CHAPTER 208: CHAPTER 201 BEHIND-THE-SCENES STRUGGLE

Li Ke first forwarded this post to the group, then couldn’t help but start refuting:

This is my first time chasing stars, my first time having a favorite idol, but in the past few days, all I’ve seen is the stench and ugliness in the fandom.

How can there be a group like this, spewing such venom at a girl?

You’re saying Lv Fangxin isn’t working hard, that she climbed up the ranks through crying.

Then why has she made so many friends at the base?

Don’t those people know her true character better than you? Besides, looking at those training clips, Lv Fangxin absolutely hasn’t been slacking.

She performed really well on the stage during the first public round. She’s not naturally gifted at singing or dancing, but to have achieved this level shows she’s put in tremendous effort.

And bringing the concept of idol selection into real-world studying and work itself is downright ridiculous.

Have you ever seen a person with poor academics get into university?

What do you think of our college entrance exams? The two aren’t even remotely comparable.

In the real-world workplace, are there people who can earn high salaries without putting in effort?

But most of them either have connections or are relatives of bosses, or come from wealthy and powerful families. Otherwise, which company would indulge someone by giving them money for nothing?

But does Lv Fangxin have that? She’s just a girl from the countryside who came to the city to chase her dreams.

We’re willing to vote for her because of her innocence and authenticity, not her tears.

Every girl in this show has cried. Why haven’t they garnered as many fans?

Meanwhile, other members of Lv Fangxin’s fan club are also writing various posts to counter the hate.

But oddly enough, Lv Fangxin’s company is doing absolutely nothing.

Each fan club believes the company must be planning a big move!

Shou Shou walked out of the Wu Group, hanging his head in defeat.

He was well-aware of Lv Fangxin’s current predicament.

Although he had a bit of funding in hand, he knew it was far from enough to mount an anti-hate campaign for Lv Fangxin. That’s why he reached out to the second-largest shareholder of the company, the Wu Group, which had initially insisted on keeping Lv Fangxin.

Unexpectedly, his visit this time was fruitless.

The Wu Group’s response was incredibly vague.

"Damn it, what is the Wu family trying to do? Can’t they see Lv Fangxin is a massive potential asset?" Shou Shou muttered in frustration.

Shenghai.

Yuehua Company.

Yuehua was completely unprepared for Lv Fangxin’s sudden rise.

The show’s production team ensured confidentiality so well that the top 11 finalists list had no leaks whatsoever.

In fact, when Long Zitao received the list of the top 11 finalists, they had been written at the last minute.

Pan Ting had already issued strict orders to her team to dig up dirt on Lv Fangxin.

Meanwhile, other companies with prospects of securing debut spots in the top 11 were also gearing up for action.

The boss of Yang Ni’s company, Wang Yuan, let out a sigh of relief after hearing the news of Yang Ni’s successful advancement. He had spent extravagantly to appease Penguin.

"Mr. Wang, it seems your PR campaign worked. Both Yang Ni and Miaomiao have secured high rankings," his business partner Gao Yong remarked.

"Haha, Mr. Gao, I really went all out this time," Wang Yuan said with a chuckle.

"No worries, Mr. Wang. As for the drama we’re co-investing in, we can definitely give Fan Chengcheng more scenes," Gao Yong reassured him.

After exchanging flatteries, the two collaborators hung up the call.

Wang Yuan placed his phone on the table, a trace of sarcasm spreading across his plump face.

At home, Xiao Du was fully focused on casting votes for Ye Yuwei.

There were 20 phones of the same brand placed beside him.

To support Ye Yuwei, he was doing everything he could.

"Yunchu Sis, are you there?"

"Yes, I just finished voting for Ye Yuwei. But I checked, and her rank actually dropped yesterday," Mu Yunchu said, puzzled.

On the other side of the computer, Mu Yunchu was puzzled. In order to vote for Ye Yuwei, she had purchased 200 Penguin membership accounts. The group members were also voting madly. So how did the rank still drop?

"It’s normal. Someone must’ve purchased membership cards or similar methods to cast votes. Simply relying on scattered votes won’t work anymore," Xiao Du explained.

"What should we do then?"

"We must organize fundraising, purchase membership cards in bulk, and buy zombie accounts on Weibo to vote as well," Xiao Du replied, clearly experienced in voting strategies.

"Fundraising? Will people be willing to contribute money for this?"

"That depends on how much trust people have in us. But we need to prepare thoroughly beforehand. Let’s show the group how much we’ve personally spent on voting and preparing for this campaign," Xiao Du explained.

Xiao Du had actually already prepared for fundraising. He knew in large-scale talent shows like this, the final battle was ultimately over each idol’s fundraising pool.

"Alright, then let’s do it! I’m with you," Mu Yunchu agreed.

"I think we should each manage three large groups to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the fundraising," Xiao Du suggested.

"Taking advantage? What do you mean by that?" Mu Yunchu asked, confused.

"I mean preventing anyone from embezzling the fundraising money. I estimate that this campaign’s fundraising will start at no less than hundreds of thousands," Xiao Du said with a confident smile.

If this level of fundraising could be achieved, even the top members of Hanoi couldn’t compete.

Mu Yunchu was stunned by Xiao Du’s estimation. She hadn’t expected the figure to be so high.

"Yunchu Sis, for safety’s sake, we should also arrange a meeting with all the major fans to discuss this and gather all the casual fans’ funds in our hands," Xiao Du suggested.

"Do you think they’ll listen to us?"

"If the major fans don’t listen, that’s fine. But we have to make these points clear and explain them in the fan groups to the casual fans. I believe everyone will trust us more," Xiao Du said confidently.

In truth, Xiao Du was already a de facto leader of Ye Yuwei’s fan club. People knew he had been a loyal fan since Ye Yuwei was a virtual unknown.

While they were discussing voting strategies here, the Hanoi fans were already in the midst of heated arguments.

The only consensus they had reached was that not a single vote should go to Ye Yuwei.

Hanoi fans dissing Ye Yuwei had already become the "politically correct" thing to do.

But whether to focus the entirety of Hanoi’s resources on voting for Lu Bingbing remained a divisive issue.

Hanoi fans naturally hoped Lu Bingbing could make it, but given the current situation, it seemed unlikely she would break through.

Additionally, each fan group faced the challenge of upcoming general elections. If their funds were spent entirely on voting for Lu Bingbing, what would happen to their general elections?

Galaxy fans wanted all Hanoi fans to pool their resources to push Lu Bingbing’s votes, but even they knew that if Lu Bingbing debuted, it wouldn’t necessarily benefit their own idols.

Moreover, how much would it cost to push Lu Bingbing’s votes? If a fan group spent too much, they risked being overtaken by others during the general elections.

Lu Bingbing’s own fans were the most determined, elevating her potential debut to a matter of pride for all Hanoi fans.

Various lesser idols also began secretly promoting Lu Bingbing under orders from their companies, though privately, they would tell their major fans something entirely different.

Li Jiaqi and Yu Qingjia, close friends of Lu Bingbing, were deeply conflicted.

"Jiaqi, what do you think about this?" Yu Qingjia asked solemnly.

"...Qingjia, I won’t lie to you. If I go all-out voting for Bingbing Sis, my own campaign for the general elections will be finished," Li Jiaqi admitted.

Li Jiaqi looked at Yu Qingjia, knowing it was best to lay things bare.

"If I had previously ranked among the ’Sacred Seven,’ I wouldn’t mind taking the risk of failing this time’s elections to fully support Bingbing Sis. But I haven’t," she explained.

Yu Qingjia nodded, understanding Li Jiaqi’s reasoning.

If Li Jiaqi couldn’t secure a ’Sacred Seven’ spot this time, it would lead to severe consequences.

Her popularity in Hanoi had kicked off suddenly, meaning her fanbase wasn’t very loyal yet.

Only by securing a ’Sacred Seven’ position could she solidify a core fanbase.

If she diverted her fans’ resources to help Lu Bingbing, her own fans might drift away in large numbers to Lu Bingbing, and she’d likely flop in next year’s elections.

Her fame would end up being a mere flash in the pan, leaving her with no access to premium opportunities.

"Jiaqi, I understand. We can only help others on the condition we can protect ourselves," Yu Qingjia smiled.

"Thanks for understanding!" Li Jiaqi said, giving Yu Qingjia a big hug.

Yu Qingjia had already resolved to go all-out for Lu Bingbing.

She had spent three consecutive years in the ’Sacred Seven,’ once making it into the ’Royal Top Three,’ with an exceptionally loyal fanbase.

Supporting Lu Bingbing this time wouldn’t result in the same negative outcomes as Li Jiaqi feared.

And if Lu Bingbing debuted and received good opportunities, she would likely repay Yu Qingjia by helping her out in return.

However, in Li Jiaqi’s view, Lu Bingbing lacked charisma.

Or perhaps the program simply didn’t provide space for her to showcase her strengths.

Ultimately, it would depend on how Galaxy negotiated with Penguin.

As she thought of this, Li Jiaqi couldn’t stop thinking about Ye Yuwei.

If Lu Bingbing successfully debuted, what about Ye Yuwei? It seemed unlikely Penguin would give Galaxy two debut spots.