Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

Sitting back down at her computer, Lu Jiuge registered and logged into Cyworld, South Korea's most popular and largest social networking site.

After filling in her personal information, Lu Jiuge didn't even look at it before opening the posting interface and posting her first status update:

"I, Lu Jiuge, hereby officially register for 'Super Star Survival.' Let's see who's the best on the field!"

After writing it, he directly tagged SG Records' Lee Jae-soo in the comments.

Less than five minutes after I clicked "post," comments appeared below the post.

Who is Lu Jiuge?

"The one where they sing 'Gangnam Style' and do the horse-riding dance in Hongdae?"

"That should be right, didn't you see he directly tagged Lee Jae-soo, the president of SG!"

In just a few dozen seconds, the comment section completely changed.

"Are you crazy? A plagiarist like him worthy of appearing on South Korea's top talent show?"

This comment surged to the top of the trending list at a rate of hundreds of likes per second, followed by a torrent of insults.

"Get out of Korea! The popularity of 'Super Star Survival' isn't something outsiders like you can piggyback on!"

"President Li just warned him yesterday, and he dares to challenge him today? He's courting death!"

"Trying to act like a superstar with just one catchy song? Get ready to get utterly crushed by the show's producers!"

In less than an hour, the hashtags #PlagiarismGetOut# and #OutsidersGetOut# dominated the internet.

A few scattered comments saying "His stage presence is good" were quickly deleted after being criticized as soon as they appeared.

……

Meanwhile, at the SG Records headquarters building, on the top floor, in the chairman's office.

Lee Jae-soo was holding a coffee, listening to his subordinates report the dissemination data of "Gangnam Style," his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Upon seeing Lu Jiuge's official announcement, Li Zaixiu narrowed his eyes and remained silent for half a second before a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"They've come to me of their own accord, saving me the trouble of finding an excuse."

He picked up the internal phone on the table and dialed the number of the program director:

"Zhu Zhixiu, once Lu Jiuge submits her application form, approve it directly without any further review!"

On the other end of the phone, Zhu Zhixiu was clearly hesitant:

"President, the internet is full of accusations of plagiarism against him. Will letting him participate affect the show's reputation?"

"The program's sponsorship efforts are not yet complete..."

"Reputation?"

Li Zaixiu interrupted Zhu Zhixiu, and sneered:

"With him around, the show will only get more popular. As for its reputation, that's not our concern. Making money is the key!"

After a pause, Li Zaixiu continued to emphasize:

"Remember the three bottom lines, and you can't go wrong with any of them."

First, no one is allowed to be eliminated. Even if he gets the most votes, he must stay on stage for me.

Second, they suppress the contestants relentlessly, only editing out their most unflattering moments, assigning only low scores to judges, and always giving them the worst resources in each group.

Third, portray him as a public enemy, making all South Koreans hate and curse him.

Li Zaixiu became more and more excited as she spoke:

"He wants to be famous, doesn't he? I'll give him 'infamous fame,' so he'll live forever in a climate of criticism!"

Zhu Zhixiu was sent by Li Zaixiu himself, and as an employee, how could she dare to object? She quickly agreed.

"Yes, President, I will convene a meeting immediately to convey your message."

After hanging up the phone, Li Zaixiu looked at Lu Jiuge's updates on the computer again, her eyes full of calculation.

He knows the tricks of talent shows all too well: a controversial contestant is always the key to high ratings.

Lu Jiuge's persona as a "foreign contestant who plagiarized" is the best tool for generating traffic.

It could elevate the popularity of "Super Star Survival" to a new level, but the price would be Lu Jiuge's complete disgrace.

In Li Zaixiu's view, this was a win-win situation, a sure-fire way to make money.

The storm on the internet continues to spread like wildfire.

The news of Lu Jiuge's official announcement of participating in the competition quickly became associated with the two hashtags "Gangnam Style plagiarism" and "Lu Jiuge confronts Lee Jae-soo head-on," and soared to the top three of the Korean trending search list.

Total readership exceeded 30 million, and discussion volume surpassed one million.

The video of him singing "Gangnam Style" on the streets of Hongdae has once again gone viral.

This time, however, the comments section of the video was no longer filled with unanimous positive reviews.

"I used to think this song was quite catchy, but now that I know it's plagiarized, I feel utterly disgusted."

"No wonder he dared to confront President Lee on the streets of Hongdae; it turns out he had planned this all along to generate buzz and participate in the audition. He's so cunning!"

"I feel sorry for those female backup dancers. They actually collaborated with a plagiarist. I hope they won't be implicated."

"The judges of 'Super Star Survival' need to keep their eyes open and not be fooled by this kid's superficial charm!"

Not only South Korean netizens, but also on domestic social media platforms, the live video of "Gangnam Style" quickly caused a stir in China after it was reposted and released.

Supporters shouted "Bring glory to the country!" while opponents sneered, "Don't go out and embarrass the Chinese people."

Two opposing forces clashed and trended on social media, with #LuJiugeCompetingInKorea# topping the domestic entertainment charts overnight.

Lu Jiuge didn't care about this at all. After submitting the registration form, she leaned back in her chair, her consciousness sinking into the system, watching the constantly fluctuating faith value.

In my mind, system notification sounds were exploding everywhere:

[Ding! South Korean netizens' dislike has increased, negative faith value +60!]

[Ding! SG fans have attacked, negative faith value +85!]

[Ding! Domestic public opinion is questioning your stance; negative faith value +30!]

[Ding! Trainee circle exclusion, negative faith value +55!]

[Ding! A wave of online abuse has erupted, negative faith value +120!]

……

The notification sounds are so frequent, they just won't stop.

The 50 negative faith points that Hongda obtained last night are now increasing at an alarming rate.

50 → 65 → 80 → 90...

Lu Jiuge leaned back in her chair, watching the numbers constantly changing on the system panel, a playful smile playing on her lips.

This is what he truly wants.

Li Zaixiu thought that smearing, suppressing, and insulting him across the internet would force him to withdraw from the competition.

Can we nail him to the pillar of shame?

ridiculous.

What others see as a catastrophe, he sees as nothing more than valuable experience delivered to his doorstep!

"Nine hundred thousand..."

Lu Jiuge murmured softly, tapping her fingertips lightly on the table, hoping that her negative faith value would break through the three million mark.

According to the system prompts, once the negative faith value exceeds one million, the intermediate skill shop will be unlocked.

This is very important for Lu Jiuge, who is currently in a precarious situation.

[Ding! Negative Faith Value has exceeded 3000000! Intermediate Skill Exchange Permission unlocked!]

The system notification sounded in her mind, and Lu Jiuge immediately opened the skill shop to see what new skills were available for exchange!

Just then, the computer beeped, bringing Lu Jiuge back to her senses as she looked at the screen.

A new email popped up in the lower right corner of the screen, sent by the Super Star Survival production team.

Lu Jiuge opened the email, which contained a formal notice of entry into the camp, specifying the reporting time, location, and items to be brought.

The last line, written in bold Korean, reads:

"Contestants, please arrive on time. Those who are late will be subject to a breach of contract and banned by the program production team!"

Lu Jiuge stared at the bolded, unfair clause at the end of the email, her face full of mockery:

"Lee Jae-soo, has your game begun?"

"Let's see if you can control everything, or if I can defy fate."