A New Surge of Buzz

"Has it started?"

"Not yet~"

"It's definitely started now, right?"

"Nope, about ten more minutes."

"Fine, fine. Call me when it starts."

Waiting for the show to begin was starting to annoy An Luning. These ten-odd minutes felt especially long.

But she didn't dare keep grumbling, because her manager, Sister Hong, was sitting in front of the television, drinking tea and chatting with Zhang Xiaorong.

Unlike them, An Luning couldn't sit still. Wearing shorts and showing off her long, pale legs, she paced around the hotel suite, asking every so often whether the show had started.

Only Zhang Xiaorong had that kind of patience. She answered every time An Luning asked.

Sister Hong, meanwhile, was feeling somewhat helpless, because she had just learned that Zhang Xiaorong had signed with Bai Youlou's company.

Of course, signing with them didn't mean she couldn't be poached.

Sister Hong still thought highly of Zhang Xiaorong, but she had also decided to pay a little more attention to Bai Youlou. Every time she met that young man, he managed to refresh her understanding of him.

If Bai Youlou could still "defy fate" under these circumstances, then, honestly, with Huaxing Company's deep pockets, buying up Bai Youlou's newly established company and taking both him and Zhang Xiaorong "under its wing" wouldn't be difficult.

Whether it was making movies or writing songs, Huaxing had enough platforms and resources for Bai Youlou to fully display his talents.

The prerequisite was that he truly had enough talent to spend so lavishly.

"Xiaorong, you don't have to feel embarrassed anymore. You really haven't let me down. We're friends, after all."

"Thank you, Sister Hong, but I've really caused you a lot of trouble. You even arranged a hotel for me..."

"Would Luning and I really let you stay in some budget hotel? Come to think of it, isn't Bai Youlou a little too stingy? Forget a five-star hotel—couldn't he at least get you somewhere a bit more upscale?"

While expressing her closeness to Zhang Xiaorong, Sister Hong didn't forget to take a jab at the miserly Bai Youlou.

Zhang Xiaorong patiently explained, "He's out of money. And, well..."

"And what?"

"Nothing. I don't know the details myself. Anyway, he still has quite a few plans."

What Zhang Xiaorong had wanted to say was that Bai Youlou would later have to go abroad to attend a film festival, so there were plenty of places where he needed to spend money.

But then she remembered that she didn't even know whether the movie had been shortlisted. It wouldn't be good to speak too soon.

Sister Hong shook her head helplessly and opened the trending searches. "Could this be his next plan?"

"What, what? Let me see~"

A little head suddenly poked out from behind the sofa and leaned toward the phone.

After looking for a few seconds, An Luning let out a "scream," her face flushing bright red. "Ah! What is this?!"

This time, Zhang Xiaorong's reaction wasn't much better. She bit her lip, her cheeks turning crimson.

Only Sister Hong, the older and more experienced one, remained completely unaffected. She chuckled. "This method of stirring up publicity is quite novel. He really is willing to go all out."

The phone was displaying all sorts of discussions about Bai Youlou's size. People had even dug up some of his old photos, searching for clues.

By now, the matter had basically been settled.

If Bai Youlou hadn't already more or less been driven out of the entertainment industry, he might even have earned himself the nickname of the mainland entertainment industry's "Dick King."

"He's using this to stir up publicity?! That's way too shameless!" An Luning said "fiercely."

Sister Hong, however, spoke up for Bai Youlou. "I was joking. This really was an accident. His natural endowment is simply too good~"

"Sister Hong, stop talking."

The two inexperienced girls really couldn't discuss this sort of topic, though whether they would secretly research it under the covers was another matter.

But soon, An Luning caused more trouble, blurting out, "That little host from Zhelan TV might have... And then there's Dong Lu..."

Before Sister Hong could scold her, the television came to her rescue.

"Talent Show" had finally begun.

"Let's watch TV, let's watch TV~ I've got the snacks ready."

Realizing she had once again been talking nonsense, An Luning hurriedly changed the subject. She sat down between Sister Hong and Zhang Xiaorong, handed each of them a packet of snacks, then happily curled up on the sofa, ready to watch the show.

However, after finally waiting for Bai Youlou to appear, the show's development turned out to be completely different from what they had imagined.

Given Bai Youlou's talent, they had assumed that even if he was embroiled in controversy, he would still amaze everyone onstage.

Instead, he started fighting with one of the judges, Wang Jiahua, halfway through the song.

A minute and a half of singing, followed by two and a half minutes of arguing.

Shanghai TV truly honored its "contractual spirit." It had delivered everything it had promised Bai Youlou without holding back.

They gave him plenty of screen time.

Most of his verbal sparring with Wang Jiahua was broadcast directly.

"They're bullying him! Why didn't they let him finish the song?!"

An Luning became agitated even through the television. Fortunately, she held herself back and secretly glanced at Sister Hong's expression.

To her surprise, Sister Hong wasn't paying attention to her at all. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat regretful.

An Luning glanced at Zhang Xiaorong again. Huh? She didn't seem surprised.

"Sister Zhang, you knew about this?"

Zhang Xiaorong nodded lightly. Looking at the boy on television, who had cursed Wang Jiahua without a care and then walked away, she wore an indescribable expression.

She took a deep breath. She knew that everything Bai Youlou had said was about to begin!

Fight against the whole world!

"I have to win the championship!"

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

"Sister Zhang, I support you! Keep it up!"

Sister Hong lightly tapped the sofa's armrest with her finger. After thinking for several seconds, she smiled. "I support you too."

The former's support was mainly just empty encouragement, but the latter's support seemed to carry another meaning.

Sister Hong—whose full name was Fang Jihong—was one of the most renowned top agents in the entertainment industry.

On top of that, she had the backing of the domestic entertainment giant Huaxing Entertainment and was the head of its entire artist management department. If she wanted to, the resources she could mobilize would be terrifying.

--

Almost at the same moment that Bai Youlou left the "Talent Show" stage on television, online discussions had already set off a new surge of buzz.

"Although I really hate Wang Jiahua and have always thought he's pretentious and greasy, if the person opposing him is Bai Youlou, then I'm going to make a decision that goes against my ancestors: Wang Jiahua, go ahead and curse him to death!"

"Awesome! Time to pop the champagne! That's exactly how you should curse him out! Why does a homewrecker like that think he still deserves to make a living in the entertainment industry?!"

"I'm dying of laughter. Bai Youlou really has no shame left. He's a complete clown, going on television just to have a breakdown."

"What a shame. That half-song he sang actually sounded pretty good. Who wrote it for him? Surely no one really believes Bai Youlou wrote that song, right?"

"Clown. He thinks making half of some so-called original song can erase all his scandals? What a load of crap. The internet remembers."

"Still, if he's willing to entertain us like this onstage, I'm happy to contribute some ratings. Keep it coming—I love watching this."

"."

"Talent Show" had fully cashed in on the buzz, giving the other shows a great opening.

Unless something unexpected happened, the upcoming episodes wouldn't be stingy with Bai Youlou's screen time either.

Wang Jiahua, who had traded insults with Bai Youlou, was also very satisfied, because the online reaction was overwhelmingly one-sided.

He knew that his spur-of-the-moment decision at the venue had been the right one.

This time, he had truly become a "man of justice," thoroughly punishing someone like Bai Youlou.

Looking at the comments below his Weibo post, filled with messages cheering him on and supporting him, he happily picked up his wineglass and took a gulp.

Keep it coming. Don't stop~

"Is no one going to discuss the song Bai Youlou sang? I really want to hear the full version."

Seeing comments like this, Wang Jiahua sneered disdainfully. The song? No matter what Bai Youlou sang, it would be useless.

As for the promotional slogan for the movie printed on Bai Youlou's clothes, there was some discussion about that too, but it was all calls for a boycott.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if the cinemas ended up banning it outright?

Here's to that!

Brothers, please help with the follows on Tuesday! It's almost time to decide the next round of recommendations. Those of you saving the book, remember to come back and follow it on Tuesday. The better the results, the more explosively I'll update once it goes premium!