July 12th.
CCTV's major scientific program 'Brain Battle' officially launched.
On July 15th, Chinese people across the nation and around the world could register through the channels announced by the program team, who also dispatched teams far and wide to select participants.
In early August, after a comprehensive stress test, the program team selected contestants nationwide. After multiple rounds of screening, 99 contestants eventually emerged.
On August 10th, 'Brain Battle' began filming.
That day, Ji Ruochu went to the television station alone, carrying a fully stuffed small backpack.
Meanwhile, the trending topic "What will be the 'TV hit during the holiday' this year?" had been trending on social media for several days.
The reason was simple. Whether Ji Ruochu's fans or casual viewers, or even fans of other celebrities, everyone was eagerly waiting for Ji Ruochu's new show this year.
Initially, netizens lamented that production companies were getting better and better at keeping secrets. In previous years, they could roughly know which director and crew were involved, but this year, not a single whisper had leaked out.
A group of starving fans spent their days lurking in the comment sections of various directors' accounts.
["Director, quietly tell us, is Ji Ruochu in your crew this year? Don't worry, we won't tell anyone."]
Director: ["Sorry, I didn't manage to get her."]
Fans lamented: ...What's the point of you?!
After a fit of disappointment, they moved on to the next director:
["Admit it, Director! Paparazzi have already spotted her, did you secretly film with Ji Ruochu? You little sneak, you hid it well!"]
Director: ["Huh?! What? What are you talking about? I didn't get to work with her this year either! o(╥﹏╥)o"]
Fans disappointed again: ...Moving on, next.
...
After such a barrage, the trending topic kept changing, but no one could uncover any information about Ji Ruochu's highly anticipated show this year.
Nevertheless, fans and internet bystanders remained convinced that Ji Ruochu had a project this year. Otherwise, why would all those directors express such regret at not being able to work with her?
So the question remained:
Who exactly was it?
Someone so capable that they could snatch Ji Ruochu from the clutches of famous directors - oh no, not snatch, more like skillfully acquire - or rather -
Never mind, it doesn't matter. To fans, the important thing was that their idol would definitely appear in a popular show this year. As for what exactly it was...
No need to rush, they could wait. The holiday period was so long, they were bound to find out eventually - right?
So fans gazed wistfully at the stars and moon, waiting from early July to late July, then from late July to early August. The longer they waited, the more anxious they became.
It wasn't until early August that a marketing account tentatively broke the explosive news.
["Um...did I overreact? I think I just saw Ji Ruochu near the CCTV program team's site. Is she going to be a host?"]
The first Ji Ruochu fans to arrive: Huh?
Backup fan reinforcements: What?
Followed by casual viewers: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a?
After the initial shock, everyone realized: No wonder none of the directors managed to get her, she was snatched up by the state broadcaster CCTV. Yeah, that makes sense.
On that day, CCTV's viewership skyrocketed. Even the normally youth-ignored news broadcast saw a surge due to fans scrutinizing the host's small gestures.
Fans and marketing accounts zoomed in on every frame, not even sparing background pedestrians.
Unfortunately, no matter how thoroughly they combed through it, there was no sign of Ji Ruochu in the footage.
["Could it have been a marketing gimmick to attract attention?"]
Some fans reasonably analyzed.
["Which marketing account was it?"]
Scared, the marketing account quickly posted the photos they had taken, insisting they really did see Ji Ruochu near the program team's site.
Upon seeing the photos... it really was Ji Ruochu, and the background did seem to be near the CCTV building.
Okay, back to square one - what was their idol doing at the CCTV building?
As time ticked by with no answers, fans took the "it doesn't hurt to ask" approach and bravely invaded CCTV's comment section.
["CCTV, CCTV, did you see our lovely, obedient, gorgeous Ji Ruochu?"]
They even attached a photo of Ji Ruochu's calm yet smiling student ID photo from Peking University.
Ten minutes later, their comment became the top hot comment.
Five minutes after that, CCTV finally replied.
CCTV Official Account: ["Ah? Wait a sec, lemme ask around~"]
Fans replied: ["Okay~*patiently waiting.jpg*"]
This back-and-forth interaction left onlookers wide-eyed: This is allowed?!
Soon, the phrase ["I'm going to CCTV to find my idol"] became the fifth trending topic.
Before clicking on it, netizens were like "(⊙_⊙)?". After clicking, their expressions became "(O_o)??".
Thus, Ji Ruochu's most dedicated fans once again made a scene.
