CHAPTER 540: CHAPTER 540: INITIATING A CHALLENGE, DO YOU DARE ACCEPT?

Early the next morning, as Chen Bin and Hao Wenjing’s mother and daughter were still sound asleep, Ni Bo sat slumped in Ni Baige’s room, utterly despondent.

Being the weekend, he had planned to take his daughter to attend a music-related conference.

But no matter how many times he knocked, there was no response from inside Ni Baige’s room.

Worried for his daughter’s safety, Ni Bo immediately unlocked the door.

He discovered the room impeccably tidy, but Ni Baige was nowhere to be seen.

On the desk lay a letter, the gist of which stated:

Ni Baige had decided to leave Tianhai and head to the Imperial Capital to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

Afraid Ni Bo would disapprove, she had chosen to leave quietly.

Concerned about her safety alone in an unfamiliar place, Ni Bo immediately tried calling her to bring her back.

However, her phone was turned off.

Ni Bo realized that, having been continually suppressed at Yanxi TV Station, Ni Baige had no choice but to leave.

This only deepened his hatred toward Chen Bin.

After some deliberation, he directly called Mei Ouchi.

"Old Mei, it’s been a long time. How about meeting up for a chat?"

The two had once been colleagues at Tianhai TV and shared a great rapport, developing a close friendship.

Even after Mei Ouchi left Tianhai TV, their bond stayed strong, and they kept in regular contact.

When they met in a private room at the hotel and sat down, Mei Ouchi noticed Ni Bo’s sour expression and asked proactively,

"What’s wrong with you?"

Sighing heavily, Ni Bo recounted how Chen Bin had suppressed Ni Baige.

Mei Ouchi was visibly shocked by the news.

"Why would Chen Bin do such a thing?"

"Back when Lan Hui was in charge, Chen Bin oversaw the first Spring Festival Gala for the provincial station. Lan Hui deliberately made things difficult for him and didn’t let me lend him any staff. That guy, holding a grudge, began targeting Baige to get back at me."

With a cold snort, Mei Ouchi looked furious.

"I can’t believe that Chen fellow is so petty. Even if he holds a grudge, he shouldn’t constantly pick on others like this."

"Which is why I’m trying to figure out a way to bring him down."

After a moment of thought, Mei Ouchi suggested an idea.

"Didn’t Chen Bin launch three entertainment programs? You can compete with him for viewership instead. While it might not completely ruin him, it’ll definitely make things uncomfortable for him."

Ni Bo nodded approvingly, finding the idea quite appealing.

Raising his glass, he toasted Mei Ouchi eagerly.

"Old Mei, I’ll need you to come up with more ideas for me in the future. If we can bring Chen Bin down, it’ll be for the greater good."

Mei Ouchi clinked glasses with him, offering only a smile without saying a word.

On Monday morning, after arriving at the station, Ni Bo immediately called a meeting of mid-level and senior staff to discuss producing entertainment programs.

Tianhai TV typically aired entertainment programs purchased from outside sources.

But now, to go head-to-head with the provincial station, they would have to create their own.

The idea of producing entertainment programs surprised everyone in the room.

Yan Liang was the first to raise doubts, "Our resources and expertise can’t compare to the provincial station. Can we really pull this off?"

Ni Bo’s face twisted with displeasure at the remark.

"While it’s true that our audience is smaller than the provincial station’s, that’s no excuse for us to slack off. We’re not anyone’s subordinate. If they can do it, why can’t we?"

Yan Liang continued questioning, "But what if we lose to the provincial station?"

"Even if we fail, we have to try! If you don’t even have the courage to try, what’s the point of being the deputy station head?!"

Yan Liang was rendered speechless by the retort and could only stay quiet.

Following that, Ni Bo began discussing ideas for entertainment programs.

For Zhao Xinmei, as the deputy music editor, the development of an entertainment channel at the station was certainly a good thing.

But considering the implications for Chen Bin, she ultimately chose to remain silent throughout the meeting.

Before long, Tianhai TV organized a singing competition.

The competition had no restrictions on genre, age, or gender—anyone who could sing was welcome to participate.

Whether a performer advanced would be determined entirely by online audience voting.

The competition promised cash prizes for the top three contestants and the opportunity to perform at Tianhai TV’s inaugural Spring Festival Gala.

Once this news spread, applications started flooding in.

To ensure quality and production value, Ni Bo specially invited professional singers from Yanxi Province’s Dance and Song Ensemble and Tianhai City’s Dance and Song Ensemble to serve as preliminary judges.

The audition phase ended with 300 contestants advancing to the semi-finals.

Furthermore, the semi-finals were scheduled to be broadcast in the same time slot as the provincial station’s three entertainment programs.

Initially, Chen Bin thought Tianhai TV’s efforts were nothing more than a sideshow, but to his surprise, they managed to steal a portion of the provincial station’s viewership.

After work, Chen Bin didn’t go home but stayed in his office to watch the singing competition on Tianhai TV.

Watching for a while, he had to admit the show was well-executed.

However, he felt the appeal of such a program was quite narrow—it was highly popular in Tianhai but would appear fairly ordinary elsewhere.

Seeing the provincial station make no counter moves, Ni Bo launched a second program.

Unexpectedly, this too became wildly popular within Tianhai.

By the end of June, the Yanxi Provincial Broadcasting Bureau organized a system-wide meeting for the broadcasting sector.

As the director of the provincial station, Chen Bin naturally had to attend.

Upon entering the venue, he immediately saw Ni Bo surrounded by people from other TV stations.

Some wanted to buy the broadcast rights to his two shows, while others were trying to glean ideas, deliberately ingratiating themselves.

Ni Bo was all smiles at first, but once he saw Chen Bin, his tone turned sarcastic.

"Well, well, isn’t this Director Chen? What an unexpected honor!"

All eyes turned to Chen Bin.

Unfazed, he greeted them with a slight smile, "Hello, everyone!"

Seeing his growing popularity, Ni Bo couldn’t resist using the opportunity to disparage Chen Bin.

"Director Chen, as head of the provincial station, what do you think of my shows?"

"I wouldn’t know. I’ve never paid attention to them."

"Never paid attention? My city’s shows are more popular than the provincial station’s in Tianhai. Are you sure you’ve never noticed?"

Chen Bin maintained his smile, staying silent.

Thinking he had won, Ni Bo pressed on.

"Director Chen, it won’t be long before our city station surpasses your provincial station. When that happens, you can come to me for guidance."

"Oh? Director Ni is that confident?"

"Yes, I am! I’m issuing a direct challenge to you right now—dare to accept it?!"

The two locked eyes, the atmosphere thick with tension.

Just as everyone was waiting for Chen Bin’s response, Feng Lei and other leaders arrived one after another.

Everyone quickly returned to their seats.

Throughout the meeting, Ni Bo repeatedly cast provocative glances at Chen Bin.

The latter’s expression remained calm, betraying no visible emotion.

After the meeting ended and Chen Bin was about to leave,

Ni Bo shouted again, "Director Chen, if you’re a real man, accept my challenge. Otherwise, crawl back home like a coward!"

Once again, everyone’s eyes shifted toward Chen Bin.

Even Feng Lei, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks, a faint smirk playing on his face...