Chapter 46: We Made the Donation—Why Are You All Praising Him?

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A few words from Jackfruit had completely turned Zeng Xiao and Wang Tianxiao around.

Wang Tianxiao’s eyes were practically glowing. He looked at Xu Qingfeng as if he were staring at an idol.

Only he knew how valuable the “Tears Behind Bars” campaign really was. A single song had brought in several million new users—an absolute miracle.

If they could run a few more campaigns like this, what would Weibo even matter?

Zeng Xiao, meanwhile, had his eye on the direction of combining music with video. The numbers never lied. After music was added, both the videos’ view counts and completion rates had risen dramatically. The effect was nothing short of rewriting fate.

Xu Qingfeng had just said that he would only offer suggestions and would not participate in management. What did that mean?

It meant getting everything for free!

The other people in charge, who had been sitting back and enjoying the spectacle, immediately turned sour. Damn it, they wanted him too.

The Public Relations Department especially looked at Xu Qingfeng with such yearning that their eyes seemed ready to melt.

“Ahem, all right, all right. Everyone, take your seats. Consultant Xu has come up with another plan over the past couple of days. Take a look.”

Wang Tianxiao stared at Xu Qingfeng in disbelief. “Mr. Xu has another plan?”

The popularity of “Tears Behind Bars” had not even faded yet, and Xu Qingfeng already had another plan. Wasn’t he supposed to have never even attended university?

Could it be that a graduate student like himself could not even compete with a high-school student?

Was this what they called a naturally gifted prodigy? A graduate student encountering a gifted high-schooler, giving it everything he had and still being unable to win.

The only sound in the office was the rustling of papers.

Wang Tianxiao raised his hand. “I think we can promote this song on music platforms. We can quietly pay for traffic on Weibo, then invite a few celebrities to join us.”

“If we keep bringing in new music, our positioning will definitely become clearer.”

Xu Qingfeng’s proposal was laid out with remarkable clarity. Watching the drama was one thing, but that alone could never attract top streamers or celebrities. The performance rights and profits from “Faded,” however, were an irresistible prize. That meant the plan’s impact might surpass even “Tears Behind Bars.”

Once the proposal was finalized, Xu Qingfeng left FlashView’s headquarters.

In truth, he thought the name FlashView was not very good. It failed to highlight the company’s musical character. They ought to change it.

What should they call it?

Flash Music!

Of course, that was for later. Xu Qingfeng intended to bring it up at the right moment.

…

Xu Qingfeng went to sleep, but the internet’s gossip-hungry spectators were still wide awake.

“Weibo should have gone out of business long ago.”

“What a disgusting platform. I hope it dies soon.”

Half of the adapted version of “Faded” had infuriated Weibo, and the scandals that had been exposed only made matters worse, leaving the platform trapped in an impossible situation.

If they refused to remove the trending topics, the public would curse them viciously. If they removed them, they would only prove Xu Qingfeng’s claim that they could manipulate the trending list at will.

“Animals!”

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“Someone is definitely targeting us.”

“FlashView cannot escape responsibility.”

“Use our connections. Make Lin Chen come to his senses.”

Weibo was urgently discussing countermeasures. Xu Qingfeng’s revelations had struck straight at their vital points. What they feared was not being cursed at—they feared losing money.

At the same time, many “Soul Reapers” were urging the brothers-in-law Jiang Wei and Liang Fei beneath their Weibo posts.

“Jiang, you beast, when are you donating the five million?”

“Liang, you beast, hurry up and make up the five million you owe!”

Jiang Wei: “Damn it!”

“That bastard Xu Qingfeng!”

Bang!

Jiang Wei slammed his palm onto the desk, then grimaced and shook his hand in pain.

“Damn it, he opens his mouth and asks for five million. Why doesn’t he just rob a bank?!”

His manager looked puzzled. “Isn’t that exactly what he’s doing?”

Jiang Wei’s face twisted, his nostrils flaring. “Can we sue him for extortion?”

“…No. And I also recommend that you donate. Right now, we need the donation to win back the popularity we’ve lost.”

“Damn it! Are you saying I’m supposed to thank him?”

“…You could put it that way.”

On the other side, Liang Fei made the same choice.

“Donate. Buy more trending searches while you’re at it. We must bury all the negative news!”

Whenever damaging information was exposed, using charity to win back public favor was a common tactic in the entertainment industry. Xu Qingfeng had demanded an outrageous sum, but it was not entirely beyond what they could accept.

Early the next morning, Weibo issued an official statement.

“We have noticed that certain individuals have maliciously smeared Weibo online. We hereby solemnly declare that Weibo has never manipulated user accounts, and that no commercial transactions are involved in the trending-search rankings. The rankings are maintained entirely through algorithms and anti-spam mechanisms to ensure their authenticity. The platform has never removed trending topics at anyone’s request. In response to any acts of rumor-mongering or defamation, Weibo will take legal action to protect its rights and interests. Relevant parties are requested to immediately cease their infringement.”

All three accusations Xu Qingfeng had reported were directly denied by Weibo, but the statement only provoked public outrage.

“You’ve completely abandoned your shame, haven’t you?”

“Lying through your teeth with your eyes wide open—that’s so like you.”

“Go ahead and send a lawyer’s letter, then! Go ahead and call the police!”

“When did Weibo become so kindhearted?”

“The Wind God already told you what to do. Hurry up and destroy him.”

“Useless!”

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The abuse from netizens drove Weibo’s executives into such a rage that one of them even suffered a bout of hypertension. How many years had it been since they had endured such humiliation?

That bastard Xu Qingfeng!

Not long afterward, Liang Fei and Jiang Wei, both exposed the previous night, announced one after another that they would donate five million to charity.

By coincidence, the two of them posted their announcements at almost exactly the same time.

“Six-six-six. As expected of brothers-in-law.”

“What incredible teamwork!”

“I’m starting to wonder whether there’s something going on between them.”

“Birds of a feather. Do you think they’re joking around with you?”

Liang Fei was so furious that his eyes turned red.

“Jiang Wei, you bastard! Just wait!”

Before long, Liang Fei’s fans began attacking Jiang Wei.

The trending searches on Weibo were soon flooded with negative information about Jiang Wei: “fried vermicelli,” “facial paralysis,” “performance techniques,” “cerebral-thrombosis acting,” “Undead War God,” “Father of the Ghost Baby,” and countless other scandals drowned out the news of Jiang Wei’s donation.

In fan circles, this tactic was known as “slaughtering the square.” It was one of the most common methods of attack.

Jiang Wei reacted just as quickly and launched a counterattack of his own.

After both sides had slaughtered each other’s squares, their fans began manufacturing negative topics. “Jiang Wei’s Twitching-Style Singing” and “Liang Fei’s Terrible Acting” shot up the trending list together.

The comment sections beneath both men’s posts were occupied by the other side’s fans, while waves of malicious comments flew everywhere.

The two sides fought so fiercely that they nearly tore each other apart, exposing all kinds of scandals along the way. The netizens were having the time of their lives.

“Dogs fighting dogs. This is incredible.”

“Damn! Liang Fei actually had an affair with that person?”

“That’s ridiculous. Jiang Wei’s third Ghost Baby is already four months old?”

“Good, good. Bring us more.”

The trending searches on Weibo began fighting each other as well. Donations and mutual attacks battled for attention, and the two men’s plans to recover their popularity through donation-related searches almost completely collapsed.

Just then, another piece of news surged onto the trending list.

#Black-and-White Impermanence Donate Five Million to Children in Mountainous Regions#

Because of Weibo’s blockade, the names FlashView and Xu Qingfeng could not appear on the trending list, resulting in this sensational headline instead.