Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

Chapter 197 The First Exclusive Interview, No One Can Walk Out Smiling

He Yi City train station.

In the muggy heat of late September, Bai Jinze squatted on the curb, his face covered with a mask. Despite his fall from grace, he still had the good looks that drew extra glances from passersby.

His phone vibrated and he answered the call, not waiting for the other party to speak before he blurted out a curse.

"Fuck your mother, I've paid off the money," he spat.

The other person paused, then launched into a tirade of their own, and Bai Jinze shot back. The two exchanged 'pleasantries' for two minutes, each sentence filthier than the last.

"Do you even look like a star now?" the other voice on the line chided angrily.

"Fuck being a star, who the hell made me turn out this way?" Bai Jinze's eyes reddened, "I made my debut, and you tell me to play the pretty boy. Who taught me all those manipulative tricks? Was I like this before? You motherfucker say I don't look like a star, believe it or not, I'll fucking hang your mom up!"

After leaving the circle, Bai Jinze had completely figured it out and abandoned the Mary Sue persona. He had lived these past few years as if in a dream, either being bullied or bullying others.

In the dye vat of the entertainment industry, he had turned from black to green, and in the end, he hit a snag and ended up in a vast expanse of nothingness.

After finishing those dirty jobs, he took on a few roles that nobody wanted, just to pay off the online loans. Now he was back in his hometown, with no plans to go out again.

"Yes, now you've got nothing," his agent tried to keep his temper in check, "So you're just going to give up and not try to get back what you've lost?"

"What do you mean?" Bai Jinze was perplexed.

"I have a gig for you, you can crossover into rap," his agent explained, "Once you're in this business, your past scandals won't matter."

"Rap? I don't know how," Bai Jinze looked bewildered, it's not like he could enter the field after graduating.

"You don't need to know, newcomers often do better than the old-timers. Come back, it's like picking up a gold bar. I'll find someone to train you, you'll be ready for debut in a month."

"Fuck off!" Bai Jinze hung up the phone and cursed in C.

He stood by the roadside, intending to hail a ride-share. But before he could open the app, a wave of emptiness surged through him, and like possessed, he opened Xu Qingyan's account.

Three days had passed since trending on social media, and that person's fans had increased by one and a half million overnight.

But after the sudden rise to fame, they vanished, leaving only those two posts criticizing the show on their account. The signature and information were blank, even the profile picture was replaced with an empty image.

The only thing highlighted was the orange seal of the male guest "Love Hunter" officially recognized by the show.

Staring at the number of followers, Bai Jinze suddenly thought that maybe if that person posted just one more endearing message, they could gain another million fans.

But then he thought, why should someone who writes songs need to exert themself?

Bai Jinze had listened to those seven songs when he had the time. After hearing them, he felt like jumping into a river, not wanting to face the tangled mess of his failed life.

He felt like a clown. Xu Qingyan's songwriting ability was clearly not something that had developed over a few days on a love reality show; they were prepared.

No, dude, if only you said you knew kung fu!

He had thought he was squeezing a soft persimmon, but it turned out he had mistakenly picked the one with a gun out of a bunch of thin, skeletal beggars.

In the days past, people would chant that the entertainment industry is a very traditional circle. Don't think of getting famous from a reality show; trending is not something you can achieve just by wishing for it.

Indeed, the ones with real talent had to make a name through stunts; let alone those without. If you don't trend, it's because the act isn't big enough or you're not hard enough.

Now, Xu Qingyan has stood tall on the shoulders of everyone, while he himself has shattered completely. Ji Chen, the one who had instigated him to do stupid things, was still thriving. He really wanted...

Really wanted to punch his fucking face.

Ji Chen...right, Ji Chen! How could he forget about that bastard? Bai Jinze wasn't in a hurry to call a car anymore. He took out his phone and found Xu Qingyan's contact.

He made a call, and after two rings, he regretted it. He cursed himself for being an idiot, thinking a call from a stranger would ever get through.

Then, miraculously, it connected.

"Bai Jinze?"

He was stunned, how could this person answer so promptly?

"It's me."

As Bai Jinze connected, he suddenly didn't know what to say anymore. In the heat of the moment, he had called, not willing to see Ji Chen get away with everything. He felt he had to say something.

"Something the matter?" Xu Qingyan sounded calm, showing no impatience.

Upon hearing this, Bai Jinze almost deluded himself into thinking that Xu Qingyan was easy to talk to. But reality was always the opposite; this person was more vicious than anyone. Read latest stories on empire

"I have some dirt on Ji Chen, do you want to get back at him?"

Beep. The call ended.

...

After Xu Qingyan went from being an unknown to a songwriter, and then became instantly famous overnight with a music video criticizing the show, they could clearly feel the changes around them.

To put it simply, they had entered the circle.

The entertainment industry itself was a place with no threshold; some debut through signing with companies or through talent shows. Fundamentally, it was all about quickly acquiring resources.

Rarely do people, like Qingyan, take a stand using their popularity to establish themselves. Such tactics are generally used by internet celebrities, who then indirectly get into live-streaming sales.

Xu Qingyan was like someone with a rocket launcher barging into a den of bandits, overturning a corrupt authority. Since their firepower was even stronger than the official's, they were recognized as legitimate by the state.

They were still the same person. On the night they blew up, they remained a savage, holding an attitude of "You disagree? Let's fight to the death. I don't give a damn," and directly attacking the show's producers.