Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

Lu Jiuge was still immersed in the shock brought by the system when she was awakened by Zuo Wei's opening of the door.

"President Lu, something's happened! The whole internet is in an uproar."

Lu Jiuge got up and walked to the tea table to sit down:

"Old Zuo, speak slowly!"

The person on the left sat down and took a sip of tea.

"We won the bet between you and Luo Zhiqiang on the ringtone, but he has not fulfilled his promise to issue an apology announcement in the past few days, and the related online topics have also been forcibly suppressed by his team."

Lu Jiuge was not surprised and asked with a smile:

"What direction is the online discussion heading?"

Lu Jiuge had already anticipated that Luo Zhiqiang would cheat.

What he cares about most right now is the direction of public opinion, which is directly related to the progress of the task of collecting 100,000 negative faith points within 30 days.

"Netizens are completely on our side; they've already dug up more than ten pieces of dirt on him from the past!"

Zuo Wei sneered:

"Luo Zhiqiang's attempts to whitewash his image are only making things worse. His public image has completely collapsed. Brands issued statements overnight terminating their contracts, and even the variety shows he regularly appeared on have announced a separation!"

Lu Jiuge nodded slightly, the system panel in his mind flickered slightly, and a line of cold text made him frown:

[Current negative faith value: 7600, growth stagnant, public opinion biased towards the host, no valid controversial input]

He sighed inwardly. He had hoped to capitalize on the controversy surrounding the bet, but the overwhelming support from netizens cut off his source of negative faith points.

Seeing Lu Jiuge's furrowed brows, Zuo Wei assumed he was worried about his reputation and tentatively asked:

"President Lu, how about I immediately launch an offensive to completely control public opinion and win this battle?"

"No, no, no!"

Lu Jiuge quickly spoke up:

"Don't try to influence public opinion; let it develop naturally and let the dust settle."

The person on the left looked puzzled and asked:

"But Luo Zhiqiang is now attacking people like crazy, saying we manipulate public opinion and slew behind the scenes, which has a great impact on your and Qianxing Entertainment's reputation."

"The greater the reputation, the faster the faith value increases."

Lu Jiuge feigned calmness on the surface, but she knew in her heart that what she wanted was not praise, but controversy.

"What I need most right now is controversy, whether it's positive or negative doesn't matter."

Zuo was taken aback, but instantly understood.

This boss is never afraid of being criticized; the more buzz he generates, the more profitable it is.

"I understand."

The left side represents an adjustment in thinking, followed by a follow-up question:

"So, I'll refrain from controlling public opinion, whitewashing, or responding, but continue collecting evidence for future reference?"

"Can."

Lu Jiuge nodded:

"Also, keep a close eye on Luo Zhiqiang's movements; I suspect he won't stay put."

"What do you mean?"

"A person who is being roasted by the entire internet will not just hide in the company and try to shift the blame."

Lu Jiuge's voice was firm:

"He will definitely come to me, so let's prepare in advance."

"Alright, I'll go and have the team gather more evidence!"

After Zuo finished speaking, he got up to leave.

"Old Zuo, don't focus all your energy on this. Focus on building the framework of Mirror Media as soon as possible and launching the portal website. This sector has huge profit potential."

Zuo Wei was taken aback, then turned around and sat down again.

"This project is already underway. The company structure and business direction are all being implemented according to your plan. Lao Zheng, the portal website developer, is also following up, and it should be online and operational in about ten days."

"It's good that you have a plan. You can go ahead and get busy." Lu Jiuge nodded. "I will be releasing songs in batches soon. When the traffic surges, the portal websites can take the opportunity to make their first move."

……

Over the next few days, Lu Jiuge kept an eye on Liu Sixi as he worked on the song recording process, while also keeping a close eye on the system panel.

Luo Zhiqiang and twelve record companies kept releasing press releases to smear him, keeping the public opinion hot. However, the growth of negative faith value was pitifully slow, with a daily increase of less than a thousand, and the goal of 100,000 was still a long way off.

On the seventh day at noon, Zheng Lin knocked on the door and came in, holding a folder in his hand and looking excited.

"President Lu, all the public version models of Jiuyin Company have been tested. The Lingyun algorithm flashing has zero failures, the sound quality is improved and the data is stable. Wang Daqiang has completed the overhaul of the old production line and can start small-scale trial production at any time."

He placed the documents on the table, pointing to the waveforms and listening reports, his eyes brimming with excitement:

"To be honest, I didn't expect that pure software optimization could achieve this level of performance. It has an overwhelming advantage over other models in the same price range on the market."

Lu Jiuge casually flipped through the folder, glanced at it, then closed it and handed it back to Zheng Lin.

"Old Zheng, the product launch is progressing normally. You are in charge of all the liaison with other manufacturers. I can't spare the time here, so I'm handing over the entire Lingyun division to you."

"Understood, then I'll proceed independently!"

Although Zheng Lin had doubts, he didn't ask any more questions and simply agreed.

He had already figured out Lu Jiuge's style: she spoke little, was accurate, and always hit the mark.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, a black sedan suddenly braked to a stop in front of the Qianxing Entertainment office building.

The car door opened, and Luo Zhiqiang stepped out with a livid face, followed by two nervous-looking assistants.

"Lu Jiuge! Come out here!"

He had a very loud voice, and having learned his lesson from last time, he did not force his way in, nor did he bring any reporters with him.

Seeing no response, Luo Zhiqiang roared again:

"Lu Jiuge! You dare to do it but not admit it? You manipulated things behind the scenes, controlled data, and bribed traffic—did you really think nobody knew?"

This time, the sound finally reached Lu Jiuge's office.

He got up and went into the corridor, just as he ran into Zuo Wei, who had come out after hearing the noise.

"Old Zuo, what's going on outside? How did Luo Zhiqiang find his way here? Have you started manipulating public opinion?"

Zuo Wei quickly shook his head:

"I didn't do anything; it was all netizens who spontaneously dug up the information, and the hype was already out of control. His parent company, Yawei Records, under pressure from public opinion, has publicly suspended him, halting all performances and commercial activities."

"Then he can't blame us."

Lu Jiuge spoke calmly, leading the way to the door. She leaned against the doorframe, hands in her pockets, her expression as serene as if watching a farce.

"Why didn't you bring any reporters today? Let me tell you, I don't accept verbal surrenders without witnesses."

"The ringback tone download data is all verifiable on the platform's backend. It's clear you manipulated things behind the scenes, hired online trolls, and used every trick in the book. I absolutely refuse to accept this result!"

Upon seeing Lu Jiuge, Luo Zhiqiang's emotions surged to their peak. He took a step forward, ready to attack, but was held back tightly by his assistant.

"Let me go!"

He struggled and screamed:

"Lu Jiuge, do you dare to say that you didn't manipulate the competition?"

Lu Jiuge stared at him calmly:

"Luo Zhiqiang, I have all the evidence that you and Yawei Records colluded to smear me. Why don't we make it public and let the whole internet judge who's really smearing the other!"

One sentence was like ice water poured over his head. Luo Zhiqiang's face turned red and white alternately, and his chest heaved violently, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

The facts are clear, there's no room for denial.

"Luo Zhiqiang, whether you acknowledge the bet or not is a matter of your character."

Lu Jiuge's gaze turned cold, her tone carrying an undeniable sense of pressure:

"But you barged into the entrance of Qianxing Entertainment, causing trouble and disrupting my order! This matter is not over today!"

As soon as Lu Jiuge finished speaking, the system popped up a notification in his mind again:

[High-intensity direct conflict detected; negative faith value begins to increase rapidly]