Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

"Kid, you really don't know your own limitations!"

"In that case, I'll wait and see you make a fool of yourself!"

Li Zaixiu didn't expect Lu Jiuge to answer so decisively. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he uttered a harsh remark and turned to leave.

The commotion on the streets of Hongdae did not dissipate with Lee Jae-soo's angry departure.

On the contrary, the entire main street remained immersed in the catchy music of "Gangnam Style".

Passersby gathered in twos and threes, pointing and commenting on the open space where the performance had just taken place.

Some people opened their phones to replay the live video, while others imitated the hip-swaying movements of the Gangnam Style dance, creating a cacophony of laughter and discussion.

Lu Jiuge ignored the crowd, took out the CD from the CD player, and turned to look at Park Jiyeon and the other three who were still standing there.

The girls still had a blush on their faces from the performance, their hands nervously clutching the hem of their clothes, their eyes filled with worry, fear, and a hint of reluctance.

For them, the performance just now was not just a simple backup dance, but also the first time they stood on a "stage" under the spotlight and felt cheers.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Lu Jiuge took out an envelope she had prepared in advance, which contained the agreed-upon payment for the backup dancer, plus four extra stacks of Korean won:

"This is an extra bonus, thank you for your cooperation!"

Upon seeing that they could receive an extra sum of money, the three women brought by Park Ji-yeon were overjoyed and quickly took the envelope containing the money.

Park Jiyeon deliberately stayed last, instructing her three companions to leave first before bowing to Lu Jiuge:

"Mr. Lu, I don't want extra money, I just want you to give me more opportunities!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally sincere.

Lu Jiuge glanced at her, understanding the situation.

He's just starting out, and signing people too early would only add to his burden. It's better to take things slowly.

Suppressing her impulse, Lu Jiuge took out her phone:

"Of course, no problem. With your strength, more cooperation in the future will definitely create a complementary situation, which is good for both of us!"

"Let's exchange contact information so we can keep in touch immediately if anything comes up!"

"Okay, thank you so much, Mr. Lu! I definitely won't let you down!"

Park Jiyeon was so excited that she quickly gave Lu Jiuge her phone number.

After giving her his contact information, Lu Jiuge handed her the envelope containing the money and left first, returning to the hotel.

Throughout the journey, system notifications continued to ring intermittently in my mind.

[Ding! Gratitude and admiration from Park Jiyeon, positive faith value +120!]

[Ding! Biased questioning from a passerby, negative faith value +77!]

……

The sporadic but continuous influx of faith points made Lu Jiuge feel very happy.

In the battle on the streets of Hongdae, he not only advanced the Entertainment Empire's questline but also reaped a substantial reward of 500,000 Negative Faith Points.

Furthermore, he gained valuable connections with Park Ji-yeon, laying a solid foundation for his future success in the Korean entertainment industry.

Back in her hotel room, Lu Jiuge turned on her computer, logged into her email, and checked for any messages from Qianxing Entertainment.

Refreshing my email, I didn't see any emails from Liu Sixi and the others. Instead, Liu Yifei sent me a message:

"Mr. Lu, congratulations on firing the first shot in South Korea."

"Gangnam Style is so addictive! I've watched it several times online, and now all I can think about are the horse-riding dance moves!"

"Mr. Lu, you'd better get settled quickly; I also want to develop my career in South Korea!"

After reading the email, Lu Jiuge opened an entertainment website, and sure enough, the song "Gangnam Style" was dominating the screen.

A phenomenal foreign singer has appeared in Hongdae! His Korean is even more fluent than a native speaker's!

The catchy Gangnam Style dance is all over social media! This new song is instantly addictive!

Lu Jiuge randomly clicked on two pinned videos and found that they were both filmed by passersby.

Although the image quality wasn't very clear and was a bit shaky, it captured the entire song perfectly.

The comments below the video were all unanimously positive.

"Who is this guy? His Korean is amazing! You can't tell he's a foreigner at all!"

"What's the name of this song? I need the audio! I've watched the video on repeat ten times!"

"Dare to confront Lee Jae-soo head-on? That's incredibly audacious!"

"SG Records is the investor and producer of 'Super Star Survival.' Isn't this kid just walking into a trap by participating in the show?"

"That's right, it's such a pity. This Lu Jiuge has only just arrived in Korea and is already being forced to go home!"

……

The video, like a boulder thrown into a lake, stirred up huge waves on South Korean internet.

Local forums in Seoul, trainee circles, and internal groups of major entertainment companies are all sharing videos of the song "Gangnam Style" and discussing its replicability.

Lu Jiuge read some online comments and then focused her attention on the show "Super Star Survival".

He only knew that the show was a joint production of SBS and JYP Entertainment before, but after reading online comments, he learned that SG Records was also one of the investors.

As an artist director in her previous life, Lu Jiuge knew very well that the show's ability to create stars was undeniable, but the capital game behind it was equally ruthless.

As an investor, SG Records is now competing themselves, and Lee Jae-soo will definitely try every means to target them.

Lu Jiuge's participation in this program is not a fair competition at all, but a siege.

Were they maliciously eliminated in the first round?

Did the judges maliciously give low scores?

Were the placed contestants smeared and isolated?

They were even edited to portray themselves as having "low emotional intelligence and lacking ability," completely nailing them to the pillar of shame?

Lu Jiuge had considered all of these possibilities.

This is a trap with no chance of survival.

Lu Jiuge walked to the window, gazing at the lights of Seoul with a cold look in her eyes.

Not going?

He had no way out.

If he refuses the bet, Lee Jae-soo will immediately incite public opinion, label him as "cowardly and all show and no substance," and unite the entire Korean entertainment industry to blacklist him.

By then, he will have no foothold in South Korea, and he will be labeled a "deserter" in China, which will also affect all the artists in Qianxing Entertainment.

Take a step back, and you're plunged into an abyss.

Only by taking further steps can there be a glimmer of hope.

Knowing it's a tiger in the mountains, yet still venturing into the tiger's den.

Knowing it's a dead end, we still insist on breaking through to survive!

Lu Jiuge took a deep breath, her eyes hardening.

……

The next morning, as soon as Lu Jiuge got up and turned on her computer, an email from Zuo Wei popped up.

"Mr. Lu, are you alright?"

"Have you seen the information on Korean websites? The trolls are starting to stir up trouble! Many people are posting on forums saying that your song 'Gangnam Style' is plagiarized!"

Lu Jiuge's eyes instantly turned cold.

He opened South Korea's largest online forum, and sure enough, the first headline was about this very thing.

"Confirmed! Hongdae hit song plagiarized? Foreign singer steals unreleased work from Korean musician!"

The post made a clumsy comparison between "Gangnam Style" and a niche Korean dance song, taking a few bars of melody out of context and immediately labeling it as "plagiarism".

The comments section below has been completely taken over by online trolls.

"Does this kind of thief even deserve to participate in 'Super Star Survival'? He should be banned immediately!"

"President Lee Jae-soo is right, he's just opportunistic! He doesn't have any real talent!"

……

Looking at the smear comments online and listening to the system's frantic notifications, Lu Jiuge's lips curled into a slight smile.

The more damaging the scandals and the fiercer the criticism, the greater his negative faith value.

This group of people aren't just smearing him; they're clearly providing him with "nourishment."

She is about to participate in the idol-training music variety show "Super Star Survival" while also having to deal with her bet with Lee Jae-soo.

If negative news breaks at this time, even if it is purely a rumor, it will still label him negatively before the game, and his public opinion situation will become extremely passive!

However, for Lu Jiuge, who possesses the Faith Value system, this bet was unbeatable from the very beginning.

Winning means instant fame and a surge in both reputation and popularity!

If you lose, you'll be bombarded with insults, and your faith level will be maxed out!

Having sorted out her thoughts, Lu Jiuge felt completely relaxed.

"Trying to slander me?"

"Then let me show you what the real evil method of idol cultivation truly is!"