After taking advice, I became a top male idol.

Chapter 42 The Hunt of Capital!

The day before the competition.

Several entertainment marketing accounts posted a number of microblog posts.

[Insider Scoop]: #A Certain L-surnamed Comedian from a Talent Show# I heard he's quite popular lately? Haha, he's talented, but his character is truly questionable. According to insiders, during his time at his previous company, his private life was extremely chaotic, and he frequently used his trainee status to lure female fans. [Vomiting]

[Entertainment Deep Throat]: We received a submission that a recently popular music variety show contestant, who outwardly portrays himself as a "talented but unappreciated" and "deeply affectionate" individual, is actually a playboy in private. Rumor has it that he even stole his friends' resources to climb the ladder and acted arrogantly towards staff. Pictures don't lie. (Blurred picture of his back).

[Gossip Girl]: I won't mention the name, but those who know, know. The guy who sings in a Peking Opera style was warned during his trainee days for harassing female trainees. Now that he's famous, does that mean his past mistakes can be erased? The internet remembers!

There is no concrete evidence whatsoever; it's all based on hearsay, insider revelations, and the name "someone surnamed L."

But in this era where "it only takes a mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of legwork to refute them," this is enough.

Immediately afterwards, a large number of well-prepared online trolls flooded the comment section and began to stir up trouble.

"The surname L? Lin Zhixing? I don't believe it! He sang 'The Red-Haired Girl' with such righteous spirit!"

"The person upstairs is too naive. You can know a person's face but not their heart."

"No wonder his former company wanted to terminate his contract; it turns out he has character issues!"

"Sleeping with fans? That's disgusting! This kind of disgraced celebrity should be kicked out of the entertainment industry!"

"Where is the production team? How can someone like this continue competing? I suggest he withdraw!"

The saying "three men can make a tiger" applies here; under the manipulation of capital, the direction of public opinion has begun to subtly shift.

Although Lin Zhixing's die-hard fans and "listen-to-advice" groups are desperately fighting back and demanding concrete evidence, once dirty water is poured out, even if it is eventually washed clean, it will still leave a stench.

This is the predation of capital.

If I can't have you, I'll destroy you.

......

Yanjing Broadcasting and Television Station.

Director's office.

The assistant director rushed in, sweating profusely, holding a tablet computer, his voice urgent, "Director Xia, the situation is not good."

"Suddenly, a whole bunch of negative stories about Lin Zhixing surfaced online, saying he slept with fans, acted arrogantly, and had a bad character. The hype spread very quickly, and several marketing accounts were clearly working together; there must be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes!"

"Many netizens who are unaware of the facts have started attacking the show's official Weibo account, demanding an explanation and even calling for Lin Zhixing to withdraw from the competition. This... will have a huge impact on the semi-finals!"

Xia Xue was holding a cup of freshly ground Blue Mountain coffee.

Upon hearing the assistant director's report, she simply blew on the coffee foam floating in her cup.

"What's the panic?"

She put down her coffee cup, picked up the tablet, and casually swiped around a couple of times.

"Sleeping with fans? Acting like a diva? Hmph, still using such despicable methods."

As a seasoned veteran in this industry, Xia Xue saw through the tricks behind it all at a glance.

The timing was so precise, leaking the news just one day before the semi-finals. It was clearly an attempt to mess with Lin Zhixing's mentality and affect his performance in the match.

Just two days ago, Lin Zhixing rejected the offer, and today all sorts of negative rumors are flying around.

If this is just a coincidence, then Xia Xue's name should be written backwards.

"Director Xia, what should we do? Should we have Lin Zhixing issue a statement?" the assistant director asked.

"What's the point of issuing a statement? It'll only make things worse."

Xia Xue stood up and walked to the window.

"Ha, you can't wait that long?"

"Notify the PR team to contact Weibo and suppress this buzz! Tell them this is a key project for our station; if anything goes wrong, all future resource exchanges with our station are off the table!"

"Also, send warnings to those marketing accounts we cooperate with. Anyone who dares to stir up trouble at this critical juncture is going against 'The Voice of China' and Beijing TV! Let them think twice about whether they still want to make a living this way!"

The assistant director hesitated for a moment, then said, "Understood! I'll get on it right away!"

He didn't expect that Director Xia would be so tough this time, directly using the station's resources to confront the capital for the sake of a contestant who hadn't even signed a contract yet.

"Director Xia, will doing this... offend...?" the assistant director asked cautiously.

"offend?"

Xia Xue sat back down in her chair and waved her hand domineeringly.

"In my show, I am the rule."

"I'm rooting for Lin Zhixing as a promising talent, as long as he doesn't withdraw from the competition! No one can change that!"

......

Studio One.

The rehearsal scene.

10:00 AM.

On stage, the lights shone brightly as Lin Zhixing moved in unison with the band members.

"Teacher Lin, please pause for a moment."

The director called "cut," saying, "Director Xia wants you to go to her office."

Lin Zhixing paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

He handed the microphone to a staff member, straightened his clothes slightly, and headed toward the director's room.

Although he appeared calm, he knew in his heart that the negative information circulating online could not be kept from the production team.

The reason I called him over this time was most likely because of this matter.

"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."

Lin Zhixing knocked on the door of the chief director's office.

"Enter."

As you push open the door, a delicate fragrance wafts out.

This was the first time Lin Zhixing had met Xia Xue, the legendary director of "The Voice of China," up close.

Behind the desk sat a woman who still retained her charm.

She is in her early forties, but she is very well-maintained, with fair and delicate skin that shows almost no signs of aging.

She wore a well-tailored velvet cheongsam, with a Suzhou embroidered shawl draped over her rounded shoulders. Her full figure filled out the cheongsam, giving her a rich and noble beauty reminiscent of a peony from the Tang Dynasty.

At this moment, she was smiling as she watched Lin Zhixing walk in.

"Director Xia, you wanted to see me."

Lin Zhixing greeted him politely but firmly.

"Come, sit down." Xia Xue pointed to the chair opposite her. "Don't be nervous, we're just chatting."

Lin Zhixing sat down and said, "Thank you, Director Xia."

Xia Xue sat back in the large chair, leaning back slightly. She looked Lin Zhixing up and down, her eyes filled with even more satisfaction.

"Have you seen those things online?" Xia Xue asked bluntly.

"I saw it," Lin Zhixing replied calmly. "Someone is trying to get me."

"clever."

Xia Xue nodded approvingly, "In this industry, being targeted means you're famous. It's truly tragic if no one targets you."

She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and her tone became somewhat meaningful.

"You should know that this stage has gradually become a debut stage. Many contestants have companies behind them and capital driving their careers."

"And you, you haven't signed with a company yet, which is quite unusual among the contestants."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Many companies are vying for you, which is a good thing, but also a troublesome one. There will be some pressure, which I can help you with, but you also need to be careful."

Lin Zhixing understood the meaning behind Xia Xue's words.

She was reminding herself and extending kindness to herself.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Director Xia."

"Good that you understand."

As Xia Xue spoke, she took a document out of the drawer and pushed it in front of Lin Zhixing.

"This is a supplementary agreement. Take a look, and if there are no problems, sign it."

"this......"

Lin Zhixing picked up the document and was stunned.

This is a "Player Status Change Agreement".

The agreement was simple: Lin Zhixing's status in the competition was changed from "a contestant recommended by Xinghuang Entertainment" to "a contestant directly selected by the director team".

Although it is only a nominal change, it is of great significance.

This means that Lin Zhixing's "ownership" on the show has changed.

Star Entertainment can no longer use reasons such as "violation of competition rules" or "slot allocation" to pressure the program team and force Lin Zhixing to withdraw from the competition.

"Director Xia, why are you helping me?"

Xia Xue looked up at him, smiled, and said, "Because you have value."

"In this circle, only those who are valuable deserve to be helped."

Xia Xue silently added in her mind: Why?

Because he is the savior of ratings! Because he is the key to reviving "The Voice of China"!

More importantly, Xia Xue's ambitions extend beyond this variety show.

She has several S-level projects yet to be developed, and she is in need of a core artist who can command respect and is also talented.

Lin Zhixing always manages to bring new surprises, from "The Lone Warrior" to "The Red-Clad Actress." This creative ability and stage presence are something that assembly-line idols simply cannot match.

This is a long-term investment.

Doing him a favor now will make us one of our own when we cooperate in the future.

"Thank you," Lin Zhixing said sincerely after signing the document.

"Alright, go back and prepare for the competition." Xia Xue waved her hand. "Don't let me down."

Lin Zhixing nodded, pushed open the door, and left.