Chapter 38: The Ratings Are Out!
While the station’s work group chat was buzzing, Weibo was also in an uproar.
“Yang Fan? Who’s Yang Fan?”
“The talk show host from Mango Radio??? How did someone like that get involved with our international star Zhang Ziyi?”
“Suggest the person above go watch the behind-the-scenes footage of The Climbers. Then you’ll fall in love with Yang Fan.”
“Damn, I knew the name sounded familiar. It’s the Yang Fan from The Climbers! His acting was explosive!”
“This is too much. Hu Ge actually called Yang Fan, and most importantly, he didn’t tell me!”
“Where can I listen to the replay? Where can I listen to the replay? Someone with a lot of energy, please tell me!”
“When I was listening to the broadcast, I thought the voice of the first caller sounded so much like Hu Ge, but I didn’t dare think it was really him. Turns out it was Hu Ge himself!”
“Poor Hu Ge. He tried to trick Yang Fan but ended up getting outsmarted in seconds!”
“Exactly! I listened to the part where Hu Ge and Yang Fan were talking. I almost died laughing!”
“By the way, which one was Wu Jing? Did anyone figure it out?”
“I think it was the second voice, but I’m not entirely sure.”
“I think it was the fifth voice!”
“You fake fan! It was definitely the second voice, the one who asked Yang Fan why he wasn’t in a relationship. That was absolutely Wu Jing!”
“I didn’t get to listen to the broadcast, so I can only watch you all discuss it without being able to join in!”
“Brothers, please don’t spoil it! I want to figure out who’s who on my own. No spoilers!”
“It’s just listening to a radio show, but it feels like watching a movie.”
“Honestly, it’s really good!”
“+1!”
“+2!”
“+3!”
“+10086!”
“+ID number!”
“…”
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That night, Yang Fan slept exceptionally well.
After being away on a business trip for several days, he was finally back home. It felt great!
But Lin Hai didn’t sleep a wink all night.
Lin Hai repeatedly listened to the replay of Yang Fan’s show from that day, carefully analyzing it and taking notes. In the end, his frown deepened.
The next day, in the conference room, the director hadn’t arrived yet, but many hosts from other time slots had already gathered early.
At their station, there was a routine morning meeting every day. The meeting usually involved the director announcing the previous day’s ratings, praising some, criticizing others, and then adjourning.
That was all there was to it. In the past, everyone was too lazy to attend.
But recently, with the ratings assessment underway, everyone was extremely concerned about their own ratings.
Plus, with the whole situation between Yang Fan and Lin Hai switching time slots, everyone was curious about their ratings.
A few hosts who often ranked at the bottom huddled together, whispering: “Hey, who do you think will be at the bottom this time in the ratings assessment?”
“I think I’m in trouble. My music show barely gets any song requests in the second half. The interaction rate is too low. It’s looking bad!” Shi Lei said worriedly.
“Lei, don’t say that in front of me. My food show is the real wild card. I’ve been at the bottom for days now. If my ratings don’t improve soon, I feel like the station might cancel my show,” host Ce Ce said, clearly stressed.
“Come on, you guys. My show is the Morning News Express, airing at 5 A.M. Who’s even awake at that time, let alone watching the news? I’m the one who’s really suffering!!!” News host Kai Ge lamented to the heavens.
The group of struggling colleagues hugged each other and cried.
When Yang Fan walked into the conference room, he saw this scene: “What’s going on with you guys? Did sand get in all your eyes at the same time?”
They looked up at Yang Fan and then continued crying: “Go away. You’re a prime-time host. You wouldn’t understand our pain!”
Yang Fan chuckled and sat down in his seat: “How wouldn’t I understand? It’s not like I’ve never been in the afternoon time slot before.”
“So what if you’ve been in the afternoon time slot? Your ratings were never at the bottom back then. You can’t possibly understand how we feel right now!” Host Ce Ce pouted, clearly annoyed.
Yang Fan smiled and didn’t say anything more. Instead, he turned his attention to Lin Hai, who was sitting next to him.
“Mr. Lin Hai, you’re here early today,” Yang Fan teased with a smile.
Lin Hai completely ignored Yang Fan, pretending not to hear him.
Yang Fan wasn’t bothered and continued cheerfully: “Mr. Lin Hai, I remember your highest rating was 1.2%, right? But this year, you haven’t been able to break 1% again.”
Lin Hai’s expression darkened, and he glared at Yang Fan: “If I recall correctly, your highest rating in the afternoon time slot was only 0.7%, right?”
“Even if my ratings aren’t great this year, they’re still hovering around 0.9%. That’s still better than yours!” Lin Hai said coldly.
Yang Fan smiled and said softly, “That was in the past.”
Lin Hai’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but glance at the door.
When will the director arrive? He couldn’t wait to find out Yang Fan’s ratings from yesterday.
“Everyone, quiet down. Yesterday’s ratings are out. Let’s announce the rankings,” the director said with a smile as she walked in, holding a file.
Yang Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Judging by the director’s expression, his ratings from yesterday must have been good!
A sense of unease began to settle over Lin Hai. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”
“Yesterday’s second-to-last place goes to Shi Lei’s Music World, with a rating of 0.48%.”
Shi Lei let out a long sigh of relief: “Phew, that scared me. At least I’m not last!”
“Shi Lei, how can you be happy about this? Look at your rating. If it were just a little lower, you’d be in last place!” The director, seeing Shi Lei’s relieved expression, was furious.
Shi Lei immediately stood up and bowed his head in apology, looking like a scalded schoolboy.
The director glared at Shi Lei and then continued announcing the ratings for other shows.
Ce Ce and Kai Ge’s faces were stiff.
If Shi Lei wasn’t last, then the last place had to be either Ce Ce’s Food Search or Kai Ge’s Morning News Express.
“Yesterday’s last-place show is…” The director paused deliberately, her gaze lingering between Ce Ce and Kai Ge. The two of them were so nervous that they both stood up, waiting for the criticism.
“Yesterday’s last-place show is Ce Ce’s Food Search, with a rating of 0.44%.”
“Ah? It’s me again!” Ce Ce’s face instantly filled with despair.
The director glared at Ce Ce but didn’t bother to say anything more.
Kai Ge quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Third from the bottom—not great, but not the worst!
“Kai Ge, your Morning News Express had a rating of 0.49%, only 0.01% higher than Shi Lei. What are you so smug about?” The director, seeing Kai Ge’s lack of ambition, really wanted to throw the file at him.
Kai Ge quickly lowered his head in fear.
Then, the director continued announcing the ratings for the other hosts.
Some were praised, while others were scolded. But whether praised or scolded, everyone’s faces were filled with excitement.
Because it was finally time to announce the first and second place!
Yang Fan played with a pen in his hand, completely calm.
Lin Hai, on the other hand, was subtly clenching his fists, which were starting to sweat.
The director took a deep look at Yang Fan and Lin Hai before slowly saying, “Now, let’s announce the first and second place ratings from yesterday.”
“First place yesterday had a rating of 0.92%. Let’s give them a round of applause.”
“Second place also did well, with a rating of 0.75%. Let’s give them a round of applause too.” The director was being mischievous, announcing the ratings but not saying which shows they belonged to.
The hosts were itching with curiosity.
Shi Lei couldn’t hold back anymore and asked, “Director, which show is in first place? Can you just tell us already?”