Chapter 266 - He waited for the storm to come. (1)
Fang JunRong didn't belong to that circle but she had learned a thing or two from all the banquets that she had attended in the past. She had never been a fan of Begonia Entertainment and, now that she learned that they had been plotting against XinYun and Zhong Yi, her opinion on them could not be lower.
"What are your plans?" Zhou Yang had always had a good relationship with Fang JunRong and, since Fang JunRong had given her some Beautify Pills and Hair Growing Cream, she had been touting herself as a good friend of Fang JunRong's. Besides, Fang JunRong had high status. With Fang JunRong looking out for her, it had saved her much hassles. As such, she sided with Fang JunRong more and more.
Take this competition as an example. She had put a lot of work into it and had referred quite a few guests. She even came in person to the final.
"The way Begonia Entertainment looks at it, they can maximize their gains regardless of the outcome. Specifically, they would be able to maximize their gains if Dong JunMing was to lose. So most likely they are hoping that he will lose."
After all, only when Dong JunMing lost the competition could Begonia market him as the tragic hero who refused to provide the "unspoken favor". He would immediately gain a lot of fondness from the public. He may not have won the competition but he might as well have.
"It is a disgusting thought to just make him the winner but it would minimize the damage for XinYun." Zhou Yang offered her objective opinion.
Fang JunRong said coldly. "That would be too nice to them. The whole point of this competition is that the winner will be selected fair and square. If he is to win it with his own ability, good for him. Nevertheless, he had chosen such revolting means."
Her words let Zhou Yang knew her thoughts clearly. Fang JunRong was never one to compromise. The more others come at her, the less likely she would compromise.
She saw a light smile appeared on Fang JunRong and heard her said, "Fame is what they are after, right? Fame I will give them then."
She may have a smile on her, but her eyes were not smiling.
Fang JunRong had came up with the idea to fight back in that short while. She had some exposure in the area of marketing in the past year for the sake of Meifang Corporation. She was familiar with a couple of for-profit accounts. Naturally, she wasn't going to do so personally and leave a trail for others to follow. She started making calls to her Public Relation team to start acting.
Watching Fang JunRong in action stupefied Zhou Yang. She was baffled by Fang JunRong's strategy. Fang JunRong had someone wrote two versions of paid articles. Her interest perked when she heard the names of those for-profit accounts. How was Fang JunRong so familiar with them? Did she read about these gossips all the time during her free time?
"Shocker. The strong candidate Dong JunMing lost because of this reason?"
"The well-deserved winner, our beloved Dong JunMing."
"Losing the competition because he had declined to offer unspoken favor, Dong JunMing wept on stage."
"Dong JunMing, the angel on stage."
"Ren DongZhi, the most shameless winner in history."
"Sacrificing himself for your future? Is that how it is, Ren DongZhi?"
After Fang JunRong had gotten off her call, Zhou Yang asked her in a low voice, "What are you doing? Are you writing the for-profit articles for them?"
Fang JunRong felt better now and the smile on her deepened. "What time are we starting"
"9:30."
Fang JunRong nodded, "And we won't know the result until 10:30, right?"
"That's why we are going to release these articles 10 minutes early, without any tags."
Zhou Yang figured it out right away. Fang JunRong was, essentially, bringing the for-profit articles to everyone's attention and letting everyone know that many of these for-profit channels were already in the works preparing to smear Ren DongZhi. They had articles ready well before the outcome had been determined. They were purposefully leaving out the tags so it would take the others more time to notice.
Fang JunRong unfurrowed her brows and said, "Let's go. It's almost time."
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Chapter 267 - He waited for the storm to come. (2)
Both Fang JunRong and Zhou Yang returned to the competition location. Both of them had a slight smile on them, looking like they were in a good mood.
The competition began officially at 9:30.
Number 7, Dong JunMing, looked delicate and docile but was explosive when he sang. His dancing was particularly impressive. Truth was, he didn't need any of the gimmicks. He was talented enough to make a name for himself regardless. Nevertheless, he was impatient and wanted to take short cuts.
Fang JunRong had spent some time in learning the rules before she came. The total score for each competitor would earn was the sum from the audiences, the judges, and the guests. Among them, scores from the audiences would contribute 40% of the total and those from the judges and guests would contribute 30% each.
Fang JunRong was not a big fan of him but she was fair when it came to scoring him. She did not purposefully give him a low score but gave him 92 points. The total scores would be announced at the very end after all competitors had performed. It was part of the draw.
After his performance, Dong JunMing gave a very touching speech on stage after his performance. Something about how far he had gone to be there today. That he was a sickly child and that his mother thought of him as a burden and had left him and his father behind. His father was not of good health either and was sick a lot. And that he had chosen to become a single and would perform at bars to earn money for his father to visit doctors and to enjoy his golden years.
He had gone through a lot as he did not have a strong family to back him up. That many of his opportunities were snatched by others and that he was scammed out of his saving by someone who said they would release a record of his. When he got to the sad parts, he even cried on stage. Many of his fans' eyes reddened below the stage.
Clips of what his relatives and good friends had said about him was played on the stage behind him. Mostly how what a mature child he was since a young age.
All in all, Dong JunMing was able to successfully create a pitiful, mature, and strong image for himself.
Ren DongZhi was the one performing after Dong JunMing.
With his guitar in hand, he sat down and started stroking the cords. A melodious tone began to play. He did not need any more background music and he started to sing. The sound from the guitar made his voice seemed even more magnetic and gentle. It was a fast and cheerful tune but, with his voice, it almost sounded blue.
From the lyrics, this was a song given from a boy to his ex-girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend was about to get married and the boy, filled with sadness, wished her happiness with a light-hearted and cheerful song. Throughout the song was his unchanging love and protection for the girl.
Fang JunRong was genuinely surprised by it. She had never heard this song before. It was probably written by him.
The venue was silent after the song was over before it broke into thunderous applause.
Fang JunRong, too, applauded with the others. Ren DongZhi's performance had truly exceeded her expectation.
After his performance, Ren DongZhi thought about it for a little while and said, "I have no idea what to say to you all. What would you like me to say?"
He had prominent features and looked like someone with an edge but, when he talked, he came across as cute.
"Encore!"
"Encore!"
Ren DongZhi thought about it a little and nodded. "Okay, I'll just come up with something random. Please don't take it too seriously."
He sat back down, started strumming his guitar and sang. The large screen behind him was already about to start playing the video clips from his friends and family. Now that Ren DongZhi decided to sing a second song, that put the workers in the backstage in a very awkward situation. It felt odd to skip that part of the program.
They couldn't help but turned to look at Zhong Yi.
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Chapter 268 - He waited for the storm to come. (3)
Zhong Yi couldn't help but smiled. Clearing her throat, she said, "Go ahead. It'll be background for his song. If he is going to be a troublemaker for us, we shall reciprocate." She didn't believe that Ren DongZhi would be distracted by that. She had been working with him for a while now and recognized that he was truly talented when it came to composing. Sometimes, when an idea struck him, he would start to sing while strolling.
Hence the comical scene on stage. Ren DongZhi was singing at the same time the video clips were being played, and a song that he composed for his fans on the fly at that. Whenever he ran out of ideas, he would turn around and look at the video clips and weaved in all the rainbow farts from his friends and families. That was quite a shameless act on his part.
"He's smart and confident. He deserves any kind of praises."
"Please be mad and crazy for me. To a point that you would bump into walls when you walk."
Everybody at the venue burst out into laughter.
Fang JunRong, "... ..."
She shook her head but her lips curved upward as though they had minds of their own. She lowered her head and gave him a 95.
All the scores were announced 10 minutes later.
Ren DongZhi received 98, 95, and 96 from audiences, judges, and guests, respectively and Tong Jiaming received 93, 94, and 92, respectively.
Ren DongZhi surpassed him in all areas, especially the score from the audiences. Being 5 points higher, he had, without a doubt, won the competition.
Which made sense if one was to think about it. With the exception of one's fans, most other audiences had already been desensitized by one's tragic past. What he had done was out of the box and brought about a pleasant surprise for the live audiences. Which would explain why they were willing to give him high scores.
As soon as the scores were announced, Tong Jiaming had a shocked look on him. He blinked and forced a smile on himself. "Congratulations on your win."
Then tears rolled down his face, as though he had been wronged.
Under the stage, Li Xuan sent out a text.
[Ren DongZhi won the competition.]
He placed his phone down with the screen facing down. There was a light smile on him. Seeing Fang JunRong's elegant and calm smile, he snickered to himself. He hoped she could remain this calm all the way. He was going to warn her but now, now he was just going to sit back and enjoy the drama as they unfold themselves.
He waited for the arrival of the storm.
Just as Fang JunRong had expected, Begonia Entertainment couldn't wait to smear the talent show Star of the Future as soon as it was over. All of the for-profit accounts shouted out loudly and hinted that the winner had been decided ahead of time and that all the other competitors were just pawns in Ren DongZhi's victory.
[Ren DongZhi had been determined to be the winner ahead of time? How shameless!]
[Losing because he had turned down offering up unspoken favors? Tong Jiaming lost but didn't lose.]
[Ren DongZhi v. Tong Jiaming, who is the real winner?]
All these big-name internet influencers expressed that every competitor had performed spectacularly but, unfortunately, the winner had been decided long ago and it didn't matter how well the others did on the show. They also expressed that they were not just making things up and posted pictures of Ren DongZhi and Zhong Yi together. The two of them had their heads together looking very affectionate with each other.
They ended it with a very provoking line, "All fans should just go turn in now. He had hugged the biggest of all thighs. It was too bad that your idol was not mature enough to know to put out."
The talent show had gone on for two months in total. In addition, all of the competitors were talented, had their own personalities, and shined in their own ways on stage. That was the reason the show had gained popularities over time. Especially for the fans who were there for their candidates the entire time, they all became so upset that they could have strokes when they clicked into the articles.
Fans always had filters for their own idols and thought that they were the best of the best and naturally deserve to be the winner. It would have been no big deal if the competition had just ended the way that it did. But now that someone had provided evidences that their idols didn't lose because of their abilities but they lost to someone who pulled strings behind the scene? How could they remain silent after that?!
Shengxing get out and give us an explanation! All the fans banded together and demanded justice for their poor, victimized idols.
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Chapter 269 - Fang JunRong wasn't sure what to think when she saw her fan's reactions. (1)
Some bystanders did express that Ren DongZhi was a strong candidate and a rare one that was strong at both singing and creativity at that. And that his performance was more eye-catching than number 2 during the competition. His victory was well deserved. But the words of the bystanders, under the fans who were united for once, were fragile. They were no match to the fans who had joined forces and their words were quickly drowned out.
As the comments from the fans mounted, even some of the bystanders were being influenced. They recalled times when they were stiffed by others who had connections and could relate to that. Gradually, they joined the fans in demanding for an explanation.
Everybody worked together in landing "The dark story behind Star of the Future" and "Tong Jiaming lost his victory unfairly" onto the most trending list. They were unstoppable and the anger was palpable. It would seem that this anger wanted to tear Shengxing into pieces.
XinYun, who had finally finished with wrapping up after the competition, was about to jump online and read about comments on their competition.
She was secretly quite proud of the competition that she had organized albeit there had been a lot of bumps along the way due to lack of experiences. The minor setbacks, nevertheless, did not negatively impact the event overall. She and Zhong Yi would like to sign all four top candidates. All of them were promising and already came with their own fans. They had great futures in front of them. Tong Jiaming, especially, was one of the ones that she had high hopes for. Unfortunately, Tong Jiaming seemed to already have plans for his future and had declined her a while back. There was no point in forcing someone against their wish so she could only wish him luck as they had at least grown to know each other from the event.
When she opened up WeChat, on the other hand, the strong hostility turned into vines and gripped her heart tightly.
She was so angry that even her hands were shaking. The happiness that was in her before was wiped clean and tears welled up in her eyes.
She was very involved in the entire competition every step of the way and had consulted many in the field the exact rules. She had done her best to provide a transparent stage for all to see. She could honestly say that she had done nothing wrong yet she received such malicious words online. Li XinYun was no fool. Combing the direction of the public opinion online right now along with Tong Jiaming's vague attitude from before, she figured out what was going on. Not only did Tong Jiaming already secured himself with a company, he planned to give himself a boost by stepping on them.
Surely her original intention of the competition was publicity for her new company but, after months of hard work along with all the time and effort that she had put into it, she had become attached to it. She could honestly say that she had never mistreated any one of them but, in return, she was stabbed in her back.
The look on her when she was looking for comfort was exactly the same as when she was still a child.
She had always come running to Fang JunRong every time when she was wronged with teary eyes just like she was right now. Over the years, many had changed and was different than how Fang JunRong had remembered them but her daughter was still that little girl who relied on her.
Zhong Yi felt very guilty. She had been careless and wasn't mindful of the fact that she was now a public figure. Her carelessness allowed for that picture to be taken and it had turned into evidence by others that they had shady business going on behind the scene.
"Mom, I..."
Looking solemn, Fang JunRong asked them, "Why do you think they are doing this?"
XinYun took a deep breath and tried to keep her emotions under control. "For their own gain. In fan's speech, they wanted to attract more fans and build their attack power by giving their idol a poor and victimized image. That would allow them to lock in more fans and pull their heart strings." She had done a lot of homework recently.
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Chapter 270 - Fang JunRong wasn't sure what to think when she saw her fan's reactions. (2)
Fang JunRong nodded slightly and said to Zhong Yi, "If you chose to enter into this circle, then this was doomed to happen sooner or later. The paparazzi would try everything within their power to find out anything they could about you. Any opportunities that you allowed them to have, they would take advantage of that. Even if you have done nothing, as long as you have the ability to attract attention, they would create news about you if they had to.
Zhong Yi nodded. This was certainly a lesson well learned for the two of them. Even their initial excitement had been dampened some.
"So how do you two plan on handling this?"
"Send them lawyers from our attorneys!" said XinYun without any hesitation.
They had the strongest team of lawyers.
Fang JunRong couldn't help but smile. "What else?"
Zhong Yi hesitated a little and said, "Show evidences and faceslap them."
Fang JunRong did not tell the two children what she had already done. She wanted to use this as a teaching moment for them.
New messages came to her cellphone at this point. She clicked it open to read it. It was a video along with a few pictures. The video clip showed Tong Jiaming meeting up with Gao Lin, an agent over at Begonia. The two of them were meeting in a coffee shop. As for the picture, it was Gao Lin meeting with a few companies that managed for-profit accounts.
She looked at the name of the sender and got an idea. These came to her from those from the Ren family. After all, it was their child that was bullied. They weren't going to just sit back and do nothing about it. There was another good solution to all this – to have the Ren family stood out and speak for Ren DongZhi. It was crazy to say that the young master of the Ren family needed to hug someone's thigh. The Ren family had more than enough to provide Ren DongZhi with what he needed. He didn't need to join a competition of this scale at all.
It'd appear that Ren DongZhi did not want to rely on the power of his family.
Fang JunRong forwarded the video to the two of them and said, "We got a gift just in time. You two figure out how best to use it.
"And take this opportunity to really think it through if you want to stay in this circle. You would only run into what are worse than this in the future."
Standing up, she walked away slowly, leaving Zhong Yi and Li XinYun facing each other.
Li XinYun let out a long sigh and puffed up her cheeks. "Let's take a look at the video first!"
As she watched, she pondered, "Come to think about it, I know of this uncle who can read lips. We can show this to him and see if he can figure out what was being said. Unfortunately, Gao Lin had her back to the camera most of the time. We might be able to recover part of what Tong Jiaming had said at best."
Zhong Yi, too, had calmed down a lot by now. Curving her lips some, she said, "That is still much better than what we have before."
If the other party could take advantage of the for-profit accounts, so could they. They could totally contact some major influencers of the entertainment circle to release this video. They didn't even need to pay them. They would be begging to do so just for the attention that it would draw.
As the two worked hard on positioning themselves, the event continued to bubble up on the internet and their ranking on the most trending list continued to climb.
"Let's talk about every one who had pulled strings behind the scenes over the years." This article seemed to have added fuel to the fire and the situation continued to escalate.
What pushed the fire to the maximum was the confession coming from none other than Tong Jiaming himself. He made a video clip of himself and uploaded it to his own account.
In the video, his hair was slightly wet, making him seemed even more like an adolescent boy. The corners of his eyes were slightly reddened like he had just finished crying. Sniffling, he put on a gentle and innocent smile.