Chapter 150: Tang Guo, the Unsurpassable King of Newcomers

"How hilarious. How is a person like this even a major influencer? What kind of people follow him?"

"A perfectly fine song, twisted into something like this. The entire internet's culture is being ruined by people like him, and he still has the nerve to criticize others?"

"It's normal. There are always people who love to use moral standards to constrain others, while being strict with others and lenient with themselves!"

"I heard that everyone hears their own story in a song, so... you wouldn't happen to be gay, would you?"

"..."

The previous comments hadn't affected this influencer at all, but that last sentence broke his composure.

*You wouldn't happen to be gay, would you?*

That was a label he dared not accept!

But after thinking about it, he couldn't find a way to refute it for the moment.

Compared to him, Zhao Hengyuan was even angrier after seeing Su Chen's Weibo post. The influencer had posted the Weibo, but the copy had been written by Zhao. If the netizens were speculating about the influencer, weren't they implicitly calling *him* gay?

At this thought, a chill ran down his spine. Even though he was far away from the internet, he felt as if he had been stripped naked. This smear campaign hadn't been very effective; instead, it had invited collective mockery. Now, he was even starting to doubt his own orientation.

"Courage" was now unstoppable! With several plans having fallen through, it was highly likely that the song's rise could no longer be blocked. If this trend continued, Su Chen would inevitably become the second composer with massive influence on the internet after Tang Guo. This was extremely disadvantageous for Royal Entertainment.

How could he weaken Su Chen's momentum and prevent him from cementing his image among the public or within the industry so quickly? After much deliberation, it seemed the only option was the tactic Li Kang had once used against Su Chen at the awards ceremony.

At the awards ceremony, Li Kang had tried to stir up trouble between Tang Guo and Su Chen, but Su Chen hadn't responded. Later, during the online battle, Li Kang had posted an analysis on Weibo regarding why Tang Guo won the Golden Melody Award for Best Composer, and Su Chen still hadn't responded. Gong Ziming and others had mocked Su Chen using Tang Guo’s name, yet Su Chen still hadn't responded.

*So, he has no reason to refute it, then.*

In an instant, Zhao Hengyuan felt he had grasped the key to the problem. Using Tang Guo to suppress Su Chen's momentum should yield excellent results.

***

Consequently, that afternoon, the Royal Entertainment influencer's post began to sing Tang Guo's praises.

"I won't comment on the character of a certain composer, but I suddenly wonder, what would happen if this happened to Tang Guo? I think, in all likelihood, he would rationally consider the voices on the internet and explain the reasons and background of his creation from the perspective of an artist. He would also analyze, from the listener's point of view, why such a misunderstanding arose. In fact, it doesn't matter who the song was written for; what matters is the attitude toward the listeners. Speaking of which, I count myself as a listener, and I have the right to raise my questions. But how one reacts to such questions tests a composer's professional integrity. I have never believed that being able to write a few hit songs makes one an excellent composer. On the contrary, being able to listen to the audience's voice and reflect on how to improve is the basic quality of an excellent composer. From this point of view, I think Tang Guo has already won. A Golden Medal Composer rated by Weibo, a Best Composer award from the Golden Melody Awards, and the 2023 Rookie of the Year—every single one is a hard-earned honor. He is worthy of the name! I'll put it this way: Tang Guo is the 2023 Rookie Composer of the Year, and even many years from now, he will remain the only unsurpassable Rookie of the Year!"

As soon as this statement was released, other influencers affiliated with Royal Entertainment followed suit.

"I've long felt that this Su Chen's character was lacking. As a composer, acting like a hooligan and cursing online is a disgrace to the music industry."

"People with poor character are just like this. It's normal for them to lack basic manners."

"Facing questions from the audience, he doesn't reflect, but instead chooses to confront them. I really don't know how to judge this person!"

"..."

This wave of momentum successfully shifted the focus away from the creative background and onto personal attacks against Su Chen. Simply put, the previous wave targeted the song, while this wave targeted the person.

"I've got my seat, I've bought my sunflower seeds, and I'm ready to watch the drama!"

"As the 'Twin Stars' of the composition world, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of sparks will fly under the influence of these 'old schemers'!"

"This is basically calling him out by name. With Su Chen's personality, can he really take this?"

"Hilarious. They're still assuming what would happen if it were Tang Guo. You must have forgotten when Tang Guo roasted Mu Qingyun back then; even now, Mu Qingyun doesn't dare to post another Weibo."

"..."

This time, no one took sides; they just waited to see how things would unfold. In the hearts of ordinary people, these influencers were clearly making something out of nothing, looking like they were just trying to stir up trouble. Some went to their Weibo accounts to leave angry comments, but most were just watching the show.

They all wanted to know how Su Chen would respond. Since last year, the only composers who had been active in the public eye were Tang Guo and Su Chen. Last year, Tang Guo was quite fierce when climbing the charts and showed no mercy toward those who questioned him. Looking at Su Chen's earlier performance, he seemed to share some of Tang Guo's traits. Therefore, many were looking forward to a confrontation between the two sides.

And Su Chen did not disappoint. Not long after, his Weibo updated:

"A bunch of pathetic bottom-feeders, do you even deserve to judge anyone? Do you even know how many musical notes there are?"

As soon as these words were out, the internet erupted!

"Holy crap, Su Chen is so blunt! This is going to be good!"

"Refreshing! This is exactly how you should treat people like them. Manners are for those who have them; for people without a bottom line, anything goes!"

"I didn't take sides before, but now I'm starting to appreciate Su Chen."

"..."

Su Chen's reply attracted the attention of many fans, but the Royal Entertainment influencers felt as if they had swallowed a fly, grinding their teeth in hatred! This Su Chen seemed completely impervious to reason! They couldn't smear his music, and they couldn't trap him with their narrative! Instead, his arrogance only grew! Their usual tactics had completely failed against him!

After holding their breath for a long time, they finally unleashed their final blow:

"Keep flailing about, someone! No matter how you struggle, you will never become Tang Guo, and you will never receive the honor of 'Rookie of the Year'!"

If you can't attack his form, attack his heart!

*You're so arrogant, aren't you? Then let's see just how long you can stay that way!*

Based on Su Chen's current achievements, it was indeed difficult for him to catch up with Tang Guo's pace. Therefore, these Royal Entertainment influencers were feeling quite triumphant.

*I've laid this fact out here—how do you plan to respond to this, sir?*