27. Song Qing's Secret Affair with the Legal Talk Show Host Backstage!

By the time Ji Fanxing returned to the island, it was already the early hours of the morning.

Before going to bed, she habitually picked up her phone to check the latest updates online.

The competition system of “King of All Music” had nearly trapped her on the island, so she needed to keep a constant watch on the needs of Longguo’s audience and their reactions to her works.

She hadn’t been scrolling for long when a trending tag caught her eye.

#A Few Things That Must Be Said About the Ji Fanxing Lip-Syncing Incident#

Clicking on the tag, she saw at the top a breaking exposé posted by a blogger notorious for digging deep into the entertainment industry’s secrets. The blogger’s content was always explosive and authentic, which had garnered a considerable following.

@EntertainmentCirclePiggy: “Everyone’s probably heard about the lip-syncing scandal involving Ji Fanxing, one of the hottest contestants on ‘King of All Music.’

The whole thing was a huge uproar at the time, only dying down after the production team worked some magic to clear her name. Looking back now, based on some clues, I’ve uncovered the shocking truth behind the incident!

No need to keep you in suspense—the conclusion is this: the event that once rocked the entire internet actually started as internal strife among the contestants of ‘King of All Music’!

…

This story just gets juicier the deeper you dig. The DJ from the first performance, Li Sheng, is no saint—in fact, he’s a pervert who loves to secretly record people, and he’s also a rapist! He’s already been arrested.

Here’s the evidence I’ve found online.
[Image][Image] Song Qing and Li Sheng seen in close conversation on Robin Island.
[Image][Image] Li Sheng’s tools of the crime, official investigation notice.
[Video] Song Qing streaking backstage.

I’ll leave the last video as a little surprise for everyone, haha.

Apparently, that night Li Sheng and Song Qing went into the dressing room one after the other, and before long, the whole building was in an uproar. Later, the woman ran out just like that.

What exactly happened in there? Who’s to say. I won’t speculate—use your imagination, everyone. [smirking emoji]”

Apart from the mention of Ji Fanxing at the beginning, the lengthy post was almost entirely devoted to evidence of collusion between Song Qing and Li Sheng.

EntertainmentCirclePiggy was an anonymous whistleblower, famous for gossiping about all manner of industry news. Any story he turned into a long exposé usually had solid evidence.

His posts were always sensational and rooted in truth, and after years of cultivating his account, he had amassed a loyal fanbase.

Some time ago, the “Ji Fanxing Lip-Syncing” scandal had swept across the city, and anyone who followed entertainment news had, to some extent, participated in campaigns calling for Ji Fanxing to be banned from the industry.

With the truth now exposed, comments flooded in almost instantly.

Ji Fanxing noticed that just before the “King of All Music” live broadcast, this very tag had briefly trended on the hot searches.

But as soon as her “Sea of Flowers” performance aired, the search dropped off instantly.

Of course, the evidence EntertainmentCirclePiggy presented was her own handiwork; she’d used Song Qing’s favorite methods.

But unlike Song Qing, she didn’t title her posts with things like “Ji Fanxing and Ning Ze Collude to Harm Their Own Sister—Confirmed,” “Ji Fanxing Suspected of Secretly Filming,” or “Ji Fanxing Lip-Syncing.”

Instead, she simply put the facts she’d uncovered online, waiting for attention-seekers to do their own digging.

As a seasoned victim of online harassment, she knew all too well what “keyboard warriors” really wanted.

Never limit the imagination of others; they will always think of things more outrageous than you can.

Sure enough, fighting fire with fire worked wonders—but unfortunately, just as the story was gaining traction, it was immediately suppressed.

Suppressed by her own actions.

Ji Fanxing refreshed the page, only to see the system display, “This article has been deleted.”

How could that be?

She opened her computer and published even more details online, waiting for the right moment for the story to ferment and ensure the netizens would keep digging deeper.

Then she got to work.

Li Ming’s traditional-style horror game soundtrack was almost finished, and it was Ji Fanxing’s first time composing for a game.

Drawing on her impressions of video game music, she not only created background music and sound effects but also recorded a theme song based on the game’s story.

Traditional-style games struggled to gain traction in Longguo, especially horror games, which usually flopped.

She poured a lot of effort into these tracks, hoping to add a spark to Li Ming’s game and keep players engaged.

Liu Qi had spent a hefty sum in “hush money” to buy out the article “A Few Things That Must Be Said About the Ji Fanxing Lip-Syncing Incident.”

This incident had occurred within the “King of All Music” production, involving contestants and staff conspiring to sabotage a strong competitor, as well as backstage affairs—all of which damaged the show’s reputation.

For the sake of the show’s image, he had to suppress it, but the resentment in his heart couldn’t be quelled. Song Qing felt like a fly stuck in his throat, making him sick.

“Damn it! I just can’t swallow this!”

Liu Qi spat, picked up the phone, and barked, “Xiao Liu! Cut every highlight moment of Song Qing from the show!”

“Yes, including the ones that have already aired. Tut… I said cut the highlights—not everything. Leave in the parts where she’s off-key, out of tune, or arguing with teammates. Air those!”

“And put today’s disaster scene right into the promo!”

After hanging up, Liu Qi finally felt a little better.

He was only a variety show producer, not all-powerful, but at least “King of All Music” was under his control.

As a show incubating singers, as its popularity grew, every contestant had already caught the eye of various agencies.

Liu Qi’s actions effectively severed Song Qing’s chance of signing with any company through “King of All Music.”

…

“Given your ranking, if you still want to sign with us, you’re definitely not getting a B-level contract. We might consider offering you a D-level one.”

Song Qing sat on her bed, staring furiously at her phone, her grip tightening as if she could crush it.

She had always performed well and had previously received several contract offers. Though the terms were decent, they were all from small agencies she looked down upon.

Naturally, she’d ignored them.

Now, after being eliminated, she had finally lowered her standards and replied to those invitations.

Yet, for some reason, those people had either blocked her or simply read her message and never replied.

The only response she got was from a modeling agency, and their offer was even lower than before. When she opened the agent’s social media, she saw rows of surgically altered faces and models in micro-mini skirts, which made her so angry she threw her phone.

Her fingers unconsciously stroked the angel pendant, and a storm of unwillingness and madness surged in her eyes.

She had fought so hard to get here, with her debut just within reach—how could she retreat now?

It was rumored that tomorrow, led by “Jiangshan Entertainment,” agents from various companies would be coming to Robin Island to meet the contestants face-to-face.

Though she was scheduled to leave the island by bus early in the morning, there was still a chance she could seize the opportunity and present herself to the agents.

Before that, she had to increase her bargaining chips.

She opened her computer, and the song title “Angel’s Wings” leapt out. This was the piece she had prepared for the next round of the competition.

She had polished this song for two years, perfecting it bit by bit. It was her labor of love and her best work.

The more Song Qing thought about it, the more excited she became. She was confident this song would prove her talent and ability.

Leveraging the current buzz around “King of All Music,” she believed releasing the song now would yield the best possible response.

Eagerly, she uploaded the track with a calculated caption: “Dedicated to the one I love most,” adding the hashtag #KingOfAllMusicContestantSongQing.

Her mind was entirely preoccupied with thoughts of how to make a comeback tomorrow, oblivious to the fact that her new post had reignited a trending topic Liu Qi had just suppressed.

Many netizens, having just watched the latest preview for “King of All Music,” followed the keywords and found their way to her post.

[Isn’t this the Song Qing who sang so terribly?]
[She sings awfully. Wasn’t she eliminated? Why is she still releasing new songs as a contestant?]
[I heard she lost it on set after being eliminated?]
[Really? I watched the live broadcast and didn’t see any breakdown.]
[Whatever. After suffering through her “Confession Envelope,” and seeing this is another love song, I’m giving it a thumbs-down!]
[Anyone who saw Piggy’s exposé knows Song Qing is no simple woman—vile and cunning. The “one she loves most” must be that guy, right?]
…

Li Wei, who was surfing the web at the time, also clicked into Song Qing’s post—not to listen to her new song, but to dig up dirt on her.

He had just been reading under @EntertainmentCirclePiggy’s account, ready to comment after finishing the article, when he found the blog had been deleted.

He messaged the blogger to ask why, but only got a zipper-mouthed emoji in reply.

That said it all—Song Qing was being protected by capital!

And now, here she was, releasing a new song!

Having once actively participated in the online crusade against “scumbags Ji Fanxing and Ning Ze,” Li Wei felt his fists clench in anger.

Damn it! It was another case of capital whitewashing!

Thinking back to Piggy’s exposé, Li Wei remembered how much effort he had put into the lip-syncing scandal.

In the end, Ji Fanxing’s name was cleared, and he himself was flamed by countless netizens.

The reputation he had built over the years had been trampled by those two!

Li Wei, a veteran of online forums, was in several groups full of like-minded users. Their proudest achievement had been driving the up-and-coming actor Ning Ze into obscurity.

He immediately forwarded Song Qing’s post to all the major groups.

The response was immediate. All night, using a magnifying glass, they scrutinized every detail of Song Qing’s life.

By the time Ji Fanxing woke up the next day, a new trending topic was skyrocketing:

#Shocking! “King of All Music” Contestant Song Qing Caught Having an Affair Backstage with a Legal Consultant!#