Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 120 Are you going to hang me up? (Third update)
"No, it wasn't approved."

Yu Weilin felt like the sky had fallen when he saw Hu Xing's news before going to bed. He felt that the beginning of Hu Xing's new book was pretty good. How could it not have been signed?
But upon closer reflection, it seems that the things he used to think were well-written often failed to get approved...

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Young hero, please try again."

It's not shameful to fail an internal application; many top online writers fail even without their past achievements. It all comes down to luck.

Yu Wei suggested that Hu Xing try a different editor. He reasoned that one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket; it was better to try a few different ones.

He originally wanted to wait and watch the drama unfold before going to sleep. Tong Yulu's fans said the company was going to take action, but there had been no movement, and he didn't know if it was just bluffing.

There are plenty of companies in the entertainment industry that make a big show of things, especially when an artist's career is ruined. Sending a lawyer's letter to the "rumor-mongers" is useless; the scandal will still fall apart eventually.

"The possibility of vote-rigging at night cannot be ruled out."

Vote-rigging is indeed a shady practice, and many people do it this way, secretly flooding the internet with votes late at night and then denying any wrongdoing the next day.

However, Yu Wei was a little overwhelmed. She had to record a program tomorrow, and it would be best to take advantage of the novel's popularity to change the songs needed for this episode.

After being woken up by the alarm, Yu Wei's first reaction was to gossip. But when she opened the novel, she saw that Chi Leying was still far ahead, with a score of 594236:113698.

"That's it?"

Tong Yulu's company is supposed to make a move, right? Where will they make their move...?

Yu Wei thought that the capital would personally pay for Tong Yulu to buy her ranking, but nothing changed after a whole night.

Are you trying to fool your fans?

Chi Leying's fans were on high alert all night, constantly patrolling the book review section, afraid that the duck they had almost gotten their hands on would fly away. They had to be wary of capital intervention.

They were so bored that they started chatting with a few fellow book lovers who were staying up late to read. In the middle of the conversation, one of them casually asked to add the other person on WeChat (or similar social media platform), and then the comments section went silent…

Hopefully this is a happy start.

When Yu Wei arrived at Hu Xing's house, the recording of the program had already begun, and the cameraman was capturing him studying diligently.

Hu Xing wasn't posing for the photo; he was looking at it very seriously, almost as if he was forcing himself to concentrate.

Yu Wei didn't disturb them, but went back to the living room to continue writing. Judging from the current situation, Tong Yulu couldn't win, so he could arrange the defeat CG.

No matter how powerful a talent agency is, can it really generate over 400,000 votes in just four hours? Even with a lot of money, they still need manpower.

He wrote that at 10 a.m., the unexpected finally happened: Xingye Digital Entertainment, where Tong Yulu works, issued a statement.

[Formal Statement from Xingye Digital Entertainment Media Group]
Recently, several controversial events have occurred in the "Top Influencer" special competition in which our artist Tong Yulu participated. Our company hereby issues the following statement:

1. The match result is not recognized.
Technical verification revealed an abnormal surge in votes during crucial periods of the competition, which is significantly inconsistent with normal voting behavior. Our company questions the fairness and authenticity of the final result and firmly refuses to recognize its legitimacy.

2. We strongly condemn vote-rigging.
Fair competition is a fundamental principle of any event, but some participants have engaged in vote-rigging and ticket-swapping through special channels, which not only disrupts the event's order but also tramples on the industry's bottom line of integrity. Our company urges the organizers to thoroughly investigate these violations and eliminate such malicious competitive practices to uphold the industry's credibility.

3. Prosecute cyberbullying according to law.
Regarding the insulting content posted on Weibo, online novel platforms, and other online communities by users such as "@星云腾" and "@咸鱼倒霉蛋" concerning our artists, our company has secured evidence and today formally commissioned a law firm to issue a lawyer's letter demanding the immediate removal of the infringing content and a public apology. Those who refuse to rectify the situation will be subject to legal proceedings to pursue their civil and criminal liabilities.

4. Thank you fans for your support
We sincerely thank all fans for maintaining a rational attitude and adhering to the rules in supporting our artist. Regardless of the outcome, your sincere support is a driving force for our artist's progress. Our company will continue to improve our artist protection mechanisms, resolutely defend their reputation and legal rights, and will live up to your expectations in the future.
No, that's it?
Fans said the company intervened, thinking they were being very ruthless, issuing a statement saying they wouldn't admit defeat, right? They'd been holding back for so long, but it turns out they can't afford to lose?
It's all messed up...

Leaving aside the others, Yu Wei mentioned that one of the names on the third list of those to be sent lawyer's letters was that troublemaker from yesterday.

Isn't that obviously on Tong Yulu's side? The company is even suing its own people, right? Does it have to be so righteous to turn against family?

Originally, netizens were just looking for fun in the fandom, but Tong Yulu's company successfully elevated the comedic effect of the competition to another level.

You can't only feel that the game is unfair when you lose.

If Chi Leying hadn't had a backup plan, and yesterday the rumors had swayed Tong Yulu to victory, they definitely wouldn't have posted something like this.

Yu Wei is impartial to no one, but Tong Yulu's company's statement is indeed outrageous. Shouldn't they have expressed their objections at the very beginning of the competition? Why are they saying they don't acknowledge it when the results are about to be released?
It can only be said that netizens have sharp eyes. The comment section under this post is full of blatant mockery, not only from passersby, but also from Tong Yulu's fans.

Tong Yulu's fans are also wronged. They thought the company would come out to protect their own, but they ended up making a fool of themselves. Who could have imagined this?

They can't afford to lose face like that.

"Something."

Yu Wei quickly realized that the agency wasn't stupid.

Actually, Xingye Digital Entertainment's PR team is very capable. They achieved the most with the least amount of money, essentially taking matters into their own hands to protect their artists from scandals.

No entertainment company can escape criticism, especially from the fans of its artists, who are notoriously difficult to please. In fact, the reputation of its artists is more important than the company's overall reputation.

A talent agency won't lose value just because it gets criticized. It chooses the lesser of two evils; artists are their commodities and assets.

Did Xingye Digital Entertainment know it would be ridiculed? Of course it did. But being ridiculed would attract a lot of attention to the competition itself.

From the perspective of protecting Tong Yulu, they actually succeeded...

Why didn't they spend money to help Tong Yulu get votes? It's simple: the investment and the return are completely disproportionate.

Artists might gain popularity through Yu Wei's fake competition, but from the company's perspective, popularity that can't be monetized isn't worth the investment. Moreover, even with investment, there's no guarantee of victory. Chi Leying also has a company behind her, and given their current disadvantage, it's better to downplay the issue rather than engage in a power struggle.

This fake competition even has a revival round, so Tong Yulu isn't without a chance. That skillful parry and release truly shows her expertise.

"It's great to have a company backing you up."

Someone like Yu Wei, who signed a free-range parenting contract, is basically unwanted by both parents...

With Tong Yulu's side stubbornly conceding defeat, this battle finally came to an end. Yu Wei quickly finished writing about this round of the competition and then arranged for the recording of "Top Idol" to be suspended.

After the five matches, the production team needed to take a break, and he planned to use the break time to create a song.

This song was originally intended for Hu Xing to sing, but in the novel's plot, he sang it once in front of Fei Hong, so that Fei Hong could sing it during the revival competition.

One song, two uses.

He won't interfere in the competition as the organizer, but I can support him as a friend...

The revival competition plot was written around the time the fifth episode aired, allowing both sides to gain popularity—perfect.

Yu Wei originally planned to write a slightly melancholic song for this episode, but Hu Xing was already in a very depressed state, so something too melancholic wouldn't be good.

After much thought, he decided to write "A Person Like Me," a book that blends melancholy with a touch of self-reflection, striking just the right balance.

I felt that Fei Hong's rendition of "The Nameless Man" a few days ago was quite fitting, and I think it will be good if he sings this song, which is sorrowful but not tragic.

Mao Mao's songs are easy to sing, and even amateurs can easily pick them up.

After the voting period ended, Yu Wei entered the specific number of votes for the two candidates before updating the new chapter.

[Redemption Requirements: Paid chapters must have over 100000 interactions]

Another tenfold increase?
If Yu Wei hadn't written about this competition, getting 100,000 interactions would have been quite difficult, but things are different now. Since "Top Streamer" came along, everyone treats the novel like their own home.

With so many people voting, there were bound to be at least 100,000 interactions. After redeeming the song, Yu Wei decided to check out Hu Xing's novel.

He won't have time to teach me when we start singing practice in a few days, so consider this my last bit of help...

"You haven't replied to me yet."

Hu Xing looked visibly insecure. His manuscript had been rejected by the first editor, and the second editor hadn't responded for a long time. He was starting to think about giving up.

"Let's wait and see."

Yu Weigang was about to tell him some points to pay attention to when advancing the plot, but Qi Luoan sent him a message, which was a document.

"I tried to write this randomly, take a look."

Did he learn it all on his own?

Yu Wei went outside and opened the document. The first thing he saw was a book title: "Why Do Fooled Strategists Always Care About Data?"

It follows the same format as the title of his novel.

Qi Luoan only wrote a little over three thousand words, which is about one chapter in length, but the plot is quite interesting.

The protagonist, Wei Yu, is a struggling author whose novels are terrible, but he is good-looking. So he makes videos and does live streams every day to attract fans and boosts the novel's data through marketing.

People in the industry despise his behavior, calling him a "celebrity author" and a "hype dog," whose actual skill level is even worse than that of a complete flop...

"Damn it, who are you alluding to?"

Seeing this, Yu Wei couldn't hold back anymore. He felt offended. "Have you ever been a loser before? You're just writing about losers. You're just making things up and taking things for granted."
"You'll find out as you read on."

Qi Luoan really didn't mean any harm. It's just that the contrast in Yu Wei's identity is too perfect as a protagonist template, and if she were to write a protagonist, she would definitely write the type she likes...

Writing about Yu Wei directly has another advantage: it can be directly interpreted as him mocking himself, thus elevating the overall meaning.

Yu Wei patiently continued reading. Although the male protagonist, Wei Yu, was criticized by industry insiders as a disgrace to the author, he still went his own way until he finally unlocked the system by marketing his own data.

It turns out he has a novel system, but unlocking it requires the novel's data to meet certain standards. In order to unlock the system, he can only rely on marketing himself to gain readers' support.

Finally, the cheat code is activated!

Amidst the constant jeers and accusations of being a disgrace to the author, the protagonist is about to launch a counterattack.

Yu Wei had read quite a few novels that required a certain threshold to unlock, and the beginnings of those were usually quite interesting, but wasn't this novel a bit...?

"You're hanging me up, aren't you?"

　Day 2 of daily check-in.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)