Lin Rui was already furious. Little Mei tried her best to calm her down, barely managing to suppress the raging fire in her heart.
Little Mei's palms were sweaty as she briefly explained the situation to the Deputy Director via WeChat, hoping they could meet in person to discuss it.
The influence of Starry Sky Kindergarten, as well as the capabilities of the Lin Family and Shen Wei, were well-known to all.
Although they had made a mistake, as long as they actively clarified the situation, given Lin Rui's straightforward nature, it shouldn't be too serious an issue.
She thought it was a good plan.
Sending a message to the Deputy Director in advance was to prevent him from losing face, as he was, after all, a superior.
There was no problem that couldn't be solved over a meal.
Little Mei sent the WeChat message.
But there was no reply.
Soon, someone nearby informed her that the Deputy Director was in his office.
She could sense that Lin Rui's anger was reaching a boiling point, so she steeled herself and said, "Then I'll take you to his office to find him."
Shen Wei knew that Lin Rui had always been quite strong-willed.
She had been personally involved in this matter from the beginning.
They had hoped that broadcasting on the TV station would expand Starry Sky Kindergarten's influence.
But unexpectedly, the TV station was being two-faced.
The broadcast had already garnered massive viewership.
Now they had switched out their title sponsor, clearly intending to betray them after using them.
Shen Wei was angry too.
But seeing Lin Rui's face turn pale, she couldn't help but try to comfort her: "Why don't I go instead?"
Lin Rui refused: "You stay here and keep an eye on things. I want to see what he's trying to do."
If they wanted to steal the fruits of others' labor,
They'd have to see if she'd allow it.
They only wanted to look good, and moreover, they had signed a contract with an official seal.
Now saying they wanted to back out, playing the "big store bullying the customer" trick was truly disgusting.
Lin Rui stormed towards the Deputy Director's office, fuming with rage.
The Deputy Director had several capable subordinates in the station.
With such a commotion, it certainly wouldn't escape others' notice.
So various rumors began spreading through mobile phones to different places.
By the time Little Mei brought Lin Rui to the Deputy Director's office door,
The office door was locked from the inside, and they could hear the Deputy Director's voice inside.
But after knocking, the person inside wouldn't open the door.
At first, they knocked gently.
Then the knocking became louder and louder.
But the person inside acted as if they were deaf.
There was no sign of them intending to open the door.
Even the surrounding colleagues began to take notice.
Little Mei had managed to bring Lin Rui here with great difficulty, hoping to resolve the issue.
Who would have thought the Deputy Director would use this tactic? His refusal to communicate made Lin Rui laugh bitterly: "So this is the caliber of your Deputy Director."
Little Mei immediately dialed the Deputy Director's number.
The call connected but was immediately hung up, three times in a row.
Little Mei was also angry now, knocking hard on the door, but the person inside stubbornly refused to open it.
Lin Rui was completely speechless.
Since returning from her studies abroad, and with her status as the Lin Corporation heiress, it had been years since anyone had given her the cold shoulder like this.
Today's incident was truly infuriating.
Lin Rui patted Little Mei's shoulder: "It's not that I don't want to give you face!"
As she said this, Little Mei's heart sank.
Clearly, Lin Rui was suppressing her anger.
Little Mei hadn't expected the Deputy Director to be this kind of person either.
What could have been clarified in a few words
Had now escalated the conflict.
Let alone Lin Rui, who had never been treated this way before, even Little Mei felt a hint of anger rising.
Little Mei said, "I'm really sorry about this."
Lin Rui laughed coldly and turned to leave.
Lin Rui went back to find Shen Wei.
Seeing her return so quickly, Shen Wei knew the visit must not have gone well: "How did it go?"
Lin Rui said, "I guess we'll have to let him experience the power of our legal team!" Fortunately, she had been cautious when signing the contract.
"Do whatever you think is necessary!" Shen Wei said.
After all, Gu Corporation had invested 100 million.
They had repeatedly confirmed the title sponsorship issue with them.
At the time, they had agreed.
Now that things had turned out this way, Shen Wei wasn't a pushover either.
Since they had provoked them, they would have to bear the risks that came with it.
Lin Rui nodded.
Both of their expressions were grave.
The competition at the venue was still in full swing.
The chefs on stage were still focused on the contestants, completely unaware of what had just transpired.
As the two were talking, Shen Wei's phone rang. She answered to find it was Doctor Lu calling: "Quick, check Weibo. The TV station is throwing shade at you guys."
Shen Wei's phone volume was quite loud.
Lin Rui, standing nearby, could also hear it.
Before Shen Wei could hang up, Lin Rui immediately took out her phone and opened the TV station's Weibo.
From the initial few thousand followers to now 350,000, Starry Sky Kindergarten's promotion had been crucial.
The latest post was from 5 minutes ago.
It read: "All our staff have been working tirelessly in three shifts, day and night, all for the sake of making this show look good."
"We never expected a certain kindergarten to obstruct our continued activities over some money issues, and even cause a scene in the Director's office. We really have to question the quality of some enterprises?"
This statement all but named Starry Sky Kindergarten directly.
Previously, most of the organic traffic for this show came from Starry Sky Kindergarten, many being longtime fans of the kindergarten.
This time, with the upgraded platform, the old fans felt a sense of pride.
The show's popularity was at its peak today.
Unexpectedly, they saw the kindergarten being criticized.
One comment stood out particularly:
"Just because you're an internet celebrity, you start making all sorts of demands? Your vision is too narrow. Getting to work with a TV station is a stroke of luck you might not see in several lifetimes. Don't throw away your future prospects over money!"
The editor had prominently liked this reply.
Suddenly, the discord between Starry Sky Kindergarten and the baking show was seized upon by public accounts.
In an instant, there was a flood of inquiries, insults, and defenses for Starry Sky Kindergarten. The situation quickly became chaotic.
This undoubtedly added more heat to the show.
But it made Lin Rui's blood boil. They were truly shameless, mastering the art of the guilty party filing the suit first.
What did they mean by "causing a scene"? They couldn't even enter the Deputy Director's office earlier.
They were made to look like fools outside.
While they played their palace intrigues inside, they had their editor publicly insinuate things. This was nothing short of a declaration of war.
If she didn't slap them in the face for this, Lin Rui would write her name backwards.
Lin Rui immediately left the place.
As she walked away, many people's eyes were secretly glancing at her.
Evidently, a conflict had arisen between the production team and the television station, and everyone was now aware of it.
Both sides were unhappy and ready to compete. The kindergarten's fan base had already exceeded 1 million.
For such a niche field, having a million fans was already quite impressive.
Moreover, the kindergarten's fans were very dedicated, including many wealthy supporters.
As soon as Lin Rui and Shen Wei left,
someone immediately informed the Deputy Director about the situation.
The Deputy Director remained calm and collected.
He thought, "So what if they're powerful now?"
The internet was a double-edged sword that anyone could wield.
The Deputy Director had studied psychology before and knew that people loved to join in on the excitement, not minding the drama.
The more successful someone was, the more people wanted to pull them down from their high position.
