CH 73

Ch 73: Angry Mi Fans

In the following days, Yin Chang's fans on Weibo constantly compared Wang Chen and Yin Chang, digging up numerous details to highlight Yin Chang's perfection.

For instance, on the night they cooked together in Shan Ding Village, Yin Chang mentioned that he could make cakes but didn't know how to cook. Wang Chen jokingly asked, "Isn't that basically the same?"

Soon, Weibo exploded with two hot topics: "Wang Chen lacks common sense" and "I wanna eat the little cakes made by Yin Chang." Particularly the latter, netizens associated it with the scene of Shao Junling blushing and saying, "Brother made a little cake for me at home." They praised Yin Chang as an exceptional older brother, and this topic immediately trended.

While Yin Chang received attention, Wang Chen wasn't substantially affected. Despite being portrayed as utterly useless compared to Yin Chang, his awkward expression when called "uncle" by Qin Jingshan, the scene of him and Xue Ziwen squabbling over the last piece of fried chicken wing, and his dull expression on the final day all showcased his authenticity.

Rather than causing aversion, this authenticity further emphasized his silly and adorable personality. As a result, Wang Chen gained a considerable number of "haha fans" during this comparison wave.

However, as predicted by Wang Chen's manager, excessive praise for Yin Chang from his fans eventually sparked backlash from public opinion.

On the fifth day after the airing of the second episode of "Superstar Life," Yin Chang's popularity had almost surpassed Mi Xiu, who was the number one on the idol ranking. Some "Chang fans" became inflated, praising Yin Chang as the new king of popularity who would eventually surpass Mi Xiu.

Mi Xiu, who debuted three years ago as an ordinary person, had become an irreplaceable phenomenon in the industry.

Yin Chang had heard from Lu Lingjuan that Wang Chen's team propelled his success by replicating Mi Xiu's path—participating in the "Absolute Idol" talent show, winning the championship, releasing albums, endorsing VE advertisements, appearing on popular variety shows... and the next step might be acting.

However, as good as the replication might be, it could never surpass the original. Mi Xiu was unique, and this was a consensus in the entire entertainment industry.

To the best of Yin Chang's knowledge, Bao Xiaozhi also embarked on the path of both a singing and dancing artist because of his love for Mi Xiu. Even Lu Lingjuan was a fan of Mi Xiu, illustrating his immense charm.

Moreover, after three years, Mi Xiu had gained a considerable and stable popularity. Now, "Chang fans" were everywhere, provoking the "Mi fans" and triggering their anger completely.

The fans of both sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle of insults—

"Is anyone capable of becoming an idol nowadays? It's just about looking good, appearing on popular variety shows. What else do they have to offer?"

"Sisters, check out 'Farewell My Self", it beats those bird language songs you Mi fans can't understand by a mile!"

"Don't bring out that trashy song 'Farewell My Self' even as a joke."

"Just another one trying to copy Mi Xiu's success. This D-lister should be ashamed!"

"D-list? Are you kidding? Our Changchang's dad is a film emperor. He endorsed BG as soon as he debuted, and has better resources than anyone else. Does he need to ride on the popularity of that poor and destitute Mi fairy boy?"

The claim that Mi Xiu was poor and destitute stemmed from the fact that he had been exposed by gossip reporters to have lived in a small rented room of about a dozen square meters before becoming famous, surviving on sugar water and noodles every day. Due to the exaggerated portrayal by the reporters, Mi Xiu's antis used it to mock him as the "Mi fairy boy who can survive without eating."

"Isn't Yin Chang's success all thanks to Yin Dong? I don't understand where he is attracting all this melodrama from. He has fewer works than anyone else, but more fans who hop around like stupid grasshoppers."

"That's right. They only know how to ride on the popularity of our Mi Xiu."

Due to the hype, Yin Chang's fans indiscriminately recommended fans of other celebrities to watch "Superstar Life" and praised Yin Chang excessively, which caused a lot of resentment among passersby. As a result, many non-entertainment netizens also joined the Mi fans and mercilessly attacked Yin Chang.

"I've been annoyed by Yin Chang's overzealous fans lately. I don't want to see any information related to this person on my homepage anymore. I'll block anyone I come across!"

"A typical celebrity who goes overboard with marketing. It's said that he even debuted on the back of his deceased father. I'm so fed up with all this gossip!"

"He can't even survive on his own and has to bring along his little brother... It's just ridiculous."

"Don't involve young Junling. He's still a child and doesn't know anything."

In just a few days, even Shao Junling had his own "toxic" fans.

Due to Yin Chang's rapidly shifting public image, these fans with clear love-hate emotions were eager to immediately separate Shao Junling from Yin Chang. They didn't want their newly joined little brother to be implicated in the whirlwind of controversies surrounding Yin Chang.

The guests in the group were dumbfounded when they saw the conflicts erupting on Weibo.

Qin Jingshan: "What's going on with Yin Chang lately? Everything was fine, but suddenly there are so many people criticizing him?"

Huang Han: "Hmm... I saw it too. Some of the things being said are inexplicable. Maybe you should stay away from Weibo for now. @Yin Chang"

Lang Chizhi: "Those people online are so scary. Brother Yin Chang, don't take it to heart!"

Wang Chen knew that this matter was somewhat related to the actions of his team behind the scenes, and now felt a hint of guilt.

Although he still didn't want to admit that Yin Chang had more charm than him, after filming several episodes together, he had developed some rapport with Yin Chang and knew that he was genuinely a good person.

Wang Chen made a special call to his manager, feeling anxious and uneasy. "I've noticed that online people are harshly criticizing Yin Chang... He didn't really do anything wrong, did he? Aren't we going a bit too far with this?"

His manager laughed, "Do you think Yin Chang's current predicament is all because of our deliberate actions? Haha, you're too naive."

Wang Chen asked, "What do you mean, isn't it?"

The manager replied, "I did indeed plan to use him to highlight your foolish and cute image and indirectly boost his popularity. But the reason he ended up like this is because his management company took advantage of the situation and added fuel to the fire. Yin Chang's manager, Yao Manhuai, is a well-known ruthless figure in the industry. Her tactics are different from others. The trending topic 'Yin Chang and the little cake' was created by her."

"Why would they do that?" Wang Chen asked in confusion. "Doesn't his manager know that this will 'overhype' Yin Chang?"

The manager patiently explained, "Yao Manhuai, Yin Chang's manager, is known in the industry as a tough character. She played a major role in launching Yin Dong, Yin Chang's father, to stardom. But do you know how she propelled Yin Dong's career?"

"How did she do it?" Wang Chen asked.

The manager continued, "In the first half of Yin Dong's acting career, he had a fierce rival named Luo Chuan, who was also an award-winning actor."

Wang Chen recognized Luo Chuan. He was about the same age as his sister and quite famous, although Wang Chen hadn't heard much about him in the past two years.

The manager said, "Ten years ago, at the People's Television Golden Eagle Awards, Yin Dong and Luo Chuan were both nominated for Best Actor. Luo Chuan's performance in 'Remembrance of Appearance' was the hottest drama of the year, and he was highly expected to win the award. However, ten days before the awards ceremony, a major scandal broke out involving a key supporting actor in 'Remembrance of Appearance' who had cheated on his partner. This supporting actor played Luo Chuan's close friend in the drama, and they had frequent interactions on-screen. The scandal not only ruined the image of the supporting actor but also affected the overall reputation of 'Remembrance of Appearance,' leading to a decline in Luo Chuan's public image. As a result, Yin Dong ended up winning the award... Later, I heard that the person behind the scenes who orchestrated the exposure of the scandal was Yao Manhuai."

Wang Chen remained silent.

The manager continued, "That defeat had a significant impact on Luo Chuan's career. Since he and Yin Dong debuted around the same time and both portrayed 'tough guy' roles, when Yin Dong won, all the resources that were wavering between them were poured into Yin Dong. Seven years later, they competed again for the Best Actor award in 'Sunrise.' Once again, Luo Chuan lost. People in the industry say that Luo Chuan's talent is no less than Yin Dong's. He's a poor soul who stumbled on the starting line and continued losing all the way."

Wang Chen said, "Where is Luo Chuan now?"

"He retired from the industry," the manager replied.

"It's a pity..." Wang Chen murmured.

Just as he was about to reflect on the cruelty of the industry, his manager interjected, "But I heard that after Luo Chuan learned about Yin Dong's plane crash and death, he intends to make a comeback."

Wang Chen remained silent.

"Sorry, I got off topic," the manager said. He was trying to share his understanding of Yao Manhuai's character. "On that note, my guess is that Yao Manhuai's motive is to elevate Yin Chang to a god-like status and seize more resources. It's her usual strategy. However, my perspective differs from hers. I don't think that approach is suitable for all celebrities."

"Do you mean Yin Chang will have a falling out with her?" Wang Chen asked.

"Yes, after watching your first variety show episode, based on my observations and judgment, I think Yin Chang lacks ambition when it comes to being a star. He is very passive. People who lack strong conviction in this industry are easily influenced by public opinion. I mentioned the other day that Yin Chang is only nineteen years old, and he might eventually clash with Yao Manhuai due to her methods and ultimately leave the industry," the manager explained.

Wang Chen puzzledly thought, Could it be that the way to defeat Yin Chang is also to push him out of the industry?

At that moment, the manager comforted him, saying, "Alright, you don't need to worry about what will happen to him in the future. As long as you're fine for now, isn't that enough?"

Wang Chen snapped back to reality, hung up the phone, and felt a mix of emotions.

Since the fan conflict erupted online, Yin Chang hadn't spoken in the group chat for two days.

In fact, Wang Chen was also a fan of Mi Xiu. He genuinely admired Mi Xiu and knew that if he were the one being attacked by Mi Fans today, he would have already crumbled.

Opening Yin Chang's WeChat, Wang Chen wanted to say something to him but didn't know how to start... Oh well, forget it. They would meet again in a few days for the filming of the fourth episode. He could talk to him then.

In the evening, while playing games with Shao Junling, Xue Ziwen suddenly said, "Boss, I saw them talking in the group chat. It seems like there are a lot of people online criticizing your brother."

Shao Junling was taken aback. "Where?"

Xue Ziwen said, "Online, on that, um, place called Weibo, I think."

Shao Junling closed the game and checked the group chat. Then he fumbled to download Weibo himself, tinkering with it for a while until he finally saw the things Xue Ziwen mentioned.

Shao Junling couldn't believe it. He discreetly glanced at Yin Chang, who was leaning against the bed reading a book. No wonder his brother had been feeling down these past few days, not speaking much. Shao Junling had mistakenly thought that his brother had finally regained some normalcy...

He continued reading the miscellaneous comments on his phone for a while and felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

After thinking for a moment, he took the initiative and walked over. He leaned next to Yin Chang, and called out, "Brother."

"Hmm?" Yin Chang absentmindedly responded.

"Wanna play a game?" Shao Junling picked up his phone and winked. "I'll carry you."

Yin Chang: "..."

Manager: "My perspective differs from hers. I don't think that approach is suitable for all celebrities."

Wang Chen (stroking his chin): "Manager, how about you introduce me to that manager Yao? I think I would be a good fit."

Manager: "..." You little brat! You deserve a beating! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻