Rebirth from the Ashes

Shen Xi opened the door to a crowd standing there.

Gu Yang was the first to speak up. “Mr. Xixi, you must have gotten the update from Mr. Su, the Chief Director. What’s your take on the whole Su Ruowan incident?”

They had an earlier discussion that they would rather risk breaking the contract and resigning if Mr. Xixi called it quits. What was the point of staying on the show?

As musicians in the industry, they had to make a clear stand against the contestant who was exposed to be a copycat. Their attitude towards the matter could not be taken lightly or made unclear.

The production crew made a bad call. This was only a contestant, and even if it was the most popular contestant or a contestant who had been doing well, the production team should not make little of the matter by saying she was inexperienced and would change her ways. It was downplaying and very irresponsible of them to do so. What about the creator who put their heart and soul into their work?

Mr. Xixi was undoubtedly the most outstanding and famed songwriter in the industry. He could best understand the hardship faced by creators.

“No opinion,” Shen Xi calmly answered.

Uh…

The group was speechless. Why did he not have an opinion on the matter? He was the one who saw through Su Ruowan’s act of plagiarism and pointed it out in public. What was holding him back now?

Gu Yang was under the impression that Mr. Xixi was overwhelmed with a sense of justice and looked down on devious acts of stealing other people’s sweat and blood. Nevertheless, he was at a loss by Mr. Xixi’s reply.

Xia Mi was caught off guard but quickly realized this was the usual Mr. Xixi. Although he sought truth from the facts, he was unconcerned of anyone’s reaction and response after the exposure.

“Mr. Xixi, are you still going to be on the show?” Not to be dissuaded, He Sumo asked.

Shen Xi nodded. “On contract.”

Uh…

The group was once again stumped for words. Oh, right. It was very much like Mr. Xixi to carry out the contract since there was one. Perhaps they should not have come to ask such a silly question.

“Mr. Xixi, do you think the way the production team handled things is fair to the other trainees, fans, viewers, and us?” Fang Yao followed up with another question. To be honest, she was too embarrassed to show her face on the show.

She did not hide her admiration and fondness for Su Ruowan in the show. Fang Yao also gave a lot of advice to Su Ruowan about her choreography and song.

Gu Yang was feeling a little uncomfortable. Why did he get the feeling that they were like paparazzi getting all over Mr. Xixi’s face with questions? It was as though they had nothing better to do.

“It has nothing to do with me.” Shen Xi looked at them. “I’m going to take my rest now.”

After an exchange of glances among the lot, Gu Yang rose to the occasion and said with a smile, “Are you sure you’re going to continue with the show, Mr. Xixi?”

Shen Xi nodded and shut the door with a bang.

The mentors exchanged another glance and spotted the same helplessness and woe in each other’s faces. They could not even get an answer from Mr. Xixi.

Xia Mi took a stand. “I think we shouldn’t make a hasty exit. We don’t only mentor Su Ruowan and don’t need to be responsible for her actions alone. We have a responsibility to all the other trainees as well.”

Gu Yang bobbed his head. “I agree.”

He Sumo nodded. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We should learn from Mr. Xixi and not take personal losses to heart. We should remain unflappable in the face of adversity.”

Fang Yao rolled her eyes at him. “You’re trying to s*ck to Mr. Xixi. Too bad, he can’t hear you.”

He Sumo glanced at her. “I think that as Su Ruowan’s direct mentor, you should write a statement to indicate where you stand in all of this.”

Gu Yang added in. “We all should post on Weibo. Let’s wait for what the production team has to say tomorrow. Su Ruowan is our student after all.”

It never occurred to anyone that a talent show would reveal skeletons in the closet. Any other contestants would quit the show after facing abuse flung from all directions.

Yet, Su Ruowan grew up in showbiz. Her parents were film stars while her second brother was a well-known singer with acting as his side gig. Since her family also owned Tianheng Entertainment, the longest established entertainment business in the industry, they were skilled at crisis management for public opinions and scandals. Gu Yang knew that there was more to the press conference than that.

As he suspected, the production team informed them that Su Ruowan would remain in the competition after the press conference. With outsiders viewing this as a courageous act, she would definitely gain more support from die-hard fans.

The next morning at 9 o’clock, the mentors gathered in the breakroom.

Chief Director Su Botao came early and had been waiting since 8 o’clock. With the responsibility of convincing the mentors to stay on the show weighing heavily on his shoulders, he was too worried to get a good night’s sleep. He prepared a few drafts but it turned out he did not have to waste his breath as the mentors were not leaving the show.

Once the discussion was over, Gu Yang inquired, “Mr. Su, will Mr. Xixi be present during the finals?”

Could it be that Mr. Xixi sounded certain last night because he was not coming for the finals? That would put them in a tight spot.

“He will, but he’ll only be returning on the day of the shooting.” Su Botao was clear of what they were going on about.

Mr. Xixi was the person who set off the plagiarism scandal. He brushed aside everything else for the sake of fairness, impartiality, and factuality. The netizens paid tribute to him, elevating him to a godlike status. The number of his fans shot up overnight.

He was more famous than all the trainees combined. If his name was included in the voting system, he would probably defeat all the trainees and take home the crown.

The situation would be so much better if Mr. Xixi participated in the finals. The viewers would become more forgiving because of his presence as there was no fooling anyone if he was around.

The production team would be questioned like never before without him on the show.

Mr. Xixi may give an aloof and taciturn impression, but he hit the nail on the head with each critique. Although many had liked him before, the wider audience, such as sensitive fans of contestants who were harshly criticized, believed he was putting on a show and following a script.

Nevertheless, following this incident, he was raised to great stature, personifying the meaning of integrity. Even trolls became fans.

The production crew and mentors’ shock and horror were captured on camera the moment he laid bare the truth. This was proof that he gave a fair and honest critique after watching the performance. Unrehearsed and without a script, it was the realest form of critiques.

Su Botao was grateful for Mr. Xixi’s indifferent character that could not be swayed. Other musicians in the industry might jump off the sinking ship and leave the production team behind in troubled waters.

With him around, every person who tried to challenge this decision could shut up.

The mentors heaved a sigh of relief to hear Mr. Xixi would be attending the finals as he was like the backbone of the show. They had never experienced such a feeling in other shows before.

Mr. Xixi was a calming presence.

The finals were to commence a week later.

During the week, Su Ruowan’s scandal was still making news. However, a lot of her fans, under the catapults of brainwashing, stood their ground once again.

There were bitter posts such as “We’re the only ones Wanwan have”, “We’re in this together”, and “You still have us” circulating fan platforms. The tear-jerking posts were written with such heartfelt emotions.

Once in a while, Shen Xi would ride along with these platforms in her free time to read these bitter posts. There was not a dull moment when fans went to the extreme.

Young fans were easily brainwashed and manipulated. As budding flowers of the motherland, they were better off broadening their green minds than being obsessed with a celebrity.

Nevertheless, the effects of these brainwashed and extreme fans were showing. With never-before-seen passion, Su Ruowan’s mindless fans spent money, time, and effort on votes to push Su Ruowan to seventh place.

Due to the scandal, Su Ruowan’s drastic drop of votes landed her at the fifteenth place, the lowest in ranking. The production team gave her a chance to turn over a new leaf instead of eliminating her, in light of her previous performance records. Hence, she was allowed back in the competition as a standby at the fifteenth place.

On the day of the final round, Su Ruowan’s fans, who most earnestly and pushily with the mindset that the world had abandoned Wanwan and it was up to them to save her, entered the stadium while ignoring the taunts and disdains from other fans.

Shen Xi discreetly walked into the stadium and looked at Su Ruowan’s fans before shaking her head and sighing. She could fix any illness in the world but idiocy.

Only these mindless fans would be too blind to believe the proof before their eyes. They were a sorry sight cheering Su Ruowan on despite being deceived. It was something else.

The last showdown was happening in a sports arena. Already at the door, there was a huge gathering here to show support for their idols.

This was not a Su-Ruowan show. The viewers and audience were rational enough not to ditch the show just because of Su Ruowan. Many even followed the show to the very end to see what would happen to Su Ruowan.

Shen Xi entered the stadium through VIP access. Instead of heading to the mentors’ breakroom, he hung around with the prop crew. Having seen the program’s itinerary, she knew that there would be a bonus interaction segment after the performances. The contestants would then be playing mini-games with lucky fans.

One of the games was guessing the lyrics. A water balloon would fall on the person who answered wrongly.

Shen Xi took out a water balloon she had prepared and switched it with the balloon marked number seven before pasting the number on the new balloon.