Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 303 Are you pitying me?

The thing netizens regret most today is clicking on Tong Yulu's competition video.

They didn't leave after listening to the first two songs, which led to a big mistake. It just goes to show that curiosity killed the cat.

Who would have thought that someone who does abstract art would sneak into a music competition?
It wasn't just any ordinary abstraction; when they saw her smash the wine bottle and turn into a dark figure on the spot, they were all dumbfounded.

This isn't a horror novel, so how did a real demon or monster get mixed in?
They were startled by Tong Yulu's smoky eye makeup, and the dark-themed caption was so cringeworthy it made everyone's scalp tingle, but surprisingly, very few people immediately backed out after seeing this.

How strange, let me take another look...

Abstract as it may be, it's worth watching when it's taken to the extreme. It's rare to see a popular female celebrity go to such lengths to make herself look ugly.

Although Tong Yulu's video is outrageous, she really puts her skills into it. Despite wearing black makeup, her emotions are still very full, and there is no awkward acting at all. She is just enjoying herself.

Sister Lu's composure is something everyone would say about her.
Most importantly, although these dark and edgy captions are awkward, they are quite creative, and they can go on for two minutes without repeating themselves.

"You're spouting rhymes all the time, are you preparing for graduate school?"

"God gave you creative talent, and you just use it to write abstract copy? That's a waste of your talent."

"You've overestimated your sister Lu. She can barely read a few words."

“I bet 500 coins that Yu Wei wrote this. Only he could do something so abstract and creative.”

Don't be fooled by the fact that these dark and edgy copywritings are simple and easy to understand. It's not easy to write a single sentence that is both coherent and rhyming, let alone so many sentences.

This is something most people couldn't do; only Yu Wei, who possesses creative ability while also being equally outrageous...

Netizens immediately recognized the song and realized it was indeed Yu Wei's work. He was the one who came up with the idea for "Giao," making him a repeat offender.

Who else but Yu Wei is so knowledgeable about the internet, so good at creating humor, and so capable of writing so many creative and abstract copy?

"Snow fears the sun, grass fears frost, people fear being broke, and love fears being hurt!"

Tong Yulu hadn't finished her performance in the video, but netizens in front of the screen had gradually turned from surprise to delight. Of course, they didn't like the character's dark side, but rather enjoyed watching the spectacle.

Without Sister Lu, who else can make everyone laugh? In the fake competition written by Yu Wei, there are those who give up and those who try their best, but the only one who spares no effort to make everyone laugh is Tong Yulu.

The key is that she can actually do it. Yu Wei's imagination combined with her execution ability always makes everyone happy.

If Lu Jie doesn't advance, what will they eat? Yeah, what will they eat?
At first, it was just readers and netizens watching the game joining in the fun and recommending it to each other, but everything changed after it was uploaded to a short video platform.

In less than three hours, the tweet was retweeted 100,000 times, and the video was subsequently split, reassembled, and remixed.

Some people added a dark filter and blood-red pupil effect to Tong Yulu, while others set her lines to heavy metal music.

Even worse, some people created various memes based on her image: "Today's progress in turning evil is 1%", "This world has never been kind", "Yet you made me lose so completely".

This is true literature of heartbreak. All those love stories are so weak compared to this. The deep and sentimental guys and the heartbroken girls don't understand what it means to make sacrifices; they only know how to turn evil!
"I'm your voting assistant, hurry up and vote for your Lu Jie, did you hear me?"

"You've modified the blade so many times, and you dare talk to your Sister Lu like that? You're asking for it!"

"I didn't originally want to vote, but I wanted more people to see it."

"Tong Yulu's 'Yulu' is a collection of dark and edgy quotes!"

As the spread of the video expanded, its meaning began to detach from the content itself, evolving into a pure symbolic carnival.

The hashtag #TongYuLu'sAwkwardTurn# has surpassed 80 million views, with netizens using the word "street" repeatedly and creating various dark-themed captions.

"The bubble tea shop is closed today. This world has never been sweet."

"The boss is demanding we work overtime this weekend. Looks like it's time to show the real darkness."

The online frenzy that saw participation from the entire internet was unimaginable. Within just half a day of the competition starting, Tong Yulu dominated the charts. You could listen to her songs anytime, but the fun was unique.

Playing around is fine, but we have to help Sister Lu advance today. She's already so abstract, let's just let her have her way.

The development of events was completely unexpected by everyone. Even Yu Wei did not expect that everyone would love to see the dark side of the character so much, even more so than the previous evil tricks.

But after thinking about it carefully, he realized that "giao" and "giegie" are more like bizarre online tipping. People just watch for fun, but they don't really resonate with it and won't imitate it.

But turning evil is different. Many people have seen this thing before, and some have even gone through a period of being immature and eccentric. Whether it's teasing or self-deprecation, this kind of resonance is something that other evil tricks don't have.

"She really dealt me ​​explosive damage."

Yu Wei had only predicted that Tong Yulu would advance, but she unexpectedly topped the rankings, even surpassing the indigenous singer's "Cheng Quan".

Indeed, only abstraction can defeat AI...

This song isn't the type that's easy to spread, so its popularity hasn't been as fast as the viral hits, and it's currently in second place.

In terms of popularity, a song can't compete with an internet meme for long, but songs can withstand the test of time, while the popularity of a meme is very short-lived.

The hype came and went quickly, but Tong Yulu clearly capitalized on it, becoming the first singer to conquer the third round of native contestants...

If he can still be called a singer.

Who would have thought that the indigenous people, whom many musicians had tried their best to defeat but could not, would actually be defeated by abstract art?

It's outrageous, but that's the reality of the internet. There's no doubt that Tong Yulu won her gamble.

She was also very excited when she saw the number of votes that were firmly in first place. After being an ordinary person for so many years, who would have thought that she would become famous for her abstract art?

This time, she finally pinned Chi Leying down hard, with a local singer between them.

She finally won against her opponent once, and won the biggest one at that. She didn't win at all, but this victory pushed Chi Leying into the top 24.

If your own fans keep talking to the other side like this, won't they be able to keep up the conversation for a lifetime?

Chi Leying had won against her countless times, but none of them had caused as much damage as this time. Just thinking about this made Tong Yulu smile uncontrollably.

A GOAT-level revenge, turning the tide and saving the collapsing empire.

However, after the initial excitement of being a winner wore off, a new dilemma arose. Winning was certainly a good thing, but after advancing, wouldn't she be unable to sign with Yu Wei Studio?
There are gains and losses; could this also be part of Yu Wei's plan...?

On the second day of filming, Tong Yulu and Chi Leying arrived one after another. They had missed a lot of scenes due to the competition, so they naturally had to speed up the process to catch up.

Although Chi Leying hid it well, anyone with eyes could still see how haggard she looked.

They predicted the exam questions in advance, prepared actively for the competition, and devoted themselves to video production and performance.

She made the right choice, yet she still lost—to an unexpected person, to an unexpected tactic. She had considered losing to a local singer, which was normal, but losing head-on to Tong Yulu was certainly not within her expectations.

It wasn't that Chi Leying underestimated her opponent; it was just that, based on a realistic and objective analysis, the opponent was indeed no match for her.

But Yu Wei made his move...

This kind of evil cultivation method that utilizes the internet to the extreme is something her rival could never have come up with; it was Yu Wei's doing.

She wanted to cry out that it was unfair, but she quickly realized that her advantage before the game started was also due to Yu Wei's help.

Yu Wei's songs helped her elevate her status, which led to her current position. One shouldn't be hypocritical; if Yu Wei can help her, she can naturally help others as well.

Moreover, "Youth" is a hit no matter who sings it, but this time, apart from Tong Yulu, it's not certain that anyone else can pull off this unorthodox approach.

At least she couldn't do it. She wouldn't take such a risky gamble, and she couldn't let go of her so-called idol image.

Chi Leying realized that compared to her, Tong Yulu actually received less of Yu Wei's benefits, simply because the other party worked harder.

Therefore, there's no need to use Yu Wei's involvement as an excuse. She can afford to lose; she did lose to Tong Yulu, and she accepts it.

With four hours left before the voting deadline, the vote difference was extremely large, and her fans were simply outnumbered in the face of the nationwide buzz.

Looks like I'm really going to be eliminated by my old rival this time...

Chi Leying felt a pang of bitterness. If she hadn't gone to comfort the other party and let her continue to simmer internally, she might have won this competition.

But life doesn't offer "what ifs." Her soft heart created a terrifying opponent, and she herself sowed the seeds of her own crushing defeat.

This was the worst defeat she had ever suffered since her debut. She was eliminated in the top 24 of a competition she valued so much, and now she was going to be crushed by her arch-rival for life. Even if she accepted it wholeheartedly, she couldn't be happy...

"It's also very good."

Chi Leying forced a smile. Who can live a life without losing?
Losing to Tong Yulu is much better than losing to someone else; at least one of them is happy.

Seeing Tong Yulu all smiles on set, she sighed with relief.

"Oh, Mr. Yu!"

"People are in high spirits when they have good news to share."

Tong Yulu changed her address to "President Yu" directly, which Yu Wei didn't expect. "Have you signed a contract yet? You're just making things up."

"Just average, third in the world."

It's clear that Tong Yulu really enjoyed this victory. Although it was a dirty trick, the votes were genuine and there was no exaggeration.

"If I advance, does that mean I won't be able to sign a contract?"

When the conversation turned to serious matters, Tong Yulu's smile faded, and she seemed a little conflicted. She was a bit greedy and wanted it all.

"Of course, what if netizens say I'm promoting my own people after the contract is signed? If we win, it'll be a cheating scandal; if we lose, it'll be because we deserve it."

Tong Yulu pursed her lips upon hearing this, but she could understand. One cannot have both the competition and the contract; greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

The best option is to compete until you're eliminated before signing a contract, maximizing your profits.

Tong Yulu frowned slightly, as if she was considering something. After a brief silence, she gave an answer that Yu Wei had never thought of.

"I want to withdraw from the competition!"

Yes, she is withdrawing from the competition. This is the result of Tong Yulu's careful consideration last night.

She can tell the difference between being full at one meal and being full at another. Continuing to compete will certainly generate buzz, but successfully signing a contract is also a good thing.

She only had one chance, and if she missed it, she didn't know when she would get another one. The studio was her dream place, and she couldn't hesitate if she had the opportunity.

Furthermore, she won by using abstract art. Although the vote count was not rigged, it was easy to be misled afterward: good works are no match for acting crazy. What's wrong with the entertainment industry?
In the internet age, public opinion can shift too quickly. If this continues, she will inevitably be attacked by people who are unaware of the truth.

One shouldn't be too greedy. The best solution is to make a grand exit when the hype is at its peak, otherwise it will be too late to leave behind a mess.

She won the competition but withdrew from it. People would say she was a dignified person, that she lost with honor and had a good character.

Putting aside the issue of self-interest, in an increasingly formal competition, it's not very ethical for her to win over truly good works by focusing on abstract concepts and occupy a spot in the advancement round for musicians.

If she had no other choice, she would have to go on even if it was dishonest. But now that she has a choice, why not give way to everyone?
This is true fulfillment, fulfilling your freedom and adventure, and fulfilling my blue sea and sky...

"Are you serious?"

Yu Wei understood Tong Yulu's thoughts, but the temptation of eating two hot dishes at the same time was too strong. Did she really just withdraw from the competition?

"Of course, with my skill level, I definitely wouldn't be able to win against the natives later on. I'll just withdraw now to gain fame in life and after death!"

She was the only one who withdrew from the competition after winning. No matter who wins the championship, her name will still be engraved on the stage of "Top Idol".

Tong Yulu's move was truly ingenious, and Yu Wei couldn't help but secretly marvel at it. This guy is really smart; taking a step back has opened up a whole new world.

"That's fine."

From a musical point of view, the indigenous singer and Chi Leying are indeed better. Logically speaking, their advancement is the normal competition process and can be considered a return to the essence.

Chi Leying witnessed Yu Wei and Tong Yulu chatting on set, but she couldn't hear what they were saying.

It's probably some kind of victory speech, but she doesn't want to hear that right now...

She endured the pain while filming, but during her lunch break, she saw a bombshell announcement: Tong Yulu called for respect for music and then withdrew from the competition, with the second and third place winners advancing to the next round.

The sudden advancement left Chi Leying somewhat stunned. She looked up at Tong Yulu not far away, and the bitterness in her heart intensified.

A surge of excitement rushed to her head, and Chi Leying, wearing her slightly heeled leather shoes, strode quickly over.

The sound of the heels striking each other was urgent and loud, carrying a clear declaration of war, drawing the attention of everyone on set.

She didn't care; all she could think about was the other person's withdrawal. This kind of handout-like advancement was far more humiliating than direct elimination.

Chi Leying stopped in front of Tong Yulu, her shadow completely enveloping her.

Tong Yulu looked up, a perfectly measured surprise on her face, as if she hadn't expected her arrival at all.

"Are you pitying me?"

(End of this chapter)