HDIEUMDBTSB ### Chapter 16: Backlash from Ex-Fans
## Volume 1: The Road to Re-Popularity
### Chapter 16: Backlash from Ex-Fans
#ElectroPopSeal, a magical topic. Seeing the heated discussions, the production team of "I Am a Singer" decided to fuel the fire.
Aside from the astonishment, the other part of the reaction was anger and hatred. As mentioned before, when you dislike someone, everything they do seems wrong. Especially when someone you dislike starts to gain traction, it becomes extremely irritating—
Comments like "The entertainment industry is truly doomed if such artists still get airtime," "Mango TV is shameless, taking any dirty money they can get," and "I once doubted the rumors about the sugar daddy, but now it's obvious. He's been blackened all over the internet and still gets these opportunities. If it's not a sugar daddy, then what?" were rampant.
Currently, on the internet, Chu Zhi’s nickname, when people are being polite, is Chu Trash. The more hostile call him Chu Stain or Steel Wool Ball.
In the entertainment industry, keyboard warriors often resort to personal attacks, which isn't a big deal. Being a traffic star means having your family insulted by strangers. When the waters are already muddy, no one criticizes another piece of trash.
The real terror comes from ex-fans who turn against you because they know their idol best and can criticize with logic and evidence.
"Off-key at the Magic City concert, in 'Running Brothers,' his live singing seemed decent but was actually out of tune. Videos shot by fans clearly show he’s still got a raw voice. Does the internet have no memory? Even an outdoor reality show required post-production edits. Now you're telling me he ranked second on a singing show on his own? This reeks of a well-funded sound card warrior."
This comment was evidently from someone who had bought a ticket to his concert and supported him during the filming of outdoor variety shows.
"Writing and composing songs, huh... As a fan, I knew his skills were the lowest among traffic stars, and he was quite lacking in knowledge. Forget songwriting, he got many basic historical facts wrong on variety shows. Where did they find this ghostwriter? The lyrics are neat but too fake. Any real fan would know."
This person used to be a die-hard fan, watching every variety show Chu Zhi appeared on and knowing every interview by heart, thus able to find accurate screenshots.
There were also comments expressing disappointment in the show for inviting someone they considered trash, polluting the program.
These various comments formed a hot topic on the internet, pushing "I Am a Singer" to rival the newly launched "King of Mask Singer" in terms of popularity. This buzz caught the attention of two companies: Kangfei Entertainment and Dahua Entertainment.
Firstly, in Kangfei Entertainment, the meeting room’s atmosphere was as cold and stagnant as the untouched cups of tea in front of everyone. They were all caught off guard. Neither General Manager Zhang nor Sister Feng had expected Chu Zhi to not only advance but to do so in a way that challenged everyone.
"Did Chu Zhi really complete the lyrics, composition, and arrangement by himself?" General Manager Zhang asked Chu Zhi’s former main agent, Sister Feng.
The head of the artist department suddenly spoke up, saying, "I checked on the copyright website. All the credits are under his name. Don’t tell me Chu Zhi still managed to find a ghostwriter; my intelligence hasn’t dropped that low."
All eyes in the office were on Sister Feng.
It wasn’t just about completing the lyrics, composition, and arrangement. Even having a talent for writing lyrics could be marketed as being a creative genius. The key issue was that he hadn’t shown any talent before.
Sister Feng's mind raced as she replied, "Writing takes time. Maybe Chu Zhi does have songwriting talent, but he never had the time to write songs before."
General Manager Zhang found this somewhat believable. Before his downfall, Chu Zhi was averaging two or three gigs a day, often traveling from one city in the morning to another in the afternoon, and flying to a different city overnight. The high-intensity schedule left little time for rest.
"Then don't issue any statements," General Manager Zhang said after a moment of contemplation. The meeting hadn’t reached any solid conclusions, but he needed to end on a strong note. He added, "Don't put too much pressure on the artists. Focus on discovering their strengths. Our company does have a system for nurturing talent."
His words were not just directed at Sister Feng but also at the head of the artist department.
The company is desperate to extract as much commercial value from its artists as possible, which is why there is this trickle-down effect. Now they talk about discovering the artists' talents, but where will they find the time for that? Besides, don’t they really know the company’s selection criteria? A handsome face trumps everything else; there are no other talents to speak of. They really think it's like a heavenly rod from God, getting whatever they ask for.
Internally mocking her boss, Sister Feng responded outwardly, "I'll pay more attention to talent scouting. Indeed, having skills can help an artist last longer in the entertainment industry. We will definitely strengthen this aspect."
Hearing this, General Manager Zhang ended the meeting with satisfaction.
Back at her desk, Sister Feng rewatched the latest episode of "I Am a Singer." Chu Zhi's performance of "The Wind Blows the Wheat Waves" was unexpectedly good... Initially, Sister Feng felt sorry for the kid, getting bashed by everyone. Now that he was no longer under her management after the contract termination, he was showing talents that hadn't appeared before. She felt no relief; instead, she was slightly annoyed and even a bit hostile.
Sister Feng couldn’t pinpoint the source of her hostility. She called a contact at Mango TV and, during their chat, learned something important.
The guest lineup was changed again. Originally, they had planned to invite an out-of-favor singer from Hong Kong, who, although no longer popular, still held a place in the hearts of those born in the 90s. Now, the guest was switched to Li Xingwei.
"With Lin Xia in the show, how could they invite Li Xingwei as well?" Sister Feng expressed her disbelief over the phone.
In the entertainment industry, there is a saying about the top six stars: "Wu head, Chu tail, Yi Xing Yun Fei." "Wu head" refers to Wu Tang, and "Chu tail" referred to Chu Zhi before his downfall. The six stars are considered equally popular, each dominating certain fields of popularity. For instance, Wu Tang has consistently occupied the top spot in Weibo's star topics. Any random post from him would garner millions of reposts and comments, with over fifty million followers. In contrast, the former Chu Zhi's Weibo was somewhat chaotic, lacking structured management.
However, Chu Zhi's fans showed their strength in their purchasing power for merchandise. Anything their idol appeared in, such as fashion magazines or photo books, would break sales records. For instance, the second-place single subscription on "Bazaar Men's" e-magazine list was 490,000, while Chu Zhi had 1.36 million subscriptions, not only breaking records but also leading by a large margin.
"Two top stars rarely appear on the same variety show. Lin Xia is aiming for the top spot, likely leveraging 'I Am a Singer' to become the King of Singers. How will the show handle Li Xingwei's presence?" Sister Feng continued.
Think about it, what variety show would invite two top stars simultaneously? Even if the artists themselves had no conflicts, their fans would surely clash.
The contact at the TV station replied, "I’m not sure about that. All I know is that the three parties involved have agreed."
The three parties referred to the TV station, the artist's side, and the originally scheduled guest who was replaced. After chatting a bit more about industry gossip, they hung up.
Li Xingwei is the "Xing" in "Yi Xing Yun Fei." His popularity is even higher than Lin Xia's. Being a mid-season guest is a downgrade for him, unless it was arranged by his management company.
Could it be—
"Da Hua Entertainment, Li Xingwei is the top star there." Sister Feng realized the guest switch was not so simple.
Having navigated the industry's murky waters for over twenty years, Sister Feng knew there had to be more to it when an artist under her suddenly faced widespread blackening. Soon enough, she received information that Da Hua Entertainment was behind it. Judging by the company's response, Sister Feng even suspected that there might be a mole within the decision-making ranks selling out their own artists. Their slow reactions seemed incredibly foolish.
"Are they targeting Chu Zhi again?" Sister Feng pondered.
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