Chapter 108: Let the Storm Strike Even Harder

Faced with such a major event, the entertainment media went into a frenzy as well.

They desperately tried to reach Xu Man, hoping to learn more about the new song.

For instance: who wrote it? Did Xu Man write it herself, or was it someone else? And if it was someone else, then which great master was it?

Beyond the song’s quality, this was the question everyone cared about most at the moment.

But what drove the media nearly mad was that Xu Man’s studio rejected all interviews in every form.

They made it clear that until the new song was released, they would offer no further response to the outside world.

Several outlets even showed up to block the entrance, only to come away with nothing.

Xu Man seemed to have vanished, never appearing at her own studio.

After several failed attempts, some clever media outlets changed course and shifted their interviews toward the music industry’s insiders.

Their questions were direct, even blunt.

What do you think of Xu Man’s new song?

On this question, the vast majority of musicians were still very cautious. Xu Man’s standing in the industry was what it was; no one was foolish enough to say anything unkind in front of a camera.

Even if they truly had no faith in the song, they would never say so aloud.

Everyone knew that some media outlets, in pursuit of clicks, traffic, and attention, would not stop at taking things out of context; they would even invent things out of thin air. Besides, they had no grievance with Xu Man. There was no need to stoop to such mean-spirited conduct.

Who does not have low points in life?

So most of these musicians tactfully said it was hard to judge a song before its release, while some simply refused the interview altogether, unwilling to tangle with those ill-intentioned reporters.

But the world always has a few odd people whose way of thinking runs counter to ordinary folk.

Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that, in their hunger for fame, they will stop at nothing and miss no chance to ride a wave of attention, saying and doing things with even less restraint than some media outlets.

"I have absolutely no confidence in this song!" a singer named Lin Xiangyang said bluntly in an interview. "I can’t even understand why Xu Man would insist on releasing it when she knows it’s a bad song."

His unreserved opinion immediately made the reporters, who were already eager for trouble, light up with excitement.

Lin Xiangyang was no obscure figure in music either; one could even call him the very model of a meteoric rise followed by decline. Though he had been on a downward slope ever since, what he said now made for excellent material.

"You haven’t even heard it. How can you already be certain it’s a bad song?" the reporters asked, thrilled.

"She herself admitted that the song was rejected by Nine-Nine Music! Everyone knows Nine-Nine Music is one of the country’s largest music platforms. Surely no one doubts their judgment?" While attacking Xu Man, Lin Xiangyang did not forget to flatter Nine-Nine Music.

"As a seasoned musician, I strongly advise Xu Man to cherish the fame she has worked so hard to build, lest she become the biggest joke in the music world this year!" Lin Xiangyang looked stricken, as though in heartfelt pain. "Her last song was already rotten to that extent—why is she still determined to produce garbage for an already sluggish music scene? She is wasting resources. She is disrespecting music. Disrespecting fans!"

"And what if this song is not as bad as everyone imagines?" The reporters were no fools either; they knew to leave themselves an escape route.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! It is a bad song!" Lin Xiangyang showed Xu Man no mercy at all.

Offending Xu Man?

He did not care in the least.

After all, she was about to flop spectacularly. In that case, he might as well seize the moment and boost his own visibility.

Once Xu Man’s song was released, there would surely be many netizens praising his sharp eye; perhaps he could even use this to make a comeback.

And so, with one side eager to strike and the other eager to take the blow, a highly sensational interview was swiftly produced.

What was even more fatal was that Lin Xiangyang was far from the only one trying to seize this trend. After his report came out, several other musicians successively posted on Weibo to express their views.

Their views were unanimous.

They had no faith in Xu Man whatsoever.

Lin Xiangyang’s astonishing remarks and the Weibo posts from the other musicians, unsurprisingly, drew considerable attention online.

Whether it was because they all had some degree of fame or not, their seemingly indignant words somehow won the approval of many netizens.

Some brainless users who went wherever the wind blew eagerly piled into the comments beneath the report, shamelessly declaring their own lack of confidence as if it were wisdom.

In just half an hour, the report had gathered nearly a thousand comments.

Almost every one of them was laced with cold mockery toward Xu Man.

Whether because they felt attacking her under those media posts was not satisfying enough, those netizens then ran to Xu Man’s Weibo to continue their performance.

They said she was cashing in on her fans. They said she was desperate to make a comeback. They said she was unfit to be a musician if she knew the song was bad and still insisted on releasing it.

And that was not all: even Day Day Music got dragged into it.

Day Day Music’s official account was flooded with threats from people saying they would uninstall the app.

Watching these brainless netizens jumping up and down, the ordinary bystanders were stunned.

What in the world was this about?

Anyone who knew the situation knew that Xu Man was about to release a new song; those who did not might have thought she had committed some unforgivable crime.

It was absurd.

Wasn’t it just a song release? Did you really have to be led by the nose like this? In all these years, had the so-called singers not released enough bad songs? Why had you never been this excited then?

Oh, so you know her fans are not easy to provoke, and therefore you bully the weak while avoiding the strong, picking on Xu Man instead?

How childish can you be?

Even if you wanted to curse her, could you at least wait until the song was released and you had actually listened to it?

You have not even heard it, and you are already cursing it. What kind of strange wiring is that?

In that instant, many of the bystander netizens could not help feeling a little sympathy for Xu Man.

If it were truly a bad song, that would be one thing. But now she was being attacked before anyone even knew what the song was. That was indeed unjust.

It had to be said: to release a new song and end up being condemned by the whole world to this extent was unprecedented.

Meanwhile, as the netizens attacked Xu Man, the shameless media outlets were also fanning the flames behind the scenes with sensational, embellished coverage.

They did not care what the truth was.

All they wanted were clicks and traffic.

As for how much negative impact these reports would have on Xu Man, that was not their concern. They did not care in the least.

Outside, chaos reigned, but Xu Man and Day Day Music were not affected at all.

They were remarkably steady, offering not a single response, continuing instead to make hurried preparations for the song’s release.

Such petty tricks no longer disturbed Xu Man. After years of upheaval, she had become used to them.

After more than a decade in the entertainment industry, her heart had long been tempered into something immensely strong; voices like these could not shake her.

Filled with confidence, she not only did not worry about these attacks, she even felt grateful for the clowns’ performance.

Without them, how could this grand spectacle have kept escalating and drawn so much attention?

Attack away. Criticize away. Let the storm come harder still.

She was not afraid at all.

Few people knew that, under the influence of these outside attacks, the senior management at Day Day Music was also quite uneasy.

Because he had not yet heard the song either.

Yesterday, when Tang Yan told him she wanted to sign this song, he had asked only whether she was confident.

As a content director, she certainly had the authority to sign a song. So long as she had never made a mistake, even he, as general manager, would not interfere with her decision.

Thus, when he heard Tang Yan answer with complete confidence that she was, he signed off on the promotion application she wanted.

And now this happened...

It was no exaggeration to say that he had already received several calls from peers asking questions, and although he had completely trusted Tang Yan before, he could not help growing a little restless.

He very much wanted to call Tang Yan and ask her to send him the song so he could hear it. But... he could not quite bring himself to do it.

To be so unsettled over a single song?

He cared about face too, all right.

Besides, calling her now would only mean he was questioning her judgment.

That would be very improper.

After thinking it over for a long time, the executive finally forced down his anxiety.

At any rate, the song would be released tomorrow. If he could just endure this night, it would be over.

As for her superior’s worries, Tang Yan naturally knew nothing of them.

She had devoted all her energy to this new song.

At ten o’clock that night, Day Day Music suddenly removed all the promotional posters from across the internet.

This major move quickly drew the attention of netizens.

Just as people were wondering uneasily what Day Day Music was doing, new posters went live.

Day Day Music announced the song’s title.

Not only that, they also placed a countdown on the homepage.

Twelve hours remained until the song’s release.

Watching this, the bystander netizens grew even more baffled.

This did not look at all like the unveiling of a bad song.

Could it be that there was really some misunderstanding here?

Not only the fans, but even the major music platforms were somewhat confused after receiving the news.

Day Day Music may have been relatively weaker among the five major platforms, but they had always been careful. What was the meaning of such an unusual move?

Could it really be a good song?

That made no sense. If it truly were a good song, then Nine-Nine Music must have lost its mind.

They could not understand it.

Neither could the netizens.

But perhaps because the promotion had become somewhat intimidating, many of them suddenly found themselves looking forward to the song.

Especially Xu Man’s fans, who had already been clinging to a sliver of hope; when they saw this new round of promotion, their eyes lit up.

They all prayed for a miracle.

...

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