Chapter Nine: The Reverse Trending Search

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Chen Nian was still deep in sleep when his phone rang, jolting him awake. In a daze, he glanced at the screen—it was Luo Xiaoyi calling.

“Hello, Xiaoyi, what’s going on?”

“It’s infuriating! These people are truly shameless!” Luo Xiaoyi, usually gentle, was cursing the moment he picked up.

“What happened?” Chen Nian frowned, his mind clearing a little.

“Lin Xinyou’s side just released a statement, claiming the three songs you performed at last night’s concert were all written by her, and that you plagiarized them. She’s even released a new version already.”

“Go online and check, it’s trending everywhere now.”

“Damn it, how can they be so brazen?”

“And to think she’s the newly crowned queen of pop—I used to admire her so much!” Luo Xiaoyi was truly enraged by Lin Xinyou’s actions, her eyes red with anger.

As a fellow artist in the same company, Luo Xiaoyi knew some of the inside story. But with contracts in place, she couldn’t say much.

Chen Nian got out of bed and turned on his computer. As he expected, after fermenting online all night, his name was now prominently featured on the trending list.

But the headline read: “Unknown Singer Accused of Plagiarizing Pop Queen…”

He clicked in and, sure enough, Lin Xinyou had issued a statement and released a brand-new version of “Sunny Day” online.

Her statement claimed that “Sunny Day” was actually created by her team, and that Chen Nian, being Luo Xiaoyi’s personal assistant, had come across the song at the company, copied it without permission, and performed it first.

In the video, Lin Xinyou played the piano and sang “Sunny Day,” having even arranged a set overnight and filmed an MV.

Though there were some minor changes, it was unmistakably the same song.

Now, not only was this video and statement trending, but a professional music critic had also weighed in.

“This ‘Sunny Day,’ both in lyrics and arrangement, is top-tier. I don’t believe an unknown could write such a song. Clearly, this Chen Nian did plagiarize.”

“How amusing,” Chen Nian murmured, showing not the slightest sign of anger.

Such things happened all the time—not just in this world, but in the one he’d lived in before as well. Plagiarists would slander the original creator, while the original was left helpless.

That was the nature of this industry: popularity reigned supreme. Whoever was famous, whoever had more fans—whatever they said became the truth.

Seeing Chen Nian’s indifference, Luo Xiaoyi grew anxious. “Chen Nian, aren’t you going to react at all? They’re accusing you of plagiarism!”

“I already submitted the copyright applications for those three songs yesterday. If all goes well, we’ll have them today.” Luo Xiaoyi, after all, had spent years navigating the entertainment industry—she did have some connections.

“But even if you hold the copyright, it doesn’t mean much. They’ll just keep slandering you, hire trolls to smear your name, question your character, and stir up public opinion. What can you do?”

Chen Nian yawned, poured himself a glass of warm water, and picked up his phone.

“You’re my assistant, Chen Nian, and I won’t stand for this. I’m posting on Weibo right now to clear your name!” Luo Xiaoyi declared, brimming with righteous anger.

She didn’t care about contracts anymore. She was determined to tear off Lin Xinyou’s hypocritical mask and show the public her true colors.

Chen Nian smiled faintly. This was the first time he’d seen the usually gentle Luo Xiaoyi so worked up.

“No need to rush. Like you said, even if we have the rights, without popularity or attention, we can’t do much.”

“Then what do we do? Just let them get away with it?” Luo Xiaoyi asked helplessly.

“There’s no hurry. The newly crowned queen of pop is promoting our new songs for free—opportunities like this are rare.”

“Argh! I can’t stand it! I’m going to argue with them online right now!” Luo Xiaoyi was baffled by Chen Nian’s calm, left with nothing but impotent rage.

It was one thing to slander her, but to slander Chen Nian—she would fight back online!

After hanging up, Luo Xiaoyi immediately logged into her alternate Weibo account.

Bear Boss, Your Move: “I’m a friend of Chen Nian.”

“Lin Xinyou, you shameless woman! You’re the one plagiarizing my friend, and now you dare to bite back? @LinXinyou.”

For once, Luo Xiaoyi shed her usual ladylike demeanor and lashed out online.

Even though it was only a side account, she still had tens of thousands of followers, and she tagged Lin Xinyou’s main account.

No sooner had she posted than the comments came flooding in.

“Who are you to jump on the bandwagon? Think you can take advantage of the queen’s fame? Be careful you don’t get burned!”

“What a shameless act—plagiarizing and then barking online. Disgusting! How could our goddess Lin encounter people like you?”

“I watched last night’s show. Chen Nian’s singing was awful, couldn’t even remember the lyrics. No comparison to our goddess Lin. How does he have the nerve to make noise?”

“Some audience members even say the song belongs to that unknown. As if someone like that could compose anything. Plagiarists deserve the worst!”

“Some people will do anything for fame, no shame at all!”

Luo Xiaoyi typed with trembling hands, but every comment she posted was instantly drowned by a barrage of abuse. She couldn’t keep up; even artists from their own company, Heartbeat Entertainment, came out to support Lin Xinyou.

Eyes brimming with tears, Luo Xiaoyi couldn’t hold back her grievance any longer.

Meanwhile, Lin Xinyou lounged in the private lounge at Heartbeat Entertainment, watching the tide of public opinion and the trending lists.

“Chen Nian, you think you can take me on?” Lin Xinyou smiled coldly.

An unknown with no following—even if you composed a masterpiece, so what? With a snap of my fingers, I can destroy you.

I issue the statement first, claim the song as mine, accuse you of plagiarism. Who would believe an unknown over me?

Not only had she won this round, but she’d also made herself the victim, garnering sympathy and further solidifying her status as a diva.

As for Chen Nian and his three songs, they were nothing but stepping stones on her path to stardom.

Back in his rented room, Chen Nian had just finished a cup of instant noodles when his phone rang.

He glanced at the unfamiliar number.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, may I speak with Mr. Chen Nian? This is Star Entertainment. Is this a good time?”

Hearing this, Chen Nian smiled, his expression relaxed and confident, as if everything was going exactly as he’d planned.