Chapter 85 Ruthless Bai Jing

Bai Jing is a host, but she's more than just a host. Immediately after graduation, she became the host of a flagship program on Kyoto Television. For the next fifteen years, she officially began her legendary career in the hosting world. "Bai Jing's Living Room" is not only an interview program, but also a window for women's voices. Shi Shi isn't interested in Bai Jing's status. What she admires is her unwavering dedication to advocating for women for over a decade.

The show wasn't originally called "Bai Jing's Living Room"; it was called "Weekly Appointment." Its premiere, with its sharp language and humorous style, satirized many social issues. That year, Bai Jing had not only won the "Most Influential Host in China Award," but also founded "Fengren.com." Her career was at its peak.

Seemingly overnight, a flood of negative news about her appeared online. Bai Jing was portrayed as a vain, pretentious, and socially addicted "social butterfly"—her living room was filled with her own portraits, she deliberately created an elegant atmosphere, and she used her talent and beauty to attract male guests. This implied that this was a program that, under the guise of feminism, was actually pandering to men.

Public opinion can be sharp enough to pierce a person's bones. However, Bai Jing's bones are even harder than others'.

She directly replaced the original sponsors, becoming financially self-sufficient and also becoming the show's producer. The show's name was changed to "Bai Jing's Living Room." In the first episode after the criticism against her, Bai Jing invited four leading women from various industries: a retired female general, a world shooting champion, and a female scientist.

There wasn't a single word of response throughout, yet it felt like a slap in the face to those keyboard warriors.

Do women need to be charming men to realize their self-worth?

Is a woman not considered an independent individual?

Are women's wisdom and physical abilities always inferior to men's?

The program didn't mention it in any sentence, but every sentence was a response.

You keyboard warriors—bullshit!

With this, Bai Jing's position became unshakeable.

If it's an invitation from this show, then she could accept.

"Sister Ming, we can proceed with the interview with Bai Jing."

Song Ming wasn't surprised, but reminded her, "You can accept, but she's very sharp-tongued. She also forbids you from arranging a script, so you need to be prepared."

After hanging up the phone, Shi Shi began searching for Bai Jing's programs. After watching for a while, Aunt Zhang came to knock on the door.

"The security company people have arrived."

Shi Shi nodded. When she entered the living room, she was surprised to see a familiar face. It was one of the people who had scared Shen He away that day—the third brother.

Compared to his dark, gloomy appearance the last time we met, today he was wearing a light blue casual suit. He looked reliable and dependable.

"Hello Ms. Shi, this is Wan Shan. I'm in charge of the hazard inspection of the villa."

Shi Shi took the business card he handed her and nodded: "Okay, thank you for your hard work today."

Wanshan gave her a brief overview of the included items. He also said that if anything was missing, it could be filled in.

Shi Shi examined it carefully; she paid quite a bit of attention to this aspect. However, since they were professionals, Shi Shi couldn't discern anything significant at first glance.

"You may begin."

Wan Shan brought only four people, each wearing a real-time monitoring device on their chest. About three hours later, Wan Shan came to report.

"Ms. Shi, this is a 3D map of the entire villa. The red areas are highlighted to indicate blind spots. The yellow markings indicate locations where we recommend installing cameras. The double solid lines indicate areas where we recommend installing an alarm net around the perimeter. Please take a look."

When Lin Sui lived there, the villa naturally had a security system. However, Shi Shi didn't plan to continue using it. Just like changing the locks when moving, she wanted to start all over again.

Wan Shan's work was far more thorough than Shi Shi's. Besides what he mentioned, he also marked the original homeowner's surveillance camera locations in green. She checked a few questions, and the two agreed on the plan. Then they prepared to begin construction.

"Aunt Zhang, could you tidy up the room on the far right of the third floor and turn it into a monitoring room?" It can be connected via mobile phone, but the screen is too small, making it inconvenient.

When Fu Yingzhou arrived that evening, Wan Shan and his group had just finished their work. Ever since his promotion, he had brought Shi Shi a gift every time they met. Today, Liang Zhan brought Fu Yingzhou over.

He placed a large box on Shi Shi's coffee table.

His eyes, however, were subtly observing the surroundings. His boss had married incredibly well! He considered himself a promising young man. But the difference between people was simply too great!

They installed an elevator in their own house.

My elevator is a shared one in the community!

People communicate via telephone.

Even if you're whispering to your wife at home, she'll always catch you!

No wonder rich people are so thin! They lose two pounds every day just by walking around their villas.

Liang Zhan admitted he was jealous: "Boss, I'm leaving now. Do you need me to pick you up tomorrow?" Fu Yingzhou glanced at him: "No need."

Wow, so this is just a case of "entering the hall but not entering the room"? This feeling... I don't know why, but it suddenly feels much better!

"This is that phonograph."

Shi Shi immediately became interested and unpacked the outer packaging. She examined it carefully. It was an antique black gramophone, its casing made of dark brown wood, with the marks of time etched on its surface, the wood grain winding and twisting. The wear on the edges made it appear even more rustic. The black horn, hollow yet seemingly containing endless sonic memories, was faintly gleaming with an aged sheen.

Shi Shi stroked it again and again, unable to tear herself away. Seeing how much she liked it, Fu Yingzhou smiled. Looks like he could give her more things like this in the future!

"Was that a security company that just came?"

"Yes, we conduct hazard inspections on the villas, install surveillance cameras, and install protective netting."

Fu Yingzhou nodded upon hearing this: "Where did you find this company?"

"Aunt Zhang found it, I'm not entirely sure. Is there a problem?"

"Those guys should all be veterans."

How did you figure that out?!

"It's not hard to tell them apart. Soldiers tend to have a more upright posture, with a straight back, and walk with a steady and powerful gait, landing firmly on their feet. Their steps have a rhythm formed through long-term training. Ordinary people, on the other hand, have a more casual posture, walk more relaxed, and their steps vary in size."

What Fu Yingzhou didn't say was that the leader had clearly handled a gun before; the calluses on his hands and fingers were definitely from years of holding a gun. Moreover, when Liang Zhan put the things down, there was a soft 'click' sound from the gramophone. He reacted instantly, his body tensing instinctively, his eyes quickly locking onto the direction of the sound—a primal, reactive response.

It's not just the soldiers; the specific branches of the military might also be quite unusual.

"I've learned a lot. Today is the new aunt's first day of tasting the dishes. Come on, let's try them together."