Chen Chiyu continued to ramble on: "I feel that you are much more dedicated to him than to the previous artists. Dedicated, you know? Although you were also very responsible at work before, you gave me the feeling that you were just doing business, or as you said, just investing."
"Like your previous two artists, when they left, you didn't feel sad or upset. At most, you felt disappointed. But if it were this... uh, Ye Cang, if it were him, and he left with another manager, how would you feel?"
Shen Huai was stunned. Even though he knew Chen Chiyu was lying, he still felt a little breathless when he thought of the scene.
After analyzing the situation, Chen Chiyu concluded, "...In conclusion, the only explanation is that he is different to you. I can't think of any other explanation besides liking him."
Shen Huai fell silent.
He always thought he had concealed it well, but he didn't expect that even an outsider like Chen Chiyu could see through it.
Chen Chiyu was still saying, "Trust me, brother, if you like him, go for it, don't be a coward! If he doesn't give in, just throw money at him..."
As his words became increasingly outrageous, even Shen Huai, with his excellent self-control, felt an urge to punch him: "Shut up!"
Chen Chiyu: "These are all golden words of advice..."
Shen Huai: "If you say another word, I'll deduct your pay."
Chen Chiyu: "..."
Shen Huai breathed a sigh of relief. He had kept Ye Cang's matter to himself, but he never expected Chen Chiyu to expose it, which left him feeling a bit confused.
He was silent for a while before speaking: "It's not a matter of liking or disliking. The public's view of homosexuality has not become more tolerant over time. It may even be more harsh than it was thirty years ago, especially for public figures. Once a scandal breaks out, it could very well ruin their career."
“But I know how important singing and the stage are to him, even more important than life itself. I can’t ruin him, not even the slightest possibility. And…” He paused, “Maybe I’m being selfish, but I’m more afraid that one day he will have to choose between the stage and me. No matter what he ultimately chooses, it will be a burden he can never get rid of.”
Shen Huai had never said these words to anyone; he kept them buried in his heart. When facing his best friend, he finally confided them.
After listening, Chen Chiyu, for the first time, didn't joke around, but said very seriously, "Ah Huai, you're just too rational."
"In your career, this rationality allows you to weigh the pros and cons and make the right judgment, but in relationships, rationality is often unnecessary."
"Ah Huai, don't be so hard on yourself. Try to trust a relationship; maybe the outcome will be better than you imagine. Even if there was a choice, it was his choice, not your fault..."
Chen Chiyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ah Huai, the chances of meeting someone you like are very small, and the chances of mutual liking are even smaller. Don't miss out and regret it later."
Shen Huai did not respond, and Chen Chiyu did not dare to say anything more. He just sighed and then hung up the phone.
Shen Huai threw his phone on the bed, feeling even more confused after talking to Chen Chiyu.
-
Shen Huai didn't sleep well that night because of his worries. Although he returned to normal the next day, Ye Cang still keenly noticed that something was wrong.
He had originally planned to take a gradual approach, so he had been very restrained when facing Shen Huai recently. However, once in the car, he finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Ah Huai, are you in a bad mood today?"
Shen Huai was taken aback, but when he met Ye Cang's worried gaze, he didn't dare to look directly at him. His fingers curled up involuntarily, and he whispered, "It's nothing."
Ye Cang wanted to ask more questions, but Xue Chengge suddenly screamed: "Brother Ye!! 'Rebirth' just got a Diamond Record! It's the fastest album in history to get a Diamond Record!"
Shen Huai and Ye Cang were both drawn to his words. Xue Chengge held up his phone, which displayed the official Weibo account of the Music Association, which had just been verified.
Although Shen Huai had long known that Ye Cang's album would eventually get diamond status, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Before they could savor their joy for long, congratulatory calls started pouring in. Even the usually composed Mingwei was overjoyed. She told Shen Huai that, given the current sales speed and the positive reviews of the album, Ye Cang was practically guaranteed to win the Golden Melody Award this year.
Looking at the busy Shen Huai, Ye Cang could only swallow his words helplessly.
However, he seemed a bit distracted on the show afterwards, but everyone assumed he was just a little dazed because of his good results and expressed their understanding.
However, along with this honor came a lot of miscellaneous matters, and Shen Huai had to suppress his emotions and devote all his energy to these matters.
Ye Canghong rose to fame too quickly and too suddenly. It was a tough battle that caught everyone off guard. However, Shen Huai handled it very well. Whether online or offline, he showed extraordinary ability, which made many people in the industry start to notice him.
Meanwhile, those fans who quietly enjoy their own little world have not only seen their group grow even larger, but have also happily found plenty of content to share.
However, on this joyous day, Shen Huai received bad news from Chen Chiyu.
After investigating, he discovered that the music platform had a vulnerability, and Ye Cang's data had probably been manipulated.
Not only did they swipe it, but they did it so convincingly that it was clearly not out of good intentions.
Shen Huai's expression immediately darkened: "I understand. You can investigate further and see if you can find out who's behind this. I'll handle the rest."
Chapter 56
Bai Weijia stared at Ye Cang's album sales with envy, her eyes practically bloodshot with hatred. When Cassie finally returned, she quickly asked, "How did it go?"
Cassie nodded: "Don't worry, they guarantee there won't be any problems and it definitely won't be detected."
Bai Weijia breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "What about Ye Cang? How is he doing?"
Cassie: "As you said, the data we've done for him is very fake. I've also hired online trolls. In a day or two, we'll release the topic and stir things up to ruin Ye Cang's reputation. The Golden Melody Awards probably won't nominate such a tainted artist. Once our data goes up, we'll have it in the bag."
Hearing that Cassie had made all the arrangements, Bai Weijia felt relieved.
He glared fiercely at Ye Cang's name on the music charts: "Just you wait, the higher you climb now, the harder you'll fall later."
Two days later, at 8 PM, a Weibo post went viral.
@GossipGuru: A certain singer who's recently become very popular, touted as the "strongest newcomer in history," probably has some issues with his diamond album. While browsing various platforms out of boredom, I noticed something interesting: this singer's views surge rapidly in the early morning hours, and this has been happening for several days in a row. What does this mean? Let the netizens decide. This makes me a little sad. This newcomer has good songs and sings well; if he develops gradually, he'll definitely have a place in the music scene. Why does he have to do this and ruin his reputation?
Below are two screenshots of Ye Cang's play count on this music platform.
Initially, there were online trolls stirring up trouble, and many netizens were indeed misled, directly criticizing Ye Cang in the comments section of this Weibo post.