Chapter 23 1/2

Except for Jin Jiu himself, no one could understand the emotions he felt when he saw this sentence.

Baixing did see a tear drop onto the beautiful bouquet.

The gentle bouquet caught Jin Jiu’s tears.

He exclaimed, “Do you like these flowers so much?”

Tears were shed; this must be so touching!

“Yeah.” Jin Jiu gently placed the congratulatory card in front of him, the closest to his heart: “I really like them.”

He liked them so much that it felt like his whole being was melting.

He could feel the tiny excitement jumping in his heart.

It was like a little mushroom that had been waiting for a long time before finally seeing a ray of sunlight. Seeing no one competing for it and the sunlight not seeming to leave, it cautiously hid under its mushroom umbrella.

Cherished and cautious, he thought that as long as he had this sentence, it was enough.

As long as there’s one person willing to appreciate his singing, that’s good enough.

***

“How can it be just me?” Sheng Quan was expressing her thoughts to Yu Xiangwan: “Jin Jiu was born for glory. The greater the glory, the stronger his abilities will be.”

Yu Xiangwan looked at the computer on the table. “Rest assured, during the preliminary rounds, you won’t be the only fan.”

“The events from seven years ago have been pieced together.”

It must be said that the netizens this time were truly extraordinary. Normally, they might be lazy and indifferent, but when it came to entertainment gossip, they transformed into detectives, keenly observing every detail.

Of course, relying solely on them wasn’t enough, as many things had been covered up.

This is where the marketing department comes into play.

Although Starlight Entertainment had recently been established, under the high demands of Gu Zha, almost every department was filled with talented individuals.

While the company atmosphere was relaxed, excellent traditions like “slacking off at work” were almost nonexistent in Starlight. Even if you went to the tea room to eat delicious and visually appealing cakes or went to the company gym to exercise, it was up to you.

Starlight also had an unspoken rule that was not placed on the surface. If you finished your work early for the day, you could leave early.

Statutory holidays were numerous, and if you did your job well, natural promotions were possible because the company’s biggest shareholder, Sheng Dong, liked treating employees. The management below followed suit, so there were often opportunities to enjoy free coffee.

As for other departments, it wasn’t clear, but colleagues in the marketing department, in this short time, had become “wholeheartedly devoted to Starlight.” They were already itching to contribute significantly to the company.

Now, finally getting this chance, the head of the marketing department brainstormed a plan that day. He couldn’t sleep at night, getting up every now and then to check and make modifications.

The entire entertainment marketing department was focused on this. Not to mention that Jin Jiu was innocent; even if they had another innocent person, spitting venom was strictly prohibited by Sheng Dong.

Though this rule seemed a bit absurd in the entertainment industry, the members of the entertainment marketing department accepted it quite well.

Not only did they accept it well, but they were also quite excited, working overtime and enthusiastically staying up late.

This night, many gossip enthusiasts were also excited, revealing one explosive revelation after another, and crucially, they were all authentic.

【So, Jin Jiu was forced to make money for that unscrupulous boss even before his throat completely healed. He was only sixteen at that time! Isn’t this exploiting a minor? Can’t he sue for this?】

【Although only seven years have passed, the entertainment industry was even more chaotic back then than it is now. Star exploitation was much worse at that time. There were even many child stars treated as cash cows by their parents. By the way, Jin Jiu’s parents divorced, right?】

【Yes, they divorced. After the divorce, they remarried separately, but they weren’t as outrageous. Look at this news from seven years ago (pic.jpg), they protected Jin Jiu when they broke through the paparazzi.】

【Damn!! Damn!! I’ve found another big piece of information! I found the news of Zhou Xie, who competed with Jin Jiu in the “Love Song Newcomer King” seven years ago, being arrested by the police!

Look at this headline! Zhou Xie was arrested for intentionally poisoning! Suspected victim: the angelic voice of Jin Jiu, so Jin Jiu was poisoned! 】

【My god!!! If this information is true, Jin Jiu’s voice wasn’t damaged due to illness? He was poisoned?!!!】

【I suddenly became energetic. I’m not going to sleep!!!】

Sleep? No! They had energetic sleep, and another hour of research was enough! Besides, even if they worked for another hour, they could still get seven hours of sleep, right? Unconsciously, they spent another two hours. Six hours was enough, and if not, five hours would do!

While the gossip enthusiasts were excited, Zhou Xie, who was considered their main target, didn’t sleep either.

Zhou Xie couldn’t be just a person without background, or else he wouldn’t have returned to singing so casually after being released from prison.

The entertainment industry was originally a forgotten circle. Seven years had passed; Jin Jiu’s name had faded, but Zhou Xie had smoothly gained some fame.

Three years of prison life made him regret, mainly not making things more discreet. He never expected Jin Jiu to call the police, nor did he expect to be arrested.

Originally, these things were in the past, but he never imagined that Jin Jiu, whose voice he had ruined, would reappear and sing again. Moreover, he sang so beautifully, even though the doctors initially claimed his voice couldn’t be repaired.

The key was that Sheng Quan was Jin Jiu’s fan.

When Zhou Xie learned this, he almost thought he was hallucinating.

Now, Jin Jiu, who was no longer dazzling, had long hair covering his eyes, extremely pale skin, and an overall melancholy appearance. Where was the trace of the brilliant young man he once was?

Yes, back then, Jin Jiu was like the brightest star of that year, but now this star has clearly fallen.

But Sheng Quan, who was considered the moon among stars, illuminated Jin Jiu’s light again.

Where did this Sheng Quan come from? Why did she like Jin Jiu? She was so wealthy that she could like anyone. Why did she choose Jin Jiu, who had completely fallen to the ground?

Zhou Xie was terrified. When he saw the netizens turning their attention toward him, he could hardly breathe. He immediately called his uncle.

Yes, his uncle was the major shareholder of the company who had protected him back then.

In Zhou Xie’s eyes, his uncle was omnipotent, able to cover the sky with one hand. However, on the phone, his uncle told him that everything was his illusion:

“I wouldn’t have ended up in the police station if you really had the power to cover everything!”

“Do you think I’m that amazing? I’ve told you before, you can do anything, just don’t break the law. When you were arrested, I spent a lot of money to silence those newspapers. It worked back then, but now?

Now is the era of big data and the internet. With so many media outlets and netizens—tens of thousands, or even hundreds of millions of people—can I buy them all off? “