Chapter 22 2/2

And the barrage went crazy.

【You can tell she’s just here for entertainment.

【She’s practically writing “so happy to have a scoop” on her face.

【Hahaha, hahaha, the singing is so energetic】

【That little gaze is really funny.

【I even heard the desire to hug President Sheng from her singing】

【Damn!! Such a catchy tone, amazing!】

The contestant finished singing, waiting quietly for the next round. When she saw her vote count rise to fifteen hundred, even she was shocked.

The idea of going home to sleep after just joining for fun was put on hold. This contestant, along with other qualifiers, would undergo a week of closed-door training directed by the program team, followed by the second round of the competition.

The first episode of “Your Song Begins” concluded successfully.

Although it was only the live broadcast of the preliminary round, the overall viewership was impressive, especially when Sheng Quan raised the light board. The ratings skyrocketed as if injected with adrenaline.

What delighted the production team the most was that, fortunately, Jin Jiu’s number was in the second-to-last position, which meant that the most exciting time was saved for the end. No need for tricky editing; they could edit it normally!

Moreover, there was no need for them to arrange anything; the audience had plenty of people willing to create excitement through various means.

In just this episode’s time, the audience had already witnessed topics like “Crazy Applause Guy,” “Sharp-Eyed Sister,” “A Male Internet Celebrity Touching Up Makeup on the Spot,” “A Certain Masked Sunglasses-Wearing Definitely-A-Star Male,” and “A Bald Director Repeatedly Attempting to Get Close to Front-Row Seats but Being Stopped Each Time.”

However, these couldn’t compete with “What did Sheng Quan say to the staff?” and #WhoIsJinJiu?

The heat of #ShengQuanLightBoard had dropped, but these two topics didn’t decrease after the show ended; instead, they showed a trend of continuous increase.

Sheng Quan’s personal comment on this was, “Human curiosity is indeed something.”

Mingqi searched the internet, then asked Sheng Quan, “Aren’t you going to clarify things for Jin Jiu?”

Sheng Quan took the fruit she handed over and replied, “Compared to me, they will believe the truth they find themselves.”

“I just need to guide them to know that there’s more to the story.”

She had never thought that Jin Jiu’s “dark history” would be difficult to handle.

Black is black, and white is white. When Jin Jiu was poisoned, he reported it to the police immediately. That artist ended up serving a solid three years in jail, and the money from the concert didn’t go into Jin Jiu’s pocket. If this can’t clear his name, then the entire marketing department of Starlight Entertainment could collectively resign.

Just like Sheng Quan had searched before, netizens had dug up a bunch of dark history about Jin Jiu. Rumors circulated about his bad singing, scamming money by organizing concerts, and so on.

But the key is that the entire internet heard Jin Jiu’s singing.

Even those who missed the live broadcast had someone record it and share it.

What’s not pleasant about that voice?

Although Jin Jiu only sang for twenty seconds, it was enough for them to recognize how beautiful those twenty seconds were.

Today’s audience is not easily fooled. Fans who have been in the entertainment industry for a long time may even understand more about the rules and behind-the-scenes marketing than some newly emerging artists. They have a rough understanding of details, backstage operations, and promotion.

The old tricks from the past don’t work anymore.

In the past, fans and audiences rarely cared about which company was behind a celebrity or who the boss was. But now, the first reaction is: which company did Jin Jiu sign with?

When the name of the marketing company was revealed, everyone suddenly realized:

【Isn’t this that shady bankrupt company? It closed down two years ago.

【Last time during the entertainment gossip, I saw the name of this shady company. Now there are over ten posts with this name. It gained fame for being shady】

【Before seeing this name: Jin Jiu scamming fans? Did Sheng Quan have a car crash? After seeing the company name: Tsk tsk, another poor soul deceived by the company】

【I knew it. Sheng Quan invested in the crew initially because of Qin Heng in “Life’s Road.” Qin Heng is a typical upright and just person who despises evil. How could she like someone with poor character?】

【And she probably knows more information than we do; maybe she knows some inside story.

【Upstairs, don’t think having money means justice. Just because Sheng Quan is rich, it doesn’t mean the person she likes is a good person】

【Upstairs, we simply feel that, with the amount of money Sheng Quan has, there’s no need for her to compromise!】

【Hahaha, look at Weibo! Sheng Quan posted on Weibo!】

Sheng Quan’s first Weibo post was late at night. She claimed to be going to bed early and posted a video that looked like it was salvaged from an antique shop. The caption read:

【It’s a pity I didn’t know you back then, but I’m glad I know you now, and it’s not too late.】

After posting, Sheng Quan put her phone down and looked at the gently curved moon in the sky with a satisfied mood.

She didn’t post this for the netizens to see; it was for Jin Jiu.

When Jin Jiu sang those twenty seconds, she knew that everything had changed.

In the silent and contemplative sea of darkness, Jin Jiu only needed a faint glimmer of light, even if it was just a small beam.

“Don’t get a small bouquet; I want a big one. Yes, put it in Jin Jiu’s resting place. Also, arrange the congratulatory card I gave you earlier. Thanks.”

While Sheng Quan was taking care of her skin, she asked on the phone, “But didn’t the program team say it would be closed-door training? Is it against the rules if you help me arrange flowers? If the directors find out and scold you, just say it was my request. They shouldn’t get angry then.”

On the other end of the call, the staff member who had been assigned to accompany Sheng Quan and had been sent to her side with a strawberry pie looked around:

“Uh, I think… they probably won’t scold me.”

After the call ended, the director and the chief director immediately went into command mode.

“Did you hear that? Flowers! A big bunch! Hurry and go downstairs to buy. No, don’t pick a wilted one; I’ll go myself!”

Finally, the flowers personally bought by the chief director were placed on the table in the contestants’ dormitory. He even sprayed a bit of “dew” on them. After adjusting the arrangement several times and making sure the angle was perfect for the overhead camera, he finally withdrew his satisfied hands.

“Remember, be sure to capture Jin Jiu’s expression when he sees these flowers. In post-production, I’ll have to talk to the editors, add subtitles, and make sure the audience knows these were sent by Sheng Dong.”

A group of people entered and left in a bustling manner.

After a while, Jin Jiu pushed open the door, with an excited An Baixing following behind.

“Mom! I can’t believe it. Sheng Dong actually came for you! I knew it; your singing is so good; it must be because of you. Oh, where did these flowers come from?”

He excitedly tried to approach, but Jin Jiu’s face turned extremely pale.

Jin Jiu felt a chill all over, as if he had seen that sentence again.

“I really regret liking you.”

“There’s also a congratulatory card! Wow! It says it’s for you, Jin Jiu. Come on, open it and take a look. It must be from your fans! These flowers look so beautiful, and there’s dew on them too!”

An Baixing pulled Jin Jiu to the table.

His hands were even trembling slightly, and the version of himself in his mind seemed to be shouting, “Quick, run away!” But at the same time, he recalled the sparkling gaze Sheng Quan had cast in his direction.

In the end, he opened the congratulatory card.

On it, with neat and beautiful handwriting, it read:

—Jin Jiu, I’m happy I could like you.