Chapter 75: Afterward
After An Zhiyan angrily threw the microphone and the news about Su Jinli's injury spread widely, Qiao Nuo's life never returned to peace.
Following his elimination, he was pushed out of the training camp by Chang Siyin.
Due to the rush of packing that day, he left behind some clothes and toiletries. Chang Siyin sent them to him via express mail.
When he left, he encountered Su Jinli. Su Jinli looked indifferent and didn't even glance at him. Qiao Nuo felt resentful, thinking Su Jinli must be pretending.
In Qiao Nuo's view, challenging a contestant he had confidence in defeating for his future had no issues.
However, Su Jinli and An Zhihan had a good relationship, and as An Zhiyan's company's newly signed potential artist, he received protective treatment.
Yet, after the incident broke out, Qiao Nuo was stunned.
He checked his phone and browsed Weibo for the whole event. Scrolling down, he found very few people defending him — most were scolding him.
Upon checking his own Weibo, it was like a disaster movie, as if he had committed some unforgivable crime.
After his elimination, Qiao Nuo returned to his company. However, the day after he returned to his dormitory, the other trainees began to gossip about him.
The situation really got out of hand, and everyone already knew about it. After all, no trainee in the company had ever been asked to give up their cell phone.
On the second day, he did not participate in practice. The company did not assign him any work either, and he spent the whole day sitting quietly in the manager's office.
In the end, the news he received was: he should go home and rest for a while.
"How long would that be?" Qiao Nuo asked tentatively, a chill settling in his heart.
"Perhaps three or four months," the manager replied, his expression uneasy, obviously having just been reprimanded by the higher-ups.
"And at most?"
"Pray that this blows over. Your situation isn't too dire; it won't escalate to the level of cheating or drug use. Netizens have a short memory, so it likely won't be too long."
"What about my debut?" Qiao Nuo still wasn't ready to give up hope.
The manager finally lost his patience, and couldn't help but criticize him, "Did you employ your brain when you took up that challenge? Huh? You've had indirect access to a cell phone, right? You know how popular Su Jinli is right now, don't you? Even Zhang Caini, who was rumored to be in a relationship with him, was heavily criticized by fans. How could you challenge him when he was injured?!"
"I thought the program team wanted to suppress the news, I didn't expect them to make it public."
"Su Jinli just signed with the Sejia Legend, didn't you know? And you still had to provoke him? Do you think he would let you off the hook? By doing this, you've offended both Sejia Legend and the show's production team. Even if you stay, how well can things possibly turn out for you?"
"I already regret it..." was all Qiao Nuo could reply with.
The manager, frustrated, rubbed his face and then continued to instruct, "Go home and try not to leave the house, lay low as if you've committed a crime and are on the run. After some time passes, the situation might cool down."
Qiao Nuo did go home, and after resting for a bit, he waited for the episode to air.
He hadn't touched his phone for a long time, but he couldn't resist. He logged into Weibo with an alternate account to take a look...
"The most disgusting trainee, Qiao Nuo."
Upon reading this, Qiao Nuo started raging at home. He had just challenged Su Jinli, was that really worth all this outrage?
He already regretted it!
Wasn't that enough?
Unable to handle social cues, the fans teach you a lesson.
Over the past few days, Qiao Nuo had been reflecting on the events. He felt wronged but also recognized his own mistakes. However, the strongest emotion that welled up inside him was hatred towards Su Jinli.
He knew very well that he was being unreasonable. He was the one who initiated the challenge against Su Jinli, but now he held a grudge against Su Jinli...
However, when he logged into his Weibo account, he saw that under his manager's control, a heartfelt apology post had been published. Despite this, the comment section was still filled with angry criticisms.
When he searched for Su Jinli, everything was bright and cheery, full of posts praising Su Jinli.
Immediately after that, he saw a piece of shocking inside information: Su Jinli was the younger brother of Shen Cheng.
The show's production team skillfully blocked this news, probably waiting for the airing of the episode to use it as a surprise revelation to attract more attention. It was certain, as it came from a recently eliminated member who had been present on the scene.
Qiao Nuo was completely stunned.
Then, he covered his face and started crying.
He once thought that there was only one way to change his situation: to become more famous than Su Jinli.
That way, he would have fans supporting him and people speaking for him. Just like other celebrities, his fans would come to his defense.
However, how easy would it be to surpass Su Jinli?
The youngest brother of the youngest Best Actor in history.
A newcomer highly valued by Sejia Legend, the most powerful company in the entertainment industry, known for dominating the resource market.
A close friend of An Zhihan, a wealthy scion of the famous An family, well-known for protecting their own. An Zhihan, in particular, is famously lawless.
Qiao Nuo was on the verge of collapsing.
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Muzitao was not only distressed about Qiao Nuo and his manager, but also Zhang Gu Ci and the others.
During the airing of the first episode of National Idol, everything was stable; there were no significant reactions.
After the second episode aired, everyone saw the show's rise in popularity. Zhang Gu Ci wasn't too concerned initially. He thought that An Zhihan and the others were lucky and might even have a smooth debut.
Just like a blind cat running into a dead rat – pure luck.
However, as time went on, they began to regret more and more.
The truly talented trainees were left in their company, planning to debut through other means.
Sending a few trainees to practice with An Zhihan boosted their popularity greatly.
Especially An Zhihan, whose current fame is not inferior to top young actors. Chang Siyin, being in good terms with An Zhihan, Su Jinli, and the others, also got some screen time, resulting in considerable popularity.
Now, the number of scripts and endorsement deals coming their way is not less than that of the newly debuted artists they were promoting a while ago. There is even a trend of surpassing them.
Most importantly, top domestic magazines have sent invitations hoping to invite An Zhihan and Chang Siyin to be their cover features.
In Muzitao's history, only three artists have made it to that extent, and they were all veteran performers who had debuted many years ago.
The more popular the show became, the more attention it garnered.
At first, the company's leaders only questioned Zhang Gu Ci, asking why they didn't send more trainees. They noted it was a missed opportunity.
Zhang Gu Ci could only respond saying, "The other trainees already have plans through different debut avenues. They don't have the time."
The company leaders didn't probe deeper.
However, after Su Jinli's incident exploded, the leaders finally learned about the situation. Further, some mocking remarks from an unknown person ignited their fury.
Zhang Gu Ci, Qiao Yuhua, Hu Haigao and others were summoned to the office.
"How do you all select talent? You pride yourself on professionalism, yet you overlooked Su Jinli, who had potential to become a star, and instead signed someone like Xiao Nuo to disgust me?" The leader voiced his dissatisfaction while slapping his hand on the table, his voice filled with forceful impact.
With little choice, Hu Haigao mustered up the courage to explain, "On the day of the audition, Su Jinli showed no talent, and we didn't think he could ..."
"Even without talent, couldn't you sign him based on his appearance?"
"We aim to cultivate artists who possess both talent and good looks."
"Look at what you all have cultivated for me. Now look at the ones you eliminated, how famous they've become," the leader said, pointing at Hu Haigao, "Shen Cheng seems to be quite interested in you."
"Why?" Hu Hai Gao asked, feeling puzzled.
"Originally, Su Jinli only remembered his brother's company by a fruit in its name and came waiting at our company for Shen Cheng. You saw him and went back to our office, spreading negative comments about Su Jinli. Now, Su Jinli has run off to Shen Cheng to complain. It's up to you to explain it to Shen Cheng."
"I wasn't aware it was this serious; he simply gave off that impression at the time."
"How can you be so talkative without knowing anything? How are you any different from the gossipmongers at the village entrance who chat over sunflower seeds?"
Hu Haigao fell silent. As a veteran instructor over fifty, such criticism from company leadership was a blow to his dignity.
"Alright, you can go now," the leader spoke again, seeming irritated just by seeing Hu Haigao.
"Go where?"
"Get ready to have a chat and a heart-to-heart with Shen Cheng."
"Do I really need to meet him?"
"What else? Are you surprised, or were you expecting to get an autograph?"
Hu Haigao pursed his lips, eventually turning to leave the leader's office.
Zhang Gu Ci knew it was his turn when the leader's gaze turned to him.
"You used to have good judgment, what happened this time?" the leader asked.
"Su Jinli wasn't interviewed by me." Zhang Gu Ci had never met Su Jinli.
"I'm talking about your acumen in reviewing the program."
Zhang Gu Ci sighed, "Actually, there are many companies even more blind than us. At least we sent four participants. Other companies were just envious but didn't send anyone."
Hearing this, the leader smacked his lips, seemingly at a loss for words.
"The one from Boruo Pineapple, Wu Yu, went on his own. Sejia Legend didn't send anyone; only Su Jinli was signed afterward. Huasen took the opportunity to send someone but they ended up sending a problematic individual (Note: Zhou Wenyuan). They must be extremely frustrated," Zhang Gu Ci continued.
This time, all three giants of the entertainment industry were blind.
Compared to the other companies, Muzitao was already the winner.
Earlier, people had criticized Muzitao for missing out on Su Jinli, essentially missing out on billions. Now, the leader of Muzitao seemed to feel somewhat relieved.
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In recent days, Hou Yong has been evaluating scripts, trying to pick the right ones for Su Jinli. Simultaneously, he nervously shared his plans with An Zhiyan.
An Zhiyan demanded to be kept in the loop about all Su Jinli's plans.
Hou Yong always got nervous when dealing with An Ziyan. Still, for his little angel, he bravely faced the situation.
While reviewing the scripts in his office one day, there was a knock on his door. Someone announced, "Brother Yong, you have a visitor."
Hou Yong was caught off guard. Shortly, he saw Qiao Lin carrying a bunch of gifts into his office, and his heart sank.
Qiao Lin was a previously managed artist. Once she crossed Wu Na, Hou Yong had attempted to protect her, resulting in his dismissal from Huasen Entertainment.
Initially, Qiao Lin had shown gratitude by transferring him five thousand yuan, saying, "Brother Yong, I don't have much savings, but I am extremely grateful to you."
However, he later realized that she had blocked him from viewing her friend circle on social media.
Not long after, someone shared screenshots with him showing Qiao Lin's blaming him publicly for her troubles with Wu Na, acting entirely innocent.
He immediately felt disheartened.
Now, Qiao Lin suddenly showed up at his doorstep.
This obviously wasn't about him.
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Author's Note:
An Zhihan: Su Jinli, my brother is having an affair! Go teach him a lesson right away.
Su Jinli goes to confront him with great momentum.
Su Jinli: I heard you've been having an affair!
An Zhiyan gets startled: I really couldn't resist. Can you forgive me?
Su Jinli: How could you do this?!
An Zhiyan: I know I was wrong.
Su Jinli feels the urge to punch him.
An Zhiyan obediently takes out the half-eaten fish: I'll throw it away.
Su Jinli: …
Is this what he meant by an affair?
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