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Like now: their competitor was clearly Xie Ran Studio, yet Fang Huiwang was more concerned about Meng Feixuan.

Kuang Youfang raised an eyebrow. "Heavenly Sound gave me accurate information. Quest Technology has officially withdrawn its application to cooperate with Xie Ran Studio, so they probably won't be buying Meng Feixuan. Also, because of Nangong Xu's impact, Meng Feixuan's market valuation has plummeted off a cliff."

"That piece of trash." Fang Huiwang's gaze grew increasingly sinister, but a genuine smile appeared on his face. "I thought he was something special, but in the end, he's nothing more than the product of animation and audio. Whatever he can do, Nangong Xu can do too—and do better."

As he spoke, he opened the music video he had collaborated on with Nangong Xu. He had already watched it many times, but now that he knew Meng Feixuan's situation, it was especially satisfying to watch again.

Not only had this music video brought the previously half-dead Nangong Xu back into the public eye, it had also successfully sparked a wave of nostalgia among fans of that year's talent show, especially Wangran CP fans.

It could be said that Wangran CP fans had played a part in pushing Nangong Xu to the top ranks of virtual idols this time.

After all, Nangong Xu's portion of the lyrics in this music video had been sung by Xie Ran ten years ago.

Didn't Xie Ran want to untie himself from him? That depended on whether the CP fans would agree.

And that wasn't all. He would use those memories to completely destroy Meng Feixuan and Xie Ran's careers.

Just as Fang Huiwang imagined Xie Ran suffering a complete defeat and ultimately having no choice but to bow his head, Kuang Youfang's eyes suddenly widened. He said nervously, "Huiwang, check Weibo! Xie Ran landed a Stardust endorsement."

"What?" Fang Huiwang froze for a moment, then hurriedly opened Weibo on his phone. Sure enough, the top trending topic was news of Xie Ran's collaboration with Stardust.

Stardust was, without question, a world-class luxury brand. It had always been famously demanding when it came to its collaborators. Not only did it require artists to have a good public image and immense popularity, but also sufficient depth and aesthetic sense. Netizens jokingly called it the unreasonable demand that celebrities possess an artist's level of sophistication.

And now, they had actually hired Xie Ran as an ambassador?

Fang Huiwang carefully read through the news before he understood what had happened.

Among the images attached to the trending topic was a screenshot from rising painter Xia Xi's Instagram. It was a photo Xia Xi had just posted of herself with Xie Ran.

Ever since photos of the filming location for "New and Old Xi" had sparked heated discussion on Weibo, Stardust had contacted Xie Ran through Xia Xi. For the brand, Xie Ran had a good image, high popularity, and the Jinzhou Best Actor title. Most importantly, he was the only person to have recreated the filming location from the famous painting "New and Old Xi." In terms of artistic ability, no one in the entire entertainment industry could compare to him.

And after meeting Xie Ran, he had not disappointed them. The exceptional professionalism he displayed quickly convinced Stardust to invite him to become an ambassador.

The contract had been signed long ago and deliberately kept under wraps, waiting for the second episode of "Somewhere Else with You" to air. They planned to reveal it alongside the show's behind-the-scenes disclosure, maximizing the promotional effect.

No one had expected Fang Huiwang's Lansi endorsement to also be scheduled for announcement these past few days.

Two celebrities who had just been compared in online posts announced endorsements at nearly the same time. Naturally, they could not avoid being compared again.

There was still an obvious gap between Lansi and Stardust.

Sure enough, the atmosphere online immediately became awkward.

[Cough, cough. Wangran really has been tied together for ten years. Even their endorsement announcements are this dramatic, huh!]

[Emmm, I can understand Stardust announcing it now, but I have no idea why Lansi did. Anyway, everyone knows who should be embarrassed.]

[What's so embarrassing about it? Is Lansi something shameful?]

[Fans don't need to save face. Lansi is very good, but comparisons hurt. Weren't you the ones insisting on comparing achievements earlier? Weren't you the ones mocking Xie Ran's endorsements for being less prestigious than Fang Huiwang's? Why are you denying it now?]

Ambition Studio had painstakingly worked to steer public opinion into its current position, and Kuang Youfang did not want to go back to square one. He immediately asked nervously, "What do we do? Don't tell me Xie Ran is going to rise again?"

Fang Huiwang was far calmer than him. He continued scrolling through Weibo and sneered, "It's only an endorsement. What can it change? Don't forget how much they'll lose just from having Meng Feixuan stuck in their hands..."

Before he could finish, Kuang Youfang cried out in alarm again. "Meng Feixuan is trending too!"

Fang Huiwang frowned and opened the trending list. Meng Feixuan was indeed on it, but the keyword for his trending topic was baffling: "Meng Feixuan Fight the Landlord Champion."

Fang Huiwang:?

He tapped into Meng Feixuan's profile through the link and saw a Weibo post Meng Feixuan had made not long ago.

Meng Feixuan official: @Quest Technology What is wrong with your company? I won the Fight the Landlord Championship. What right do you have not to acknowledge it? You're even trying to swallow my 50,000-yuan prize money?

In the comments, netizens were posting question marks in a queue.

[????]

[What's going on? What Fight the Landlord Championship??!]

[As someone who followed the Fight the Landlord Championship, let me explain. Quest Technology hosted this competition. It was an entertainment tournament, but it still required intelligence, okay? This time, the champion was insanely good. He swept through every round without any opponent being able to stop him. People suspected he had used cheats, but Quest Technology's technical inspection found no signs of cheating. But here's the key point: after the competition ended, Quest Technology asked him to provide an ID to claim the prize. He said he was Meng Feixuan from Xie Ran Studio, so Quest Technology decided it was a prank and refused to award the prize. Now Meng Feixuan has come forward to claim it. What is going on?]

[Holy shit. If it really is Meng Feixuan, doesn't that mean Meng Feixuan really is artificial intelligence?]

[??? He's bluffing, right?]

While netizens argued and speculated endlessly, Meng Feixuan suddenly posted another Weibo.

Meng Feixuan official: @Nangong Xu official I heard someone has been comparing you with me? Then I demand a direct showdown with you.