Chapter 151: Paid Internet Trolls
On Saturday night, Walking With Light stirred up a huge public reaction, and by Sunday morning it still hadn’t died down.
Or rather, it had become even louder.
Jiang Chuchu’s “lawyer’s notice warning” clearly gained her many supporters. Even when Ye Weiyu
posted a message late at night restraining his fans and apologizing, night-owl netizens tore it apart mercilessly. It even shot into the top five trending topics for that time slot.
If you’re going to apologize, why not do it earlier? Doing it at midnight when no one’s around—totally insincere!
The top comment directly questioned: If this young lady weren’t backed by the Yongchang Group, would you have apologized at all?
While Gu Qinghuan, Yu Yuan, and Lu Jian were busy playing Miracle Le Yi on Sunday morning, the official account of Walking With Light released a statement addressing the situation, urging viewers to watch rationally.
At the same time, various partner official accounts also stepped in, announcing plans to strengthen online ecosystem regulation and immediately began investigations.
AAA: “Brother Ji, it’s not that I don’t want to do it, I just literally can’t.”
Ji Sheng inhaled his cigarette and exhaled heavily, his face full of disdain.
He had been working as Jin Ding’s manager for years, and only one person, Lou Cheng, had made a name for herself. But she never listened, and he hadn’t gained much from her over the years.
He didn’t expect that now Lou Cheng participated in a show, and suddenly people were voluntarily approaching.
Ji Sheng’s impression of Ye Weiyu was just so-so. A young, arrogant guy who thought very highly of
himself. In reality, both his greed and pride were obvious.That didn’t matter—at least he had good looks. Ji Sheng had connections with bosses and liked this type.
Looking at Ye Weiyu’s situation, he wanted to leave Jinxiu Culture. Jin Ding didn’t mind paying some breach-of-contract fee, but first, he needed to confirm Ye Weiyu was worth it.
Ji Sheng’s plan was to first stabilize Ye Weiyu. Jinxiu Culture’s manager didn’t want to handle Ye Weiyu—perfect. Ji Sheng could provide timely assistance and make Ye Weiyu fully trust him.
He would teach Ye Weiyu: apologize late at night, appear tired and wronged on today’s program, and after tonight’s episode aired, release “evidence” of friction with Jinxiu Culture, shifting all blame onto the company.
Ye Weiyu’s poor state could be attributed to Jinxiu Culture assigning him incompetent managers and assistants. The assistant only cared about personal matters, neglecting responsibilities, and the manager ignored him entirely.
After garnering public sympathy, Jin Ding could step in, criticize the company, and smoothly bring Ye Weiyu under their wing, improving his reputation.
So for now, they needed some paid internet trolls to make Ye Weiyu get scolded even harder.
The harsher the online abuse, the more people, when the “truth” was revealed, would feel guilty and justify Ye Weiyu, allowing him to clear his reputation in one move.
The problem: now the official accounts suddenly announced investigations, so the trolls didn’t dare continue.
Ji Sheng thought these people were way too cautious. The officials said they would investigate, and with so many trolls, were they only monitoring this one group? Didn’t they know they could direct the investigation elsewhere? Previously, when an audit was about to happen, Jin Ding used this tactic to have the officials check another company instead.
He flicked the ash from his cigarette and messaged the trolls: “Really not doing it?”
AAA: “You’d better find someone else.”
Ji Sheng didn’t say more—it was just a tool. If it wasn’t useful, he would replace it.
He contacted a few other troll groups and finally found one willing to take the job. They asked for a higher fee than usual. After negotiating, Ji Sheng sent the bill directly to Ye Weiyu.
Ye Weiyu had been quite satisfied with Ji Sheng’s plan, but when he saw the bill, he froze: “I… have to pay for this?”
Ji Sheng: “Oh?”
The question mark made Ye Weiyu’s scalp tingle. He quickly corrected himself: “Sorry, I’ve never
dealt with something like this before.”Ji Sheng: “You’re not part of Jin Ding, so why go through the company? Or do you want me to cover it? Xiao Ye, that’s not how things work, right?”
Ye Weiyu: “No, of course not. You misunderstood, Brother Ji. I just lack experience, and of course I’ll pay.”
Ye Weiyu reluctantly transferred the money from his own account to Ji Sheng, rounding up for convenience: “This includes extra for your hard work, Brother Ji. Thanks a lot.”
Ji Sheng accepted the money without further comment.
Ye Weiyu rubbed his face and left the restroom, returning to the practice room.
Jiang Chuchu glanced at Ye Weiyu, knowing he must have been up to some minor maneuver in the bathroom—but unfortunately, she couldn’t follow him in.
Mei Qingying, true to her reputation as a “workaholic,” had already prepared the full choreography last night and was now directly teaching Mu Tianxiang and the others how to dance.
Perhaps due to being scolded by fans last night, Mu Tianxiang and Fang Shao arrived this morning with red eyes and were much quieter during practice.
They followed Mei Qingying’s instructions exactly, but as Jiang Chuchu expected, their level made it somewhat difficult to keep up.
Mei Qingying remained professional, teaching carefully and not scolding or quitting just because they were slow to learn.
Practicing section by section, they made considerable progress.
After the girls had practiced long enough, it was time to rest. Jiang Chuchu put down her pen and casually asked: “Mr. Ye, aren’t you going to practice?”
Exhausted, Mu Tianxiang and Fang Shao immediately perked up, their eyes sparkling as they looked at Ye Weiyu.
Being in the same group as an idol meant they could enjoy the performance live!
Ye Weiyu felt slightly awkward. After Jiang Chuchu had made him control his fans last night, his manager immediately called him, scolding him for always causing trouble and hurriedly going to deliver a message to the Jiang family.
Several of his endorsements also sent messages, politely stating that after the current collaborations ended, they would consider whether to renew.
It was at that moment he truly realized what the Jiang family behind Jiang Chuchu meant.
So when Jiang Chuchu spoke, he dared not refuse directly. He just smiled: “I practiced in the hotel last night, but since you say so, I’ll practice a bit more.”There was no denying it—Ye Weiyu was a true professional, even a solo rehearsal with headphones sounded convincing.
Mu Tianxiang and Fang Shao were thrilled, clapping enthusiastically after he finished singing.
Mei Qingying nodded—Ye Weiyu just needed not to hold them back.
Lin Xiaoxue, meanwhile, used the time to send messages on her phone, paying little attention.
Ye Weiyu noticed her lack of reaction and felt uncomfortable—at least some response! But remembering her backing by Yan Zhengqing, he held himself back.
He comforted himself: just endure a few more days. After the show ends, he can leave Jinxiu Culture and go to Jin Ding, naturally winning over Yan Zhengqing’s favor.
Jiang Chuchu pretended to be tired and went out for a walk, finding a quiet place to check the class group.
Jiang Chuchu: “What’s the situation now?”
Yu Xin: “Something’s off. Too many people are scolding Ye Weiyu, and it’s too harsh.”
Xu Xinghe: “Indeed. At first, it was entertaining to watch, but the more I watch, the more wrong it feels.”
Ming Xiaolan: “I observed a bit—it feels like the same batch of people, repeating the same lines over and over.”
Yao Shali: “I infiltrated Ye Weiyu’s fan group. The atmosphere is subtle—some left, but the remaining ones seem increasingly fanatical and crazy.”
Bao Qingsong: “Got it! This is a classic fan-tormenting tactic!”
