Chapter 456: Storm Approaches
At a critical moment, Yu Hua once again employed the most infuriating tactic—maintaining a neutral expression that revealed nothing of his thoughts, and delaying the announcement of the answer. The middle-aged man with glasses was practically itching to snatch the answer card from Yu Hua, while several people in the audience felt like storming the stage to give him a piece of their minds.
After what seemed like an eternity, Yu Hua, sensing that the moment had arrived, glanced once more at the middle-aged man and then at the answer card, shaking his head slightly and sighing, "I'm sorry, the correct answer is B: -165 degrees. Your answer is incorrect!"
"Uh… no!"
Before Yu Hua had finished his sentence, the middle-aged man could no longer bear it. He held his head in despair and let out a wail of hopelessness and regret that resonated with everyone present.
"Ah… what a pity…"
A collective sigh filled the studio, and many people were slapping their thighs, lamenting for the middle-aged man.
When the middle-aged man had calmed down a bit, Yu Hua continued, "The tardigrade is a tiny creature from the phylum Tardigrada, known for its incredible resilience…"
Everyone listened intently to Yu Hua's explanation. The middle-aged man was keen to understand where he had gone wrong and why the answer was -165 degrees.
After Yu Hua's explanation, the audience seemed to understand, and the middle-aged man shook his head with a bitter smile. Despite still feeling regretful, he accepted his loss gracefully. The question was indeed very difficult.
Moreover, with such a significant advantage, even with a 50-50 lifeline, he still got it wrong. It was just not his destiny to become wealthy overnight. Was it because he hadn't washed his hands after going to the restroom earlier?
The middle-aged man fell back into self-doubt.
"Mr. Liu, unfortunately, you missed out on the one million Hong Kong dollars, but you will receive a consolation prize of one thousand Hong Kong dollars!"
Yu Hua concluded, and a young woman in a seductive qipao brought out a red tray with ten one hundred-dollar bills and placed it in front of the middle-aged man.
"Thank you!"
The middle-aged man forced a smile and thanked Yu Hua. He took the one thousand dollars but could not feel any joy, only a desire to cry.
For him, one thousand Hong Kong dollars was a substantial amount, considering his monthly salary was just over two thousand.
Under normal circumstances, receiving one thousand dollars would mean a joyful celebration with a few drinks and showing off his status as the head of the household to his wife.
However, in this context, he could not find any happiness at all!
He had once had two hundred fifty thousand dollars within reach, and if he hadn't been greedy for one million, he could have taken that amount home.
He was even just one step away from one million. It was regrettable… sigh…
"Mr. Liu, life is always full of wonderful things. You are very capable and almost won our one million Hong Kong dollars on your first try. Go back and keep learning. Knowledge always has its uses. We look forward to your next challenge!"
"I will definitely come back next time!"
Yu Hua's encouragement reignited the middle-aged man's fighting spirit. He nodded through gritted teeth and waved goodbye as he left the stage.
"Although this contestant's experience makes us feel regretful, this is the harsh reality of the game. Games are life, and everyone must take responsibility for their choices…"
Yu Hua rambled on with a bunch of reflections and general truths, making the audience nod in agreement.
"Next, let's welcome our second challenger…"
---
As the show aired, countless households in Hong Kong were clapping their thighs over the result for the middle-aged man with glasses.
"This question was just too difficult. I could only answer up to fourteen questions…"
"Pah, I didn't know you were so shameless. You're just like me, didn't even finish elementary school, and you answered fourteen questions. Where's your face?"
"He took one thousand Hong Kong dollars and left, while the one million cash on the table—who knows who will take it…"
"It's a pity. He got the 50-50 wrong. He missed out on one million. After he goes back, he'll definitely be scolded by his wife…"
At that moment, the unlucky person, pitied by countless people, was at home, kneeling and scrubbing clothes in front of the TV, occasionally getting pinched by his wife and emitting pig-like cries of despair…
---
As the viewers at home lamented, they were unknowingly captivated by the show, which was spectacular, full of suspense, and constantly reaching new heights.
Several challengers had appeared, with the highest reaching the thirteenth question and the lowest falling on the eighth. Almost everyone had chosen to advance, charging towards one million.
Unfortunately, all of them left with just one thousand Hong Kong dollars.
Just as viewers began to doubt whether the Stock God was unwilling to give away money, the eighth challenger took the stage.
Everyone perked up as the eighth challenger was a bespectacled little chubby boy. When Yu Hua introduced him, it was revealed that he was only 14 years old, but he had a hobby of reading books, resulting in him having over five hundred degrees of myopia at such a young age.
Yu Hua further introduced that this little chubby boy was a renowned prodigy in his village, which touched the audience unexpectedly.
Every chubby child has an unknown side, and this little chubby boy's performance astonished everyone. He truly lived up to his prodigy nickname.
He passed through the questions one by one and, like the first middle-aged man with glasses, reached the fifteenth question. Coincidentally, he also had one last "50-50" lifeline remaining.
The scene at the beginning repeated, but the result was vastly different.
The little chubby boy actually guessed correctly with the 50-50 choice!
When Yu Hua announced that the little chubby boy could take home one million, the entire venue erupted in cheers, and the audience in front of the TV was stunned, bursting into various exclamations.
That night, countless places in Hong Kong erupted in joy and disbelief, making neighbors think their neighbors had gone mad.
The little chubby boy's parents took the stage, choosing to convert the cash into a bank card, ultimately receiving a bank card from Jiuding Bank, which had already been prepared with one million.
One million dollars was truly taken away, and the viewers in front of the TV went absolutely wild. Many people called others to watch the TV, and many, upon hearing from friends and family, immediately changed channels without a word.
At that moment, it was around 9:30 PM, and the show "Happy Tonight" on TVB was about to start.
Huang Xizhao, who had been monitoring the situation in the backstage of Universal Television, was so excited by the skyrocketing ratings that he could hardly sit still.
The ratings, starting at 15.7% at 9 PM, rose to 25.5%.
When the little chubby boy took home one million, the ratings soared rapidly within a minute, shooting up to 30%, reaching 36.7%.
This highlighted the immense impact of one million Hong Kong dollars and how deeply the lower-class people were engaged.
"Ha ha, we succeeded! The boss's foresight was indeed extraordinary. 'Millionaire' has become a hit. Ha ha, our TV station now has a flagship program!"
"At 9:35 PM, the rating was 36.7%, almost catching up to the highest rating of TVB's 'Happy Tonight'. But tonight, 'Happy Tonight' will definitely not exceed 20%."
Huang Xizhao's excitement was evident as his smile could not be concealed.
The first episode had such a level of impact, and this episode was packed with explosive points.
The middle-aged man lost a million, and the prodigy little chubby boy became the youngest millionaire among the poor, earning the money through knowledge—each aspect was sensational and precisely the type of gossip the people of Hong Kong love.
So, Huang Xizhao could easily imagine that tomorrow's news would cause a sensation throughout Hong Kong. Everyone would go crazy over the one million, and the impact would continue to ferment.
"It seems we must adjust immediately. Broadcasting once a week on Fridays is too wasteful. This flagship program must be fully utilized. I need to quickly report to the boss and propose broadcasting every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday night to completely dominate the market and cut off TVB's path to copying us."
"Let's see what TVB can use to compete with us!"
"With Shao Lao Liu's stingy nature, even if he wants to copy, he can't surpass us!"
Thinking this, Huang Xizhao was filled with determination and felt immensely satisfied.
Two flowers bloom, each representing its own branch.
Meanwhile, at TVB.
With "Millionaire" being heavily promoted by Universal Television and other companies, and scheduled for Friday night from 9 to 10 PM, it was clearly intended to counter TVB's "Happy Tonight".
Given this situation, how could TVB's higher-ups not be cautious?
As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle."
Thus, Shao Yifu canceled an appointment tonight and stayed at home to watch TV, specifically Universal Television's Hong Kong Channel.
Shao Yifu's discerning ability was well-known. When the "Millionaire" program aired, his expression grew serious.
As he realized that his emotions and attention were being drawn into the program, the seriousness in his eyes almost
overflowed.
He recognized that "Millionaire" was a major threat. Indeed, it lived up to the expectations of Universal Television and was truly worthy of being a flagship program.
The programs of Universal Television in recent years could not compare to this one.
The more he watched, the heavier Shao Yifu's mood became.
The endless, seemingly irrelevant moments in "Millionaire" appeared glaringly uncomfortable to him.
When he saw the little chubby boy succeed and actually take home one million Hong Kong dollars, Shao Yifu was struck and leaned back on the sofa, feeling as though his energy had been drained.
"A major threat! This is a big deal!"
"No, I must know the ratings!"
Thinking this, Shao Yifu looked at the time, realizing it was already past 9:30 PM. He immediately picked up the phone and called the TV station, instructing his subordinates to tell him the ratings for "Happy Tonight".
After a long wait, the call came back with a somewhat incredulous voice from his subordinate.
"President, something really happened. The rating for 'Happy Tonight' is only 15.7%, and it's trending downwards!"
Boom…
The subordinate's report was like a thunderclap in Shao Yifu's mind.
But Shao Yifu, being a seasoned individual, took a deep breath to calm himself and instructed his subordinates, "Immediately notify all planners and supervisors to watch Universal Television's 'Millionaire'. Meeting at 10:10 PM at the company!"
Hanging up the phone, Shao Yifu stood up, put on his suit hanging by the door, and walked towards the door.