novelraw Chapter 48 Blacklisted Across the Internet
Chapter 48 Blacklisted Across the Internet
Chen Fan only rested for one day before throwing himself into his busy creative work in preparation for the upcoming Masked New Voice National Top Ten Competition.
The competition was a grand affair.
Banners were hung throughout the Olympic Sports Center.
The television broadcasts the competition format and schedule, as well as the contestants' numbers, in rotation to facilitate online voting.
Chen Fan, however, would stroll to the teahouse every day to ask the old music theory teacher for lessons. The tuition fee was simply to demonstrate how to brew tea.
Recently, the older folks have all become fascinated by Chen Fan's skills and often get together to watch him perform.
Chen Fan was happy to show off his skills in front of the group.
"Hmm! This tea really does taste best when brewed this way!"
"Old Cheng, you really know how to enjoy life!"
"Absolutely!"
As they talked, they began to discuss the "Master Class" that Professor Cheng was currently recording.
"I heard the ratings have gone up quite a bit, and those young guys are all very eager to learn!"
"Oh dear, this isn't like me! Teaching those kids to sing opera would drive me crazy!"
As soon as Brother Cheng said this, Old Huang immediately chimed in, "Same here! Yours are still willing to spar with you, but mine! We can't find anyone!"
As they chatted, everyone's attention turned to Chen Fan.
The boy, with his intimidating face, seemed oblivious to everything around him, focusing instead on scribbling in his notebook.
This calm and composed demeanor is something the older folks really like!
That night, Chen Fan returned to the hotel again, carrying large and small bags, forcing the receptionist to check his belongings.
There were just too many things, and they looked all rather strange.
The busy time flew by, and the Masked New Voice National Top 10 Competition arrived as scheduled.
Since only 25 contestants remained, and they were also the most popular, the production team thoughtfully prepared pre-competition interviews for them.
The interviews began one day in advance after the performance order was drawn.
Chen Fan was the last person to be interviewed because he was drawn later in the lottery.
As soon as he arrived, dozens of microphones were pointed at him.
Cameras surrounded them, flashes were so bright they could blind people, and the live stream was recording the whole thing.
Chen Fan stood tall and exuded composure, allowing the media to take plenty of photos before starting to ask questions.
They mainly asked about my feelings about the competition, whether I was confident, and how I viewed the difficulty of the competition.
Chen Fan responded to each question with composure and humility.
Until a reporter wearing an entertainment magazine badge suddenly pushed his way to the front and asked in a sharp tone:
"Mr. Chen Fan, at the press conference for the CCTV Young Singers Competition, you said 'See you on stage.' Later, Louis and Suzuki's evaluations of you were not very positive. Some people felt that you were not very friendly to international friends. How do you respond to this?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the air around him tightened instantly.
This isn't a question, it's a trap!
If you're not careful, you'll immediately be labeled as "arrogant," "xenophobic," or "low-class."
The backstage staff's expression changed, and they wanted to step forward to interrupt, but Chen Fan stopped them with a look.
"Which media outlet are you from?" Chen Fan asked.
"Star Entertainment." The reporter's smile remained unchanged.
Chen Fan nodded: So this is where you were waiting for me!
The live stream chat was instantly flooded with comments:
"They're here! They're here to cause trouble!"
"I'm speechless! When will China stop fawning over its American daddy?!"
"That bastard did it on purpose! Look at that smug look on his face!"
"This question is so tricky, no matter how you answer it! What am I going to do, Fan Ge?!"
"Holy shit, you...￥@#@!"
Chen Fan stared quietly at the person in front of him, the corners of his lips slightly upturned, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"I'm only friendly to friendly people."
"People who don't respect music are not on my friendly list."
The reporter's eyes lit up upon hearing this answer, and he pressed further, "You mean, Louis and Suzuki are people who disrespect music?"
Chen Fan got up and left without even responding.
The scene fell silent instantly.
As soon as Chen Fan left, a sinister glint flashed in the reporter's eyes, which was then followed by a look of delight.
He squeezed through the crowd, quickly pressed a button on his phone, edited Chen Fan's response, and sent it out.
Wang Junhai's face contorted with laughter the moment he received the audio.
"Okay, okay!"
"Such a disrespectful person towards music is not on the friendly list!"
"Chen Fan, Chen Fan, you handed this knife to me yourself!"
He tapped his finger, dialing Mr. Zhao's number, his tone growing increasingly sinister and ruthless: "Make your move! Send them out in droves!"
"They're deliberately stirring up trouble, claiming Chen Fan is arrogant, discriminates against foreign friends, is conceited, disgraces the Chinese people, and has no manners..."
"In short! I want everyone to know that the 'creative genius' they follow is nothing but an arrogant music industry scoundrel!"
Less than half an hour after the phone call ended, Weibo, short video platforms, various marketing accounts, forums, and more launched a massive campaign to smear Chen Fan.
#Chen Fan is unfriendly to international friends#
#Chen Fan Acts Like a Diva#
#Chen Fande is unworthy of his position#
#Chen Fan has embarrassed himself internationally#
The next morning, several trending topics surged into the top ten with overwhelming force.
Marketing accounts even used the same copy:
A contestant on the CCTV Young Singers Competition clashed with an international friend, and even made public remarks in a pre-competition interview. Chen Fan has become arrogant after being praised so much that he has no manners at all and has embarrassed himself on the international stage!
The online trolls then angrily flooded the screen with comments:
"So what if she sang a few original songs? She really thinks she's some big shot in the music industry!"
"A true big shot doesn't act like him! Besides, he's been embroiled in plagiarism controversies since his debut, so I have my doubts about his status as an original singer!"
"That's so rude!"
"The Chinese music scene has been ruined by arrogant people like this."
The interview was conducted at 10 a.m., and the negative trending topic appeared at noon.
Chen Fan was immediately labeled with negative tags such as "arrogant and diva-like" and "disrespectful to international friends".
Public opinion spiraled out of control at 3 p.m.
The hashtag #ChenFanIsUnfriendlyToInternationalFriends# has firmly held the top spot on the trending topics list, with over one billion views.
Haters revel, bystanders are misled, and marketing accounts viciously kick someone when they're down.
"With this level of skill, does she even deserve to be a singer?"
"Stop embarrassing yourself, just withdraw from the competition!"
"Agreed +1! Let's not delay others too!"
"Chen Fan withdraws from the competition!"
"Chen Fan withdraws from the competition!"
Fans went to great lengths to explain, clarify, and disseminate the original video.
The haters then went on a rampage of labeling.
"They're getting anxious! The fans are starting to defend them, aren't they?"
"Don't use patriotism as a shield; patriotism has absolutely nothing to do with your personal character!"
"International friends are just more polite than you! You can't argue with that!"
The battle of public opinion is getting more and more complicated, and the more you try to explain, the worse it gets.
More and more passersby clicked in, and after learning what happened, they left negative reviews, causing Chen Fan's reputation to continue to decline.
Sitting in front of his computer, Wang Junhai watched Chen Fan's reputation plummet, a sinister smile creeping onto his lips.
"Chen Fan, this is just the beginning."
"Are you ready for the storm I've prepared for you?"
"This is nothing!"
Wang Junhai, holding a glass of red wine, danced in front of his computer, exclaiming, "Mr. Anderson's connections are really useful!"
"Aren't you arrogant?"
"Then I'll show you that in the face of public opinion, your works are nothing."
He picked up his phone and dialed Xu Man's number: "Tell Louis to post a Weibo message, without naming names, just say 'Vagueness knows no borders, respect is mutual,' and the fans will naturally make the connection."
Xu Man smiled and said, "Teacher Wang's move was truly brilliant!"