The competition was in full swing, and because of those mouth-watering prizes, the number of registered and paying users on the Zhuzi platform had reached an unprecedented industry level, almost making Wang Cong a fortune.
Almost every elimination match had over 20 million, and even more, viewers, forcing Wang Cong to temporarily add several servers just to keep the platform from crashing.
Under such fierce competition, the potential of each contestant was almost fully unleashed, with Zhao Fan and Guo Xinyu undoubtedly entering the top five.
The final match was approaching, where the champion, runner-up, and third place would be determined, and the fans were exceptionally enthusiastic. Guo Xinyu, with her sweet voice and charm, had attracted a large number of fans, her popularity almost indistinguishable from Zhao Fan's.
Almost everyone believed that the champion would be one of these two.
"You only have a few days left, so don't put so much pressure on yourself," Fang Jueyu said, strolling with Guo Xinyu along the Bund in Magic City. Guo Xinyu had noticeably become a bit more gaunt and sallow recently, "Even if you lose, it doesn't matter. You already have so many fans now. If you create your own songs in the future, there will definitely be people who will want to listen."
"That's not going to work!" Guo Xinyu stubbornly replied, "I'm going to sing the song you wrote for me in the finals, and I have confidence that I can beat the others!"
Ever since she got that song, Guo Xinyu didn't know how many times she had sung it repeatedly. She had confidence in Fang Jueyu and equally so in herself.
"Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz!" Fang Jueyu's phone suddenly vibrated; it was a message from Wang Cong.
"What does that guy want with me at this time?" Fang Jueyu opened his phone. Wang Cong's message was short, "Quick, look at the hot searches on Weibo!"
"Hot searches?" Fang Jueyu hadn't browsed Weibo in a while. Had something big happened recently again?
He opened the Weibo hot search, and suddenly, Fang Jueyu's face turned a bit ugly, his gaze extra sharp as if he had seen something infuriating.
"What's wrong?" Guo Xinyu noticed Fang Jueyu's expression and felt something wasn't quite right.
"Looks like someone wants to stir up trouble!" Fang Jueyu said coldly. When he got angry, he didn't explode with rage; the calmer and more indifferent he was, the angrier he was inside. "Take a look."
Guo Xinyu took the phone from Fang Jueyu, and her face changed immediately.
It was a very sensational headline.
"Underhanded Dealings! Suspected Severe Insider Activities Among the Finalists of the 'Bamboo Grand Finale'!"
This Weibo post targeted Guo Xinyu, exposing her relationship with Fang Jueyu, claiming that her entry into the finals was solely due to Fang Jueyu's underhanded manipulations and that she didn't actually possess such talent.
Moreover, it even dug up Guo Xinyu's past situation where she had to make a living by live broadcasting due to family issues. What could have been an inspiring story turned into a narrative of vanity and materialism when associated with Fang Jueyu.
In any era, there would always be a phenomenon of wealth envy. Under the guidance of these comments, some people began to madly slander Guo Xinyu, especially Zhao Fan's fans, who directly insulted Guo Xinyu shamelessly in the comments.
In fact, such vicious competition often appeared in similar talent shows. Anyone with a bit of brains could guess that it was definitely hired trolls or water army by other contestants, but there were always some irrational people.
Furthermore, the opponent's connections were evidently very strong. A professor from Jiangnan Music College even publicly voiced his opinion, saying it was a disgrace to their school, and such a student should not stand on the stage at all.
"Cut, I thought Guo Xinyu was so pure. Turns out she also climbed up by relying on a man, fan-turned-foe!"
"But I think her singing is really good. All the competitions are live, so they shouldn't be fake, right?"
"How naive of the one above, did you really think all the stuff would be shown? You can't imagine how dirty this circle is!"
There were also many people speaking up for Guo Xinyu, and quite a few Fang Jueyu fans stood out, but whether the opponent hired a water army was unknown; the comment control was very severe. Clicking into any related post, the most popular comments were inevitably those cursing both of them.
"I, Fang Jueyu, can vouch on my character that I did not interfere in any competition segment, and everything was fair and just!" Facing such doubts, Fang Jueyu directly issued a statement.
"I don't think someone has any character." The owner of that Weibo account immediately updated their status, even uploading a video, which turned out to be footage of Fang Jueyu smashing a car a few months ago at the Thompson First-grade.
It had to be said, the opponent was indeed influential to even find that surveillance footage, but they clearly played a little trick, intentionally omitting the part where the young man blocked the road and was drunk.
To those unaware of the situation, Fang Jueyu appeared to be an overbearing dandy. Could such car-smashing actions be something a moral, character-holding person would do?
Subsequently, matters like Fang Jueyu using a helicopter to transport cars and owning private airports and jets were uncovered one by one. His image turned into that of an heir squandering money wildly, and his reputation became tarnished.
"I feel heartbroken to have such a student emerge from Jiangnan University. As a qualified university student, one should focus on academics and lead a frugal life rather than acting recklessly relying on family background and wealth!" That professor from Jiangnan Music College wrote a new post.
"Well, it seems someone really wants to take this opportunity for a write-up!" Fang Jueyu's expression turned rather intriguing. Not only Guo Xinyu but even he himself was being targeted.
"The First Paparazzo of Huaxia." The owner of this Weibo account was well-known to everyone. His real name was Liu Wei, and he was almost always the first to reveal gossip whenever there was news in the entertainment circle, earning the title of the First Paparazzo of Huaxia.
Because of these matters, he offended many people, and his reputation was also quite bad. However, in Huaxia, there was never a shortage of people who were idle, ready to jump on any piece of gossip, eager to join in the feast.
"Why are these people !" Guo Xinyu, who was already mentally and physically exhausted from the pressure of the competition, seeing these messages, felt so wronged she almost burst into tears.
"It's okay!" Fang Jueyu held Guo Xinyu close, "They're just a bunch of troublemakers. Leave it to me to deal with!"
No man could remain indifferent upon seeing their woman upset, especially when he himself was being dragged into the mud. Fang Jueyu was not someone who just accepted losses, and if he got truly angry, his methods wouldn't be merciful. Reyno and the others not long ago were the best example!
"If you want to smear me, then you've picked the wrong person to deal with!" Fang Jueyu called Zhuang Ying, "Sister Ying, did you see the news online?"
"Yes, young master, I saw it. What do you plan to do?" Zhuang Ying asked.
"First, help me find out who's behind this, focus on the five in the finals!" Fang Jueyu wasn't a fool. For such a thing to occur at this critical moment, it was likely done by one of the other contestants.
"Also, help me retrieve the complete surveillance at Thompson First-grade, I'll handle the rest myself!"
Moments later, Fang Jueyu directly called Qi Dong. He cleared his throat and, with a voice full of exhaustion and grievance, said, "Teacher Qi, I'm being bullied..."