Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

Meanwhile, Xingyao Entertainment's public relations department.

Old Li stared at the soaring data in the surrounding pre-sale backend, his hands trembling with excitement.

"Mr. Zhang, this level of hype is terrifying!"

"The moment Liu Yifei reposted it, the pre-sale page froze for three seconds!"

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the live comments.

"However... the insults were really fierce."

"Now the whole internet is criticizing us for having no bottom line, even betraying our own artists."

Mr. Zhang leaned back in his chair, rhythmically tapping the table with his index finger.

"Stay calm."

"Has everything been communicated properly with Cai Kun?"

"Everything has been communicated."

Old Li pointed to the folder on the computer.

"The images and text were prepared long ago."

……

The online flame war is escalating.

In the university dormitory, Lin Xiao's fingers flew across the keyboard as he frantically typed in the input box.

[We urge Xingyao Entertainment to immediately stop exploiting its artists and give Cai Kun an explanation, otherwise the fans will never accept this!]

Resist the consumerist trap! Resist these cheap, low-quality blind boxes! Don't even think about making a single penny off our fans!

Fang Yu, doesn't your conscience hurt?!

After typing the last exclamation mark, Lin Xiao hovered his index finger above the Enter key, ready to deliver another heavy blow to Xingyao's official Weibo account.

Sudden.

"Ding-dong—"

A special attention alert sounded.

Lin Xiao's finger froze in mid-air.

Cai Kun posted on Weibo!

She slowly withdrew her hand, and her nose began to sting.

That's it, Kunkun definitely can't take it anymore.

Being openly betrayed by a senior colleague in your own company and then being made a laughing stock online—anyone would break down in that kind of humiliation.

She had already rehearsed a whole tragic drama in her mind.

It could be a long essay denouncing the cold-bloodedness and exploitation of an unscrupulous company.

Or it could be more serious—

They officially announced their withdrawal from the competition.

Farewell to the entertainment industry.

I'll never touch a basketball again!

"Kunkun, don't be afraid..."

Lin Xiao murmured to herself as she looked at the screen, her voice trembling.

"Mom will always be on your side."

Even if the whole world curses you, I will be the first to rush up to protect you.

Zhao Jiajia, who was standing next to her, was tilting her head back to drink water.

Upon hearing this, she nearly spat water out of her nose onto the sheets.

"Ahem... Calm down, let's see what he posted first!"

Lin Xiao clicked on the post.

Immediately afterwards, he froze on the spot.

The expected accusatory essay did not appear.

There was no trace of a dramatic withdrawal from the competition.

On the screen, Cai Kun openly reposted the Weibo post from Xingyao's official Weibo account that included the phrase "newbie".

The accompanying text is as follows:

Hello everyone, let me formally introduce myself.

This is my new partner, his name is Little Rookie. Please take good care of him from now on.

[By the way, Yu-ge, could you reserve a hidden item for me in the first batch of blind boxes? [Grinning face]]

The accompanying image on the Weibo post was even more significant.

That was a full-body photo of Cai Kun taken in front of a mirror in the dance studio.

He was wearing a black training uniform and holding a thermos with the program's logo on it.

On the right shoulder, there's a cute little chick dribbling a ball.

A man and a chicken, both looking at the camera.

In the photo, Cai Kun smiles brightly, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed, and there is not a trace of resentment on his face.

The image is absurdly abstract, yet the two sides surprisingly complement each other when placed side by side.

Dormitory at Beijing University.

Lin Xiao stared at Cai Kun's Weibo post, her mouth agape for a full thirty seconds.

Until Zhao Jiajia waved her hand in front of her.

"Hey, are you still alive?"

"He...he claimed it?"

Lin Xiao's voice was shaky, but her eyes remained fixed on the screen.

Zhao Jiajia zoomed in on that selfie and stared at it for a long time.

"Not only did he claim it, he even asked for the blind box?"

"Seriously, is Cai Kun really that emotionally unstable?"

Sun Meng laughed until her stomach hurt, and she rolled around on the bed clutching her stomach.

"Oh my god, I can't take it anymore, this year's idols are so interesting!"

"While his fans are still outside mourning him and denouncing the company, his idol has already become sworn brothers with this newbie!"

Lin Xiao finally realized what was happening and immediately glared at her.

"What do you mean by 'wearing mourning clothes'? Can't you speak properly?!"

"My brother has a good sense of perspective! Do you even understand what perspective means?!"

She spoke loudly, but her eyes remained complex.

Just then, Cai Kun posted a "newbie dribbling" emoji in the comments section of his Weibo post.

The caption contained only four words.

The chickens will be here.

This comment plunged fans who had initially believed he was being forced to work by his company into a deeper state of confusion.

Cai Kun's comment section quickly turned into a scene of massive mental breakdown.

【Kunkun, was the company holding a gun to your head? If so, put a punctuation mark on it!】

[He was absolutely forced into it! Look how forced his smile is! Capitalism is so vicious, actually forcing victims to accept derogatory nicknames themselves!]

[To the lady upstairs, he just posted eight newbie emojis in the comments section all at once...]

[It's possible that a capitalist is pointing eight guns at him!]

But... ladies, this little chick is really cute! Much better looking than those photoshopped pictures of hens laying eggs by haters!

[Calm down! Sisters, you must calm down! We can't fall into the capitalists' trap! This is all Fang Yu's scheme!]

[Um... since we're on the topic, what exactly is the hidden version like? Does anyone know? Could you give me a hint?]

[We agreed to boycott, so why are you asking about the hidden models now?!]

I'm just doing some simple reconnaissance!

[I'd also like to check where the pre-sale link is.]

One second the fans were furious and ready to bombard Xingyao's official Weibo account, the next second they started researching how many types of blind boxes there were.

As for the joint protest letter, which was already more than half-written, entitled "On Resisting Xingyao Entertainment's Bloodsucking Behavior," it was awkwardly stuck in the announcement of the large fan group.

Deleting it isn't an option either.

Continuing to send it isn't an option either.

Everyone could only pretend they hadn't seen it.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted within a well-known anti-fan group.

[Hilarious! Turning celebrities' derogatory nicknames into merchandise and selling them for money, what a greedy move... Cai Kun is actually quite pitiful; I suddenly don't even have the heart to criticize him anymore.]

[You're too naive. This is clearly a coordinated publicity stunt. How could Cai Kun not have received a share?]

The question now is, guys, should we keep making fun of them? All the memes we worked so hard to create have been taken away by the official channels, bowl and all!

This is what makes haters feel most uncomfortable and frustrated.

The jokes that were originally meant to sting Cai Kun and break his defenses suddenly lost their power when he accepted them with a smile and even used them more skillfully than the haters.

Keep watching "You're So Beautiful"?

That doesn't sound like they're criticizing him; it sounds like a group of people are working for free, desperately doing free publicity and traffic generation for this "newbie IP"!

The online sentiment is beginning to shift.

Those casual observers who were initially just following the meme changed their tune after seeing Cai Kun's response.

Wow, this guy has a great sense of style!

[Awesome! Being ridiculed by the entire internet and still managing to make fun of it himself—that's incredible mental fortitude! Idols should have that kind of big heart!]

[I was just a casual observer; I was a bit annoyed by this meme before, but seeing his attitude now, I'm actually becoming a fan.]