Chapter 10: Trending for All the Wrong Reasons

As the man left with the reporter, the security guards dispersed as well. Song Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief and gave Su Bai a thumbs up.

"Great sense of PR!"

Su Bai chuckled, "Well, I used to be half an insider."

His words were tinged with endless bitterness.

Song Liang looked at him in surprise. An insider?

"No wonder you sing so well. Did you have professional training before?"

"I was wondering how a delivery guy could sing such beautiful melodies! Now it makes sense."

Song Liang seemed to sense a story behind Su Bai’s bitterness.

"But none of that matters now. I can guarantee that once your 'Dragon Scale of Heaven and Earth' is released, it’ll sweep the entire country. With the added boost from the Forbidden City’s cultural promotion, it might even make it to the Spring Festival Gala!"

"Of course, that depends on opportunity. But you have to believe in yourself!"

Hearing this, Su Bai realized Song Liang had misunderstood.

"Director Song, you’ve got it wrong. The reason I said I was half an insider is because my sister used to be in the industry. I helped her out a lot, so I picked up some things along the way."

"Oh!"

Realizing his mistake, Song Liang dropped the subject.

Suddenly, Song Liang’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen—it was Zhang Mingke. His expression brightened with excitement. If 'Dragon Scale of Heaven and Earth' could be secured, it would mean great things for him.

He waved the phone at Su Bai, "Look, a call from Director Zhang."

"Speak of the devil, and he appears," he joked, then answered.

"Hello, Director Zhang! I’ve brought you that mysterious delivery guy! So, are you coming to Shanghai, or should we head to Beijing?"

Song Liang felt his relationship with Zhang Mingke had instantly grown closer.

But instead of laughter, he was met with suspicion.

"Song Liang, what’s going on with this Su Bai? Did you add him to the list privately?"

"Was he a backdoor arrangement?"

"All the media are reporting on this—it’s blown up!"

Song Liang, holding his phone, inconspicuously walked away, then lowered his voice, "Director Zhang, what’s happening?"

"Su Bai really was a last-minute addition, but it wasn’t some backdoor deal."

He then explained how Su Bai had volunteered to step in that day.

Zhang Mingke’s tone remained somber. "I understand your decision, but that doesn’t mean the public will accept it."

"You should check Douyin first. After you’ve seen it, figure out what to do."

Song Liang opened Douyin, only to find the tide had completely turned.

"That delivery guy was secretly added by the director—such a scandal!"

"I knew there was no way a delivery guy could sing like that, let alone create a classic. It was all a setup!"

"If you want to sing, just sing, don’t resort to cheap tricks!"

"I used to really like this delivery guy, but now I’m totally disappointed."

"Nowadays, people just use traditional culture as a way to make money. Does he really deserve it?"

"All for attention and dirty money."

"Someone should investigate that director—who knows what strings were pulled!"

"I was a fan of the delivery guy, but not anymore."

Countless video bloggers jumped on the bandwagon, indirectly lashing out at Su Bai, accusing him of seeking fame.

Before his previous trending topic had faded, Su Bai was trending again—this time, for all the wrong reasons.

Nearly every comment section was filled with vitriol. Su Bai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Still, a handful of people defended him, saying at least his song was beautiful, and the lyrics meaningful. Why care if he was a last-minute addition?

But those voices were quickly drowned out.

"Rules are rules. If everyone cuts in line, won’t everything fall apart?"

Seeing the overwhelming negativity, Su Bai’s spirits hit rock bottom.

All he wanted was to obtain the life-saving medicine for his sister. He was even willing to donate the song for free, taking no payment at all.

Yet people were still desperate to tear him down.

He didn’t need to think twice—there had to be powerful interests manipulating things behind the scenes.

The thought filled him with anger.

It was capital that had destroyed Yang Mengke.

And now, it was coming for him.

But Su Bai had no time to fight back. Nor could he afford to linger. He had to deliver his third order—after all, the third dose of medicine was what mattered most to him.

Song Liang knew this was likely the handiwork of Li Xiguang and Liu Siyan. Though Su Bai was the target, it was probably more about striking at him.

Feeling a pang of guilt, he glanced at Su Bai. "Sorry, this was meant for me. You got caught in the crossfire."

Su Bai waved it off, indicating it was nothing, then bid Song Liang farewell.

In a high-end Shanghai apartment, a voluptuous, glamorous woman, holding a glass of red wine, strutted in high heels toward the handsome man across from her.

Her crimson lips curled into an alluring smile.

"Kun! Now that useless delivery guy has been eliminated, the spot is yours again!"

"So, how will you thank your big sister?"

Xu Mingkun pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked disdainfully.

As if mocking the notion that a mere delivery boy could ever compete with him—what a joke.

A trivial trick had ended the threat before it even started.

Still, Xu Mingkun knew it was all thanks to Sister Yan’s resources.

"Sister Yan, don’t you have a famous signature dish, 'Return of the Bees'? Tonight, I’ll have to give it a proper try."

Liu Siyan laughed coquettishly. She had long wanted to cook that dish for Kun, but he always refused. Now, after all she’d done for him, it finally seemed worth it.

Far away in Beijing, Li Xiguang was celebrating as well.

"Song Liang really thought he could make a comeback with a delivery guy? What a naïve scheme."

Song Liang and Li Xiguang had been rivals for years, and now Song Liang was under his thumb. Li Xiguang wouldn’t miss the chance to kick him while he was down.

He picked up the phone, "Keep fanning the flames—make this as big as possible!"

After hanging up, Li Xiguang gazed out the window, a scornful light in his eyes.

His tacit cooperation with Liu Siyan had left Song Liang reeling.

-------------------------------------

At the Shanghai Armed Police Headquarters, Song Houjun stood by the window, hands clasped tightly behind his back.

From the way his fists clenched, it was clear he was on edge.

The Daxia army, following Liu Lei’s lead, had already entered the XX Group’s headquarters.

It had been three hours since they went in. The outcome should be clear by now.

The phone rang.

Song Houjun lunged for it.

"Hello, this is Song Houjun!"

Though his voice was steady, his hand trembled slightly as he held the phone.

"Report, Director Song! The rescue operation at XX Group was a complete success!"

He exhaled deeply, the weight in his chest finally lifting.

"Were there any casualties?"

"Two comrades injured, no deaths. We rescued 168 hostages!"

"Excellent. Arrange for a special flight home immediately!"

Song Houjun turned and announced, "Prepare to hold a commendation ceremony. When the heroes return, broadcast it live nationwide."

"And release the edited video of the delivery guy, the one Liu Lei made before boarding, on our official account."

"His actions deserve to be widely praised!"