Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

Lu Jiuge, immersed in the buzz surrounding the song "Liang Liang" surpassing one million ringtone downloads and discussing the marketing strategy for the song "There's a Kind of Love Called Letting Go," raised an eyebrow upon hearing the commotion outside:

"Finally can't sit still anymore? Let's go out and meet this Luo Zhiqiang!"

"Xiao Lu, don't be impulsive!"

Chen Bin grabbed him:

"This guy dared to come here, he must have come prepared. You should avoid him for now, I'll go out and check it out!"

"Old Chen, they've already come knocking on our door. If we hide and refuse to see them, won't they just look down on us even more?"

Lu Jiuge patted his hand, but instead of stopping, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, like a chess player seeing a piece fall into its intended position.

Stepping out of the office, Lu Jiuge looked at Zuo Wei, who was already waiting in the lobby:

"Old Zuo, the iconic moment is here. This next battle is the time to test your team's strength. From your perspective, film Luo Zhiqiang's every move for future reference!"

The left hand gesture conveyed the meaning; without further ado, he made a hand signal to the team behind him.

He examined the miniature voice recorder in his hand, a cold smile creeping onto his lips:

"Don't worry, Mr. Lu. My camera is best at capturing how a persona crumbles!"

Lu Jiuge nodded and led the team outside.

As the group approached the door, they saw Ban Kaiwen stepping across and blocking the entrance, glaring fiercely at Luo Zhiqiang.

His studded leather jacket and aloof aura made Luo Zhiqiang somewhat intimidated.

Seeing that Luo Zhiqiang was frightened, the reporters behind him exchanged glances. One of them raised his voice, his tone laced with amusement:

"Teacher Luo, it's just one person blocking the door, and you're already scared?"

The other person immediately chimed in sarcastically:

"Exactly, it wouldn't sound good if word got out that a top idol was scared off by some non-mainstream staff member?"

……

"Shut the hell up, you think you're the ones who got beaten up? Trying to find something to talk about with me? No way!"

Although Luo Zhiqiang was arrogant, he wasn't stupid. He shouted angrily and stood there yelling:

"Where's Lu Jiuge? Tell him to come out! What, you have the guts to stir up trouble online, but not the guts to show your face in public?"

"Where did that barking come from? It's so noisy!"

Lu Jiuge led a few people out, and upon seeing Ban Kaiwen's appearance and the reporters frantically taking pictures, she wasn't angry at all. Instead, she gave a thumbs-up with satisfaction before turning to Luo Zhiqiang:

"Where did this stray dog ​​come from, barking like that in my company?"

Just as Luo Zhiqiang was about to retort, he saw Zuo Wei and his three subordinates taking pictures with cameras. His expression changed, and he felt a little flustered.

It took Luo Zhiqiang a while to calm himself down. He pointed at Lu Jiuge:

"You're Lu Jiuge? You look even more shabby than in the video!"

Lu Jiuge looked at Luo Zhiqiang impatiently:

"I am Lu Jiuge. Spit it out, I don't have time to waste on your nonsense!"

"Stop playing dumb with me!"

Provoked by Lu Jiuge's words, Luo Zhiqiang stepped forward, his demeanor menacing:

"You really think no one can stop you with those underhanded tactics you've used?"

"Polluting the market with trashy music, disrupting industry rules with underhanded methods, and now you want to ride my coattails?"

"Let me tell you, this approach won't work!"

Luo Zhiqiang spoke these words fluently, clearly having thought them through beforehand.

"Oh?"

Lu Jiuge didn't take it seriously, deliberately stepping aside to make way for Zuo Wei behind her, her voice full of mockery:

"Luo Zhiqiang, I heard your company spent a lot of money to hire someone to smear me? Those little tricks were all done by this Zuo Yidao by my side..."

He paused deliberately:

"These are old tricks we used to use! We've spent a lot of money, but they've had absolutely no effect. Your team, supposedly talented writers, can't even come up with anything creative for smear campaigns?"

"you!"

Luo Zhiqiang blushed, choked by Lu Jiuge's teasing words.

He didn't know what to do with someone who wasn't afraid of being criticized but actually cooperated with him.

After a long pause, Luo Zhiqiang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his panic, and tried to regain his composure:

"I'm not going to waste my breath on someone like you. Music is about talent, your work, and your professionalism!"

"You can't just rely on heretical cultivation methods to get by! Do you dare to have a fair and square match with me?"

"Haha, so that's why you came here today! Tell me, what are we competing in?"

Lu Jiuge became interested.

"Let's compare music! Let's compare the market! Let's see who is truly recognized by the public!"

"We'll each release a new song, and within a month, we'll see whose ringtone downloads are the highest! The loser has to kneel down and call us 'Grandpa' in front of the media!"

The crowd stirred slightly, and the reporters' cameras were pointed even more excitedly at Lu Jiuge.

Is this a blatant challenge, or a declaration of war issued in front of the media?

Looking at Luo Zhiqiang's confident expression, Lu Jiuge suddenly found it a little funny.

Other things to do:

"Ringtone downloads, that's a straightforward comparison. But just calling me grandpa won't do; I don't want an unfilial grandson like you!"

Luo Zhiqiang's face was grim:

"Do you want to raise the bet?"

"certainly!"

Lu Jiuge smiled:

"Whoever loses has to issue a statement on their music page and official channels admitting they are inferior to the other. Do you dare?"

Luo Zhiqiang's pupils contracted.

This bet is far more severe than simply admitting defeat; it's practically a public execution, especially for an artist with an idol persona, the consequences of which are even more serious.

But with the arrow already on the bowstring, he felt he was well-prepared. In addition, the single that the company had spent a lot of money to tailor-make was already completed, and the promotional resources were already in place. He was confident that he would not lose and felt more at ease.

"What is there to be afraid of!"

Luo Zhiqiang sneered:

"I'm afraid you'll lose so badly that you won't even have the face to issue a statement! One month, starting today!"

"Everyone heard that! Now, I'd like to ask you all to be my witnesses! A month from now, let's see who's the laughingstock!"

Fearing that Lu Jiuge might lose and then deny it, Luo Zhiqiang deliberately brought out the reporters behind him to act as witnesses.

"good!"

Lu Jiuge nodded decisively:

"One month from now, I'll be waiting for you to show up here, kneel down, call me 'Grandpa,' and issue a statement admitting defeat!"

Luo Zhiqiang was taken aback by Lu Jiuge's quick agreement. He paused for a moment, then said, "Just you wait and see," before turning around and getting into the car with an arrogant air.

The reporters took a series of photos of Lu Jiuge before getting into their car and leaving.

Downstairs, all was quiet. Wang Guangjun approached, his face full of worry.

"Ninth Brother, you're accepting the challenge already? They must have been prepared. Are you confident you can win?"

"What does 'confidence in winning' mean? That should be phrased the other way around!"

Lu Jiuge spoke with great enthusiasm, but the people present were not very optimistic about her.

After all, in the face of capital, the outcome is determined from the very beginning; this is a widely accepted logic in the entertainment industry.

The man on the left, also looking worried, stepped forward and spoke:

"President Lu, don't worry, I'll mobilize all my connections to minimize the impact of this matter as much as possible!"

"Pressure heating?"

Lu Jiuge shook her head:

"Old Zuo, you're wrong. We shouldn't suppress the hype surrounding this; we should help promote it, letting more people know about it, ideally making it a phenomenon!"

"What? Help with publicity? Mr. Lu, I can't understand this!"

Lu Jiuge's unconventional and reverse-operation tactics shocked not only Zuo Wei but also Liu Sixi and others.

"In the entertainment industry, the scariest thing is not that someone criticizes you, but that nobody talks about you at all! What Luo Zhiqiang is paying for now is not dirt on me, but attention."

He led the way into the recording studio and played the newly recorded song, "There's a Kind of Love Called Letting Go."

"After listening to this song, you'll understand that we cannot lose this battle!"

After listening to it once, Lu Jiuge turned off the music and asked:

"So, what do you guys think? Are you confident about this song?"

Zuo Wei hesitated and said:

"Yes, but..."

Lu Jiuge patted him on the shoulder:

"No buts. Just execute my plan. In this battle, I'll reap both fame and fortune!"