The next day, the "Do You Know Your Value?" show was among the many trending searches. It had cut through everything else on the list and made it to the top.
It was usually impossible for this kind of show, which had no celebrity, to be in the trending searches.
Yet now, it sat at the top of the list.
All of this was due to Gates's appearance.
Many netizens viewed the show with a very doubtful attitude. After all, Gates rarely appeared on a show ever since he was famous, let alone an entertainment show.
Moreover, in the show, his respectful attitude made people feel that everything was an act.
"This show is trash. How dare they make such fake things."
"Is this show testing our intelligence? Is Gates personally running errands for your program team? What the hell were you thinking?"
"I'm dying of laughter. First, it was an artist, Little Gates, and then, it was an extremely good impersonater of Gates. The program team is serious about playing this trick."
"An internet leader attended your show as a guest? You're taking this a little too far."
"If this is really Gates, I'll eat three catty of sh*t on the spot."
"@Gates, dad, please come out and explain."
...
In the International Finance Building, Gates was sitting at his desk when his secretary knocked on the door and walked in.
"Boss, you're trending. Do you need the public relations department to handle It?"
Gates rubbed his temples and asked, "Is it because of yesterday's show?"
Upon recalling seeing Thomson yesterday, Gates felt a burst of excitement in him.
His boss, who had disappeared for a very long time, had reappeared. This made Gates realize that he had to cling on to him this time.
That was because Gates knew very well that all of his current achievements were nothing in Thomson's eyes.
"Yes, boss. That trending search has already affected your and Aifeng Group's image," his secretary said.
In fact, the public relations department could have handled this matter by themselves.
However, his secretary was unsure what to do when she considered Gates's attitude yesterday, so she came to ask for instructions.
"There's no need to handle it," Gates said.
"No need to handle it?"
His secretary was stunned.
Negative news like that was a huge taboo in big companies.
"If I said there's no need, then there's no need. Get out," Gates said impatiently.
Dealing with the news about Thomson was the same as courting death.
If not for fear of making Thomson unhappy, Gates would have already added fuel to the fire and spread Thomson's name all over the internet.
Why did Thomson participate in this show anyway?
For money? What a joke. Thomson had so much money that he could buy countless Aifeng Groups.
If not for money, it was definitely for fame.
However, that was not the usual Thomson who liked staying under the radar, which was why Gates could not figure out what Thomson was up to. As such, he did not dare to make decisions on his own, in case of anything.
...
Since Gates did not clear up the doubts, some netizens who liked to make up stories got excited.
After all, the person involved did not say anything, so the doubts about the matter were open to discussion.
"This person is definitely a super big shot if he can invite Gates. He must be low-key."
"Trolls, shut your mouths. The video is there. Didn't you watch it? That's the real Gates."
"This show is so exciting! They surprised us with a super big shot."
"Even Gates is so respectful. I wonder what's the real identity of this big shot."
"He's getting popular. But which big shot is so free to participate in a show?"
Many netizens were trying to guess Thomson's identity.
The show had already been broadcast, so many people had watched the scene of Gates respectfully delivering the items.
All of this was relatively real and could not be faked.
Moreover, Gates did not come forward to clarify the situation, so it further proved the authenticity of this matter.
"It's fake! It's definitely fake. Either that or the program team spent a lot of money to hire a fake as a gimmick."
"A bunch of retards really took it seriously. The program team is trying to fool you."
"Can't you see through such an obvious marketing stunt? Idiots."
"With Gates's net worth, why would he come to this show just for some money?"
"Report this show! They're deceiving the audience."
"The way they do things is horrendous. It would be difficult for them to hire a B-list celebrity, let alone Gates."
...
An intense discussion was going on online, and it was split into two sides.
One thought that the program team was hyping up the show and that Thomson was just an actor that the program team had hired.
The other thought that Thomson was really a super big shot.
However, the latter was obviously supported by fewer people. After all, Thomson looked very young and did not, in any way, look like a rich and influential big shot.
Coupled with Alice's embarrassment when borrowing money in the first round, everyone was clear about the Thomson family's situation.
A big shot's woman could not borrow tens of thousands of dollars?
It was a joke!
If not for Thomson turning the tide and borrowing 100 million dollars, he would have been eliminated a long time ago.
Moreover, the authenticity of this 100 million dollars was exaggerated.
Everyone knew it was a trick played by the program team.
Many shows now were like that. Once it gained popularity, anything and everything could happen.
Some time ago, there was a talent show in China where a group of young people risked their lives on the show. There was a young man who was slacking off and tried his best to eliminate himself.
He immediately became a trending topic.
The program team grabbed hold of this opportunity and forced the young man, who wanted to go home, to stay on the show while they eliminated other contestants.
Was it because this young man was strong?
No, of course not. It was because this young man was trending, and as long as he was on the show, he would bring in traffic.
Hence, the program team did not eliminate this young man.
It was the same for Thomson. Now that he was popular and trending, the program team would never eliminate Thomson.
They would even try to find a way for Thomson to win the game.
What about ethics? It was nothing compared to the traffic.
That was why many viewers doubted the authenticity of the program.
They believed that it was all part of the show's script that had been planned long ago.
A normal boss who would invite Gates to help — would that not make the trending searches?