That night.
The h-dik building remained brightly lit.
In the largest conference room on the fortieth floor of the entertainment department, several department heads sat around a table, their expressions grim as they discussed something.
Fu Zhi, the director of Fire’s Debut Battle, leaned on the table with one hand, looking displeased at Xi Ruqian, the public relations director sitting opposite him:
“What a waste! An absolute waste! Based on my years of experience in programming, Gu Nanci is definitely a promising talent! Instead of utilizing such a person, you’re using him as a tool for hype!”
“And what’s this about a bye? There was no such rule when we were planning the show! Do you even respect my team?”
Heaven knows how furious he was when he suddenly saw dik send someone to slip in a note, forcing Yin Yue to announce the bye notification. He nearly stormed out of the control room in anger!
Xi Ruqian, not yet thirty, responded calmly to Fu Zhi’s accusations: “Director Fu, you’ve just arrived in Hong Kingdom, so you’re not fully aware of Gu Nanci’s specific situation.”
He clasped his hands on the table, his suit impeccably pressed. True to his name, he exuded an air of refinement and humility. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, concealing the shrewd calculations in his eyes.
“What’s there to not know? Even if he can’t sing or dance, you didn’t have to go this far. You’re ruining that kid!” Fu Zhi retorted sharply.
An artist’s reputation is like a pool of water—once a drop of black ink falls into it, trying to cleanse it becomes nearly impossible.
After all, rumors spread like wildfire. Once enough people say something, everyone believes it. And with the fleeting nature of online trends, most just follow the initial wave of criticism—who cares about clarifications later?
Xi Ruqian smiled faintly, speaking unhurriedly: “Ruin what? Isn’t black fame still fame? After the First Public Performance ends, I’ve already secured several endorsements for him. By then, he’ll have both fame and profit. He won’t need to train tirelessly—he can just lie back comfortably and make money.”
“Director Fu, there’s no need to get worked up with me. Gu Nanci is also an artist I have my eye on. I’ve put no less effort into planning his career than you have. Some people are born for the stage, while others are born for controversy.”
“Besides, he chose this path himself in the first place.”
Fu Zhi’s pupils contracted slightly, disbelief coloring his voice as he questioned, “He chose it himself?”
“It’s been two years since his debut, and he hasn’t bothered to improve his skills at all. Isn’t that just aiming to ride on the wave of popularity?” Xi Ruqian replied with an elegant smile. “Otherwise, why would I have brought a talentless vase like him into dik in the first place? The moment he signed the contract, our intentions were already understood without words, weren’t they?”
Fu Zhi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to refute it, sinking into deep silence.
Opposite Xi Ruqian, a woman in a professional suit, with voluminous wavy hair, immaculate makeup, and fiery red lips, set down the documents in her hand. This was Qin Bei, the deputy director of the artist management department.
Qin Bei raised an eyebrow, glancing at the impressive data in the documents following the show’s broadcast, and nodded in agreement: “If that’s the goal, then Director Xi’s foresight is truly remarkable.”
A single Gu Nanci had managed to propel dik’s yet-to-be-promoted, niche program onto the trending charts overnight, making nearly half the fandom and even outsiders aware of a show called Fire’s Debut Battle—a program featuring Gu Nanci.
This kind of return on investment was nothing short of extraordinary, no matter where you looked!
Only Fu Zhi gritted his teeth in frustration. Although the explanation was right there, he still wanted to curse.
High my ass! This is clearly feeding off the blood and sweat of artists!
Unable to swallow his anger, Fu Zhi crossed his arms and snorted a sarcastic remark: “What if it’s not that they don’t want to learn, but that your Hong Kingdom teaches poorly…”
Seriously! If they were in their Lai Nation, not wanting to learn? They’d be thrown straight into the devilish trainee training of over ten hours a day!
With a face like that, coupled with solid professional skills, they’d definitely blow up all over Hong Luan in no time!
Maybe the idol industry wouldn’t even need to be so humble—they could produce a representative figure…
Ugh! What a mess!
Fu Zhi sighed deeply, growing more regretful the more he thought about it. If only he had met them two years earlier, he would have dragged them to Lai Nation no matter what!
But now, the person was at h-dik, already pushed to the forefront as a stepping stone for the show. No matter how much he regretted it, it was useless.
In no mood to listen further, Fu Zhi simply kicked his swivel chair and turned around to sulk. Remembering something, he prepared to take out his phone and message his team below, telling them not to focus on this anymore.
However, as soon as he opened it, a daily notification popped up:
HIK: Your followed friend /@Gu Nanci/ has posted a new update!
Fu Zhi was stunned for a moment. During a break in the earlier recording, he had subconsciously tried to follow Gu Nanci on the Lai Nation social app Aik but couldn’t find them. Suddenly remembering that the Hong Kingdom mainly used HIK, he specifically downloaded it and clicked follow.
After following as a friend, notifications would be sent whenever the other person posted a new update.
The person who had just been the topic of conversation now appeared on his screen.
For some reason, Fu Zhi felt a vague sense of guilt. Hesitating for a second, he clicked.
The next moment.
“Pfft—as expected of him, hahahaha!”
Fu Zhi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Over there, Qin Bei and the others were finalizing work matters when they were suddenly interrupted by Fu Zhi’s laughter.
Turning around slowly, they saw a screen shoved right in front of them.
【V Gu Nanci: Too powerful, will showcase next time.
And a reminder to Si Chang: six days left on the countdown.
Goodnight (only to fans)】
The executives: “…”
“…Did you teach him this? What kind of new hype strategy is this?” Qin Bei exclaimed in shock.
Doubling down on the same path???
Xi Ruqian’s gentle face froze for a rare second.
He slowly shook his head, frowning as he said, “No… I’ll ask him tomorrow.”
He had only met Gu Nanci once—during the contract signing.
The kid was wrapped in oversized sportswear, hiding in the hood, and whispered, “You arrange it…”
So hadn’t he arranged things according to Gu Nanci’s style? But what was this now?!
Xi Ruqian’s expression darkened.
Finally, the highest-ranking executive at the table, Jiang Zhouyuan, the head of the artist department sitting in the main seat, spoke up. He snapped his pen shut with a click and said calmly:
“Alright, let’s proceed with the current arrangement. If he really shows ambition, we’ll reconsider. If not, we’ll follow Director Xi’s plan. After all, the artist’s contract is with the company. After the show ends, we can compensate with some resources.”
A mere trainee wasn’t worth their extensive efforts…
However, while the company easily moved on, the online buzz soared to new heights.
【Heh, the same old formula… I’d like to crown Gu Nanci as the B-King of the Year.】
【Are the privileged ones now openly taunting like this?】
【Powerful? Oh, that’s hilarious… You, a tone-deaf, uncoordinated freak, want to showcase the power of humanity conquering primitive limb records?】
【Only for fans? Tsk! Then I guess your goodnights will go unanswered!】
The familiar barrage of mockery continued, mixed with some extreme, unspeakable hate comments.
Finally, a reply from Si Chang pushed the farce to its peak of popularity.
【V Si Chang: I only did what any person with a conscience would do, with a clear heart! But as for those who abuse their privileges and act recklessly—what goes around comes around. Do they truly feel no remorse at all?】