Chapter Twenty: Is a Fight About to Break Out?

“Everyone, pay attention. Make sure to separate them and prevent any fighting. Under no circumstances can a fight break out.”

“All camera operators, if the guests become uncontrollable, cut the live broadcast immediately. Remember, cut the live broadcast right away.”

At Luoyan Pavilion, Liu Shenghai anxiously issued the notice twice in quick succession. He then turned to the man beside him. “Yang Feng, go over there now and keep an eye on them. If anything happens, warn and stop it immediately.”

“Got it,” Yang Feng replied hurriedly and set off toward where the guests were gathered.

Standing beside Zheng Jin, Sheng Ya could clearly sense the change in his mood. She instinctively gripped his arm. “She’s angry right now. Don’t take what she says to heart.”

Thanks to Sheng Ya’s soothing words, Zheng Jin ultimately held himself back.

Worried that Zheng Jin might lose his temper as well, another staff member approached Jiang Ke. After all, the earlier argument had been sparked by Jiang Ke, and among the guests, she was the one closest to Li Jiale. It made the most sense for her to try and calm things down.

“Teacher Jiang, could you please help ease Jiale’s emotions? We need her to calm down.”

Jiang Ke hadn’t expected such chaos to erupt on the show and was reluctant to get involved in this mess.

Seeing her hesitation, the staff signaled the cameras to quickly look away. “Teacher Jiang, if this delays things, it will cause trouble and affect the recording, which won’t be good for you either.”

Jiang Ke knew what was implied. “Alright, I’ll try.”

Approaching Li Jiale, Jiang Ke wasn’t sure how to comfort her—they weren’t that close after all. If it weren’t for their mutual dislike of Jiang Xian, Jiale probably wouldn’t even speak to her. But since she was now forced into this, Jiang Ke braced herself and said, “Jiale, don’t get so worked up. We’re live right now.”

Li Jiale seemed to ignore Jiang Ke’s words and still tried to move toward Zheng Jin.

With no other choice, Jiang Ke pulled out the company card: “Think about your own company. Wouldn’t this affect your company’s image?”

Hearing that, Li Jiale finally responded, “I just want Zheng Jin to explain himself. If there’s any impact, it should be on his company, not mine.”

“But the premise is you have to calm down first. You’re the one getting emotional, so naturally everyone’s attention is on you.”

Li Jiale wouldn’t hear any of it. She hated being told what to do, especially when she didn’t accept it.

Jiang Ke’s sharp eyes caught the phone in Li Jiale’s hand ringing. The caller ID read “Mom.”

That phone call seemed to be the only hope to defuse the current situation. No doubt, Li Jiale’s mother must have seen the live broadcast and realized her daughter’s emotions were unstable.

“Jiale, your mom is calling. Can you take the call?”

Sure enough, hearing that, Li Jiale calmed down a bit and raised her hand to look at the screen—it was indeed her mother.

Seeing Li Jiale just staring without answering, the staff worried she might reject the call and hang up. “Jiale, your mom knows you’re on a variety show but still called, so it must be important. Please answer.”

Li Jiale gave a cold look to the staff member standing before her. “Step aside.”

The staff, having heard Jiang Ke’s words and knowing the call was from Li Jiale’s family, took a step back, keeping a close watch, wary that she might suddenly lash out again. If a fight broke out now, it would be serious.

Li Jiale moved away from everyone and went to a corner to answer the call.

“Zheng Jin, you’re a man. Interfering in women’s affairs makes you look despicable, you know?” Lai Bingfu couldn’t help but interject. He thought Zheng Jin’s earlier words were too harsh for a woman, especially since he was speaking for another woman.

“What do you mean I’m despicable? You’re no better—you were just licking her boots and helped slander Jiang Daxian earlier.”

Zheng Jin, still simmering with anger, didn’t hold back and shot back at Lai Bingfu.

Lai Bingfu’s face turned dark with fury but he bit back his words. Unlike these wealthy second-generation kids, he had built his company from scratch. He wasn’t like Zheng Jin, who had a solid foundation.

Throughout the commotion, Rong Fan stood apart like an outsider, neither intervening nor taking sides.

[These rich people all seem to have terrible tempers, always quarrelling. This is already the second time, but honestly, it’s more entertaining than those celebrities on variety shows.]

[Those celebrities care about their image, but these people don’t seem to. Jiang Ke still has some restraint, but the others don’t.]

[My sister has no restraint? You’re just a hater. My sister’s privileged life was stolen from her for over twenty years. Now, to make things worse, the person trying to take her identity is on the same show. It’s already unfair enough, and you still want to slander her?]

[Exactly. All this time, she’s been stirring up trouble, pretending to be understanding. She acts like a big sister to Jiang Xian, but anyone with half a brain can see she’s faking. There’s no way she’d be that kind to the person who stole her identity.]

[Right. I’ve wanted to post about this for a while, but I was afraid of being scolded since someone said they wanted them to fight.]

[Are you all just unhappy with your lives and ugly, so you come here to seek attention? If you’re ugly, stay in your well like a toad and don’t embarrass yourselves.]

The live chat was a mess, and the guests were shouting too. The more chaotic it got, the more viewers tuned in.

From a few tens of thousands at the start, the numbers grew to over a hundred thousand. Liu Shenghai hoped that the quarrel would boost the live stream’s popularity but also feared it would spiral out of control and be hard to manage.

From beginning to end, Rong Fan remained an outsider, standing silently on the sidelines.

“Li Jiale, what are you doing?” came a less-than-kind voice as the call connected.

“Mom, they’re all bullying me,” Li Jiale’s voice cracked, tears threatening to spill.

Originally intending to scold her, Xu Wen softened upon hearing that and lowered her tone. “Lele, listen to me. You’re on a variety show with so many people watching. The audience’s impression won’t affect our company, but Zheng Jin’s will. Do you understand?”

The Zheng Group and Li Group were evenly matched. It was precisely because of this balance that if this incident caused the Li Group’s stock to drop, it would have repercussions.