Chapter Seventy-Nine: The “Apology Gate” Incident

This was probably the most united moment ever seen among the trolls on Weibo. No one was paying them to do it. It was pure envy towards Ren Qian—seeing a young and successful man bask in the limelight, they just wanted to drag him down to feel a sense of balance.

Why does someone like Ren Qian get to have tens of millions of fans at such a young age? Why do other people’s songs never see the light of day, while his dominate the charts? Why is he the one planning Jiangnan TV’s programs, manipulating things behind the scenes and bending the rules?

It’s not because we’re poor, or useless, or lazy—it’s because Ren Qian must have taken some underhanded path.

Getting in through the back door is shameful; it’s despicable. Trolls are always ready to assume the worst about their fellow countrymen, and then use the vilest words to conceal their own poverty and indolence.

There’s a saying: the more downtrodden someone feels in real life, the more arrogant they become online.

Therefore, Ren Qian had no intention of stooping to their level. He simply carried on with his work.

“Make sure to finish editing all the recorded program material by tomorrow. The program sequence is as follows: shots of all seven singers preparing before the competition, then the seven singers drawing lots to determine the order of appearance. Each singer goes on stage in turn—here, we should intercut interviews with the singers before they perform. After each performance, the music teacher should give their comments. Finally, there’s the ranking segment.”

After sending these final instructions to Hong Tao, Ren Qian finally felt a hint of exhaustion. The singers had been working hard these past few days, but he hadn’t had it easy either. Not only did he spend his nights at the production office, he also risked being woken up at all hours by hardworking singers knocking on his door or calling him for advice.

It seemed about time to go home and let his nurse sister take care of him for a day.

“Is that all?” Hong Tao replied instantly.

“That’s all. Feel free to improvise with the details. Don’t forget to contact the advertisers—don’t let them bargain you down. Sell ad slots one episode at a time, and make as much as possible!”

“Understood.”

Those two brief words meant Director Hong Tao was already off and running again. Without his formidable execution, the “I Am a Singer” program might not have been pushed forward so quickly, or have had its first episode recorded so smoothly.

And Ren Qian himself wouldn’t be feeling so calm and assured now.

All the ease and composure in the world is built on a foundation of either reputation or wealth.

...

Ren Qian never publicly explained himself on Weibo, which only made the online trolls more brazen.

“When the truth can’t be covered up, all he can do is hide in his shell like a turtle. We’ll just watch and see you shrink away for the rest of your life, you spoiled rich kid riding on connections.”

“Ren Qian, get out of showbiz! Stop ruining music!”

“Restore some integrity to the entertainment industry!”

Meanwhile, Cai Chengyu put on a show of being wronged and posted another Weibo complaining about unfair treatment at Jiangnan TV, further inflaming the stupidity of the trolls.

The leadership at Jiangnan TV immediately called the higher-ups at Mars Entertainment Company.

“I’m warning your company very seriously: keep your stars in line. Cai Chengyu’s behavior has already caused severe damage to our TV station’s reputation! If he doesn’t delete his Weibo and apologize, we’ll be handing your company’s future collaborations over to someone else.”

The executive at Mars Entertainment was furious, but dared not show it. Jiangnan TV was not a power to be offended under any circumstances. And certainly not over someone as expendable as Cai Chengyu.

An apology was mandatory—and it had to be sincere.

“Our company will send someone to compensate for any losses your station suffered. I’ll have his Weibo forcibly deleted right away,” the executive replied meekly.

Competition for variety show appearances was fierce, and Jiangnan TV was a veritable star factory. Even if they were at a disadvantage, offending them was out of the question.

“Remember, all Weibo posts defaming Ren Qian must also be deleted! If he dares to act out again, our station will seek damages according to the ‘I Am a Singer’ contract.”

The Mars Entertainment PR manager had barely hung up when the phone rang again.

This time, it was Rolling Poetry Entertainment.

“It’s both me, Lin Ruowan, and Diva Li Feifei, giving you this warning. I doubt that clown Cai Chengyu brings much profit to your company. But if he offends Ren Qian, I think your company will face significant losses. Rolling Poetry Entertainment may have to take appropriate action. Think carefully about whether it’s worth sacrificing the king for a pawn—it’s your decision.”

With that, Lin Ruowan slammed down the phone.

The PR manager at Mars Entertainment looked utterly dejected. Who was this Ren Qian? Why were two industry giants going to bat for him? Was this even possible?

“Secretary, bring me Cai Chengyu’s file and contract. And get him in here—immediately!”

The secretary scurried out, not daring to provoke the boss’s wrath.

Ten minutes later, Cai Chengyu swaggered into the office, looking triumphant, and sat down across from the executive’s desk.

“Director Song, what’s the matter?”

“You have the nerve to ask? Do you know what kind of mess you’ve caused? Both Rolling Poetry Entertainment and Jiangnan TV have called to warn us! Do you not realize how serious this is? Delete your Weibo right now, or you’ll be paying a two-million-yuan penalty and be out on your ear!”

Cai Chengyu was dumbfounded. He’d thought he was winning the battle online, attacking Ren Qian and Jiangnan TV, only to find himself in grave danger.

How was he supposed to face his fans now?

He’d already started to view the trolls as his loyal followers, and put on a look of stubborn defiance.

“I...”

“Shut up! Delete it—now!”

The PR manager slammed the documents on the desk, his tone brooking no argument.

Rank has its privileges, and he was one of the company’s top executives. Cai Chengyu had no choice but to yield—a two-million-yuan penalty was more than he could afford.

“I’ll delete it, I’ll delete it right away…”

“And you’ll post an apology, too!”

At this, Cai Chengyu hesitated again. An apology? To Ren Qian, that damned turtle? No way! He was a future superstar—how could he tolerate such humiliation? No, absolutely not!

But with the penalty hanging over his head, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and post an apology on Weibo.

Sometimes, scoundrels have no bottom line at all.

“I am Cai Chengyu. I want to apologize for the defamatory Weibo I posted earlier. First, to the ‘I Am a Singer’ production team at Jiangnan TV—I shouldn’t have made such harsh comments. Second, to Ren Qian—I was wrong to judge a gentleman with a petty mind. Finally, to Rolling Poetry Entertainment—I didn’t realize how powerful Ren Qian’s background was. Sorry.”

Cai Chengyu’s deletion and apology immediately drew huge attention online. At first, the trolls fell silent, feeling as though they’d been publicly humiliated. But after reading the apology, they dismissed it as meaningless, and their insults grew even more vicious.

Wan Feng, the pop king, went further—he reposted Cai Chengyu’s Weibo with a comment: “I knew this flamboyant youngster had no real talent; it’s all thanks to powerful connections. How else could he write so many songs in such a short time? Clearly, Rolling Poetry Entertainment is pulling strings behind the scenes. That’s how stars are made—by any means necessary.”

PS: Headache today, only two updates—sorry.