novelraw Chapter 227 - 220: Tragically Attacked
Chapter 227 - 220: Tragically Attacked
Li Ke returned home from the office and immediately turned on his computer to search for news about Lv Fangxin.
At the same time, he was also aware that the second public performance was set to begin recording at noon the day after tomorrow.
Simultaneously, audience recruitment for the second performance had started.
The instant the "Heavenly Gift Idol" official Weibo released the recruiting link, Li Ke clicked on it to register.
In fact, the first performance had also been open for public audience recruitment, but back then, the program group was unsure if enough spectators would show up, so only a limited batch of tickets was released.
This time, as soon as the link went live, over ten thousand people were online simultaneously applying.
Feeling nervous after submitting his application, Li Ke hesitated and then, still uneasy, messaged the person who sold him a ticket last time: "Buddy, do you have tickets for the second performance?"
"Not easy to get! You see how many people have applied, don’t you?"
"I’m just worried about not being selected and was hoping you’d lend a hand, brother."
Li Ke felt disgusted with himself, spending that much money while groveling before someone profiting from others’ desperation.
"Okay then! I’ll try, but buddy, I’ve got to tell you upfront, the price isn’t what it was last time."
"How much are we talking?"
"At least 10,000 yuan to start."
When Li Ke saw that number, he felt an overwhelming urge to smash his fists through the screen.
"Fine. As long as you have a ticket, I’ll pay the 10,000 yuan. I’ll swallow the cost."
People like Li Ke were scattered across the internet—many weren’t even from Shenghai and had flown in just to see the performance.
Likewise, many "resourceful individuals" with access to tickets were selling them at exorbitant prices.
Having showered, Mu Yunchu wore only an oversized shirt as she sat beside Xiao Du.
Her youthful vibrancy carried the unique fragrance of a young girl.
She had stayed at Xiao Du’s house after getting drunk the night before, and upon waking in the afternoon, she used the excuse of helping Xiao Du cook to prolong her stay.
However, the meal she prepared smelled so bad that Xiao Du nearly "died of food poisoning."
Left with no choice, he had to call the restaurant and order delivery instead.
After a day and night fighting back against online hate, Xiao Du thought he had managed to suppress the smear campaign targeting Ye Yuwei.
Unexpectedly, by the second night, every major forum, Weibo thread, Hupu post, Douban discussion, and headline corner was flooded with content bashing Ye Yuwei.
Vulgar comments and shamelessly doctored images spread across the internet, and countless individuals rushed to Ye Yuwei’s Super Topic to insult her.
Buzz buzz!
Distraught, Mu Yunchu silenced her endlessly ringing phone.
Both her and Xiao Du’s private lines were almost going off the rails, bombarded by threatening texts and personal attacks.
Some callers posed as righteous advisors, passionately urging them to stop supporting someone like Ye Yuwei, whom they labeled a "corrupt idol."
Such things were completely new to Mu Yunchu; she never imagined that events she’d only seen in drama plots could unfold so vividly in her real life.
"This damned Galaxy company! Their artist is under such heavy attack, yet they don’t even step up to defend against it!" Xiao Du was furious at Galaxy’s utter lack of action.
He opened the QQ group chat where everyone was discussing the matter—some demanded he contact Galaxy’s officials immediately to ask how they planned to handle it.
Just as Xiao Du intended to consult other major fans, a message popped up in the group:
"According to internal news from Galaxy, after Ye Yuwei rose to fame, she’s been looking to leave the company. That’s why they haven’t defended her against the attacks."
The message triggered an explosive discussion in the chat.
"Galaxy is such a trash company! If she wants to leave, let her! What’s the big deal?"
"No way! Yezi hasn’t even debuted yet—why would she fall out with her parent company? What if Galaxy forces her to quit the competition?"
"Yezi isn’t even that famous yet, and she’s already demanding a contract renegotiation? No wonder Galaxy isn’t helping her."
"Yezi is digging her own grave. Galaxy has already gone above and beyond for her. She got this level of attention because of Galaxy’s negotiation with Tencent, after all."
"If Yezi really broke ties with Galaxy, there’s nothing we can do. Her contract is entirely under Galaxy’s control."
Reading through these comments, Xiao Du sank into deep thought.
But logic told him that Ye Yuwei couldn’t possibly be looking to terminate her contract with Galaxy at this stage.
"...Xiao Du, actually, Yezi is no longer an artist under Galaxy." Mu Yunchu bit her lip. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to keep this secret, but some things needed to be said.
"Not an artist under Galaxy?!" Xiao Du looked at her in stunned disbelief.
Meanwhile, Galaxy’s Shen Xing was gleefully watching the smear campaign unfold online.
Ever since Ye Yuwei explicitly refused to pair up with Lu Bingbing for a staged love affair, Galaxy had dropped their façade entirely—they covertly and overtly provided other rival agencies with malicious gossip and accusations.
Naturally, they wouldn’t reveal the truth about their temporary agreement with Ye Yuwei.
On the internet, they began spreading rumors under the guise of "internal personnel" that Ye Yuwei was seeking contract termination.
At Tencent headquarters,
Wan Kai, too, was closely monitoring the online atmosphere.
He was acutely aware of the public perceptions surrounding every contestant.
The overwhelming popularity of the show had thrown the 21 participating company owners into a frenzy—they bargained desperately with him to ensure their trainees got more screen time and stayed longer in the competition.
By this point, however, Wan Kai had lost control of some aspects of the show.
Take Lv Fangxin, for instance: the program crew needed her surge of popularity. Even if Lv Fangxin’s agency didn’t approach Tencent, Tencent would still give her significant screen time.
Unless Tencent intended to ruin its own show and forgo the profits.
Similarly, a polarizing figure like Ye Yuwei, who generated enormous fan interest, wouldn’t be quickly discarded by Tencent either.
Wan Kai picked up his phone and called his secretary: "Send the public relations department in."
The sky was overcast with dense clouds; Shenghai in this season was prone to heavy rain.
As lightning crackled and a torrential downpour drenched the cold, merciless world,
Li Jiaqi returned to her luxurious apartment only to find the door slightly ajar.
Perplexed, she slowed her steps. "Did Zhang Yu forget to close the door?"
Feeling lonely, she’d invited Zhang Yu to stay with her.
Suddenly, a heavy, moist scent mixed with the metallic tang of blood wafted out from inside.
Her hair stood on end, her mind blank, yet she mechanically stepped further into the flat.
The living room was in disarray—the coffee table shattered, furniture toppled, papers scattered haphazardly.
The balcony window hung open, and with the gusting wind and rainwater, the curtains flailed wildly.
She moved deeper inside.
Suddenly, she felt her sandals grow damp, and as she glanced down, she saw water trickling out from the bathroom.
But this wasn’t clear water—it was tinged with pale red.
Her scalp tingled, her body trembled uncontrollably as she stepped through the water toward the bathroom door, her shaky hand pushing it open.
"Ah! Ahhh!"
Her terrified scream tore through the thunder’s roar.
On the cold, slick floor, Zhang Yu lay sprawled, her body bruised and bloody, swollen and battered beyond recognition.
Her long, thick hair had been tied to the water pipe.
"Help me... please... help..."
"Zhang Yu! Zhang Yu... you..."
Hearing the faint sound of pleas from Zhang Yu, Li Jiaqi seemed to snap out of a nightmare. She fumbled frantically for her phone and dialed the police.