Chapter Ten: The National Goddess Takes the Field Herself

Half an hour later, with Luo Xiaoyi’s help, Chen Nian used that Weibo account with tens of thousands of followers to release a statement, announcing that he would host a livestream at eight o’clock tonight to clarify the plagiarism accusations.

Lin Xinrou, though she had never revealed her face online, had been closely following Chen Nian’s every move. When she saw his statement, a wave of panic swept through her. After all, she hadn’t written any of those songs herself; she knew nothing about songwriting. Her accusations against Chen Nian were built entirely on hype and the efforts of hired trolls and her fans, lacking any solid evidence.

If Chen Nian truly managed to prove the songs were his original work, she would be utterly finished.

Noticing Lin Xinrou’s nervousness, Wei Ge, the bespectacled top agent beside her, shook his head with a smirk. “He’s just a nobody. What’s there to clarify, and who would care about what he says?” Wei Ge spoke with cold indifference.

This was the difference between an ordinary person and a top celebrity. What did it matter if a nobody voiced an opinion or posted a comment? Who would pay any attention? Who would even notice?

That’s the way the internet works now: whoever has more traffic and more fans, whatever they say becomes the truth. As for the real facts?

Heh. Who really cares what the truth is?

“I’ll get in touch with some friends and make sure to suppress whatever attention he’s getting,” Wei Ge said, taking a drag from his cigarette and resting his hand on Lin Xinrou’s thigh, smiling slyly.

Lin Xinrou showed no displeasure at his gesture; in fact, she leaned in closer, her voice coy as she said, “You’re amazing, Wei Ge. You always settle things with just a few moves. Chen Nian and Luo Xiaoyi must be losing their minds right now.”

“Heh, this is nothing. That ordinary, small-time nobody thinks he can go up against us? Pure delusion.” Wei Ge chuckled, his hand slowly sliding upward on Lin Xinrou’s thigh. “I’ve already issued a blacklist for him within Xinjing Entertainment. As long as we’re involved, the name Chen Nian will never appear anywhere.”

Meanwhile, as Wei Ge predicted, Chen Nian’s statement attracted little attention. The few comments it drew were just trolls cursing at him. Even the trending lists were locked out—any information about Chen Nian was throttled, suppressed from view.

Such are the tactics of those with power. In the eyes of capital, ordinary people are nothing more than ants to be crushed at will.

“You want to clarify? Clarify what? The evidence is solid, you plagiarist!”
“A nobody, leeching off our Goddess Lin’s fame by stealing her work—know your place and get lost!”

Luo Xiaoyi read the comments, her chest heaving with anger.

No one listens when you try to reason; if you argue, you’re drowned out, and there’s no way to explain yourself.

They can’t even get the facts straight, and people go straight to personal attacks! She had believed that with Chen Nian’s talent, he was bound to take the music world by storm today. Instead, Lin Xinrou had stolen his work and twisted the situation against him.

Luo Xiaoyi was beside herself with rage. In all her life, she’d never encountered anything this infuriating.

“Trying to ride Goddess Lin’s coattails with a livestream, then selling goods for profit? You’ve really figured out how to game the internet!”

That comment was the last straw for Luo Xiaoyi. Now they were not only throttled and slandered, but she couldn’t even defend herself or explain.

Xinjing Entertainment acted swiftly. Several company influencers personally joined the fray, launching a coordinated attack that caught Luo Xiaoyi completely off guard.

“The music industry needs to support and protect originality. Plagiarism is shameful! We must stamp out such behavior entirely!”
“No more leeching, hype-mongering, or exploiting public resources for shameless self-promotion and livestream sales!”

Even the boss of Xinjing Entertainment issued a statement himself.
“The internet is not a lawless place. Our company has already reported this to the authorities. We reserve the right to pursue legal action against any behavior that damages the reputation of our artists.”

With the company having reported it to the police and the boss personally making a statement, it was clear just how serious this was in the entertainment industry.

“Chen Nian, what do we do now? Even if we release a clarification, no one will believe us,” Luo Xiaoyi said helplessly, slumped over her desk, speaking to Chen Nian on the other end of the phone.

Ever since entering the industry, Luo Xiaoyi had always been well protected by Sister Mei. She’d known the entertainment world was deep and murky, but witnessing it firsthand left her truly shocked.

Chen Nian chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry. Let it ferment a little longer. Everything will be resolved tonight.”

Luo Xiaoyi could only pin all her hopes on him.

At eight o’clock that evening, Chen Nian started his livestream right on time. As expected, a nobody going live didn’t create much of a stir; only a few hundred people were watching.

“So this is the clown trying to ride Goddess Lin’s fame? He’s good-looking, but how could he do something so despicable?”
“Looks aren’t what matter. No matter how handsome he is, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a plagiarist!”

Unsurprisingly, the comments were overwhelmingly hostile—nothing but insults and slander.

Chen Nian, however, didn’t offer any explanations to the viewers. He simply picked up his guitar and performed all three songs.

The gentle melody floated through the livestream, captivating those watching.

“Whoa, this guy’s actually got something! He sounds even better than Goddess Lin!”
“Seriously, whether it’s his voice, technique, or control, he’s way above Goddess Lin.”
“So good—so good! I want to fall in love… sob…”

As the mood in the comments began to shift, Lin Xinrou—watching the stream the whole time—grew anxious.

“Wei Ge, where’s the backup you promised? Why aren’t they here yet?”

“Relax. It’s just a few hundred people, nothing to worry about,” Wei Ge replied, puffing on his cigarette without a care.

The next moment, thousands upon thousands flooded into Chen Nian’s stream. They cared nothing for his singing; their comments were all vicious attacks, escalating to personal insults.

“So what if he sings well? That doesn’t change the fact that he plagiarized!”
“Goddess Lin worked so hard and he stole her achievements—plagiarists like him deserve the worst!”
“Can’t stand worthless leeches who steal other people’s work. You should go to hell for stealing from Goddess Lin…”

Zhou Lu: “Sending you a Hanging Garden!”
Zhou Lu: “Ten Hanging Gardens for you!”

Suddenly, an unexpected guest appeared, disrupting the “harmony” of the livestream.

“Zhou… Zhou Lu? That’s the national goddess, Zhou Lu!”
“Yeah, I checked her profile—it’s really her!”
“She’s supporting Chen Nian, a total nobody?”

Instantly, the internet exploded with renewed attention, swarms of fans rushing in.

The national goddess herself had joined the battle, and it seemed she was taking sides with a nobody.

The online world erupted in chaos.