They surrounded me right after the breakup.

Jiang Han leaned back in his chair, a smile playing on his lips.

"Old Liu, did you know that Linghua used to sing at a bar?"

"I know, Zeng Yi mentioned it when he came to the company with her."

"Do you feel ashamed?"

"What's wrong with singing in bars? It's a skill that allows you to earn money with your voice!"

"Chairman Jiang, to tell you the truth, when I was at my poorest, I even sang under a pedestrian bridge—it was way worse than being in a bar!"

"Even you know it's not shameful, so why should I panic?" Jiang Han laughed.

"Linghua's ability to sing well in the venue shows that she has solid basic skills."

"The sound system in the bar is far worse than in the recording studio. There's all sorts of noise from people playing drinking games, causing trouble, and so on."

"Why do you think she's so consistent on TV shows? It's because she's sung her way through each performance."

Jiang Han lit a cigarette and continued.

"This is the path she came from, not her dark history!"

"Lee Myung-bak doesn't understand this principle. He has never been to the bottom and thinks that everyone in the world is like him, regarding dignity as their lifeblood and their background as a label."

"This attack on Linghua is tantamount to targeting her most valuable asset. Isn't that incredibly stupid?"

Liu Jianzhou's expression relaxed a bit: "How should we respond? The public relations department is waiting for my response."

"Ignore them, let it spread as widely as possible!"

Jiang Han said, "I'll contact an interview program and arrange for Phoenix Motors to be a guest."

"We'll talk about how Linghua went from singing in bars to singing in stadiums, how Zeng Yi went from Shenzhen to Jingzhou, and how they got to where they are today step by step."

Jiang Han paused, his thoughts racing through his mind.

"Let Linghua provide some old videos of her singing in bars back then, the blurrier the better, and edit them together with the stage footage from the 'Rising Star' finals."

"The same voice, the same Linghua, the contrast before and after is the best response."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jianzhou's eyes lit up, and he was genuinely impressed by his leader's competence.

"Chairman Jiang, that's brilliant!"

Jiang Han leaned back in his chair: "The money they spent on buying press releases is equivalent to paying half of our publicity expenses."

"Let's also bring the new song along, and show a preview on the show to generate buzz."

"The timing was perfect." Liu Jianzhou nodded in agreement.

"The interview aired right at the same time as the new song's release, so there was no need for an extra splash screen."

"Go."

The office fell silent again. Jiang Han picked up the internal phone and dialed the music department's number.

"Have Linghua come to my office."

Three minutes later, Linghua pushed the door open and came in.

She was wearing a red sweatshirt with jeans and her hair was casually tied in a ponytail.

Zeng Yi followed behind her; the two had been inseparable since forming the group.

"Chairman Jiang, you were looking for us?"

"I have something to tell you guys." Jiang Han showed them the screenshots on his phone screen.

"Someone dug up your videos of singing in bars, and now some marketing accounts are stirring up trouble, saying that you came from a bar singing background and are not qualified to be a professional singer."

Zeng Yi leaned over for a look: "So what if I'm a resident singer? I used to work in nightclubs for years, why didn't anyone expose me?"

"Because you don't look like a good person!" Jiang Han joked.

Zeng Yi choked, then touched his bald head: "That's true."

Linghua, upon seeing the final video, concluded: "The video is real; it must have been filmed by a customer."

Then, she recounted in detail the difficult experience she had during that period.

Jiang Hanguang could feel the hardships of life for grassroots singers just by listening to their stories.

This kind of person is born to stand on the stage, because even after being beaten down, she can still get up and dust herself off.

"I called you here not so you could suffer in silence."

"The company has arranged an interview program for you. You'll be on with Zeng Yi. Don't hide anything; just talk about how you got to where you are in the singing world."

"Since someone has thrown dirty water, we'll wash it back with clean water and show everyone what it means to be a person who grows out of the mud."

Linghua paused for two seconds, then burst out laughing, feeling as if her deepest vulnerability had been touched.

Zeng Yi suddenly spoke up from the side: "Chairman Jiang, how much can I say in this interview?"

"Whatever you want, say whatever you want."

Linghua turned and glared at him: "Say less, there's not enough time for you to talk all by yourself on the show."

"Then I'll get to the point: Phoenix Motors would fall apart without Linghua, and it wouldn't even exist without Chairman Jiang. That's enough for two sentences."

Jiang Han watched the two bickering calmly.

One is quiet but has a loud voice, the other is talkative but not annoying—that's what a good combination should be like.

"Alright, go back and prepare. Zeng Yi, you practice your speaking skills and be responsible for catching the jokes. Linghua, just tell your own story."

The two agreed and left the office one after the other.

After the door closed, Zeng Yi's voice could still be faintly heard in the corridor: "What I said just now was quite good, why did you pull me..."

Universal Music Group.

Lee Myung-bak sat in front of the computer, repeatedly refreshing the page, his fingers typing faster and faster on the mouse.

The topic of Linghua's live singing video stayed on the trending searches for less than two hours before being pushed down by another topic.

Passersby spontaneously posted the caption "From singing in bars to a wide stage".

He clicked on it and saw a clip of Linghua's performance in the final of "The Rising Star".

Li Ming slammed his hand on the table, causing the keyboard to bounce up and then fall back down.

Defensive!

He accepts any PR stunts from his rivals!

But how come public opinion has already been swayed before Xingyue Media has even made a move?

The phone on the table rang; it was the contact person for a marketing account.

There was a hint of embarrassment in the other person's voice.

"Mr. Li, the comments section of the article you asked us to publish last time is now flooded with comments from random people."

"We suggest taking a break for now; posting again would only give the competition more attention."

"Why stop? The money's already been paid!"

"We've paid, but we also need to consider the credibility of the account. If the article doesn't perform well, we'll lose followers, which will affect our ability to get future orders..."

"Could you perhaps provide some more concrete information?"

Lee Myung-bak was so angry that he hung up the phone.

Where can he find more substantial information?

At that moment, the door was pushed open.

Jiang Guangyao walked in, holding a printed data report in his hand.

His expression was calm, so calm that Lee Myung-bak felt a sinking feeling in his heart.

"General Manager Jiang."

"The data for Shan Yichun's new song for the second week is out." Jiang Guangyao placed the report on the table.

"The first week's play count looks great, but the repeat listen rate is only one-third of Mao Buyi's during the same period."

"Once the paid exposure is used up, the organic traffic can't keep up."

"It's quite different from your prediction last time."

"President Jiang, newcomers need time to mature. Shan Yichun just released a song..." Li Mingbo explained.

Jiang Guangyao interrupted him, his tone still unhurried.

"You know how much I've spent on advertising and promotion for her!"

"You said that Xingyue's success is all built on hype. As long as their publicity surpasses theirs, their data will surpass theirs."

"Now that the data is out, who have they surpassed?"