Chapter 116: Fierce Competition on the Trending Topics

In the domestic sphere, the day’s narrative had already begun.

On the trending topics list, three glaring "Explosive" tags acted like a stimulant for the dull, predestined wage slaves.

#Ye Fangfei and Lu Zhou Cello Duet# · Explosive
#A Love Variety Show Performance Worthy of the History Books# · Explosive
#Chasing Light Boys Group Comeback New Song Release# · Explosive

The entertainment gossip that could make one feel spirited while slacking off was already served on a platter. Ordinary people in reality transformed one after another into invisible keyboard warriors, speaking their minds freely across the internet.

The bustling comment section under the #Ye Fangfei and Lu Zhou Cello Duet# topic was a testament to this:

[Watching them play the cello is so satisfying! What kind of divine battle is this? I was too tired and fell asleep last night, so I missed the live stream. I’m dying of regret; now I can only watch your screen recordings.]

[Oh my god, Game of Thrones! Ye Fangfei and Lu Zhou’s cello coordination is impeccable. The sense of epic scale and cinematic atmosphere is instantaneous. It moved me to tears; it’s like my youth is back early in the morning! Don’t let such a good performance sink, push it up for me!]

[I never expected my idol Ye Fangfei to be this good at the cello! Why have I never seen her show it off before?]

[Ye Fangfei showed off her cello skills a long time ago, but because the general public focuses more on pop music, they automatically overlooked this skill of hers. She is very talented at the cello, but she plays it less in front of the camera. Seeing her play again today makes me so surprised I’m teary-eyed. Thank you to the show.]

[I knew Ye Fangfei was talented, but Lu Zhou?! Did I misjudge him? How does it feel like his technical level is also top-tier? Judging purely by the sound, he didn’t lose to Ye Fangfei at all. It was a perfect collaboration!]

[Although both are excellent, I feel Ye Fangfei has the edge; Lu Zhou is playing a bit more laboriously.]

[During the live stream, Lu Zhou already admitted that he doesn’t play as well as Ye Fangfei. Are you satisfied now? Is it interesting to compare one person’s strength with another’s weakness? Why not have Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei compare violin skills? See who is better? Seriously, I’m speechless. What’s the point of comparing who is higher or lower? Isn’t it enough that the duet sounds good?]

[This is beyond my area of expertise. They both look like masters to me; I just know it sounds great.]

[The artistic sugar from the "Fei-Zhou" couple is really addictive. Their duet truly mesmerized me. Please, give us more shots like this; the kids are starving for it!]

...

The comment section for #A Love Variety Show Performance Worthy of the History Books# had, however, descended into a quarreling match:

[I’ve watched most of the show’s live stream, so let me sort this out for everyone. It’s basically undisputed that Li Jiayan likes Lu Zhou. For now, I can’t be sure how Lu Zhou feels about his ex-girlfriend, but he has been quite passive, possibly still observing. Furthermore, I personally like his interactions with Ye Fangfei; it’s that kind of subtle, unstated sweetness, so I boldly predict Lu Zhou might be interested in Ye Fangfei. As for how Ye Fangfei feels about Lu Zhou, I can’t be sure either, but their interactions are really easy to ship. If there were truly no feelings between them, they wouldn’t have such a comfortable magnetic field, right? So... I boldly predict that Ye Fangfei might also have a little interest in Lu Zhou. Conclusion: A love triangle.]

[Amazing, a love triangle actually performing a duet together, hahaha, they really aren’t afraid of a scene of carnage.]

[The key is that the three of them cooperated quite well. Those who watched the live stream know that Li Jiayan cried after the performance, and Ye Fangfei gave her a comforting hug... If they really become romantic rivals by the end of the show, this scene could be recorded in history.]

[I only ship the original couple. Ye Fangfei and Lu Zhou are impossible, absolutely impossible. I haven’t seen anything ambiguous between them, except for the ambiguous bridge scenes forced by the production team, or those caused by humanitarian reasons in special circumstances. Otherwise, I don’t feel anything. Today’s performance was just a rational technical exchange, right? It’s over-interpreted. There is no love triangle, stop with the fan fiction.]

[Stop shipping the Lu-Li couple; they are doomed to fail. They haven’t been in contact for six or seven years, and there was no intention of getting back together from the start. Do you really think they are as calm as they appear on the surface? They have deeper problems that haven’t been revealed to you; the issues must be huge.]

[The "Fei-Zhou" couple is still worth looking forward to; they are both in the entertainment industry, nothing is impossible.]

[Ye and Lu are really impossible. The disparity is too great. Being together would just be for fun; it won’t last and is destined to end. Ye Fangfei’s waters are deep. Look at Zhang Chen and you’ll know. If Lu Zhou wants to date, he’s better off getting back with his ex.]

[Why must it be getting back together? It’s not like there’s only Ye; Qi Jiajia is also good! I ship him with Qi Jiajia!]

[This comment section is truly a case of "to each their own."]

...

What made another large group of netizens gossip even more excitedly was the news of the Chasing Light Boys Group’s comeback today.

Since the broadcast of the show *Shall We Exchange? Exes*, Lu Zhou’s personal popularity had been rising rapidly. As more people paid attention to him, some began to dig into his past.

Beyond the information that "Lu Zhou briefly debuted in a duo after entering the entertainment industry, and after they disbanded, he kept drifting as a trainee at Jinhua Entertainment," fans had already unearthed the fact that "Lu Zhou was once a pre-debut trainee for the Chasing Light Boys Group."

The Chasing Light Boys Group is considered top-tier among domestic boy bands, highly sought after by young girls.

Coincidentally, more than half a month ago, the Chasing Light Boys Group had set their comeback date, which happened to be today.

And more coincidentally, the video clip of Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei’s cello duet happened to trend today, hanging at the top spot, while the topic pressed right underneath it was the Chasing Light Boys Group’s comeback.

Just like that, Lu Zhou and the Chasing Light Boys Group appeared on the hot search simultaneously, both with an "Explosive" tag next to them.

Faced with such a dramatic scene, how could gossiping netizens not go wild?

[This trending search is quite ironic. Lu Zhou almost entered the Chasing Light Boys Group to debut during his trainee days, but he failed to be selected. Now that he isn’t in the group, he has become popular instead, and the Chasing Light Boys Group’s comeback topic is being suppressed by Lu Zhou! Hahaha! Dare I ask who is feeling satisfied?]

[Heh! Isn’t he just reaching the top spot by hyping a romance with Ye Fangfei? Without Ye Fangfei, let’s see if your Lu Zhou can suppress the Chasing Light Boys Group? He wasn’t selected to debut back then and flopped for so many years; can you not come here to touch porcelain with Chasing Light? Once the love show ends and he can’t bundle Ye Fangfei for hype, let’s see if your Lu Zhou can still suppress the Chasing Light Boys Group’s trending topics!]

[Is it something to be proud of, reaching the top of the search list by hyping some emotional drama? You are a musician; if you have the ability, reach the top with your own work. You want to suppress Chasing Light? Haha, it’s hilarious.]

[They are anxious! They are anxious! I’m so scared; the Chasing Light fan club is coming to kill.]

[Lu Zhou has actually reached the headlines with his own work before. Are the Chasing Light fans disconnected from the internet? If you have the ability, let your idols write a song to reach the headlines themselves! If you have the ability, don’t rely on the company’s production team!]

[I really want to talk to the leadership at Jinhua Entertainment, haha! Dare I ask, since you didn’t choose Lu Zhou for the Chasing Light Boys Group back then, do you regret it now? How did you choose your people? Lu Zhou, a music student of this level, was treated as a discarded pawn by you; it’s quite funny.]

[Is it possible that he was discarded exactly because his skills were too prominent?]

[No, according to internal news, he just wasn’t chosen back then; Lu Zhou wasn’t well-regarded.]

[Don’t quarrel, don’t argue with Chasing Light fans; they are very crazy. Once they bite, they won’t let go! Lu Zhou is doing quite well as a solo artist now. Groups don’t suit him; they would bury him.]

...

Because of the infighting among fans and the support of the spectators, a new topic was pushed to the top—#Lu Zhou Chasing Light Boys Group# · Explosive!

The heat of the topic kept rising, staying firmly at the top of the entertainment list.

For a while, no one was curious about what the Chasing Light Boys Group’s comeback album was like; all the traffic was concentrated on the argument.

This matter left the Chasing Light Boys Group’s management team extremely frustrated.

"When exactly does this love show end? Ever since it started, it has been slaughtering the trending lists in various ways. Now it’s directly affecting the promotion of our new song comeback. It’s really annoying."

"Who knows how long it will last? It’s all because of Ye Fangfei. If she hadn’t participated, it would be impossible to have such influence. Her brain must have short-circuited to join, and now a large part of the trending topics frequently has to be shared with this lousy love show."

"However, I have to say, this love show is truly a traffic secret..."

"The main thing is that it’s too coincidental. If this show were filmed domestically, even if Ye Fangfei and Lu Zhou’s cello duet made the trending list, it wouldn’t have overlapped with our Chasing Light comeback time. But they went to the U.S. to film! With this time difference, the trending topics collided. Sigh, damn it..."

"Now the trending topics are fighting. Aside from organic traffic, their production team must have been pushing from behind for the sake of ratings. Because of Lu Zhou, the traffic we poured into the trending list has been diverted... No one is paying attention to Chasing Light’s new song; everyone is discussing the grudge between Lu Zhou and Chasing Light... I’m defeated. The sales data for the comeback album looks like a joke."

"Just wait, we are going to be skinned alive by the bosses soon."

...

Regarding this matter, the members of the Chasing Light Boys Group were already going crazy with anger.

It was too absurd. As a top-tier boy band, the promotion of their comeback song was being wildly crushed by trending topics related to Lu Zhou.

It felt like a slap in the face, leaving a lump in their chests that they couldn’t swallow or spit out, making them want to smash things.

At Jinhua Entertainment, a work meeting was held early in the morning. The senior management discussed the difficulties encountered in the Chasing Light Boys Group’s new song comeback promotion, as well as the public relations regarding the negative information involving Lu Zhou and the company.

On the electronic screen in the conference room, a video clip of Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei improvising a cello duet of the *Game of Thrones* theme song at the Balo Opera House was playing.

After watching it, the executives were silent for a long time, followed by sighs.

"When did he reach this level?"

Zhou Yuan, the Executive President of Artist Strategy, turned his gaze to the Brokerage Director, Liu Yali.

Liu Yali, who was called upon, fluttered her eyelashes twice, pursed her lips, and responded: "This, I’m not quite sure..."

"Did he know so many instruments before? Violin, piano, cello, and the trending topic from the *Star Power 1+1* auditions—he also plays the pipa, guzheng, and erhu? Can sing, can dance, can write, can compose, and can play various instruments. This is a truly all-around talent. Did we cultivate this? Or did he know all this before he joined?"

Zhou Yuan flipped through the information about Lu Zhou in front of him and continued to ask in a deep voice.

"Lu Zhou knew violin and piano before joining the company, and he knew a little dance. Because other instruments were involved less, I didn’t look into them in too much detail. Over these years, he must have undergone rigorous extra training, and his level has improved significantly."

Liu Yali lowered her eyes and responded according to her own speculation.

Zhou Yuan: "It seems the brokerage department needs to make some adjustments."

Liu Yali: "..."

Zhou Yuan looked back at the electronic screen.

"For such a high-quality talent, while he was at the company, we failed to discover his highlights and actually let the talent slip away. Now that he has made himself famous, it’s quite absurd."

"I received a call from President Feng before I even stepped into the company’s door today. The implication was that today’s trending topic has caused the company to lose face in the industry."

"The comments on the trending list are criticizing Jinhua Entertainment in every way. I think the netizens aren’t wrong; we were indeed blind."

"Yali, how is the task I mentioned to you earlier, about re-signing Lu Zhou back to the company, coming along?"

Zhou Yuan shifted his sharp gaze to Liu Yali.

"It’s already in preparation, but the love show Lu Zhou is currently participating in is a closed-off live stream, cutting off contact with the outside world. We can’t reach him for the time being, making it difficult to carry out the work, but I have planned it this way..."

Liu Yali sat up straight and began to report her work.

"After all, Lu Zhou is currently trending. After leaving the company and suddenly tasting such sweet traffic, artists are usually prone to getting carried away. It is very difficult for us to approach him for a contract now, especially since he has rejected us once before. Furthermore, Huaxuan Music also wants to poach him, which makes him even more confident."

"The popularity Lu Zhou has today is actually because he took advantage of the momentum from the show *Exes*."

"And according to my understanding, the reason he was able to get the slot for *Exes* was because Nan Qiao helped him."

When Zhou Yuan heard the name Nan Qiao, his brow furrowed. "Nan Qiao?"

"Yes." Liu Yali nodded and continued:

"Before Lu Zhou terminated his contract, he was Nan Qiao’s backup dancer. Nan Qiao had a stage accident during her concert, and it was Lu Zhou who saved her and got injured. A friendship was formed between the two because of this."

"I saw that Nan Qiao even specifically invited Lu Zhou to her birthday party last time. It seems their private friendship might be quite good, so I want to ask Nan Qiao to help do some psychological work on Lu Zhou; the success rate might be higher."

Liu Yali put forward her idea.

"Nan Qiao... If I remember correctly, she is also in the U.S. now, right?" Zhou Yuan rubbed the stubble on his chin and said.

"Yes, I have already talked to Nan Qiao on the phone. Regarding this matter... she said she could help talk to him."

"I want to wait until Nan Qiao finishes communicating with Lu Zhou before seeing what the situation is."

"And then..." Liu Yali pursed her lips, glanced at Zhou Yuan, and then said: "I also want to apply for an additional negotiation condition from the company."

Zhou Yuan: "What condition?"

"I hope the company can agree to set up an independent studio for Lu Zhou, provide resources and independent team support, and cooperate with him on a profit-sharing model."

Liu Yali put forward the negotiation condition she wanted to request.

Zhou Yuan frowned upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Liu Yali quickly continued to explain:

"Because I have had in-depth discussions with Lu Zhou about cooperation before, the inner thoughts he conveyed to me were that he wants more freedom and more dominance."

"You have to know, he even rejected Huaxuan Music..."

"So I think if we can’t provide him with what he really wants, it’s unlikely that he will agree to sign."

"Of course, if other colleagues can get Lu Zhou to sign back without the company having to make such a big concession, then you can let other colleagues take over this task."

Liu Yali said with a serious face. Her tone at the end was quite determined, implying that if the company didn’t offer better conditions, she wouldn’t be able to handle Lu Zhou.

Zhou Yuan spun the black signature pen in his hand twice, pondered for a moment, and replied: "I will discuss this with President Feng before giving you an answer."

Liu Yali: "Okay."

"Next, let’s talk about the Chasing Light Boys Group." Zhou Yuan looked at the people at the conference table and said, "The comeback day got off to a bad start. The new song promotion is a total mess, and the rhythm is completely led astray. Think about how to solve this, or those boys will become disheartened again."

At the conference table, everyone expressed their opinions.

"I feel we should stay put for now. After the hype about Lu Zhou and Ye Fangfei dies down, we can restart the promotion."

"If you don’t strike while the iron is hot, the momentum fades. Don’t you understand that? If we let others’ popularity suppress us now, it won’t be easy to recover later. If you ask me, why not just take advantage of the momentum..."

"How to take advantage?"

"Isn’t the trending list arguing quite happily about the relationship between Lu Zhou and the Chasing Light Boys Group? Why not just create a new rhythm on top of this, take the Chasing Light Boys Group’s new comeback song and Lu Zhou’s performance piece for a PK, and let netizens argue about who is better and who is worse?"

"This is not music of the same type or on the same level of appreciation; what is there to PK? Besides... if we really start this PK rhythm, I don’t have the confidence to ensure that the Chasing Light Boys Group will definitely have the advantage..."

"Why must there be an advantage? What we want is traffic and the money that traffic brings. A boy band and a solo singer are naturally a matter of personal taste; there is no significance in a PK. If we bring both sides to the same level to compare their abilities, and netizens want to compare who is higher or lower, don’t they have to listen to the songs first? They have to listen before they can evaluate, right? Then won’t the heat of the Chasing Light Boys Group’s new comeback song come?"

"Damn, you’ve really mastered the game of traffic."

"Then why else would I be sitting in this position?"

...

And so, not long after, the internet became even more lively.

A new public opinion topic was launched—

[The Chasing Light Boys Group’s comeback song is explosively good! I’ve been looping it N times! Good songs should be heard by more people. Today is Chasing Light’s comeback day. I beg that Lu, who couldn’t even enter a debut group, to please stop milking the popularity of his former Chasing Light brothers! At least the five brothers who have already debuted are focusing on their own music careers. They have never let down their fans and have never relied on women to increase their popularity. I beg Lu’s fans to focus on your idol’s love show. We know your idol can play the cello and it’s very impressive. Our idols don’t play the cello and can’t be bothered to PK with your idol. Please stop coming to touch porcelain with our Chasing Light!]

[Can’t be bothered to PK? Hahaha, if you pick any random member of your idols, can they really win a PK? Hilarious. What Lu Zhou is doing now is already on a level beyond your idols. His work is much more sophisticated.]

[Sophisticated? You say it’s sophisticated, so it is? Playing an instrument is sophisticated? It makes me laugh out loud. Do you know there are many kinds of art? Your idol was also a trainee back then. By your standards, does that mean everything he played before was low-class goods? Are you calling your own idol low-class?]

[Please go watch Chasing Light’s new song MV before coming back to talk about whether your Lu Zhou idol is sophisticated. They are already playing with new trends, while your idol is still playing old-fashioned performance pieces, hahaha. It’s obviously your idol who is low-class.]

[Chasing Light’s new song is really great! Worthy of being my five favorite brothers! None of them can be missing! Replacing any one of them wouldn’t be perfect! That Lu is just not worthy of entering Chasing Light, I said it! Chasing Light can only ever be you five!]

[Passerby here, just inserting a word: I think Chasing Light’s new song is just so-so... The fan filter is too strong.]

[A boy band’s song can only show its true charm when it hits the stage. For example, if Lu Zhou and Chasing Light were on the same stage, Lu Zhou singing his *First Love* and the Chasing Light Boys Group singing their new comeback song, I guarantee the Chasing Light Boys Group’s stage would definitely have the highest popularity!]

[How terrifying is ignorance]

...

The senior management at Huaxuan Music couldn’t help but smile and shake their heads after following today’s entertainment trends.

"Jinhua Entertainment’s move is actually quite ruthless."

"But I don’t personally recommend this way of playing... Regardless of whether Jinhua Entertainment can sign Lu Zhou back later, the fans of the Chasing Light Boys Group and Lu Zhou have made such a scene today, they will definitely be complete rivals in the future."

"It’s meaningless for them to be in opposition within the same company. If they want to be rivals, let them be completely so. Let’s find a way to sign Lu Zhou in. I see he and Fangfei have a good rapport in their music collaboration. If we sign him in, Fangfei will surely like it too. When the time comes, there will be plenty of inspiration, and creating more works won’t be a bad thing."

"But the momentum between the two in the show... why does it look a bit ominous to me? If we really sign him into the company... aren’t you afraid that Fangfei will start dating him?"

"Let them date. If she really wants to date him, she will do it whether we sign him or not. Can you stop her? If they are really going to date, it’s better to do it internally, so we don’t end up inexplicably sending traffic to other companies."

"I’m not worried about Fangfei dating; I’m worried about them dating within the same company. If they break up, and they have to see each other every day, that will be hard to handle..."

"It’s not even a sure thing yet, you’re thinking quite far ahead..."

"Well, after all, they will definitely break up in the end..."

"Tsk... that is indeed a problem."

"So, are we signing him or not?"

"Forget it, let’s talk about it later."