Perfect Superstar.

As the saying goes, "The older the ginger, the spicier it gets."

When Lu Chen called Chen Jianhao, there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Instead of the reassurance he sought, he received a lecture.

He had learned about the situation a bit too late.

While the timing didn't significantly affect Lu Chen's current standing, he realized that once he became a true star, being slow to react could lead to serious consequences.

For a celebrity, every action and word is scrutinized by the public. In unfavorable situations, a quick and timely response can make all the difference.

Ultimately, Lu Chen's lack of a solid support network was at the heart of the problem. Having chosen to forge his own path, he needed to assemble a strong team behind the scenes; otherwise, he wouldn't last long in the industry.

"Didn't you set up a workshop? Start hiring more capable people as soon as possible," Chen Jianhao advised.

As a seasoned veteran, Chen Jianhao's words carried weight, and Lu Chen took them seriously. However, he wasn't about to let the conversation drift off course. "Brother Jianhao, I've already started hiring. But let's get back to the matter at hand."

Chen Jianhao chuckled. "I know exactly what you want to ask. Yes, I told Stray Cat to post that blog, and I provided him with the material. Are you satisfied now?"

'So it was true!'

Even with confirmation, Lu Chen didn't feel anger. He trusted that Chen Jianhao wouldn't steer him wrong.

What piqued Lu Chen's curiosity more was Chen Jianhao's connections. "Is this person a friend of yours?"

Stray Cat was a well-known figure, boasting "small V" status on Wave Blog and being a prominent ID on Sky Forum, famous for breaking entertainment industry news.

For Chen Jianhao, a bar owner, to be well-acquainted with someone like that was surprising.

Lu Chen couldn't help but ask a few more questions— after all, such a connection could prove useful down the line.

"Don't overthink it…" 

Chen Jianhao replied, "I'm not that close with him. He lives abroad and has help from other friends."

"In any case, you don't need to worry for now. This matter isn't over yet. As for your blog, don't do anything— just stay silent and watch the show!"

Chen Jianhao sounded confident as if he had a plan up his sleeve.

Lu Chen decided to trust him. "Alright, I'll wait for the drama to unfold!"

After ending the call, Lu Chen turned to Li Feiyu, who was eagerly waiting. "Let's leave it for now."

Li Feiyu, who had been full of righteous indignation moments ago, now looked deflated.

Lu Chen patted his shoulder reassuringly. "We're not backing down; let's just focus on finishing our work for now."

No sooner had he spoken than loud knocking came from outside.

It was the furniture Lu Chen had ordered: desks, chairs, counters, and sofas. Along with the delivery were two installers from the factory who began assembling the pieces on-site.

To speed things up, Lu Chen and Li Feiyu pitched in to help.

By noon, all the furniture was in place.

The reception area, lounge, and office section of the workshop were fully set up. While the decor wasn't luxurious or ornate, it was clean and organized, giving off a fresh and professional vibe.

Lunch was takeout, and the afternoon was spent installing computers, and printers, and setting up the network— leaving them no time to relax.

Meanwhile, the storm brewing on Wave Blog due to Stray Cat's post showed no signs of abating. If anything, it was intensifying.

Ling Xiaoxiao's fans swarmed Lu Chen's blog in droves, joined by plenty of bystanders. The comment section became a chaotic mess, filled with sarcastic remarks, outright insults, and even some inappropriate content. The chaos was so severe that the platform's moderators had to step in and ban numerous accounts.

Originally, Lu Chen and Ling Xiaoxiao had no connection whatsoever. Lu Chen had never said anything about Ling Xiaoxiao, and their paths were like two parallel lines that wouldn't intersect.

Yet one blog post from Stray Cat thrust Lu Chen into the spotlight, making him a target for Ling Xiaoxiao's fans. Stray Cat's post compared the two, turning Lu Chen into collateral damage and the focus of their collective outrage.

The situation had escalated to an abnormal level. After all, Lu Chen wasn't the instigator, yet he was being painted as the villain and subjected to mass condemnation. It was clear to any discerning observer that there was more at play.

Undoubtedly, someone was manipulating events behind the scenes, using this controversy to boost Ling Xiaoxiao's popularity while suppressing Lu Chen!

Would Xiangnan TV be that easy to deal with?

Lu Chen had a sizable fan base on Wave Blog, and upon seeing the situation, they naturally stepped up to refute the accusations. However, their response lacked organization and strength, making them no match for the overwhelming numbers of Xiaoxiao's fan club.

Neither Lu Chen nor Capital City TV responded, and Stray Cat, the instigator of the controversy, remained silent as if struck dumb. Despite the barrage of criticism, he refused to say another word, giving people the impression that this so-called whistleblower was too guilty to speak up.

By 7 PM, a judging panel member from 'The Strongest Singer' finally broke the silence on their blog.

This panelist was none other than Zhang Xiaoan, a well-known variety show host for Xiangnan TV and a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, with over 5 million followers on his blog. He had participated in the preliminary rounds of 'The Strongest Singer' auditions but hadn't appeared in the subsequent rounds.

On his blog, Zhang Xiaoan admitted that he was one of the judges who eliminated Lu Chen during the auditions. According to him, Lu Chen's performance at the time lacked professionalism, and his original work was essentially a half-finished product.

In contrast, Lu Chen's performance during the 'Singing China' competition, where he advanced from the Top 32 to the Top 16, was far more polished, with much-improved compositions. Zhang Xiaoan stated that if Lu Chen had shown even half of that level during 'The Strongest Singer' auditions, he would have passed.

Zhang Xiaoan's post was clearly an attempt to absolve both himself and 'The Strongest Singer' of any blame— essentially saying, "It wasn't that we didn't want him; his performance was just subpar!"

This clever twisting of facts struck a nerve. In Stray Cat's blog post, there was video evidence of Lu Chen's performance on 'Singing China' as well as his role as the songwriter of 'In Spring.' To claim that he lacked talent was an insult to anyone's intelligence.

To make matters worse, Zhang Xiaoan hinted that Lu Chen was deliberately using 'The Strongest Singer' controversy as a publicity stunt.

He even implied that Lu Chen's elimination during the auditions might have been a premeditated ploy for self-promotion!

This carefully crafted narrative resonated strongly with fans, and many began pouring into Lu Chen's blog to hurl insults.

At 7:20 PM, another judging panel member from 'The Strongest Singer', Chen Zhenni, also posted on her blog.

Unlike Zhang Xiaoan's subtle insinuations, Chen Zhenni, a celebrity with an overseas education, was far more direct. She bluntly claimed that Lu Chen's elimination was not just due to his subpar work but primarily because of his disrespectful attitude toward senior judges during the auditions.

She wrote: 

"As a newcomer, showing respect to seniors is a basic virtue. Sorry, but I didn't see that in him. Perhaps he's courteous to big stars, but that only makes me dislike him more. If I had to choose again, I'd still hit the red button!"

At the end of her post, Chen Zhenni tagged Zhuang Hao, the third judge from the auditions.

Back then, Lu Chen had put Zhuang Hao in an awkward position during the auditions.

Zhuang Hao quickly responded, writing: 

"Young people need to be given chances. Nevertheless, his songwriting is not bad."

The two judges worked in tandem, firmly pinning the label of "disrespectful to seniors" on Lu Chen.

They also strongly suggested that Lu Chen was an arrogant newcomer who lacked self-awareness. While he appeared humble on 'Singing China,' it was all an act.

Why? Because the judges on 'Singing China' were none other than Chen Fei'er and Tan Hong!

What rookie would dare put on airs in front of such big names?

Thus, Lu Chen was further branded with another label: "two-faced opportunist."

The trio of Zhang Xiaoan, Chen Zhenni, and Zhuang Hao— well-known figures in the entertainment industry— teamed up, along with the earlier three blog posts from the show's production team, to completely tarnish Lu Chen's image in the eyes of uninformed fans.

As fans continued to attack Lu Chen and Stray Cat, some even went to Chen Fei'er and Tan Hong's blogs, urging them to eliminate Lu Chen in the upcoming 'Singing China' Capital City final, where the Top 16 would compete for the Top 10 spots. The reason? His poor character!

Neither Chen Fei'er nor Tan Hong responded or commented.

These two industry veterans had weathered countless storms and wouldn't be easily swayed, nor would they stoop to such antics.

The situation spiraled further out of control, and Lu Chen's name became notorious on the blog platform.

Unfortunately, it was a bad reputation.

At 8 PM, Li Bai— real name Li Mubai— called Lu Chen.

"General Lu, what the hell is going on? They're smearing you so badly on the blog platform!"

His tone was anxious, and he even swore, "Our Lu Family Army group is about to explode! Brother Little Fei is trying to keep everyone calm, but we can't take this lying down. We can't just let them bully us like this!"

Lu Chen had just finished setting up his workshop and was drenched in sweat.

Hearing Li Mubai's frustrated tone, he chuckled, "Tell everyone to hold on. Now's not the time to fight back. Let's wait a little longer."

"Wait?!"

Li Mubai protested, "They're practically stomping on us, and you want us to wait?!"

Lu Chen didn't want to endure either, but without any response from Chen Jianhao's side, he lacked the ammunition to fight back.

However, he didn't want to dampen the Lu Family Army's fervor. After a moment of thought, he said, "Alright, give me one more hour. In the meantime, organize everyone. When the time comes, we'll strike together!"

If Stray Cat remained silent by 9 PM, Lu Chen would speak up himself.

Even if the odds were against him, he was determined to fight to the end.

When patience runs out, there's no need to endure further!

(Chapter End) 

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