Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

Cui Minghao's roar echoed throughout the venue through the speakers.

Because it was a pre-recorded program and the contestants had all signed confidentiality agreements, the production team didn't stop them and watched Cui Minghao perform with great interest.

Unlike the production team and staff, all the trainees were terrified and kept silent, heads down and not daring to breathe, for fear of being affected.

Everyone thought that Lu Jiuge would be terrified, turn pale, apologize hastily, and beg for mercy in a humble manner.

But the next second, Lu Jiuge on the stage simply raised an eyebrow.

He gripped the microphone, took a step towards the judges' panel, and met Cui Minghao's gaze:

"That's how I sang it."

"Do you dare to eliminate me?"

boom!

These words caused an uproar in the entire room.

All the contestants stared at the stage in disbelief.

How dare you speak to the chief producer of SG Entertainment like that?

Daring to stand up to the judges on the stage that decides whether someone stays or leaves?

This person isn't here to participate in a talent show; they're clearly here to cause trouble!

Cui Minghao was also taken aback. His anger rose to his throat, but he froze at the last moment before it erupted.

Li Zaixiu's confession!

We can't eliminate him, we can't kick him out. We have to keep Lu Jiuge on the show, torment him little by little, crush him bit by bit, and ruin his reputation!

If Li Zaixiu were to eliminate someone in a fit of anger, he would definitely not let him off the hook!

Upon realizing this, Cui Minghao's face, which had just turned red, turned ashen at a visible speed.

Anger, frustration, humiliation, and resentment intertwined, causing his chest to heave violently, yet he couldn't utter a single curse.

Pointing at Lu Jiuge, his finger trembled, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth:

"You, you're absolutely unreasonable!"

After saying that, he angrily flung his sleeves and sat down, his face darkening as he stopped looking at the stage.

His frustrated yet timid demeanor was extremely bizarre to everyone.

The contestants below the stage began to murmur among themselves.

If people didn't know about the conflict between Lu Jiuge and SG Entertainment, they might even suspect that Cui Minghao must have something on Lu Jiuge.

Just as the scene became extremely awkward and no one dared to speak, a clear and gentle voice slowly rang out from the judges' panel.

"Professor Cui, please calm down."

Jun Ji-hyun turned slightly to the side, her gaze falling on Lu Jiuge:

"Young people are a bit straightforward, but their stage presence is very memorable. That a cappella performance just now also showed that he has excellent singing skills!"

In short, without bias, he gave Cui Minghao the perfect way out.

Jun Ji-hyun has a very high status in the Korean entertainment industry, and no one disagreed with that statement.

Cui Minghao's face turned pale and then red, and in the end he could only go along with it.

"For Zhixian's sake, let's let it slide this time!"

……

After Lu Jiuge's outburst, the contestants became even more nervous for the rest of the competition.

Finally, the first round of competition has come to an end.

After a brief discussion among the judges, the host returned to the stage, holding the final list of promotions and relegations.

The entire venue fell silent instantly, and every trainee held their breath, their hearts pounding.

"Next, we will announce the results of this assessment, including promotions and demotions!"

"The rosters for Class A, Class B, and Class C remain unchanged; two students from Class D have been demoted; and two students from Class F have been replaced and eliminated..."

The host paused, his gaze falling on Class F, and deliberately raised his voice.

"The only student from Class F to be promoted in this evaluation: Jiang Dasheng!"

"His original song, 'Look at Me, Guishun,' received a total score of 71.3, earning him a place in Class E!"

After the results were announced, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

The three trainees in dormitory 307 suddenly turned to look at Jiang Dasheng, their eyes filled with shock and jealousy.

Park Jae-hwan's face darkened. He never imagined that this complete nobody would actually manage to climb out of Class F.

Jiang Dasheng himself froze on the spot, his mind blank.

He suddenly looked at Lu Jiuge beside him, his eyes slightly red, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Lu Jiuge gently patted his shoulder:

"I told you you wouldn't be eliminated! Now you believe me, right?"

Jiang Dasheng nodded emphatically and lowered his voice to state his position:

"Brother Lu, I'm convinced. From now on, I'll only follow you!"

……

After the first round of competition, Jiang Dasheng was completely convinced by Lu Jiuge and would come over to ask her for advice on stage techniques and competition strategies whenever he had free time.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the first episode of "Super Star Survival" was officially released online.

The show immediately swept across major trending lists in South Korea upon its release.

Unsurprisingly, all the attention was focused on Lu Jiuge.

The production team made no attempt to conceal their malice.

All the shots were badly edited.

Lu Jiuge's provocative scenes were magnified infinitely, and the scenes of him confronting the judges were cut off, leaving only the "arrogant and rude" clips.

"Gangnam Style" was edited into irrefutable evidence of disrespect for the stage, and Choi Myung-ho's angry scene was portrayed as "speaking out for justice."

As for Jun Ji-hyun's intervention and Lu Jiuge's words, all of them were cut out.

Overnight, the entire internet exploded.

The insults came like a tidal wave, overwhelming Lu Jiuge.

That's exactly the effect the production team, or rather, Lee Jae-soo, wanted.

The more popular it is, the more criticism it receives, and the higher the viewership ratings become.

Lu Jiuge simply leaned quietly against the bedside, listening to those harsh remarks without the slightest ripple on her face.

Lu Jiuge and Jiang Dasheng sat on the lawn of the manor, watching the negative comments caused by the program's edited clips on the outdoor electronic screen. Instead of being angry, they smiled.

Almost at the same second that the negative comments exploded across the internet, system notifications began to flood his mind.

[Ding! Malicious activity detected across the internet, negative faith value +12800!]

[Ding! Abusive comments from a South Korean netizen, negative faith value +9600!]

[Ding! Hostility from a program viewer, negative faith value +15200!]

[Ding! Continuous public opinion attacks detected; negative faith value is surging...]

[Current cumulative negative faith value: 2265100]

The negative faith value surged for a whole day, and a new hot topic emerged, still about Lu Jiuge.

This time, however, netizens and viewers weren't criticizing him for being arrogant or conceited...

Instead, the focus shifted to: Why wasn't Lu Jiuge eliminated?

Despite her terrible attitude, her defiance of the judges, and her poor performance, she still managed to stay in Class F. There must be something fishy going on.

In dormitory 302, only Lu Jiuge and Jiang Dasheng remained.

Jiang Dasheng stared at the barrage of negative comments on his computer screen, his face growing increasingly grim, filled with resentment and anger.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, quickly walked to Lu Jiuge's side, and whispered words of comfort:

"Brother Lu, don't take it to heart. The comments online are just the show's producers manipulating things!"

Seeing Jiang Dasheng's anxious expression, Lu Jiuge smiled with relief.

Raising her head, she calmly reassured Jiang Dasheng:

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

"All of this was within my expectations."

Lu Jiuge looked up at Jiang Dasheng, her tone calm but carrying an undeniable authority.

"I've been targeted by investors from the very beginning, and the path to the championship has been closed to me."

"But you are different."

"Leave the rest to me. I'm confident I can lead you to the championship."