Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 493 Popular Culture is a Cruel Romance
As time passed and events unfolded, the Black Minggui movement intensified, but thanks to Shen Juan's strong self-defense and the support of big-name celebrities like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, who risked considerable trouble, the attacks and doubts directed at him by the public were greatly diminished.

This successfully escalated the intensity of the conflict from a nationwide online attack to a protracted battle with mixed reviews.

Although Shen Juan's Alovers, which boasts a massive following of millions, cannot withstand such a fervent mainstream social movement, it is difficult for any celebrity, including MJ, to compete with this nationwide civil rights movement. After all, fan groups come from the general public, and the base of a single fan group is always smaller than the broader general public.

But while using all his skills to brutally kill the male duck, he could also easily catch and kill those stray dogs who mistakenly thought Shen Juan was finished and wanted to kick him while he was down, such as Capcom and 69.

The saying "eat like the master" makes a lot of sense.

Alovers, like Shen Juan, is vengeful!
The guys have been stripped naked.

This only made matters worse for their already poor reputation!

So, in this first round of the battle for honor, which many domestic fans regard as Shen Juan's tribulation to ascend to heaven, who will win and who will lose?

There will probably be no winners.

Or perhaps the real winners are the capitalists who manipulate public opinion and guide the narrative from behind the scenes, and the masses who love to create and destroy idols, waiting for high-profile celebrities to be attacked by paparazzi like Britney Spears and suffer mental breakdowns, becoming the laughingstock of the entire nation.

Actually, everything is reciprocal.

Once Shen Juan becomes a god and satisfies the distorted god-making needs of the North American people, his novice protection period will end.

It's like turning an hourglass upside down.

The praise and accolades that once poured down have instantly turned into sharp criticism and intense questioning.

Aside from his existing fans and music lovers, many more people are already tired of him constantly making headlines in major media outlets, hearing his music everywhere, and seeing his advertisements everywhere. They crave to see new faces, rather than seeing Shen Juan continue to shine.

So they started to slander Shen Juan.

Trying to destroy him the way they destroyed Britney.

But no matter what.
In this defamation and reputational attack against him, Shen Juan, as the victim, did not come away empty-handed!
At least his album sales have increased significantly.

His global profile and influence have risen once again.

If you randomly grab an elderly man on the street and ask him if he knows Shen Juan, his answer will probably be yes.

His fan base has grown significantly.

Their cohesion even transcended national borders, proving more effective than any previous international campaign!

Many casual observers who initially had only a casual liking for Shen Juan were so disgusted by the inhumane behavior of the Americans that they resolutely chose to support Shen Juan in order to uphold the justice in their hearts. Many old fans who had quit the fandom for various reasons also took up arms again and fought against the haters.

In terms of Weibo super topic check-ins, which measures the number of fans in China, Shen Juan easily surpassed 250 million.

(Dehydration data)
So with the help of fans, they might actually be able to overcome the influence of loyalty and create another phenomenal album with actual sales of 2000 million copies!

It's no wonder so many celebrities are so enthusiastic about this; manipulating fans is always the best way to stimulate their spending.

In addition, several other countries besides the United States also reported on and discussed the incident.

British media, always eager for drama, claimed that Shen Juan was subjected to defamation because his two consecutive years topping the Forbes Global Celebrity List had angered the American people. They also stated that Shen Juan truly deserves to be called the new generation's MJ, as even the situation of being besieged by Americans is exactly the same.

But they believe Shen Juan is innocent!
So, the US doesn't need Alex?

We in the UK need it!
If all else fails, Alex, come and develop your career in the UK!

They didn't appreciate meeting two Michael Jacksons in a row; they're just a bunch of nouveau riche bumpkins with no sense of aesthetics!
You guys keep bringing up the Beatles and talking about this and that, but we're not allowed to use your MJ to glorify others?
How can it be?

You Americans are disgusting!

France, as Shen Juan's second home, also chose to stand by him and called on those who blindly criticized him to remain rational.

no way.

As an unofficial heir of LVMH, Shen Juan's name still carries some weight in France, especially in Paris.

Moreover, luxury brands such as LV, Tiffany & Co., Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Saint Laurent all issued statements, first praising Shen Juan from various angles, and then stating that they would not be affected by the boycott by some American people and would not end their cooperation with Shen Juan, indicating that their relationship was very close!
Japanese media focused on Asian cultural breakthroughs, believing that Shen Juan's existence threatened the foundation of American cultural hegemony, which led to his cyberbullying. Many people think that Japanese people are pampered by the United States, which is indeed the case, but they must be chained up, otherwise they may devour their master at any time.

South Korean media viewed it as a warning to the industry.

After all, many American media outlets have been referring to Shen Juan as an Asian idol, which makes it hard for South Koreans not to overthink things and mistakenly believe that their BTS and BP have also been affected. Therefore, many bosses, including Bang Si-hyuk, are feeling complicated and are hesitant about how to deal with this matter.

On the one hand, Shen Juan is definitely their enemy.

There is no doubt about that!

After all, the total number of fans in the fandom is limited.

The more popular Shen Juan becomes, the more fans he attracts.

The fewer fans BTS can attract, the smaller the fan base becomes.

Their development paths overlap.

Shen Juan ate a lot, so they ate very little, leaving BTS with only scraps that nobody wanted.

BTS's potential for growth is naturally cut in half.

On the other hand
The United States did indeed suppress Shen Juan.

However, this suppression targets his public image and cannot directly affect his core fans and general popularity.

This means that Shen Juan will not be able to drop any gold coins.

They couldn't benefit from Shen Juan's loss of fans.

So they even tried to curry favor with Shen Juan by taking the Asian alliance route, hoping to ride on his popularity and make a fortune.

As for Southeast Asia?
Southeast Asian fans are just like Japanese fans.

I don't care about this or that.

In short, it boils down to one sentence!

It doesn't matter, I'll spoil her!

In China
[I shine like a star on stage every day, and despite exhaustion and heartbreak, I strive to present my best self to you. Shen Juan's career truly embodies this statement! Many wanted to see him ruined, but I wanted to see him rise to the top!]

[If Shen Juan hadn't created the album *Sisyphus*, I truly wouldn't have known that this energetic and spirited performer sometimes felt lonely and down. I can only say that Shen Juan's success was not accidental, but inevitable! I even knew he would be a superstar the first time I saw him!]

The ability to consistently produce excellent work is fundamental to an artist's long-term success. It was precisely because the release of the "Sisyphus" album solidified my artistic persona and elevated his work to another level that those vile individuals couldn't resist launching a cyberbullying campaign to smear him.

Although I know that hardships can become a valuable asset for creators, and a smooth life isn't necessarily a good one, and although I know that a period of reflection can greatly extend an artist's career, I still don't want Juanjuan to suffer or fall into obscurity.

Unlike usual, in the face of this global controversy, although netizens and celebrities actively participated and showed a united front, the long posts by the sisters-in-law on Weibo and Instagram, as well as their exchanges with Shen Juan's haters, were collectively reposted abroad and sparked heated discussions.

For example, Sister Tian took this opportunity to successfully gain fame overseas, earning the nickname "China's irritable sister" among her European and American fans.

However, the usually active and outgoing mainstream media in China have remained silent and have not expressed any opinion on the matter.

Despite some fans and netizens expressing their dissatisfaction, believing that at such a critical juncture, their own media outlets failed to provide support to their own people and simply watched as the innocent Shen Juan was relentlessly attacked in North America, which was truly disheartening!
But it's actually quite understandable that they did it.

First, for well-known reasons, domestic news is for domestic audiences and will not be disseminated abroad unless there are special circumstances. Therefore, it is impossible to provide Shen Juan with any international support unless the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is brought out, but that would be making a mountain out of a molehill and is obviously impossible.

Secondly, the nature of the events is also different.

Previously, cases like Meng Wanzhou's were considered political persecution, while Shen Juan's case is at most a civil dispute.

Since the US government hasn't intervened.

Then what's the point of their fate?
Therefore, in order to avoid creating confrontation and escalating the situation, and to prevent Shen Juan from being caught in the middle and in a difficult position, their decision to keep the mainstream media silent was actually the most correct approach, at least in the best interest of Shen Juan himself!
Over the next few days, Shen Juan continued to shoot advertisements for various brands in Beijing, and the day came to the 8th.

After finishing work in the evening, Shen Juan took some time to meet with Wang Churan, who was about to head to Wuxi to join the cast of "When We Meet Again".

While waiting for their food, the two went to the restaurant's terrace.

The city before me is dazzling with lights and colors.

The stereo is playing Shen Juan's "Good Days".

Looking at Shen Juan's calm profile, Wang Churan bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before finally expressing her concern: "The US has been talking about you a lot lately. I was even arguing with those Americans on Twitter on my way to Beijing. Are you really okay?"

"How could nothing be wrong? It's just that this matter is still under control, so it's not something that makes me too anxious."

“You’re too popular right now, and a lot of people don’t like you. I mean, no one can please all the listeners and all the viewers. You’re already great! Really great! So there’s no need to pay attention to the voices of those losers who are boycotting you out of jealousy and hatred.”

Wang Churan, who considers herself Shen Juan's sweet and gentle wife, is truly heartbroken to see so many people inexplicably joining the attack on Shen Juan.

She wished she could transform into Sister Tian and instantly master all of Sister Tian's eighteen martial arts skills to confiscate the family tree of that pack of Sword Tomb Wild Dogs!
The evidence was right there, but they ignored it and only knew how to mindlessly post hateful remarks or spam the screen with robot emojis, as if this would allow them to release their dark and shameful emotions without reservation and leave scars on Shen Juan!
Those people are heartless!

I shouldn't have been born into this world!

But Shen Juan, the innocent victim, acted as if nothing had happened, simply smiling gently at her, "I know, and I don't care. Don't worry. After all, how can the glamour and slander of the world of fame and fortune compare to the simple warmth of cleaning up the mess with me after the party?"

"Have we ever had this experience?"

"No."

Wang Churan frowned slightly: "Then you..."

Shen Juan raised an eyebrow slightly: "This is something Taylor told me during our phone call a while ago. Apparently, it's lyrics from one of her songs. I suddenly thought of this line while we were chatting just now, so I told you. It doesn't have any special meaning; I just wanted to cheer you up." "Why are you comforting me? I'm the one comforting you!"

"Because I sensed that you weren't in a good mood."

Wang Churan couldn't help but roll her eyes cutely, without any real threat: "You talk like you're in a good mood."

Wang Churan was clearly very angry and furious.

But then, without realizing it, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Because she knew that Shen Juan was doing this for her own good.

Even though he was the most innocent and pitiful victim, he still considered taking care of his own feelings.

There aren't many people in the world as good as Juanjuan.

And she was very lucky to meet one!
Looking down at the bustling traffic below, Shen Juan suddenly thought of how similar the legendary experiences of many pop stars in the last century were to his own current predicament. So he said with some emotion, "Although we always say that music is a private experience, and many times all you need is a pair of headphones to feel the atmosphere created by the music and the emotions it wants to express, such as the second half of my new album, music has actually carried a collective consciousness since its inception."

"Popular culture is never just about music. Achievements, public opinion, gossip, and drama all contribute to popular culture. So, one moment you might be a superstar who can command the wind and rain, and the next you might become a criminal who is despised by everyone and judged by society."

"Tired."

"Ok?"

Wang Churan tried her best not to show any sadness and said in a light tone, "Are you talking about yourself?"

"Yes and no, because to be precise, I'm actually talking about a phenomenon, a phenomenon that includes all of us." Shen Juan smiled. "Speaking of which, Ship, do you know what the eternal theme of popular culture is?"

"do not know"

"Some say it's love, some say it's growth, some say it's curiosity about the unknown, but I think it's honor."

Wang Churan looked intently at the man who seemed to radiate light in her eyes, quietly waiting for him to continue.

"Actually, I've been thinking about this question for a while: how much external expectation can a person bear? To find the answer to this question, I even used myself as an experiment. I used almost every method I could think of to accumulate fame, and then..."

Shen Juan smiled and shrugged.

"I have reaped great rewards, and you have seen how significant the results are. Standing at the forefront of the times, I have built a fan base that many people cannot achieve in a lifetime in just two years. But at the same time, I have found that people seem to be keen on judgment, because both destroying gods and creating gods can arouse the group's resonance."

"My current situation perfectly illustrates this point. I suddenly realized that reputation is essentially a reflection of public consciousness. It often doesn't belong to us. Reputation is the emotional projection of the public onto us public figures. It's a virtual image formed by the convergence of countless gazes and evaluations."

"The reputation bestowed upon public figures by the outside world can shape and praise us as an omniscient and omnipotent god, but at the same time it can also judge and shape us as a notorious demon. While we are immersed in the pride and sense of accomplishment that reputation brings us, it is actually secretly dismembering us."

"While reputation does indeed originate from us, it never truly belongs to us. The halo of reputation is certainly dazzling, but when all the light is focused on one person, it will always burn them. However, if we are willing to share our light and warmth with others, these rays may become a heartwarming force."

"I understand!" Wang Churan exclaimed.

"What do you know?" Shen Juan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"So that's why you founded Starlink!" Wang Churan exclaimed excitedly, feeling that he had discovered the truth. "Juanjuan, you are like a star, the sun, spreading light and heat to the other planets orbiting around you. I was wondering why our company is called Starlink! So that's the meaning behind it!"

"Actually, no."

"Huh?" Wang Churan was dumbfounded.

Shen Juan suppressed a laugh and said, "But we can explain it like this to outsiders from now on, and then do as you say."

"You've made me so embarrassed!"

"How is this shameful?"

"You said such a long thing, and I only replied with such a short paragraph, and it's even wrong. It makes me seem very uncultured."

Shen Juan smiled and walked up behind the girl who seemed to be in a state of self-doubt. He gently hugged her, rested his chin on the top of her head, and breathed in her pleasant fragrance: "It's okay, we both have bachelor's degrees, and I'm not educated either."

"Hey! You'd be better off not saying anything at all; it doesn't feel like you're trying to comfort me at all." What Wang Churan didn't say was, but your hug made up for it perfectly.

"Anyway, no one else knows."

"I knew you thought I was stupid!"

“I never said that.”

The two lingered quietly in the night breeze for a while, when Wang Churan suddenly spoke up: "Um...did you expect so many people to take advantage of your misfortune?"

Shen Juan shook his head. "I didn't expect it, but I can understand it. After all, everyone, including myself, likes to see stories of high-flying celebrities falling into the abyss and then rebounding. Because only with ups and downs, peaks and troughs, can a wonderful narrative be formed, right?"

"Just like you know I'm a philandering scumbag, yet you're still willing to fall deeper and deeper into it without hesitation. So even though we all know that reputation is a double-edged sword, it treats everyone the same. As long as you can't bear its weight, you'll be tormented and wounded by it."

"But countless people still willingly make a pilgrimage to fame, bowing down to its halo, only to be burned and wounded by it. Of course, the vast majority of people fall at this stage, and only a very few can be reborn, and then this process repeats itself again and again, leaving the world with one story after another of the pursuit of fame."

"It feels like one of those online games where you fight monsters and progress through levels!"

"This is indeed a game for the brave; popular culture has always been a kind of cruel romance."

"Wow, that's high-end! I didn't expect that you, as a celebrity, would consider these things. Unlike me, I became a celebrity just to make money, enjoy the adoration of fans, and then date a boyfriend as good as you." Wang Churan didn't want to talk about such heavy topics with Shen Juan; she just wanted to make him happy.

Shen Juan stared at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He felt that he might not be in a good state lately, and that he would say such things to a young girl.

There are many things she simply cannot understand.

She was unable to feel many of the emotions.

But her answer was...
Childlike fun? Or perhaps cute?

Shen Juan withdrew his gaze from her face, and a phrase he had seen somewhere before suddenly popped into his mind.
In this world, there are two of me: one is silent, mature, and steady; the other is chattering and extremely childish.

Maturity is for outsiders, naivety is for those you care about.

Wang Chuan was like this, and so was he.

He can be quite childish sometimes in front of Sister Tian, ​​Xiao Ye, and Xiao Xiao, so much so that they often say his contrast is adorable.

Thinking this, he heard Wang Churan say with some emotion, "I never thought we'd be talking about these things one day."

Shen Juan snapped out of his reverie and smiled gently at her: "Maybe it's because you seem a bit silly, Chuanbao, that makes me especially eager to confide in you? I wouldn't normally tell these things to anyone. Some things are better kept to myself and processed alone; saying them out loud would just seem inappropriate."

"What's wrong with it?" Wang Churan suddenly turned around, frowned as she looked into Shen Juan's eyes, and asked, "Juanjuan, do you think I can't understand, so you don't want to talk to a brick wall?"

“I don’t think it’s necessary. I feel that it’s enough that you can share these sad emotions with me.”

"But I still feel it's not enough. I want to help you shoulder even more!" Wang Churan took a half step forward, her tone stubbornly earnest: "Even though I know there are some things I can't just take on because I'm not at that level yet, there are many things I don't understand, many things I haven't experienced, and I don't even have the right to bear the feeling of failure, I just want to help you share some of your less pleasant emotions! Even if my efforts have no value to you, I don't want to see you the only one suffering, because when you're suffering, I'll only feel even more suffering and guilty!"

"There's no need to feel guilty when you like someone." Shen Juan looked at her with a mixture of emotion and heartache.

Wang Churan, who had long been prepared to become Shen Juan's little wife, gently bit her lip, then raised her head again, her voice filled with desperate honesty: "I don't know if I felt guilty when I liked you, I only know that I brought everything I could with me at that time!"

The fact that they fell in love in their youth, coupled with the huge gap in their social status, made this relationship far more profound than that of most people.

After a moment of silence, Shen Juan smiled helplessly.

"I really suspect you're a masochist who's willing to endure hardship."

"I just want to experience the hardships you've gone through~"

"Do as you please," Shen Juan sighed.

"So you agreed?" Wang Churan blinked.

"Do you think I'd stop you from doing something like this?"

"Oh"

"The dishes are almost all served, let's go back."

"Wait, I have something else to tell you!"

"what?"

“My dear husband, I recently discovered that I have a disease that I will die if I don’t hear you say ‘I love you’.”

"No... are you really sick?"

"I'm terminally ill! Please save me!"

Shen Juan rolled her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too! And I think about you and love you every day! I absolutely adore you!" Wang Churan hugged Shen Juan tightly.

Breathing in the pleasant scent emanating from Shen Juan.

She nestled happily in Shen Juan's arms, lost in thought.
I think my performance today was pretty good, right?

Have I finally truly entered his heart this time?
I think I'm one step closer to becoming the perfect little wife, right?

Ah, I really want to be Brother Juan's little wife!
But no matter what
I'm so happy today!
Every day I spend with Juanjuan is so happy!
(End of this chapter)