Chapter 21: The Clash Between Two Vast Fandoms

"That's impossible! Su Bai doesn't seem like that kind of person at all!"

"Heavens, my worldview has been shattered once again. I finally become a fan of a grassroots singer, and this is what happens."

"Is there any truth left in this world?"

"I just don't think it's realistic. I still choose to believe in Su Bai! After all, his singing is undeniably good—that's a fact!"

"I also choose to trust Su Bai. When he sang 'Dragon Scale of Heaven and Earth,' Brother Feng was live-streaming his fangirling. That can't be faked. Su Bai's singing was truly fantastic!"

"I'm with Su Bai too. Yesterday, when Tong Zigong was live, Su Bai sang 'The Actor,' and I was there!"

"Support! Let's not talk about Su Bai composing or not, but his singing ability is right there for all to hear. Is it just that Su Bai's gotten too popular and stepped on someone's toes?"

"Tch, do you guys not know about sound cards?"

"And sound engineers!"

Then, a flood of replies: "Keyboard warriors, get lost! Go try bringing a sound card to the live performance at the Palace Museum!"

Looking at the mixed bag of comments, Su Bai felt a resigned helplessness.

His journey was out there for all to see.

He truly had never received any formal musical training.

It was only natural that netizens would harbor doubts.

Still, seeing so many people standing up for him, Su Bai couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

[Ding! Fan XXX has turned from fan to hater, points -5.]

...

[Current system points: 16,482]

A string of system notifications appeared. Watching his points drop from 26,852 to 16,482, Su Bai could only sigh.

After all, there are things beyond his control.

To be safe, Su Bai redeemed three potions, spending 9,000 points.

[Current point balance: 7,482]

The last potion required 10,000 points to exchange.

Though he wasn't far off, Su Bai knew it wouldn't be easy to gather the remaining 2,500 points in a short time.

He'd have to wait until after his showdown with Xu Mingkun, at the very least.

Right now, the internet was full of skepticism about his real ability.

Fortunately, these three potions would buy him enough time.

In truth, the questions swirling online were ones Yang Mengke herself had wondered about.

She knew better than anyone that her brother had never received any formal musical education.

At most, he had accompanied her to lessons and listened in from the sidelines.

But that had been sporadic, neither systematic nor comprehensive.

For him to produce such work from those fragmented lessons—"gifted" no longer sufficed as a description.

Still, Yang Mengke understood that when her brother wanted to tell her something, he would.

If he hadn't confided in her, he must have his reasons.

So Yang Mengke chose to remain silent.

Song Liang, upon seeing the video, was absolutely furious.

He exploded, "Isn't this taking things out of context?!"

"If you want to play dirty, don't blame me for fighting back!"

Last time, for fear of causing a scene, Song Liang had withheld the footage involving Liu Siyan from the reporters.

But now, it seemed Liu Siyan was intent on blowing things up.

Song Liang knew full well that if Su Bai were truly toppled from his pedestal, he himself would be in hot water.

He immediately called his assistant in.

"Record a Douyin video for me. I can't take this anymore!"

"Hello, everyone. I'm Song Liang, Deputy Chief Director of the Palace Museum Cultural Promotion Song Performance, and Head Director of the Shanghai division!"

"I'm also the one everyone was discussing in the previous video."

"Seeing yet another video questioning Su Bai, I feel I can no longer remain silent."

"I owe it to this matter to speak up."

"I really can't fathom whom I upset by having Su Bai sing 'Dragon Scale of Heaven and Earth' at the last minute."

"Previously, a clipped video was taken out of context and led everyone to misunderstand both me and Su Chen!"

"Later, a press conference was held to clear things up!"

"Now, someone has once again selectively edited a portion of the video to mislead everyone."

"So, I will now release the full, unedited footage—from the moment that woman appeared in our company, to her departure."

"I hope everyone will have a clear understanding!"

"And to the person behind these videos—I hope you'll face the issue honestly, instead of resorting to such underhanded tactics!"

"That's all I have to say. Now, everyone, please watch the video!"

He attached the full video, showing Liu Siyan pushing open the door, Su Bai proposing a live showdown with Xu Mingkun, and Liu Siyan setting a three-day deadline before leaving.

After watching, the public suddenly understood.

Meanwhile, the internet exploded once again.

"So that's why they kept targeting Su Bai over and over again."

"I was wondering who had so much influence—turns out someone was trying to protect Xu Mingkun's interests!"

"Hah, these traffic idols nowadays are beyond comprehension!"

"Such a power play—having someone from the production team declare Xu Mingkun the pre-selected winner!"

"Damn! Even that can be rigged? That middle-aged man's right—this concerns the nation's cultural promotion; it can't be treated as a joke!"

"I was never a fan of Xu Mingkun, but this move has truly blown my mind!"

"I have another question: why is that woman going to such lengths for Xu Mingkun?"

This wave of comments was mostly a barrage against Xu Mingkun.

But there was also a fanatical group of Xu Mingkun's die-hard fans.

"How can you say that about our Kun Kun? He deserves it!"

"Kun Kun is the best—handsome, dances, sings. Such a talented artist is perfect as the Palace Museum's image ambassador!"

"Exactly! Kun Kun is the most handsome. Even if the spot isn't fixed, it should go to him!"

"I think what Kun Kun said on his personal Weibo is spot on: English is the world's common language. Introducing our Palace Museum with an English song will spread our culture globally!"

"Eternal support for Kun Kun!"

"Let me add: right now in the whole country, Kun Kun has the highest traffic. He's always number one in trending topics and is the idol of the new generation. Having him lead young people into our traditional history and the Palace Museum's culture is a great idea!"

"Yeah, anyone who criticizes our Kun Kun must have something wrong with them!"

And so, two massive groups waged a furious battle online.

At the same time, the upcoming showdown between Su Bai and Xu Mingkun, set for three days later, was thrust into the spotlight.