Yongshan and her partner had some fame in Xiangjiang, but everyone with eyes knew the real future lay in the mainland.

So Kim had long wanted to break into the mainland market, but it wasn't easy.

Mainland entertainers were rising, while the halo of Hong Kong and Taiwan artists kept fading; established stars were fine, but newcomers and minor actors truly might not compete with the mainland.

Many Hong Kong and Taiwan minor actors confidently headed north, only to return home with dusty faces.

Occasional appearances and minor fame, followed by no follow-up resources, meant they soon vanished into obscurity.

Thanks to the yacht scandal—even if it wasn't dignified—it at least gave them one label the outside world could remember.

That was already great; many stars from unorthodox backgrounds started precisely by building labels—otherwise, there wouldn't be so many outrageous stunts or attempts to piggyback on others' fame.

"Kim-jie, do you think we should…?"

Baby's eyes flickered, eager and restless; Wen Yongshan glanced at Seeing Yan Li on stage, then looked toward Kim, hopeful.

With the yacht scandal exploding, shared interests, and the fact that they were two, Kim understood their situation with Seeing Yan Li fairly well.

In her view, the opportunity was nearly nonexistent—but they could at least boost their visibility.

Seeing Yan Li probably still found them somewhat novel; otherwise, even if the yacht scandal helped, he wouldn't have sent them over.

Kim didn't expect Wen Yongshan and her partner to permanently attach themselves to Seeing Yan Li, let alone gain his favor—the difficulty was too high.

Xiong Dailin was already unstable under Guo Tianwang, let alone Seeing Yan Li, who had countless women around him.

But with Seeing Yan Li's current attitude still favorable, they should seize every possible advantage; if they pleased him, even a few crumbs from his fingers would be enough to keep Baby and her partner well-fed.

"Be good, and absolutely know your limits. Never mind—I'll help you two figure it out."

Kim gave a few warnings, still uneasy, and decided to personally consult with them on how to send the messages.

In the front row, Li Bingbing glanced at Fan Xiaopang, thought for a moment, then sent a text—not only that, but when Fan Xiaopang looked over, she waved her phone in a taunting gesture.

Even if I don't win, I'll still annoy you!

Fan Xiaopang snorted, crossed her legs, and gave a dismissive posture.

Whether it was everyone here tonight or those watching at home, hoarding their chances—anyone and everyone—she was here, so Seeing Yan Li couldn't possibly leave with anyone else.

Not only did she have absolute confidence in herself, but even if Seeing Yan Li were momentarily blinded, she could forcibly take him back.

Her peach-shaped eyes flickered toward Seeing Yan Li on stage—this suit looked good; later, don't you dare take it off… not the top.

"…Finally, I wish everyone good fortune as we approach 2009, and hope tonight becomes another memorable moment in your 2008. Thank you all."

On stage, Seeing Yan Li finished his final words, bowed, and stepped down; the hall erupted in applause.

The host took control, beginning the award and performance segments.

Back at his seat, Seeing Yan Li pulled out his phone—dense with messages; luckily, he was used to turning off sound and vibration during meetings.

Hmm, everyone's going all out.

Seeing Yan Li was surprised at how these women had all gone mad—with even some former unrelated actresses openly extending olive branches.

This is the Weibo Night, not a concubine-selection night—can't you all be a little more reserved?

Seeing Yan Li sighed internally, put down his phone, and focused on the stage—the first award had been given: 【Person of the Year】, winner: Da Yao.

Several major events this year must be mentioned—the Beijing Olympics, of course—but in terms of heat, Liu Feiren's controversy was even greater, though it carried a negative tone.