On Saturday morning, Lu Chen sat hunched over his desk in the bedroom, poring over the outline of his novel.
Even though he was still waiting for the "Soul of a Popular Novelist," he had to lay the groundwork. After all, he didn't know what that "real-world skill" would actually be.
What if the system just dumped a book on him and said, "Young man, the master leads the way, but you must walk the path yourself"? That would be a total disaster.
Still, the system rarely pulled such stunts. Lu Chen was just being cautious out of habit.
After a while, he let out a yawn and picked up his phone to check for updates.
Tony had told him that the entertainment industry was about to erupt, and Lu Chen had been looking forward to it.
Sure enough, the moment he opened his social media app, several scandalous headlines were trending at the top:
#Gu Cheng's Relationship Exposed#
#Gu Cheng #Female CEO#
#Gu Cheng Third-Wheeling#
#Gu Cheng #Sugar Baby#
#Three Girlfriends!#
Gu Cheng's scandals had taken over the front pages of every major outlet. Say what you will, the guy had serious star power.
And the stronger his pull, the wilder the gossip got. His mess quickly buried the original "Starlight V.T. Bullying Incident."
After all, a supposedly ascetic, cold-faced heartthrob like Gu Cheng getting tangled in such scandals was pure clickbait.
"Shocking! The untold secrets between Gu Cheng and the female CEO!"
"The real reason Gu Cheng joined Jia Shi Entertainment!"
"Jia Shi's female CEO cheats on her husband!"
"Daily scoop: One of Gu Cheng's girlfriends is underage—he might face criminal charges!"
"Sugar mama? Kept man? Illicit affair? Old Zhang spills the dirtiest secrets of showbiz!"
...
Lu Chen also saw a statement from Gu Cheng's PR team:
"1. All rumors, completely fabricated."
"2. The matter has been handed over to legal counsel."
The comment section was chaos. Only his diehard fans were still desperately defending him:
"Hahaha, ultimate time management god!"
"Gu Cheng would never do this! Haters, are you done yet?"
"Gu Cheng is a legend! A true man's role model!"
"These so-called exposés are obviously fake. We 'little oranges' know how hard he works. Don't you haters have any shame?"
"Hahaha that female CEO is ancient! Gu Cheng, you really stooped that low? You'd do anything for money!"
"Protect our perfect Gu Cheng 💖💖💖"
"Don't be afraid, Brother Cheng. We'll always believe in you!"
The buzz only intensified. Gu Cheng's scandal tore through the entertainment world like wildfire. Fans and haters alike were glued to their phones.
Traffic surged so hard, it almost crashed Weibo's servers...
Weibo's stock price even skyrocketed. Their CEO was probably dancing with joy.
Jia Shi Entertainment tried to quietly suppress the backlash and deployed hordes of paid posters to clean up his image. But in the face of a national gossip frenzy, it was useless. Media outlets weren't about to miss this mega event. If anything, they poured more fuel on the fire, dragging out even more dirt from Gu Cheng's past.
Stuff like him being a diva. Him bullying younger female artists.
Some even claimed Gu Cheng's real name wasn't Gu Cheng—it was Gu Dawei. He'd changed it post-debut to sound more artsy...
Naturally, Starlight Entertainment had a hand in stirring the pot. Tony seized the chance to release the "Truth Behind the V.T. Incident," revealing that:
Gu Cheng had long been at odds with Starlight. He wanted to branch out into acting and variety, no longer focusing on music. He demanded sky-high contracts. Meanwhile, the V.T. team never hogged resources. Classical music had a niche audience, and they had always planned to keep it "small but refined." Their actual budget was made public...
But public attention remained locked on Gu Cheng's dirt. Compared to that, the "V.T. Incident" barely registered, slipping down the trending list.
Still, V.T. had plenty of supporters. As a rising star in the classical scene, many veteran musicians publicly backed V.T., slamming Jia Shi for smearing a young talent and nearly derailing a promising career.
By noon, the "V.T. Incident" hit a new peak—Brother Lun, a legendary singer who had been iconic across two generations since his breakout 20 years ago, stepped up.
"I listened to V.T.'s new track—hey, not bad at all!"
"Really glad to see creators who still take music seriously. I strongly recommend everyone give 'Ode to the Sea' a listen."
"Go listen! You won't be disappointed. My taste is unbeatable!"
Though semi-retired, Brother Lun had posted this to his private Moments. Someone took screenshots and uploaded them to Weibo, which drew out a wave of long-dormant fans and curious onlookers.
"Ode to the Sea" rocketed to the top of the charts, overtaking Gu Cheng's heartbreak ballad in an instant.
This was an unexpected bonus—because Lu Chen's mission, "Let the Wind of Mondstadt Blow Here," required "Ode to the Sea" to sell well and stay in the top three for three consecutive weeks.
Originally, Lu Chen had planned to have Tony leverage the current buzz to boost the new album, but that would've taken time and money.
Who would've guessed Brother Lun's three casual Moments would do the job for them...
Tony and the team hadn't even contacted Brother Lun. He did it all on his own.
Clearly, he genuinely appreciated the album and was willing to speak up when V.T. faced unfair treatment—a true veteran supporting rising talent.
Lu Chen silently gave him a mental thumbs-up. You're the man, Brother Lun.
When you drop new music, I'll be the first to buy it.
...
While Lu Chen scrolled through his phone, snacking on gossip, Raiden Ei walked in.
"What's so funny?"
"Take a look!" Lu Chen showed her his phone. Ei scanned the screen and lit up with surprise.
"Barbatos's name has finally been cleared. Let's tell him!"
"Absolutely!"
Lu Chen went to the living room and called everyone over.
Yae Miko had been following the situation closely. She already had her phone in hand. She wasn't surprised—but her eyes sparkled with glee.
"To see the collapse of a 'pure' idol... how many will cry for him? Just thinking about it is delightful, hehe..."
"Oh!" Venti looked at his phone. "Lots of people are listening to my songs!"
"This is just the beginning," Lu Chen smiled. "More and more people will fall in love with your music."
"Yeah, not bad." Venti settled into the sofa. He didn't care about gossip—but knowing people were listening to his songs genuinely made him happy.
"So..." Yae Miko looked at Lu Chen. "We just wait for the mission to complete now? That's it... all done?"
"Not even close." Lu Chen let out a cold laugh. To him, this was only the beginning.
He wasn't one to let things slide.
The person who started it all—was going to pay.